QAnon experts drop MAJOR Epstein news

I'm joined now by two of the hosts for. the QAnon Anonymous podcast, Jake. Rockatansky and Travis View. Thanks so. much for coming on. >> Thanks for having me. Always a pleasure. It's kind of So. >> Yeah, yeah. >> Kind of. >> So, y'all are are the foremost experts. on all things conspiracy theories, uh. kind of downstream from QAnon. And and I. think what we're seeing right now as the. Epstein files are front and center in. the news is and I and I feel like I have. to to give an apology here because a lot. of this stuff where it relates to, you.

know, the basis of QAnon, that there's. this that there's this elite pedophile. ring, this cabal of people who act with. impunity. A lot of a lot of us on the. left, I think, scoffed at this because. it just seemed so fantastical. But in. fact, I think we're seeing as it relates. to Epstein that it's that it's very much. a a real thing. I mean, maybe not, you. know, a pedophile ring in the basement. of a pizza place that has no basement, but but, you know, in effect, this stuff. does exist. And so I'm curious as you. have all of these adherents to the whole.

QAnon conspiracy theory and the whole. QAnon universe, whether there's any. acknowledgment of the fact that that the. people that they voted for to usher in. to usher in exposure on all of this. stuff are the very people that are. participating in the crime that they. want to condemn? >> No, I wouldn't say that there is a lot. of like self-awareness about that. I. mean, is there's there's a because they. they spin these wild stories on the idea. of that, for example, Trump was somehow.

like undercover working with Epstein to. take him down. They credit Trump with uh. with like the with the fact that Epstein. was arrested under his last. administration, even though, you know, they. he was not sort of like. watched carefully enough that allowed. him to die in his in his prison cell. And um you like they they also credit. credit him with the fact that these that. these are being that these files are. being released now. Uh so, yeah, no, there's there's not a. lot of acknowledgement. Even though even.

though the Trump was a close associate. of Epstein and so was as these as we. discovered these emails so was Howard. Lutnick, the current Secretary of. Commerce and Steve Bannon was also. extremely close with Epstein. They. exchanged hundreds of messages according. to this new tranche of documents. >> Well, it seems like there's just this. this really blatant cognitive dissonance. then because, you know, I guess the. question is is this more about exposing. this cabal of pedophiles or is it about. protecting Trump? Because anybody who is.

acting in good faith, who's legitimately. interested in taking down or exposing. the people involved in this pedophile. ring could easily see, okay, Trump is. involved, Lutnick is involved, you know, he named Alex Acosta who obviously gave. Epstein his sweetheart deal in his first. term. He was involved. Trump's new Fed. chair pick was implicated in the Epstein. files and so you have all these people. Anybody acting in good faith would just. be able to say, like, okay, these people. are clearly not on the level. They are. the very people that we're seeking to. expose. And so is is QAnon more about.

exposing pedophiles, this this cabal of. pedophiles, or is it about just. protecting Trump? You know, >> I think you can see. two sort of differing systems of belief. here and and it tends to be between the. QAnon influencers and your sort of. standard on the ground believers. I. mean, if you go the most popular sort of. Q QAnon pro-QAnon accounts on X, um,

they also are combing through the. Epstein files and finding things that. label people that, you know, kind of. match their general area of target. So. they too are are combing through. Um, you know, uh, and and ignoring. everything else. And I mean, Travis. pointed out to me we we we had a episode. come out about 7 years ago that was. called Epstein the real Pizzagate. Um. this has always been the hardest part of.

my job is. on some level understanding that QAnon. directionally is is kind of right given. everything that we know about Epstein. And I think. you have a lot of influencers, at least. that I've seen, um who are going to do. whatever they can to keep reframing the. information as it comes out to align. with, you know, their pro-QAnon beliefs. Now, I do think there is an opportunity. for your run-of-the-mill believer to see.

