Narativ with Zev Shalev (Audio)

When Elon Musk walked into Twitter headquarters carrying a kitchen sink, most saw an eccentric billionaire's publicity stunt. What we've uncovered is something far more calculated: the first move in what may be the largest coordinated market manipulation in history.

Our investigation reveals how a $25 billion loss at Twitter/X sets the stage for an unprecedented scheme to profit from cryptocurrency markets using presidential power itself.

When Bitcoin traded at $70,000 before Trump's election, Musk was already holding billions in crypto through Tesla and SpaceX. Tesla alone had 10,000 Bitcoin. SpaceX another 8,000. Then came Trump's election victory, and within a week, the price jumped $20,000.

But December 5th marked the real turning point. Trump names David Sacks - Musk's old PayPal ally - as America's first Crypto Czar. That same day, he launches World Liberty Financial, perfectly positioned to profit from his own policy announcements. Within hours, he unveils plans for a "strategic national bitcoin stockpile." By mid-December, Bitcoin hits $108,000.

Through Tesla and SpaceX alone, Musk sees gains of over $600 million. Trump, through World Liberty Financial and his 78.75 million shares in Trump Media & Technology Group, profits from every policy announcement he makes. Each presidential declaration drives crypto prices higher, and each surge increases their personal wealth.

This isn't just market manipulation. This is using presidential power to create personal profit.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

European leaders are bracing for unprecedented confrontation with the US over Greenland, the Arctic, election interference, and social media moderation.

onald Trump Jr.'s surprise appearance in Greenland's capital, Nuuk, this week has sparked fresh concerns over the former president's territorial ambitions. Trump refuses to rule out military action to gain control of Greenland, prompting baffled reactions from EU leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk has doubled down on his support for Germany's AfD party. He plans to interview far-right leaders that European officials warn could violate the EU's Digital Services Act. Meta's Mark Zuckerberg has now openly aligned with Trump, declaring, "We're going to work with President Trump to push back on governments worldwide that are going after American companies."

The EU isn't standing idle. Senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis Bill Echikson reveals that European regulators are actively investigating the X platform for potential violations. However, he warns traditional fines may prove ineffective: "Tech companies have never been scared about the large fines they're forced to pay. That's just the price of doing business."

Behind these tensions lies a crucial reality: climate change is transforming Arctic trade routes, making Greenland increasingly strategic. With Russia eyeing Alaska and America's Arctic Council influence limited Trump's territorial focus takes on new significance.

Watch the full special report on Narativ for in-depth analysis and exclusive interviews.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dean Blundell and disinformation expert Marcus Kolga analyze a pivotal day for democracy as Trudeau steps down, Trump calls for Canadian annexation, and European leaders confront Musk.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Musk's unprecedented reach into Congress to scrap a budget bill is America's first look at what authoritarian rule under Donald Trump and Musk will look like.

This week, Elon Musk's unprecedented intervention in America's budget process exposed what our investigations have warned about: the emergence of an unelected power center with direct ties to the Kremlin.

For months, we've documented how Vladimir Putin's influence operation successfully installed what amounts to a shadow presidency in the United States. The evidence is now impossible to ignore:

But this week's power play over the federal budget demonstrates something even more concerning: Musk now wields unprecedented control over executive policy, legislative priorities, and information flow through X/Twitter - all while maintaining his position at SpaceX and other strategic companies.

Center for European Policy Analysis Senior Fellow Olga Lautman explains why this matters: "Who is our president? Trump occasionally puts out messages on social media, but it seems Musk is driving the car."

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing a rebellion by some of his Liberal Party MPs. Zev Shalev and Dean Blundell debate Donald Trump and Elon Musk's role in the PM's troubles. In this episode of Narativ, we dive into the political upheaval in Ottawa as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership faces a critical challenge. Following the resignation of Deputy and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, some liberal MPs are calling on their leader to resign. Guest Dean Blundell, a prominent political commentator, joins from Toronto to discuss the repercussions and the underlying foreign influences impacting Canadian politics. The conversation explores the implications of Freeland's resignation, Trudeau's political strategies, and the broader international geopolitical subtext involving the United States and Russia.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Donald Trump is Backing Putin and Selling Out Ukrainians. My guest is Volodymyr Dubovyk, a Senior Fellow at CEPA. In South Korea this week, the specter of authoritarianism briefly materialized when Prime Minister Yoon declared martial law. Although it lasted only hours, Yoon may have felt encouraged by the incoming Trump administration. While democratic forces prevailed in South Korea this time, Ukraine's situation is very different.

In Kyiv, we witnessed something previously unthinkable: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has steadfastly maintained Ukraine's right to complete territorial integrity since Russia's invasion, appeared to blink against Putin.

Zelenskyy's new apparent openness to the temporary Russian occupation of Ukrainian territory marks a dramatic shift in position—one that reveals both the mounting pressure on Ukraine's military and democracy and the growing recognition of the evaporating Western resolve.

The Trump administration is stumbling over itself in floating peace proposals that align with Russian interests, even before potentially taking office. They even dispatched their new advisor to the Kremlin, only to be dismissed by Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov.

However, this dismissal wasn't a rejection of diplomacy but a calculated message. Why rush to negotiate when military realities and global dynamics increasingly favor Russian objectives? 

It seems unavoidable that we will march into 2025 in a manner reminiscent of how the world marched into Munich in 1938. 

Just as Chamberlain convinced himself that sacrificing part of Czechoslovakia might satisfy Hitler's ambitions, we are watching the potential next U.S. administration craft peace proposals that would effectively validate Putin's territorial conquests.

Get used to it, folks—we're witnessing a seismic shift in the global democratic order. It’s the first time we've sacrificed the principles of territorial integrity and democratic self-determination, which are the cornerstones of the post-World War II international system. These principles are being reconsidered in real time.

