The latest episode of the No Agenda Show, titled 'Caconian,' sees hosts Adam Curry and returning co-host Rob Dew dissecting the media's framing of AI data centers as a contentious local issue, just as the midterm elections approach. Broadcasting from the Texas Hill Country, the pair argue that the backlash against data center construction is not a grassroots movement but a manufactured wedge issue aimed at turning public opinion against Republican-led economic initiatives. Citing a Gallup poll showing 7 in 10 Americans oppose local data center construction, Curry and Dew suggest that this sentiment is being amplified by political operatives to undermine the GOP's economic agenda.
Curry frames the data center boom as a generational economic opportunity, comparable to the railroad expansion or the fiber-optic boom of the 1990s. He urges listeners to consider careers as electricians, welders, and technicians, saying, 'This is an opportunity for the American people to take money from BlackRock, from Vanguard, from Google, from Meta. Take their money.' Dew adds a firsthand account of friends in Alexandria, Virginia, being offered $4 million for homes surrounded by existing data centers, illustrating how private equity money is flowing directly to homeowners in affected corridors. The hosts also point to Texas Governor Greg Abbott's reversal after accepting $20 million in campaign donations from data center executives, which led to a construction moratorium, as evidence of the political calculus involved.
The episode also covers Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's bond buyback 'twist,' a maneuver that Curry traces back to Janet Yellen and economists Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Miran, who dubbed it 'activist Treasury issuance' in 2024. By swapping long-term 30-year bonds for short-term T-bills, the strategy aims to lower yields and prop up the stablecoin market, with Tether and Circle controlling more than 80 percent of a $300 billion sector projected to reach $3.5 trillion by 2030, according to Citi. The hosts discuss the implications of the Clarity Act for stablecoins and the broader financial system.
Internationally, the show tackles the U.S. posture at the Strait of Hormuz, where CENTCOM has established a stealth Omani shipping corridor moving 10 million barrels of oil daily. President Trump's declaration of the strait as 'American territory' is met with analysis of its strategic and legal ramifications. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins' defense of the 300,000-ton Argentine ground beef import deal also comes under scrutiny, with Curry and Dew questioning the impact on domestic ranchers and consumers. A boots-on-the-ground note from a soldier deployed under NAVCENT offers context on conditions aboard the USS Lincoln.
Throughout the episode, Curry and Dew also touch on Flock camera vandalism and Fourth Amendment questions, Confucius Institutes and Pentagon audits of 30 universities, and Chinese national voter fraud charges in Massachusetts. The show continues its tribute to the late John C. Dvorak through the newly launched Order of the Ant. Episode 1897 is available now wherever podcasts are heard, and through modern podcast apps at podcastapps.com.
