Centered From Reality

Deep Fakes Could Create the Next October Surprise, Leaving the Uncanny Valley & A Specter is Haunting Austria

In this episode, Alex starts by discussing new reports out of Russia regarding Putin threatening to place tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Next, Alex looks into the normalization of the alt-right in Austria and why its far-right, Freedom Party, is looking to do well in the upcoming elections. Alex notes that Austria is an interesting case study into how a country has attempted to balance east and west, yet the Invasion of Ukraine has made this more difficult. Finally, Alex looks into how deep fakes may be flying out of the uncanny valley and may come to an election near you. He discusses how deep fakes are becoming more of a threat for elections, propaganda, and disinformation. He also worries that the next October surprise may really be an October lie from a fake video of someone like Biden or Trump. Alex ends by playing (and then reacting) to a deep fake of President Biden calling for a military draft. 

Bibi is Breaking Israel, Michael Knowles Calls for Indicting Libs & Comer Self-Exposes Himself

In this episode, Alex starts with a clip from Tucker Carlson that is once again a great example of deflection. Next, Congressman James Comer has self-exposed himself to a lot of hypocrisy. The chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee admitted a lot in a recent interview with the New York Times. Alex discusses how this only makes him look like a partisan fool, which is fitting for the guy who is pushing for accountability. Later, Alex goes into the recent issues in Israel. He discusses the historic levels of violence between Palestianians and Israelis, why the United States has had a rare moment of criticism towards Israel, and why recent reforms in the Knesset show that Bibi Netanyahu’s new hardline governing coalition is looking to erode the courts and give more power to extremist minorities. As thousands have taken to the streets to protest these illiberal reforms, Alex worries that Netanyahu must moderate his views or it will make Israel vulnerable. Finally, Alex reacts to a new and insane take from Michael Knowles. 

The War on Terror Internalized the Machine of Hate, Trump Holds the Legal System Hostage & DeSantis Weakens

In this episode, Alex starts by discussing how the GOP is trying to undermine the New York investigation into Donald Trump after there have been growing talks about him getting charged. He also talks about how Ron DeSantis cannot commit to a stance on many issues and is constantly seeming more weak and indecisive. For the rest of the episode, Alex reflects on the Iraq War and the War on Terror, 20 years later. He argues that as the United States started to struggle in Iraq, it started to look for internal scapegoats. As the war got more costly and vague, the threat of the other became more radicalzied, internalized, and malleable. Alex discusses why he thinks that the current partisanship, populism, and xenophobia, have all stemmed from the war. 

Once Upon a Time in LA, There Were Rail Cars: A Conversation with Cole Costello About Societal Decline, Eminent Domain, Historical Memory, and Ozymandias!

In this episode, Alex sits down with Cole Costello, a friend and history student/ future PhD candidate, who is focused on historical memory, the indigenous history of California, labor movements in the American West, and the history of rail cars in Los Angeles. In this conversation, the two mainly talk about how Los Angeles used to have a vast rail car system that connected numerous parts of the city and created an environment that helped different classes move around the city. Cole dives into why the gas powered car eventually defeated these rail cars and also why the rail cars no longer exist. The two also get into the complex history of the West, why historical memory is important, what societal decline looks like, and how eminent domain policies have impacted Los Angeles. The two even discuss some politics and Cole’s favorite music. 

Trump Expects to Get Arrested, Channels Kremlin Propaganda & Calls for ’Protests’

On Saturday, Donald Trump told his supporters that he expects to get arrested on Tuesday for this alleged hush-money scheme that involved payments to a porn star. Alex reacts and worries that Trump is trying to agitate his base and is using similar rhetoric to the events leading up to January 6th. Later, Alex looks into a troubling video that Trump put out where he blames America’s problems on itself, talks about purging American institutions, and provides content that is worthy of Kremlin propaganda. 

