Show Recap
On the July 8, 2013 edition of Decrypted Matrix Radio, Max covered the aftermath of the Egyptian military coup, the deeply suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of journalist Michael Hastings, a landmark Third Amendment lawsuit in Nevada, the staggering cost of government wiretaps, and a rapid-fire rundown of the top 20 Obama administration scandals.
Egypt After the Coup and the Muslim Brotherhood
Max opened with analysis of the fallout from the Egyptian military’s removal of President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood government. With the military now in control and an interim president installed, the show examined the fundamental tensions between religious political movements and democratic governance. Max discussed how the Brotherhood’s year in power had alienated large segments of Egyptian society, and how the military exploited that discontent to reassert control — raising the question of whether genuine democracy was ever the goal for any of the power players involved. The segment explored the broader pattern of Western-backed regime changes and the role of cults of personality in Middle Eastern politics.
Michael Hastings Car Crash Cover-Up
The show dedicated significant time to the death of investigative journalist Michael Hastings, who died on June 18, 2013, when his Mercedes-Benz C250 exploded after crashing into a palm tree in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles at approximately 4:25 a.m. Hastings was the Rolling Stone reporter who brought down General Stanley McChrystal with his 2010 article The Runaway General. Max highlighted the deeply unusual circumstances: witnesses described an unusually intense, hot fire inconsistent with a typical car crash; Hastings had told neighbors just hours before that he believed his car’s computer system had been hacked; WikiLeaks revealed he had contacted a lawyer shortly before the crash; and he was reportedly working on new stories about the CIA at the time of his death. Former counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke publicly stated that the crash was consistent with a car cyber attack. Meanwhile, the LAPD declared no foul play within just two days. Max connected the case to the broader pattern of journalists who investigate the intelligence community meeting untimely ends.
Third Amendment Lawsuit, Wiretap Costs, and Obama Scandals
Max covered the extraordinary case out of Henderson, Nevada, where the Mitchell family filed one of the rarest constitutional lawsuits in American history — a Third Amendment claim. Henderson police had demanded to use Anthony Mitchell’s home as a tactical position during a neighbor’s domestic violence call; when Mitchell refused, officers used a battering ram to break down his door, pointed weapons at him, and arrested him for obstruction. His parents next door received similar treatment. The case drew national attention from constitutional scholars, as the Third Amendment’s prohibition on quartering soldiers in private homes had almost never been litigated. The show also discussed the annual federal wiretap report revealing that the average cost of a single government wiretap had reached approximately ,000, and the episode closed with a comprehensive rundown of the top 20 scandals plaguing the Obama administration — from the IRS targeting of conservative groups and NSA mass surveillance to Fast and Furious, Benghazi, and the expanding drone war.
