In this week’s episode of The Free Thought Project Podcast, Jason, Matt, and Don sit down with John Kiriakou—former CIA officer turned whistleblower, best-selling author, and one of the few people ever prosecuted for exposing the U.S. government’s illegal torture program. After blowing the whistle on CIA waterboarding, John became a powerful voice for truth, transparency, and accountability in an age of state secrecy and suppression.
We dive straight into the current state of the American police state, discussing the Trump administration’s troubling remarks about suspending habeas corpus, and what that could mean for dissenters and immigrants alike. We explore the alarming normalization of censorship, as the U.S. government continues to universities and punish those who dare to speak out against its narratives.
The conversation then turns to U.S.-Israel relations, as we analyze the theatrical "shift" in Trump’s tone toward Netanyahu and Israel’s influence on American foreign policy. Is it genuine? Or just more Kabuki theater masking business as usual? John gives us some powerful insight on why this may actually be genuine.
We also examine America’s role in cultivating the opium trade in Afghanistan, and the decades-long hypocrisy of the so-called war on drugs. John offers rare firsthand insight from inside the system—what was said versus what was done—and how that disconnect continues to drive global suffering.
As always, we end on a white pill note, asking John what gives him hope and whether the truth is still worth the cost in a world that punishes it. His answer is as heartfelt as it is encouraging.
This is a wide-ranging, no-holds-barred conversation with one of the bravest voices in modern American history. (Length: 1:02:59) Our Little Free Thinkers Children's Book: https://littlefreethinkers.com/ Support The Free Thought Project: https://tftpsubdomain.wpengine.com/tftp-membership/ Find John on Twitter: https://x.com/JohnKiriakou Find John on Substack: https://johnkiriakou.substack.com/ John's Website: https://johnkiriakou.com/ Unifyd.TV: https://unifyd.tv/pages/johnkiriakou-new
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.