The Brownstone Show features creative thinkers on public health, medicine, economics, and technology, all making contributions to public understanding in times of dramatic transition.
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The Brownstone Show - Episode 5 - Aaron Day
Jeffrey Tucker & Aaron Day: Bitcoin Hijacked? Epstein Files, Surveillance, and the End of Freedom Money
In this episode of The Brownstone Show, Jeffrey Tucker sits down with Brownstone Fellow and researcher Aaron Day to unpack one of the biggest stories in cryptocurrency history.
Fresh off major revelations from the Epstein files, they reveal shocking connections between Jeffrey Epstein, early Bitcoin development, MIT's Digital Currency Initiative, and the deliberate "hijacking" of Bitcoin. Its original vision as peer-to-peer digital cash (as outlined in Satoshi's white paper) flipped to a surveillable "digital gold" asset controlled by institutions and governments.
Jeffrey Tucker shares his personal journey: from early Bitcoin evangelist in 2013 (when BTC was just $12–$14) to disillusionment after the blocksize wars, SegWit controversies, and the censorship that sidelined scalable use as everyday money.
Aaron Day dives deeper into:
How Bitcoin went from instant, near-free transactions in the early days to slow, $50+ fees by 2017
The vicious suppression of "big blockers" like Roger Ver (author of Hijacking Bitcoin, foreword by Tucker)
Epstein's documented ties to Bitcoin/Tether figures and funding streams that influenced Bitcoin Core
Why Bitcoin is now more traceable than traditional banking (immutable ledger forever!)
Ongoing prosecutions of privacy pioneers (Tornado Cash, Samourai Wallet devs) even under "pro-crypto" administrations
The crumbling "digital gold" narrative: miner revenue issues, calls to increase the 21M supply cap, ETF risks, and why privacy coins like Monero & Zano are outperforming
This isn't just crypto history—it's a warning about surveillance, state control, and the weaponization of what was meant to be freedom money.
If you're curious about the future of money in a CBDC world, this conversation will change how you see the entire space.
📕 Recommended reading:
Hijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC by Roger Ver (foreword by Jeffrey Tucker) → https://www.amazon.com/Hijacking-Bitcoin-Hidden-History-BTC/dp/B0CXWBCWDR
📰 Full article & more from Aaron Day coming soon on Brownstone Institute:
https://brownstone.org
Subscribe to Brownstone Institute for more uncensored discussions on freedom, tech, health, and economics:
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The Brownstone Show - Bonus Episode - Jay Bhattacharya
In this powerful bonus episode of The Brownstone Show, hosted by Jeffrey Tucker, Stanford epidemiologist and health economist Dr. Jay Bhattacharya — now serving as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — delivers a clear, evidence-based explanation of why contact tracing, while dramatic in Hollywood movies about infectious diseases, is largely ineffective and counterproductive for fast-mutating respiratory viruses like SARS-CoV-2.
Now restored after being censored in 2022, this episode remains highly relevant. Dr. Bhattacharya's insights have been vindicated by subsequent data on transmission dynamics, the limited real-world impact of contact tracing apps and programs during COVID waves, and growing concerns over digital surveillance infrastructure built during the pandemic.
Dr. Bhattacharya's perspective as a leading critic of one-size-fits-all approaches and advocate for targeted protection of vulnerable populations.
This is a must-watch for anyone interested in public health, civil liberties, epidemiology, or the COVID policy response. Share widely to support open scientific discourse.
Watch the full ~59-minute interview.
Like, comment, subscribe, and turn on notifications for more from The Brownstone Show and Brownstone Institute content on health policy, economics, and freedom.
Resources/Links:Brownstone Institute: https://brownstone.org
Great Barrington Declaration: https://gbdeclaration.org
Follow @DrJBhattacharya and @jeffreytucker on X
Note on censorship: This content was suppressed on YouTube in March 2022 amid broader platform policies that limited discussion of COVID policy critiques. Platforms have since adjusted some rules, but the episode's restoration highlights the importance of alternative distribution channels like X.
The Brownstone Show - Episode 4 - Jeffrey Tucker
Join Jeffrey Tucker on The Brownstone Show as he explores the fascinating and contentious history of vaccines in the United States. Starting with Edward Jenner's groundbreaking 1796 smallpox inoculation using cowpox, we trace the evolution through key milestones, public health policies, and the rise of mandates. Tucker delves into the role of government intervention, the impact of liability protections like the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, and questions whether the vaccine industry could survive without taxpayer-funded support and legal indemnification.
Whether you're a history buff, public health enthusiast, or curious about the intersection of science and policy, this discussion offers thought-provoking insights into one of the most debated topics today.
Subscribe to Brownstone Institute for more deep dives into public health, philosophy, economics, and social theory:
https://brownstone.org/
Follow Jeffrey Tucker on X: @jeffreytucker
Follow Brownstone Institute on X: @brownstoneinst
#VaccineHistory #PublicHealth #JeffreyTucker #BrownstoneInstitute #VaccineMandates #MedicalHistory #EdwardJenner #HealthPolicy
The Brownstone Show - Episode 3 - Gigi Foster
Gigi Foster: From Early Lockdown Skepticism to Vaccine Doubts and Rebuilding Freedom | Full Interview with Jeffrey A. Tucker
IProfessor Gigi Foster of the University of New South Wales was one of the few rational voices in the world on matters Covid from early on, taking on practically the whole of Australian journalism and academia. She inspired a global movement. She is interviewed here by Jeffrey Tucker.
Gigi speaks of her early doubts about the vaccine and how alarming it was when the injury and death first started to be reported. It was bad enough to violate the human rights of billions of people but to follow that with a mandate for a dangerous potion was really beyond anything ever previously attempted. She further speaks about the need to rebuild community and some of the necessary reforms we need to restore health and freedom.
Links Mentioned in the Interview:
The Cape Byron Lighthouse Declaration:
https://lighthousedeclaration.org/
Academia Libera Mentis:
https://liberamentis.org/
More Resources:
Brownstone Institute: https://brownstone.org/
Gigi Foster's co-authored book The Great Covid Panic:
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Covid-Panic-What-Happened/dp/1630692778
Australians for Science and Freedom:
https://www.scienceandfreedom.org/
If this interview resonates... like, subscribe, and share to help spread rational voices! What reforms do you think are most urgent post-COVID? Comment below.
#GigiFoster #JeffreyTucker #BrownstoneInstitute #CovidTruth #VaccineInjuries #LockdownHarms #MedicalFreedom #RebuildCommunity #PandemicResponse #HumanRights
The Brownstone Show - Episode 2 - David Bell
Join Dr. David Bell and host Jeffrey Tucker on The Brownstone Show as they dive into two initiatives: REPPARE and IHRP. David and Jeffrey explore the need to reevaluate global pandemic preparedness based on solid evidence and advocate for ethical reforms to the World Health Organization (WHO) to safeguard national sovereignty and human rights.
REPPARE (REevaluating the Pandemic Preparedness And REsponse agenda): A University of Leeds initiative, supported by Brownstone Institute, aimed at scrutinizing the evidence behind massive pandemic programs. Led by Garrett Wallace Brown and David Bell, it promotes rational policies over panic, questioning inflated risks and pushing for transparent, data-driven approaches to public health.
IHRP (International Health Reform Project):
A multidisciplinary effort to redefine international health governance. With contributions from Ramesh Thakur, Elisabeth Paul, and others, it critiques the WHO's shift toward private interests and proposes reforms and alternatives that prioritize ethics, state control, and self-sufficiency to prevent overreach.
This episode challenges the status quo, highlighting how current agendas may prioritize profit over people. Whether you're concerned about future pandemics or global health ethics, this conversation offers critical insights for informed debate.
Resources:
REPPARE Project: https://brownstone.org/reppare/
IHRP Project: https://brownstone.org/ihrp/
Brownstone Institute: https://brownstone.org/
Follow on X: @brownstoneinst
| @bell00david
| @jeffreytucker
If you enjoyed this, like, subscribe, and hit the bell for more thought-provoking discussions on public health, philosophy, and social theory. Share your thoughts in the comments—what reforms do you think the WHO needs?#pandemicpreparedness #WHOReform #publichealth #BrownstoneInstitute #HealthEthics
The Brownstone Show - Episode 1 - Peter St. Onge
Peter St. Onge is easily the most well-known economist on X with a regular show adored by millions. In this interview, he discusses the implications of the Minnesota day-care revelations and what they imply about the fraud industrial complex. The Covid period gave a boost to this industry like no other. Jeffrey and Peter discuss the political and economic fallout and what implies about public perceptions of the welfare state in general. They further discuss macroeconomic trends and how the economics profession could have been so wrong on so many topics. Peter writes for Brownstone Institute and recently accepted a new position at Heritage Foundation.
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