So yes, elections have consequences, and these developments do not make one feel very good. However, there is a lesson in the events that just happened in South Korea: it took a unanimous vote of parliament and some street protests, but martial law only lasted six hours, and now Yoon faces impeachment. 

Putin may feel emboldened by recent events and by Zelenskyy's apparent concession, but he is still facing the resolve of the Ukrainian people. When people stand up to these paper strongmen, they are often defeated. When the rule of law is maintained, strongmen will back down.

When the American people apply pressure—publicly and through the media—we too can urge Donald Trump to protect the people of Ukraine and never surrender.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

READ MORE OF OLGA LAUTMAN’S WORK AT HER SUBSTACK.

This revealing episode deconstructs the sophisticated Russian influence operation that delivered Trump's 2024 victory. While conventional wisdom suggests Harris lost due to poor messaging and economic concerns, our investigation exposes a military-grade information warfare campaign orchestrated by the Kremlin and executed through Elon Musk's media empire.

Expert guest Olga Lautman explains how Russia spent over $45 billion building an "information laundering machine" that weaponized X/Twitter and right-wing media to divide American voters systematically. The operation included a sophisticated $45 million psychological warfare campaign targeting specific demographics with contradictory messages, coordinated bomb threats in Georgia, and strategic algorithm manipulation.

Most chillingly, Putin's likely successor, Nikolai Patrushev, issued what amounts to a mafia-style threat, declaring Trump has "obligations to fulfill" after receiving Russian help. We explore what these obligations likely entail: a $2 trillion "shock therapy" economic plan designed to destabilize America, withdraw from global leadership, and enable Russian expansion.

As Germany prepares for potential war and Russia eyes further territorial gains, we examine how America faces its greatest crisis since the Civil War. This wasn't just election interference—it was a carefully orchestrated operation to capture American democracy itself. With expert insight from Lautman, we discuss what to expect in the coming months and how Americans can resist as their country faces unprecedented challenges.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"To achieve success in the election, Donald Trump relied on certain forces to which he has corresponding obligations. And as a responsible person, he will be obliged to fulfill them."

These chilling words, delivered by Nikolai Patrushev—Putin's likely successor and former head of the FSB—confirm what our three-year investigation has uncovered: a sophisticated Russian influence operation with Elon Musk at its center, designed to deliver both the presidency and America's future to Vladimir Putin.The Web of Influence

Our investigation reveals three interconnected operations:

Eight years ago, I wrote "The Russia House," detailing Russian influence in Trump's first administration. Many called it impossible. Now, Putin's top security official openly declares that the President-elect has "obligations that must be fulfilled."

This isn't just another story about Russian interference. It's about the systematic dismantling of American democracy through economic warfare, information manipulation, and direct control of government operations.

When I wrote The Russia House eight years ago, it was a warning. Tonight's story is different. This isn't about what might happen—it's about what is happening right now, in plain sight, and what will happen if these plans are allowed to proceed.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump Campaign attracted some Black, Hispanic, and Jewish voters, says Carl Allen, author of "The Polls Weren't Wrong."

Trump's path to victory in 2024 wasn't through his base alone—it was through precision targeting of key demographic groups that traditionally lean Democratic. The margins were razor-thin, but the strategy was effective.

Trump started with his rock-solid 47-48% base. They needed new voters outside of their base. They targeted demographics in traditional democratic demos. 

- Young Black men: Support doubled from 15% to 30%

- Hispanic men: Achieved majority support

- Jewish voters: Showed increased support amid Gaza conflict

"Trump didn't overwhelmingly win these groups," Allen explains. "He squeezed an extra 2-3% here and there. But 2% of a small group, plus 2% of another small group—it adds up."

Perhaps most striking was how Trump won the economic narrative. Despite often vague policy proposals ("concepts of a plan," as Allen puts it), Trump successfully conveyed a simple message: he's better for jobs and wallets.

"We're reaching this point where perception outweighs policy," Allen notes. "The perception of a candidate's position is far more important than their actual policies."

The interview reveals a sobering reality: Democratic policies on abortion, minimum wage, and economics poll well individually. Yet the party struggled to translate this into electoral victory.

In Wisconsin and Michigan, the final margins tell the story:

- Trump: ~49.5%

- Harris: Just under 49%

Pennsylvania saw Trump just over 50%, Harris at 48.5%.

The data suggests this wasn't just an Electoral College victory—Trump appears positioned to win the popular vote for the first time since 2004. It's a watershed moment that demands Democratic soul-searching about messaging and voter outreach.

As Allen observes: "Traditional media is fading in importance... authentically reaching people, that's where podcasts have an advantage over things like commercials and mainstream cable news appearances."

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What began as a day marked by Russian interference - from FBI warnings about Russian-originated bomb threats at polling stations to debunked deep-fake videos - ended with an electoral outcome that seemed to follow a Russian-crafted narrative.

Our show began confidently at 9:30 PM ET, with Dean Blundell and Spencer “Spenny” Rice joining me to witness what we expected to be a historic victory for Kamala Harris. The mood was light, even celebratory. "Dancing in the streets by 11:30," we predicted.

But as the night progressed, the numbers shifted dramatically. One by one, the critical swing states fell: Michigan (+90,820 for Trump), Wisconsin (a razor-thin +29,797), Pennsylvania (+153,204), and Georgia (+117,384).

By the time foreign policy expert Rick Petrie joined our panel, what had started as a celebration had transformed into growing concern about the integrity of what we were witnessing. 

By morning, what seemed impossible at 9:30 PM had become reality - Donald Trump had secured victory in nearly every battleground state, with margins that defied both polling and campaign internal numbers.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices