
Zero Hour with James Poulos
Welcome to Zero Hour, where it’s always later than you think. America was convinced tech would complete our mastery of the world. Instead we got catastrophe—constant crisis from politics and the economy down to the spiritual fiber of our being. Time’s up for the era we grew up in. How do we pick ourselves up and begin again? To find out, visionary author and media theorist James Poulos cracks open the minds—and hearts—of today’s top figures in politics, tech, ideas, and culture.
Latest episodes

Jun 16, 2024 • 53min
Ep 51 | Are Private Schools Worse than Public Schools?
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

Jun 9, 2024 • 1h 1min
Ep 50 | Why Ann Coulter Is SO MAD at Donald Trump
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

Jun 2, 2024 • 52min
Ep 49 | Accelerationism: Silicon Valley’s Hidden Marxist Agenda
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

May 26, 2024 • 45min
Ep 48 | 'The Patriarchy Works!' Jason Whitlock Debates the 19th Amendment
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

May 19, 2024 • 53min
Ep 47 | Is Christianity a Cult? | John Davidson
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

May 12, 2024 • 50min
Ep 46 | Evidence Barack Obama SECRETLY Controls the White House!
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

May 5, 2024 • 59min
Ep 45 | What Will WWIII Look Like? | Guest: Michael Tracey
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

Apr 28, 2024 • 51min
Ep 44 | Babylon Bee CEO: Why Gen Z Can’t Take a Joke | Guest: Seth Dillon
Seth Dillon, CEO of the Babylon Bee, joins James Poulos to discuss stand-up and sketch comedy’s comeback through social media sites like X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok. With the advancement of AI, can artificial intelligence replace comedy? After Elon Musk shifted Twitter to X, the limited censorship on the site allowed for the biggest comedy show, the Trump vs. Biden election. We’ve seen unconstitutional censorship over the last several years surrounding COVID-19. Despite having a platform with a free flow of ideas, the Supreme Court now holds the power to decide just how “free” free speech is. Seth believes people are waking up from the woke DEI, gender ideology, etc. political takes that are being pushed on kids. He spoke to Elon personally about his faith and the future of America.Sponsors:Join the New Founding Talent Network. Find your next hire — newfounding.com/talent Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 21, 2024 • 58min
Ep 43 | Is Russia Evil?
Father Josiah Trenham, pastor of St. Andrew Orthodox Church, joins James Poulos to discuss modern-day Christianity in a technologically changing America. As an Orthodox pastor, he gives his thoughts on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and how Orthodox Christianity has changed in Russia since the fall of communism. Similarly, he explains Orthodox history in Israel and Gaza and how the Palestinian conflict has affected both Jews and Christians. How can Christians find anchors in modern Protestant churches when the world around them has turned to war? He argues there is a way to find faith and that America seems to be turning in a positive religious direction. Sponsors:Invest in the New Founding Fund — newfounding.com/venturefund Join the New Founding Talent Network. Find your next hire — newfounding.com/talent Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 14, 2024 • 34min
Ep 42 | Glenn Beck: Can Elon Musk Save America?
Glenn Beck predicts the future of America, Big Tech, and the potential collapse of society. Will Elon Musk become a pioneer like Nicola Tesla or an evil visionary like Thomas Edison? How will traditional conservative values find a place alongside advancing technology like AI bots OpenAi and ChatGPT? The elites and politicians are replacing our constitutional republic with crony capitalism at the expense of Americans. Key figures like Secretary of State Antony Blinken continue to flip-flop on global issues like NATO’s role in the Ukraine war, causing confusion and news fatigue for the American public. While the U.S. continues to decline as a global power, the public loses freedom, including the right to their own information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices