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You can find the full archive of past episodes on Substack: HERE
Episode #274: 'In the U.S.'
After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, a confidential CIA brief was leaked to CBS News. It was the CIA's daily brief to the President for August 6, 2001, just 36 days before the attacks. This document contained extremely sensitive, classified information, and its leak put the Bush administration on the defensive. Taking advantage of the fact that the document remained classified and could not be verified, the administration made false statements about its contents. When the brief was finally declassified two years later, during the 9/11 Commission, Americans were shocked by the extent of the lies that had been told. What did the Bush administration claim when the confidential brief was first leaked, and how did it differ from what was actually in the report? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #274.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US
2) Phoenix Memo
4) Coleen Rowley's Memo to FBI Director Robert Mueller
5) Director of National Intelligence
6) White House Press Briefing National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice
8) Richard Clarke - 9/11 Commission Testimony
9) Family Jewels (Central Intelligence Agency)
Episode #273: 'Oh Nellie'
During the 2016 election, when Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were the two major party nominees, the Clinton campaign hired a commercial research firm to conduct opposition research on Trump. The firm, Fusion GPS, based in Washington, D.C., was responsible for creating the political opposition report known as the Steele Dossier. Nellie Ohr, a Russian-speaking analyst with degrees in history and Russian literature from Harvard, worked for Fusion GPS while the firm was under contract with the Clinton campaign. Nellie Ohr was also the wife of Bruce Ohr, the associate deputy attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice. How did information from Hillary Clinton's opposition research end up in the FBI's counterintelligence division, and how did it influence their investigation into Trump? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #273.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) Donald Trump, Grover Cleveland, and the History of Winning Back the White House
2) Hundreds of pages of emails show Nellie Ohr researched Trump-Russia connections
3) Fusion GPS contractor Nellie Ohr doesn’t say much at House interview
5) Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections
Episode #272: 'The Dossier'
The public first became aware of the Steele Dossier when Donald Trump was President-Elect for the first time. Initially presented as an intelligence report, it was later revealed to be political opposition research. The dossier contained scandalous and salacious allegations about President-Elect Trump, supposedly occurring during his time in Russia. While these accusations were a shock to the public when BuzzFeed published them in early 2017, they were not unexpected to many other media outlets, which also had copies of the dossier but chose not to report on it due to an inability to corroborate the allegations. The FBI was similarly not surprised—they too had a copy of the dossier before its publication. Since these allegations first surfaced, what have we learned about the Steele Dossier? Who funded it and leaked it to the press, and were any of the allegations true? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #272.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) IG found DOJ spied on Kash Patel, failed to inform courts
2) DOJ Inspector General’s Findings Reportedly Show FBI Surveilled Trump Nominee Kash Patel
3) DOJ IG reveals 26 FBI informants were present on Jan. 6
4) FBI leadership said "basic step" was missed ahead of Jan. 6 Capitol breach, watchdog report reveals
5) Emails in Anthony Weiner Inquiry Jolt Hillary Clinton’s Campaign
6) FEC fines Hillary Clinton campaign and DNC over Trump-Russia dossier research
7) Clinton campaign, DNC helped fund dossier research
8) Fusion GPS admits DOJ official's wife Nellie Ohr hired to probe Trump
Episode #271: 'Pardon Power'
The power to pardon is one of the most delicate authorities granted to the President of the United States, as it lies solely within the discretion of the executive branch. There is no judicial or congressional oversight, leaving room for potential abuse of this power. Throughout history, many presidents have issued controversial pardons, but what President Joe Biden is reportedly considering as his term nears its end is unprecedented. Biden is being urged, and is considering, to issue blanket pardons for government officials involved in unspecified crimes for which they have not been charged. How might such pardons undermine the integrity of the presidential pardon power, and would they provoke public outcry, potentially leading to calls for limiting this authority for future presidents? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #271.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) Louis Freeh
2) Hotline established between Washington and Moscow
3) American University speech
Episode #270: 'Equal Justice'
