Smartphones, Russiagate, Cicero, and Slot Machines: What The Frock? with Rabbi Dave and Friar Rod

This week’s What The Frock? is a whirlwind of conspiracies, casino jackpots, and the kind of side trips only Rabbi Dave and Friar Rod can take without a GPS. The show opens with a serious and surprisingly relatable problem: our brains might be fried. Not by the sun, but by smartphones, streaming media, and the relentless rush of information that changes before we can decide if we believe it. From there, the conversation swerves straight into the tangled mess of “Russiagate,” political disinformation, and why half the country will believe a story no matter what the facts later show. Cicero even makes an appearance, not as the noble hero of Roman lore, but as a master of spin who would feel right at home in modern politics.

The thread tying it all together? That dangerous little idea that the “ends justify the means” when you think you are saving the Republic, whether you are an ancient Roman senator, a modern political operative, or a social media warrior with a Wi-Fi connection.

Of course, this is Rabbi Dave and Friar Rod, so things do not stay in the Capitol or the Senate for long. We detour into the nation’s looming energy crunch and why nuclear power might just be the answer, provided you do not try to install a uranium tablet in your backyard grill. And then, in a hard right turn worthy of NASCAR, we end up in Anacortes, Washington, where a wedding anniversary tradition, a devil-themed slot machine, and a streak of improbable luck have Rabbi Dave convinced that the universe needed a rebalancing before the drive home.

Between Friar Rod’s musings on blackjack odds, Rabbi Dave’s skepticism toward anything involving “secret evidence,” and an unplanned debate over whether someone just said “underestimate” or “under-something-else,” it is an episode that blends sharp commentary with the sort of offbeat humor you cannot script.

It is politics, history, personal stories, and a little bit of gambling superstition all crammed into one very human conversation. In other words, just another Sunday on What The Frock?.