Centered From Reality

In this quick episode, Alex reacts to the recent events that unfolded inside of the Manhattan court room where Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts. He was found guilty for falsifying business records, which is a class E felony and could lead to fines, probation, or up to four years in prison. Alex doesn’t think Trump will end up in prison but thinks only time will tell. He talks about how the voting base will react, whether this will hurt Trump, and how his election team is already in reaction mode. Justice won, but Alex argues the country will witness in real time whether Trump can become a convicted felon and still become president of the United States. 

In this episode, Alex laments the fact that extremism and poltics have impacted the distance running community via gaslighting and posts. Then Alex dives into the tragedies and horrid situations unfolding in Rafah as Spain, Norway, and Ireland have recognized Palestine as a state in the international community. He argues that only the United States can help to convince Israel that Palestine must be a state and bolstered to rebuild while ridding it of Hamas. Finally, Alex is further worried about the state of orange juice. Climate change and rising costs are impacting orange exportation in Brazil and Florida to the point in which OJ may no longer exist and alternatives may be needed. 

In this episode, Alex discusses how the Republican party is slowly starting to greenlight political extremism and by doing so, is eroding law and order and faith in institutions. He starts by talking about a new Trump conspiracy that argues that the FBI was trying to assassinate Donald Trump when it raided Mar-a-Lago to retrieve classified documents. While this conspiracy falls flat when one looks at any evidence or facts, the narrative is dangerous and tells loyal Trump supporters that the government is out to get them and that the justice department is a political entity. Next, Alex looks at what Governor Abbott has done in Texas. He pardoned a man named Daniel Perry who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for murdering another man, Garrett Foster, during a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020. Even though the Texas judicial system found Perry guilty of murder, Abbott sent a message to vigilantes around the country — as long as political violence is committed against our perceived enemies, we will use the law to protect you. Finally, Alex dives into the Samuel Alito controversy regarding revolutionary flags displayed outside of two of his houses following January 6th. Both flags had historical origins but had been hijaked by people involved in the “stop the steal movement” and QAnon. Justice Alito may here a SCOTUS case that involves J6 and presidential immunity… 

In this short reaction episode, Alex is furious at himself for thinking that Nikki Haley would do the right thing. Instead, Nikki Haley has said that she will vote for Donald Trump because Joe Biden has been a terrible and “catastrophic” president. Alex doesn’t know how Haley can square the circle making this argument, she spent the remaining weeks of her presidential campaign attacking Trump and saying he was unfit to be president. Alex argues that Haley falls into the superficial category of Trump critics — those that will do it as long as it helps their media attention and doesn’t hurt their future aspirations. 

In this episode, Alex starts by discussing how Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s president, died in a helicoper crash in bad weather on Sunday. This event will likely cause political infighting and electoral chaos as Iran’s aging Ali Khamenei was likely looking to groom Raisi into his position down the road. Iran’s constitution requires an election within 50 days and it is likely to be neither free nor fair. Next, an International Criminal Court prosecutor has recommended arrest warrants for Binyamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defense minister, and Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s leader. Alex thinks this is a fairly good move but discusses opposition and outcomes. Finally, Alex dives into the recent revelations about Bird Flu (N5H1) spreading to dairy cattle in the United States. He goes over the state, local, and federal issues that have occurred in tracking and testing this outbreak and what the larger ramifications could be. 

In this episode, Alex explains why he has enjoyed recording the podcasts outdoors, though this is only solidifying his phobia of birds. Then Alex spends the majority of the episode lamenting the fact that both political parties in the United States have moved away from supporting unfettered free trade and are moving towards protectionism. Last Tuesday, President Biden announced the US would put tariffs on many Chinese sectors, including 100% tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. Alex notes that Biden is only building off of what President Trump did during his presidency and argues that tariffs and protectionism may be good for short term political wins, but will hurt the economy and the American consumer. Later, Alex gives his thoughts on the Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker, who made headlines after some controversial and unpopular comments about gay rights, women, and more. 

In this episode, Alex focuses on Ukraine and Zelensky’s new dilemma — his 5 year term is over on May 20 but due to the war, he can’t hold elections. Alex understands why elections can’t be held while martial law is in place, but he also worries that this will help Russian propagandists spew disinformation that challenges Ukraine’s image as a democratic country. Later, Alex briefly touches on Aaron Rodgers’ recent appearance on Tucker Carlson’s show. Aaron Rodgers has reached his finally form as he not only questioned the election results on the show, but also called Putin an interesting and thoughtful figure. Sadly, it seems like Aaron Rodgers is another useful idiot for Putin’s propaganda campaign against Democracy. 

In this episode, Alex sits in his old room in Madrid and reflects on how anti-establishment talking points on Biden and others have become international. He talks about how the same talking points are being used from the US to Spain to Italy and beyond. Later, Alex takes a deep dive into Biden’s issues going into the election. Apparently Trump and Biden will debate twice, once in June and once in September. Alex also talks about Biden’s dilemma involving providing lethal weapons to Israel and whether the Israeli destruction in Gaza will hurt Biden in the election. Alex ends by talking about Jerry Seinfeld’s speech at a commencement ceremony at Duke University. 

In this episode, Alex sits in a park in Madrid, Spain, where he reflects on why returning to Madrid always is bittersweet and brings back a lot of nostalgia. For the majority of the episode, Alex talks about Michael Cohen’s testimony in the Manhattan hush-money trial; he argues that Cohen is both the least trustworthy witness but also the most likely. Alex also talks about another troubling figure in the Trump Universe — Johnny McEntee. He is a Trump loyalist, former administration member, and future thought leader that some call the deputy-president. McEntee put out a disturbing TikTok that sums up the cruel elements of the MAGA movement. In the video, he bragged (and found joy) in finding ways to give unhoused people fake money so that they will spend it and end up in jail. Alex argues that this deranged  puritanism, mixed with Trump’s rhetoric about vermin and “real Americans”, can lead to a dark place. 

In this episode, Alex sits on a Greek beach and reflects on the state of the world and his travel adventures. He starts with some comparisons between Greece and the United States. Then he gets into Stormy Daniels’ stormy testimony in Manhattan that detailed the horrid situation of having sex with Donald Trump. Alex is also irritated about the state of the other Trump cases and worries that the Manhattan case may be the only one that sees a trial. Later, Alex talks about RFK Jr. having actual brainworms and shares his thoughts on the college protests and civil unrest. Life’s a beach and Alex is just ranting in the sand.