Centered From Reality

Tucker Retcons the Holocaust, It’s Not Time to Celebrate the Debate & Taylor Swift Shakes off the Trolls (+ the Problem with Podcast Historians)

In this episode, Alex starts by ranting about how the kids aren’t alright these days. Then he gets into the post-debate news cycle, polling shows that a lot of voters think Harris won the debate but Alex encourages people to be cautious and not celebrate yet. The race is still close and there is a lot of time. Later, Alex talks about whether Trump will do a second debate, why he claims to have won the debate, and whether the moderators did a fair job. Alex also talks about Elon Musk and Megyn Kelly attacking Taylor Swift for endorsing Harris. He thinks they just look small and petty. Finally, Alex finally reacts to the interview between Tucker Carlson and Darryl Cooper. Cooper is a pseudo historian with no background that Tucker claims is the greatest in the world. Cooper claims that Winston Churchill was the real villain of World War 2 and that the Nazis killed a lot of people due to logistical issues and a lack of supplies to give to POWs. Alex argues that Tucker is trying to create an alternative narrative for right-wing isolationism. He also talks about how podcast historians can be dangerous. 

Lies on Tap: They're Coming for Your Cats! (Debate Night Recap & Analysis)

In this episode, Alex does a full recep of the debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. He argues that Harris did not win the debate, but she did perform better than Trump who lied non-stop but seemed calm and collected. Alex wonders if this debate changed any minds. It seems like her positive message may have appealed to moderates, but with a close election, most people have already made up their minds. 

Americana: the Odd, Strange & Creepy (with Cole Costello)

In this episode, Alex starts by talking about Liz Cheney endorsing Kamala Harris. Then he shares the final part of his interview with Cole Costello. They talk about the darker and more nefarious side of Americana — the domestic and historic shared culture of the United States. America’s early history is littered with strange mysticism, nationalism, and individualism. Aside from its own legends and myths, it also has involved different groups of people doing their own thing and wanted to be isolated in the process. Regional and ideological isolationism can lead to an early America that has one not knowing what kind of people are in the town over from them. Cole talks about the second wave of this phenomenon and they relate this concept to modern politics, division, and more. Cole argues that some of the nostalgia that Americans feel today can stem from this hard to define yet easy to understand concept of Americana culture. 

The Mythos of Unions: Irish Nationalism & Butte, Montana (with Cole Costello)

For the first part of this episode, Alex gives some updates on events happening in the world. He talks about Trump on Lex Fridman and the Hawk Tuah girl starting a podcast called “Talk Tuah.” Then Alex provides some updates and analysis regarding the War in Ukraine and how Russia is responding to the recent incursion. Then, for the majority of the episode, the second part of Alex’s conversation with Cole Costello is played. Cole enligthens Alex on what his PhD candidacy is on and they talk about Irish labor movements in Butte, Montana. Then they debate unions in the current era, capitalism, and more. 

The Bear-Based Brainworm, the NFL Gets Expansionist & Pearl Jam is Bruce Springsteen for Gen X (with Cole Costello)

In this episode, Alex releases part one of his interview with Cole Costello, a PhD candidate at the University of Montana. In this first part, the two talk about why Cole thinks Pearl Jam is the Bruce Springsteen for Gen X in the west coast. He also helps Alex understand grunge music. The two also talk about how the NFL is getting greedy and lazy at the same time, they base this conversation on the NFL putting games in Brazil and other foreign countries. Alex then educates Cole on the RFK Jr. controversies and the weird behavior that led up to his endorsement of Trump. 

BRAT Summer's Over: CNN’s C+ Interview, the Morning Joe Effect & An NFL Rant (+ A 49ers Player Shot in SF)

In this episode, Alex starts with some NFL/cultural commentary. First, he is confused about why Green Bay and Philadelphia are playing their first game in Brazil, in a stadium that doesn’t allow green, in a country that loves other sports. Next, the San Francisco 49ers have a rookie wide receiver that was shot and seriously injured in SF on Saturday. Alex relates this issue to gun violence and crime in cities like SF. Later, Alex reacts to the Kamala Harris interview on CNN. He thinks she did the bare minimum and didn’t make any mistakes; however, he is also not impressed with CNN or the interview questions. Finally, Alex argues that Trump Derangement Syndrome is real and is one of the things that has helped keep Trump in the public eye and has bolstered his political situation. 

Altercations in Arlington & Temporary vs Permanent Ceasefires in Gaza (+ the Kash Patel Problem)

In this episode, Alex starts with an NPR report from the Arlington National Cemetery. Apparently, Trump campaign officials tried to film in parts of the cemetery that were off limits and it led to an altercation between campaign staff and cemetery staff members. Alex thinks this is a political move to film the graves of certain soldiers that died during the fall of Kabul three years earlier. Next, Alex analyzes a new piece in the Atlantic that goes into how Kash Patel, a former Trump official, could play a dangerous and crucial role in a Trump 2.0 administration. Finally, Alex looks into how a recent Israeli operation in the West Bank, that is occupied by Israel, shows that the conflict is increasingly out of control. He also talks about why one side may prefer a temporary ceasefire while the other wants a permanent one. 

Pavel Durov: Free Speech Champion or Complicit Criminal? (+ RFK Jr.’s Moby Dick)

In this episode, Alex starts by talking about how the RFK Jr. saga continues. Just as he endorsed Donald Trump and Tulsi Gabbard followed (Alex rants about that too), an old article has resurfaced that described RFK Jr. using a chainsaw to cut off the head of a beached whale before transporting it back to his house after a family vacation in Massachusetts. For the rest of the episode, Alex breaks down the recent arrest in Paris of Pavel Durov. He is the founder and CEO of Telegram. It is one of the most decentralized and unmoderated messaging platforms on the internet. Many countries have said Telegram violated their laws over reporting misconduct and illicit activity (including drug trafficking and the usage of illegal child images). Alex tries to wade through the chaos of this story and understand why some are angry about the arrest of Durov and why others think it was necessary. 

Mike Pillow in Disguise at the DNC, RFK Jr Endorses Trump & Kamala Accepts the Nomination!

In this episode, Alex starts out light by laughing about Mike Lindell (or Mike Pillow) going in a disguise to the DNC and arguing with 12 year olds. For most of the episode, Alex does a reaction and analysis to the DNC in Chicago. Alex thinks the energy was genuine and also talks about the Republicans that spoke at the event, why he is disappointed that a Palestinian didn’t speak, and what is next. Finally, RFK Jr has endorsed Donald Trump and dropped out of the race. Alex reacts. 

The Summer Doldrums: It’s the Vibes, Stupid (+ Biden Speaks at the DNC)

In this episode, Alex laments the end of summer. The olympics are over, preseason football is the best show in town, and it is getting dark before 8pm. After pouring out a shot for the summer, Alex gives a brief recap of day one of the DNC in Chicago. He talks about Biden’s speech, protests outside the event, and what he expects to happen in the days to come. Next, Alex talks about how he thinks the right is misunderstanding why Democrats are so excited that Kamala Harris is the nominee. Finally, Alex looks at Kamala Harris’ economic platform that involves price caps on grocceries, a 25,000 dollar down payment for first time home-buyers, no taxes on tips, and price caps on prescription drug costs. Alex doesn’t agree with the economics of some of these ideas, but he argues that the platform is more about guiding the candidate’s policies.