The Stone Zone ｜ 01-14-26
Episode Stats
Summary
Ellen Greenberg s death in 2011 was initially ruled a suicide, but the medical examiner later admitted that her death was in fact a homicide. Now, the U.S. Attorney General s Office of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has quietly requested and obtained all case files, signaling renewed federal interest in the case. Meanwhile, Iran's regime is responding with electronic warfare.
Transcript
00:00:00.000
Every week, the Payne family cuts straight to the real financial story.
00:00:04.480
The one question, Bob, everyone's asking is, are we in an artificial intelligence bubble?
00:00:10.080
You've been through boom and busts. What do you think?
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No hype, no myths, just what actually matters to your money.
00:00:17.440
Does feel very similar to what we experienced in the 90s. Where are we, though? Are we in 1995,
00:00:23.000
1997, 1999? Listen to the Payne Points of Wealth on the Red Apple Podcast Network.
00:00:30.000
Nova Scotia Canada is a technology powerhouse with top-tier talent, thriving innovation,
00:00:35.880
and limitless opportunity for growth and success. Be part of it at investnovascotia.ca.
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The Stone Zone, entertaining and informative on the Red Apple Podcast Network.
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You are now entering the Stone Zone. Well, all eyes worldwide are focused on the
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teetering, brutal Islamic regime in Iran. There are speculation that U.S. forces have
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massed near the Iranian border, and there's a real possibility of action in the next 24 hours.
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Although, amid a days-long nationwide internet blackout, SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk,
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has valiantly waived subscription fees for Starlink inside Iran, allowing users with satellite
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receivers to access uncensored internet for free. According to Bloomberg, the move was confirmed
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by sources familiar with Starlink's operations and by Elon Musk's own allies, who have worked diligently
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to keep Iranians connected and able to effectively communicate as they wage revolution against the
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despised Islamic theocracy. The development comes as President Donald Trump escalates his rhetoric
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against the Iranian scourge, urging Iranian citizens to continue protesting and to reclaim
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their institutions from the ruling clerics. What began last month as economic protests in Tehran's
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marketplaces has now involved in widespread unrest targeting police stations and government buildings.
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I don't need to remind you that the betrayal of the Shah in 1979 by the peanut farmer Jimmy Carter,
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who didn't have much understanding of international affairs, is what allowed this brutal Islamic regime
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to rise. Under the Shah, who was no exemplar of human rights by any means, Iranian society was still
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cosmopolitan, pro-Western. Women were allowed to be educated, students were allowed to study abroad,
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and Iran was a much safer place. At the same time, the Iran government did also brutalize its citizens,
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which is why I'm opposed to the idea that should the current regime fall, or perhaps I should say
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when the current regime falls, that the house of Pahlavi and the Shah's son should be restored to power.
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The answer to this theocracy is not a new monarchy. Iranian officials are becoming increasingly
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desperate, whining about armed rioters attacking law enforcement with firearms and improvised weapons.
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This is a reckoning that's been a long time coming. Meanwhile, Iran's regime is responding with
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electronic warfare. According to the Wall Street Journal, authorities are actively jamming Starlink
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signals, confiscating satellite dishes, and hunting down users, particularly in the protest-heavy
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neighborhoods of Tehran. Starlink's presence will help expose the regime's brutality and shows,
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yet again, authoritarian governments fear free information and the truth more than anything else.
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With the free and open internet, it's hard for government tyrants to keep
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populations ignorant and under control. God bless Elon Musk for his work in empowering Iranians to
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forge a better life for themselves and their posterity. Bad news for one would be presidential
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candidate. The federal government is now reopening one of the most troubling death cases in recent
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Pennsylvania history. That would be the 2011 killing of Ellen Greenberg, a 27-year-old Philadelphia
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schoolteacher whose death was officially ruled as a suicide despite overwhelming red flags.
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Greenberg was found dead in the apartment she shared with her fiancé, with 20 stab wounds, including 10 to the
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back of her head and the base of her skull. A 10-inch knife was still lodged in her chest when she was found.
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The medical examiner initially ruled the death a homicide, then reversed course and labeled it as a suicide,
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a decision that has baffled medical experts and enraged her family for more than a decade.