this. And if they are, you know, if the. Here's the question, do they Are they. more passionate about, you know, anti-pedophilia than they are pro-Trump? And And I do think that the answer for. some is yes. I think this could be a. potential exit ramp in the same way uh. that when Trump called Epstein a hoax. You know, think about that now given everything. that's come out. But when he called it a. hoax, there were a lot of people who. said, "Wait a minute, absolutely not, you know." Um. and and they they began to kind of fall.

away. >> Well, what are you guys seeing in in. online forums and stuff? I mean, you. know, you uh. you have to uh Part of your job is that. you have to subject yourself to an even. an even darker part of the internet that. than even I have to deal with on a daily. basis. And so but, you know, that's your. losses are gain. And so, what are you. seeing, you know, on these online forums. from folks? >> I mean, there's there's lots of like. claims of like vindication, if you can. believe it, from like the from from. these people. Just because um these.

because like the the the general. narrative about like elite corruption. and uh child abuse and cover-ups and, you know, elite impunity was was uh was. generally correct. But like like we. mentioned like like on our podcast, we've been talking about that for like 7. plus years. I mean, the fact that that. that there's you know, elite abuse and. impurity and people who like sometimes. abuse children and cover up for those. who do, that part is has been has been.

you know, well known. We've got a lot. more details about what this network. looks like thanks to the thanks to these. documents. But like yeah, they do this. thing where they they serve like they. serve like retreating to these. abstractions where like they feel like. well, they were like generally right and. so their wildest nonsense about like you. know, pizza code words are also right, which is just not the case. >> But they feel vindicated at the fact. that they ushered in a Trump. administration who are themselves the.

ones who are implicated in all of this. And so where does the vindication come. from? Like okay, yes, that there there. is a cabal of people, but the people who. they empowered to expose all of this. stuff are the ones who did it. And so. does that part ever register? >> Well, I mean, kind of baked into the. theory. There's so many. little rules kind of baked into QAnon. that allow you to kind of opt out when. you run up against. you know, a piece of real information. that that makes the entire.

>> Yeah, yeah, that makes the entire mind. pyramid collapse, you know, otherwise. And you know, one thing you know, that. that has been consistent is that Trump. is you know, I remember what's really. interesting about the Epstein stuff is. that QAnon and people and conspiracy. theorists, they would always use Epstein. as like. as like a stepping stone to to then. launch into another unproven conspiracy. to say that that's real. That they never. talk about the facts of Epstein itself, but they would always use Epstein say,

well, because Epstein exists, then all. of these other conspiracy theories about. Hillary Clinton and all this stuff are. real. And they've consistently believed that. Trump has infiltrated this this circle. All of the stuff about Trump, you know, being a Democrat in a former life, being. friends with the Clintons, attending. Chelsea's wedding, you know, all of his. interactions with Epstein that we've. seen up until this point. >> He was just He was just a double agent. this entire time the last 50 years.

>> Exactly. Now, I my brother sent me a. video this morning of him audibly. his pants during a meeting and. ending the meeting. So, the idea of him. being like Liam Neeson from Taken and. infiltrating like the biggest, you know, child trafficking ring and he is the. sort of hero at the center is becoming. less and less plausible. Um, but we're. it was it was unplausible in 2017, you know, when the first Q drops. started happening. So, the idea, you know, if they believed it.

then, it's it's, you know, it's it's. they're going to believe it now. >> Right. It Is there I mean, why do you. need why do you need like Epstein to be. a stepping stone into some bigger. conspiracy when Epstein's situation in. and of itself is already gigantic? I. mean, you have you have world leaders, you have princes, you have I'm sure like. you've all of these people. I mean, Elon. was planning. Elon Musk who was planning visits to to.

Epstein's islands that we that we found. out. You have half the half the Trump. administration is is named in these. files. Why do you need this to be just. like some little stepping stone to a. more vast conspiracy theory when this is. pretty damn vast onto itself? >> Yeah, I can I share your frustration. with with the the way they interpret. things cuz like I always feel like isn't. this enough? What we know, isn't that. the isn't this relevant enough? Isn't. this outrageous enough with without.

having to add on all of these extra sort. of like wilder theories that have no. evidentiary basis at all. And I think. the problem with a lot lot of. conspiracies is that there are they're. really attracted to this idea of secret. esoteric information. And if like if. it's being reported in like everywhere, if it's a if it's if it's provable in. documents to the point that like, you. know, just normal casual news consumers. know about it, it's no longer secret and. esoteric. Right.

>> it's kind of it's kind of like embracing. conspiracy theory because because they. want to be in that world of conspiracy. theory. >> Yeah, and they they want they want to. have feel like they have sort of like. they possess a higher level of knowledge. of how the world works than everyone. else. I feel like this feeling of like. specialness, I think is really more. important to them than sort of like. adhering to what's known and what's. what's well in well in evidence. >> Do you think that it was a mistake for. the Trump orbit? Now, I don't. necessarily say Trump himself because I. don't think he was ever that involved in.

like the QAnon stuff, but there were. plenty of people in Trump's orbit who. were. Do you think it was a mistake for. them to embrace this given the fact. that, you know, we're now in a situation. where all of these people themselves are. you know, either implicated or or are. are part of an administration that's. implicated in this and so it's only. reflecting poorly off of them. Like. there's no world in which. in which the last few releases of the. Epstein files do anything but reflect. poorly on, you know, Trump and Bannon.

and Lutnick and Warsh and you know, any. Elon Musk, whoever it may be. So, do you. think that embracing this whole world. from the outset, given what given where we are now, was a. mistake? >> Well, I mean, I think I think. like politically maybe their their idea. was like, well, they're going to sort of. like sort of like encourage this sort of. like this very passionate this sort of. like but minority base of people who. believe that, you know, Trump and his. circle can do no wrong and and anyone.

who opposes them are are pure evil, right? And then and all of a sudden you. don't have to worry about, you know, things like, you know, like like proving your proving your. case. I mean, I feel like this was sort. of their way of trying to solidify. their base and keep them in a bubble and. keeping them from ever questioning why. why why, you know, for example, Epstein. called like Trump like his his best. friend in a recording and these sorts of. things. I mean, I I I think it's like I. I think it's kind of like a desperate.

strategy, but I I think that was. probably what they were trying to do. >> Yeah, my my my general opinion is that. they they kind of had no choice to a. certain degree. I I I I. I see this happen with Trump just since. since 2016 is he's constantly kind of. left with the bottom of the barrel as he. sort of peels away anybody still. reasonable that's sort of in his orbit. And like Travis said, I I think there. must have been some kind of internal.

data that QAnon was enough of a. contingency and enough of a voter block. that they eventually had no choice. And. and who knows? I mean, in the early days. I remember, you know, they were trying to distance. themselves from QAnon as much as. possible and it was Trump who was going, "Well, I don't know. I think they like. me quite a bit." You know, he was the. one who who kind of he couldn't stop. talking about him because they were you. know, they loved him the most. >> Right. I mean, the crazy thing like even. even with the shooting of Renee Good who.

was like the perfect foil for Trump, the. fact that. her parents were apparently Trump. supporters, like that gets to him. There. there It doesn't matter ideology or. beliefs or philosophy. He just likes. that you like him. That's it. >> I mean, yeah, I think I think yeah, I. think he's very. strategic in terms of like coalition. building where he's like like it's like. even if he doesn't necessarily agree. with people it's like he's like he said. that you like, the one of the when there. there's only two times he was really.

asked about QAnon during his first. administration. And one of the times he. asked what he knew about it, he said, like, I know they like me very much. And. that's really all that's important to. him. It's like it's like he knew that. these were people who are passionate. about them, who supported him, and he. was not interested in alienating them as. a consequence of that. >> What is the state of the QAnon movement. right now? I presume that it probably. peaked sometime around, you know, 20 16, 2017, uh 2018, maybe around the time that. Marjorie Taylor Greene was getting into.