Sally Yates served as Deputy Attorney General during the final term of the Obama administration. She was second-in-command at the Department of Justice (DOJ) during the 2016 election when both major party candidates were under investigation by the FBI’s counterintelligence division. Earlier this week, Yates appeared as a guest on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Stewart asked Yates about the incoming Trump administration's plans for reforming the DOJ and why President-Elect Trump was wrong in believing the department needed reform. Yates responded by stating that while the United States has never realized the promise of equal justice, what matters is that equal justice has always been the goal. How did the DOJ pursue equal justice for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump when they were both under investigation during their 2016 presidential campaigns? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #270.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
2) Operation Mockingbird: Church Committee Senate hearing
3) Halloween Massacre (Ford administration)
4) Crossfire Hurricane (FBI investigation)
5) Early Comey draft accused Clinton of gross negligence on emails
6) AG Loretta Lynch to accept FBI's recommendations in Clinton email case
Episode #269: 'No One is Above the Law'
During the campaign, Democrats frequently used the phrase "No one is above the law" while applying legal pressure to President Trump. This was meant to emphasize that even a billionaire former president could face prosecution. When Hunter Biden, the son of President Biden, was indicted by the Justice Department under his father's administration, Democrats hailed it as proof that no one is above the law. They argued that if President Biden wouldn't let his own son evade accountability, then no one could escape justice. It was, they said, evidence that justice was blind. Yet, since the election, President Biden has reversed his earlier statements, where he repeatedly asserted that he would not pardon his son. How does this blanket pardon, covering crimes from over a decade, challenge the claim that no one is above the law, and how does it further expose the hypocrisy of those who made these claims? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #269.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) Kash Patel
2) COINTELPRO
3) Statement from President Joe Biden on pardon
4) Read Biden's pardon of his son Hunter Biden
5) Why Hunter Biden's Plea Deal Was Rejected
6) Euromaidan
Episode #268: 'Plymouth'
The religious strife in Europe contributed greatly to the founding of the United States of America. The Puritans that laid the foundations of what would become the United States by establishing the Plymouth colony were a sectarian religious group from England that believed the Church of England had not made a full cut from the Catholic Church, and that in many ways the two Churches were the same. Many Puritans in England fought to reform the Church of England, but those who came to North America felt the Church could never be reformed and decided to leave and create a new society based on their Puritan beliefs and a literal reading of the Bible. In contrast to their English countrymen who had established the Jamestown colony a decade earlier, it was their faith that led them across the Atlantic Ocean. What other differences distinguished the Plymouth colony from Jamestown? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #268.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
2) Puritanism
4) Puritan migration to New England (1620–1640)
7) British royal family change their name to Windsor
9) Black Rednecks and White Liberals
Episode #267: 'Virginia'
The folklore surrounding Thanksgiving has led many people to develop a skewed understanding of the origins of the United States. In elementary school, we are taught that the first settlers came from England on a ship called the Mayflower, and that they were Puritans who founded the first colony in New England. While it's true that a group of English Puritans did arrive on the Mayflower and establish a colony in New England, they were not the first English settlers in the Americas. A decade earlier, English prospectors associated with the Virginia Company had founded the first permanent English settlement in the New World, called Jamestown. So, who were the people behind Jamestown, and what motivated them to leave their homes and undertake the perilous journey to the Americas? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #267.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
2) Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Episode #266: 'Firebrand'
When Matt Gaetz abruptly removed himself from consideration for President-elect Trump's Attorney General position, it was as surprising as his initial nomination. Despite facing accusations of sexual misconduct and the looming release of a potentially damning ethics report from the House of Representatives, Gaetz seemed unfazed. The same could be said for President-elect Trump, who appeared confident as well. On Wednesday, Gaetz met with Senators on Capitol Hill, claiming that his discussions with Republican Senators went well and that many were open to giving him a fair hearing before deciding on his confirmation. However, just a day later, Gaetz issued a statement announcing that he was withdrawing his name from consideration for the role. What happened? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #266.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
2) Mitch McConnell Revealed to Be Among the Four Republicans to Sink Gaetz AG Nomination
3) Gaetz criticized GOP senators, now he would need their votes
4) Republicans on House Ethics reject for now releasing report on Matt Gaetz
5) DOJ tells Matt Gaetz that he won’t be charged in sex trafficking probe
6) Matt Gaetz: What Actually Happened
8) Justice Department Fires Embattled FBI Deputy Director Just Short Of Retirement
9) Matt Gaetz trolls Kevin McCarthy during RNC interview
Episode #265: 'Blind Side'
It is rare for President-elect Trump to admit to making mistakes. However, in a recent interview with Fox & Friends during the campaign, he acknowledged not one, but two mistakes from his first term. The first was his selection of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General, and the second was replacing him with Bill Barr. Trump, reflecting on those decisions after four years, now says he understands just how crucial it is to choose the right Attorney General. JD Vance has argued that selecting the Attorney General is even more important than choosing a Vice President, while Bill Maher recently made a football analogy, describing the Attorney General as the President's "blindside tackle." Given these perspectives, why did Trump choose Matt Gaetz to lead the Department of Justice, and is Gaetz a serious nominee? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #265.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) Violent Anti-Trump Protests Try To Steal Spotlight On Inauguration Day
2) TRIGGERnometry - Why We Lost
3) The Mysteries of the House Freedom Caucus
4) Bipartisan agreement reached to avoid debt-limit default, Biden announces
5) Trump Says He Will Never Sign Another Spending Bill Like This Again
6) Senate Republicans to Pick New Majority Leader in Secret Vote — Which Is Not Unusual
7) DOJ tells Matt Gaetz that he won’t be charged in sex trafficking probe, his lawyers say
8) House Probe Into Matt Gaetz Relies On Witnesses DOJ Found Lacked Credibility
9) Florida Law Firm Torches ‘False and Defamatory’ Allegations Matt Gaetz Made on Tucker Carlson’s Show
Episode #264: 'DOGE'
As President Trump begins assembling his team for his return to the White House, he is already delivering on a promise to place Elon Musk in charge of improving government efficiency and tackling waste, fraud, and abuse. This new initiative will also involve Vivek Ramaswamy, and possibility Ron Paul. Musk believes he can cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, which currently stands at $6.5 trillion. President Trump referred to this initiative as potentially "the Manhattan Project of our time." The program is already facing pushback from critics concerned about where these cuts will be made. Rather than offering viable solutions to address the nation's growing debt, these critics seem more interested in maintaining the status quo. Why would anyone oppose efforts to reduce the national debt and make government more efficient? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #264.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) With Surge in New Users, Bluesky Emerges as X Alternative
4) FACT CHECK: No, Mike Johnson Is Not A Member Of The House Freedom Caucus
5) DNC Chief Debbie Wasserman Schultz Stepping Aside in Wake of Scandal
6) Top DNC staffer apologizes for email on Sanders’ religion
7) Bernie Sanders’s evolution on immigration, explained
8) How Bernie Sanders Has Changed His Approach To Immigration
9) Looking for Obama's hidden hand in candidates coalescing around Biden
10) Paul: I don’t fully endorse Romney
11) What If We Paid Off The Debt? The Secret Government Report
12) Greenspan: "USA can pay any debt because it can always print money"
13) Donald Rumsfeld announces 2.3 Trillion missing from the Pentagon on September 10th 2001
Episode #263: 'Populism'
After the Democratic Party suffered a crushing defeat in the recent elections, Senator Bernie Sanders is once again calling out the party for abandoning working-class Americans. This criticism is nothing new for Sanders, who has long argued that the party is out of touch with the needs of ordinary people. His critiques echo the themes of the progressive populist movement he helped lead, which gained momentum after the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011. This is why Sanders has consistently identified as a Democratic Socialist and an independent, instead of a Democrat. Although, he has always caucused with Democrats and often encourages his populist supporters to vote for establishment candidates. How does Sanders reconcile his criticism of the Democratic establishment with his endorsement of establishment Democrats? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #263.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) Le Pen loses French election but launches 'the great battle for the legislative elections'
2) In 2019, protesters took to the streets around the world to demand change
6) Homeland Security Kept Tabs on Occupy Wall Street
7) FBI Documents Reveal Secret Nationwide Occupy Monitoring
8) DHS Turns Over Occupy Wall Street Documents to Truthout
9) The Weirdest Things Occupy Protesters Get Arrested For
10) Human Rights Violations in the U.S. Response to Occupy Wall Street
11) Freedom Caucus
12) Paul: I don’t fully endorse Romney
Episode #262: 'Nobody Likes Bullies'
As pundits analyze the election results and conduct post-mortems on the Harris campaign and the Democratic Party, few are drawing the right conclusions. Many are still in shock—not just because Donald Trump won, but because of the way he won. Now that the blame game has begun, no one wants to take responsibility. However, the media bears a significant share of the blame. The bias and agenda-driven programming have created information silos, where half the country has tuned out completely, and those who remain engaged are fed a steady diet of propaganda. Ultimately, the two sides in this election were those still tuned into legacy media and those who had tuned out. How did the lawfare tactics used against Trump fuel his campaign for re-election? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #262.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) Trump Asked for Power. Voters Said Yes.
