On this week’s episode of the RealClearInvestigations Podcast, RCI Editor J. Peder Zane and RCI Senior Reporter James Varney speak with Jennica Pounds, who runs the influential government watchdog account @DataRepublican (small r) on X, about her new book, “Unelected: How You Paid a Sinister Elite to Take Over America.” In the news segment, Zane and Varney discuss an RCI article reporting how the historic drop in crime in 2025 can be traced to vigorous efforts to arrest, prosecute, and deport more alleged criminals. They also discuss two New York Times stories that cut against the Democrats: one reporting that Rep. Ilhan Omar might indeed have married her brother, and another detailing how Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign successfully persuaded someone with the same name as her opponent, Dan Sullivan, to run for office in an effort to confuse voters. Finally, they examine Varney’s recent RCI article on how wealthy tech barons are using their growing fortunes to transform society. 00:00 Cold Open 01:11 Meet @DataRepublican and Her New Book, "Unelected" 03:51 How Unelected NGOs and Supranational Groups Shape American Life 06:17 George Soros, the "Open Society," and a Weaker America 11:28 Populism, the Nation-State, and a Possible "Color Revolution" 20:00 Following the Money: What DOGE Changed 22:14 AI as a Tool for Citizens, and Why Elites Fear It 30:03 The USAID Question: Why Good Intentions Fall Short 34:06 Midterm Predictions and Faith in Public Life 39:32 News Roundup: Falling Crime, Two Surprising NYT Stories, and the "Bacon Wars" Material Discussed in This Podcast: DataRepublican (small r) X Account https://x.com/DataRepublican Order a signed copy of Unelected https://passage.press/unelected RCI/John R. Lott Jr.: Go Figure: Arrests, Prosecutions and Deportations Fuel Record Drop in Crime https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/10/26/go_figure_arrests_prosecutions_and_deportations_fuel_record_drop_in_crime_1213581.html New York Times: Obama-Era Probe Found Evidence Omar Marriage a Sham https://archive.is/7LnKR New York Times: Inside Democrats’ Secret Effort to Stack Alaska’s Ballot https://archive.is/gYxbM#selection-8945.0-8945.56 RCI/James Varney: The Bacon Wars: Pig Farmers Battle Tech Barons Over Animal Welfare https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2026/10/30/the_bacon_wars_pig_farmers_battle_tech_barons_over_animal_welfare_1214198.html