
265: Guru Rehab
We return to the ongoing saga of Aubrey Marcus and end with an update on the crash out of the Liver King.

Brief: The Liver King Crash-Out
On June 24, Brian Johnson, aka The Liver King, was arrested in Austin for threatening Joe Rogan. The infamous raw organ "primal" influencer has since published dozens of videos detailing what appears to be a downward spiral—though the problems date back years. Derek and Julian detail the crash.

264: The Mamdani Effect
Is Zohran Mamdani the hero we've been hoping for, or are his hard-left positions corrosive to a broader anti-Trump coalition?

Brief: Greta Thunberg’s “Super Power” vs. Fascists and Liberals (Pt 1)
As Greta Thunberg broadens her target to capitalism and colonialism writ large, it’s more and more clear that she’s confronting what autistic philosopher Robert Chapman calls “the empire of normality”, from her lived experience of autism, about which so many of the conspiracy theories we cover here swirl.

263: The Apostle Assassin
The New Apostolic Reformation is not some small fringe movement. Key figures in the Trump administration are adherents. We revisit this apocalyptic evangelical Christian cult and consider its political violence and religious extremism.

Brief: MAHA Mass Casualty Horizon
What dangers does an RFK Jr HHS pose to Americans, really? Derek dives into science writer's Laurie Garrett's work, who spoke to the dangers we're facing today in 1994—and who has raised an alarm about the consequences of destroying public health ever since.

262: Dems Ask “What is a Man?”
The widely derided SAM (Speaking with American Men), comes with a proposed $20M budget. No cap, bro, they'll low-key give center-left corporate politics the rizz it needs to slay the MAGA simps and cape for democracy.

Brief: The Ghost Lab
Julian’s talk with Pulitzer-nominated journalist Matt Hongolt-Hetling about his new book, The Ghost Lab, How Bigfoot Hunters, Mediums, and Lien Enthusiasts are Wrecking Science.

261: Where Are They Now?
We turn back the clock and revisit the Rogue’s Gallery in our 2023 book, Conspirituality. This week, we begin with famed women’s health expert turned harp-playing conspiracy peddler, Christiane Northrup; self-proclaimed philosopher king, Charles Eisenstein; and former model turned middling new age filmmaker turned anti-vax documentarian Mikki Willis.

Brief: Watching Andor with the Kids (Pt 1)
Matthew continues the Antifascist Woodshed series with a two-part analysis of an extraordinary cultural event: rebellions within rebellions—or how a ragtag band of writers and worldbuilders Trojan-horsed an antifascist masterpiece into the Empire of streaming content.

260: Aubrey Marcus's Polyamory God Bomb
Megamillionaire supplements and New Age life coach tycoon Aubrey Marcus recently claimed the goddess Isis told him that he must impregnate both his wife and the third member of their throuple while doing spiritual tourism in Egypt. We pick apart the spectacle.

Brief: The FDA Amateur Hour Podcast
Marty Makary and Vinay Prasad claim they're going to open the "black box" at the FDA. Derek and Julian listen in to see how much of that box is actually being opened.

259: MAHA is Project 2025’s Trojan Horse
RFK Jr is only gaining power and influence. We cover the last month of MAHA at the helm of public health.

Brief: The Gospel of MAHA Apologetics
After being confirmed as Secretary of HHS, RFK Jr started installing his cabal of wellness influencers and contrarian doctors across the government's many public health agencies. And that means they have to apologize for their boss. Derek and Julian listen in on some of the most outrageous takes so far.

258: Pope Bob Vs. Trump World
Matthew and Julian discuss America’s first pope in a nation gone MAGA.

Brief: Beyond Violence and Nonviolence (Part 1)
Matthew’s guest today persuasively shows that the movements we think of as “nonviolent” never really are. Why don’t we know this? Through a tangle of academic malpractice, spiritual bypassing, liberal wish fulfillment, and erasing anticolonial voices.

257: AI Gurus
The AI nonsensient flattery machine is designed to hook you into the regurgitative process of self-seduction. Is this a new spiritual delusion, or more of the same? And what does that kind and agreeable bot conceal?

Brief: What Will Universal Healthcare Actually Require?
Derek is joined by two members of the nonprofit organization, Health Care for All Oregon: Collin Stackhouse, the Social Media Coordinator, and Rebecca Schoon, an Associate Professor of Public Health at Pacific University, who’s on the board. Together, they map out Oregon’s journey to universal health care.

256: Quacks, Cancer, and Kangen Water (feat Mallory DeMille)
Mallory DeMille returns to discuss one of the most insidious wellness grifts: selling ionized water to “treat” cancer.

Brief: The New Media Order
Julian looks into this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner—and Substack’s rival event.