Tragedy, Anger, and a former-president missing the spotlight, we’ve got a lot to talk about.

This episode features the song “Aside” by Normcore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

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00:10 Asian-American Murders

• 8 Dead, at the hands of gunman who accused the women of furthering his addiction to sex
• Caught alive, defended by the police officers who claimed it was a “rough day” for the perpetrator 
• Further investigations showed anti-Asian posts and even sold merchandise originating on the police officer’s page
• Marches and vigils across the country remember the dead, and call for more restricted gun rights with a renewed highlight on racial injustice pertaining to the Asian community

09:16 Hard Stances on the Geopolitical Stage 

• Biden accuses Putin of being a “Killer”. Putin fired back at the nuclear bombs dropped in Japan, and the Native American massacres as a whataboutism
• Biden had said the US had “rolled over” for the Russian government in the last administration and he would not further that mentality
• During a meeting in Anchorage, US and Chinese delegations met and traded public barbs
• Chinese officials claimed there was the “strong smell of gunpowder and drama” as US officials took aim at the aggressive authoritarian nature of Chinese ruling in the past few years
• Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong, and Xinjiang all stand out as sore spots in the talks, with both sides accusing each other of grandstanding

17:11 Trump Social Media

• Trump to return to social media on his own platform in some 2-3 months 
• No details of how open or exclusive it will be, a paywall function is hinted at 
• Likely to face similar challenges to Gab and Parler, with Twitter and Facebook monopolizing the market 

With Cuomo on the chopping block and Gavin Newsom in the clear, the Democratic establishment sands down their edges with the news cycle continuing in perpetuity.

This episode features the song “Aside” by Normcore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

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00:10 Cuomo’s Complete Abandonment 

• Both state senators, both democrats Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer  have announced the need for him to step down
• State legislature and multiple prominent party officials demand the resignation, with officials like AOC making public statements against him
• Biden’s silence is deafening, as his support for either side could close the deal, though allowing these figures to speak out against him shows the complicit nature of the White House

04:01 Gavin Newsom

• Recall efforts seem strong amongst Republicans 
• Fears of leftist surge and primary democratic opponent during recall election quelled as national progressive fronts move to help Newsom
• No new national aggressors prove a welcome sign to Newsom, facing no real opposition even if the election is called, which would make him the 4th in the country to have ever face a recall election 

06:06 Kentucky’s 1st Amendment 

• Bill passed in Kentucky’s senate would make it a crime to insult a police officer during a riot
• Would allow violent force to be used against those who disrespected police officers 

09:50 Racial Justice 

• Minnesota Judge Peter Cahill approved the prosecution’s Third Degree Murder charge against George Floyd’s murderer, Derek Chauvin
• The day of recording marks the 1 year anniversary of Breonna Taylor’s murder at the hands of a police home invasion, with a no-knock unverified reason for entry

Drama on the war front, cancel culture on the Homefront, and two men in power who might be leaving their posts without a say in the matter.

This episode features the song “Aside” by Normcore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

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00:07 The Royals 

• Meghan Markle and Prince Harry in the spotlight for claiming their son received skepticism for being not white enough
• On the Oprah interview, polarizing statements brought anger from the United State’s right wing, and defense from the left 

05:45 Burnings Masks/Books 

• Footage from the Idaho capitol show people burnings masks as a sign of hatred for the governments mask mandate 
• With 6 Dr. Seuss books being removed from the stores due to “racial depictions”, the right wing has claimed Orwellian dystopia in the aftermath 

12:43 Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Scandal

• Accused of creating a “toxic, hostile” workplace 
• 2 Lawyers named to lead sexual misconduct investigations into Cuomo
• Lead Lawyer for Cuomo’s team steps down, leaving before possible trial 
• Republicans call for removal, impeachment introduced 
• FBI investigating possible scandal regarding nursing homes being underreported in casualties during the Covid crisis, with possible faked numbers directed by Cuomo 
• Progressive democrats similarly voice disapproval, NY State Assembly Member Ron T. Kim and NYC mayoral candidate Andrew Yang both actively calling for investigations into him for both scandals

18:42 Gavin Newsom

• Recall effort had a claimed 2 million signatures 
• Gavin faces pressure over handling of virus and lockdowns, making him a prime target for attacks on both sides 
• With high approval numbers amongst centrists and costal neo-liberals, recall efforts will likely be met with a sweeping victory for the current Governor 
• Bernie Sanders came out in support of the governor, likely saving him from a left-side attack and allowing him to safely continue without major upheavals

With promises broken home and abroad, the climate gets ever worse while Gov. Abbott makes a fool out of himself for the second time this year.

