From Ukraine's front lines back to Cold War disinformation playbooks, Disinformation analyst Dietmar Pichler helps us connect the dots.

In this episode, we look at how the U.S. and Europe diverged on COVID and imperialism. We examine how the term "conspiracy theory" became weaponized to discredit dissent and rewrite history in real time, the co-opting of "Communism" as a weapon against the Democratic Socialist movement, and how polarization radicalizes the loudest voices while hollowing out the middle.

Dietmar shares what it actually feels like to have lived under authoritarian rule and to watch your own democracy teeter on the edge, and the quieter machinery working against dissent: lawfare and SLAPP suits designed to bankrupt and silence critics, NDAs and CDAs used to bury wrongdoing, and the international legal networks that make it all possible.

We also get into how social media algorithms can throttle or bury dissenting speech with zero transparency.

Sure it's a bit dark, but don't worry, the episode leaves the audience with gratitude for democracy, and a warning: division is the strategy, unity is the defense.

Disinfo Resilience Network: https://www.disinforesilience.eu/

INVED.eu: Inved.eu

Dietmar's 2024 policy brief: https://www.oegfe.at/policy-briefs/disinformation-and-foreign-interference-a-challenge-for-the-eu-and-its-member-states/

National treasure Craig Unger joins the podcast to discuss his tireless research into Russian corruption and influence in American politics.

• He outlines the origins of Trump-Russian connections and influence dating back to the 1980s!
• We discuss the 2016 Election and the WikiLeaks story and the lack of impact of the Mueller Report.
• We get into the impact of social media and disinformation campaigns by foreign and domestic actors, as well as the mainstream media's contribution to 'information laundering' to brainwash the American people.
• We touch on the grift by Jared Kushner and Trump's ventures into crypto and foreign affairs.
• And we get a crash course on key figures Dugan, Dubin, Dougin, and other Russian contacts in Epstein's world.

Dig into all Craig's extensive research on his website here: https://www.craigunger.com/ where you can find his latest book, Den of Spies (2024) and his others, American Kompromat, House of Putin, House of Trump, and other earlier work tracing corruption back to the Bushes, Karl Rove and House of Saud.
Also follow Craig's ongoing investigative journalism writing at his Substack: https://substack.com/@craigunger

Jim Stewartson's game design background gave him the pattern-recognition to spot exactly what QAnon was doing back in August 2020 — long before most people had heard the term. In this episode, Jim traces that origin story into the bigger picture: decades of Russian influence operations working on Trump and people like Mike Flynn, a through-line from Snowden's leaks to the invasion of Crimea, and the psychological war being waged on our collective ability to think clearly.

Learn all about:

Mirroring — how outsourcing your judgment to your social circle erodes your ability to think for yourself.
Psychological boundaries — knowing your limits and stepping back from content you're not equipped to process.
Legal update — Flynn's lawsuit against Jim was dismissed; Kash Patel's is still ongoing.
The antidote — why radical empathy is key to standing up to authoritarianism.

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:

Support Jim's legal defense fund - www.defendspeechnow.org
Mind-War — Jim's Substack - https://www.mind-war.com/
American MindFuck — Jim's documentary - https://youtu.be/t3wvUkHikWs
Radicalized Truth Survives podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCz5A-aGaSZ4Ws9mLLXVsJIQ