Price:

Politics

Trump's third assassination attempt exposes Secret Service collapse

Sunday, May 3, 2026 · from 5 podcasts, 7 episodes
The Joe Rogan ExperienceBreaking PointsThe DailyThe EconomistNo Agenda
  • The Secret Service failed to stop a Caltech-educated gunman from breaching the WHCD perimeter with multiple weapons.
  • Trump uses the attack to push a $400M 'drone-proof' White House ballroom, overriding local lawsuits.
  • Germany accelerates rearmament as US credibility erodes amid systemic security failures.

A third assassination attempt on Donald Trump wasn’t stopped by the Secret Service - it was stopped by the ballroom’s first checkpoint. Cole Allen, a 31-year-old Caltech graduate and former NASA intern, walked into the Washington Hilton with a shotgun, handgun, and knives in his luggage after booking a room weeks in advance. Witnesses, including former official Simone Sanders, walked into the venue without showing ID. The building remained open to the public. There were no magnetometers, no verified attendee list, and no perimeter lockdown.

"The shooter’s own manifesto mocked the security as 'unimpressive' - he expected agents every ten feet but found it porous enough that an Iranian hit squad could have cleared it."

- Krystal Ball, Breaking Points

The breach wasn’t just tactical - it was symbolic. The same Hilton ballroom hosted Reagan’s 1981 assassination attempt. This time, the Secret Service didn’t detect Allen’s cross-country train journey from LA, despite a 2023 tweet on a cryptic X account naming him and a 'Time Machine' background allegedly showing the shooting years in advance. The FBI has yet to explain why it missed digital breadcrumbs or whether any agency flagged Allen before the attack.

Trump seized the moment. Within hours, he pivoted from survivor to builder, demanding an end to legal challenges against a new 'drone-proof, bulletproof' White House ballroom. The DOJ cited the attack in pushing for the $400M project, which a judge had blocked. Senator John Fetterman echoed the need to finish it. The message is clear: public events are obsolete. The presidency must retreat behind walls.

"Trump is being told the blockade works, but the economic pressure is actually driving Gulf states away from the petrodollar."

- Joe Kent, Breaking Points

The failure extends beyond DC. Joe Kent, former National Counter Terrorism Director, revealed the DHS Inspector General was blocked from investigating prior breaches in Butler and West Palm Beach. A 'culture of good vibes' shields the Secret Service from accountability. Meanwhile, Germany is fast-tracking a 3.5% GDP defense spend, preparing for a world where US security guarantees are unreliable. The Zeitenwende isn’t just about Russia - it’s about losing faith in American institutions.

The shooter profile has evolved. Allen wasn’t a fringe drifter but a radicalized centrist - a 'high-IQ' individual disillusioned by political rhetoric. His manifesto targeted 'pedophile rapist and traitor' officials but excluded 'Mr. Patel,' suggesting a selective, grievance-driven ideology. Over 200 journalists had just signed a letter demanding Trump be challenged on press freedom. Minutes later, they were diving under tables.

The system isn’t just failing - it’s being mocked. Iran now produces AI-generated LEGO videos ridiculing US leadership, bypassing traditional media to humiliate the administration culturally. Domestically, the Secret Service’s 'success' narrative - claiming Allen never breached the inner perimeter - rings hollow. The perimeter wasn’t breached. It never existed.

#War#Elections#Diplomacy#Corruption#Russia
NASADHSDOJGermanyIranRussiaWhite House

Source Intelligence

- Deep dive into what was said in the episodes

The Joe Rogan Experience
The Joe Rogan Experience

#2493 - Protect Our Parks 16 • May 1

  • Joe Rogan and Shane Gillis discuss recent media controversies, including a claim that a story about a J.P. Morgan employee was fabricated and a pattern of female journalists becoming personally involved with male subjects they cover.
  • They examine the aftermath of false allegations against MLB pitcher Trevor Bauer, who lost his career and $300 million despite evidence, while his accuser faced a far lesser penalty.
  • Rogan and Gillis analyze the Washington DC hotel security failures that allowed a suspect to get close to President Trump and debate the unresolved questions around the incident.
  • They discuss MK Ultra, CIA mind control experiments from the 1960s that included dosing subjects with LSD, and note Congress is holding hearings on the topic.
  • The conversation covers the bizarre claim surrounding Jeffrey Epstein's death, including an alleged suicide note found by his cellmate and the suspicious autopsy report.
Also from this episode: (2)

Politics (1)

  • Rogan argues U.S. universal healthcare could save $450 billion annually while covering all citizens, compared to the current system that costs $5.3 trillion yet ranks poorly.

Culture (1)

  • Gillis and Rogan describe comedian Joey Diaz as an extreme eater and a uniquely fun presence in comedy, contrasting him with a newer wave of sober comics.
#Media#Politics#Society#Philosophy
Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar
Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar

4/30/26: Tim Dillon Rips US On Iran AI Lego Clips, Dave Smith On Trump Humiliation, Ellison Hollywood Merger • Apr 30

  • Dave Smith argues the US war with Iran is the greatest potential military defeat in American history. He says it has transformed a sanctioned third-world country into a global power, a unique outcome compared to Vietnam or Afghanistan.
  • Smith analyzes Trump's political trap, stating the only non-catastrophic outcome is to walk away, which would force Trump to accept a humiliating defeat and likely sink his approval ratings into the twenties.
  • Saagar cites a New York Times focus group of disappointed Trump voters, where feelings of betrayal, disappointment, and regret were dominant. Participants graded his second term mostly with Ds and Fs.
Also from this episode: (7)

Media (4)

  • Saagar highlights a modern shift in Iranian propaganda from dense, flowery rhetoric citing Western thinkers to culturally savvy Lego videos. These viral AI-made clips bypass state media to target American internet users directly.
  • The creators of the Iranian Lego videos are an independent team of under ten people with an average age of twenty-five. They claim the Iranian government is a client, not their direct overseer.
  • Actor Indya Moore opposes the Warner Brothers-Paramount merger, fearing it will amplify the current administration's political agenda and further marginalize trans people and anti-war artists in Hollywood.
  • Moore describes the merger's scope, noting it would consolidate control over major brands like CNN, HBO, CBS, DC Studios, and TikTok, leading to less diverse content and mass layoffs.

Politics (1)

  • Krystal references polling showing Donald Trump has a net approval rating on inflation that is 49 points underwater, which is worse than Joe Biden's worst rating of 43 points underwater and Jimmy Carter's 46 points underwater.

Business (1)

  • Dave Smith points to the average first-time home buyer age of forty as the defining statistic of American unaffordability, arguing it prevents societal stability and adult self-sufficiency.

AI & Tech (1)

  • Indya Moore argues AI in entertainment is a spiritual betrayal that replaces human art and warns it foreshadows the replacement of manual labor jobs across the service economy.
#War#Inflation#Elections#Media

4/27/26: WHCD Shooting Conspiracies, Joe Kent On Secret Service Failures & Iran • Apr 27

  • Krystal and Saagar argue that distrust in official narratives about the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting is fueled by government failures, previous security lapses, and a culture of official secrecy that mirrors the 1970s.
  • Joe Kent, former National Counter Terrorism Director, says there have been three breaches of President Trump's security perimeter since he returned to the campaign trail. He claims the DHS Inspector General was blocked from investigating the Butler shooting by top DHS leadership.
  • The shooter, Cole Allen, was a Caltech graduate and former NASA intern whose LinkedIn shows he interned at NASA in 2014. A strange X account under the name Henry Martinez, with a Pepe the Frog avatar, made a single post on December 21, 2023, saying 'Cole Allen'.
  • Two weeks before the dinner shooting, the Secret Service investigated but could not solve a mystery shooting near the White House in Lafayette Park, finding only rifle shell casings at 16th and I Streets.
  • The Trump administration provided a lower level of security for the White House Correspondents' Dinner despite the presence of the President and many cabinet members, creating a massive single point of failure in the line of succession.
  • Joe Kent argues the White House has a 'zero-fail' culture that discourages critical after-action reviews and prevents officials from telling the President 'we can't do that' for security reasons.
  • On the Iran war, Joe Kent advises Trump to declare victory and withdraw, citing Reagan's 1984 Lebanon pullout as a model. He warns that maintaining the blockade risks Iranian retaliation and a prolonged escalation cycle the US cannot win.
  • Kent says continued US presence in the Gulf is a strategic liability, has shattered the illusion of American security guarantees, and is pushing Gulf states to move away from the petrodollar, threatening the US reserve currency status.
  • Saagar notes weird details fueling conspiracy theories, including Press Secretary Caroline Levitt saying 'there will be some shots fired' before the event and her husband giving a serious safety warning to a reporter just before the shooting.
  • The Department of Justice has cited the dinner attack in a letter to push for the construction of a $400 million White House ballroom, after a judge had temporarily blocked the project.
#War#Macro#Corruption#Diplomacy

