The Unfettered Speech Podcast

Integrity Media
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Integrity Media's Leonard Goodman and Patrick Sullivan talk to the biggest stars in independent journalism about the free speech and censorship issues of the day.

  1. 2d ago

    EP59: Is Journalism Dead? with Jonathan Alter

    One decision can wipe out a decade of diplomacy and one crisis can bury a lifetime of competence. We sit down with journalist, author, and longtime Newsweek editor Jonathan Alter to wrestle with the Carter paradox: a president who delivers historic foreign policy achievements and still becomes a cultural shorthand for weakness. Starting with Alter’s Carter biography, we pull on the thread that keeps snagging American leaders, from Jimmy Carter to Donald Trump: Iran, escalation, and the brutal way domestic politics reshapes national security choices. We unpack Carter’s biggest foreign policy successes, including the Camp David Accords and normalization with China, then pivot to the Iranian Revolution, the Shah’s medical entry into the US, and how the 444-day hostage crisis boxed Carter in strategically and psychologically. Alter breaks down why revolutions create “blowback” no White House can fully control, why deterrence signaling matters, and why easy talk about regime change often ignores the basic monopoly on violence that governments hold. From there, the conversation widens to the Middle East today: settlement expansion, why the two-state solution remains the least bad option, and what new Israeli leadership could realistically change. We also connect the collapse of the Iran nuclear deal to a dangerous long-term future of repeated strikes to prevent a nuclear Iran. Finally, we go deep on media trust, the strengths and failures of mainstream journalism, the rise of independent media like Substack, and how to avoid the self-validation trap that keeps all of us intellectually stuck. If you care about US foreign policy, Iran, the Israel-Palestine debate, the JCPOA, and the future of journalism, hit play, share this with a friend who argues with you in good faith, and please subscribe and leave a review. CHAPTERS: 00:00:23 - Welcome And Guest Jonathan Alter 00:01:22 - Carter And Trump Through Iran 00:05:31 - Carter’s Biggest Foreign Policy Wins 00:09:40 - Iran Revolution And The Hostages 00:21:02 - Two States Or Endless War 00:30:45 - Israeli Election And A Reset Chance 00:37:39 - Iran’s Nuclear Clock And Whack A Mole 00:41:19 - Why Trust In Media Collapsed 00:53:04 - DSA, USAID, And Real World Costs 00:56:31 - Ukraine, “Unprovoked,” And Editorial Power 01:08:50 - Borders, Deterrence, And “Existential” Claims 01:10:06 - Alter’s Substack And New Book Review

  2. Nov 2

    EP:58 - Jim Webb : What If Diplomacy Is The Only Real Defense?

    The fastest way to lose a war is to tell yourself you can’t lose one. We sit down with Jim Webb, a Marine Corps veteran, journalist, and independent podcast host, to unpack how America’s forever wars are sustained by incentives that reward career safety, defense contractor profits, and message discipline over honest strategy and accountability. We start with Jim’s personal path: a family tradition of service, early exposure to the Pentagon and Washington power networks, the post 9/11 drive to fight, and the Afghanistan experience that pushed him from embedded photographer to the Marine Corps. From there, we get into the part few people say out loud: what “success” can require inside the system, why speaking truth to power can cap your career, and how the revolving door to lobbying and board seats shapes what leaders admit publicly. Then we tackle the big questions driving US foreign policy right now: why the Iran war looks like a strategic catastrophe, what the collapse of the empire of overseas bases means in an age of drones and missile saturation, and how the US defense budget can still fail at basics like air defense readiness and ammunition production. We also dig into propaganda, social media algorithms, and the gap between mainstream media narratives and independent media reporting, plus a blunt reality check on Patriot missiles, Golden Dome style promises, and why diplomacy is often the cheapest and strongest form of defense. If you care about US national security, the military industrial complex, and what comes after the forever wars, listen all the way through. Subscribe, share this with a friend who still trusts the talking points, and leave a review so more people can find the show. 00:00:00 - Welcome And Guest Introduction 00:02:00 - Service, Family Legacy, And Temptation 00:10:05 - 9-11, Afghanistan, And Enlisting 00:18:35 - The Money Pipeline After Uniform 00:26:05 - Why Generals Stop Telling Truth 00:35:25 - Iran War As Strategic Catastrophe 00:44:50 - The Empire Of Bases Breaks Down 00:53:35 - Hypersonics, Drones, And Industrial Rot 01:01:45 - Propaganda, Algorithms, And Media Capture 01:06:40 - Missile Defense Myths And Closing Plugs

  3. Oct 16

    EP:56. Maureen Weston : The New Rules of Sports: Gambling, NIL, and the End of Amateurism

    Sports used to be the escape. Now it is also a frictionless marketplace where you can bet on almost anything, anytime, from a phone in your pocket. We talk with Professor Maureen Weston, a nationally recognized expert in sports law, arbitration, and dispute resolution, to unpack how we got here and what the next legal fights will look like.  We start with the rapid rise of legal sports gambling after the 2018 Supreme Court decision, why leagues went from opposing betting to embracing it, and how mobile sportsbooks changed fan behavior. Then we dig into prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket, the “event contract” label, and the regulatory tug of war between state gambling commissions and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Along the way, we confront the uncomfortable questions: what does insider trading look like in a world of tradable outcomes, who is protecting younger users, and how do conflicts of interest get policed when oversight is thin.  From there, the conversation widens into the money reshaping college athletics. NIL (name, image, and likeness), the transfer portal, donor collectives, and proposed federal action are pushing college sports toward a pro sports model without the same labor protections. We explore whether college athletes should be treated as employees, what collective bargaining could change, and how Title IX and non revenue sports get squeezed when the biggest dollars flow to football and men’s basketball. We also hit competitive balance in MLB, media rights, salary caps versus luxury taxes, and why private equity sees sports as the last truly live entertainment.  If you care about the integrity of sports, the future of college athlete compensation, or the legal rules behind what you watch every night, this one is for you. Subscribe, share the show with a sports fan, and leave a review with your take on one question: what should “fair” look like now? Chapter Markers0:00. Episode Welcome And Guest1:34 From Bookies To Betting Apps5:52 Prediction Markets And Insider Edges14:54 NIL Turns College Sports Pro21:20 Donor Collectives Title IX And Unions34:15 MLB Competitive Balance And Payroll42:33 Private Equity And Athlete Branding48:30. Olympics Tennis And Political Rules52:57 Rooney Rule Racism And Fan Abuse58:27 MLB Media Rights And Final Wrap

  4. Oct 16

    EP:57 Unfettered Speech: The Conversations They Don't Want You To Hear

    Patrick Sullivan and Leonard Goodman host this Unfettered Speech Podcast episode covering the latest current events. When our scheduled guest was sidelined by a hurricane, we decided to keep the show moving.    This episode is an unscripted conversation between the two of us, allowing us to speak freely on the topics that matter most right now. We break down the news through the lens of independent media, offering our own take on the state of the world without the usual filters.    It is a rare chance to hear our unfiltered political commentary on the issues shaping our daily lives.    Subscribe for more independent conversations and share your thoughts on the topics you want us to cover next.    Our theme music, Adventures In Jazz, was used with permission. Composed and performed by Bob Mamet.    Chapters:  0:00    Unfettered Speech: A Solo Discussion  1:49    The Yemen Crisis and Saudi Arabia  6:19    9/11 and the Saudi Connection  11:04  War Profiteering and Defense Contractors  16:46  The Myth of the Rescued Pilot  22:13  The Mystery of the Hijacked Flight  30:30  The Butler Shooting and Unanswered Questions  53:15  Supporting Independent Journalism

  5. Oct 6

    EP:55 Michael Farris : How Groupthink Becomes The Deep State

    “Who is they?” sounds like a throwaway line until you try to answer it out loud. We sit down with Michael Farris, host of Coffee and a Mike, to get specific about what people mean by “the deep state” and why it often looks less like a secret board meeting and more like institutional groupthink: career incentives, social enforcement, and missions that reward obedience while punishing internal dissent. From there, we connect the dots to today’s power centers. We talk tech monopolies and transactional politics, the way narratives get enforced without anyone needing to “give the order,” and why so many people feel politically homeless after years of broken promises and nonstop spectacle. We also revisit 2020 as a turning point for censorship, deplatforming, and the normalization of control systems that can be switched on again fast, whether through algorithms, media coordination, or election rule changes like mail in voting that many voters still don’t trust. Things get even more real when we look ahead: energy infrastructure vulnerability, surveillance that makes old school “papers please” unnecessary, and financial pressure like debanking that can silence people without a single arrest. We close on a different note with the one place people still find common ground: movies, music, and art, plus a stack of recommendations worth your time. Subscribe for more independent conversations, share this with a friend who’s tired of slogans, and leave a review if you want this show to keep growing. When you hear “they,” who comes to mind and why? Chapter Markers0:24. Welcome And Chicago Media Awards3:59 Who Exactly Is The Deep State8:58 Groupthink Networks That Enforce Power13:35 Rule Followers In School Work Government15:40 DC Reality And Foreign Policy Doctrine19:45 Big Tech Monopolies And Trump Incentives24:24 2020 Fallout And Mail In Voting29:42 Beyond Left And Right Political Homelessness41:06 Censorship Prototypes And Energy Fears48:05 Surveillance Debanking And Modern Silencing57:56 TikTok Gaza Footage And Media Consolidation1:01:28 Movies As A Shared Human Language1:10:54 Where To Follow And Final Thanks

  6. Sep 29

    EP:54 Katie Halper - When "Safety" Becomes The Most Dangerous Word

    “Never again” is supposed to be a universal warning, but it’s increasingly used as a political weapon. We sit down with writer, podcaster, and filmmaker Katie Halper to talk about her documentary Never Again, which follows Holocaust survivors who are protesting Israel’s war on Gaza and rejecting the idea that Jewish safety can be built on occupation, siege, or collective punishment. Along the way, we unpack why these voices are so often pushed out of mainstream media and what it means when Jewish communities are treated like a single bloc with a single opinion.  We also challenge the familiar stories many of us grew up with, from liberal Zionism to the two-state solution, and ask what happens when slogans replace realities on the ground. Katie shares her own secular Jewish background and what she saw on a Birthright trip, then connects the “safety” narrative to a much larger machinery that runs through US foreign policy, war messaging, and the incentives of the weapons industry.  From a NATO ad to the Ukraine war’s escalating human costs, we look at how propaganda primes the public for endless conflict and how demonization narratives can make diplomacy feel impossible. Then we get into the hardest media questions: atrocity propaganda, the Hannibal Directive, October 7 narratives, and the stark double standards in how allegations of sexual violence are amplified or ignored depending on who the victims are. We close by parsing anti-Semitism vs anti-Zionism, why conflation can backfire, and what real political change might require beyond the midterms.  If this conversation sharpened your thinking, subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review with the question you still can’t stop thinking about. Chapter Markers0:00 Welcome And Guest Introduction2:20 Never Again And Gaza Protests5:18 Anti-Zionist Jewish History Hidden7:46 Liberal Zionism And Two-State Myth11:13 NATO Messaging And Europe’s War Mood16:29 Draft Pressure And Ukraine Casualties18:56 Israel As Imperial Project21:54 Hannibal Directive And October 726:23 Rape Claims As Atrocity Propaganda32:53 Demonization Narratives From Iraq To Russia40:32 Anti-Semitism Versus Anti-Zionism45:21 What A Sustainable Future Could Be47:33 Midterms And The Limits Of Voting52:03 Where To Follow Katie Halper

