Timcast IRL · August 28, 2021 · 2h 0m
Timcast IRL #361 - US Intel Says COVID Leaked From Wuhan MAYBE, Still Nothing Definitive w/Dan Gainor
Episode Recap
Timcast IRL episode 361, recorded on August 28, 2021, featured Tim Pool and co-hosts discussing the recently released U.S. intelligence community report on COVID-19 origins. The report concluded it was plausible the virus leaked from a Wuhan laboratory but offered no definitive answers. Tim opened the show expressing disappointment that after months of anticipation, the report essentially said nobody knows for certain. The discussion then pivoted to the ongoing Afghanistan crisis, which Tim described as some of the most depressing and dark news. Also covered was Milo Yiannopoulos being banned from YouTube, representing continued censorship on major platforms. The episode featured Dan Gainor, Vice President for Free Speech America at the Media Research Center, who discussed how COVID accelerated censorship madness and detailed specific examples including Twitter censoring a legitimate ScienceMag study about natural immunity versus vaccines. The conversation explored the broader implications of tech censorship, comparing it to boiling frogs and noting how removal from social media now affects banking and phone access. Dan highlighted the connection between the Hunter Biden laptop story suppression and broader censorship concerns, noting Rasmussen polling suggested voters would not have supported Joe Biden had they known about his son's business dealings with China.
TL;DR
- →U.S. intelligence released a report saying COVID-19 may have plausibly leaked from a Wuhan lab but investigators remain divided with no definitive answers
- →Dan Gainor from Media Research Center discussed the ongoing censorship crisis, specifically Twitter removing a ScienceMag study about immunity from infection versus vaccination
- →Milo Yiannopoulos was banned from YouTube, continuing a pattern of deplatforming conservative voices
- →Tim and Dan discussed how modern censorship extends beyond speech to affect access to banking, phones, and basic services
- →The show covered the ongoing Afghanistan crisis and its depressing implications
- →Discussion touched on Dave Rubin being suspended by Twitter for predicting booster shots before they were officially announced
Key Moments
- 0:00Opening and Intel ReportTim opens discussing the intelligence community's COVID origins report that offers no definitive answers
- 33:00Afghanistan DiscussionTim transitions to discussing the serious ongoing situation in Afghanistan
- 55:00Milo CensorshipDiscussion of Milo Yiannopoulos being banned from YouTube again
- 75:00Dan Gainor InterviewDeep dive with the Free Speech America expert on censorship trends
- 120:00Censorship ExamplesSpecific examples including Hunter Biden story suppression and ScienceMag study removal
Notable Quotes
“The Intel report on COVID is out and they have said they have no idea that that's it. Okay. We were all excited.”
— Tim Pool · opening discussion about the disappointing intel report on COVID origins
“They feel you've now got the president of the united states and the surgeon general who are trying to force the social media companies to restrict speech. It's utter insanity.”
— Dan Gainor · describing the state of censorship during COVID
“When you had people talking online about the Guild and Felicia Day and everything was nice and then things started crazy in 2014 and then it got worse and worse in 15 to 16 with the election.”
— Tim Pool · explaining how social media censorship escalated over time
“Because of COVID everything, you spend all of your lives online. You go to school, your kids do, or you do. You work, you sell, you buy, you go to see the doctor, you interact with your government. And if they censor us online then it's simply are you a first class or third class citizen.”
— Dan Gainor · explaining why modern censorship is a civil rights issue
“It's not really news. COVID origins report says it's plausible virus leaked from Wuhan lab. That's it. That's the origins report. Can't tell us the origins.”
— Tim Pool · summing up the disappointing intel report findings