Centered From Reality

A Looming Federal Fight Over Water Usage on the Colorado River, Abortion Bans Backfire & A Tale of Two Judges

In this episode, Alex starts by ranting about airline etiquette and why he is done giving up a seat for someone. For the next segment, Alex goes into a tale of two decisions involving an abortion pill called Mifepristone; it is responsible for almost half of abortions in the United States. One judge, the conservative one from Texas, has denied the FDA and has said the drug should be banned. The other judge, a liberal in Washington, has said the federal government should maintain support for the drug. Alex discusses the contradictions of a conservative judge challenging the FDA for approving something and why this precedent is bad for other ideologically charged drugs. Later, Alex looks into the Florida bill that has passed that Florida Senate and would ban most forms of abortion at only six weeks. It seems like DeSantis has gone too far and most Floridians support access to abortion, even most Republicans. Finally, Alex goes into a new story about how the US Interior Department’s Bureau of Reclamation has released a plan that looks at two different scenarios for how to cut water usage if the levels in Lakes Mead and Powell continue to drop. Basically, the federal government is looking to cut water usage in the West because states have been slow to do so. Cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, will all be impacted. Alex believes this will begin a new legal battle between states and the federal government.

A Bad Breach for Ukraine, Fox News Hosts Melt Down Over Guns, 146 Mass Shootings in 2023 & Another America Detained in Russia

In this episode, Alex starts by going through a Fox News video where Martha MacCallum clashes with Brian Kilmeade over guns and some of her arguments actually make a lot of sense. Next, Alex gets into the recent shooting in Kentucky and why he is getting more and more irritated with lawmakers that constantly say nothing can be done. For the rest of the episode, Alex goes into the recent intelligence leaks that have the United States and its allies scrambling for answers. The leaks are not only bad for the United States and its national security, they are also detrimental to Ukraine and could give Russia information on how to change its strategies. Alex also worries that the data leak could harm our intelligence gathering practices and help Russia go around them. Finally, another American journalist has been detained by Russia.  In this case, it is a Wall Street Journal reporter named Evan Gershkovich. Alex discusses how the United States has designated him as wrongfully detained and this will allow the government to get more funding and it will get more attention to this situation. 

The (Un)Constitutional Sheriff Movement, Looming Sectarian Violence & Tennessee Madness

In this episode, Alex starts by discussing why Tennessee has recently been in the spotlight for political chaos. This week, there was an explusion of two Democrats from the state’s House of Representatives for breaking the rules and speaking out against policies related to the recent school shooting near Nashville. While three Democrats came together in solidarity, the two black members were part of the expulsion and the white member survived the vote. Alex gives some takeaways on why this whole thing is a mess. For the rest of the episode, he looks into why he is concerned about decentralized violence, sectarian chaos, and looming threats of institutional breakdowns that could lead to minority oppression, coups, and voter intimidation.  Alex notes that the Constitutional Sheriff Movement is a far-right movement that argues that sheriffs have power over state and federal government policies and can use their own interpretation of the constitution. This movement’s founder was a board member of the Oath Keepers and there are growing worries that this movement is illiberal, nativist, and extreme.

Chicago, a Deeply Divided City, Elects a Progressive as Mayor

In this episode, Alex talks about the recent Mayoral election in Chicago where the progressive candidate, Brandon Johnson, defeated the centrist Paul Vallas. Johnson had 51.42% of the vote to 48.58% for Vallas. Alex discusses how the city is deeply divided and it will be interesting to see how Johnson handles crime, as well as other issues in the windy city. 

Failures of the Green Revolution, A Global Rice Crisis & Underwhelming Protests in NYC

In this episode, Alex starts by looking at how pro-Trump protests in New York City have been called “underwhelming.” Following his arraignment, Trump is now heading to Florida for an evening “event.” For the rest of the episode, Alex looks into a growing global rice crisis. He looks into the Green Revolution of the 20th century which emphasized efficiency, higher crop yields, global trade, and mass production. While the Green Revolution helped reduce famines in places like China and India, the usage of pesticides and fertilizers, as well as deforestation and methan production, led to other issues. Alex discusses how the mass production of rice is now backfiring as demand is increasing while yields are decreasing. Also, rice is proving to be a resource demanding crop that could intensify climate change concerns. Alex argues that governments must incentivize growing local grains that are better suited for various environments. 

