Badlands Media

Host Matt Trump powers through a technically cursed evening (broken mic cord, dead camera, "wading through mud" all week) to deliver part three of his summer abroad walking tour as the self-styled Rick Steves of Badlands. After a detour on reactivating a decade-old Facebook account and how he tries to explain his politics to liberal friends, he crosses the Thames to the Tower of London and its Norman builders.
The through line is a provocative analogy: the Norman Conquest of 1066, in which a small ruling class dominated England without replacing its people, framed as a template for how he views globalist or "deep state" control of modern America. Expect the White Tower, Traitor's Gate, the scaffold site, a Robin Hood tie-in, a space-alien thought experiment, and a Federal Reserve comparison, all wrapped in his usual history-meets-geopolitics musing. The Romans built the bridge; the Normans, he argues, still run the place.

Jordan and Nate open by roasting mainstream media's hilarious hit pieces on RFK Jr.'s new cooking show (the Washington Post is somehow mad the HHS secretary makes salmon cakes) before playing some genuinely great clips of him going toe to toe with a stone faced Dana Bash on CNN and dropping a bombshell about gain of function research on Fox News. From there they dig deep into the corporate takeover of the supplement world, breaking down why Procter & Gamble just paid billions for Thorne and how mega corps like Nestle and Glanbia are quietly buying up the whole natural products supply chain. The back half covers Kennedy's move to decertify an organ procurement group over disturbing patient safety failures, wildfire smoke survival tips, a nuanced look at Texas's cannabis crackdown, and a candid, funny debate about the peptide craze and whether it is the first step toward a very different kind of future. Equal parts news breakdown and honest conversation between friends.

Trump heads to the State Department to make the case that mining, yes, mining, might be one of the sleeper hits of his second term. Expect big numbers on new mines opening at the fastest pace since the 1950s, billions in fresh investment, the first American rare earth mine in over 70 years, and a genuinely entertaining tangent about chandeliers and Corinthian columns. Rubio, Burgum, and Lutnick each take a turn explaining how tariffs, permitting reforms, and international mineral agreements are rebuilding a supply chain America let slip away for decades. There's a $100 million commitment to mining schools, a solid gold nodule replica handed to Trump mid speech, and a parade of industry executives and university presidents thanking him like he personally reopened their mines. Between the policy substance there's plenty of classic riffing, on coal, on tariffs being his "fifth favorite word," and on how badly Minnesota's governor is running things. A wonky topic delivered with maximum showmanship.

Jon Herold recovers from a canceled Florida trip (thanks to an airport radar outage) to dig into Trump's wide ranging Punchbowl News interview, breaking down his lukewarm comments on Senate Leader Thune, his surprisingly uncertain tone on the midterms, and some fascinating remarks on crypto, AI, and a possible 2028 run. He also plays a clip of John Solomon making the case that the intelligence community's election interference dwarfs anything foreign adversaries did, walks through two new executive orders cracking down on birth tourism and birthright citizenship, and covers a federal court blocking White House ballroom construction. There's also a pointed breakdown of a new GAO report finding DOGE's claimed savings didn't hold up to scrutiny, plus a disappointing July jobs report. Sponsor reads, meetup logistics, and plenty of live chat banter round out a newsy Friday show.

CannCon and Chris Paul open with a genuinely strange story about the mysterious Ghost in the Machine account quietly disappearing from social media on its purported last day, and dig into why a Navy ship logo tied to that account has never been fully explained. From there they touch on Mitch McConnell's oddly worded recovery statement, noting nobody has actually seen him in a while, before diving into a Senate confirmation vote hanging by a thread thanks to a wavering Republican senator. The bulk of the show digs into a brand new mRNA flu vaccine approval that skipped placebo testing entirely and shows a notably higher injury rate, including a spirited public back and forth CannCon had with an FDA official over how the story was being reported. They wrap with Trump comments on election integrity and a birthright citizenship enforcement clip. A packed Thursday.

Chris Paul and Burning Bright close out the Knives Out trilogy with the newest entry, and Burning Bright makes his case for why this one hits harder than the first two. Expect a genuinely thoughtful breakdown of Rian Johnson as a filmmaker, from Looper to the divisive Last Jedi fallout, and how that history colors the way they watch his work now. The conversation digs into the movie's heavy religious imagery, its take on justice versus vengeance, and a sharp aside about purity tests and groupthink that ties straight back to some very current events in truther circles. There's also a fun tangent on why certain political sides tend to make better movies. Stick around for the sponsor reads, a few subscriber shoutouts, and next week's pick, a 90s political comedy neither host has actually seen before.

CannCon and Alpha Warrior open with a little gun collecting envy and boot camp trauma bonding before diving into the real meat of the night. Alpha lays out his theory on how Trump's national emergency and executive order playbook could reshape the next election, from foreign interference disclosures to what role the National Guard might actually play at the ballot box. From there the guys go head to head on Fauci's pardons, the Supremacy Clause, and whether contempt of Congress actually leads anywhere. Things get even more colorful when a caller who goes by Meds joins in with a deep dive into maritime law, PEADs, and a theory about standing that will have you taking notes whether you agree or not. It is election law, accountability, and a healthy dose of conspiracy talk, wrapped in the usual CannCon and Alpha banter.

Frankie Val warns you up front: no feel good material tonight. This is a demons and schizophrenia special. Returning guests Jerry Marzinski and Judy Gregerson, a former schizophrenic turned deliverance practitioner, share fresh cases, including a woman visited by talking orbs, and press the show's recurring theory that not every inner voice is your own. Frankie runs live audience polls (most say yes, they have heard a thought that did not feel like theirs) and plays clips from an Instagram creator narrating his own hallucinations in real time.
Before the guests, expect a detour through Reddit covens trying to hex Trump, MAGA mages casting counter spells, and a raffle featuring a hyperinflated 1923 Weimar papermark to commemorate the coming $40 trillion debt.
The back half turns practical and grim: police in Wisconsin using Flock cameras to track a man across state lines and build a pretext search, plus the rising public resistance to the sprawling Flock network and the specter of fabricated, synthetic crime.

CannCon and Ashe in America wrap up Chapter 10 of The Creature from Jekyll Island by G. Edward Griffin, finally closing out the Mandrake Mechanism and the entire first section of the book. This week covers reserve ratios and just how arbitrary they really are, why national debt and inflation are not always the same beast, and the strange history of the 1980s bond market that briefly kept inflation in check. The hosts also dig into some of the names behind the Federal Reserve system itself, from the Bretton Woods architects to the Wall Street connections that helped push the Federal Reserve Act through Congress in the first place. Expect a heavier academic stretch than usual, some genuine frustration at how little has changed, and the usual sponsor detours along the way. It is a dense one, but the payoff is worth it.

Jon Herold pre records a lighter Thursday show ahead of a Florida trip, walking through John Solomon's latest declassified documents on a 2020 Maricopa County voter data hack that the Biden Justice Department never prosecuted, though he admits the release feels underwhelming compared to what he was hoping for. He covers the Senate Homeland Security Committee voting to hold Fauci in contempt of Congress despite his Biden era pardon, a Washington Post report on Trump and Hegseth clashing over munitions shortages that the White House denies happened, and a striking story on Palantir's remarkably low effective tax rate. There's also a look at online debate swirling around General Flynn's paid speaking activities, jobless claims data, and a viral burrito pricing controversy tied to affordability complaints. Sponsor reads, birthday shoutouts, and Sunday meetup details for Jupiter, Florida round out a shorter but newsy show.