On this episode of The Zach Show, Andrew Iliadis explains how companies like Palantir, Anduril, and SpaceX are reshaping warfare, surveillance, and state power by building autonomous defense technologies faster than governments can regulate them. He traces the roots of this shift to post-9/11 defense expansion, cloud computing, and Silicon Valley’s deep ties to military funding. By analyzing Palantir’s patents and products, Iliadis argues these firms don’t just analyze data, they define reality through “ontology,” shaping who is watched, predicted, detained, or targeted. When prediction becomes policy and private tech sets the agenda, democratic oversight struggles to keep up.

Guest bio: Andrew Iliadis is an Associate Professor of Media Studies and Production at Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication. His research examines how data science, AI, and digital infrastructure are reshaping media, governance, and power, with a focus on surveillance, automated decision-making, and national defense. He is the author of Semantic Media and the forthcoming Autonomous Defense (UC Press, 2026), and serves on multiple editorial boards.

Subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 to gain early access to all future episodes, exclusive AMAs, the ability to suggest guest questions, bonus content, and more: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Clarification: As noted by Andrew, Intel and Fairchild Semiconductor were founded after World War II and emerged from a Silicon Valley ecosystem shaped by WWII-era defense research and military contracting (e.g., Fairchild Camera, HP, Varian, and Stanford’s wartime mobilization).

ANDREW ILIADIS LINKS:

Website: https://andrewiliadis.com/

CV: https://andrewiliadis.com/cv/

Publications: https://andrewiliadis.com/publications/

Autonomous Defense (Book) Coming Soon on UC Press: https://bit.ly/4t37uEa

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

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For years, the Epstein story sat half-exposed and half-buried—until the DOJ quietly released over 40,000 files. In this episode, investigative biographer Andrew Lownie breaks down what actually matters: missing evidence, sanitized redactions, and an investigation that admits to 10 co-conspirators yet charged only one person. From Clinton and Trump to Prince Andrew, the files suggest not incompetence, but protection.  

Guest bio: Andrew Lownie is an award-winning investigative biographer, journalist, and publisher, widely regarded as one of Britain’s most relentless royal historians. He is the author of Traitor King, The Mountbattens, and his latest book Entitled, which examines Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. Known for deep archival research and award-winning writing, Lownie has built a reputation for exposing power, corruption, and institutional cover-ups at the highest levels of the British establishment.

Subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 to gain early access to all future episodes, exclusive AMAs, the ability to suggest guest questions, bonus content, and more: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

ANDREW LOWNIE LINKS

Entitled: https://bit.ly/3YpacFT

Website: https://andrewlownie.me/

Substack: https://andrewlownie.substack.com/

All Books: https://andrewlownie.me/books

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

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Investigative biographer Andrew Lownie joins the show to unpack the rise and fall of Prince Andrew, from his troubled childhood and war-hero image to financial corruption, Epstein, and royal protection at the highest levels. We explore Andrew’s marriage to Sarah Ferguson, the Trade Envoy scandals, intelligence entanglements, the Virginia Giuffre case, the infamous Newsnight interview, Andrew's and Fergie's relationship to Epstein, and why Lownie believes the monarchy enabled Andrew for decades. 

Guest bio: Andrew Lownie is an award-winning investigative biographer, journalist, and publisher, widely regarded as one of Britain’s most relentless royal historians. He is the author of Traitor King, The Mountbattens, and his latest book Entitled, which examines Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson. Known for deep archival research and award-winning writing, Lownie has built a reputation for exposing power, corruption, and institutional cover-ups at the highest levels of the British establishment.

Subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 to gain early access to all future episodes, exclusive AMAs, the ability to suggest guest questions, bonus content, and more: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

ANDREW LOWNIE LINKS

Entitled: https://bit.ly/3YpacFT

Website: https://andrewlownie.me/

Substack: https://andrewlownie.substack.com/

All Books: https://andrewlownie.me/books

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

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In this episode of The Zach Show, we break down the most explosive new Jeffrey Epstein revelations following the release of 20,000+ estate documents and Trump’s order to disclose government files. We cover claims that Trump “knew about the girls,” secret emails showing journalist Michael Wolff advising Epstein on Trump strategy, and FBI footage that undermines the official jailhouse timeline. We revisit the alleged 2017 Thanksgiving with Trump, the Prince Andrew photo, and speculation around Melania’s early connection to Epstein’s modeling pipeline. We also examine Epstein’s global network — Israel ties, cyberweapons financing, intelligence links — and ask the real question: how did he become untouchable?

This is only the first half of the episode on Jeffrey Epstein. To get the full episode (audio and video), subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

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Investigative journalist ‪Scott Carney‬ joins Zach to trace his wild path from exposing India’s organ and human-remains trade to uncovering the dark psychology behind modern wellness gurus. Carney recounts the tragic death of a student who believed she’d achieved enlightenment, revealing how spiritual seeking can slide into psychosis. He explains how fame and money transformed figures like Wim Hof and Andrew Huberman, breaking down Huberman’s controversial ROKA partnership and why “science” is now for sale. Finally, Scott warns we’re entering “peak grift," a new era where charisma, sponsorships, and algorithmic worship turn wellness into the most profitable con of all.

Guest bio: Scott Carney is an investigative journalist, anthropologist, and New York Times bestselling author known for exposing the dark underbelly of global wellness, spirituality, and black-market economies. His work has uncovered India’s organ trade, the dangers of extreme meditation, and the rise of modern health grifters. Through books like What Doesn’t Kill Us, The Red Market, and The Enlightenment Trap, Carney blends immersive reporting with sharp cultural critique to reveal uncomfortable truths.

This is only the first half of the episode with Todd Purdum. To get the full episode (audio and video), subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

SCOTT CARNEY LINKS:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sgcarney

Substack: https://sgcarney.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sgcarney

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sgcarney

Website: https://www.scottcarney.com/

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

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From ancient Mesopotamia to Twilight, the werewolf has evolved from cursed lovers and cannibals to tragic heroes and pop icons. In this Halloween deep dive, Zach and Dr. Julie Labau trace 4,000 years of transformation, from gods punishing desire to colonizers weaponizing myths. The werewolf isn’t just a monster, it’s a mirror reflecting what every generation fears losing control over: sex, sanity, and humanity itself.

This is only the first half of the episode with Todd Purdum. To get the full episode (audio and video), subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

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Todd Purdum joins Zach to unpack Desi Arnaz’s wild arc: raised like a prince in Cuba, exiled at 16 by revolution, hustling in Miami, inventing the conga craze, then conquering Broadway and Hollywood with Lucille Ball. We dig into trauma that fueled his genius, the invention of the three-camera sitcom, catching "Lightning In A Bottle" with I Love Lucy, womanizing, marriage cracks and goodbyes, and the fingerprints Desi left on modern television.

Guest bio: Todd S. Purdum is a veteran journalist and author whose forty-year career has spanned The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Politico, and The Atlantic. He’s covered everything from city hall to the White House, served as diplomatic correspondent and Los Angeles bureau chief, and written definitive books on both Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution and the political drama behind the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He is the author of 'Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television.'

This is only the first half of the episode with Todd Purdum. To get the full episode (audio and video), subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

TODD PURDUM LINKS:

Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television: https://bit.ly/4opO7St

Author Page: http://bit.ly/3L0BoY6

New York Times Archive: https://www.nytimes.com/by/todd-s-purdum

All Books: http://bit.ly/3J97tMU

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

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On this episode of The Zach Show, Mick West joins Zach to trace how modern conspiracies form from the Charlie Kirk assassination to UFO lore. They examine social media speed, projection of political fears, and AI’s role in amplifying falsehoods such as Grok inventing quotes about the Kirk assassination. Mick shows why high-resolution footage often fails to stop speculation, how theories evolve like viruses, and why people prefer simple enemies. The conversation moves into an analysis of the recent 'Hellfire Missile Vs. UFO' video presented in Congress, parallax, thermal contrast, provenance problems, the rise of UFO cults, how misperception fools even the most experienced pilots, and more.

Guest bio: Mick West is a science writer, debunker, and founder of Metabunk.org. Author of Escaping the Rabbit Hole, he specializes in unraveling conspiracy theories and UFO claims. A former video game programmer, Mick co-founded Neversoft and helped create Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater before becoming the internet’s go-to UFO skeptic.

This is only the first half of the episode with Mick West. To get the full episode (audio and video), subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

MICK WEST LINKS:

Escaping The Rabbit Hole: https://bit.ly/3IG6ROm

Metabunk: https://www.metabunk.org/

SitRec: https://www.metabunk.org/sitrec/

X(Twitter): https://x.com/MickWest

YouTube: https://bit.ly/4nT5YBh

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

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Leaked audio from Israel’s former chief of military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, reveals him saying “50,000 dead in Gaza is necessary” and that Palestinians “need a Nakba” to learn the cost of resistance. In this conversation, genocide scholar Omer Bartov unpacks the implications: the blurred line between war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and genocide; the whataboutisms comparing Gaza to WWII bombings; and U.S. complicity through its weapons pipeline. We also explore how Holocaust memory has been wielded as shield and sword, whether Zionism can be salvaged, and the paradox of a state born from genocide now accused of committing one.

Guest bio: Omer Bartov is a historian and genocide scholar at Brown University, specializing in Holocaust studies, genocide, and modern warfare. Born in Israel, he has written extensively on the Holocaust in Eastern Europe and ethnic violence, and is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on genocide.

To gain access to The Zach Show full episodes as soon as they drop, plus exclusive AMAs, the ability to suggest questions to future guests, The Zarchives (super secret beginnings of The Zach Show), and more, subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

OMER BARTOV LINKS:

Twitter (X): https://x.com/bartov_omer 

Genocide, the Holocaust, and Israel-Palestine: https://bit.ly/4n502Ey

Israel: What Went Wrong? (Pre-Order): https://amzn.to/47QaITd

Professor Page: https://history.brown.edu/people/omer-bartov

New York Times article: https://nyti.ms/3JGCWG4 

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

Rate The Zach Show on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt

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Genocide scholar Omer Bartov joins The Zach Show for part 1 of this conversation to explain why, by May 2024, it was “no longer possible to deny” Israel’s genocidal intent in Gaza. We dig into the Rafah operation, the systematic destruction of homes, hospitals, and schools, bulldozers flattening entire neighborhoods, mass starvation, and leaders invoking biblical calls to wipe out Amalek. Bartov lays out how operational patterns + explicit statements reveal genocide, raising haunting questions about U.S. complicity and the future of Palestinians. 

Guest bio: Omer Bartov is a historian and genocide scholar at Brown University, specializing in Holocaust studies, genocide, and modern warfare. Born in Israel, he has written extensively on the Holocaust in Eastern Europe and ethnic violence, and is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on genocide. 

To gain access to The Zach Show full episodes as soon as they drop, plus exclusive AMAs, the ability to suggest questions to future guests, The Zarchives (super secret beginnings of The Zach Show), and more, subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

OMER BARTOV LINKS:

Twitter (X): https://x.com/bartov_omer 

Genocide, the Holocaust, and Israel-Palestine: https://bit.ly/4n502Ey

Israel: What Went Wrong? (Pre-Order): https://amzn.to/47QaITd

Professor Page: https://history.brown.edu/people/omer-bartov

New York Times article: https://nyti.ms/3JGCWG4 

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

Rate The Zach Show on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt

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In this episode of The Zach Show, award-winning journalist Philip Shenon, author of Jesus Wept, takes us inside the Vatican’s most turbulent century. From Pope Pius XII’s meeting with Hitler and his controversial silence during the Holocaust, to Pope John XXIII’s revolutionary Vatican II reforms, we trace the Church’s battles over power, mercy, and truth. Shenon unpacks Hans Küng’s assault on papal infallibility, the decades-long rivalry with Joseph Ratzinger, and explosive evidence tying John Paul II and Benedict XVI to global abuse cover-ups. We also explore the Vatican’s Cold War alliance with the CIA, Francis’s “Who am I to judge?” moment, and whether Vatican Intelligence still plays in the shadows.

Guest bio: Philip Shenon is an award-winning investigative journalist who spent over two decades at The New York Times, covering stories from the Pentagon to the CIA. He’s the bestselling author of The Commission (the inside story of the 9/11 investigation) and Jesus Wept, an exposé on the modern Catholic Church.

This is only the first half of the episode on the history of the modern Church. To get the full episode (audio and video), exclusive AMAs, and more, subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

PHIL SHENON LINKS:

Website: https://www.philipshenon.com/

Jesus Wept: http://bit.ly/3JevgKU

X(Twitter): https://x.com/philipshenon

All Books by Shenon: https://amzn.to/4mDBZfI

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS: 

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

Rate The Zach Show on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt

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