On this episode of The Zach Show, Mick West joins Zach to trace how modern conspiracies form from the Charlie Kirk assassination to UFO lore. They examine social media speed, projection of political fears, and AI’s role in amplifying falsehoods such as Grok inventing quotes about the Kirk assassination. Mick shows why high-resolution footage often fails to stop speculation, how theories evolve like viruses, and why people prefer simple enemies. The conversation moves into an analysis of the recent 'Hellfire Missile Vs. UFO' video presented in Congress, parallax, thermal contrast, provenance problems, the rise of UFO cults, how misperception fools even the most experienced pilots, and more.

Guest bio: Mick West is a science writer, debunker, and founder of Metabunk.org. Author of Escaping the Rabbit Hole, he specializes in unraveling conspiracy theories and UFO claims. A former video game programmer, Mick co-founded Neversoft and helped create Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater before becoming the internet’s go-to UFO skeptic.

This is only the first half of the episode with Mick West. To get the full episode (audio and video), subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

MICK WEST LINKS:

Escaping The Rabbit Hole: https://bit.ly/3IG6ROm

Metabunk: https://www.metabunk.org/

SitRec: https://www.metabunk.org/sitrec/

X(Twitter): https://x.com/MickWest

YouTube: https://bit.ly/4nT5YBh

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS:

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

Rate The Zach Show on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt

Rate The Zach Show on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/458nbha

Leaked audio from Israel’s former chief of military intelligence, Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, reveals him saying “50,000 dead in Gaza is necessary” and that Palestinians “need a Nakba” to learn the cost of resistance. In this conversation, genocide scholar Omer Bartov unpacks the implications: the blurred line between war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and genocide; the whataboutisms comparing Gaza to WWII bombings; and U.S. complicity through its weapons pipeline. We also explore how Holocaust memory has been wielded as shield and sword, whether Zionism can be salvaged, and the paradox of a state born from genocide now accused of committing one.

Guest bio: Omer Bartov is a historian and genocide scholar at Brown University, specializing in Holocaust studies, genocide, and modern warfare. Born in Israel, he has written extensively on the Holocaust in Eastern Europe and ethnic violence, and is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on genocide.

To gain access to The Zach Show full episodes as soon as they drop, plus exclusive AMAs, the ability to suggest questions to future guests, The Zarchives (super secret beginnings of The Zach Show), and more, subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

OMER BARTOV LINKS:

Twitter (X): https://x.com/bartov_omer

Genocide, the Holocaust, and Israel-Palestine: https://bit.ly/4n502Ey

Israel: What Went Wrong? (Pre-Order): https://amzn.to/47QaITd

Professor Page: https://history.brown.edu/people/omer-bartov

New York Times article: https://nyti.ms/3JGCWG4

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS:

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

Rate The Zach Show on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt

Rate The Zach Show on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/458nbha

Genocide scholar Omer Bartov joins The Zach Show for part 1 of this conversation to explain why, by May 2024, it was “no longer possible to deny” Israel’s genocidal intent in Gaza. We dig into the Rafah operation, the systematic destruction of homes, hospitals, and schools, bulldozers flattening entire neighborhoods, mass starvation, and leaders invoking biblical calls to wipe out Amalek. Bartov lays out how operational patterns + explicit statements reveal genocide, raising haunting questions about U.S. complicity and the future of Palestinians.

Guest bio: Omer Bartov is a historian and genocide scholar at Brown University, specializing in Holocaust studies, genocide, and modern warfare. Born in Israel, he has written extensively on the Holocaust in Eastern Europe and ethnic violence, and is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on genocide.

