The Epstein Conspiracy With David Reaboi

Will Chamberlain talks with Ryan Fedasiuk, a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation, about Jensen Huang's resignation as Nvidia's CEO, the Megaspeed case at the center of the scandal, and why Ryan sees it as a microcosm of the problems Nvidia has faced in Washington for years. The conversation also digs into the counterintelligence risks, how export controls work, chip diversion through Southeast Asia, the Taiwan question, and open-weight AI models.In this episode:Ryan explains how his work at CSET, the State Department, and AEI led him to track China's appetite for Nvidia chipsHe calls Huang's resignation "bittersweet news" and argues that the case centers on a conflict of interest with a customer under investigationHe describes Megaspeed as a Singapore-based intermediary that bought huge numbers of Nvidia chips and tried to resell them to customers in ChinaHe says Singapore accounted for more than 20 percent of Nvidia's revenue in 2025 and asks who was actually buying all those chipsHe walks through how export controls evolved, from Trump's first-term action against Huawei to the Biden administration's 2022 controls on whole categories of chipsHe lays out three baskets of counterintelligence risk: information about Nvidia and its customers, information about President Trump and the White House, and Megaspeed's sales into ChinaHe argues that selling advanced chips to Chinese AI labs is "a pretty tough sell," even for those who want to outcompete Huawei in ChinaWill and Ryan agree that China was going to build its own chip industry anyway, and Ryan points to Beijing's 2014 "big fund" as evidenceHe explains why he sees chip controls and the Taiwan question as largely distinct issuesHe walks through three bills Congress is weighing: the Chip Security Act on location verification, the Remote Access Security Act on rented compute, and a measure restricting chipmaking equipmentHe explains how China's shortage of compute has pushed its labs toward open-weight models, and why the United States needs to lead in open sourceHe closes on what's next for Huang and Nvidia, saying he doesn't know how Huang can remain the public face of the company but that Nvidia itself will be fineApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counterweight-with-will-chamberlain/id6803321469Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18jtv7U8cB0IW82qM9xoK8Ryan Fedasiuk: Foundation for American Innovation · @RyanFedasiukWill Chamberlain: @willchamberlainInstagram / TikTok: @counterweightpodJensen Huang photo: Office of the President, Taiwan, CC BY 2.00:00 Cold open1:01 Introduction2:26 Ryan Fedasiuk's background on chips and China3:52 Jensen Huang resigns4:54 Who is Alice Huang, and what is Megaspeed?6:24 Singapore, Southeast Asia, and where the chips go7:53 How export controls work, from Huawei to the 2022 chip rules10:07 The counterintelligence risks in the Huang affair13:53 Why selling advanced chips to China is a tough sell15:48 Would China build its own chips anyway?19:30 Do chip controls raise the risk to Taiwan?22:29 Three bills aimed at chip diversion26:41 Why China leads in open-weight AI models31:02 What's next for Jensen Huang and Nvidia

Will Chamberlain talks with Brian Cox about Representative Thomas Massie's eight articles of impeachment against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, why Cox thinks the legal basis is misguided from the first article to the last, and what the War Powers Resolution of 1973 can and cannot require of the executive. The conversation also digs into the Minab school strike and the law of armed conflict, the cartel boat strikes, Senator Mark Kelly's video, and the raid that captured Nicolas Maduro.In this episode:- Brian says members of Congress had threatened to impeach Secretary Hegseth before, and that once he read the articles one at a time, the legal basis was even worse than he expected.- He walks through the War Powers Resolution of 1973, adopted over President Nixon's veto, and argues it tries to stretch Congress's power to declare war so that it covers all hostilities.- He cites a Congressional Research Service study finding hundreds of uses of force since 1798 but only eleven declarations of war covering five conflicts, and notes that every president since Nixon has called the Resolution unconstitutional.- On Article I, he argues Hegseth is being charged with failing to obey a provision that was unconstitutional to begin with, and that this is being treated as a high crime or misdemeanor.- On Article II, he explains that a concurrent resolution has no binding force after INS v. Chadha because it is never presented to the president, so Hegseth can ignore one.