Zero Hour with James Poulos

Michael Millerman, author of "Inside 'Putin’s Brain'," joins James Poulos to discuss his research on Aleksandr Dugin and how he translated his philosophical works from Russian. Dugin has been referred to as “the most dangerous philosopher in the world” and “Putin’s brain” many times due to his strong influence on Vladimir Putin. From "The Fourth Political Theory" to the crisis of modernity, Millerman explains how Dugin’s analyses have shaped Russia’s morality and Putin’s policies. They also discuss the difference between anti-Western ideology in Russia and that in regimes like Iran. Under Dugin’s influence, Russia awkwardly sits between the United States and China geopolitically while also trying to preserve humanity through traditional values. The two contrast Western philosophers with philosophers like Dugin, Martin Heidegger, and Friedrich Nietzsche. Millerman stresses the importance of studying philosophy to help shape rationality in politics and society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

George Santos joins James Poulos to explain the real reason he was expelled from Congress and brutally roast his least favorite members of Congress. Santos explains the corruption behind his expulsion and his looming trial in September. From Eric Swalwell to Dan Crenshaw, Santos goes down his list of congressional corruption and congressional hypocrisy in D.C. He also exposes mainstream media outlets like CNN, MSNBC, Fox, and OANN for capitalizing on Donald Trump’s headlines after their viewership started to tank. The two discuss Trump derangement syndrome vs. MAGA and how mainstream media hosts like Rachel Maddow would be bankrupt without him. Both Santos and Poulos worked on the Blaze Original “Bought and Paid For,” exposing the insider trading in D.C. with Matt Gaetz and Chip Roy. Watch "Bought and Paid Paid For: How Politicians Get Filthy Rich" on BlazeTV or at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9ibZpDErk8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Allum Bokhari, managing director at the Foundation for Freedom Online, joins James Poulos to discuss how social media platforms quickly turned to censor any mention of the attempted assassination on Donald Trump. Since the peak of censorship in 2020, platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and others have increasingly bowed to advertiser pressure. Bokhari discusses an upcoming report by the Foundation for Freedom Online that exposes this censorship and the power advertisers hold over free speech. The World Federation of Advertisers, a group that represents 90% of all advertising spent worldwide, has financially throttled media companies that don’t comply with its “brand safety.” A cabal of six global advertising agencies are blacklisting conservative media groups and even X itself in order to avoid mass consumer boycotts. Elon Musk transformed Twitter into X and has challenged the establishment by allowing new elites to push back against the old financial elites. Mark Zuckerberg’s recent support for Trump also shows the shifting sentiment in Silicon Valley toward Trump.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jasmin Paris, mother, clinical academic, small animal vet, teacher, AND ultramarathon runner, joins James Poulos to discuss how she does it all. After being the first woman ever to finish the Barkley Marathons, a 100-mile ultramarathon, she explains how she prepared for the 60-hour race. Paris is the epitome of Olympic spirit without being an Olympic athlete. She talks about the intense training needed for a race that spans multiple days and how she got started running as child. Paris explains how running is a much-needed break from the pressures of society and how she is planning to raise her kids to appreciate nature and the outdoors. Her career as a champion in ultramarathon running, fell running, and sky running led her to winning multiple titles including the Spine Race while also balancing the pressures of being a clinical academic and mother.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robby Starbuck, director and creator of "The War on Children," joins James Poulos to discuss how we’ve made the world a worse place for children’s well-being and safety. They discuss everything from moral corruption in schools led by woke teachers to over-sexualization and over-medicalization of children starting from a young age. Parents have tried to radically change their children’s lives for the better while losing the traditional values that keep children safe. Robby argues that we should bring back the death penalty for child rapists while arguing our country has lost its ability to incentivize. They also talk about how politics and art are intertwined and how creative artists in America are lost right now as Hollywood and internet Influencers are supported by two failing models. Now that stars like Diddy, Jeffrey Epstein, and even MrBeast’s Ava Kris Tyson have been accused of sexually predatory behavior, Robby argues that Hollywood and the internet are extremely dangerous for kids. While seeing Elon Musk’s own child fall victim to woke gender ideology, it's time for parents all over the country to step up and protect kids. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Guest Peter Gietl discusses how small tech companies are challenging Big Tech, the libertarian shift in Silicon Valley, and the future of journalism in the digital age. They explore the impact of AI, digital surveillance, and the quest for truthful information in a world dominated by tech giants.

Tommy Schultz, CEO of the American Federation for Children, joins James Poulos to discuss America’s broken education system and what you can do about it. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the shortcomings and corruption in our education system. Students across the country saw declining reading and math skills, while teachers' unions used the lockdown to secure additional funding. Schultz argues that school choice is the key to increasing competition between public schools, charter schools, magnet schools, and private schools. By giving parents the ability to control their child’s education, they are more likely to invest in their success. Outside public schools, classrooms are smaller and teachers are able to be transparent about the curriculum and culture in their classrooms, leading to fewer “woke teachers.” Is technology in the classroom distracting? Or can schools use edtech and AI to monitor students’ progress? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard Jackson, Oklahoma deputy attorney general for cybersecurity technology and digital assets, joins James Poulos to discuss what the government can do at the state level to protect the digital rights of Americans. As the United States struggles to compete technologically with China, the U.S. government is even farther behind protecting the digital infrastructure we have. For years the U.S. has prioritized ground military combat and did not innovate or advance tech as China has. Jackson argues that our current blind reliance on technology has left a lot of weak points that make us susceptible to attacks. His work emphasizes cybersecurity and digital information defense to protect against digital attacks at the state level. They also discuss how the United States Cyber Command and Space Command are great predictors of how the World War III will go. With U.S. satellites and Elon Musk’s Starlink, Jackson has hope that the U.S. government is cooperating with industry to narrow the gap between us and China. Sponsors:RidgeRunner is ready to help you find the ideal property! Visit ridgerunnerusa.com today for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Austin Frerick, expert on agricultural and antitrust policy, joins James Poulos to discuss the dark future of food and the current monopolies destroying the American food system. As Americans struggle to afford healthy options, massive multinational corporations like PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz, and Nestle continue to raise prices and lower the quality of food. But what does this mean for the agricultural industry? American ranchers and farmers are struggling to compete. The two discuss the growing "Excel mindset" that businessmen like Martin Shkreli employ to maximize profits. Frerick argues that large corporations are pushing out mom-and-pop shops in every corner of the food industry, including butchers and meatpacking, while simultaneously destroying culture. They discuss the negative impact of the Farm Bill and how Wall Street and Big Agriculture continue to charge more and pay farmers less. Sponsors:RidgeRunner is ready to help you find the ideal property! Visit ridgerunnerusa.com today for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Saurabh Sharma, president and cofounder of the American Moment, joins James Poulos to discuss how his organization is building a new government in the bureaucracy from the bottom up. They discuss their predictions for Trump winning the 2024 election based on his current campaign success. Can Trump fill his administration with strong advisors like Bob Lighthizer and fix the U.S. economy? Sharma argues that “Silicon Valley bros” are more likely to vote for Trump than the independent candidate RFK Jr. Saurabh claims that election integrity is a structural stronghold for the Left as the electoral college is for the Right. They also discuss the push for American National Conservatism (Yoram Hazony’s project) and how the Left has used globalization and internationalism as justification to increase the federal government’s power while not paying attention to the consequences of globalizing. Germany, the U.K., Ireland, and France are struggling against their government’s mass-migration policies, which Sharma sees as a warning to the U.S. Sponsors:RidgeRunner is ready to help you find the ideal property! Visit ridgerunnerusa.com today for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices