Topic: Puerto Rico

John Kirwin describes his initial entry into the "rabbit hole" in 2017 after realizing the Federal Reserve is not a government entity. He recounts his transition from a "normie" planning to vote for John McCain to a skeptic of the global financial system. This realization regarding the private nature of the central bank served as the catalyst for his broader questioning of official narratives.

The discussion explores the mysterious death of MakerDAO founder Nikolai Mushegian in Puerto Rico shortly after he tweeted about a "pedo elite" blackmail ring involving the CIA and Mossad. Greg Carlwood examines the involvement of Brock Pierce, a former child actor and crypto billionaire, who dismissed Mushegian's claims as mental instability in an interview with the New York Post. Carlwood expresses skepticism regarding the official narrative surrounding the drowning.

Daniel Immerwahr, an associate professor of history at Northwestern University, joins the program to discuss his book, How to Hide an Empire. The text focuses on the "Greater United States," exploring the history of territories like Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. Immerwahr shares his background teaching at Berkeley and San Quentin State Prison before shifting his focus to colonial history.

The visual representation of the United States on standard maps often excludes overseas territories, creating a psychological "contiguous blob" worldview. Daniel Immerwahr explains how equal area projections reveal the true scale of land held by the U.S. outside of the mainland. The discussion highlights that Puerto Rico has been part of the country for over a century yet rarely appears on national maps.

Dr. Cornelius Rhoads, a Harvard-trained physician, conducted unethical medical experiments on Puerto Rican patients in the 1930s while studying anemia. A leaked letter revealed Rhoads' racist views and his claims of killing patients and attempting to transplant cancer into others. Although the letter sparked a nationalist movement in Puerto Rico, a government investigation suppressed evidence and Rhoads faced no legal consequences.

Puerto Rico served as a primary laboratory for testing the birth control pill, often using dosages significantly higher than what was eventually approved. Researchers dismissed the severe side effects reported by Puerto Rican women, such as vomiting and headaches, as "hysterical" complaints. The testing program also involved medical students who were pressured to participate to maintain their grades.

Four out of five inhabited U.S. territories have faced existential threats recently, including devastating hurricanes in Puerto Rico and Typhoon Yutu in the Northern Mariana Islands. Additionally, Guam has been specifically targeted by North Korean missile threats due to its role as a launch point for U.S. military flights. Daniel Immerwahr argues that the status of these territories and the presence of hundreds of overseas military bases require urgent national conversation.

Natalia L40, a writer and cartomancer from Puerto Rico, joins the program to discuss the intersection of magic and the history of empire. The conversation explores how Western initiatory orders like the Golden Dawn dominate literature while often maintaining close ties to the state. Natalia’s work on her blog, Mist & Ether, focuses on reclaiming spiritual understandings lost to the brutal process of colonization.

Natalia L40 describes her experience moving from Florida to Puerto Rico and the resulting culture shock regarding identity and belonging. She explains how 500 years of colonization by Spain and the United States has disconnected individuals from the land and community. Spiritual communities, including Spiritism and Santeria, serve as vital spaces for relief and communication amidst systemic corruption and thievery.

The Chupacabra was originally described in Puerto Rico as a spiked, alien-like creature smelling of sulfur or paint thinner. This differs significantly from the "Texas Blue Dogs," which are often mangy canines misidentified as the cryptid. Some researchers suggest that sulfur dioxide emissions from coal plants in South Texas might be linked to the mutations seen in these local canine populations.

El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico is a reported hotspot for UFO activity and mysterious disappearances, including a group of schoolchildren and two Navy security officers. Researcher Scott Corrales and ufologist Jorge Martin have documented accounts of humanoid figures with triangular heads and craft entering the mountainside. While authorities often cite sinkholes as the cause for missing persons, local investigators suggest the presence of a clandestine underground base.

The host recaps topics from the "Plus" version of the show, including David Paulides' research into national park disappearances and rumors of a secret Mars colony. He addresses listener emails seeking life advice, encouraging people to take responsibility for their own decisions rather than looking to podcast hosts. The segment emphasizes the importance of taking action and "moving the needle" in one's personal life.

Robert Morningstar shares his conclusions regarding the Chupacabra phenomenon, based on research beginning in Puerto Rico in 1978. He posits that the creature is a telepathic "hunting dog" for the Gray extraterrestrials, capable of reading human belief systems and projecting hallucinations. Morningstar claims these creatures are involved in human abductions and possess intelligence superior to that of humans.

Sauder identifies the coast of Puerto Rico and the Channel Islands off California as more credible locations for underwater bases. He cites high levels of Navy activity at Roosevelt Roads and reports from Linda Moulton Howe as evidence of potential joint human-alien facilities in these maritime regions.

The 1980 disappearance of pilot Jose Maldonado Torres off the coast of Puerto Rico is examined as a credible UFO-related case. Torres reported a "weird object" harassing his aircraft before vanishing from radar; a second unidentified object briefly appeared on the scope before also disappearing.