- On Article III, he says the sixty- and ninety-day clocks fail for the same reason, and that President Trump's March 2, 2026 letter informed Congress of action taken "consistent with" the War Powers Resolution, not out of "reliance on and fealty to" it as the article claims.- On Article IV, he argues Congress cannot order the Secretary to keep the prior administration's civilian-harm policies, because that treads on the president's commander-in-chief authority, and that calling the Minab school strike murder or a war crime misrepresents the law of armed conflict.- On Article V, he argues that once the administration determined the campaign against the designated narcoterrorists had risen to an armed conflict, the United States could target the boats under the law of armed conflict rather than treat the strikes as extrajudicial killings.- On Article VI, he says the Seditious Six video would have been a fair reminder had it stopped at refusing manifestly unlawful orders, but the members crossed into potentially seditious conduct when they told troops the boat-strike orders themselves were illegal. He notes that Article 2 of the UCMJ still covers retirees eligible for pay, including Senator Mark Kelly, and that following that statute is not a high crime.- On Article VII, he argues the articles contradict themselves by treating the boat strikes as law enforcement and the Maduro operation as an unlawful act of war, and says it was not a kidnapping of a recognized head of state because the United States had not recognized Nicolas Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate authority.- He agrees that Article VIII, on the Yemen campaign, simply rehashes the same War Powers claims as Articles I and III.- He warns that if Massie's theory took hold, anything a president or cabinet officer does could be labeled a high crime, producing "complete political chaos" for every successive government.Brian Cox: international law professor at Cornell, retired military lawyer · @BrianCox_RLTWWill Chamberlain: @willchamberlainInstagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod0:00 Cold open0:57 Intro1:53 Initial reactions to Massie's articles3:11 Why the War Powers Resolution is unconstitutional6:41 Article I: introducing forces into hostilities9:06 Article II: the concurrent resolution and Chadha12:29 Article III: the 60-day clock and "consistent with"15:58 Article IV: the Minab school strike26:35 Article V: the boat strikes and the armed-conflict determination30:38 Article VI: Mark Kelly and the "refuse illegal orders" video38:23 Article VII: the Maduro raid42:50 Article VIII: the Yemen campaign43:23 A strong executive and the Articles of Confederation44:44 What happens if this becomes the impeachment standard

Description: Will Chamberlain talks with David Reaboi, author of The Epstein Conspiracy, about where the claim that Jeffrey Epstein was a Mossad agent blackmailing American elites for Israel actually came from. David traces it to a single source, former Israeli intelligence official Ari Ben-Menashe, and shows how it was seeded, laundered through bestselling books, and amplified by some of the biggest podcasters in the country. The conversation also covers Russian strategist Alexander Dugin’s never-before-translated book on conspiracy theories as a weapon against America, and why the story took off on the right after the 12-day war.In this episode:David explains why his book is not about Epstein himself but about one specific lie: that Epstein was a Mossad asset blackmailing American elites into supporting IsraelHe traces that lie the way the Cold War Active Measures Working Group traced Soviet disinformation, including the KGB’s Operation INFEKTION, which took two years to travel from a small Indian newspaper to the CBS Evening NewsHe identifies the source as Ari Ben-Menashe, a former Israeli intelligence official fired in the 1980s, who seeded the Epstein-Mossad claim on an obscure podcast three weeks after Epstein’s deathHe shows that Ben-Menashe made the same claim about Robert Maxwell in 1991, the same year congressional investigations found his October Surprise testimony not credibleHe walks through other episodes he says undermine Ben-Menashe’s credibility, from a Zimbabwe treason case against Robert Mugabe’s rival to FARA filings listing contracts his supposed clients deniedHe explains how the claim was laundered through Gordon Thomas’s bestsellers, Dylan Howard’s Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Whitney Webb’s One Nation Under Blackmail, then amplified on some of the country’s biggest podcastsHe argues the theory collapses on the facts: no evidence, no alleged quid pro quo, and an operation that would have cost a fortune for no clear returnHe