January 1st • 3h 41m
Shownotes
Every new episode of No Agenda is accompanied by a comprehensive list of shownotes curated by Adam while preparing for the show. Clips played by the hosts during the show can also be found here.
NYE
2026 very quiet transition
Less text
Less fireworks
Very Tired and boring TV
Hey Grok, put a bikini on her
Gen Z
Boomer vs Zoomer
When you were 20 (in 1984), your world was just as terrifying and expensive as theirs is in 2024. Here is a comparison you can use to validate their struggles while showing them you aren't a stranger to existential dread.
The "20-Year-Old Nightmare" Comparison: 1984 vs. 2024
| 1. Environmental Doom | The Ozone Layer & Acid Rain.
You were told there was a literal hole opening in the sky that would burn everyone, and that rain was turning acidic and killing the forests. You felt helpless against invisible industrial damage. | Microplastics & "Boiling Oceans."
They are told plastic is in their blood and the ice caps are gone. The fear is the same: humanity broke nature, and I’m the one who has to live in the wreckage. |
| 2. Drug Crisis | The Crack Epidemic.
You watched entire neighborhoods dissolve. The "War on Drugs" created a militarized police state, and you saw peers get locked away for decades. It felt like a plague with no cure. | The Fentanyl Crisis.
They watch peers die from a single pill bought on Snapchat. It’s not just about addiction; it’s about poisoning. The fear is that one mistake is immediately lethal. |
| 3. Media Panic | The Satanic Panic.
Adults were convinced that heavy metal, Dungeons & Dragons, and daycares were secretly run by Satanists. You were constantly told your hobbies were "demonic" and evil. | The Radicalization Panic.
Adults are convinced that algorithms, Discord servers, and video games are turning kids into extremists. They are told their hobbies are "toxic" or "problematic." |
| 4. The Workplace | The Rise of the "Yuppie."
You saw the shift from "company loyalty" to "greed is good." The pressure to wear a suit, work 80 hours, and snort cocaine to keep up was intense. Burnout was a status symbol. | Hustle Culture & The Gig Economy.
They have no "company" to be loyal to. They are pressured to have three "side hustles" and monetize their hobbies just to survive. Burnout is the baseline. |
| 5. War & The Draft | Selective Service Reinstatement.
Carter brought back draft registration in 1980. With conflicts in Lebanon, Grenada, and Central America, you genuinely worried your number would be called to fight a proxy war. | WWIII Anxiety.
With war in Ukraine and the Middle East, they see "Draft" trending on Twitter/X constantly. They fear being pulled into a global conflict started by old men. |
| 6. Campus Protest | Anti-Apartheid / Divestment.
Students were taking over admin buildings demanding colleges stop investing in South Africa. You were told by the news that these protesters were "radicals" and "troublemakers." | Free Palestine / Climate Divestment.
Students are taking over quads demanding colleges divest from Israel or fossil fuels. They are told by the news they are "radicals" and "terrorist sympathizers." |
| 7. Technology Fear | Automation & Robots.
You saw the auto plants closing in the Midwest (the Rust Belt). You feared that Japanese robotics and computers would eliminate all blue-collar work, leaving nothing but service jobs. | Artificial Intelligence (AI).
They see ChatGPT writing code and making art. They fear that AI will eliminate all white-collar/creative work, leaving nothing but "gig" jobs. |
| 8. Social Safety Net | The Death of Pensions.
You were the first generation to be told "You're on your own." 401(k)s were new (1978), and companies stopped promising to take care of you for life. | The Death of Social Security.
They are told constantly that Social Security will be insolvent by the time they retire. They assume they will never be able to stop working. |
| 9. Consumer Debt | The Credit Card Boom.
Banks started mailing credit cards to college kids in the 80s with zero checks. You could rack up 18% interest debt on clothes and pizza before you even had a job. | "Buy Now, Pay Later" (Klarna/Afterpay).
Apps let them split a $20 t-shirt into 4 payments. It feels like "free money" until the hidden fees hit. It’s the same predatory lending, just digital. |
| 10. "Stranger Danger" | Milk Carton Kids.
You were the first generation to see missing kids' faces on milk cartons every morning. It created a subconscious belief that the world outside your door was filled with predators. | True Crime Obsession.
They grew up on podcasts and TikToks analyzing murders. They are hyper-vigilant because their media diet tells them everyone is a potential stalker or trafficker. |
The Closing Argument for Gen Z
When you talk to them, you can say:
What we DID NOT HAVE, was parents who would let us live rent free at home until our 30's with an allowance
Big Tech AI and The Socials
AI haters build tarpits to trap and trick AI scrapers that ignore robots.txt - Ars Technica
Building on an anti-spam cybersecurity tactic known as tarpitting, he created Nepenthes, malicious software named after a carnivorous plant that will “eat just about anything that finds its way inside.”
Aaron clearly warns users that Nepenthes is aggressive malware. It’s not to be deployed by site owners uncomfortable with trapping AI crawlers and sending them down an “infinite maze” of static files with no exit links, where they “get stuck” and “thrash around” for months, he tells users. Once trapped, the crawlers can be fed gibberish data, aka Markov babble, which is designed to poison AI models. That’s likely an appealing bonus feature for any site owners who, like Aaron, are fed up with paying for AI scraping and just want to watch AI burn.
Tarpits were originally designed to waste spammers’ time and resources, but creators like Aaron have now evolved the tactic into an anti-AI weapon. As of this writing, Aaron confirmed that Nepenthes can effectively trap all the major web crawlers. So far, only OpenAI’s crawler has managed to escape.
