In the latest episode of the No Agenda Show, hosts Adam Curry and returning co-host Rob Dew dissect the media narratives shaping the upcoming midterm elections, from AI data center opposition to U.S. policy at the Strait of Hormuz. The episode, titled 'Caconian' and published August 23, 2026, argues that many of these stories are being spun to influence voters, with Curry and Dew offering a contrarian take on the issues dominating headlines.
One of the central topics is the growing backlash against AI data centers. Curry and Dew contend that opposition is being engineered as an anti-Republican wedge issue, citing a Gallup poll showing 7 in 10 Americans oppose local data center construction. They point to Texas Governor Greg Abbott's reversal on the issue after accepting $20 million in campaign donations from data center executives, leading to a construction moratorium. Curry frames the data center buildout as a generational economic opportunity, comparable to the railroads or the 1990s fiber boom. 'This is an opportunity for the American people to take money from BlackRock, from Vanguard, from Google, from Meta. Take their money,' he says. 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 episode also touches on other contentious topics, including Flock camera vandalism and Fourth Amendment questions on public roads, Confucius Institutes and Pentagon audits of universities, and Chinese national voter fraud charges in Massachusetts. Curry and Dew also discuss Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's bond buyback strategy, which they trace back to Janet Yellen and dub 'activist Treasury issuance,' a term coined by economists Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Miran in 2024. The maneuver involves swapping long-term 30-year bonds for short-term T-bills to lower yields and support the stablecoin market, where Tether and Circle control more than 80 percent of a $300 billion sector projected to reach $3.5 trillion by 2030.
International affairs also feature prominently. The hosts discuss CENTCOM's stealth Omani shipping corridor moving 10 million barrels of oil daily, Trump's declaration of the Strait of Hormuz as 'American territory,' and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins defending the 300,000-ton Argentine ground beef import deal. A boots-on-the-ground note from a soldier deployed under NAVCENT offers context on USS Lincoln conditions, adding a personal perspective to the geopolitical analysis.
Throughout the episode, Curry and Dew stress the importance of understanding how these narratives are framed and why they matter. They urge listeners to see through the media spin and recognize the economic opportunities and strategic implications behind the headlines. As the midterms approach, their deconstruction serves as a reminder to question the stories we're told and consider the broader forces at play.