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Now, the U.S. Attorney General's Office of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has quietly requested
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and obtained all case records signaling renewed federal interests. According to NBC10, those documents
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were turned over last month. In a stunning development, the original medical examiner signed a sworn statement
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in January of 2025, admitting the death should not have been ruled as suicide. Medical records also
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contradict the suicide ruling. Greenberg's treating physician wrote that she was not suicidal
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and noted bruising consistent with domestic abuse. One stab wound was reportedly inflicted after she would
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have already been dead. Yet suicide's rulings have been publicly defended by then Attorney General,
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now Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who is clearly planning a 2028 presidential campaign.
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I predict to you here in the Stone Zone that this case is going to dog Josh Shapiro and any campaign
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for president. Greenberg's parents settled a lawsuit with the city of Philadelphia for $650,000
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in exchange for an independent review, one that again upheld the suicide finding. But with federal
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prosecutors now circling the central question remains unanswered. Was this a tragic miscarriage of justice
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or a cover-up that has lasted 14 long years? And how intimately involved was Governor Shapiro in this
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cover-up? And there is no doubt that the fiancé's family are large donors to the former Attorney General
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and now governor. And what would compel Governor Shapiro to suppress the truth in this case?
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The American people really deserve to know. A shocking security breach has also been exposed
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within the United States Secret Service, showing how little has changed within that organization
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since President Trump's near assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania. An undercover journalist
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with O'Keefe Media Group, run by my good friend James O'Keefe, obtained sensitive information
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about Vice President J.D. Vance after a Secret Service agent revealed protected details during what
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he believed was a Tinder date. According to the O'Keefe Media Group founder James O'Keefe,
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Chief Agent Thomas Escotto discovered non-public information, pardon me, disclosed non-public
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information, including future travel plans, details about guarding the Vice President's children,
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and confidential elements of Secret Service operations. Portions of the video were deliberately
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censored to avoid endangering Vice President J.D. Vance or his family. Escotto openly expressed
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hostility towards President Donald Trump, telling the undercover reporter for O'Keefe Media that he
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hated Trump's immigration policies, and dismissively referring to protecting the Vice President's
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children as babysitting. James O'Keefe said the goal of releasing the footage was to send a shockwave
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through the federal government and to force accountability inside agencies entrusted with
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important national security interests. While the Secret Service has not confirmed a criminal violation,
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it acknowledged the conduct may violate its internal code of ethics. I certainly hope it would.
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This revelation comes amid growing scrutiny of the United States Secret Service. We've never received
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any answers as to how they could possibly have left Thomas Matthew Crooks get up on a roof of that
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building and allow him to get off potential kill shots against President Donald Trump, who was only
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being saved by a quarter of an inch in the grace of God. Perhaps Eric Prince needs to be called in to
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overhaul the Secret Service. It appears that that branch of government is as corrupt and ineffectual as
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any bureaucratic entity operating out of Washington, D.C.'s sewer. Recently, President Donald Trump's motorcade
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in Palm Beach had to be rerouted when a suspicious device was found in the roadway. Every single night,
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I pray for the safety of President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and their families and all
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the key members of their administration. As the radical left is perfectly prepared to use violence,
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we saw two attempts on the life of President Donald Trump, but what we don't have is answers.
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We've seen the video footage and the fact that the alleged gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks,
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was allowed to get off at least one shot before taken out by a counter-terrorist,
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and he was actually hit first by a county sheriff's officer. But how is it that all of those in law
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enforcement, the state police, the local police, the Secret Service, and the Department of Homeland
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Security were all on different radio frequencies, so they could not communicate with each other?
