Zero Hour with James Poulos

Cenk Uygur, founder of "The Young Turks," joins James Poulos to discuss populism, media bias, the deep state, and the future of American politics. As someone who was critical of both Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Cenk argues the real war is against the establishment leading to a collapse of credibility from both the Republican and Democrat Parties. Corporate money, political corruption, and foreign lobbying are threatening free speech, and Americans are finally pushing back against the establishment. They discuss the current populist movement and the illusion that mainstream media is trying to push. The 2024 election proved that the political bubble is bursting and common sense is returning — something Trump has shown by appointing people like RFK Jr. and Elon Musk. Whether on the Right or Left, most Americans can agree on moderate issues like paid family leave, anti-war foreign policy, drug price reform, and breaking up corporate influence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dick Boyce, investor and entrepreneur, joins James Poulos to discuss his latest film, “Lost on a Mountain in Maine.” Co-produced with Sylvester Stallone, the story spans multiple generations and returns cinema to a time before smartphones, helicopter parenting, and digital overload. As Hollywood continues to decline, faith-based indie films like those produced by Angel Studios indicate a cultural shift toward meritocracy, resilience, and family values. Boyce also mentions the union overreach in industries like Hollywood, which has limited creativity and the ability to produce movies the audience wants to see. They also discuss the importance of private equity and the impact of AI on jobs. Companies lost productivity and value by pushing DEI and ESG, which were worsened by COVID-19. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cliff Maloney, founder of PA Chase, joins James Poulos to discuss how Pennsylvania became the decisive state in Donald Trump’s 2024 victory. He reveals the behind-the-scenes of how PA Chase set records knocking on over 500,000 doors and building a massive grassroots campaign. The group found that JD Vance surprisingly resonated with working-class voters, being from a blue-collar background. They also saw an unexpected surge of support from black male voters in Philadelphia who disliked Kamala Harris for being unrelatable and inauthentic. With the help of other grassroots organizations like Turning Point USA and Scott Presler, Pennsylvania made history this election cycle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America’s health crisis is worse than you think. Calley Means, White House health adviser, joins James Poulos to discuss how corporate cronyism and corruption in the food and pharma industries are making Americans, especially children, more sick for profit. Means exposes how corporate lobbying and financial incentives poison Americans. Our food system has been weaponized to be addictive, contributing to skyrocketing rates of obesity, chronic disease, and mental health decline. The COVID-19 lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and information censorship showed the dangers of centralized health authority and gave rise to the MAHA movement. The Trump administration is changing the way we see scientific transparency and health freedoms with the appointments of Jay Bhattacharya to the NIH and RFK Jr. to HHS. Means argues we need to incentivize health and shift government programs like Medicare/Medicaid and food stamps to healthier alternatives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wikipedia is no longer what it used to be. Co-founder Larry Sanger joins James Poulos to discuss how Big Tech hijacked the website to push establishment narratives and increased censorship. Sanger explains the deep biases within Wikipedia, the war on free information, and why the platform can no longer be trusted. With the rise of AI misinformation and the government’s need for control over knowledge, Sanger discusses how the internet has been manipulated before our very eyes, turning Wikipedia into a propaganda machine. What does this mean for the future of one of the largest encyclopedic search engines? With Big Tech’s control over “neutrality” and data preservation, the internet is no longer a free space for information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If AI becomes AGI, how will we ignore its advice when it’s smarter than us?” Scott Adams, creator of "Dilbert," joins James Poulos to break down the rise of AI and the fall of DEI as wokeness has reached its breaking point. Adams discusses how AI will inevitably replace Hollywood as a tool of government brainwashing and why AI will never replace human creativity. He predicts that we can see a resurgence of art to parallel the rise of complexity in digital technology. After his bold predictions on Trump’s political resurgence have come true, Adams also predicts the future of Bitcoin’s role in the economy and why the national debt crisis is unsustainable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should parents take away smartphones completely? What is the alternative to screen-time limits and social media? Clare Morell, fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, joins James Poulos to discuss how social media addiction is destroying our kids. In an ever-changing digital landscape, parents have been caught off guard by the hidden dangers of smartphones, TikTok, Instagram, and digital addiction. Morell breaks down why Big Tech companies intentionally design apps to be addictive and overpower kids’ dopamine receptors, leading to uncontrolled dopamine addictions. Social media has been directly linked to teen mental health, increasing depression, anxiety, and self-harm in teens. They talk about kids' exposure to pornography, the rise of gaming addiction, and online gambling. The psychological effects of dopamine-driven platforms like YouTube and Snapchat are still being studied, but Morell has hope that Trump’s resurgence brings an end to the Democrats advocating for child privacy rights, allowing parents to take control and protect their children. SPONSORSFarmer Bill’s ProvisionsGo to FarmerBillsProvisions.com and use code ZEROHOUR for 20% off today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonathan Pageau, an author and artist known for exploring symbolic patterns, dives deep into the chaos engulfing Western civilization. He discusses the alarming impacts of woke ideology, AI, and social media on identity. Pageau highlights the cultural disconnect stemming from historical shifts and advocates for reconnecting through community engagement. Amidst discussing Hollywood’s decline in artistic quality, he emphasizes the importance of tangible treasures in our digital age, fostering a sense of hope for cultural revival.

Logan Allen, founder and CEO of Zorp Corp, joins James Poulos to uncover the truth about cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, energy control, bureaucratic control, and the war over technology. Can we reclaim digital freedom? Or are we stuck in a government-surveilled, bureaucratic future? Allen explains why most of crypto is a scam and how Bitcoin’s proof of work is our key to decentralized power. Governments and corporations use energy scarcity to maintain control. As Silicon Valley and the D.C. “Paper Belt” fight over the future — the worship of technology vs. bureaucracy — crypto continues to be a political battleground, threatening centralized control with a decentralized economic model. Are companies like Zorp Corp the future of critical infrastructure and crypto? Or will bureaucracy stand in the way as decentralization threatens its power? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jacob Siegel, senior writer at Tablet magazine, joins James Poulos to break down Israel’s shocking technological advantage in information warfare. The collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime was a geopolitical earthquake, driven by Israel’s use of advanced intelligence and precision strikes — without the need for large-scale military invasions. This Middle East power shift took the world by surprise. As Israel reshapes the battlefield, Iran’s influence crumbles, and Obama and Biden’s foreign policy missteps come to light. With AI and digital warfare changing the future of global conflicts, will Trump double down on reshaping U.S. foreign policy — or pull out of the Middle East entirely? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices