Centered From Reality

Taxes, Sedition Charges, Protecting Marriage & Looming Crises in Europe

In this episode, Alex discusses how most of the Republicans that are condemning Trump for his Mar-a-Lago dinner with Fuentes and Ye are only condemning Trump because they know it is bad for their brand. They are not doing it because of a moral shift. This makes them likely to shift back towards him if the calculation is correct. Then Alex discusses Trump’s taxes and new reports that House Democrats have obtained over six years of his federal tax information. What will these documents reveal about Trump’s time in office? Later, Alex discusses reports from places like the New York Times that the leader of the Oath Keepers, and one of his fellow members, were convicted of seditious conspiracy after the events of January 6th. Alex discusses why sedition was a better charge than treason. After, Alex discusses how the Respect for Marriage Act just passed the Senate and will move to the House. Finally, Alex expresses his concerns about the energy crisis in Europe, what increased protectionism by the United States will do to Europe, and what a decline in foreign investment will do to the European Union. He worries an economic and geopolitical row is coming.  

Balenciaga Controversies, the Georgia Runoff & Sending Armed Forces to Haiti?

In this episode, Alex starts by discussing the World Cup and the U.S. Team’s victory over Iran. He also discusses how Iran is a fascinating story and there are reports that show Kurdish-populated regions of Iran celebrating the Iranian team’s loss. Next, Alex discusses the blowback from Balenciaga’s troubling and disturbing pre-Thanksgiving ad and why it may have fueled every far-right conspiracy about child exploitation possible. Later, Alex discusses the Georgia runoff that is a week away and early turnout is higher than expected. Finally, Alex discusses the dire situation in Haiti and why some insiders say the carnage is closer to a civil war than solely anarchy. Also, officials in the Biden Administration have reportedly called for sending “armed foreign forces to stabilize Haiti” according to the New York Times. Alex mentions the complications of such an international task force. 

Meeting of the Maniacs at Mar-a-Lago, Chinese Protests & Iran Throws Shade at the U.S. Team

In this episode, Alex starts by ranting about current airline failures during the holidays and why Congress is placing extra scrutiny on the main companies. Then, Alex discusses the new controversy regarding former President Donald Trump having a dinner party with Kanye West and hate-mongering individuals such as Nick Fuentes, a well-known white supremacist, and holocaust denier. New York Magazine notes that “Former President Donald Trump is continuing to face backlash after hosting and dining with notorious white supremacist and avowed antisemite Nick Fuentes at his Mar-a-Lago estate on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.” Of course, Trump has denied knowing Fuentes; however, Alex questions these answers and ponders who is checking the guest list at Mar-a-Lago. The president must set boundaries and lead by example, he cannot amplify the voices of despicable human beings like Fuentes. Later, Alex discusses the recent protests in China over COVID-19 lockdowns and why these may be different. He argues that these are unified in calling out the regime and worries that President Xi may show his cards in this case. Xi has become president for life and will likely grapple with how to control these protests. Finally, Alex discusses the bravery of the Iranian Football Team and wonders what happens when they return home to Iran. He also discusses how according to CNN, “the United States Federation of Soccer had temporarily displayed Iran’s national flag on its official Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook account without the emblem of the Islamic Republic.” Now the Iranian government is calling out the U.S. Team and is demanding that FIFA kicks them out. Of course, the U.S. Men’s Team has denied knowing about this change and has shown cowardness while the Iranian team has done the opposite. 

COP27 Was Useless (Again), Paying the Climate Bill & Climate Arms Race With China?

In this episode on the Eve of Thanksgiving, Alex starts by discussing his new Christmas guilty pleasure movie. Then he discusses how the Far-Right has started blaming the tragic nightclub shooting in Colorado Springs on the victims. He discusses how the lies around “groomers” have caused a complete breakdown in moral courage and compassion. Alex then gets into Trump’s bad day of lawsuits, investigations, and Supreme Court smackdowns. Later, Alex talks about the COP27 Summit that just ended in Egypt. He notes that it seems like the summit was ineffective in accomplishing climate goals, though creating a climate fund to help developing countries was a good start. He discusses how the idea of the fund was crucial but also that there is still no plan. He discusses how developing countries need state and network finances to help encourage private investment into renewable energy infrastructure. Finally, Alex discusses a growing arms race or Cold War between the United States and China over climate change and renewable energy. 

Paul Ryan, Hunter Biden Deflection & A Possible Nuclear Accident at Zaporizhzhia

In this episode, Alex covers Paul Ryan’s disingenuous comments about being “Never-Trump-Again.” Ryan claimed to appreciate Trump’s record but did not appreciate the losses in 2018, 2020, and 2022. Instead, it would add legitimacy to the “moving-on-from-Trump” movement if someone like Paul Ryan would just say the quiet part out loud — Trump is dangerous! Later, Alex argues that the Hunter Biden investigations that are likely to come may backfire on Republicans and are only an attempt at distracting and deflecting from the nepotism and corruption that plagued Trump’s presidency. Finally, Alex discusses troubling reports from the Russian-controlled nuclear plant in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Apparently, heavy shelling out over the weekend has put the facility at high risk of dangerous scenarios.  The International Atomic Energy Agency has voiced concern and called for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine; however, none have occurred. 

Delusions of FIFA’s President, Trump’s Back on Twitter, Tragedy in Colorado & An Iranian Tipping Point?

In this episode, Alex starts by discussing how on the eve of the FIFA games in Qatar, FIFA’s president went on a bizarre, troubling, and long rant during a news conference. The president, President Gianni Infantino, looked to defend the games being held in Qatar and condemned any criticism as hypocrisy. Infantino said, “for what we Europeans have been doing in the last 3,000 years around the world we should be apologizing for [the] next 3,000 years before starting to give moral lessons.” He also said he felt gay, African, Arab, and disabled. Next in the episode, Alex discusses how Trump has been reinstated on Twitter yet has been noticeably silent. He also discusses how looking into Trump’s tweets from January 2021 feels like a time capsule. Later, Alex discusses the tragic shooting that occurred over the weekend in Colorado Springs. At least five people were killed and 25 were injured in the LGBTQ+ nightclub in what is looking like a violent hate crime. Finally, Alex gives his thoughts on the protests and crackdown on human rights that are both taking place throughout Iran. Then he looks at previous revolutions in Iran and argues that this situation is not likely to lead to a revolution. 

Immunity for MBS, Hypocrisy in Qatar & Another Special Counsel

In this episode, Alex goes over some recent controversies and hypocrosies involving the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He discusses a troubling app that EU countries have warned should not be downloaded in Qatar but is required by the government to have on a phone. He also discusses how Qatari officials have decided that alcohol will not be sold at the stadiums and that the infrastructure may not be as well-designed as some had hoped. Finally, he discusses how the November schedule could cause injuries in players and has caused disasterous changes to the European football season. Then, Alex discusses how according to Reuters, “The Biden administration ruled on Thursday that Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has immunity from a lawsuit over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, drawing immediate condemnation from the slain journalist's former fiancee.” This is because MBS was made the Prime Minister and is now the head of state. This allows him international immunity from U.S. investigations. Finally, Alex discusses how Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to investigate Donald Trump’s mishandling of documents at Mar-a-Lago, as well as his actions on January 6th. 

RIP FTX, ’Hardcore’ Twitter & the Investigations are Coming!

In this episode, Alex discusses the recent news that the current Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, will no longer be involved in house leadership. Since Republicans have taken back the house, Pelosi would no longer be the speaker anyways. Alex then discusses the revelations about FTX, a cryptocurrency firm that had over $30 billion in revenue and almost overnight went into an $8 billion hole. He discusses how this crisis has shed light on the volatility of crypto and it may be the beginning of the end for the currency. Later, Alex discusses new reports of potential resignations at Twitter. Elon Musk has given his employees until the end of the day on Thursday to decide if they want to be part of “Hardcore Twitter.” Finally, with Republicans taking back the House of Representatives, they have vowed to begin a storm of investigations into the Biden Administration.

Missile Strikes in Poland & the Orange God King Is Running

In this episode, Alex dives into two newsworthy events that have been on his mind over the last 24 hours. First, he discusses how a potentially “Russian-made” missile crossed the border into Poland and killed two Polish nationals. This was likely the first death on a NATO country’s soil. While this report is alarming, Alex notes that Poland is running investigations with the help of NATO allies and it appears to be a defensive missile that was used by Ukraine and accidentially crossed over. While Poland and other countires have been measured, and still condemned Russia’s violent strikes throughout Ukraine, Alex worries that the fog of war almost brought NATO countries into a brutal conflict. Later, Alex discusses Donald Trump’s announcement to run for president in 2024. Trump still is the favorite in the Republican primary and Alex is worried that Trump could still win. It seems like the GOP has not done enough to fight back and it may pay… again…

FIFA: To Boycott, or Not to Boycott, That is the Question

In this episode, Alex discusses growing calls to boycott the FIFA World Cup that starts on November 20th in Qatar. Hosting the event in Qatar feels antithetical to the values of the sport and many nations involved. Then he spends the podcast looking into the controversies centered around the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). He uses the Qatar World Cup which will be played in November 2022, to discuss the issues this organization continues to face. Alex looks into the exploitation of workers in many of the countries where the World Cup takes place (such as South Africa, Brazil, and Qatar). Then he looks into the wasteful infrastructure projects that have been required for a World Cup. He finds that the projects are expensive, wasteful, neglect labor laws, and usually use vast state resources for only a few weeks of use. Later he looks into the bribery scandals, corruption charges, and FIFA’s close relationships with despots and illiberal regimes. Alex ends by talking about how inside reform is crucial because it reflects how other non-profit, international organizations are held accountable on the global stage.