SVB Bets on Bonds, Bank Run Fun, Worries of Moral Hazard & Mike Pence’s Cowardly Moment of Bravery

In this episode, Alex starts by discussing how Mike Pence finally did the bare minimum over the weekend. At an elite media dinner, Pence finally condemned what happened on January 6th, said history would hold Trump accountable, and seemed to critisize Tucker Carlson for trying to whitewash 1/6. Alex laughs at Pence’s late and cowardly stance. For the rest of the episode, Alex talks about the collapse of three banks over the last week. These banks were Silicon Valley Bank, Silvergate (an institution heavily exposed to cryptocurrency), and Signature Bank in New York. While reports show that 89% of $200 billion of deposits at SVB were not insured (the FDIC only insures up to $250,000), the Fed and the Biden administration promised that all depositers would have access to their funds by this week. Alex discusses his concerns about this precedent. While this was not technically a bailout, and there are reasonable arguments about why these tech start-ups needed access to their money, Alex things banks like SVB were under-regulated and allowed to act carelessly. He goes into moral hazard, loostening of the Dodd Frank Act, and why interest rate hikes could have made this issue worse. 

In 2003, Tucker Predicted His Own Demise - Saturday Short

In this short episode, Alex starts by playing a 2003 interview with Tucker Carlson on CSPAN. Carlson calls out Bill O’Reilly and predicts that O’Reilly can’t play a character on TV forever. In a sense, Carlson is describing his future and providing a portal into his own future on Fox News. Alex then discusses why he is perplexed by Tucker’s transormation. He argues that Tucker did not change for the funny since he was one of the only journalists at the time that came from money and did not really need any more. Alex also discusses why Tucker may have been radicalized by his own life experiences living in elite, liberal areas. He also argues that Tucker may not survive this moment on Fox News because there are other commentators, on other news programs, that actually believe the lies and may attack him. 

An AUMF Against Mexican Cartels, Rep. Comer Wants to Bomb Mexico & SVB Collapses

In this episode, Alex starts by going over the chaotic weather in California. Then he discusses how Silicon Valley Bank, “among the top 20 American commercial banks, with $209 billion in total assets at the end of last year” has failed after a bank run and a capital crisis that made it the second largest failure of a financial institution in history. Alex questions whether this is a one-off event or the beginning of a financial crisis. For the remainder of the episode, Alex goes into how the kidnapping of four Americans, and the murder of two of them, in Mexico has sparked hawish rhetoric towards Mexico. Now Republicans, some that oppose military force in Ukraine, want to consider using an Authorization for the Use of Emergency Force (AUMF) to be able to attack cartel-owned drug labs. While this AUMF will look different from those used to invade Iraq in 2001, Alex worries that this AUMF will start a new war on drugs that could backfire. Dan Crenshaw, one of the Republicans pushing for this AUMF, says it would be different than the AUMF of 2001 and would look more like how the United States helped Colombia in the 1980s and 1990s. 

Tucker Carlson: A Never-Trumper in the Sheets and a Propagandist on the Streets, NATO v Turkey & Who Blew Up the Nord Stream Pipeline?

In this episode, Alex talks about new revelations related to Tucker Carlson. This time, texts show that while he privately despised Donald Trump, he continued to tout conspiracies and support for the former president. Next, Alex looks into the reasons why Turkey has been blocking Finland and Sweden’s attempts to join NATO. It seems like for political and strategic reasons, Turkey is continuing to stall these actions. Finally, Alex goes into different theories regarding who blew up the Nord Stream pipelines and why. Some speculate it was the United States, others think it was Ukraine, and some argue it was Russia. Alex notes that this is another example of the fog of war eroding certainty during a conflict. 

Ron DeSantis Has His ‘Flight 93’ Moment, Defining Democratic Distrust & Retconning January 6th (A Conversation with Jon)

In this episode, Alex sits down with Jon for their best conversation yet! Jon is a reoccuring guest and former member of the armed forces who currently works for the government in the West Coast. The two have a wide-ranging conversation that delves into why Ron Desantis may be more dangerous than Trump, why the GOP has moved away from conservative principles and towards reactionary authoritarianism, and why Florida is only a model of hope if you agree with DeSantis. Alex argues this is because of the “Flight 93 Moment” that happened prior to Trump’s electoral victory in 2016. Basically, many Republicans value fighting the left and demonizing the opposition as a way to justify their drift away from conservative values. The two also discuss American distrust in politics, whether January 6th was an actual riot, whether a true coup could occur, and why January 6th could be the beginning and not the end.