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How is it possible that the fact that Thomas Matthew Crooks was seen inside the perimeter of the area where
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President Trump spoke that day for a full 90 minutes, yet Donald Trump's direct Secret Service
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detail was never informed? I can tell you, having worked for three American presidents, that the
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that the regulatory norm here would have been to remove the presidential candidate and former
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president from the premises immediately. But we still have are more questions than answers,
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and that doesn't even speak to the subsequent attempt on the president's life at the West Palm Beach
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Trump International Golf Course, where a man, Ryan Ralph, with very clear connections to the Central
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Intelligence Agency, was able to get into the parameter, obtain a weapon, and come very close to
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shooting our president. Once again, the American people need more answers. Tomorrow on the Stone Zone,
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we're going to be joined by none other than my very good friend, the editor and publisher of the
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Illinois Review. Mark Vargas is going to join us with really an earth-shaking report exposing how
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Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, you know, he despises Doge. That's because he himself is corrupt,
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and the disclosures by Mark Vargas of the Illinois Review will involve taxpayer money, insider business
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interests, and cashing in at the expense of hard-working Illinois families. You're going to
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want to tune in for this. We are going to break some news right here in the Stone Zone. I appreciate
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you joining us today in the Stone Zone on the Red Apple Audio Networks. We're here five days a week
00:11:59.720
talking politics, news, history, and, well, more politics. This story coming up on J.B. Pritzker
00:12:07.280
exposes exactly why he hates Doge. If you think this Somali scandal in Minnesota is big,
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wait until you see what's going on in Illinois and how the billionaire governor has pocketed millions
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from Illinois taxpayers, supposedly through his blind trust. Of course, if he knows what's in the trust,
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how blind can it be? I'm Roger Stone. You're listening to the Stone Zone right here on the
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Red Apple Audio Networks. If you want to hear more politics, whatever you do, don't touch that dial.
00:12:38.860
Every week, the Payne family cuts straight to the real financial story. The one question, Bob,
00:12:46.120
everyone's asking is, are we in an artificial intelligence bubble? You've been through boom
00:12:51.660
and busts. What do you think? No hype, no myths, just what actually matters to your money.
00:12:57.780
Does feel very similar to what we experienced in the 90s. Where are we, though? Are we in 1995,
00:13:03.120
1997, 1999? Listen to the Pain Points of Wealth on the Red Apple Podcast Network.
00:13:11.840
The Stone Zone. Entertaining and informative on the Red Apple Podcast Network.
00:13:18.860
Welcome back into the Stone Zone. Could Greenland really become our 51st state? President Donald
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Trump has talked openly about his desire to have Greenland join the United States. Later on in the
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program, Rod Martin of the Rod Martin Report is going to join us to break that question down. I
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pointed out that there are at least two Canadian provinces, both Saskatchewan and Alberta, moving
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swiftly under their constitution towards independence, which could be the first step to either one of them
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applying for statehood. Saskatchewan, one of the wealthiest provinces in Canada when it comes to
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rare earth minerals, oil and gas, smaller and probably the most conservative province in Canada,
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moving swiftly to put that question on the ballot. Under the Canadian constitution, any
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province can declare its independence by a simple vote of the people. And then, of course, they would
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have to apply for American statehood. But perhaps Greenland will get in ahead of them. Rod Martin is going to
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join us later in the program to talk about that. You can find him at rodmartin.org, one of the great
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thinkers of our time. Now, nearly half of American adults are rejecting both major political parties
00:14:38.740
in the sign of deep public dissatisfaction with the political system and the uniparty that lords over it.
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According to a new survey from Gallup, a record 45% of U.S. adults identified as political
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independents in 2025, while 27% each call themselves either Democrats or Republicans. This is a seismic
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shift from the past. Gallup surveyed more than 13,000 adults over the course of the year. This trend is
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being driven primarily by younger Americans who do not feel served by our current mainstream politics.
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Firm majorities of Generation Z and millennials now identify as independents along with more than
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4 in 10 Gen X adults. Older generations remain more partisan, but even there, party loyalty is beginning
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to weaken. Importantly, many independents still lean one way or the other. Of that 45%, Gallup found that
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20% said they leaned to the Democrats, while 15% said they leaned to the Republicans, and 10% leaned
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neither way, in particular, according to the survey. Gallup issued a critical warning that this is not a
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surge of enthusiasm for Democrats. Favorable ratings for the Democrat Party remain historically poor,
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and frankly, no better than the Republicans. Republicans can win over these independents by
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fulfilling the promise and agenda put forward by President Donald Trump. That means we must see
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deeply corrupt, deep state officials thrown behind bars for their illegal and unconstitutional efforts
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to destroy Donald Trump and his family. It also means we have to double down on tariffs and get better
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trade deals, as President Donald Trump has been doing. Add that to the largest tax cut in American
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history, and the regulatory cuts, not to mention the upcoming interest rate cut we'll get when we no
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longer have a completely and totally politicized Federal Reserve Board. It's interesting that when Jerome
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Powell, the current chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, clearly lied under oath to Congress about the
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expenditure of millions of dollars of the taxpayers' money, while those in the mainstream media say
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that should just be excused. That's not what they said when they accused me, falsely, of lying under
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oath about Russian collusion that never actually happened. So I believe that the key to extending
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President Donald Trump's electoral coalition is to fulfill the promises that he put forward in the last
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campaign, and he is doing that. Inflation is down, food prices are down, gas prices are down sharply,
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and Uncle Sam is no longer being taken as a sucker around the world. The answer to the 2026 elections is
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to fulfill the promises of 2024, and the president is doing that. Now, whether Republicans in Congress are
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smart enough to follow that lead remains to be seen. But the way to galvanize his independents and to win
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the midterms is to keep the promises made in the 2024 election. Don't go away. Coming up on the other
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side, Rod Martin of the Rod Martin Report joins me to talk about whether it is feasible or whether it could
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actually happen that Greenland would become our 51st state. Don't go away. We'll be right back.
00:18:11.940
Welcome back into the Stone Zone. So could Greenland, a Danish colony in our hemisphere,
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actually become America's 51st state? Joining me to talk about that is one of my favorite public
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intellectuals. That's Rod Martin. He's the founder and CEO of Martin Capital, but he also helms
00:18:44.140
the Rod Martin Report. I like Rod Martin because he's a technology entrepreneur, an investor, and a
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futurist, but he's also a realist and a thinker. So when he writes, I love to read it. I love to repost
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his stuff, and I always like to get his take on these things. He's been way out ahead of others
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in analyzing the situation regarding Greenland. Rod, welcome into the Stone Zone.
00:19:07.160
Great to be here. So do you believe that Greenland is a key part of effectuating what we're calling
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the Don Rowe Doctrine in this hemisphere? And if so, why is that?
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Well, the president's exactly right to be concerned about acquiring Greenland, and of course, he's not
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the first president to do so. To listen to the intermedia, you would get the idea that he's off on some
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crazy bender, but Dwight Eisenhower wanted to acquire Greenland. He wasn't even the first, and there has
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been a consistent understanding of the need for this. There just hasn't been a lot of attention.
00:19:51.240
Well, it's a new day. We live in an age in which either through global warming, which I think many of us
00:19:59.000
are properly skeptical of, or through the advent of growing nuclear power capabilities resulting in the
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likely prospect of a lot of nuclear icebreakers on the part of China and the United States and Russia,
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you actually have sea lanes in the north that are of increasing vitality. And Greenland commands those
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sea lanes very much as it did during the Cold War and World War II between itself and Iceland
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and the UK. These are absolutely vital to American security, but there's more. Greenland is also a source
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of a tremendous quantity of rare earth minerals and other natural resources, especially oil and gas
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offshore that are vital to the future. And they are all difficult to access. They are all far beyond
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the technical and financial resources of Denmark to exploit. So what we have is a situation where the
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57,000 Greenlanders are stuck in needless poverty under colonial domination by a European power,
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if you can call it that, and really have no hope of any of this ever happening for them, apart from a
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major power coming in and developing it. So the president's right. If we don't act, China or Russia will,
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and there's not a lot Greenland, I'm sorry, Denmark can do about it. This is a money pit for them,
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a billion dollar subsidy a year, and accomplishing absolutely nothing. So at the outset, you said,
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should they become 51st state? Probably not. They want to be independent. There's a way to achieve
00:21:51.840
everything for everybody. We can end Denmark's need to subsidize them. We can take over that role of
00:21:59.540
patron. Greenland can become independent, and we can form a compact of free association with them
00:22:06.980
as we have with the Mariana Islands and with the Marshalls and with Palau. They get all the
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benefits of independence with none of the costs, and everybody's happy. As you know, President Donald
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Trump has identified the Greenland question as a question of national security. While Denmark's
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leaders have downplayed the threat to Greenland posed by the Russians or the Chinese amidst President
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Trump's outspoken desire to acquire this frozen island, Denmark's own intelligence agency recently
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released an assessment bluntly warning of Russian and Chinese military ambitions and expansion towards
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Greenland and the entire Arctic. You've also written very compellingly about the importance of the
00:22:52.640
development of nuclear power in the Arctic in this new frontier. So for those who try to say,
00:22:59.060
well, Trump's bellicose language, his desires to obtain Greenland are similar to the war in Iraq,
00:23:09.660
let's say, under the neocons. I don't believe that. I believe that this is, in fact, a national
00:23:15.060
security question confronting our country. It absolutely is, and there's nothing neoconservative
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about it. This is, this is the same kind of moral realism we saw under Ronald Reagan, where you use
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short, sharp uses of American power, such as we just did in Caracas, to achieve a multiplicity of
00:23:37.260
ends. Well, there's no need for a short, sharp use of power here, but there is a need for a very
00:23:43.740
Trumpian, maximalist position going into a negotiation that compels the people on the other side of the
00:23:52.060
table to get creative about actually solving the problem. And the end result of that is always a
00:23:58.280
good deal for everyone. Anybody who wants to play ball with Donald Trump is going to win in the
00:24:05.300
process as he wins in the process. It's the people like the Ayatollah and Putin and Xi Jinping who are
00:24:15.200
going to lose, because if you don't want to play ball with Donald Trump, he's going to whack you,
00:24:20.580
and it's going to really actually be incredibly entertaining for many of us, and it's going to
00:24:26.140
be a very effective course of action for the United States. So that's just not going to be in the cards
00:24:32.160
here, but it is going to get these guys to sit down and talk, and we saw the beginning of that today
00:24:37.000
with the foreign ministers from Greenland and Denmark coming to meet with Marco Rubio.
00:24:42.780
That's a good development, and they can say whatever bellicose things they want, but at the end of the
00:24:48.040
day, they came to Washington, and they're talking about the problem, and we're going to get to a
00:24:53.860
good solution. This president will see to that. Folks, if you're just tuning in, we're talking to
00:24:59.780
Rod Martin of the Rod Martin Report. You can go to rodmartin.org. I strongly recommend you subscribe,
00:25:06.720
either at Substack or at Rod's own website. Always incisive analysis of the political developments
00:25:13.900
and economic developments around the globe. You know, Rod, I'm a political animal, and therefore,
00:25:20.020
I don't see what the harm would be to putting this question up before the people of Greenland
00:25:25.240
in a referendum. Why are the globalists so doggedly opposed to democracy and letting the people of
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Greenland speak about their future? Well, it really is odd, isn't it? Because polling has long
00:25:39.900
shown that the Greenlanders want to be independent of Denmark. Denmark has not been a good colonial
00:25:47.800
master, and there is, of course, this inherent bellicosity in the president's approach, so of
00:25:55.680
course, that makes people nervous, but the truth of the matter is, they would be independent if they
00:26:01.860
could, and they've been very clear about that, and the unhappiness with Denmark is widespread and
00:26:07.820
longstanding. So, if they could be independent without the costs of independence, that would
00:26:16.180
solve the problem for everybody. Again, a compact of free association, such as we've already entered
00:26:23.100
into with three separate independent countries in the Pacific, all island countries, I might add,
00:26:29.960
is perfect for them. It's expensive to have a military. It's expensive to have embassies in 195
00:26:38.700
countries, or even a fraction of that. It's expensive to be part of the United Nations and all these
00:26:44.740
different things, and the United States just takes care of that for the people in free association with
00:26:51.100
us. So, they get to be free. They get to do whatever they want internally. America gets appropriate
00:26:57.500
defense considerations, and we pay the freight on all those foreign policy matters. This would solve
00:27:04.640
the problem, and yes, once the Greenlanders fully understand that that's an option on the table,
00:27:11.640
I think you get to a referendum, and I think this is exactly what they're going to vote for.
00:27:17.240
Yeah, the EU and NATO talk tough, but I don't think they have much to back it up, and I think the
00:27:23.660
president's going to call their bluff here. Rod, while I've got you, I've got to ask you your take on
00:27:30.820
the developments swiftly happening there in Iran, where the regime, which is extraordinarily brutal,
00:27:37.660
people need to understand that mass public executions are part of their bag of tricks. This is
00:27:43.720
one of the most brutal governments in the world. It's not really a government. I think former
00:27:49.320
president Richard Nixon, when he was at the Shah's funeral, correctly appointed this as a mob,
00:27:55.640
which is what it really is. Your take on the situation in Iran.
00:28:01.020
Well, the crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, was interviewed today. He says that his best information suggests
00:28:08.180
that the regime has murdered 12,000 protesters. These are unarmed people, and this is exactly why we have a
00:28:16.980
second amendment in this country, because the truth is, if only the state has guns, then everyone
00:28:24.900
is at the mercy of the state, and that's exactly what's happened in Iran. So the president came out
00:28:30.740
very strongly, I thought, you know, said very clearly, keep protesting, help is on the way. Well, we don't
00:28:38.140
know exactly what that means. It certainly includes the 25% tariff he just slapped on any country that
00:28:44.220
continues to do business with Iran. But there are a range of military operations that are available
00:28:50.700
that he is strongly implying we're going to employ. And the only question is, what is the mix? And what
00:28:56.900
is the date? And when he says, help's on the way, and then it doesn't happen within 24 hours, we
00:29:02.980
shouldn't be unnerved by that. The truth of the matter is, Iran's halfway around the world, and it's not
00:29:08.520
as easy to do this as it would be in Caracas. But what is certain is, this military under this
00:29:17.200
president, and Pete Hegseth, and the team that Trump has assembled, is absolutely going to be
00:29:24.160
successful in what they do. And I think we could be on the brink of this regime toppling.
00:29:29.760
I agree with your analysis. I'm not sure Americans fully appreciate the courage of the Iranian
00:29:37.820
people. This is an incredibly brutal regime with a vicious secret police. Now there's huge
00:29:45.300
disinformation that those protesters who are being killed are being killed by Israeli agents who are
00:29:52.120
doing it as a provocation. I reject that entirely. This is a manifestation of the fact that
00:29:59.620
conditions in Iran have really eroded to the fact that people's quality of life has been badly
00:30:05.600
disturbed. There's a lack of food, there's a lack of fuel, there's a lack of gainful employment. This
00:30:13.380
is a society that is collapsing before our very eyes. And I don't think you're going to have
00:30:19.580
an invasion. I'm not sure that's going to be necessary. I think this brutal regime is going to
00:30:27.060
topple on its own. And then the question becomes, what comes next? I am opposed to moving from a
00:30:34.580
theocracy back to a monarchy. I don't think that's the answer. Obviously, I would like to see that I
00:30:40.480
have to see the nation have free, fair, open elections, and a democratic process to select a
00:30:47.740
way forward. I'm not sure that that is immediately realistic. What do you see coming up in Iran post-regime?
00:30:56.140
Well, you and I have friends on both sides of the question of, is Reza Pahlavi the right guy to lead a
00:31:04.620
transition? And some of our friends are concerned that he may be in league with the Revolutionary
00:31:11.900
Guard, and other of our friends poohoo that. And the truth of the matter is, we can't know until
00:31:19.720
something happens. But Reza Pahlavi has consistently called for a transitional government that becomes a
00:31:28.700
secular democracy. And he seems to be patterning what he has in mind on Juan Carlos in Spain. After
00:31:36.600
Franco died, he had decided to bring back the monarchy, and Juan Carlos was the next one in line.
00:31:43.580
And so he sets up Juan Carlos, who immediately calls elections and creates a constitutional monarchy
00:31:53.020
not that different from the one in Great Britain. So if Reza Pahlavi were able to bring that to pass,
00:32:00.300
it would be just unbelievable for the region. First of all, the main threat to every Gulf state and to
00:32:11.220
Israel would just be gone. Iran would become not just a free country, but an ally of the United States
00:32:18.500
and of Israel as it was before the Islamic Revolution in 79. But we're also seeing some interesting
00:32:25.980
developments on the religious side. People have clearly rejected the Islamic theocracy. And in the
00:32:36.040
process, a great many of them seem to be rejecting Islam itself. So we're seeing a rise of Zoroastrianism,
00:32:44.540
which is the historic religion of Persia. We're also seeing a rise of Christianity in a lot of places.
00:32:50.460
So this could really be a staggering development for the Middle East. And we could see the resumption
00:32:56.920
of the westernization of one of the most important countries in the region.
00:33:01.760
Folks, if you're just tuning in, we're talking to Rod Martin of the Rod Martin Report. Go to
00:33:07.240
rodmartin.org. And when we come back, I want to get Rod Martin's views on the events in Venezuela.
00:33:13.720
So whatever you do, don't touch that dial. We'll be right back.
00:33:26.380
And we're back in the Stone Zone. We're going to wrap up our conversation with
00:33:31.860
Rod Martin. Rod Martin produces the Rod Martin Report. You can go to rodmartin.org.
00:33:38.620
Some of the most incisive analysis you'll find anywhere on the internet.
00:33:42.600
And we're very pleased to have him with us. Rod, while I have you,
00:33:46.080
I have to get your assessment on the situation in Venezuela.
00:33:49.560
Now, I'm certainly not a neocon, nor am I an isolationist. I kind of consider myself a
00:33:55.960
non-interventionist, if you will. But this was a law enforcement action backed up by the U.S.
00:34:02.800
military. If this was regime change, well, then Delce would not be the current president,
00:34:10.160
at least on paper, of the country. Once again, you see Trump projecting American power,
00:34:15.200
but in a limited way, as he did in Iran when he disabled, at least temporarily,
00:34:22.260
their nuclear weapons development program. Once again, limited projection of American power.
00:34:28.400
No boots on the ground. No American casualties. No long-term presence in Venezuela.
00:34:35.700
Well, the Iran operation is the template. It just couldn't be clearer what this president is
00:34:46.360
doing that's different from the neocons. The neocons wanted to go out into the world on a big
00:34:51.980
crusade and reshape the planet in their image. And there's not necessarily that much of a limit to
00:35:00.780
the American power to do that, but there's a tremendous limit to the American stomach for 20
00:35:07.680
years of occupying some foreign country somewhere. And Donald Trump is just never going to do that.
00:35:13.860
So first of all, in the Iran operation, the 12-day war, he got the Israelis to do the heavy lifting.
00:35:22.600
This is exactly what's going on with NATO when we're demanding that they actually pony up 5% of GDP
00:35:31.100
for their own defense. We want these allies, if you can call them that, to be true partners and not
00:35:39.740
dependents in our basement. It's just very simple. And so the Israelis took on the heavy lifting and we
00:35:47.440
showed up with the bombers at the key moment at Fordo and Natanz and Isfahan. Well, Venezuela is very
00:35:55.940
much the same. Here we didn't really have to do much bombing. We went in with a surgical strike. We
00:36:02.340
captured this man who has been indicted in a U.S. court. He is absolutely an international criminal.
00:36:12.000
He and his wife. And in capturing him, it's an entire domino effect. And the president is just
00:36:19.600
brilliant at this sort of thing. It's not just a de facto regime change without the troops and
00:36:26.880
without the occupation. Although it is that because every single member of the rump government in Caracas
00:36:34.260
knows that they're next and they can share a sale beside Maduro if they don't do what the president
00:36:41.080
says. So when he said the other day that he's the de facto acting president of Venezuela,
00:36:46.760
he's really actually, despite kidding, pretty serious. And that really is the reality. But it's not
00:36:54.860
just that. In cutting off Venezuelan oil to Cuba, that regime is teetering on the brink. In going after
00:37:03.500
the shadow fleet tankers coming in and out of Venezuela, you're sending a message to Vladimir Putin
00:37:10.300
that he's not going to have any resources to fight his war in Ukraine. He's got to come to the peace
00:37:17.640
table. It also hurts China because they're counting on Iranian and Venezuelan oil that travels in that
00:37:25.020
shadow fleet. And in all these ways, Donald Trump has advanced American interests.
00:37:29.720
Very well put. I want to thank my guest, Rod Martin of the Rod Martin Report. Again,
00:37:35.100
you can go to rodmartin.org and subscribe to his great work. Rod, thank you for joining us tonight
00:37:40.980
in the Stone Zone. And to our regular listeners, God bless you and Godspeed. Thank you for joining us.
00:37:47.060
Thanks for listening to the Stone Zone with Roger Stone. You can hear the Stone Zone with Roger Stone
00:37:53.380
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Every week, the Payne family cuts straight to the real financial story.
00:38:25.380
The one question, Bob, everyone's asking is, are we in an artificial intelligence bubble?
00:38:31.000
You've been through boom and busts. What do you think?
00:38:33.760
No hype, no myths, just what actually matters to your money.
00:38:38.340
Does feel very similar to what we experienced in the 90s. Where are we though? Are we in 1995,
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