The Prevailing Narrative with Matt Bilinsky

Real life Ray Donovan meets Michael Corleone. That is the life of Orlando "Ori" Spado who served as "Hollywood's Fixer" with connections to organized crime for decades. Ori's story is an odyssey of 20th Century Hollywood & Mafia including figures from Frank Sinatra & the Rat Pack to Naomi Campbell & Suge Knight. Dealing with the highest stakes incidents with the highest profile celebs, Ori survived and thrived by living by a strict Honor Code of rules and principles. He joined me to share those principles and the wisdom gained from some incredible stories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NY Mag dropped a hit piece this week on "the man" in the wellness world - Andrew Huberman. Mostly focusing on his dating life. Were these necessary revelations exposing a fraudulent guru? Or just a sleazy tabloid smear attempt? Candace Owens is terminated by the Daily Wire and paints herself as the victim YET AGAIN. Why she is a lazy conspiracy theorist and perpetual martyr, not a courageous contrarian. Murthy vs. Missouri is the landmark case around 1st Amendment intrusion during the COVID years. Lower courts ruled that the government was so coercive in its communications with Facebook, Twitter, etc. that it turned the social media platforms into arms of the government & violated 1st Amendment rights. The case is now being heard by the Supreme Court and legal expert Ben Weingarten joins me to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Taryn Southern has always been ahead of the curve on new technologies. She was one of the earliest YouTubers beginning in 2007, and has been a trailblazer in the field of Artificial Intelligence - releasing a fully AI-composed pop album in 2018, before most of the world had heard of "Chat GPT". She's now a leading voice (and mind) in the field of Artificial Intelligence, advising the world's leading companies and creators, on how to better utilize AI and be smart about how to encounter the challenges presented by this groundbreaking technology. Taryn joins me to discuss how AI will have earth-shattering impact in media and content creation, the medical field, and the tasks and incidents of every-day life. We also discuss key ethical concerns around AI. Who gets to program these powerful systems, and how do we ensure they are free from the biases and agendas of their programmers? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Believe it or not Election Season 2024 is already upon us. Los Angeles has a primary coming on March 1st with some major elections and issues at stake. To discuss, I am joined by: Councilwoman Traci Park - to discuss her successes and challenges, and ballot measure HLA which threatens to exacerbate the city's budget crisis. Sam Yebri - a local political leader and founder of "Thrive LA" a political action committee to represent the interests of moderate voters. Sam and I break down the races from city council to district attorney and more. Christy Vega - Christy's family has owned LA landmark restaurant Casa Vega for 68 years. She heads numerous small business and restauranteur advocacy groups, and joins us to discuss how LA political dysfunction is impairing the local business environment and making it nearly impossible for small businesses like hers to survive. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Spencer is the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point. If he is not the world's leading authority on Urban Warfare....he is on the short list. John has been writing extensively about the Israeli Defense Force's operation in Gaza in response to Oct. 7th as it is a never-before-seen urban combat mission against an entrenched enemy with 400 miles of tunnels, ensconced within the civilian infrastructure of roughly 8 cities. John explains to us why the IDF's accomplishments over the last 10 weeks out-strip anything he ever envisioned possible in urban warfare. We also get into international law, the morals/ethics of combat, hostage rescue, and John's experiences as an urban combat veteran in Iraq. Truly an incredible discussion that I think you'll learn a lot from. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"The Devil Within" is one of the most popular true crime podcasts out there. Host Branden Morgan asked me to join him to provide legal analysis and explanation of the "Son of Sam" laws. These were a set of laws passed in response to the "Son of Sam" murders, ostensibly preventing criminals from making money by selling the stories of their crimes for Film, Tv, Books etc. These laws bring up a host of fascinating 1st Amendment issues - issues that have been litigated up to the Supreme Court in numerous high profile cases. Crime incidents from O.J. Simpson to the kidnapping of Frank Sinatra Jr. to the movie "Goodfellas" have been the subject of cases around this body of law that have made their ways through the courts to some controversial results. Given there popularity of the "true crime" genre, this is sure to be a hot body of law over the coming years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Intro: "Mental Health" has become content. Is talking about mental health on social media really helping us? Is it in fact worsening our mental health? Colorado Disqualifies Trump from Presidential Ballot: An analysis of the legal arguments and political implications. J.D. Haltigan: How do concepts from the clinical psychiatry and psychology world help explain Clown World? Are we valorizing mental conditions? Are we being dominated by Cluster B personality disorders? Ph.D J.D. Haltigan has been asking (and answering) such questions better than anyone and joins me this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Naama & Ofir Weinberg's aunt & uncle were murdered by Hamas in the October 7th terrorist attack, and their cousin Itai is one of nearly 200 hostages currently being held by Hamas. His life used as a bargaining chip, never knowing if the next time the door to his cell opens it will be the last. Victims and hostages can be just statistics or pictures on a screen to many people. But these are real people and their loved ones relive the horror of these attacks on a daily basis. Naama and Ofir are on a mission to tell Itai's story and use every tool at their disposal to save his life. They joined me this week to discuss this harrowing situation. We also dived into the experiences and views of every day citizens for whom this conflict is not just a news item, but a constant reality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elon Musk is in the cross-hairs of liberal "media watchdog" groups again. But this time he is returning fire. Elon appears to have hard evidence of fraud against Media Matters and is going after them in court. Candace Owens is a divisive figure. A courageous truth-teller, or a cynical grifter? Both? Her recent flirtation with raging anti-Semite Norman Finkelstein speaks volumes. Absolute chaos in the world of Artificial Intelligence as Open AI CEO (and industry figurehead) Sam Altman is abruptly fired by the company's Board. What led to this? What does this tell us about the tensions underlying the roll-out of AI? International Affairs expert Niccolo Soldo (not his real name) returns to breakdown all things related to the conflict in the Middle East, and discuss his latest piece on how the "Diversity Equity Inclusion" world's rejection of Jews as a "preferred" class has revealed numerous fault lines in the American Culture Wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Damir Marusic has been one of the shrewdest commentators on the political dimensions of the conflict in the Middle East. His piece "Hamas Bid for Revolutionary Legitimacy" showed unique insight on the motives and objectives of the event that catalyzed this conflict. Meanwhile, everyone seems to be leveling accusations of "genocide" - accusations which do not survive even the bare minimum of scrutiny. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3 weeks into the Israel-Palestine conflict we take a look at which narratives have taken hold. In particular, the many false equivalencies commentators attempt to apply to the 2 sides. Free speech advocates warned progressives for years that Cancel Culture was a bad idea. They were dismissed. Now that progressives are experiencing professional and social consequences for their support of Hamas, these progressives are getting a taste of their own medicine. A number of major tech figures are calling out Tik Tok for poisoning the discourse around the Middle East conflict among the youth - and even suggesting Donald Trump was right to try to ban it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jon Taffer is one of the shrewdest business minds you will come across. While many know him as the star and creator of hit show "Bar Rescue", he's not only an iconic hospitality figure, but a best-selling author and highly sought after corporate speaker (he even created NFL Sunday Ticket (!)). Jon joins me to discuss his journey through the hospitality and business world, and shares the immense wisdom he has accumulated - including from his best-selling books "The Power of Conflict" and "Don't Bullshit Yourself". A conversation you will really enjoy and learn a lot from. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I attempt to explain the "complexities" of the Israel/Palestinian conflict on 3 levels: 1: The history. How did we get here? Does one side in fact share more of the blame? 2: The current geo-politics. How do the motives of Iran, Saudi Arabia, the US, et al factor into this conflict? 3: The US culture war. Progressive institutions, movements, and intellectuals have unmasked themselves, being suspiciously forgiving of the slaughter of innocent civilians. And people are noticing. Also, MLB Pitcher Trevor Bauer had his life ruined by accusations of sexual misconduct. Last week he provided indisputable evidence he was a victim of an embezzlement scheme from an accuser. Yet the sports media seems uninterested in apologizing for indulging false accusations against him. Outkick's Charly Arnolt joins me to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I interview Richard Hanania on his recently released Best-Selling book "Origins of Woke: Civil Rights Law, Corporate America and the Triumph of Identity Politics". This book has been lauded by notable figures such Elon Musk, and criticized by the mainstream press with The Atlantic going so far as to call it "a Trojan Horse for White Supremacy". It appears to be an explanation for the Woke phenomenon focused around Civil Rights Law and its overreach. Listen and decide for yourself. On a related note, Race Hustler extraordinaire Ibram Kendi implodes in scandal around his Center for Anti-Racism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Russell Brand is the target of sexual assault accusations & a vicious censorship campaign. While the charges appear serious, many suspect Brand is being targeted less for his bad behavior in the past, & more for his recent turn as an anti-Establishment media figure. What happens when a person is being rightly prosecuted but for the wrong reasons? Also, Emilie Hagen & Jennifer Carmody join me for a follow-up to our discussion on the House in Habit podcast about Bari Weiss' public debate on "Did the Sexual Revolution Fail?". A deep dive into modern gender roles and relations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The most interesting story nobody is talking about. El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele has instituted a brutal gang crackdown imprisoning nearly 1% of the entire population over the past year (the equivalent of over 3 million people in the US). This war against the gangs has been brutal...and effective. El Salvador's murder rate has plummeted 94%(!) since 2015, when it was the most violent nation in the Western Hemisphere. President Bukele suspended many civil rights and essentially locks up Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hollywood is at a stand-still with both the actor's and writer's guilds striking simultaneously for the 1st time since 1960. What is the battle over? What does this portend for the future of media? Transgender Health Secretary Rachel/Richard Levine makes controversial statements about childhood puberty and puberty blockers. LA (and Illinois) have reinstated "Zero Bail" policies for some crimes - and can no long jail criminals before trial. Internet Personality Adam 22 celebrates his wife having sex w another man...and comes to regret it. Sperm count has declined in Western society nearly 50% over the past 50 years. Even THIS issue has now become part of the Culture Wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Meta releases Threads - the first true challenge to Twitter's supremacy as the "digital town square". What was the thinking behind Threads? Will it spell the end for Twitter? Who is using Threads so far and how? Jonah Hill's ex-girlfriend releases a batch of private texts supposedly showing him to be abusive and it's got the digital sphere talking. Another example of how we no longer know where to draw the line between Private & Public. NY Times publishes a hit piece suggesting Clarence Thomas is irretrievably corrupt. Upon review, the piece is a clear "Fake News" missive making grossly false allegations against the Supreme Court Justice. Strange week for the media - publishing pieces on how "fitness makes you right wing" and in support of....birth control and child trafficking? I analyze some truly odd pieces from NBC, MSNBC, and Rolling Stone. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Diversity", "Equity", & "Inclusion" are seemingly separate principles. However, the terms have been lumped together, co-opted by an industry of professionals, and implanted bureaucratically in Corporate America. With expensive "DEI Consultants" renting themselves out to companies, and "DEI Executives" occupying lofty (and expensive) positions at major corporations, no one seemed to ever ask the question "Does any of this stuff actually work?". Conor Friedersdorf of The Atlantic has taken a deeper look at companies scrutinizing these programs (and personnel) and starting to wonder if they're getting their bang for their buck. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Originally intended to measure strict environmental impact, "Environment Social Governance" or "ESG" scores are now used by financial institutions to reward and punish companies based on their supposed ethics. But are these scores actually measuring the right things? When Phillip Morris earns an ESG score multiples of Tesla - despite making a product that is literally killing people - it appears safe to say that the scoring system is broken. Haley Kennington of Wrong Speak has been studying how ESG scores have become nothing more than intimidation rackets for progressive institutions to bully companies into aligning with their political agenda. She joins me this episode to discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices