Zero Hour with James Poulos

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

Aiden Buzzetti, president of the 1776 Project, joins James Poulos to discuss how parents can take their child’s education into their own hands. Aiden speaks of the work that the 1776 Project is doing and how it has been able to reform school boards to push out woke, progressive curricula that ideologically brainwash children. The 1776 Project is a national political action committee that is dedicated to electing conservative school board members. With an overreliance on academia, millions of Americans have been left overqualified and overeducated. Students are being educated based on ideologies and critical theory determined by woke school boards. Children are becoming more dependent on computers and phones and becoming increasingly addicted to technology in schools. There is an overuse of technology in the classroom, which has led policymakers like Ted Cruz to push for tech-free classrooms. How can parents shift their expectations and allow their kids to choose an alternative education path? School choice opened doors for parents to choose private or charter schools, but private schools are able to educate without restrictions, making it even harder for parents to know what their children are learning. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ann Coulter joins James Poulos to discuss how the Republican Party dropped the ball in 2016 by not delivering on campaign promises after winning the election. Up front, the conservative female firebrand says Trump failed to curb immigration and finish building the wall. Because of this, Coulter argues Trump would be equally as bad for the country as Biden. She discusses her turbulent relationship with the former president and why she thinks he will not win again in the 2024 election. Immigration from Mexico and South America continues to rise as middle-class Americans suffer financially to support government programs and pay high taxes. After seeing Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis attempt to campaign, Coulter argues that politicians are prioritizing foreign relations over domestic issues. They also discuss whether white men are being openly discriminated against and how GOP leaders like Ted Cruz and Greg Abbott are continuing to lose voters by selling out and flip-flopping on basic conservative principles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Samuel Hammond, senior economist at the Foundation for American Innovation, joins James Poulos as a tech innovation expert. They discuss what effective accelerationism (e/acc) is and its oppositional defiance to effective altruism. Artificial intelligence continues to develop and tends to favor a globalist society. Will our future look more like Nick Land’s digital utopia or Ray Kurzweil’s transhumanist singularity? Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has warned us about the merging of man and machine. Can we slow down innovation enough to regulate it? Or will that push us toward globalization and eventually to hyper-globalization? The EU has already tried to step in and slow AI’s progress, but the U.S. has been in gridlock trying to pass legislation. We could be leaning toward centralization through the rise of populism, but it seems Silicon Valley has its own agenda accelerating tech to reach a blend of transhumanism and Marxism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason Whitlock, host of "Fearless" on Blaze Media, joins James Poulos to discuss why he wades into the "repeal the 19th Amendment" debate and why he believes “the patriarchy actually works.” They discuss his proposal for a reformed amendment that allows families to vote instead of single persons. Pro golfer Scottie Scheffler broke news by getting arrested prior to the second round of the PGA Championship. In other sports news, Harrison Butker from the Kansas City Chiefs gave a commencement speech at Benedictine College, where he praised stay-at-home moms and homemakers. Nikola Jokic and Caitlin Clark are blowing up the NBA and WNBA, while Tom Brady’s roast took mainstream media by storm, featuring brutal roasts from Nikki Glaser and Kim Kardashian. What does this mean for the future of sports? Will sports professionals be able to express their personal opinions without fear of cancellation? Or will we be able to separate the art from the artist? "Fearless with Jason Whitlock" is excited to announce Fearless Army Roll Call 2.0! Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 1, 2024, and join us at Rocketown in Nashville, Tennessee. Visit FearlessArmyRollCall.com to learn more and reserve your spot. This gathering will fill up fast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Davidson, author of "Pagan America," joins James Poulos to discuss the rise of paganism in America. Despite American history being rooted in a Christian society, there is a constant push and pull between Christianity and modern-day paganism. Is Christianity the answer for moral structure in today’s society? Or is it too much like a cult? Non-believers often feel like there is a high barrier to entry to any denomination with community and structure. Are the pursuit of justice and social justice movements like Black Lives Matter and Pride enough to hold morality for non-believers? Modern-day paganism will look different from old occult practices of witchcraft, spirituality, and idol worship. It will likely be a government-led effort to silence Christians in order to protect government institutions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Christopher Bedford, senior politics editor and D.C. correspondent for Blaze Media, joins James Poulos to discuss the recent decline of American cities. While Washington, D.C.’s leadership drives the city into the ground, chaos and crime have run the city streets since the COVID-19 lockdowns. The politicians and elites live lavishly, including former President Barack Obama, who Bedford insinuates is still pulling the puppet strings of the Biden administration. But what exactly did Obama’s administration do other than polarizing races and igniting a cultural war? Trump’s administration fought major organizations and corporations like NATO, the MLB, Disney, etc. for attacking American ideals. Now the tides are turning in Hollywood as stars and comedians are defending what were once “radical beliefs." Meanwhile, America is facing a competency crisis from Fani Willis to Boeing to Mitch McConnell. Will Donald Trump defeat Joe Biden and get a second chance? Or will we continue to get gaslit by the Washington elites? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Tracey, controversial journalist and former correspondent for "The Young Turks," joins James Poulos to discuss the impact of war he has seen firsthand while field reporting in Israel. After Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023, Michael traveled to report on international journalism and the spread of war-effort propaganda. They discussed how increasing government control can spin into national divisiveness like wokeness and conspiracy theories. Will America get dragged into conventional warfare like Ukraine and Israel? Or will we engage in digital warfare and cyberattacks in the battle for the most advanced artificial intelligence? The United States may seemingly lead in national security and foreign policy, but the impact of NATO could drive the U.S. to a weaker world position. Michael also discusses his Substack and freedom of the press on platforms like X. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices