Provoked with Darryl Cooper and Scott Horton

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Latest Episodes:

EP:18 [GUEST] : Glenn Greenwald - The Fall of John Bolton (Audio Enhanced) Oct 20, 2025

If you caught the live show you know we had some significant audio trouble. We remixed the portions of the live show to enhance the audio as best we could. While it's not perfect, this version is significantly better than that version on the live tab of the YouTube channel. We hope to have the audio issues resolved soon. Our apology for the trouble.

What happens when you tug at the thread of a nation’s favorite story? We open with Daryl Cooper’s new MartyrMade series reframing World War II from the German perspective and explore why questioning the “Good War” myth shakes the foundations of America’s modern identity. If FDR, Truman, and Eisenhower are the real architects of the current state, then our sacred narrative doesn’t just sit in museums—it drives policy, budgets, and the way the press polices debate.

Glenn Greenwald jumps in to break down the John Bolton indictment with the kind of specificity most headlines skip. We talk alleged Gmail and AOL spillage of crown-jewel secrets, how Iran reportedly exploited those lapses, and why the Espionage Act keeps crushing conscience-driven whistleblowers while sparing the powerful. From Petraeus’s slap on the wrist to Panetta’s Hollywood handoffs, we map a two-tier secrets system and ask whether this case finally dents elite impunity. We also trace Bolton’s role in wrecking the North Korea deal that nudged Pyongyang toward the bomb—proof that bluster can be more dangerous than it looks.

Then we look south. Carrier groups, F-35Bs, Poseidons, Reapers, and Night Stalkers in the Caribbean don’t spell “routine.” The stated drug-war rationale rings thin when northern Mexico would be the obvious target. Oil interests, China’s footprint, and a familiar search for pretext suggest a risk of sliding into a conflict that won’t resemble Panama—more like a grinding regional mess with real costs and no clear gains. It’s the same pattern: narrative first, justification second, escalation third.

Across it all, we connect the dots between myth, law, and power. Reframing history tests the permissions our leaders claim. Prosecuting Bolton tests whether insiders finally face the rules they wrote for everyone else. Posturing near Venezuela tests whether we’ve learned anything from the last twenty years. Join us, challenge the story, and if this conversation hits a nerve, subscribe, share the show, and leave a review so more people can find it.

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EP:17 - LIVE : Deal or Deception? Peace or Just Politics? Inside the Israel–Hamas Deal Oct 11, 2025

EP:16 - LIVE - SPECIAL GUEST: Max Blumenthal - Gaza, Propaganda, and Power Oct 08, 2025

EP:15 - LIVE - SPECIAL GUEST - Auron MacIntyre : The Reason Magazine Hit Piece Oct 04, 2025

Start with a simple claim: rules only matter if everyone believes they bind everyone. From there, we pull a thread through media smears, unequal justice, and the hard truth that modern politics already runs on “exceptions” to the rules. We’re not romanticizing power or hunting for a strongman; we’re asking why the ordinary law—applied evenly—feels so rare, and what it would take to make it normal again.

With Auron MacIntyre joining us, we put Carl Schmitt in his place: not as a mentor to emulate, but as a mapmaker of uncomfortable terrain. His line about the “sovereign” deciding when rules don’t apply rings familiar after years of emergency orders, selective prosecutions, and agencies governing by letter instead of law. We trace how the administrative state grew behind judicial deference, how anarcho-tyranny rewards street violence while penalizing technicalities, and why calling this out gets mislabeled as extremism. The punchline isn’t “break the system”; it’s the opposite—use the laws we have, evenly and transparently, to reestablish the baseline that protects all sides.

We also press a cultural point that legalisms dodge: a constitution is a living practice, not just language. Rome stayed a republic when Romans honored republican limits; paper alone couldn’t save it when belief died. Translate that to today and a path emerges: shorten emergencies, narrow agency deference, prosecute violence consistently, and end back-channel censorship. If platforms truly host criminal coordination, use existing statutes narrowly; if government leans on companies to silence lawful speech, treat it as state action and stop it. And amid heated foreign policy rhetoric, we draw a boundary—no outside government should set our domestic speech norms or enforcement priorities.

Call it a restoration agenda: fewer exceptions, more accountability, and a civic culture that takes equal protection seriously. If that resonates, subscribe, share this episode, and leave a review with your take on the single reform that would rebuild trust fastest.

