The Truth Is in Here

Well, my answers to your questions, anyway. On Epstein, The X-Files, voting rights, more!

Welcome to Part Three of my Q &A, in which I answer questions sent by readers! I usually do this in one article. I ended up doing it in three parts thanks to severe illness and my father’s death. I tried to answer everyone. Here is Part One and Part Two.

I hope my personal disasters will subside so we can resume our regularly scheduled programming of political disasters! Thank you for your patience.

If you can afford to become a paying subscriber to my newsletter, please do. It keeps my articles open to all and feeds my family of four! You also get the perk of submitting a question for the next Q & A:

Jennifer L: What is your favorite X-Files episode and why? Shannon: I’d like to ask about your thought on the upcoming X-files reboot. Are you excited, cautiously optimistic, or worried about messing with the OG?

SK: As a lifelong X-Files fan — the type who used the word “X-Phile” in primitive 1990s chat rooms — I would normally oppose a reboot. But I love the idea of Ryan Coogler doing a government conspiracy/paranormal series. Why this series is branded as X-Files is its own question: the X-Files revival gave decent closure to the original in Darin Morgan’s episode “The Lost Art of Forehead Sweat”, which aired in 2018. That episode addressed what it’s like to finally know the truth — and have no one care! “The world’s become too crazy for even my conspiratorial powers,” Mulder tells Scully sadly. What good is truth when leverage is lost and crime carries no consequence? (I wrote about this episode in my book They Knew.)

Coogler could do something really interesting here. He’s talked about making X-Files more diverse. As anyone who’s seen the chupacabra episode knows, diversity was not The X-Files’ strong suit. There is an opportunity for stories that illuminate US history, Rod Serling-style. Some of the worst government conspiracies — secret experiments, mass murders — were against Black Americans. Officials dismissed them as myths until evidence could no longer be denied. I could envision Coogler addressing real atrocities — and cover-ups — in the inventive way he did with Sinners. If a show like that needs the X-Files brand to get greenlit, so be it. I’m excited to see what he does.

My favorite X-Files episode is “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose”. It’s a terrible thing to know the future and not be able to stop it.

Jodie: Any obscure classic TV you can recommend? My husband and I are watching Babylon 5 on his recommendation.

SK: Millennium! This was a short-lived late 1990s series from the makers of X-Files (most notably Glen Morgan and Jim Wong) that was never released on streaming because it’s too accurate for this millennium. Season two is mind-blowing. (Ignore season three!) Another 1990s cult classic is Eerie, Indiana, which has my favorite series finale of any show and also portrayed Trump as Satan. It was marketed as “Twin Peaks for kids”; I was its target audience. I’m still sad 34 years later that it got canceled.

Brent S: Please discuss the intersection of the eroding of Black rights with the present transnational crime syndicate masquerading as our government. Nora: What can be done to prevent women’s right to vote from being taken away? My fear is that it could happen if people don’t take it seriously. What is your theory on why this is happening?

SK: Voter rights are under attack. The most frightening aspect is that it is done mainly to flaunt abuse of power and not as strategic disenfranchisement. In other words, a mafia state does not believe elections matter — or they would stop passing incredibly unpopular policies — but they do believe in ethnic hierarchies. They want to punish Black Americans for being Black. They may want to prevent the type of Black gains made during Reconstruction and the Civil Rights era — but they have less interest now in preserving the US itself, which changes their calculus. They don’t care if the US exists. The attack on Black Americans is less about strategy than sadism.

People need to study the Confederacy as a transnational criminal enterprise. It had expansionist goals and foreign backers who abetted traitors both during and after the war. Look at figures like Confederate Secretary of State Judah Benjamin, who fled abroad to a life of luxury, facing no punishment for sedition. We are reliving this now.

The wealthy seditionists behind Trump were never punished under Biden. As a result, they are emboldened to loot the United States. Billionaire crime lords have no investment in the US as a community of people: it’s a land mass to strip for parts. They believe in an ethnic hierarchy with themselves on top. One cannot dismiss their delusion as a mere vile fantasy when they have the money to put it in practice.

The attack on women’s rights and, increasingly, women’s right to vote, is another iteration of this mindset. Women’s votes matter less when elections are not free and fair: everyone’s vote matters less. Disenfranchisement is a means to showcase domination. This regime seeks to flagrantly strip women of equal rights under law, as they did with the Roe repeal, in order to shift political culture toward the rote debasement of women and girls. To survive this, build community aid outside the government. You can’t vote out the mafia, but you can help protect people from them.

Alice L: Why would Trump want to conquer Cuba (where he has sent massive warships this week)? Why has he amassed troops in Poland (which he also did this week)? TT Hiking: I believe our standing in the world is lost, and that might be a good thing. No other country would be smart to trust us ever again. How do we rebuild that trust (can we?) Internally, we have to build community and be kind.

SK: I’m answering two weeks later but: 1) They want Cuba because of greed and revenge: on Castro, to please Cuban-American right-wingers like Rubio, and most of all for Trump’s cohort, to avenge the ousting of the Meyer Lansky syndicate, which was the template for the current US mafia state government. As for Poland, the troop deployment is in constant flux and confusing European and US officials. I’m wary of it, considering Trump’s longstanding ties to Russian oligarchs and threats to NATO. As for the matter of trust, no good country will trust the US for a long time. I’m glad the myth of the “international rules-based order” is gone because it hid a lot of war crimes. But I’m horrified by the blatant criminal impunity in its place.

We need to think beyond nation-states and focus on oligarchs, mafiosos, and technofascists, because they are determining the course of the world more than governments. Your advice to build community and be kind is perhaps more powerful than you realize: our morality and empathy are their final targets. We must guard them within ourselves and encourage them in others.

Will B: Are we seeing in Iran signs that our military is as ineffectual as the Russian war machine? Has it been gutted by grift? It seems we have a totally bloated system of multi-million-dollar weapons easily defeated by a plethora of relatively cheap toys made in someone’s garage.

SK: I’m in my 40s and I’ve never seen the US win a war, unless you count the 1990-91 Gulf War, which I don’t: it was a prelude to the Iraq War, which we lost. With the WWII generation largely gone, most Americans have only seen our country lose quagmire wars. The losses benefit the military industrial complex and (depending on the war) corrupt partners like Israel, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. I do not think the goal of the Trump administration is for the US to win a war. The goal is for corrupt elites to profit from the wreckage of multiple countries.

I wrote in 2018 about Trump’s desire to lose an Iran war but gain kleptocratic power. This dynamic has become more blatant in the Iran War which is run by Israel using American taxpayer money. Iran is fighting for its survival. I do think the US has been taken aback by its show of force, which is not as unsophisticated as you describe.

A Declining Democracy: Have you thought about working on a co-project with Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez regarding the Epstein files? Her investigative work around Zorro ranch and Epstein’s probable work as a CIA asset dovetails with your books. Judy T: You posted that Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez had reported new info that you also learned? Will you share which part/parts? Also, did her info connect with any parts you have seen in the Casolaro files that you are comfortable sharing?

SK: I respect Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez’s research on Epstein. She conducted it at great personal risk. Since 2025, there have been many new Epstein researchers. Some are opportunists who could have exposed the case long ago (i.e, members of Congress and cable news hacks who once censored this story.) Some are everyday people who only recently learned how depraved Epstein is and were inspired to dig deep into the files. I think that’s good; it shows empathy. I’m put off by writers who rehash things I wrote about years ago, sometimes plagiarizing me verbatim, but Valdes-Rodriguez does not do that. Her findings are genuinely new and rooted in local knowledge of New Mexico.

I have never spoken to Alisa privately. She’s had to flee her home and it’s unwise for her to talk to me, given our common enemies. She was right to be very suspicious of shady grifters who wanted her to do live interviews while in hiding! Anyway, Alisa helped solve the mystery of “Why was Epstein in New Mexico?” by investigating New Mexico’s nuclear sites, clues near Zorro Ranch, backgrounds of state officials, and the role of US intelligence, Robert Maxwell, and Israel’s nuclear program. The latter is where my research overlaps with hers. When Epstein researchers ignore Robert Maxwell, I disregard their work: he is the key. Alisa gets that. What she found also overlaps with things I found in Casolaro’s papers, which I discuss in They Knew.

Epstein was a transnational operative for multiple intelligence agencies and organized crime. This isn’t limited to the CIA but includes it. The nuclear angle became more important when Israel and the US declared war on Iran. I believe operatives are targeting Alisa because she brought up Maxwell’s role in Israel’s nuclear program — and US links to that illicit program — at an inconvenient time. She interrupted a propaganda operation. The operatives targeting her are trying much of the same bullshit they tried on me over the last decade. It didn’t work. I urge people to read her actual writing and ignore personal attacks from shit-stirrers and cover-up crews.

Janodes: There are so many journalists covering various aspects of the deep state/Epstein class, and it is hard to keep up. Do you know Is there anyone or site tracking the day to day and posting a virtual Investigative Board/Link Chart?

SK: Not at this point. Too much nonsense is mixed in with real research. The Epstein Class page on Substack has released a good array of primary sources. Nick Bryant was working on an archive long ago. I don’t know if he’s still involved with that, but he certainly knows the case well.

B. Calbeau: I would like to know what seafood you and your family like. I know you ate a lot of hotdogs on the road! What foods do you enjoy?

SK: Connecticut lobster rolls (the hot buttery kind), New Orleans crawfish, and whitefish sandwiches from the U.P.!

Jenn G: Do you see a decent opposition leader ever being allowed to rise up in America? Like a Zelenskyy? Do we need one? I long for shared truth and it feels like a decent strong leader is how we get there. Bill F: Any thoughts on how to create more Zohran Mamdanis and fewer Chuck Schumers? Paul D: As long as we’re dreaming, are there any particular individuals that you would recommend we listen to?

SK: Well, you all have great goals! I wish I had more concrete advice on how to achieve them. I am wary of “savior syndrome” and the belief that elections are the road to removing a mafia state; the rot runs too deep. However, you can try not voting in the mafia, and Mamdani vs Cuomo is a great example. Whatever criticisms folks may have of Mamdani, you avoided a LOT of crises by knocking out Cuomo.

In terms of how to win, Mamdani’s campaign is notable: it was inclusive, fun, and he didn’t dodge hard questions. Mostly, when it comes to officials: 1) follow the money; be wary of AI and AIPAC donors 2) value actions over words 3) value consistent recent actions over fleeting long-ago words 4) vote for people who have used the power they have to expose and contain mafia state actors; if they have this power and haven’t wielded it, they are unfit to hold office.

I doubt Americans will rally around one leader, but if they do, it will be around someone who doesn’t just talk about opposing corruption but takes meaningful action.

Petras C: Given how messed up this country is (and was for a long time, maybe always), why do Americans, even those who know all about it and suffer because of this system, still claim they love this country? Maybe they just love the physical place (not the country), the nature, the people around them? I am a naturalized American and I don’t have any positive feelings towards this country anymore. Steve B: Why do you think so many voters accept Trump’s corruption? I understand that he can control Congress by backing another candidate, but what’s happening with so many of our citizens who just think there’s nothing wrong with his stealing from US taxpayers? As long as the MAGA on the street thinks Trump can do whatever he wants to, there’s no changing things in the US. That’s my real fear today.

SK: Both of you sort of answered your own question — or at least expressed the dynamic that I see. Yes, people love the land, their communities, their memories, their favorite local dives, American music, food, pop culture, the good parts of US history (which are often about combating the evils of US history). They are overwhelmed by multifaceted corruption, loss of sovereignty, the largest accumulation of wealth in history by the worst people in the world, etc.

Americans got used to living in a superpower. Folks from the outside could always see our weaknesses. Now some Americans are seeing for the first time what it’s like to be treated by America. Americans are getting the same abuse the US government laid out on foreign states. White Americans are getting a taste of what Black and Native Americans endured. No recourse, no fairness, no institutions upon which to rely.

Now they have to square that with the America they love, which is a real place of real people who create good and beautiful things. They fear every day that corporations and the government will steal and destroy those things. That can lead to scapegoating (as we see in MAGA’s xenophobic stance) but it mostly leads to panic and grief.

I love my country and hate my government. I believe that is rational and patriotic — in the James Baldwin sense, when you love a place so much you feel compelled to criticize it relentlessly. Criticism is the only way the US will improve; a crisis cannot be solved until it is named. But that creates very complicated emotions.

MakeTheWorldSafeForDiversity: Do you think we’ll ever get close to understanding the truth about JFK’s assassination and also how it directly affects our situation today?

