American Thought Leaders

Devin Nunes, a former U.S. congressman and current CEO of Truth Media & Technology Group, dives into the ongoing implications of the Russiagate investigation and the politicization of intelligence agencies. He discusses the controversial Nunes memo and its revelations, media collusion, and the recent merger with TAE Technologies for fusion energy. Nunes highlights the urgent need for energy independence and free speech, while raising concerns about competition with China and the importance of protecting intellectual property.

In this engaging discussion, Kelly Loeffler, former U.S. senator and current Administrator of the Small Business Administration, shares her mission to tackle loan fraud, revealing her team's discovery of 8,000 fraudulent loans during investigations in Minnesota. She emphasizes the importance of supporting domestic manufacturing and discusses initiatives to combat debanking. Loeffler also reflects on her journey from a family farm to a successful financial career, advocating for American values of self-reliance and opportunity for small businesses.

J. Michael Waller, a senior analyst at the Center for Security Policy, dives into the geopolitical fallout of capturing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. He discusses how this action challenges China's influence in Venezuela, a crucial part of their global strategy. Waller also highlights Venezuela's transformation into a crime-ridden state under Maduro, the implications for U.S. and Chinese military credibility, and how this could reshape the balance of power in the region. Expect insights on the future of Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran amidst shifting alliances.

Jonathan Choe, a reporter and senior journalism fellow, shares his insights on the troubling connections between Antifa and homelessness nonprofits. He reveals how some organizations have turned into profitable ventures while failing to truly help the homeless. Choe discusses the concerning trend of giving out harmful drug paraphernalia instead of support, and highlights an alarming infiltration of Antifa ideology within the sector. His emphasis on a treatment-first approach underlines the need for genuine reform in tackling the homelessness crisis.

Independent journalist Alex Berenson, a former New York Times reporter, dives into the contentious debate over cannabis and its rescheduling by the DEA. He argues that moving marijuana to Schedule III sends a dangerous message about drug use and advocates for stigma around drug consumption. Berenson highlights the alarming rise in THC potency, connecting it to increased mental health risks like psychosis and schizophrenia. He critiques public health's failings in providing honest information and discusses the significance of early prevention in combating addiction.

Chloe Cole, a detransitioner and children's rights advocate, shares her harrowing journey of undergoing medical transition as a minor before realizing her mistake. She discusses the backlash from the transgender community upon her detransition and the vindication she feels with recent government actions targeting gender-affirming care for minors. Chloe highlights the profound psychological and physical impact of these procedures, the misinformation surrounding regret rates, and her ongoing lawsuit against medical providers, calling for accountability and reform.

Andrew Doyle, a writer and comedian known for his satirical character Titania McGrath, discusses the peak of woke ideology and the potential rise of new authoritarian impulses. He explores how wokeness has transformed society and highlights alarming trends in speech policing, especially in the UK. Doyle critiques media bias and its impact on reporting, while warning of the detrimental effects of DEI initiatives on race relations. He advocates for free speech and stresses the importance of cultural assimilation and rigorous education to preserve liberal values.

“We get a lot of inappropriate over-prescribing for almost everything,” says drug policy researcher and journalist Alan Cassels.Cassels is the co-author of “Selling Sickness: How the World’s Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies Are Turning Us All Into Patients.”For Cassels, it was one disease in particular—osteoporosis—that changed his entire view of medicine.Based on changing definitions of the disease, large swaths of Americans could suddenly be declared sick and in urgent need of drug treatment.They “medicalized normal aging of basically the entire female population. Overnight,” he says.In our interview, we discuss the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on overdiagnoses and prescriptions, and how the criteria for many diseases can be expanded arbitrarily.“When you look closely at the quality of prescribing, a lot of times, the decision-making is not really driven by evidence. It’s driven mostly by … marketing, biases, influence from thought leaders, and influence from guidelines, medical guidelines themselves, which are often appallingly biased,” he says.Many doctors, Cassels says, know little about the adverse effects of the many drugs they prescribe to their patients.We also dive into the connection between psychiatric drug prescriptions and violence, how psychiatry labels normal behaviors as abnormal, and how exaggerated statistics are used to sell theories of disease and drug treatments.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

“COVID was a really dark time for me and for a lot of people,” said Rob Schneider.For the famous comedian and actor, the years of the pandemic were a time to take stock of what had become of America, speak up about it—and even write a book. “You Can Do it! Speak Your Mind, America” was published in September 2024.“If we’re going to continue to have a free society, it’s going to require people to step up and be courageous,” Schneider said.Schneider, who is also a screenwriter and director, rose to prominence as a cast member and writer of NBC’s Saturday Night Live. He earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his writing on the show.In this episode, he reflected on our current political and cultural moment.What really happened when Rob bumped into Robert De Niro at the SNL reunion? What is the role of comedy in an age of outrage? And how do we turn around the tribalism he sees gripping America?Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

As early as 1989, intelligence officers in the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) recognized China as the next threat, says former DIA officer and physicist Michael Sekora.“We identified what [China] was doing to become a superpower faster than any country in history, and we were on track to containment,” Sekora says.Back in the 1980s, he led a classified Defense Intelligence Agency program called “Project Socrates” that was created under the Reagan administration to determine the cause of U.S. economic and military decline, find a way to reverse it, and outcompete Moscow. Later they turned their sights to Beijing.“It was very obvious what was going on: China was executing a national technology strategy, which basically was playing ... a very adroit game of worldwide offensive, defensive, technology exploitation chess,” Sekora says. “What we had in Socrates could have easily contained China.”The project was defunded by the Bush administration, and the United States went the opposite route, allowing many key technologies to be handed over to Beijing over the course of several decades.In this episode, he breaks down why he believes the United States has lost its edge in technological innovation and how this can be turned around.Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.