This episode features the song “Aside” by Normcore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

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00:10 Senate democrats retreat on promise to raise minimum wage

• Facing pressure from moderate democrats in WV and Montana, democrats re-arrange spending 
• No more federal minimum wage raise
• 400 dollar unemployment bonus being cut to 300
• Failure to secure votes with no republicans crossing, and moderates wishing for less personal support to families 

08:05 Syria Bombs

• Biden admin approves air-strikes on northern Syria 
• Pentagon claimed 1 dead and 2 wounded, while international groups report 22 dead 
• With Shia militants as the targets, it threatened relations with Iran as the US and Iran aimed to meet at the UN later this week
• Post attack, the talks broke down even as Biden promised concessions to return to the 2015 JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) or the “Iran Deal” 

13:24 Texas Reopening 

• 100% capacity for all businesses
• Removal of the mask mandate 
• Prominent Texas democrats claim this is a strategy to shield from criticism over the handling of the power grid shutoff 
• Gov. Abbott faced same-party criticism following his mandate 8 months ago
• Leading scientists call the move “premature”, and could likely lead to spikes in deaths that have been decreasing over the past months 
• 13% of the population has gotten at least one vaccine shot

With chaos in the home front and an incoming years-long court fight over Trump and his businesses, let’s buckle in.

This episode features the song “Aside” by Normcore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

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00:10 Saturday Night Apartheid

• SNL’s Micheal Che’s joke landed him in hot water, outcries from multiple Jewish organizations which lambasted his insinuation
• On the 17th, there was an instance of vaccines being halted at the border, only to be released some time later after outcry and conflict 
• This joke reignited the arguments for and against BDS, continuing to also spark pro-Palestinian and Pro-Isrrael sentiment on social media 

06:08 Trump’s Court Case 

• Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s attempt to shield tax records in New York case 
• Cyrus Vance says “the work continues” as he’s given the right away to investigate trump as he’s forced to comply with the subpoena 
• Trump claims it is “the greatest political witch hunt in the history of our country” 
• With multiple cases regarding both political and economic issues for Trump, it does not look good for him

10:48 Neera Tanden 

• With a vote against her confirmation by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) her prospects seem bleak 
• Republicans refuse to support her, with inflammatory tweets aimed at republicans and left wing democrats sinking her perspective role as leader of the White House budget office
• An option for replacement is Gene Sperling, a two-time director of the National Economic Council. He suffers from a lack of diversity, making it difficult for Biden to keep his promise of a diverse cabinet
• Another, Ann O’Leary, who just came off a stint serving as California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s chief of staff

With the second impeachment going marginally better than the first, there is a good amount of emotion in the air. Insults flying, the obvious being stated, and horrid precedent; this is so fun.

This episode features the song “Aside” by Normcore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

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00:07 Impeachment proceedings 

• Impeachment ends, and a 57-43 vote in favor is not enough, with Donald J. Trump, 45th president of the United States being found not guilty. 
• Lindsey Graham claiming there is precedent to go after Kamala Harris for any and all of BLM’s protests for justice. Any conflict during those protests could be used against her because of her support. 
• Richard Burr of North Carolina (Not Running Again)
• Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
• Susan Collins of Maine
• Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
• Mitt Romney of Utah
• Ben Sasse of Nebraska
• Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. (Not Running)

With impeachment ever-continuing, charter schools in the spotlight, and 2022 far too close for comfort, we take a deep dive into the current events while I try to keep my head.

