In the latest episode of the No Agenda Show, hosts Adam Curry and guest co-host Rob Dew tackled a wide range of topics shaping the midterm election cycle, from the engineered backlash against AI data centers to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's bond strategy and the U.S. posture at the Strait of Hormuz. The episode, titled 'Caconian,' aired August 23, 2026, and continued the show's tribute to the late John C. Dvorak through the newly launched Order of the Ant.
Curry and Dew argued that opposition to AI data centers has been crafted into an anti-Republican wedge issue, citing a Gallup poll showing 7 in 10 Americans oppose local data center construction. They highlighted Texas Governor Greg Abbott's reversal after accepting $20 million in campaign donations from data center executives, now imposing a construction moratorium. The hosts pushed back on the framing that data centers are inherently harmful, with Curry describing the buildout as a generational economic opportunity comparable to the railroads or the 1990s fiber boom. 'This is an opportunity for the American people to take money from BlackRock, from Vanguard, from Google, from Meta. Take their money,' Curry said. Dew added a firsthand account of friends in Alexandria, Virginia being offered $4 million for homes surrounded by existing data centers, illustrating how private equity money is flowing directly to homeowners.
The episode also delved into Treasury Secretary Bessent's activist bond strategy, a maneuver Curry traced back to Janet Yellen and dubbed 'activist Treasury issuance' by economists Nouriel Roubini and Stephen Miran in 2024. Curry explained how swapping long-term 30-year bonds for short-term T-bills is designed to lower yields and prop up the stablecoin market, with Tether and Circle now controlling more than 80 percent of a $300 billion stablecoin sector projected by Citi to reach $3.5 trillion by 2030. This strategy has significant implications for the financial industry and the growing digital asset ecosystem.
On the geopolitical front, the hosts covered CENTCOM's stealth Omani shipping corridor moving 10 million barrels of oil daily, Trump's declaration of the Strait of Hormuz as 'American territory,' and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins defending the 300,000-ton Argentine ground beef import deal. These policies are likely to affect global oil markets, trade relations, and domestic agricultural industries.
The show also touched on Flock camera vandalism, Fourth Amendment questions on public roads, and an alleged coming crackdown on infrastructure tampering, as well as Confucius Institutes, Pentagon audits of 30 universities, and Chinese national voter fraud charges in Massachusetts. These discussions underscore the intersection of technology, security, and civil liberties.
For business and technology leaders, the episode's insights into data center investments and stablecoin growth are particularly relevant. The data center boom presents opportunities for skilled trades and real estate, while the stablecoin expansion could reshape financial markets. The policy debates around data centers and Treasury actions will likely influence investment strategies and regulatory landscapes.
No Agenda is a long-running, listener-supported podcast hosted by Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak, known for its skeptical, independent look at mainstream media and politics. Episode 1897 is available now wherever podcasts are heard, and through modern podcast apps at podcastapps.com.
