In this episode of Varn Vlog, we welcome back British anthropologist and activist Dr. Chris Knight, author of Decoding Chomsky, to discuss the startling revelations surrounding Noam Chomsky’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. We go beyond the headlines to examine the deep-seated contradictions in Chomsky’s career, his historical ties to the military-industrial complex, and what these scandals mean for the future of the American Left.

Key Topics Covered:
The Epstein Revelations: Analyzing the surprising extent of emails and mutual involvement between the Chomskys and Jeffrey Epstein, including claims of financial advice and legal support during family disputes.
The "Two Chomskys": Dr. Knight explains the "firewall" between Chomsky’s public persona as an anti-militarist critic and his decades-long career at MIT, working within Pentagon-funded laboratories alongside figures he regarded as war criminals.
Science vs. Politics: A deep dive into how Chomsky’s linguistic theories—specifically Universal Grammar and the "language module"—may have served the interests of military command and control systems.
The Cognitive Revolution’s Legacy: How the shift toward "mind over matter" in the human sciences served as a counter-materialist program that undermined traditional Marxist and scientific analysis on the Left.

About Our Guest:
Dr. Chris Knight is a renowned British anthropologist and a leading critic of Noam Chomsky’s scientific and political legacy. His book, Decoding Chomsky: Science and Revolutionary Politics, has seen a massive resurgence in interest as scholars and activists seek to understand the collapse of Chomsky’s reputation.

Supplementary Reading
Grandin, G. (2025, December 15). What the Noam Chomsky–Jeffrey Epstein e-mails tell us. The Nation. https://www.thenation.com/article/society/noam-chomsky-jeffrey-epstein-emails/
Brown, Justin (2026, February 17). In defence of Noam Chomsky. (2026, February 11). Countercurrents. https://countercurrents.org/2026/02/in-defence-of-noam-chomsky/
Knight, C. (2026, February 6). The Chomsky/Epstein puzzle. CounterPunch. https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/02/06/the-chomsky-epstein-puzzle/
Knight, C. (2026, February 9). There are two Noam Chomskys: The one you love, and the one that was friends with Jeffrey Epstein. Novara Media. https://novaramedia.com/2026/02/09/there-are-two-noam-chomskys-the-one-you-love-and-the-one-that-was-friends-with-jeffrey-epstein/
Structural silence: Chomsky, Epstein, and the architecture of elite immunity. (2025, December 8). UniLiterate. https://uniliterate.com/2025/12/structural-silence-chomsky-epstein-and-the-architecture-of-elite-immunity/
Vadrot, F., & Giudice, F. (2026, February 15). The moment critical capital meets financial capital. Substack. https://substack.com/home/post/p-187860978
Hedges, C. (2026, February 14). Noam Chomsky, Jeffrey Epstein and the philosophy of despair.

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Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

Links and Social Media:
twitter: @varnvlog
blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social
You can find the additional streams on Youtube

Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic,Julian

Approximately two years into the second Trump administration, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is at a critical crossroads. In this semi-annual check-in, we sit down with members of the Marxist Unity Group (MUG)—Cliff Connolly, Gene Allen, and Amy Wilhelm—to discuss the evolving landscape of American socialist politics.
In this deep dive, our panel explores the significant shift following the passing of Resolution Seven, which officially declared the DSA's intent to transition into an independent, mass-based political party. We tackle the "New York contradictions," the limits of holding executive office without legislative support, and the struggle to maintain a revolutionary program in a "multi-tendency" organization.

In This Episode, We Discuss:
The Blueprint for a Party: Why the DSA is moving away from being a "political advocacy non-profit" toward a formal party structure.
Executive vs. Legislative Power: Analyzing the challenges faced by elected officials like Zohran Mamdani in New York and the dangers of "shortcuts" to power.
The Utility of Protests: Why street movements like "No Kings" are vital for recruitment even if they don't immediately "move the needle" on foreign policy.
Building a Worker State: The development of a revolutionary program aimed at ending capitalism in the United States.
Member Protagonism: How doubling down on internal democracy and STV (Single Transferable Vote) is the key to retaining the DSA's 100k+ membership.

Connect with the Marxist Unity Group:
Website: marxistunity.com
Publications: Check out Light and Air and the Bulletin for internal and external socialist theory.
Read: Cliff Connolly’s latest piece in Democratic Left regarding the Security Commission’s de-escalation and safety trainings.

Send us Fan Mail

Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake

Support the show

Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

Links and Social Media:
twitter: @varnvlog
blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social
You can find the additional streams on Youtube

Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic,Julian

You can learn a lot about the health of the left by asking one simple question: what happens when people disagree? We sit down with three organizers from Communist Unity to talk about building a mass communist party in Australia with open factions, democratic debate, and real programmatic unity and why that approach is so rare in practice.

We trace their organizational roots through Socialist Alliance-era regroupment attempts, youth reading groups, and the split-and-merge history that shapes Australian socialist politics. From there we get concrete about what a communist program is supposed to do, how you shorten it without gutting it, and why women’s liberation, trans liberation, and control over social reproduction belong at the center of revolutionary strategy. The conversation also tackles their intellectual influences, including CPGB-style programmatism, while rejecting the idea that your bookshelf should stand in for political analysis.

Then the plot twist: the Spartacists in Australia approached Communist Unity to merge, entered as a minority, and accepted unity on the basis of a shared program with the right to argue for changes. That opens into a wider map of the Australian left, the limits of “activism,” faction bans, and why hidden internal fights burn people out faster than open disagreements. We also zoom out to Australian political economy and the Voice referendum fallout, “national cohesion” rhetoric, One Nation’s protest appeal, and how mandatory voting and preference ballots reshape popular front politics compared to the US.

If you care about communist organizing, socialist strategy, anti-sectarian unity, and how movements actually build power, this one will give you a lot to argue with. Subscribe, share the show with a comrade, and leave a review with the biggest strategic question you want us to tackle next.

Send us Fan Mail

Musis by Bitterlake, Used with Permission, all rights to Bitterlake

Support the show

Crew:
Host: C. Derick Varn
Intro and Outro Music by Bitter Lake.
Intro Video Design: Jason Myles
Art Design: Corn and C. Derick Varn

Links and Social Media:
twitter: @varnvlog
blue sky: @varnvlog.bsky.social
You can find the additional streams on Youtube

Current Patreon at the Sponsor Tier: Jordan Sheldon, Mark J. Matthews, Lindsay Kimbrough, RedWolf, DRV, Kenneth McKee, JY Chan, Matthew Monahan, Parzival, Adriel Mixon, Buddy Roark, Daniel Petrovic,Julian