This episode features the song “Aside” by Normcore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

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00:09 Impeachment

• Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) claims he is “suspicious” of Nancy Pelosi and her role in the January 6th insurrection attempt
• Claims the impeachment trial is simply to draw attention away from those implications
• New polls show 56% vs 43% with a lean in favor of conviction for Trump marking the first time the public has been in majority favor
• Wyoming GOP censures Liz Cheney over vote for impeachment
• Kevin McCarthy privately asked her to apologize for vote, her office refuses ,along with a refusal to step-down as the state GOP has asked

05:45 Utah School Black History Month

• A charter school in Utah purportedly allowed parents to opt-out of black history month teaching
• 90% white state, with heavy religious background 
• Calls into question the ability of charter schools, as well as the differing standards of education across the United States

12:54 2022 Purple States 

• 6 purple states with senate races up in 2022
• 3 Democratic seats, 3 Republican seats, tight races all around

With an insane week in the stock market, Trump’s legal team walking out, and thousands of Russian citizens in jail for opposition, it’s a hectic one...

This episode features the song “Aside” by Normcore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

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00:11 Trump’s Legal Team

• Trump retains GOP support, increasing slowly post-Capitol riot
• Attorneys Butch Bowers, Deborah Barbier, Josh Howard, Johnny Gasser and Greg Harris all walked out over disagreements with trump on legal strategy 
• Trump demanded they speak to fraud and widespread corruption, while the legal team demanded to represent him using a case against the idea of convicting a former President

03:06 Marjorie Taylor Greene

• Video emerged regarding MTG’s reaction to 2018’s Parkland school shooting, where she attacks one shooting survivor David Hogg, calling him a coward 
• MTG also claimed all school shootings in the past 10 years were false flag attacks by the US government or staged entirely
• MTG also claimed the devastating Camp fire was started by a “Space Laser” owned and planned by George Soros, or a rich Jewish family 

10:30 Stock Market/Economy 

• DOGE coin proving that the economy moves quickly, and volatile investments will soon by the norm 
• Robinhood’s system of quick easy trading proved disastrous for hedge funds who bleed billions during a stock shorting scheme by retail traders/investors using shell companies like GameStop who are worth very little to begin with 

24:10 Navalny Followup

• 3 thousand citizens arrested calling for Alexei’s release
• Further international calls for his release and Russian police become more active

With the fight closing on the doors of the senate, Biden’s plans keep rolling as republicans face backlash and repercussions for their actions during the insurrection attempt.

This episode features the song “Aside” by Normcore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

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00:05 Schumer Vs. McConnell 

• Senator McConnell demanded the Filibuster be in play for the duration of the 50/50 senate, upending the standards set and the precedent reaffirmed during the 2001 senate
• Schumer quoted as being able to deal with McConnell early Monday morning 
• That evening McConnell folds, paving way for senate appointments

07:04 Impeachment

• Now specifically being propagated to end Donald Trump’s political ambitions
• Supported by Democrats as assumed, with support from republicans less vocal, while palpable
• Little headway with proceedings continuing as the new senate is confirming positions

11:25 Consequences of the 6th

• Josh Hawley, Republican superstar, faces plummeting approval ratings, dropping 9% a week consistently showing a net approval below 35% 
• Trump establishes “Office of the Former President” in Florida, proving his commitment to staying involved. First endorsement going to Sarah Huckabee Sanders in her race for governor of Arkansas 

18:29 Navalny Followup

• Large scale protests began as Russian citizens demanded the opposition leader’s release. Multiple countries, including the United States, have called for his immediate release

This episode features the song “Aside” by Normcore, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.

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00:05 Inauguration

• 25,000 soldiers present 
• No Donald Trump, breaking with 100’s precedent, Biden called it “good”
• Pence will be there 
• Covid-19 Protocols will be in place 

02:00 Planned Executive Actions

• Canceling of the Keystone Pipeline 
• Rescind Travel Ban 
• Rejoin Paris Accords 
• National Mask Mandate 

09:05 Trump’s Impeachment 

• Referendum on him ever holding office again 
• Facing opposition from Lindsey Graham and other republicans 
• Mitch McConnell shows little fervor in defending him

12:30 International 

• Alexei Navanly returns home to Moscow, after 5 months in exile. Returning from Germany he was arrested by the state police
• Secretary Pompeo designates Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, despite evidence