Hey Grok, put a bikini on her
Iran
EU UK Ukraine and NATO
Russia already froze EU assets
Russia did not nationalize these industries after the EU's decision to "indefinitely immobilize" funds (which occurred recently, in December 2025).
Instead, Russia seized control of major European energy and industrial assets years prior (in 2023) as retaliation for earlier sanctions and the initial freezing of assets.
1. The Timeline Mismatch
* The "Permanent Immobilization" (December 12, 2025): The European Union officially agreed to "indefinitely immobilize" roughly €210 billion ($245 billion) of Russian central bank assets held in Europe. This was a recent move to ensure sanctions don't have to be renewed every six months.
* The Asset Seizures (April & July 2023): Russia had already seized the Russian subsidiaries of major EU companies over two years before this 2025 decision.
2. Which Industries Were Seized?
Russia placed these companies under "temporary state management" (a de facto nationalization) in 2023. These are likely the "oil and other industries" you are thinking of:
| Company | Country | Industry | Date Seized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uniper | Germany | Energy / Gas | April 2023 |
| Fortum | Finland | Energy / Electric | April 2023 |
| Danone | France | Food / Dairy | July 2023 |
| Carlsberg | Denmark | Brewing (Baltika) | July 2023 |
3. Why Did Russia Do This?
Russia utilized Decree No. 302 (signed in April 2023) to seize these assets. This decree was explicitly framed as retaliation for the "unfriendly actions" of the US and its allies—specifically the initial freezing (not yet "permanent immobilization") of Russian assets at the start of the war in 2022.
4. Current Status (Post-2025 Immobilization)
Since the EU's decision in December 2025 to make the asset freeze permanent:
* Russia's Reaction: The Kremlin has threatened new legal and financial retaliation, including lawsuits against Euroclear (the clearinghouse holding the funds).
* No New Major Seizures Yet: As of late December 2025, there have been no reports of new major EU oil industries being nationalized specifically in response to this latest decision, primarily because most major Western energy assets in Russia (like those of BP, Shell, and Exxon) had already been abandoned, written off, or seized years ago.
Summary: The nationalizations were the precursor to the current standoff, not a reaction to the recent "permanent" ruling.
EU Freezes $245 Billion Russian Assets Indefinitely
Candy Land
AIPS Name Change in 1959
It's not just AIPAC
Like AIPAC, these groups argue they do not need to register under FARA because they are funded by American citizens and are not legally "directed or controlled" by a foreign government.
Here are the most prominent examples of such organizations:
1. Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
* Aligned Country: Armenia
* Structure: ANCA is arguably the closest direct parallel to AIPAC in terms of grassroots aggression and structure. It is a 501(c)(4) organization that lobbies heavily for U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide and aid to Armenia.
* FARA Status: It is not registered under FARA. It claims to represent the views of Armenian-Americans rather than the government of Yerevan. Critics and opponents (such as Turkish lobbying groups) have frequently alleged it should register as a foreign agent, but the DOJ has never forced them to do so.
2. Cuban American National Foundation (CANF)
* Aligned Country: A "Free Cuba" (Anti-Communist Regime)
* Structure: Founded in the 1980s specifically to be the "AIPAC of Cuba," CANF was modeled directly on AIPAC’s structure to lobby for hardline policies against the Castro regime (such as the embargo).
* FARA Status: It does not register under FARA because it frames its mission as promoting American democratic values and representing the Cuban-American exile community in Miami, rather than a foreign state (which, in their case, they oppose).
3. United States India Political Action Committee (USINPAC)
* Aligned Country: India
* Structure: USINPAC was formed in 2002 to give the Indian-American community a unified voice. It lobbies for strategic partnership with India, civil nuclear deals, and counter-terrorism cooperation.
* FARA Status: It operates as a domestic political organization. While it aligns closely with New Delhi's interests, it maintains that it is an American organization funded by Indian-Americans.
4. American Hellenic Institute (AHI)
* Aligned Countries: Greece and Cyprus
* Structure: AHI lobbies for U.S. foreign policy that favors Greece and Cyprus, particularly regarding disputes with Turkey. They were instrumental in the 1974 U.S. arms embargo on Turkey following the invasion of Cyprus.
* FARA Status: They operate as a U.S. non-profit public policy center. They register under the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA)—the domestic lobbying law—rather than FARA.
5. National Iranian American Council (NIAC)
* Aligned Interest: Engagement/Diplomacy with Iran
* Structure: NIAC lobbies for policies that generally favor de-escalation and diplomacy with Iran (such as the JCPOA nuclear deal).
* FARA Status: This is a controversial example. NIAC is frequently accused by hawkish critics of being a "lobby for the Iranian regime." NIAC vehemently denies this, suing critics for defamation, and maintains it represents Iranian-Americans who want peace, not the Ayatollahs. They are not registered under FARA.
6. USCBS
**USCBC (US-China Business Council):** Admits they represent foreign interests (companies doing business in China) but uses the **LDA Exemption** to avoid FARA because those interests are _commercial_, not governmental.
The reason these groups (and AIPAC) do not register under FARA is based on the "Domestic Constituent" exemption.
* FARA applies if you are acting at the "order, request, or under the direction or control" of a foreign principal.
* The Defense: These groups argue, "We are not taking orders from Jerusalem, Yerevan, or New Delhi. We are American citizens who independently believe that a strong relationship with Country X is good for America."
Because they are funded by U.S. donors (not foreign governments) and have U.S. citizen boards, the Department of Justice generally treats them as domestic lobbying groups. They usually register under the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), which is far less stigmatizing and requires less detailed reporting than FARA.
