At The Mic With Keith Malinak

Keith Malinak
  • 4.6 (14)
  • NEWS COMMENTARY
  • COMPLETE

At The Mic with Keith Malinak delivers bold, unfiltered conversations with newsmakers, cultural influencers, and thought leaders. From media bias and free speech to history, politics, and behind-the-scenes stories, Keith brings a unique perspective that cuts through the noise. This podcast isn’t about talking points—it’s about real conversations with guests who have stories to tell. Whether you’re looking for investigative journalism, cultural commentary, or in-depth interviews, At The Mic is your place for honest dialogue in an era of corporate censorship. 📢 New episodes weekly featuring: Independent journalists, whistleblowers, and policy insiders Musicians, entertainers, and creative minds Deep dives into history, culture, and untold stories No spin. No agenda. Just real talk. Subscribe for thought-provoking discussions that challenge the status quo.

  1. AI, Reality, and Everything In Between (Things Got Weird) | 2/27/26

    2D AGO

    AI, Reality, and Everything In Between (Things Got Weird) | 2/27/26

    Cats on hind legs. Ducks strolling through a school. AI. Norm MacDonald. What connects the strange details that stick with us and the conversations that follow? In this episode of At the Mic Friday Happy Hour, Keith Malinak is joined by fan favorite Brad Staggs and producer Wes Castelhano (aka “Hero Wes”) for a wide-ranging conversation that moves through recognition, coincidence, and the growing role of AI in everyday problem-solving. Along the way, humor, memory, and human instinct reveal how meaning often emerges from unexpected places, culminating in reflection on the enduring comedic influence of Norm MacDonald. Chapters: 00:00 The Call That Starts Everything 07:30 When Fortune Turns 15:00 Building, Breaking, Fixing 24:00 Creepy or Cool? 31:30 AI Isn’t Magic 57:30 One Message Changes Everything 01:05:00 Coincidence or Pattern 01:12:30 The System Doesn’t Work Like You Think 01:20:00 Stories You’re Not Supposed to Admit 01:28:30 The Rules We Pretend Exist 01:36:30 Ducks, Basketball, and Accidental Lessons 02:05:30 Why Norm MacDonald Still Matters Join the ConversationIf Wes designed a shirt for At The Mic, what would it look like? Be cool, not creepy. ConnectBrad Staggs https://twitter.com/realbradstaggs At The Mic with Keith Malinak https://atmshow.com https://twitter.com/KeithMalinak https://instagram.com/atthemicshow Produced by 2nd Floor Studioshttps://secondfloorstudios.cohttps://twitter.com/2ndfloordallashttps://instagram.com/2ndfloordallas Special thanks to Gabby https://twitter.com/jeffyapologist

    2h 8m
  2. Government Incompetence… or Something Worse? You Decide | 2/26/26

    3D AGO

    Government Incompetence… or Something Worse? You Decide | 2/26/26

    Some government failures don’t look accidental anymore. They look designed. When the same “mistakes” keep producing the same results, accountability becomes harder to ignore. In this episode of At The Mic Thursday Deep Dive, host Keith Malinak is joined by former FBI agent Steve Friend for a wide-ranging conversation about power, institutional incentives, and what happens when speaking up from the inside carries a personal cost. The discussion moves through recruitment practices, internal pressure, public narratives, and constitutional limits, not as a checklist, but as a growing unease. Familiar justifications repeat. Outcomes drift from stated intentions. Trust erodes through accumulation. Rather than offering a single conclusion, the episode leaves listeners with a question: can institutions built to serve the public still tell the difference between protection and self-preservation? Chapters: 0:00 — When Institutions Stop Explaining Themselves06:45 — Speaking Up From the Inside8:30 — Malicious Compliance and Manufactured Failure34:10 — Leadership, Loyalty, and Power Inside the FBI52:40 — Recruitment, Vetting, and Internal Culture Shifts01:07:20 — Redefining Threats and Domestic Terrorism01:22:10 — Statistics, Narratives, and Public Perception01:38:00 — Entrapment, High-Profile Cases, and Accountability01:52:30 — Reform, Dissolution, or Something Else Entirely What does it say about an institution when speaking up from the inside carries a higher cost than staying silent? Connect With Us: Guest Steve Friend: https://x.com/@realstevefriend Keith: YouTube: https://youtube.com/@AtTheMicShow X (Twitter): https://x.com/KeithMalinakInstagram: https://instagram.com/atthemicshowWebsite: https://atthemicshow.com Produced by Wes — 2nd Floor Studios https://secondfloorstudios.co

    1h 41m
  3. The Mojave Phone Booth Problem: A Reckoning | 2/25/26

    4D AGO

    The Mojave Phone Booth Problem: A Reckoning | 2/25/26

    Everything feels broken, but nobody is calling it out. What happens when systems fail, leadership disappears, and the line just keeps ringing? In the inaugural episode of *At the Mic: Wednesday Wild Card*, Keith Malinak and Brad Staggs start with a simple experiment, dialing a remote phone booth in the Mojave Desert and letting the silence do the talking. From there, the conversation wanders intentionally, moving through books worth sitting with, strange rocks that inspire real belief, hypnosis stories most people avoid, and the personal moments that surface when there is time to wait and listen. Calls come in. Ideas shift. The discussion follows curiosity instead of urgency, tracing how people behave when certainty is absent and no one seems to be on the other end of the line. This episode sets the tone for Wednesday Wild Card, where exploration matters more than conclusions and questions are allowed to breathe. Chapters: 00:00 When the System Doesn’t Work08:30 Who’s Actually in Control Here?20:15 The Hypnosis Story Nobody Wants to Touch35:40 Why Human Behavior Never Makes Sense52:10 When Words Become Weapons01:08:30 The Mojave Phone Booth Problem01:20:45 Life on the Road Tells You Everything01:33:20 Culture, Comedy, and Questionable Icons01:46:00 Nothing Goes Where It’s Supposed To01:56:30 No One’s On the Line When things stop working and no one answers, do you wait for someone else to step in, or do you change how you respond? Connect with the show: Website: https://atmshow.com Follow Keith Malinak: Twitter: https://x.com/KeithMalinak Instagram: https://instagram.com/atthemicshow Follow Brad Staggs: Twitter: https://x.com/realbradstaggs Produced by Wes at 2nd Floor Studios: https://secondfloorstudios.co

    2h 6m
  4. Is Curling Actually That Cool? | 2/20/26

    FEB 21

    Is Curling Actually That Cool? | 2/20/26

    Curling might look like a quiet Olympic sport, but it reveals a lot about how people are navigating modern life. In this episode of At the Mic Friday Happy Hour, Keith Malinak and Rebecca use Olympic curling as an unexpected lens to explore parenting tradeoffs, rising costs, and why everyday decisions feel heavier than they used to. From national pride and cultural pressure to family boundaries and financial stress, the conversation connects humor, personal stories, and social observation to the realities shaping how people live right now. It’s a grounded, wide ranging discussion about community, responsibility, and what shared moments like the Olympics expose beneath the surface. Chapters: 00:00 Why This Week Feels Different05:30 Health Updates That Hit Close to Home11:30 Social Media Isn’t What It Was17:30 A Story That Doesn’t Add Up23:00 Community, Fundraising, and Showing Up29:00 True Crime and Family Boundaries35:00 Beauty Culture and Online Fallout41:00 Animal Stories That Took Over the Internet47:30 Olympic Pride and National Identity52:00 Curling’s Unexpected Appeal56:30 Girl Scout Lessons in Business01:01:30 When Tax Incentives Backfire01:08:00 Fun Facts That Shift the Mood01:15:00 Gold Bars, Spelling Bees, and Lost Fortunes01:28:00 Curiosity, Belief, and What Comes Next Which part of everyday life feels the most different to you right now, and what do you think changed? Follow At the Mic for weekly conversations on culture, money, family, and the moments that reveal more than they seem.

    2h 5m
  5. You Don’t Own Your Money Anymore | The Economy, Digital Currency & the Next Big Crash | 2/19/26

    FEB 20

    You Don’t Own Your Money Anymore | The Economy, Digital Currency & the Next Big Crash | 2/19/26

    Most people believe they own their stocks, retirement accounts, and even their cash. In reality, the modern economy operates through centralized financial control, legal structures, and institutions most Americans never see. In this Thursday Deep Dive, Keith Malinak is joined by Justin Haskins to examine how financial ownership quietly shifted away from individuals and toward centralized systems designed to survive crisis. From the Depository Trust Company and property rights to digital currency, CBDCs, and programmable money, this conversation explores how power moves when markets fail and who is protected when stability breaks. As debt rises, asset inflation accelerates, and digital currencies reshape the financial landscape, the discussion turns to preparation, diversification, and what ownership actually means in an economy built on contracts instead of control. Episode Chapters00:00 — The Ownership Assumption 10:01 — How the System Quietly Changed 20:04 — Centralization and the Trade Nobody Noticed 27:35 — When Your Assets Become Collateral 30:39 — The Market Beneath the Market 34:07 — Emergency Powers and Crisis Rules 35:36 — The Man Chosen to Run It All 43:05 — Intelligence, Influence, and Finance 47:07 — Life After the Gold Standard 52:04 — Can Crypto Actually Protect You? 01:00:40 — The Promise and Threat of Digital Money 01:15:11 — Stablecoins, Trust, and Control 01:22:37 — Regulation That Changes Everything 01:30:20 — When the System Finally Breaks 01:38:14 — A Warning From Abroad 01:46:13 — Who Benefits From the Wealth Gap 01:56:48 — Preparing Without Panicking If the rules of ownership change during a crisis, do you actually control your money, or are you trusting the system to let you keep it? Much like your financial future, don’t leave your information sources to chance. Follow At The Mic for weekly Thursday Deep Dives. GuestJustin T. Haskins Follow on X: https://x.com/JustinTHaskins Book: The Next Big Crash (Available on Amazon) Connect With At The MicWebsite: https://atmshow.com YouTube: https://youtube.com/@AtTheMicShow X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/KeithMalinak Instagram: https://instagram.com/atthemicshow Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/@AtTheMicShow Produced by Wes — 2nd Floor Studios https://secondfloorstudios.co

    2h 1m
  6. USA vs. Norway At The Olympics, CB Radios and Epstein File Oddities | 2/13/26

    FEB 14

    USA vs. Norway At The Olympics, CB Radios and Epstein File Oddities | 2/13/26

    Norway leads in gold medals. America argues about it. Then someone claims Epstein is on a CB radio in a big rig, and the conversation takes a very strange turn. In this episode of At The Mic: Friday Happy Hour, the discussion uses Norway’s dominance on the world stage as a jumping-off point for broader questions about national confidence, momentum, and why some countries seem to understand winning better than others. From there, the conversation drifts into media narratives, cultural memory, and the way odd details and half-forgotten anecdotes resurface long after they’re supposed to disappear. A surreal CB radio story tied to the Epstein case hangs over the episode, less as a revelation and more as a case study in how unresolved stories echo through unexpected places. Humor, skepticism, and observation overlap as familiar topics mix with details that feel strangely out of place. Chapters: 0:00 – 11:00 – Friday Vibes, Radio Nostalgia & How We Got Here 11:00 – 22:00 – Wardrobe Crimes, Show Intros & Style Regrets 22:00 – 33:00 – Whipped Cream Incidents & TSA Losing Its Mind 33:00 – 44:00 – The Worst Christmas Songs Ever Recorded 44:00 – 55:00 – Wombats, Windmills & Questions No One Asked 55:00 – Frozen Spit, Balloon Boy & Internet Memory Holes 1:06:00 – Postpartum Reality & Trampoline Nightmares 1:17:00 – Bathroom Germs, Lazy Robots & Modern Life 1:28:00 – Pronoun Chaos, Leaf Fines & Bureaucratic Nonsense 1:39:00 –NPiggy Banks, GoFundMe Ethics & Viral Absurdity 1:50:00 – Moose Sightings, AI Fear & “Is This Real?” 2:01:00 – Foot Fetishes, Year-End Madness & Final Thoughts Why does Norway seem to have this whole “winning” thing figured out? Connect With Us: Brad Staggs: https://twitter.com/@realbradstaggs Rebecca Mistereggen: https://twitter.com/@UCTjDhUcasTplLj2mdcE3YFQ Special thanks to Gabby: https://twitter.com/jeffapologist Produced by Wes over at 2nd Floor Studios Dallas, Texas: https://secondfloorstudios.co

    2h 13m
  7. The Molasses Flood: When a City Buried Its Deadliest Secret | 2/12/26

