Good Guys Getting Better

What does it look like to raise a child, teach them respect for themselves, for their family and their peer, in a society where accountability is something a person can buy their way out of? That's what Aleem, Christian, and John dig into in this pod.

It comes after Christian spent a week away from work to spend with his son on spring break. In the same time, former president Trump has been able to dodge just about every bit of accountability in criminal and civil proceedings up and down the east coast. Most recently, he had his bond in his New York fraud case massively reduced, from $464 million to about $175 million -- a large sum to be sure, but a reduction of over 50%, something few could ever ask for, let alone be granted.

Sean "Diddy" Combs, meanwhile, has become the subject of a civil suit and a massive federal criminal case, with agents raiding his home. The accusations are as of yet unproven in either case. But the civil complaint contains horrific, graphic descriptions of sex trafficking and sexual assault. His reaction after agents raided his compound? Remarkably similar to Trump: he deflects, accuses, and attempts to discredit the legal system and the news media.

Where does this all get started? How do these rich and powerful men even develop the taste for abuse and atrocity before they achieve positions of power, or is it really as simple as the old adage that power corrupts?

And where does this leave parents, especially parents of boys, in today's America? For one thing, it makes us all somewhat countercultural -- even if we never ever thought of ourselves in that light -- for teaching the next generation to not follow and even contradict what they're seeing around them.

Don't worry though! Aleem still says something awkward, John still calls him out, and an insomniac Christian still gets cherry red laughing. We have to have some fun, even when things around us are completely out of hand.

#trump #parenting #raisingoursons #accountability #personaldevelopment #personalresponsibility #toxicmasculinity #healthymasculinity #diddy #puffdaddy #diddydoit #hiphop

Congress have voted to force TikTok's parent company to divest from the popular social media app that counts over 170 million Americans among its users. That's of course due to the security concerns by the parent company being all but an arm of the Chinese Communist Party.

Meanwhile, TikTok users are up in arms over the proposal, which the app claims is a "ban". Concerning is the fact that their mass mobilization against Congress' proposed divestment plan was actually organized by TikTok itself, which used its massive reach into the American populous to urge adults and children alike to contact their representatives and voice their opposition. No need for concern there, not when the app that Congress is concerned could be used to manipulate American politics from the outside literally starts a movement overnight and mobilizes Americans to get involved in a political action, something even presidential campaigns struggle to do.

TikTokers have raised some important points in their opposition to Congress' plan, and they're not shy about about pointing out the lack of technological literacy in a Congress with an exceptionally high average age. Yet for whatever Senators and Members of the House lack in technical skill, they do have access to important intelligence that informs their decisions on matters of national security. TikTokers, for their part, have a great on screen presence and a mastery of the tech -- at least from a user's standpoint -- but are they glossing over the real security concerns? Seeing one brilliant TikToker's take, it seems like the best argument they have has little to do with China's dystopian use of personal data or Congress' national security concerns and more to do with "what about Meta and Alphabet." It's whataboutism, and not a very persuasive argument.

But the threats we all face in this Election Year aren't just from a social media app. Project 2025, a product of Trump's enablers at The Heritage Foundation, lays out the blueprint for Trump's takeover of the federal government should he retake the White House next January. This plan, far more researched and complex than Trump himself could ever fully appreciate, provides the keys for his inner circle to dismantle any remaining safeguards against presidential overreach once he's in office. With chapters on the "bureaucracy", presidential powers, and the Department of Justice, Project 2025 makes scary, if mandatory, reading as we barrel toward a rematch between the Donald and democracy itself.

We also get into the court's ruling on Fanni Willis' ability to continue to prosecute the criminal case against Trump in the Fulton County, Georgia case. Willis certainly made a mistake, but Trump once again, came out on top, no matter how much he and the Magaverse continue to complain. They've been able to move the national conversation away from the election fraud crimes of which he and his coconspirators are plausibly accused and all but put Willis herself on trial for her outsourcing legal work to an attorney she was dating. Not only has the underlying case been buried by the ensuing circus, but Trump has been able to do what he always does when the law comes knocking at his door: delegitimize the process and delay, delay, delay.

It's a full and fast moving pod -- one you don't want to miss!

#trump #fultoncounty #fultoncountyga #2024elections #georgia #tiktok #tiktokban #ccp #china #nationalsecurity #propaganda #project2025 #authoritarianism

Project 2025: https://www.project2025.org/

JWilliamj8 on Congress' TikTok divestment bill:

In a pod Christian and John recorded before today's unanimous Supreme Court decision forcing Colorado to keep insurrectionist Donald Trump on the ballot, we address another giveaway the high court has handed the Donald.

That's right. Today, the justices conveniently forgot that the Constitution already gives individual states the power to decide a Presidential Election for the entire country. It's called the electoral college. Prior to that, they decided to take up the question of whether someone who used to live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue had the right to lifelong, absolute immunity from prosecution.

Of course, the appeals court had already answered this question in great detail and without any of the condescension of which Trump and his lawyers' were absolutely deserving. So why would SCOTUS even bother to review the appeals court's thoughtful and thorough decision?

It could be to settle the question for all time. Given the late date, it's more likely though that the Trump-appointed Justices and their archconservative colleagues are using this to give Trump the delay he needs to escape criminal liability -- even if the high court rules against him! -- so that he has the chance to be reelected before being convicted.

This is one of our most in depth, but unfortunately somber discussions to date on this pod, but it's one you don't want to miss. This is not a conversation reserved for attorneys, nor is this a moment in American politics than can be left to the professionals. Now is the time for everyone to get involved and speak out. It's a cliche, but it's true: democracy is not a spectator sport.

#scotus #trump #trumptrials #trumpcampaign #supremecourt #jacksmith

Did Donald Trump literally tell his benefactor in the Kremlin to invade our European allies if they didn’t “pay up” for their defense?! He did, and then failed cable TV personality and opportunist cosplaying as a journalist Tucker Carlson gave a softball interview to Putin himself. In short order, Putin’s most vocal opponent Alexei Navalny was found dead in a Siberian prison camp.

Yet just like when he bragged about sexually assaulting women on the infamous Access Hollywood tape in 2016, we’re all carrying on as usual. It’s just the Donald being Donald. But just how do we stop this normalization? It’s been the big question for almost a decade, and we may not have all the answers, but we do have some ideas.

Trump and his supporters feel a kinship with present-day Russia, and it’s no surprise why. Putin and Russian intelligence know that racism is the fundamental fault line in American society, and they’re playing the MAGAsphere like a fiddle. They’re holding Russia out as the last bastion of whiteness and traditional Christianity (hilarious given the Soviet Union’s disdain for any religion that did not idolize the state) and Trump’s followers are buying it — just like they’re buying $400 Trump sneakers spray painted gold.

Closer to home and no less racist, white DJs are losing their minds over Beyoncé doing country music. They seem to not remember where country came from – and where Beyoncé is from for that matter.

We all get back to the basics and the genesis of the Good Guys Getting Better podcast this episode by answering the question of what we do to unwind and manage our stress in these crazy times. We share tips and practices for taking care of ourselves and our mental health, as well as touching stories from the quality time we spend with our sons.

A well rounded episode if ever there was one.

#putin #navalny #alexeinavalny #biden #Beyoncé #trump #accesshollywood #sexualassault #mentalhealth #parenting #fatherhood #selfcare

In just the past month, the US economy under Biden created 353,000 jobs -- so many that even Fox News can't deny the good news. So why isn't the White House and the reelection team screaming this from the rooftops? And how can anyone even continue to argue that the economy would do any better under the Donald? Less than four years ago, people were hoarding toilet paper and American grocery stores had empty shelves in locations across the country. It's pretty clear we're all better off than we were four years ago, and no one with a halfway clear memory would ever wish for a return to paper towel rationing.

On foreign policy, however, Biden is struggling. Though he's made some indication he's losing patience with Netanyahu's government and their brutal offensive on civilians, he's not left nearly enough daylight between his administration and the United States and Bibi's government. What does this almost chauvinist loyalty and unqualified support mean for Biden's moral high ground here at home and on the world stage, and how are young voters and voters of color -- key demographics for Democrats -- reacting?

In one key swing state, The Washington Post is already reporting that Muslim and Arab voters are working to defeat Biden as they see children and other civilians being slaughtered with barely any response from the administration. How would this work in a two party system where the only other alternative is a would-be autocrat who would certainly be worse for human rights, even in the ongoing conflict? And does this effort hit the Biden campaign where it hurts in a state he only won by 150,000 votes in 2020?

The upcoming election now has yet another conspiracy theory too. Fox News and the online right wing rabbit hole is in a lather over Taylor Swift, who's made the unforgiveable decision to ask that more Americans get involved and vote. Worse still, she's dating an NFL player who once did a short TV ad promoting a vaccine against COVID-19. The horror! Obviously, according to the likes of Jesse Waters, this can only mean that Taylor has been recruited or been unwittingly made part of a plan to persuade millions of swifties to vote for Dark Brandon. It's a Psyop -- a covert plan by the CIA to get Swift and Kelce together to sway the election in Biden's favor. I mean, who's ever heard of a pop star and a famous athlete getting together anyway?

And speaking of football, John takes us home with his predictions for the Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. And Christian actually understood some of his analysis!

#superbowl #superbowl53 #taylorswift #traviskelce #psyop #michigan #michiganpolitics #electoralcollege #gaza #israelpalestineconflict #israelhamaswar #januaryjobsreport #jobsreport

Donald Trump has declared that as a former President, he is immune from all accountability, be it civil liability or criminal penalty. Sure, he wanted President Obama removed from office for being Black and wants President Biden investigated for... something? But when it comes to the wayward son of Queens' most notorious slum lord, apparently four years in the Oval Office translates to a lifetime get out of jail free card.

What does it say about the state of the Republican Party -- the party that once at least nominally stood for the rule of law, patriotism, and following the rules -- that it's now poised to follow one man down the road to authoritarianism? And can Nikki Haley be the person to stop him now that Ron DeSantis is out of the race?

John gets wild this time with a few different picks for Reaction, Thought, or Opinion. We've got: how should the media cover Trump's 2024 campaign, how should the Biden Administration handle the uncontrolled bloodshed in Gaza, and is the Donald in cognitive decline?

Last but certainly not least, Aleem wants to know from you, the listener, what are the top five Denzel Washington roles of all time? (We had to do something to keep it light this week!)

#2024elections #iowa #iowacaucus #newhampshire #newhampshire #desantis #nikkihaley #cognitivefitness #authoritarianism

BACK FOR SEASON 2

We're back from the holidays and right in time for the Iowa caucuses. We talk about the likelihood of victory for Trump, the fight for second place between Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, as well as some of the more bizarre thing about the former South Carolina governor. Did you know she renamed her husband, or that she didn't know slavery was the root cause of the Civil War?

Aleem has an interesting theory on the overlap between Trump's lies and Katt Williams', well, lies. And just how accurate are comparisons between Donald Trump and modern history's most brutal dictators?

Last but certainly not least, is banning the use a slang in the classroom racist? Classist? Colonialist? It's a fascinating conversation and we have  @RaquelMartinPhD  to thank for with her video on a teacher literally banning a list of words in the classroom. Instagram reel here:

#iowacaucus #iowa #2024elections #confirmationbias #rondesantis #nikkihaley #donaldtrump #kattwilliams #shannonsharpe #propaganda #culture #slang #colonialism

Last episode of 2023! The whole team is back to talk turkey (not really -- we did that for Thanksgiving). No, there's no more Turnpike Sous Vide. This time, we're talking Christmas plans, travel, family, and more!

We get into Shohei Ohtani's insane $700 million salary from the LA Dodgers, as well as the tax avoidance he's achieving by delaying his full payment. That gets us onto a whole tangent about the need for taxes, and just why Americans are so against them. Big hint: a lot of it has to do with racism!

Before that, John gets us into a philosophical chat about travel -- not tourism per se, but what it means to explore and learn. Aleem shares his experiences on the road, and Christian takes a little detour to tell everyone about his flatulence filled flight to sin city.

Unfortunately, the war in Gaza continues. We look at how striking President Biden's shift on the war in recent days has been, and what caused this pivot less than a year from the 2024 Election.

It's a great conversation, not unlike one or two others we've had on this pod. Thanks everyone who watched, listened, shared, and commented. You helped make Season 1 a lot of fun for us all!

This was easily the funniest episode of the pod we've done so far.

John and Aleem are back to talk turkey -- literally! Did you know you can cook turkey sous vide? You shouldn't, but apparently that's what Aleem did this year while driving across New Jersey. Hey! There's no law against cooking and driving, right?

And of course, we get into Thanksgiving's greatest tradition: awkward conversations. You'll never guess which of us didn't have a single one this year.

Aleem introduces us to a new entrepreneur in the conspiracy theory industry and before it's all over, John makes sure everyone knows Christian's business. Check it out!

#thanksgiving #thanksgivingbreak #familybusiness #hotep #frenchforbeginners #french #friedturkey #sousvide #sousvidebarbecue

We’re back! Aleem, Christian, and John are back after Christian's b-day hiatus -- and it's not like we have much to catch up on. We're talking the importance of reflection and introspection for parents, professionals, and just about anyone looking to do the work and focus on their mental health for themselves and those they love.

Somewhere along the way, John found the time to jot down a list of topics and rapid fire questions for us all, including the rise of artificial intelligence/AI and where human intelligence and creativity can find a place in a world awash in predictive text and ChatGPT.

We dig into the Republican Presidential Debates with Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, and Chris Christie, and the total lack of morality in today's GOP. We also discuss the flurry of court appearances for the Donald and the entire Trump family in DC, New York, and Fulton County, Georgia, as well as the numerous charges against former occupant of the White House for sexual assault and rape, as well as insurance fraud, bank fraud, and election fraud.

In this same pod, we cover the election results from Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia. Women -- and nearly everyone -- won big with the right to abortion care being added to the Ohio state constitution with a majority of the state's voters voting yes for the measure. In Kentucky, Andy Beshear, a Democrat, won reelection against a Trump-backed Republican contender. And in Virginia, Democrats retained control of the state senate while also gaining a new majority in the House of Delegates.

We also tackle the question of where Biden stands with younger and more progressive voters after he doubled down on his support of Israel since the IDF began indiscriminately bombarding Gaza after Hamas' horrific attacks on October 7. His recent remarks, in which he stated that there was no number of civilian deaths that would lead him to call for a ceasefire, raised a few eyebrows to say the least. Is he losing younger voters, and what will that mean as he moves headlong into a rematch against Trump in 2024?

All that and more. Listen up!