To gain access to The Zach Show full episodes as soon as they drop, plus exclusive AMAs, the ability to suggest questions to future guests, The Zarchives (super secret beginnings of The Zach Show), and more, subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

OMER BARTOV LINKS:

Twitter (X): https://x.com/bartov_omer

Genocide, the Holocaust, and Israel-Palestine: https://bit.ly/4n502Ey

Israel: What Went Wrong? (Pre-Order): https://amzn.to/47QaITd

Professor Page: https://history.brown.edu/people/omer-bartov

New York Times article: https://nyti.ms/3JGCWG4

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS:

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thezachshowpod

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

Rate The Zach Show on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt

Rate The Zach Show on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/458nbha

In this episode of The Zach Show, award-winning journalist Philip Shenon, author of Jesus Wept, takes us inside the Vatican’s most turbulent century. From Pope Pius XII’s meeting with Hitler and his controversial silence during the Holocaust, to Pope John XXIII’s revolutionary Vatican II reforms, we trace the Church’s battles over power, mercy, and truth. Shenon unpacks Hans Küng’s assault on papal infallibility, the decades-long rivalry with Joseph Ratzinger, and explosive evidence tying John Paul II and Benedict XVI to global abuse cover-ups. We also explore the Vatican’s Cold War alliance with the CIA, Francis’s “Who am I to judge?” moment, and whether Vatican Intelligence still plays in the shadows.

Guest bio: Philip Shenon is an award-winning investigative journalist who spent over two decades at The New York Times, covering stories from the Pentagon to the CIA. He’s the bestselling author of The Commission (the inside story of the 9/11 investigation) and Jesus Wept, an exposé on the modern Catholic Church.

This is only the first half of the episode on the history of the modern Church. To get the full episode (audio and video), exclusive AMAs, and more, subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

PHIL SHENON LINKS:

Website: https://www.philipshenon.com/

Jesus Wept: http://bit.ly/3JevgKU

X(Twitter): https://x.com/philipshenon

All Books by Shenon: https://amzn.to/4mDBZfI

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS:

The Zach Show 2.0: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

Rate The Zach Show on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt

Rate The Zach Show on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/458nbha

What does it really take to disappear in 2025? In this episode, we dive into the surreal world of extreme-privacy consultants, people who charge tens of thousands to make you untraceable. From 191 virtual debit cards to fake dogs and burner phones in Faraday bags, these modern-day Disappearers help CEOs, crypto millionaires, and paranoid civilians vanish from the grid. But in a world where your face, heartbeat, and mouse movements can be tracked, is total privacy even possible anymore? This isn’t James Bond, it’s much weirder.

This is only the first half of the episode on how to disappear. To get the full episode (audio and video), exclusive AMAs, and more, subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0 today: https://thezachshow.supercast.com/

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

The Zach Show 2.0: https://auxoro.supercast.com/

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

If you’re not ready to subscribe to The Zach Show 2.0, all good! Rating the show on Spotify or Apple Podcasts is free and massively helpful. It boosts visibility, helps new listeners discover the show, and keeps this chaos alive. Thank you:

Rate The Zach Show on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt

Rate The Zach Show on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/458nbha

As the DOJ now claims no Epstein client list exists and Epstein-related files remain sealed, we’re re-releasing one of the most explosive interviews we’ve ever done. This is Part 2 of our deep dive with investigative journalist Nick Bryant, originally recorded in October 2024. Nick connects Epstein’s rise, from college dropout to Mossad-linked blackmailer, to the Franklin Scandal he spent years uncovering. We break down Epstein’s intelligence ties, the blackmail network, and the eerie parallels to the Diddy case. With media silence and official denial louder than ever, this episode cuts through the noise and exposes the machinery still working to bury the truth.

Nick Bryant is an investigative journalist and author focused on uncovering systemic abuse and corruption. His reporting has explored the intersections of power, politics, and justice, including investigations into the Epstein and Diddy cases.

SUPPORT THE AUXORO PODCAST BY SUBSCRIBING TO AUXORO PREMIUM (BONUS EPISODES & EXCLUSIVE CONTENT): https://auxoro.supercast.com/

NICK BRYANT LINKS:

Website: https://nickbryantnyc.com/

Epstein Justice: https://epsteinjustice.com/home

The Franklin Scandal: https://amzn.to/4howIan

X: https://x.com/nick__bryant

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3zaS6sP

Youtube: https://bit.ly/3lTpJdj

AUXORO Premium: https://auxoro.supercast.com/

Website: https://www.auxoro.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro

Newsletter: https://therealzachwrites.substack.com/

To support the show, please leave a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This nudges the algorithm to show The AUXORO Podcast to more new listeners and is the best way to help the show grow. It takes 30 seconds and the importance of getting good reviews cannot be overstated.

Thank you for your support:

Review us on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/458nbha

Review us on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt

Professor Sander van der Linden’s fascination with misinformation traces back to his own family’s scars under Nazism, a regime that perfected propaganda so insidious it seeped invisibly into everyday life. In his award-winning book Foolproof, van der Linden argues that misinformation is a psychological virus, spreading through minds the way a biological virus hijacks cells. From Third Reich leaflets to modern algorithms, the tools have evolved, but the core infection remains the same: exploiting our mental shortcuts and illusions of truth. As the Capitol riots show, unchecked lies can kill. Van der Linden’s mission is urgent: to build psychological vaccines that inoculate society from misinformation before deepfakes, AI, and data-hungry platforms unleash the next generation of invisible propaganda and push us past the point of no return.

Guest bio: Professor Sander van der Linden is a Cambridge social psychologist and award-winning author of Foolproof. He pioneered the concept of “psychological vaccines” against misinformation, advises governments and tech companies worldwide, and his research has shaped global strategies to combat fake news, conspiracy theories, and the growing threat of deepfakes. Van der Linden is the Professor of Social Psychology in Society in the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Cambridge Social Decision-Making Lab.

SUPPORT THE ZACH SHOW BY SUBSCRIBING TO THE ZACH SHOW 2.0 (BONUS EPISODES & EXCLUSIVE CONTENT): https://auxoro.supercast.com/

DR. SANDER VAN DER LINDEN LINKS:

Bio: https://www.psychol.cam.ac.uk/people/sander-van-der-linden

Foolproof (Book): https://bit.ly/4lAjwjE

Twitter (X): https://x.com/sander_vdlinden

Website: https://www.sandervanderlinden.com/

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro/

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3CLjEqF

Newsletter: https://therealzachwrites.substack.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@auxoropod

To support the show, please leave a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This nudges the algorithm to show The Zach Show to more new listeners and is the best way to help the show grow. Thank you for your support:

Review us on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/458nbha

Review us on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt

Otis Brown III didn’t just grow up around music, he was shaped by it. With a father who drummed for legends like James Brown and Al Green, and a mother who was a classically trained pianist and choir director, Otis was raised in a home where rhythm and soul were a way of life. In this episode, we trace Otis’s journey from early church gigs to Donald Byrd’s midnight mentorship and on to stages with Esperanza Spalding and Robert Glasper. He breaks down his debut album, The Thought of You, the emotional power of drumming, and the unique pressure of leading a band. We also unpack Whiplash, the dark side of music education, and whether greatness comes from obsession, or in spite of it. Plus: his take on Kendrick Lamar, jazz-meets-hip-hop fusion, and the rhythms that speak louder than words.

Guest bio: Otis Brown is a Grammy-nominated jazz drummer, composer, and recording artist who is a go-to session and touring sideman. He's studied under jazz icon Donald Byrd and trained at The New School. He’s performed with Joe Lovano, Esperanza Spalding, and Gerald Clayton. He is currently the Assistant Professor of Jazz Drum Set at Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester.

SUPPORT THE ZACH SHOW BY SUBSCRIBING TO THE ZACH SHOW 2.0 (BONUS EPISODES & EXCLUSIVE CONTENT): https://auxoro.supercast.com/

OTIS BROWN III LINKS:

Website: http://www.obthree.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ob3isme/

The Thought Of You (Spotify): https://bit.ly/45ugNDL

Twitter: https://x.com/ob3isme

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ob3isme

THE ZACH SHOW LINKS:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auxoro/

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3CLjEqF

Newsletter: https://therealzachwrites.substack.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@auxoropod

To support the show, please leave a review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This nudges the algorithm to show The Zach Show to more new listeners and is the best way to help the show grow. Thank you for your support:

Review us on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/458nbha

Review us on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43ZLrAt