Centered From Reality

The Nikki Haley Fantasy, A Hostage Release Deal in Gaza & DeSantis Defends Elon Musk

In this episode, Alex starts by reluctabtly revisiting Elon Musk’s recent retweet (re-X) of an antisemetic post doubling down on the Great Replacement Theory. In an interview with Jake Tapper, Ron DeSantis defends Musk while stating that he was unaware of the X statement. Alex questions this line of thought as DeSantis defends Musk. Next, Alex breaks down what is next in the Republican presidential primary process. He argues that Nikki Haley is likely going to be the runner-up to Donald Trump but he is hesitant to think that she has any chance of dethroning him. Finally, Alex quickly talks about recent events between Israel and Hamas. There appears to be a hostage swap that has been agreed upon and now many wonder, what is next? 

Closed Door Chaos at OpenAI as Sam Altman is Fired & An Anarcho-Capitalist Becomes President of Argentina

In this episode, Alex starts by giving a movie recommendation and talking about why he dislikes Black Friday. Then he talks about Argentina’s new president-elect, Javier Milei. Milei is a unique, anarcho-capitalist with dangerous views that are all covered up by his flamboyant and entertaining personality. Alex laughs and cries about what his future in Argentina may hold. Finally, Alex talks about Sam Altman’s firing at OpenAI and what it means in the “Open Civil War of AI” between tech capitalists and utilitarians. It seems like Altman’s firing could just help Microsoft gain influence over a troubling and powerful new technology. 

Attacks on US Troops in Syria, A Depressing Bin Laden Tik Tok Phenomenon, Why the World is Violent Again & David Cameron Returns in the UK!

In this episode, Alex talks about how there have been over 40 attacks on US Troops in Syria since October 7th. He relates this to theories on why the world is becoming more violent again and what can be done. Alex also talks about a troubling Bin Laden Tik Tok Phenomenon in which younger progressives are taking his words seriously and retconning his atrocious actions. Finally, Alex talks about David Cameron's return to British politics and why he is surprised. 

Elon Musk Needs an Intervention & Mike Johnson Should Have Been Vetted!

In this episode, Alex starts by going over Elon Musk’s recent support of an antisemitic tweet that supported the great replacement theory. Later, Alex talks about House Speaker Mike Johnson’s troubling comments from October 3rd on how the US is morally broken and may face destruction for our collective sin. 

Amnesty for Political Power in Spain: Violent Protests, a Radical Right, Separatists & Tucker Carlson

In this episode, Alex discusses a Tucker Carlson video and photo of him joining protesters in Madrid. Tucker claims that the left is trying a coup to seize power. Alex dives into what is ACTUALLY happening in Spain. In July, the right-wing parties won the most seats in a national election; however, they only won a plurality and not enough for a majority. Now the center-left is trying to form a majority government by making concessions to Catalan, separatist parties. Many in Spain are angry that the left is potentially granting amnesty to separatists in return for political power. Alex argues that both parties would do this and this is less of a coup and more of a partisan breakdown. Later, Alex reacts to a troubling Axios article that highlights how Trump allies are already conducting loyalty tests to find bureacrats that can be planted in the government to aid Trump if he wins in 2024. 

Trump’s Gaffes Aren’t the Problem, His Plans for Retribution Are (Viktor Orbán, Mass Deportations & Loyalty Tests)

In this episode, Alex goes into why he thinks that the media and politicians should focus less on Trump’s gaffes (i.e. Obama is president, Biden will start WW2, etc.) and more on the rhetoric that is being masked below the surface. Alex voices his concerns for a Trump 2.0 administration. Trump has called his political opponents vermin, says the true threat to the country comes from within, has voiced the idea of mass deportation campaigns, and wants “patriotic education” brought back to schools that are coupled with immigrants taking a loyalty test. 

A Looming Shutdown During a Perilous Time, Bill Maher vs. Ted Cruz, The Complexity of Calling Something a Genocide & Tim Scott Drops Out

In this episode, Alex breaks down the interview between Bill Maher and Ted Cruz, he finds Ted Cruz to be morally vague and politically confusing. Next, Alex talks about the chaos in the House of Representatives as Mike Johnson is attempting to pass an unorthodox CR to keep the government open. The policies will not give funding to Ukraine or Israel. Alex also talks about a Latinx bill in the house and why he thinks the house is not a serious body anymore. Later, Alex talks about the term genocide in the context of the war in Gaza. He argues that he term is fairly vague and complicated. While Alex does not think Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, he does think that there is still massive violence and potential war crimes. 

Rising Extremism in the UK: Protests, Counter-Protests & A Radical Home Secretary

In this Sunday episode, Alex starts by updating listeners about some events happening around the world that they may have missed. For the remainder of the episode, Alex talks about rising extremism in the United Kingdom. He also discusses how the Tory Government has a Home Secretary that is not condemning xenophobia and islamaphobia while also criticising any pro-Palestine protestors as hate groups. 

An Italian Guantánamo Bay in Albania, Troubling Reforms in Rome & Iran Meets With Saudi Arabia

In this episode, Alex starts by talking about his irritation with some people on the left and how they may sit out the 2024 election because they are angry with Joe Biden over his response to the terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7th. Alex argues that Trump 2.0 would be much worse than any Biden presidency and the cognitive dissonance is painful to experience. Next, Saudi Arabia and Iran have opened up conversations around the events in Gaza and Alex worries that this could have been avoided. For the rest of the episode, Alex focuses on Italy. He talks about the worries of an “Italian Guantánamo Bay” in Albania that the far-right Italian government could be used for political reasons  to expel migrants. He also looks into how the Meloni government wants to pass reforms that could change the Italian system in some good, but mainly bad ways. 

A Debate from the Kid’s Table, the Immovable Force of MAGA & A Gaza Update

In this episode, Alex starts by discussing some decent news — Israel has agreed to allow four hour humanitarian pauses inside of Northern Gaza. He also discusses why the Biden Administration can’t seem to do anything right during this war. Next, Alex goes into the third Republican Presidential Debate which was a disaster, lacking in substance, and seemingly pointless. Finally, Alex gives some highlights from Trump’s recent rally in Florida (that happened during the debate), and he talks about why it seems like Trump is becoming increasingly inevitable.