EP:14 - LIVE - Chaos Unfolds: Comey Falls, Gaza Bleeds, Al-Qaeda at the UN Sep 27, 2025

EP:13 - Is #FreeSpeech in America Hanging by a Thread?? Sep 20, 2025

EP:12 - The Assassination of Charlie Kirk: America's Fractured Discourse Sep 13, 2025

In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, Scott Horton and Daryl Cooper deliver a profoundly important conversation about the state of American political discourse and what happens when words are replaced by violence. This episode captures a raw, unfiltered moment as two thoughtful commentators process a national tragedy in real-time. "You either use institutions as a way of peacefully hashing these questions out or there's violence underneath it," Cooper observes, crystallizing the fundamental choice facing American society. Kirk, regardless of one's opinion of his politics, embodied a commitment to civil dialogue that makes his violent end particularly troubling. He was, as Cooper notes, someone who "deserved it a hell of a lot less than many of us." The conversation explores how political violence has become normalized, with both hosts examining the dangerous territory America enters when citizens no longer believe in resolving differences through debate. They challenge listeners on both sides of the political spectrum to resist calls for escalation or authoritarian crackdowns that would only exacerbate divisions. What emerges is a powerful reminder that beneath our political differences, Americans remain deeply interconnected. "The left half of America ain't really going anywhere," Horton emphasizes, making peaceful coexistence not just desirable but necessary. The hosts also tackle other pressing issues—including mental health crises (with 26% of young Americans having considered suicide), economic instability, and what true freedom of speech requires in practice. This episode serves as both a warning about where America might be headed if we continue dehumanizing political opponents and a call to recommit to the principles of civil dialogue that Kirk himself championed. It's an essential listen for anyone concerned about the future of American democracy and our capacity to live together despite our differences. Chapters: 0:00 Reacting to Charlie Kirk's Assassination 10:37 The Civil Veneer of Politics 22:33 Democracy's Violence Problem 36:24 The Root Causes of Social Breakdown 55:01 The Truth About Cultural Degradation 1:09:24 Civil War Fears and Political Reality 1:24:45 Protecting Free Speech Culture

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EP:11 - Democracy's Limitations in Divided Nations Sep 06, 2025

The world is changing fast—but U.S. foreign policy is stuck in the past. In this in-depth conversation, Scott Horton and Darryl Cooper break down three global flashpoints where Washington’s outdated strategies are fueling instability instead of peace. 👉 Ukraine War: How ultranationalist forces, like Azov Battalion founder Andrei Beletsky, are rising in wartime—and why peace talks with Russia in 2022 were derailed by Western interference, prolonging the Ukraine–Russia conflict. 👉 Israel & Gaza Crisis: Why Netanyahu’s push for West Bank annexation and permanent war risks turning Israel into a militarized garrison state—deepening the Israel–Palestine conflict with no path to lasting peace. 👉 The New Multipolar World: A rising alliance between Russia, China, India, and North Korea signals the decline of American hegemony. Washington’s refusal to adapt to a multipolar order could prove disastrous for U.S. foreign policy and global stability. If you want to cut through the noise and understand what’s really driving today’s conflicts, this discussion is essential viewing. 📌 Topics Covered: Ukraine war, Azov Battalion, Andrei Beletsky, U.S. foreign policy, Israel Gaza war, Netanyahu, Russia China alliance, multipolar world, American empire, geopolitics explained. 🔔 Subscribe for more sharp analysis of geopolitics, U.S. foreign policy, and the forces reshaping our world.

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EP:10 - War Through the Lens of Grief Aug 30, 2025

War leaves scars far beyond the battlefield. In this episode of Provoked, Scott and Darryl dive into the human side of conflict—how the pain we feel in our own lives mirrors the heartbreak endured daily in places like Gaza, Yemen, Iraq, and Somalia—only compounded by violence and destruction. As Darryl puts it, “They’re feeling the same thing you would feel.”

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EP:9 -(uncensored) Ukraine Chessboard : The Art of Losing Slowly - Special Guest Comic Dave Smith Aug 25, 2025

Darryl is traveling this week. So Scott invited a good friend of both to join the show! ENJOY! (prod. chris did a lot censoring to keep YT happy! :) ) # # The war in Ukraine grinds on with no end in sight as peace negotiations repeatedly fail due to poison pills disguised as compromise. Scott Horton and GUEST host - Comic Dave Smith dissect the recent talks in Alaska, where "security guarantees" for Ukraine functioned as NATO membership by another name—a non-starter for Russia and likely designed to be rejected. Russia continues making steady territorial gains, now controlling approximately three-quarters of Donetsk and two-thirds of both Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. This slow-motion advance strengthens Putin's negotiating position while depleting Ukrainian resources. The fundamental misunderstanding of the conflict's origins—demonstrated even by Donald Trump's belief that "Obama gave Ukraine to Putin" rather than recognizing NATO expansion as the core issue—makes meaningful resolution nearly impossible. Perhaps most concerning is the rising influence of Ukraine's far-right nationalist elements, particularly the Azov Battalion. What began as a volunteer militia in 2014 has evolved into an official military unit with explicit neo-Nazi connections. Recent reporting reveals Azov leader Andrei Beletsky is positioning himself for political power in post-war Ukraine, envisioning a militarized state modeled after Israel. Western defense contractors reportedly prefer working with Azov units because they operate outside normal Ukrainian military command structures without demanding kickbacks. The conversation shifts to examining how Israel's campaign in Gaza has fundamentally altered media dynamics in the United States. Prominent right-wing commentators like Megyn Kelly and Charlie Kirk find themselves caught between establishment pressure to maintain unwavering support for Israel and audiences increasingly troubled by civilian casualties. This represents a significant crack in what was once the most controlled topic in American political discourse, potentially reshaping foreign policy debates for years to come. Chapters: ⁠0:00⁠ Welcome to Provoked ⁠2:11⁠ Ukraine Peace Talks in Alaska ⁠13:43⁠ Russia's Territorial Gains ⁠24:40⁠ Understanding Ukrainian Nazism ⁠43:17⁠ The Human Cost of War ⁠55:07⁠ Israel's Gaza Campaign and Media Shifts ⁠1:07:31⁠ Shifting Tides in Political Commentary

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EP:9 - Ukraine Chessboard : The Art of Losing Slowly - Special Guest Comic Dave Smith Aug 23, 2025

EP:8 Hidden Price of Empire - Endless War Is Changing Who We Are Aug 16, 2025

What happens to a country that fights war after war, year after year? The price goes far beyond the money spent and the lives lost overseas. In this candid and unflinching conversation, Scott Horton and Daryl Cooper dig into the less visible ways America’s global military machine eats away at our economy, our politics, and even our national character. Scott begins with the financial side of the story. He explains how the government’s control over interest rates creates fake boom-and-bust cycles that hammer working Americans while keeping the war machine running. “They tax what they can, then they borrow more, and then they print the rest,” he says. This, he argues, quietly shifts wealth upward while ordinary people bear the pain through inflation and instability. Federal Reserve policy and military spending feed into each other, creating a loop where war looks “affordable” on paper, but its real costs are hidden. Daryl takes the discussion into darker territory: the spiritual and psychological toll of perpetual war. Drawing on his time in the military, he describes how two decades of nonstop conflict have dulled our ability to feel outrage at atrocities. From Abu Ghraib to Gaza, repeated exposure to violence has numbed the nation’s conscience. “You’re a different kind of person once you’re inured to that kind of thing,” Daryl says. “And it’s not an improvement.” That numbness, he warns, reaches well beyond the battlefield—affecting civilians, too. They also walk through striking examples from history and current events. Declassified documents on Russiagate reveal how manufactured narratives can shape public opinion for years. Scott revisits the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, pointing out that top American generals—Eisenhower, MacArthur, Nimitz, and even Curtis LeMay—believed the bomb was unnecessary and immoral. For many, learning that challenges a lifetime of accepted history, sparking deeper questions about what else we’ve been told. This is more than a discussion about foreign policy. It’s a reckoning with what decades of war have done to us as a nation. The most dangerous cost may not be measured in dollars or body counts—it might be losing the ability to recognize ourselves in the mirror.

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EP:7 Who Watches the Watchers? Intelligence Agency Overreach Aug 09, 2025

The intelligence community's role in shaping American foreign policy and domestic politics takes center stage in this eye-opening conversation. Scott and Darryl begin by honoring Ron Paul's 90th birthday, reflecting on his unwavering commitment to non-interventionism and his prescient warnings about blowback from American military adventures abroad. As they discuss his consistent opposition to war—from Lebanon in the 1980s to his accurate COVID-19 predictions—they paint a portrait of a principled statesman whose views have been vindicated time and again. The conversation shifts to Syria, exploring how Western intelligence agencies orchestrated chaos by supporting jihadist groups against Assad's regime. Drawing parallels to William Van Wagenen's new book "Creative Chaos," they examine how the CIA's strategy wasn't simply regime change but the deliberate fragmentation of Syria into warring factions—creating permanent instability that serves regional interests while devastating civilian populations. The hosts don't hold back in describing the human cost of these policies, from displaced families to the rise of ISIS. Most provocatively, Scott and Darryl connect these foreign policy machinations to domestic politics through Russiagate. They meticulously deconstruct how intelligence agencies allegedly fabricated evidence against Trump campaign officials like Carter Page and George Papadopoulos, while destroying the lives of ordinary campaign volunteers through endless interrogations and legal expenses. What emerges is a troubling picture of unelected officials operating beyond democratic oversight to determine which leaders are acceptable both abroad and at home. Whether you're concerned about America's role in the Middle East or the integrity of our democratic institutions, this discussion raises profound questions about accountability in our intelligence services. When agencies that operate in shadows decide they know better than voters, what becomes of representative government? Listen now to explore what happens when the watchers themselves go unchecked.

Chapters

0:32Episode Introduction
9:07Ron Paul's 90th Birthday Celebration
17:05Syria's Civil War and Western Intervention
37:26The Oded Yanon Plan and Regional Chaos
53:34Russiagate Origins and CIA Involvement
1:05:39The Framing of Trump Campaign Officials

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EP:6 When Civilians Become Targets: Blood on the Path to Aid Aug 02, 2025

EP:5 - The Mosquito Protocol: When Power Has No Shame: Genocide, Cover-Ups, and Zero Accountability Jul 26, 2025

Hey folks, welcome back to Provoked. In this episode, we dive into some of the ugliest truths behind a few major global conflicts—most of all, what's happening right now in Gaza.

Let’s get this straight right off the bat—it’s not a war. That word gives the impression of two sides in some kind of fair fight. What we’re seeing in Gaza is nothing like that. It’s a one-sided assault. Humanitarian organizations are reporting that Palestinians are literally starving to death—starving—while aid is being blocked. Israel tries to deflect blame by saying Hamas intercepts the aid, but when you dig into it, those claims are massively overblown. At the same time, they’re bombing the actual distribution sites.

And then there’s this thing called the “Mosquito Protocol” that came out in Israeli media. It’s horrifying—soldiers using Palestinian civilians, including children and elderly people, as human shields to clear buildings that might be booby-trapped. And they still accuse Hamas of using civilians as shields? It’s a textbook case of projection.

It gets darker. Israeli leaders aren’t even pretending anymore. Netanyahu’s telling his people to treat Palestinians like Amalek—that’s a biblical tribe that was ordered to be wiped out entirely. That’s not just some ancient metaphor. That’s a call for genocide.

We also dig into the way modern propaganda works. It’s not about censoring everything—it's about overwhelming people. Flood the zone with so much noise, so many stories, that even the most horrific realities—like children dying from hunger—just blend into the background. It becomes another headline people scroll past.

That’s the real danger. In the past, regimes at least tried to hide their crimes. Now, they’re bold about it, because they know people are desensitized, distracted, and unsure what’s real. It’s all by design.

We also get into the Oklahoma City bombing and the Epstein case—two stories where the official version just doesn’t add up. These are entry points for people to start questioning the system itself.

Back in the Cold War, you had a few network anchors telling everyone what to believe. Now it's chaos—millions of voices, total fragmentation—and still, somehow, the truth is just as buried. It’s all managed differently now, through noise instead of silence.

We close things out with updates on Ukraine, where Russian forces keep advancing while protests break out in Kyiv, and Syria, where it’s still a tangled mess of shifting alliances and endless war. Across all these conflicts, there’s one thing in common—zero accountability for the people with the most power.

It’s a heavy episode, but if you want to understand the world as it really works—not the sanitized version—we’re laying it all out.

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EP4: Power, Justice, and the Fragile Nature of TRUTH Jul 19, 2025

EP:3 Epstein Files Reveal No Clients: Truth or Coverup? Jul 12, 2025

The Justice Department's startling claim that Jeffrey Epstein had no clients beyond himself and Ghislaine Maxwell raises disturbing questions about power, accountability, and institutional corruption. Scott Horton and Daryl Cooper meticulously unpack the web of connections surrounding Epstein's operation, revealing a pattern that suggests something far more sinister than a lone predator's crimes.

From Alex Acosta's bombshell admission that he was told Epstein "belonged to intelligence," to the bizarre coincidence that he was hired by Donald Barr (former OSS operative and father of William Barr) at the Dalton School, the evidence points toward organized protection at the highest levels. The hosts explore how Epstein's improbable career trajectory – from college dropout to trusted financial advisor for billionaires – makes sense only when viewed through the lens of intelligence operations and money laundering.
The conversation takes a particularly dark turn when examining Epstein's connections to Robert Maxwell (known intelligence asset and father of Ghislaine), and the inexplicable decision by billionaire Les Wexner to grant Epstein complete power of attorney over his business empire. These relationships, coupled with the systematic suppression of reporting on Epstein's crimes – including intimidation tactics against journalists – suggest a coordinated effort to protect not just Epstein, but an entire network of powerful interests.

What emerges is a compelling case that Epstein operated with institutional backing, possibly as part of larger intelligence operations involving blackmail and influence. The hosts argue that understanding this case is crucial not just for justice for victims, but as a window into how power actually works in our society – a truth that remains relevant long after the headlines fade.

Website: ⁠⁠Provoked.show⁠

Video Version: ⁠⁠Provoked YouTube⁠

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