Send a text Start with a rumor in orbit and you quickly find the real turbulence on Earth. We open with the ISS “medical emergency” chatter and how institutional silence supercharges speculation, then follow the breadcrumb trail to a different kind of vacuum: the attention economy. Alex Jones and Nick Fuentes aren’t the story as much as the playbook is—edge toward the mainstream, sand down the spikes, and monetize controversy while the comments do the heavy lifting. From there we head to Iran, where connectivity becomes a battlefield. Blackouts, alleged jamming, and surging protest footage hint at a regime squeezed by demographics and inflation. We weigh signals from China, Saudi, and Russia, and whether outside help can enable a revolution that still looks homegrown enough to last. The wider read: if a secular-leaning Iran reemerges, the shockwave hits regional politics, trade flows, and security doctrines far beyond Tehran. Then: borders and bandwidth. The UK freezes out controversial voices, a symptom of a new Western reflex—control the perimeter when you can’t win the argument. Meanwhile Europe’s grid fragility reappears, and across the Atlantic, the U.S. contemplates a very practical empire mode. Greenland becomes a case study in strategic shopping: rare earths, basing rights, Arctic lanes, and natural cooling for hyperscale data centers. Pair that with AI’s appetite—silver and gold for interconnects, self-built power and water systems—and you get why metals are rising and why infrastructure, not vibes, will decide winners. We close by untangling border law myths: immigration enforcement sits with the executive, not the judiciary, and due process there looks different than people think. Add in Venezuela’s oil reshuffling, Canada’s exposure, and NATO’s dependence on U.S. capacity, and a pattern emerges. Control the pipes—data, energy, minerals, flight paths, and narratives—and you control outcomes. Press play for an unvarnished, first-person walk through the week’s real leverage points, and if it sparks a reaction, we want to hear it. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves geopolitics and tech, and leave a review with the one take you’d challenge us on next. Support the show Want to hear old episodes? All subscribers have access to the full back catalog of episodes and specials! Just Two Good Old Boys (Just Two Good Old Boys +) Communicate with us directly on x.com by joining the Good Old Boys community! https://x.com/i/communities/1887018898605641825 Can't donate? Listen to Amy Clare Smith Music Check out Gene's other podcasts - podcast.sirgene.com and unrelenting.show Read Ben's blog and see product links at namedben.com
