In the wake of co-founder John C. Dvorak's passing, guest hosts Darren O'Neill and Larry Bleidner steered Episode 1891 of the No Agenda Show, titled "We Need Memes!", through a two-hour media deconstruction that spared no political figure. Broadcasting from FEMA Region 5 and the Connecticut shore, the pair opened with a tearful tribute from Australian listener Sarah Harris before diving into topics as varied as RFK Jr.'s CNN appearance, Bernie Sanders' real-estate holdings, and the newly announced Truth Social API pricing.
The episode's central thread was the hosts' refusal to let political framing pass unchallenged. On RFK Jr.'s confrontation with CNN's Dana Bash, Bleidner applauded the rare moment a cabinet member turned the tables on a broadcaster. The verbatim clip captured Kennedy telling Bash: "I think it was absolute press malpractice. You weren't allowing your... Mr. Secretary, your job is a fierce skepticism toward authority. And you weren't doing that. You were beating up people who were dissenting." O'Neill added that disagreement was rebranded as disinformation during the pandemic, a pattern the show has documented for years.
Deeper analysis followed on Trump Media's Truth API, which O'Neill argued is being misrepresented by Senator Chris Murphy and pundit David Pakman as "insider trading." Drawing on his technical background, O'Neill explained that high-frequency traders already pay for similar firehose access on X, and that the advantage measures in milliseconds. The hosts also dissected Michigan candidate Abdul El-Sayed's leaked remarks about "paving the pathway for 2028" through memes and "primarying" Senator John Fetterman, with El-Sayed reportedly saying he would "put one ogre on a pike" to bring other Democrats into line. Clips from Bill Maher, Michael Savage, Dave Rubin, Stephen Miller and Governor JB Pritzker rounded out the deconstruction.
The episode threaded together several of the week's most-spun stories through the show's signature skeptical lens. Topic threads included RFK Jr. accusing Dana Bash of "press malpractice" over COVID-era coverage; Bernie Sanders defending three homes, including a Lake Champlain "summer camp"; Trump Media's $100,000-per-month Truth API and Senator Chris Murphy's response; alleged Iranian cyberattacks on 30 Minnesota water treatment plants; and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed's plan to seed 2028 presidential "memes."
The hosts did not shy away from examining the implications of these stories. On Bernie Sanders, they noted the irony of a self-proclaimed socialist defending a real-estate empire, questioning the narrative that his wealth is a distraction from policy. On the Truth API, they highlighted how the media's framing could lead to regulatory overreach based on a misunderstanding of financial data access. The alleged cyberattacks on water treatment plants were treated with skepticism, as the hosts pointed out that such claims often surface without concrete evidence, potentially serving political agendas.
No Agenda is a long-running, listener-supported podcast hosted by Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak that takes a skeptical, independent look at mainstream media, politics, culture, and the forces shaping the daily news cycle. Known for its sharp media deconstruction, humor, and value-for-value model, the show offers an irreverent alternative to conventional news analysis. Episode 1891 is available now wherever podcasts are heard.