4/26/26: WHAT WE KNOW: WHCD Shooter NAMED, Security FAILURE • Apr 26

Also from this episode: (9)

Politics (5)

  • A shooting occurred at the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents' Dinner, requiring the President, Vice President, and senior officials to be rushed off stage.
  • The Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanche, controversially labeled the incident a "massive security success story," arguing the suspect barely breached the perimeter.
  • Multiple witnesses, including Simone Sanders, reported a significant lack of standard security protocols, such as un-barricaded driveways, absent ID checks, and an unsecured hotel lobby.
  • Congressman Mike Lawler criticized the security, noting no photo ID requirements, unverified attendee lists, and no magnetometers before the ballroom, despite Secret Service acting swiftly.
  • President Trump linked the shooting to the need for a large, secure ballroom on White House grounds, which he claims is under construction and faces a lawsuit from a dog walker.

Society (2)

  • The gunman, Cole Allen, used a makeshift shotgun and also possessed a handgun and knives. One Secret Service agent was hit in a bulletproof vest and transported to the hospital, remaining unharmed.
  • Allen traveled from Los Angeles to D.C. via train, passing through Chicago, and booked a room at the Washington Hilton in April, checking in with weapons in his luggage.

Education (1)

  • Cole Allen, 31, from Torrance, California, is a Caltech mechanical engineering graduate and former NASA JPL intern. He donated $25 to Act Blue in 2024 for "Harris for President."

History (1)

  • The Washington Hilton was also the site of President Reagan's 1981 assassination attempt, adding a surreal and shocking dimension to this recent security incident.
#Corruption#Diplomacy#Society
The Daily
The Daily

Assassination Attempt Suspect Charged • Apr 28

  • Federal prosecutors charged suspect Cole Allen with attempting to assassinate the president, a crime carrying a potential life sentence, alongside charges for interstate firearm transportation and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
  • The suspect's handwritten note, which apologized to loved ones and framed his actions as a response to criticism, is central evidence for prosecutors to establish his intent to target President Trump.
  • Security camera footage shows the suspect sprinting through a checkpoint around 8:30 PM on Saturday with a shotgun. An agent fired five shots, missed, and was struck by a round in his protective vest before the suspect was tackled.
  • Security experts contrast this incident with the 2024 Butler, Pennsylvania assassination attempt, noting the perimeter here worked as designed by stopping the suspect before he reached the event floor.
  • A key unanswered security question is whether any law enforcement agency had prior intelligence identifying the suspect as a potential threat before the attack.
  • The Trump administration is using the incident to argue for the necessity of finishing construction on the White House ballroom, a project currently entangled in a legal fight over congressional approval.
  • Iran has rejected the latest U.S. proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which required ending the naval blockade but set aside issues regarding Iran's nuclear program and stockpile of enriched uranium.
Also from this episode: (3)

Society (1)

  • The 31-year-old suspect from Torrance, California held a master's in computer science from Caltech and worked as a tutor. People who knew him described him as nice and cheerful, expressing shock at his actions.

Politics (2)

  • Devlin Barrett notes a definitive increase in online threats against politicians, judges, schools, and hospitals, creating a larger sea of hostility for law enforcement to monitor.
  • President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump demanded ABC remove comedian Jimmy Kimmel following a joke made days before the shooting where Kimmel imagined himself emceeing the dinner.
#Diplomacy#Macro#Society#Digital Sovereignty
The Intelligence from The Economist
The Intelligence from The Economist

Security banquet: queries over Trump protection • Apr 27

  • Germany's Bundeswehr is undergoing a generational rearmament, known as the 'Zeitenwende,' significantly increasing public visibility for figures like General Karsten Breuer and leading to a new national military strategy.
  • Germany's defense budget exceeds 100 billion euros this year, with plans to reach 160 billion euros by 2029, and committed to NATO's 3.5% of GDP defense spending target six years ahead of schedule.
  • General Karsten Breuer acknowledges the need to replenish existing military systems after years of underfunding but seeks to adopt Ukraine's rapid innovation cycles for new weaponry and technology in Germany.
  • Germany faces challenges in military procurement efficiency and increasing active soldier numbers from just over 180,000 to a NATO-mandated 260,000 by 2035, likely requiring the reintroduction of conscription.
  • The German rearmament effort is partially driven by concerns that the US security guarantee, particularly under a potential Donald Trump presidency, cannot be relied upon, making Russia Europe's main adversary.
Also from this episode: (9)

Politics (4)

  • A gunman attempted to breach security at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, injuring a Secret Service agent and prompting Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance to be rushed away.
  • John Priddo described the incident as a massive security failure, noting the gunman's manifesto boasted about lax security, but also highlighted the Secret Service's challenging role in a country with approximately half a billion civilian guns.
  • Donald Trump framed the assassination attempt, the third on his life, as justification for a new, highly secure White House ballroom, describing it as drone-proof and bulletproof.
  • Despite a common perception of rising political violence, John Priddo suggests actual political violence is lower than in the 1960s and 1970s, though media coverage makes it feel more pervasive.

Society (3)

  • The 'Passport Bros' movement involves Western men traveling abroad for dating, seeking women in countries where their money and social status provide an advantage, often desiring traditional gender roles.
  • Listeners suggest the Passport Bros phenomenon stems from socioeconomic challenges faced by young men in the West, with remote work enabling them to leverage higher earning currencies in lower-cost countries.
  • Historian Beth Bailey notes that people seeking to establish their own rules, as seen with Passport Bros, is a common trend during times of economic uncertainty.

Psychology (2)

  • Carla Subudana's reporting on Passport Bros found men seeking partners who facilitate traditional roles, sometimes specifying poorer women to more easily assert dominance within relationships.
  • While women also travel abroad for dating, Carla Subudana observes the Passport Bros movement is distinct in its unified social media narrative that frequently blames Western women for not being 'feminine' or 'accommodating' enough.
#War#Elections#Europe#Diplomacy
No Agenda Show
No Agenda Show

Adam Curry

1863 - "Nekkidly" • Apr 26

  • Adam Curry and John C. DeVorex hosted "No Agenda" Episode 1863 on Sunday, April 26, 2026. John C. DeVorex noted widespread "false flag" claims regarding an unspecified event.
  • Over 200 journalists signed a letter demanding that Donald Trump be challenged on press freedom at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, which also featured a mentalist instead of a comedian during his last attendance.
  • Margaret Brennan linked an alleged shooting at the dinner to the Second Amendment, citing 564 threats against judges and nearly 15,000 against lawmakers last year.
  • A 31-year-old alleged shooter, identified as Allen, traveled by train from Southern California with multiple weapons, including a shotgun, handgun, and knives, and shot a Secret Service officer in body armor.
  • Chris Cuomo defended the SPLC, noting its historical cooperation with federal law enforcement against hate groups, a relationship he claimed the Justice Department recently terminated.
  • Pfizer's post-marketing report noted over 1,200 suspected deaths within two months of Comirnaty's approval; a Paul Ehrlich Institute report identified 2,133, suggesting an actual 60,000 deaths in Germany with a 30x underreporting factor.
  • The Pfizer toxicologist stated that Comirnaty was not tested for preventing severe illness or death, invalidating the courts' assumption of a "positive risk-benefit ratio." Mortality in Germany rose significantly from 2021 to 2022.
  • Dr. Eric Berg highlighted that a 2007 law mandating drug study results be posted, with a $13,000 daily fine for non-compliance, has led to zero FDA fines in 19 years, totaling $19 billion owed by pharma.
  • King Charles III and Queen Camilla will visit the U.S. to commemorate 9/11 and America's 250th birthday, including the Yorktown battlefield, a symbolic location for British defeat.
  • British commentators viewed King Charles's U.S. visit as an "embarrassment" due to Donald Trump's past insults towards British troops, NATO, and the Royal Navy, despite its purpose as a "soft power" diplomatic effort.
  • A leaked Pentagon memo reportedly considered sanctions against NATO allies, including reviewing Britain's ownership of the Falklands, for not supporting the U.S. in the Iran war.
  • Argentina is rearming with F-16 jets from Denmark, supported by U.S. missiles, raising concerns for the UK's ability to defend the Falklands, given its limited military footprint there.
  • A 1974 Mike Wallace interview with the Shah of Iran suggested the 1970s oil crisis was a "fraud" orchestrated by oil companies diverting supply for profit, rather than a genuine shortage.
  • The book "The Men Who Run the World" describes commodity traders like Mark Rich who profited immensely from the Suez Canal closure and engaged in secretive oil flows, later being indicted for tax fraud and pardoned by President Clinton.
  • Shadowy traders operating from Dubai are rebranding sanctioned Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan oil as Malaysian to bypass sanctions, a tactic that political scientists cite as a reason for sanctions' failure.
  • Manosphere podcasters are turning on Donald Trump, criticizing his unfulfilled promises on deportations, Epstein files, and gasoline prices, a shift CNN and MSNBC suggest could undermine his public image.
Also from this episode: (11)

Media (2)

  • During an interview about a reported false flag at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Fox News allegedly cut off Aisha Hasni as she was about to reveal critical information.
  • Adam Curry emphasized that "No Agenda" provides analysis, not support, aiming to offer alternative perspectives by questioning mainstream narratives, a strategy he believes strengthens listener's beliefs or prompts questioning.

Politics (3)

  • The shooter's LinkedIn manifesto targeted "pedophile rapist and traitor" Trump administration officials, specifically excluding a "Mr. Patel." His brother had previously alerted local police to alarming writings.
  • Dame Rhonda described how an SPLC lawsuit, *Ricky Wyatt v. Alabama Department of Mental Health*, led to such high standards that Alabama and other states defunded mental health care.
  • John Stossel's 2017 report on the SPLC criticized its practice of labeling critics of radical Islam as "anti-Muslim extremists" and highlighted its growing endowment, then over $320 million.

AI & Tech (4)

  • Alex Jones claimed "globalist mad scientists" created an "intergalactic communication system," a term J.C.R. Licklider used in the 1960s to envision the internet as a nuclear-attack-resilient, distributed network.
  • John C. DeVorex is optimistic Apple's integrated chips and universal memory in devices like the Mac Mini and Mac Studio position them well for local AI model inference, unlike competitors who cram phones with "AI garbage."
  • Anthropic has substantially increased Claude AI service costs, with monthly subscriptions reaching $200 and additional credits costing $2 every 30 seconds of usage, suggesting an IPO strategy.
  • Florida's Attorney General, James Uthmeyer, opened a criminal investigation into OpenAI after an FSU shooter allegedly consulted ChatGPT over 200 times for planning advice.

Business (1)

  • John C. DeVorex asserted that Enron, during its bandwidth trading, undermined the internet's original peering system by introducing charges, contributing to its eventual centralization.

Science (1)

  • A former Pfizer Europe chief toxicologist testified in Germany that the Comirnaty vaccine's carcinogenicity and reproductive effects were not adequately tested before fast-track approval.
#Safety#Regulation#Macro#Society