presents his translation of Alexander Dugin’s book on conspiracy theories, which calls antisemitic conspiracy theories the most potent form of political warfareHe argues Dugin’s strategy is to convince American patriots that their own country is occupied, so that Russia looks like their friendOn whether this is just Russiagate again, David argues Russia was pushing the Trump-Russia story too, and Will connects it to the Steele dossierHe says the Epstein-Mossad narrative hit mainstream conservatism immediately after the 12-day war between Israel and IranHe closes on why the social media timeline is the enemy of truth, and the AI knowledge project he is building to fight backApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counterweight-with-will-chamberlain/id6803321469Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18jtv7U8cB0IW82qM9xoK8David Reaboi: author of The Epstein Conspiracy · @davereaboiWill Chamberlain: @willchamberlainInstagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod00:00 The man behind the Epstein-Mossad story 01:54 Seeding, laundering and amplification 05:21 Who is Ari Ben-Menashe? 07:34 The October Surprise and Robert Maxwell 12:01 A pathological liar and his FARA filings 16:44 How bestselling books made Maxwell a Mossad agent 19:18 From Dylan Howard to Whitney Webb 21:50 Why no one puts Ben-Menashe on 23:02 Why the Mossad theory makes no sense 30:08 Alexander Dugin’s book on conspiracy theories 37:50 Is this just Russiagate again? 42:52 Why it went mainstream after the 12-day war 46:38 Getting off the social media timeline

Will Chamberlain talks with Kurt Schlichter, trial lawyer, retired Army colonel, Townhall columnist, and author of the new novel American Warlord, in an election-eve special recorded the day before Election Day. Schlichter argues that the polls showing a Democratic wave rest on samples that Republicans refuse to answer, and that this cycle looks nothing like 2018 or 2020. The conversation also covers Haley Stevens endorsing Mike Rogers over Abdul El-Sayed, El-Sayed's 60 Minutes interview with Ross Douthat, the Texas Senate race, Iran and Venezuela, and the Insurrection Act.In this episode:Will and Kurt react to Haley Stevens, El-Sayed's primary opponent, endorsing Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate raceThey break down El-Sayed's 60 Minutes interview with Ross Douthat and his answer that kids already carry phones in their pocketsSchlichter explains why cross-examination is the best engine of truth detection and why so few interviewers use itHe describes his X poll of 2,800 followers, in which 81% said they never answer polls or never get polledWill explains why he thinks nonresponse bias is skewing the New York Times polls, and why 2026 looks better for Republicans than 2018 or 2020They discuss John Cornyn, the Bush family, Mitt Romney, and the Republicans who expect the base's supportSchlichter reports from Texas on Ken Paxton versus James Talarico, and Will credits Elon Musk's ad spendingSchlichter compares polling to the expert witnesses he hired as a trial lawyer: "It's nothing but an educated guess."They discuss Iran, Venezuela, and Will's debates with Michael Tracy and Piers MorganSchlichter argues that the Democrats are trying to bait President Trump into invoking the Insurrection Act, and they discuss Elissa SlotkinThey react to the TPUSA poem girl's apology, which Will says she had AI writeSchlichter talks about his family's history in Chambersburg, the Los Angeles riots, serving in Kosovo, and why he is "never going to be a serf"Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counterweight-with-will-chamberlain/id6803321469Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18jtv7U8cB0IW82qM9xoK8Kurt Schlichter: American Warlord (Passage Press) · @KurtSchlichterWill Chamberlain: @willchamberlainInstagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod00:00 Why the polls are nothing but an educated guess01:49 An election-eve special02:28 Haley Stevens endorses Mike Rogers09:23 El-Sayed on 60 Minutes and the phones answer11:41 The lost art of cross-examination15:41 The New York Times polls and Kurt's X poll18:51 Why 2026 is not 2018 or 202022:52 Cornyn, the Bushes, and Romney27:02 Young men, Anduril, and reindustrialization29:20 Paxton versus Talarico, and Elon's ads33:16 Where are the Republican defectors?36:43 Ted Cruz and the 2028 field38:52 Iran, Venezuela, and debating Tracy and Piers Morgan46:41 The Insurrection Act and Slotkin48:14 The TPUSA girl's AI apology50:44 Kosovo, the LA riots, and "never going to be a serf"52:59 American Warlord

Will Chamberlain talks with Bill Shipley, a former federal prosecutor, about the criminal case against two former FBI officials accused of lying to Congress about the Hunter Biden laptop and what the charges reveal about the FBI’s role in 2020.They also discuss the DOJ’s effort to identify possible noncitizens on California voter rolls, the deliberate ignorance standard, the legal risk for election officials, and why presidential elections cannot be meaningfully audited after the fact.In this episode:Bill explains the case against Nikki Flores and Benjamin Benavidez, who are accused of denying their involvement with the Hunter Biden laptop during congressional interviews.He discusses the 2020 briefing to Senators Grassley and Johnson, which suggested their investigation could involve Russian disinformation despite the FBI already having the laptop.Bill explains why he believes the alleged false statements were an act of self preservation and why criminal cases may only reveal part of the broader story.They discuss the DOJ’s list of possible noncitizens on California voter rolls and the theory that officials could face legal consequences if they knowingly keep sending ballots to ineligible voters.Bill explains deliberate ignorance through his own prosecution of an Oakland chemical supplier whose owners avoided learning that their products were being used to manufacture meth.They also discuss California’s mail ballot system, the difficulty of auditing presidential elections, and what Judge Carter’s possible special master could mean for voter roll cleanup before 2028.Youtube: Counterweight with Will ChamberlainWill Chamberlain: @willchamberlainInstagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod00:00 Introduction02:32 The FBI officials charged over the Hunter Biden laptop05:50 Nikki Flores and the FBI agents versus analysts rivalry12:37 True believers inside the FBI13:25 The briefing to Grassley and Johnson18:24 Why lie to Congress in 2023?19:59 FBI briefings to social media companies21:38 Can prosecutions reach the laptop cover up?25:25 DOJ’s 20,000 names in California31:13 Deliberate ignorance and the Oakland meth case36:12 The 28 arrests37:11 An ocean of mail ballots39:26 Why you cannot audit a presidential election43:08 Judge Carter and the special master

Will Chamberlain talks with William Wolfe, executive director of the Center for Baptist Leadership and a former State Department and Pentagon official, about why conservatives frustrated with the Iran war, the pace of deportations, or their own candidates should still vote Republican, eight days out from the midterms. The conversation also digs into the ICE detention of evangelical writer Samuel Sey and the fight over Christian nationalism behind it, the backlash Wolfe drew from both sides for speaking at NatCon Jerusalem, and what went wrong at Christianity Today.In this episode:William explains who Samuel Sey is, and why his detention by ICE became a flashpoint in the evangelical divide between Christian nationalists and their criticsHe traces “Christian nationalism” from a label coined by left-wing sociologists to attack Trump voters to a term some conservatives now openly embraceHe rejects Neil Shenvi’s argument that a good man with an American wife and kids belongs here, saying only citizens fundamentally belong in AmericaHe argues that sitting out the midterms or voting for Democrats over the Iran war makes no sense, and that Trump’s second term has been a success on immigrationWill argues the Iran war, a naval blockade with airstrikes, is categorically different from Iraq, and asks critics which promise they would rather Trump had kept: no new wars, or no Iranian nukeWilliam steelmans the anger over “no new wars” and gas prices, says those voices are loud but small, and argues the war needs to be over before 2028He recalls the Romney autopsy and the Gang of Eight, and says he never expected to see Republicans officially posting about remigration and questioning legal immigrationWill offers his theory that reflexive contrarians can’t adapt once their views on immigration go mainstream, and William adds that they are allergic to governingWill explains how he thinks about Franco, and defends Majority Leader John Thune against William’s criticism of the SenateThey discuss the Ohio governor’s race, and why William would still choose Vivek Ramaswamy over Amy ActonWilliam describes the attacks he took from both pro-Israel and anti-Israel camps for speaking at NatCon Jerusalem, and answers Marc Thiessen’s criticismHe explains how Christianity Today, founded by Billy Graham and Carl F.H. Henry, drifted left, and why he rejects the pietism that tells Christians to stay out of politicsApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counterweight-with-will-chamberlain/id6803321469Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18jtv7U8cB0IW82qM9xoK8William Wolfe: Center for Baptist Leadership · @William_E_WolfeWill Chamberlain: @willchamberlainInstagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod00:00 Throwing the midterms to the Democrats01:28 Who is Samuel Sey?03:02 What is Christian nationalism?07:44 Why vote straight ticket Republican11:28 Deportations and the Iran war16:06 No new wars or no Iranian nuke?21:38 From the Gang of Eight to remigration24:58 Why reflexive contrarians can’t take the win28:57 Red Caesar, Franco, and the Constitution32:25 In defense of John Thune35:53 Vivek Ramaswamy and the Ohio governor’s race38:33 Taking fire from both sides over Jerusalem45:21 What went wrong at Christianity Today51:10 Don’t teach the party a lesson by electing Democrats

Will Chamberlain talks with Jeremy Carl about Senator Elissa Slotkin's vow to prosecute senior Trump officials, why lawfare may be worse than corruption, and why so few Republican senators have answered her. Carl also describes his two weeks in South Africa and what he thinks America should do about it. The conversation also digs into the backlash to the Sarah Huckabee Sanders ad, the Trump administration's record on anti-white discrimination, and the fake independents running in red states like Montana.eremyIn this episode:Will argues that lawfare is worse than corruption and that lawfare helped end the Roman Republic.Carl says Slotkin openly admitted that her goal is to scare young conservatives away from serving in government.He expects the president to use the pardon power to shield his people, and he warns that state prosecutors could still come after them.Carl explains how the threat of lawfare weighed on him and his family when he was nominated for Assistant Secretary of State.He says Republican senators' silence on Slotkin reflects weakness and an older Senate that struggles to push back against smears.Carl describes his trip to South Africa, from world-class business districts to dangerous townships and patrolled areas.He describes walled communities ringed with razor wire, and Will compares them to settlements in the West Bank.Carl says Free Palestine billboards across Cape Town show how tightly South Africa's ruling left is tied to global leftism.He argues that South Africa now has more race laws than it had under apartheid.Carl argues for American engagement in South Africa, including support for coalitions among Afrikaner, Coloured, and black groups.He walks through Trump's demands on the ANC, including rolling back Black Economic Empowerment rules and the "kill the Boer" rhetoric.Carl says the backlash to the Sarah Huckabee Sanders ad shows that younger conservatives will no longer accept anti-white messaging.He gives the Trump administration high marks on fighting anti-white discrimination and credits Harmeet Dhillon's Civil Rights Division.Will and Carl explain how fake independents in Montana and other states hide Democratic candidates behind independent labels.Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counterweight-with-will-chamberlain/id6803321469Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18jtv7U8cB0IW82qM9xoK8Jeremy Carl: Claremont Institute senior fellow, author of The Unprotected Class: How Anti-White Racism Is Tearing America Apart · @realjeremycarlWill Chamberlain: @willchamberlainInstagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod00:00 Lawfare ended the Roman Republic01:45 Slotkin's "signature cases"04:12 Is lawfare worse than corruption?05:24 Pardons, state prosecutors, and a sunk nomination07:50 Why won't GOP senators answer Slotkin?10:57 Two weeks in South Africa14:57 Walled cities and razor wire17:00 Free Palestine billboards and the West Bank comparison20:05 More race laws than under apartheid21:20 What America should do about South Africa26:42 Trump's demands on the ANC31:19 The backlash to the Sarah Huckabee Sanders ad38:55 Grading Trump on anti-white discrimination44:28 Montana and the fake independents

Will Chamberlain talks with Ben Weingarten about the federal investigation into Representative Ilhan Omar, the questions about her father's refugee application and her own naturalization that appear to sit behind the recent search of her home, and what a case to strip her citizenship could look like. The conversation also digs into the evidence that the man she married is her brother, Minneapolis's Somali community, fraud in Somali refugee resettlement, and the red-green alliance.In this episode:Ben explains how a column applying the Russiagate standard of links and ties to Omar grew into his 2020 book, American IngrateHe argues that Omar personifies the red-green alliance between the progressive left and Islamists, and that the Democratic Party has moved in her direction sinceHe describes her father as a senior military officer in Siad Barre's Marxist regime who, according to reporting, presented himself as an educator when the family sought refugee statusWill lays out the legal theory that concealing service in a communist regime could be enough on its own to undo both her father's naturalization and hersBen describes Minneapolis's Somali community as clannish and insular, and says nearly everyone he spoke with there feared for their safety if they talked about OmarHe walks through the evidence that the man she legally married is her brother, including shared addresses, social media posts in which the man called her children his nieces and nephews, and the family naming conventionHe says her testimony in a Minnesota campaign finance case that she had lost contact with the man conflicts with social media messages between themWill and Ben discuss a new Washington Post report that the man withdrew a petition for permanent residency after immigration officials asked about the marriage, and Ben connects it to a 2016 FOIA request by Omar's immigration lawyersBen explains how the birth year in her official biography changed from 1981 to 1982, and why that one year matters for whether she qualified for citizenship through her fatherWill argues that even if the marriage fraud is too old to charge, it could unravel the story her family told when it first came to the United StatesBen discusses why part of the family appears to have settled in the UK, and the fraud that led the State Department to suspend a Somali refugee program in 2008He closes on the Islamist networks backing Omar and similar candidates, and recalls the longtime incumbent she unseated, Phyllis Kahn, telling him Omar was unbeatable in the districtApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counterweight-with-will-chamberlain/id6803321469Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18jtv7U8cB0IW82qM9xoK8Ben Weingarten: The Federalist, author of American Ingrate · @bhweingartenWill Chamberlain: @willchamberlainInstagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod00:00 Her father's past02:42 Why Ben wrote American Ingrate03:07 Ilhan Omar and the red-green alliance07:58 Who was Ilhan Omar's father?13:27 Could her father's past be enough to denaturalize her?14:34 Inside Minneapolis's Somali community20:55 The evidence that she married her brother28:43 The Washington Post's buried revelation29:30 Omar's immigration lawyers and the 2016 FOIA request31:26 Two husbands at one address34:03 1981 or 1982? Her birth year and her naturalization38:01 Why the marriage could unravel the whole story39:25 Why did the family split between the UK and the US?43:14 Fraud in Somali refugee resettlement48:51 The Islamist machine behind Omar

Will Chamberlain talks with Yoram Hazony, chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation, about why the National Conservatism conference went to Jerusalem and what happened when four young American nationalists told an Israeli audience how support for Israel is softening on the American right. Hazony argues that the fight over Israel and the Jews has become the main threat to the cohesion of the Trump coalition, and that most American and Israeli Jews misread the Republican Party as a contest between Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson. The conversation also digs into Bezalel Smotrich's speech on Muslim immigration, Mike Doran's critique and the John Locke debate, James Lindsay, and the coming fight over who inherits the Trump coalition.In this episode:Hazony explains why NatCon, which normally alternates between the United States and Europe, held its twelfth conference in JerusalemHe describes Israel as a model nation state and reflects on what a young, religious, high-fertility society can show Americans and EuropeansHe argues that Bezalel Smotrich's speech was the first time a senior Israeli minister said plainly that Muslim immigration to America and Europe is bad for the West, for Jews, and for IsraelHe introduces Gadi Taub, the former man of the left who has become one of the most popular intellectuals on the Israeli rightHe explains why Israel and the Jews, barely mentioned in NatCon's first seven years, have become the main threat to the cohesion of the Trump coalitionHe lays out the idea behind the panel with Matthew Peterson, Amanda Milius, Jonathan Keeperman, and William Wolfe: bringing the tough American right to Jerusalem to talk with the tough Israeli rightHe argues that Jewish leaders in both countries see the Republican Party as Ben Shapiro versus Tucker Carlson and skip over the roughly 70 percent of the party in betweenWill and Hazony respond to Mike Doran's argument that the panel failed to make the realist case for the allianceHazony answers the charge that he wants to write John Locke out of the founding and describes the four factions that make up the NatCon coalitionHe contrasts Jeremy Boreing's constructive role on the right with James Lindsay's campaign against the nationalist campHe argues that young American nationalists broke a de facto ban on going to Israel, and he previews NatCon in Washington, DC, three months from nowApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counterweight-with-will-chamberlain/id6803321469Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18jtv7U8cB0IW82qM9xoK8Yoram Hazony: Edmund Burke Foundation · @yhazonyWill Chamberlain: @willchamberlainInstagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod00:00 Cold Open: The Fantastic Four02:18 How did NatCon Jerusalem go?03:06 Why hold NatCon in Jerusalem?06:16 A young, religious society09:00 Bezalel Smotrich on Muslim immigration12:37 Gadi Taub and the Israeli right13:55 What was the panel trying to accomplish?19:15 Softening support on the right, and why the audience was Israeli21:41 Ben Shapiro versus Tucker Carlson, and the 70 percent in between26:20 Mike Doran's critique35:56 Does Hazony want to expunge John Locke?40:42 Lindsay, Jeremy Boreing, and the libertarian wing51:09 James Lindsay in Israel55:09 Breaking the taboo on nationalists going to Israel, and NatCon DC

Will Chamberlain talks with Bojan Pancevski, the Wall Street Journal's chief European political correspondent, about his book The Nord Stream Conspiracy and the small Ukrainian team that blew up the Nord Stream pipelines in September 2022. Pancevski explains how a seven-person crew on a rented sailing yacht destroyed one of Europe's most expensive pieces of energy infrastructure for about $250,000, and how German investigators tracked them down. The conversation also digs into Germany's long bet on trade with Russia, the Russia and CIA theories, Poland's refusal to cooperate, and what American conservatives misunderstand about Putin.In this episode:Pancevski recounts the September 2022 explosions, first registered as an earthquake, that tore through the world's biggest offshore pipeline systemHe traces Nord Stream to Germany's decades-old "change through trade" policy toward Moscow and to Merkel's post-Fukushima nuclear shutdown, which deepened the reliance on Russian gasHe describes how a small group of Ukrainian intelligence and special forces veterans drew up a list of targets meant to choke off Putin's oil and gas revenueHe walks through how the team recruited civilian deep-sea diving instructors and tested them with wiretaps, hidden cameras, and staged arrestsHe explains how the operation was paid for almost entirely by private donors, and what is known about who in Ukraine's chain of command approved itHe lays out why the theory that Russia blew up its own pipeline never made senseHe argues that Biden's pledge to end Nord Stream 2 referred to sanctions, which have kept the pipelines offline more effectively than explosivesHe reports that senior CIA officials were relieved when Putin blamed the United States rather than UkraineHe tells how German detectives cracked the case by combing through thousands of speed-camera photos and running one driver's face through recognition softwareHe explains why German prosecutors charged the suspects with war crimes ahead of the Hamburg trial that opens October 14He describes how Poland obstructed the investigation, including a Polish judge who refused extradition and called the sabotage part of Ukraine's just warHe closes on what he thinks American conservatives get wrong about the war and why commercial deals will not move PutinYouTube: [YOUTUBE LINK]Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/counterweight-with-will-chamberlain/id6803321469Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/18jtv7U8cB0IW82qM9xoK8Bojan Pancevski: The Wall Street Journal · @bopancWill Chamberlain: @willchamberlainInstagram / TikTok: @counterweightpod00:00 Ukraine's target list02:28 What happened to Nord Stream in September 2022?05:25 Germany's change-through-trade bet on Russia10:21 Merkel's nuclear shutdown and the gas addiction12:46 How he got inside both the plot and the investigation14:52 The Ukrainian team behind the sabotage18:28 Recruiting and testing civilian deep-sea divers21:28 A privately funded operation, and who signed off27:44 Did Russia or the CIA do it?32:07 What Biden meant, and why sanctions beat explosives36:54 The German investigation and the speed-camera breakthrough41:52 Arrests, the Hamburg trial, and the war crimes charge46:12 Poland's refusal to cooperate49:43 What American conservatives get wrong about the war55:09 Why deals will not move Putin