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Unruled Voices — Government
Unruled Voices

Unruled Voices delivers real-time corruption intelligence and proven, nonviolent tools so everyday citizens can fight back and reclaim power. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the hidden networks and corrupt systems eroding our democracy. We look at the money, the propaganda, and the multi-decade blueprints built to capture our public institutions.

This isn’t partisan squabbling. Host Nick Van Zandt, a former intelligence officer and Co-Founder of Unruled Masses, applies real intelligence tradecraft to map dark money networks, trace the actors behind them, and expose the hidden machinery of social control. He’s joined by dark money investigators, former CIA officers, legal experts, academics, and human rights strategists. We talk to people who know exactly how these systems work, and how to dismantle them.

Every episode equips you with concrete, proven, nonviolent civic actions from the Unruled Masses Action Playbook, the tools you can deploy in your community right now.

Power isn’t stolen overnight. It’s engineered while we sleep. Subscribe to Unruled Voices to learn how the machine was built, discover how to fight back, and help reclaim the power that belongs to the people.

Latest Episodes:

Justice for Sale: The Collapse of Ethics in US Courts Nov 07, 2026

Show notes

Who holds judges accountable when ethics rules can’t be enforced? In this episode of Unruled Voices, Nick Van Zandt, co-founder of Unruled Masses, and Michael Pates, former director of the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights, examine the collapse of ethics and oversight in US courts. They consider how close we are to an American justice system that’s for sale. With reports of secret meetings with power brokers, undisclosed gifts and luxury travel at the nation’s highest court the question is more urgent than ever.

What we cover:

Why the Supreme Court’s ethics code can’t be enforced—and why a constitutional amendment may be the only way to change that
How recusal, the check meant to keep conflicts of interest out of the courtroom, relies on judges policing themselves
Why lifetime appointments meant to protect judicial independence can fail
How forum (read: court) shopping lets litigants seek out friendly judges, and what that means for impartiality
What examples like Israel, Hungary, and Poland can show us about how citizens defend their courts
What ordinary people can do—from consistent pressure on their members of Congress to community action

About the guest: Michael Pates directed the ABA Center for Human Rights from 2007 to 2025, building it into an organization that supported more than 2,000 human rights defenders in 77 countries. Earlier, he led projects at the ABA Civil Rights and Social Justice Section. He holds a JD from Penn State and a BA in political science from the University of South Carolina. In September 2025, he launched cylindr, an online magazine and meetinghouse for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

Host: Nick Van Zandt, Unruled Masses

Take action: Explore the Unruled Masses playbooks to learn how you can defend democracy and the courts that protect it.

Learn more:
Unruled Masses: https://unruledmasses.org
cylindr: https://cylindrmag.substack.com

Views expressed by guests are their own.

An Ex-CIA Officer’s Guide to Safe Travel for Activists & Journalists Oct 11, 2026

Show notes

A former CIA operations officer with 20+ years of experience explains how activists, journalists, and everyday travelers can stay safe abroad, even in countries that look calm and stable.

Nick sits down with Yohann de Silva, who spent more than two decades as a senior operations officer at the Central Intelligence Agency and now teaches regular people how to travel safely. The danger isn’t limited to war zones. Orderly, “safe” countries can still surveil, question, or detain people doing advocacy, journalism, or anti-corruption work. The local contacts who meet with you can face consequences long after you’ve gone home. Tune in to learn how you can protect yourself when you travel.

Dismantling Democracy: The Forces and Figures Driving Global Autocracy Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Global democracy just fell to its lowest level since 1978, and the U.S. posted the fastest one-year democratic decline ever recorded.

In this episode, host Nick Van Zandt sits down with Deanna Wilken, President of the Human Rights Research Center, co-founder of Unruled Masses, and former USAID officer, to break down who and what is actually driving the global rise of authoritarianism, and why.

Christian Nationalist Takeover of America and How You Can Fight Back Sep 06, 2026

Show notes

Christian nationalism isn't a fringe belief, it's an organized political movement that's been building for over a century, and it has already reached the Pentagon, the White House, and the federal judiciary. In this Unruled Voices episode, we trace the strategy behind it: a decades-old blueprint to capture government, education, media, and business; a recent Department of Defense policy that slashed its list of recognized religions from 211 to 30; and peer-reviewed research showing Christian nationalist belief is the strongest predictor of Americans' support for suspending elections. This isn't a story about faith, especially considering we've watched major Christian denominations oppose it. It's a story about power, and what you can do about it. Full sourcing and show notes at unruledmasses.org.

Unruled Voices Trailer Aug 17, 2026

Show notes

Corruption isn't an accident, it's engineered. In this trailer for Unruled Voices, former intelligence officer and political science scholar Nick Van Zandt introduces the show that traces the money, maps the networks, shows the connections of how corruption translates into abusive authoritarian systems, and then hands you real, non-violent tools to fight back. Subscribe now so you don't miss episode one.

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