In Episode 1870 of the No Agenda Show, titled "VBS," hosts Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak deconstruct a week of major political developments, including Vice President JD Vance stepping in for Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at the White House podium, Rep. Thomas Massie's unexpected primary defeat, and the federal indictment of former Cuban dictator Raul Castro. The episode, published May 21, 2026, examines how outlets like ABC, NBC, CBS, NPR, and MSNBC covered — or omitted — these stories.
Curry and Dvorak open with Vice President Vance's press briefing, noting his handling of questions on Iran, gas prices, and the ongoing ceasefire. Curry praises Vance's performance, stating, "He is making the press briefing exciting again." The hosts contrast this with what they consider the real story: Massie's loss to Trump-backed Ed Gallrein in Kentucky's primary, a $32 million race allegedly influenced by an AI-driven smear campaign involving Massie, Lauren Boebert, and a "boner phone." Curry argues that the mainstream media ignored the smear, which he claims was manufactured to take down both Massie and Boebert. Dvorak explains, "It was a smear campaign that indicated that once Massie's wife died, he had an affair with at least 2 women."
The episode then turns to the DOJ's indictment of Raul Castro for the 1996 shootdown of Brothers to the Rescue planes. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the charges, with Dvorak speculating that President Trump is "completing the Bay of Pigs operation that Kennedy chickened out on." The hosts note the Nimitz strike group's deployment to the Caribbean as a backdrop.
Other segments cover the $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund from Trump's settled IRS lawsuit, his 3,700 stock trades attributed to high-frequency algorithms, Polymarket insider-betting concerns tied to Donald Trump Jr., Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's "Economic Fury" sanctions targeting UK-domiciled tanker operators, the San Diego Islamic Center shooting, and Google's $190 billion Gemini Spark rollout at I/O. The episode also includes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Hatch Act–adjacent campaign appearance and Tucker Carlson's Channel 13 Israel interview.
Curry and Dvorak argue that the Massie collapse — from a 71% win probability on May 8 to a near 10-point loss — was driven by an algorithmic smear that legacy outlets ignored. They present a listener letter alleging the story was crafted to harm both Massie and Boebert. The hosts also discuss the broader implications of Vance's press briefing debut and the Castro indictment, framing them as examples of media manipulation and agenda-setting.