    FEB 13

    The Molasses Flood: When a City Buried Its Deadliest Secret | 2/12/26

    In January 1919, Boston was struck by one of the strangest and deadliest industrial disasters in American history, when a massive molasses tank collapsed and sent a deadly wave through the city’s North End, killing 21 people. In this At The Mic: Deep Dive episode, Keith Malinak is joined by historian and author Stephen Puleo, whose book Dark Tide remains the definitive account of the Boston Molasses Flood. Together, they explore the corporate negligence that led to the disaster, the human stories behind the tragedy, and the landmark civil trial that followed, one of the earliest cases to hold a corporation accountable for public harm. The discussion also explains how the flood permanently reshaped American building codes, safety standards, and the legal relationship between corporations and the public, revealing why this overlooked moment in history still matters today. Chapters: 00:00 Why Forgotten American Disasters Matter10:17 The Day Boston Drowned in Molasses20:12 Corporate Greed and a Tank Never Tested28:10 Blaming Anarchists to Escape Responsibility30:34 The Moment the Tank Collapsed35:53 Rescue Efforts and the Human Toll40:13 The Trial That Changed Corporate Accountability45:02 How the Flood Reshaped U.S. Building Codes50:15 Cleaning a City Buried in Molasses53:07 The Victims’ Final Moments55:34 The North End and Italian Immigrant Resilience59:23 Why This Story Still Matters Today Don’t be like the molasses company, neglecting basic responsibility. Follow At The Mic for more Deep Dives into overlooked American history. Follow, Listen, and Connect: At The Mic w/ Keith MalinakYouTube, X, Instagram, Rumble, and all major podcast platforms Produced by Wes, 2nd Floor Studios Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/at-the-mic-with-keith-malinak2022/donations

    1h 5m
  8. Follow the Money: Why Schools Keep Failing | 2/5/26

    FEB 6

    Follow the Money: Why Schools Keep Failing | 2/5/26

    Public schools aren’t collapsing from a lack of money; they’re collapsing from how the system is built. Graduation rates rise, learning declines, and accountability quietly disappears. As public school budgets grow, student outcomes continue to fall, raising questions few institutions want to answer. In this Thursday Deep Dive, Keith Malinak is joined by investigative journalist Chris Papst, author of Failure Factory, to examine how data manipulation, bureaucracy, and incentives quietly shape public education. Using Baltimore as a case study, the conversation exposes how systemic failure is normalized, protected, and misreported. The discussion closes by examining which reforms might actually work, and why meaningful change remains so difficult. Chapters: 00:00 Public Schools Are Failing, But No One Wants to Say Why 05:12 More Money, Worse Outcomes 11:48 How Graduation Rates Hide the Truth 18:34 Teaching to the Test and Gaming the Numbers 26:02 Why Bureaucracy Is Protected Over Students 33:41 Baltimore as a Case Study in Systemic Failure 41:19 Where Accountability Actually Breaks Down 48:27 Who Benefits From the Status Quo 55:06 Why “Reform” Efforts Keep Failing 1:01:42 What Real Education Reform Would Require 1:09:58 Can Public Schools Actually Be Fixed? 1:18:36 What Happens If Nothing Changes If the system keeps producing the same results, at what point does maintaining it become a choice rather than a failure? Don’t be like the public school system and ignore the basics. Like the video, subscribe to the channel, and watch through the final chapters before weighing in. Connect With Us: Guest Chris Papst: X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/chrispapstAuthor of Failure Factory: How Baltimore City Public Schools Deprive Taxpayers and Students of a Future (Available through major booksellers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble) 🎙️ Watch the Show and Follow Keith X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/KeithMalinakYouTube: https://youtube.com/@AtTheMicShowRumble: https://rumble.com/user/@AtTheMicShow 🛠️ ProductionProduced by Wes of 2nd Floor Studios https://secondfloorstudios.co Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/at-the-mic-with-keith-malinak2022/donations

    1h 26m
See All (107)

Ratings & Reviews

4.6
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

At The Mic with Keith Malinak delivers bold, unfiltered conversations with newsmakers, cultural influencers, and thought leaders. From media bias and free speech to history, politics, and behind-the-scenes stories, Keith brings a unique perspective that cuts through the noise. This podcast isn’t about talking points—it’s about real conversations with guests who have stories to tell. Whether you’re looking for investigative journalism, cultural commentary, or in-depth interviews, At The Mic is your place for honest dialogue in an era of corporate censorship. 📢 New episodes weekly featuring: Independent journalists, whistleblowers, and policy insiders Musicians, entertainers, and creative minds Deep dives into history, culture, and untold stories No spin. No agenda. Just real talk. Subscribe for thought-provoking discussions that challenge the status quo.

Information

  • Creator
    Keith Malinak
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    107
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2020 At The Mic with Keith Malinak
  • Show Website
    At The Mic With Keith Malinak

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