Russian Blogger Gets Bust Bombed, NYC Prepares for Trump Arrest & DeSantis Appears Cowardly as Hutchinson Announces

In this episode, Alex starts by reacting to a cringy 60 Minutes interview that features Marjorie Taylor Greene was feature on. Next, he looks into the 2024 Republican Primary contenders. The Former Governor of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, has announced his candidacy; however, Alex does not think that there is any chance that Hutchinson, a critical anti-Trumper, could win. Alex also looks into why Ron DeSantis looks weak and problematic. He recently said he would oppose extraditing Trump to New York. While he must appease the Trump base, Alex thinks this makes him look weak and like someone that is threatening the fundamentals of the American federal system. Also, DeSantis is not polling well and the indictment only seems to be helping Trump. As Trump has arrived in New York City for the indictment events, Alex wonders if chaos will follow. Finally, Alex looks into the strange death of a far-right Russian blogger who went by the name of Vladlen Tatarsky. He supported the war in Ukraine but was critical of the Putin Government’s lack of aggression. Reuters reports that “Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed in a bomb attack in a St Petersburg cafe on Sunday in which some 30 other people were wounded.” Alex discusses whether the attack was by internal factions, the Kremlin, or by pro-Ukrainian groups either inside or outside of Russia. 

Trump INDICTED, Gwneyth Paltrow VINDICATED & Could DeSantis Wait Until 2028?

In this episode, Alex is fired up and talks about the two biggest news events of our time — Donald Trump and Gwyneth Paltrow. Trump was indicted by the Manhattan grand jury and made history as the first sitting or former president to be indicted. Alex is conflicted on this case and gives examples as to why. Also, Gwyneth Paltrow was found to be innocent in the fascinating and absurd Utah Ski Accident Case of 2016. Finally, Alex discusses why it would be smart for Ron DeSantis to wait until 2028 to run. 

David Pakman Needs Our Support, Voter Suppression on College Campuses & Chris Christie: Live From La La Land!

In this episode, Alex starts by defending David Pakman who has been brutally attacked by bad faith actors for his true (albeit cold) comments about how thoughts and prayers won’t stop a school shooting. Alex is angry about these attacks on Pakman because the right, which was once against cancel culture, is now trying to cancel Pakman in bad faith. Please support his work by subscribing on Youtube and buying a membership! Later in the show, Alex goes into how some Republican states are looking to limit college voting by passing laws that ban the use of student IDs to vote. Finally, Alex discusses why Chris Christie will not beat Trump in the Republican Primary. Christie may run in 2024, but he has no chance. 

Terrorism in Northern Ireland, Trans Hysteria Intensifies, Mass Protests in Israel & Mammoth Meatballs...!?

In this episode, Alex glances out in the blizzard and thinks he’s ready for the winter chaos to continue. As he stares into the blizzard, he talks about Mammoth Meatballs that were made in Australia to demonstrate the efficacy of lab-grown meat. Then he talks about the recent and tragic shooting at a elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee. Since the shooting happened at a Christian school, and the shooter appeared to be a transgender 28 year old, the Right-Wing propaganda machine has gone into full hysteria against the Transgender Community. Alex goes over some of the hateful blaming and worries that this will lead to more violence and harm against the community. Later, Alex looks into the protests in Israel and how they have forced Benjamin Netanyahu to delay some of the more radical judicial reforms. On a positive note, it seems like the Israeli people are not willing to accept Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition. Finally, Alex discusses a new report about growing threats of terrorism in Northern Ireland. He implies that the Brexit chaos, anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, sectarian tensions, and more, are all causing this growing crisis. 

Losing Five Hours on TikTok Could Be a National Security Risk & Trump Rallies in Waco on its Anniversary!

In this episode, Alex starts by discussing why he is fascinated by the Gwyneth Paltrow trial over a ski incident in Utah. Then he talks about Trump’s recent rally in Waco, Texas. Trump gave a raged filled speech close to the anniversary of the standoff between the Branch Davidians and Law Enforcement. This was a strange venue due to the event’s symbolism related to anti-government violence. Finally, Alex looks into TikTok and the new Congressional hearings that were quite hostile to the company. He also discusses whether TikTok is a national security risk, whether Biden should ban it or force the company to sell, and much more!