Congress. But But I'm just curious. whether whether you think that it's that. it's hit its peak or whether we're still. seeing this movement grow as more people. come online, more people get sucked into. rabbit holes and conspiracy theories, and, you know, we we have obviously less. digital literacy with the with the. introduction of of more AI, and and on. and on. I feel like just peop- people's. general sense of what's real and what's. not is kind of getting worse, not. better. >> Well, I mean, I think it kind of just uh. sort of got absorbed into the wider kind.

of like right-wing mediasphere. I mean, we saw recently like with just uh a few. weeks ago that the um that the the. Department of Labor Twitter account with. tweeting out QAnon-related slogans. And. so, uh you know, it's like it's like I. have it's like either someone at the. Department of Labor social media team is. very pilled, or they understand that. this is still a base that's worth. signaling to. >> Or they know how much it upsets. liberals, or even your your Never Trump.

Republicans, um. who hate QAnon more than anything. because it it, you know, to them, uh it. made the whole conservative movement. look like complete idiots, you know, completely disconnected from reality. Um. you know, so. that's like the third option is they. they know that they know that people. know where it's coming from. They know. that some journalist is going to go, "Why is the Department of Labor doing. where we go one we go.

you know, they know it's going to cause. a reaction and that is. unfortunately, um. a a a part of politics now is the is. this like sort of like antagonistic. nature that I that I really think, you. know, began uh you know, in 2016 with. with Donald Trump. >> I mean, look, it's ragebait and and it's. it's the the the currency of the. internet. I think that if they have the. opportunity to get a bunch of libs mad. so they can so they can uh you know, own. the libs online then like that's a. perfectly acceptable uh thing for them.

to do as far as they're concerned. How. many people do you think we're talking. about here? Because you're talking about. this contingent and I think for for. normies like myself, like I I cannot. grasp a world where there are more than. like a handful of them in some, you. know, MySpace group or some Facebook. groups circle like 2013. But like. roughly, what are we talking about here. in terms of raw numbers? >> It's pretty bad, Travis. What the last. numbers were really bad. >> I I. I'll confess. I I I haven't checked on.

on the polling. Uh people haven't done. polling on QAnon belief in a couple. years. But like last last last they. checked, it was like it was in the. neighborhood of sometimes like four or. five percent, which is, you know, millions and millions of Americans. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's It's It's. It's It's It's It's. >> That's like that's like 15 or 15 to 17. million people. >> Yeah. That's right. Yeah, that's right. And like I mean, that's also. That's also happens to be roughly the. same uh level of polling for belief in.

that uh that there's a cabal of lizard. people who rule the world. There's lots. of people who believe in silly things. >> It we're getting close to like the. number of people who think that Tylenol. is is is safe. You know, like we're. going to have more people who believe in. QAnon than believe that like you can. take Tylenol and be okay. >> But like look how powerful QAnon is to a. certain degree. I mean, if you watch. that original Marjorie Taylor Green. Facebook post video where she's going. over all the Q stuff, um she she she's. not looking great. But her her steadfast.

belief in QAnon propelled her to, you. know, some of the highest levels of. power one can achieve in America only. now to have her kind of back away from. it. Now, she's a good an interesting. example of somebody who who's true. beliefs might put them at odds with the. president. Now, I would I I don't want. to give Marjorie Taylor Green that kind. of credit. I think it's probably more. likely that she kind of just senses. where the wind is going and know and is.

an opportunist and and doesn't actually. believe in anything and will go wherever. she feels is like, you know, most. advantageous for her. Uh but uh. you know, there is an example of a very. public person who has uh you know, gone. against Donald Trump in the wake of how. he's handled the Epstein files. >> I'm curious what the reaction has been. to her because she was I mean, she was. even more bought in I mean, she was a. better representative of a a clear. representative of the whole QAnon. movement than than Trump ever was. Um. and and but but there is a lot of it a.

lot of um. kind of uh. uh allegiance to Donald Trump within the. whole QAnon movement, too. And so now. that those two hate each other, are in. conflict with each other, where does the. movement more closely align with? Like. is it is it Trump even though he was. never really like a a QAnon um you know, true believer like Marjorie Taylor Green. was? >> Uh I mean, yeah. I mean, Green is. interesting because yeah, she was. someone who very sincerely believed uh a. lot of She was on the QAnon bandwagon.