2) Poll: DeSantis Decisively Leads Trump in Hypothetical GOP Primary Matchup
3) Trump lashes out at polls showing Ron DeSantis with a big lead in the 2024 GOP primaries
4) New Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg pledges to focus on Trump investigations
Episode #261: 'Diddycrats'
The political realignment unfolding in the United States is nothing short of astonishing. The Democratic Party, once the champion of the working class, has increasingly become the party of college-educated elites, big business, and the military establishment. It is also the party of smug, overpaid celebrities who, though they may come from the working-class, now seem disconnected from the realities of average Americans. A prime example is the growing number of actors, athletes, and entertainers who are endorsing Kamala Harris. Many of these celebrities argue Donald Trump’s wealth and privilege make him out of touch with the working-class. However, if Trump is disconnected from ordinary Americans due to his wealth, how can these celebrities claim to relate to the working class? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #261.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) How the Trump administration chose the 7 countries in the immigration executive order
2) Obama-led drone strikes kill innocents 90% of the time: report
3) Barack Obama 'has authority to use drone strikes to kill Americans on US soil'
4) How ISIS Got Weapons From the U.S. and Used Them to Take Iraq and Syria
5) Kanye West Takes Credit for Making Antisemitism 'Popular'
6) Cardi B Explains Old Video Saying She Drugged and Robbed Men
7) Sean 'Diddy' Combs accused of sexual assault and rape in new civil suits
8) Interview: Donald Trump at Republican National Convention on CNN - August 17, 1988
9) Jennifer Lopez Seemingly Stops Autograph Signing Over Diddy Question At ‘Unstoppable’ Event
Episode #260: 'Slow Pace of Change'
When Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008, it felt like a breath of fresh air for many Americans. We had just endured eight challenging years, starting with the contentious election that brought George W. Bush to power. Just nine months into his administration, a terrorist attack on U.S. soil claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans, briefly uniting the country—only for it to become divided again as Bush used the tragedy to sell a war. The Bush administration's tenure ended in a financial crisis and the Great Recession. Obama promised change and a new direction for the nation. Now, 16 years later, Michelle Obama acknowledges that many people are still frustrated with the slow pace of change. Why are the changes Obama promised taking so long? Join the conversation and get answers to this question and more on According2Sam episode #260.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) Richard Nixon: the president who made George H.W. Bush possible
2) Bush Family Secrets -- Russ Baker
3) George Herbert Walker Bush; The Accidental Vice President
5) George W. Bush's Daughter Barbara Breaks Silence on Election to Campaign for Kamala Harris
7) What If We Paid Off The Debt? The Secret Government Report
8) Barack Obama’s Net Worth in 2024: How He Made His Money
Episode #259: 'Love'
The immigration crisis is one of the most pressing issues in the upcoming election for several reasons. Firstly, many migrants are poor and rely on government resources, which can strain the resources available to Americans and burden local municipalities. Additionally, crime is a significant concern. Recently revised FBI statistics indicate a 4.5 percent increase in violent crime in 2022, coinciding with record numbers of migrants entering the United States at the same time. The victims of these violent crimes have faced robbery, assault, and even murder. What is Kamala Harris’s record on this critical issue, and how is Trump’s plan to address the crisis motivated by love rather than hate? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #259.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) United States Invasion Route Exposed
3) Stealth Edit: FBI Quietly Revises Violent Crime Stats
4) Dallas home invasion shows Venezuelan gang threat is real
5) 3 alleged Venezuelan gang members arrested in killing
6) DHS is seeking more than 600 migrants for possible ties to Venezuelan gang
8) Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009
Episode #258: 'Price Gouge'
Kamala Harris's plan to lower food prices has gained attention in the final days of the election, with numerous interviews and town hall events addressing the issue. She attributes the high cost of groceries to corporate price gouging and promises to take federal action to control food prices. However, Harris has not specified which corporations she believes are engaging in this practice. Many economists have criticized her plan, noting that grocery store profit margins are already very low. So, what is the real reason grocery prices remain high despite a decrease in core inflation from a peak of 9 percent? Additionally, how effective has Harris's approach been in controlling prices in past efforts at the federal level? Join the conversation and get answers to these questions and more on According2Sam episode #258.
* Host, Producer, Engineer: Samuel C Winchester
Shownotes
1) Kamala Harris will give $25,000 to illegal aliens to buy American homes?
2) Opinion | When your opponent calls you 'communist,' maybe don't propose price controls?
3) Harris’ plan to stop price gouging could create more problems than it solves
4) What Is Headline Inflation and How Is It Related to the Consumer Price Index?
5) Core Inflation: What It Is and Why It's Important
6) Sanders, Welch Break with Democrats to Vote ‘No’ on Israel, Ukraine Aid Package