  7. Sep 24

    EP: 53 - William (Bill) Black - The Real Reason Banks Fail

    You can’t understand the 2008 crash until you understand the scam that came before it and why it kept coming back. We sit down with William K. Black, former federal bank regulator, leading expert on financial fraud, and author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One, to map the through-line from the savings and loan crisis to the Great Financial Crisis. We break down the mechanics of accounting control fraud in plain language: how bad loans can be engineered to generate record reported profits, how “a rolling loan gathers no loss” keeps defaults off the books, and how accrual accounting turns fiction into income. Then we move from giant ADC construction loans to the retail machine of liar’s loans, where armies of commission-driven mortgage brokers, daily term sheets, and “don’t verify income” lending create volume fast and hide who is really responsible. From there, we dig into appraisal fraud, securitization, CDOs, and the shadow banking system that grew by escaping oversight. Black explains how AmeriQuest helped spread the model, why HOEPA gave the Federal Reserve real power to act, and how warnings like the FBI’s 2004 testimony about an epidemic of mortgage fraud still did not trigger decisive enforcement. Finally, we ask the accountability question head-on: why hundreds of executives were prosecuted in the S&L era, yet top bank executives largely avoided criminal referral after 2008 while “minnows” took the fall. If you care about mortgage fraud, regulatory failure, and why financial crises keep repeating, subscribe, share this conversation, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Chapter Markers0:00. Welcome And Guest Introduction2:00 The Core Scam Behind Both Crises8:20 ADC Loans And Fictional Income14:40 Liar’s Loans And Broker Armies22:40. Why Executives Were Not Prosecuted30:40 Shadow Banking And Fed Inaction38:10 Appraisal Extortion And Market Corruption45:20. How Criminal Referrals Got Killed52:40 Bailouts Versus Receivership And Politics58:00 Where To Find Black And Closing

  8. Sep 11

    EP:52 Melissa Witte 'The Village Crazy Lady' - How Christian Zionism Grew into a Foreign Policy Force

    Scripture gets quoted on the campaign trail like it’s a strategy memo and that should make every citizen, religious or not, pause. We talk with returning guest Melissa Whittier (known online as the Village Crazy Lady) about her new research series on the history of Christian Zionism and why it surged into mainstream politics so fast after October 7. Along the way, we unpack the “bless Israel to be blessed” talking point and what it means when elected leaders publicly build foreign policy on a single interpretation of the Bible. From there we dig into the New Apostolic Reformation, its prophets and apostles, and the Seven Mountain Mandate, a framework that calls on Christians to dominate the major spheres of society. We connect those ideas to the rise of evangelical political organizing, shifting IRS norms around church advocacy, and the mid-2000s acceleration powered by end times media, post 9/11 fears, and organizations like Christians United for Israel. We also confront the uncomfortable parts: Greater Israel theology, what that implies for Palestinians, and why dissenters get labeled traitors inside their own communities. We then bring it back to current stakes: the narratives used to sell war with Iran, the moral language people use to oppose it, and the pressure to separate criticism of Israel and Zionism from hatred toward Jewish people. Finally, we examine the deepening US Israel military relationship, including questions about technology sharing and the F-35, and what “ally” should mean when sovereignty and accountability are on the line. If this conversation helped you think more clearly, subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review so more people can find it. Chapter Markers0:00. Welcome And Guest Introduction1:20 Why Christian Zionism Suddenly Matters4:20 The New Apostolic Reformation Explained9:25 Seven Mountains And Political Control11:33 IRS Loopholes And Pulpit Politics15:55 From Prohibition To CUFI Momentum17:45 Huckabee End Times And Greater Israel25:00 Iran War Narratives And Public Mood33:33 Faith Mockery And Media Caricatures39:20 Zionism Versus Jewish Identity Online52:44 IDF US Military Integration And F-3557:47 Tech Sharing Treason Claims And Pollard1:00:13 Where To Find Mel And Final Thanks

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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Integrity Media's Leonard Goodman and Patrick Sullivan talk to the biggest stars in independent journalism about the free speech and censorship issues of the day.

Information

  • Creator
    Integrity Media
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    58
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Unfettered Speech Podcast

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