just a couple months after the first Q. drops. And then and then she. somehow got got into Congress. Um but it was. it but the the problem was that is that. she was a true believer. According to. reporting, one of the things that caused. the rift is that she pushed for release. of the Epstein files, which which which. Trump was a lot more uncomfortable with. And. what's really interesting if you watch. her video in which she she announced her. resignation, which was. it was in November of last year, she.

said that there is no plan to save the. world and no 4D chess being played. This. seems to be a direct reference to QAnon. There's a The plan to save the world is. a very successful. very popular QAnon video. So she seems. to be saying what got her to stop. believing some of the the wilder claims. of QAnon was working with Trump. directly. >> Yeah. But I mean there's there's irony. in that in that the whole basis of this. thing is that Trump is going to be the. salvation, right? >> Yeah, that's that's that's that's the.

that's the big that's the big fantasy. But like I said, it's like it's like we. have the the only example of a QAnon. true believer who got to Congress was. able to work with Trump himself, wound. up. wound up coming to realize that that's. not true. He's not he's not the savior. >> I'd be curious to know how many people. lost faith in Trump because you have. this one true believer. You have. Marjorie Taylor Greene who is now at. odds with Trump over this very issue is. because he's the one suppressing these. files and clearly implicated in these.

files. If that's not enough for a bunch. of these people to say, "Look, if. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who's like the. only one in Washington D.C. who's. actually like, you know, on our level, if even she is going to break with Trump. because of his involvement in all of. this stuff that we claim to condemn, then like how is that how is that not. good enough for these people who've put. their faith in Trump?". >> That's a good question. >> I I think I mean I'm coming here with. logic, too. I mean a lot of this is you. kind of have to suspend that. >> Yeah, I mean we we are increasingly.

barreling towards a world where it it. it's of no use to look at time poorly. spent and reflect if that makes any. sense. You know, why why go cuz now at this point if. you're still on the the QAnon bandwagon. you've now waited through four years of. Trump four years of Biden and a year. into this new administration for Hillary. Clinton to be perp walked and it's it's.

just the opposite. It seems like. Hillary Clinton is doing far far better. than than Trump is. Um so at this point you would have to. say, you know, what wow these last like. 10 years almost that I've spent are like. wasted. Um. that's really hard for people to do. You. can do it. I I just right before we. jumped on I checked one of the very. popular like pro QAnon accounts on X.

or Twitter whatever. And the post today. was taking a break going to go spend. some time with my family. >> You know it's bad when even like the the. terminally online people are like hey. I'm going to go touch grass outside. right now. >> And that's the that is I think in my. opinion probably the best thing that. could come from this for people who are. still wrapped up in conspiracy theories. QAnon all that stuff. Um. is if if it makes them upset enough to.

want to take a break. You know, one. thing that we've seen over time is is. that the less time you spend on the. internet and the more time you spend. with loved ones family something that's. grounded in reality. These conspiracies can become you can. become less passionate about them as. other things sort of like take their. place. Um but that's you know, it's a lot for a lot of people it's fun. You know, I I was on you know, I was on. Blue Sky and threads looking at all all.

of the posts about Epstein and all of. this stuff and. look, people are baking. It's fun to go. online and try to figure out a narrative. that makes sense. No matter what you. know, what political aisle you sort of. reside on. Um. And and and and you know, it's it's it's. tough. As long as the internet's there, there's going to be people that are. going to have a narrative for you that. aligns with something that you like and. it's increasingly useless to try to go,

well, this is just from this one source. or who is this from? Like let me go let. me go check. I'm going to see what this. other outlet is publishing to get the. real idea. It's It's way easier to just. find something that you go, yeah, that. sounds right to me and that and that's. reality. >> You guys said something interesting in. our last conversation that that stuck. with me and that that is that there's. always something there's always going to. be a new like if you're in the world of. conspiracy theory, there's always going. to be another conspiracy theory to. explain away conspiracy theories that. aren't neatly resolved like or that. don't make sense. And so I I I I say.

that as the the backdrop for this. question, will there come a point where. Trump will have been in office four. years during his first term, four years. during his second term, um and and even now with full control of. government, full control of the. Department of Justice, he's got as. compliant uh an attorney general as you. could possibly ask for, we're still not. going to see, you know, Hillary Clinton. perp walk because of some, you know, pedophile ring in the basement of a. pizza place. It's just not going to.

happen. And so will there ever be a. point where those folks who believed in. all of this stuff will say, even under. the best conditions possible, all of our. people in charge, Cash Patel, Dan. Bongino, Donald Trump, Pam Bondi, all. those people, we're not getting what we. want, maybe it was always. >> Yeah, I mean, the research really shows. that like the like conspiracism is. really is a mindset and that that that. does something for people. It it it it. aids sort of like, you know, uh.

serve like sometimes like even like. social bonds. I mean, like being a. conspiracist gives you instant access to. a passionate community who are kind of. like interested in the same things as. you, you know? It's it's a it's a sort. of like sometimes it's more of a way to. like, you know, ward off uh uncertainty. and fear and anxiety and loneliness more. than it is an earnest attempt to find. the truth. So, yeah, for that reason and. of course, there's always going to be. people who will like who who concoct. these these elaborate theories not.

because they not because they're really. interested in in uncovering corruption, but because it just it makes them uh. makes them feel connected, makes them. feel special in a way that nothing else. does. >> It's it's more like this is it's a it's. a journey not the destination type deal? >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Hey Jake, what do you think? >> When um. you know, one reason that I started the. the QAA pod um was because I myself uh. default kind of to conspiratorial. thinking. Um you know, I was working in. the entertainment industry and um you.

know, I always wanted to be a. screenwriter and so I I followed. conspiracy theories. casually because I I loved the story, you know, I love I was always looking. for a really interesting story and um. I can tell you that when I was at my. most. vulnerable and susceptible to to. believing conspiracy theories and even. being pulled further right-wing, I I. credit finding like more lefty political. podcasts like Chapo Trap House um and.

just other other people in like the. lefty space that were critical of. government but not going to such a. conspiratorial means. I I think in a lot. of ways that saved me from going further. right. And I can tell you that at that. time in my life, I was struggling. financially. Uh I was lonely. Uh a lot. of my friends were partnered up and were. kind of feeling like they had moved on. with their adult lives. Um Um I I was angry. I was I was bitter. at at people who were having more. success than I was and and that is when.

I was the most susceptible. So, I I. think a lot of it has to do with where. people are in their lives. Um. which can change, you know? Like, you. know, there are times when you can be. really susceptible to these kind of. things and there are times when life is. so good outside of the internet that. these theories hold a lot less weight. So, unfortunately, the answer is as long. as there is this community there to. accept people who are lost, who are. looking for an answer, who are looking.

for somebody to blame. Um there's always. going to be these communities online, especially, there to to welcome them. with open arms. But, that's not to say. that there aren't points of exit. And my. hope is that. you know, I don't know. I I. you know, part of me is like, I hope. Trump makes it the four years because. then cuz if he dies in office, there's. going to be. a new slew of conspiracy theories about.

who poisoned him or whatnot. Um but, my hope is that in the decades. to come. that maybe uh we can sort of pull back I. I don't know. I mean, the people who. have. the people have the power to do so, which is the people who run these big. social media companies. Um it doesn't. seem It seems like they're not on our. side. So, especially given some of the. the the revelations from the the Epstein. emails.

So, I I don't know. It's kind of a bad. answer. I sort of think people are just. going to continue to get more pilled and. more segregated unless we can find like. some kind of like. political figure who who can make. everybody feel loved and listened to. I. I know. It's bad answer. >> Yeah. No, no, I mean it that that does. make sense. Well, I I am curious as cuz. cuz you mentioned like moving forward, you know, uh in time here, is there something on. the horizon that somebody like me, like.

again, in in kind of the more normie. space of the internet. doesn't know is coming but is coming? Like in very much the same way that I. learned about QAnon last. Like I'm not. I'm not in those corners of the. internet. Um but I'm I'm curious like what's. what's coming down the pike that we. should know about? >> Liberal QAnon. >> Well, I mean, I mean, I think uh I mean, people are. already kind of like aware of this, but. like um I think. I think um in. partly in consequence to the fact that.

uh that Trump was reelected, a lot of a. lot of social media networks um like. like like Facebook um sort of like just. took off the guardrails. You know, there. was like there they before they had some. sort of like sort of moderation and. fact-checking efforts before, but boy, those those are all but gone now. Um. that's like that's sort of like that's. better for, you know, that's better for. their bottom line because they they have. to invest in less moderation and like it.

is good because they they they, you. know, the clicks from uh the clicks from. conspiracies are just as good as the. clicks from everyone else. And uh so there's lots more uh nonsense. just uh that that's going to So you just. you just you have to be more guarded. You have to be a cautious person. I. mean, we saw this we saw this with uh. with the recent release of the the new. Epstein documents. There were some there. were some fake ones floating around. Like like uh with uh Elon Musk, his true. that there are a few emails that show. him actively trying to get invited to.

the island, but there's one uh one. particular it says something like, "Oh, uh can I can I go Oh, girls for the. win?" I think I think it was was said. Yeah, it was like that one is totally. fake. And but a lot of people thought it. was real. But like it's like was like. one of those things it's very. convincing. I mean that's that's all. So. like like as as bad as sort of like. misinformation was before, the fact the. fact that now there's. essentially no regulatory pressure on. these social media companies now means.

that you know, you have to be a. conscious consumer of social media in. the moving forward. >> Yeah, my my I was actually just talking. to my buddy Dave from college yesterday. and he he actually put it really. succinctly and he said that I I asked. him if something was real or not cuz he. had sent me one of the files. Actually. one of the one of the documents from the. Epstein files and I asked, is this real? And he said, I just assume that. everything is real and also that. everything is AI. And like you just like. the line between what's real and what's. not is just obliterated these days where.

we are we are immersed in so much lunacy. that if you told me any of this stuff. was real, I'd believe you because look. look at what's happening. Look at the. world we're living in. But at the same. time, if you told me it was all fake, I'd believe you if you said that, too. >> Yeah, I I'm at the point where the I'm. getting videos coming across my feed and. it's like, can you tell the difference. between the AI and the real one? And I. can't anymore. You know, I think past 40 years old, you. you lose that ability to detect AI.

Maybe maybe maybe it's just me. But I. think that's where we're going. That's. what to look out for. And the and the. sad truth is that it's already here. I. mean. >> Yeah. >> We used to never talk about AI on the. podcast. Now I feel like every other. episode we have to debunk like some kind. of AI image or video or something. There. were so many that came out. revolving around the the two ice. murders. I mean. two most recent ice murders, I should.

say. Um. It's just yeah, it's exhausting and. I I. all I can say is to to folks listening. is. just to try to have a little bit of. patience. There's. there's such a rush for information to. come out and there's this whole. ecosystem of influencers and independent. journalists. who. really want to be first on the scene. with some kind of narrative and it's. really easy to just kind of take that as.

fact but but. as I've seen if you wait long enough. usually. enough information comes out that you. can kind of have some. picture of the truth and that's okay. And and that's and that's okay. Maybe a. picture is all we're we're able to get. but it's better than nothing. >> Totally. Hey. Jake and Travis where can folks who are. watching right now or listening right. now to see and hear more from you? >> Yeah, you can check us out on yeah was. like.

any any podcasting app go to QAA and you. can find our free feed. If you like what. we do we also have a Patreon which we. offer we offer premium episodes. We also. have a podcast network we do really fun. mini series about topics like like like. online tradwives. It's called Curse. Media. You can find that at. cursemedia.net. >> Awesome. I'm going to put the link right. here on the screen and also in the post. description of this video. Jake and. Travis thank you guys for the time. Thanks for.

navigating the corners of the internet. that save us from having to navigate. those corners. I appreciate it. >> Always a pleasure Brian. >> Always a pleasure man. Good to talk to. you.