SK: I think we are getting closer to the truth as the consequences of that truth seem to matter less, because mafia state actors are confident that they have consolidated power, and AI can be used to excuse away any incongruity or create an alternative reality. I feel that way not only about the JFK case, but about most complex conspiracies. It is still worth looking for the truth and sharing theories in good faith.

SB: No question really but wondering if you’d share some music that is accompanying you on your grief journey, in addition to what you wrote.

SK: I have a mix of sad songs. I’d print it but it’s too personal. If you have my iPod, you know my soul. (I never gave up using my iPod — Missouri used to not have internet access on the backroads, and I don’t stream music because it rips off artists.)

But I’ll tell you a strange story. I was listening to my sad song mix, which I created when my dad got cancer. Suddenly two songs would no longer play. One was “Crying” by Roy Orbison, who both my dad and I loved. My dad introduced me to Roy Orbison’s music when I was a little kid. The other was “Helpless” by Neil Young, who was my dad’s favorite singer. I had downloaded both songs years ago and did not know why they wouldn’t play anymore. I found out later that they stopped working the exact hour my father died. I cannot explain this.

Carl V.N. We share a mutual love of travel, and I so appreciate your travelogues. The storied and oft-revisited Highway 61 runs through St. Louis. Have you ventured south on the Blues Highway? Do you have stories to share or recommendations to make?

SK: Yes! I visited the grave of Robert Johnson and obviously I had to see the Crossroads. I also stopped at signposts for blues singers I didn’t know at all. I recommend that because you’ll learn something new.

Laura H: What old movies are you watching to get through this time?

SK: I watched Wanda for the first time. It’s a 1970 film written and directed by Barbara Loden, who also plays the title character. Sometimes it’s referred to as “Five Easy Pieces for women”. I think Five Easy Pieces is Five Easy Pieces for women; Carole Eastman wrote it (under a male pseudonym.) The early 1970s were a fascinating time for the short-lived artistic triumphs of uncompromising, unconventional women. (See my article on Bobbie Gentry!)

I was curious about Wanda and got more curious after I saw it. I want to watch it again now that I know what to expect. I think Barbara Loden got shafted by Hollywood, as did Carole Eastman. Folks don’t like it when a woman is the architect of something dark or gritty or ambiguous, instead of its victim.

Trainspotter: Who’s a favorite musical poet? You’ve written about a couple of artists I like so thought I’d ask!

SK: This is a hard question; I could go on forever! My tastes are wide and varied. I’ll give a famous band, an underrated band, and a standard.

I learned how to write from growing up with Guns N’ Roses. I did an interview with Decibel Magazine about this: Axl Rose is king of the coda. If you look at my books, they all have codas, except The Last American Road Trip, which has the best closing line I ever wrote, so it did not need a coda. I grew up playing classical piano, listening to heavy metal, and writing stories, all at once. I tend to structure my essays as songs and my books, to a degree, as albums. Hiding in Plain Sight was influenced by the structure and lyricism of Appetite for Destruction. I wanted the epilogue to feel like the coda to “Rocket Queen”.

In a different vein: there is a band called The Devil Makes Three that’s been around for decades but no one I meet knows who they are. I discovered them in 2021 and never bought a band’s entire catalogue so fast. You have to hear them: the genre isn’t definable. It’s bluegrass, punk, everything mixed — with great sardonic lyrics, some of which are particularly apt in 2026. “All Hail” could replace the national anthem.

While writing Road Trip, I listened to a lot of 1970s outlaw country — Sammi Smith, Johnny Cash, Kinky Friedman (underrated as a lyricist!) — and artists on the border of country and folk like Kris Kristofferson, Townes Van Zandt and Mickey Newbury.

Sometimes I don’t know what I’m feeling, and lyrics play in my mind to tell me. Ever since my dad died, this Newbury verse keeps showing up:

So do not be concerned, my love
If you see me cry
For the laughter does not choose to free
The happiness inside
Just as there may seem to be
A smile that’s out of place
It only means there is a pain
That hurts too much to face.

I’ll leave it at that for now. Thank you, everyone.

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I embroidered this while sheltering in place from a global pandemic!

Now all I need is a sacred VCR