Marko and Jacob unpack the media frenzy and political theater surrounding the ICE raids and escalating protests in Los Angeles. Marko cuts through the noise, calling out the mutually parasitic relationship between Trump and the media, and argues that California’s political posturing may hint at deeper national fissures. They dig into immigration hypocrisy, federal overreach, and the geopolitical implications of a fragmented U.S. They also examine Trump’s pivot on China, the unraveling of the Elon alliance, and whether America’s populist moment is morphing into something more centrist—while the real victims, as always, are the self-driving cars.

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Timestamps:

(00:00) - Introduction

(00:32) - Los Angeles in Turmoil

(04:38) - Media's Role in the Crisis

(10:14) - Immigration and Policy Debate

(16:33) - Federal vs. State Authority

(34:00) - Economic and Trade Implications

(43:34) - Populism and Political Strategy

(44:29) - Populist Policies and Economic Impact

(46:08) - Immigration Policies and Political Shifts

(47:04) - Italy's Political Landscape and Georgia Maloney

(50:16) - US-China Trade Relations and Economic Strategies

(52:28) - Immigration and US Demographics

(01:16:41) - California Secession and US Political Polarization

(01:32:48) - Future Topics

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Jacob Shapiro Site: jacobshapiro.com

Jacob Twitter: x.com/JacobShap

Marko Papic Twitter: x.com/geo_papic

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Geopolitical Cousins is produced and edited by Audiographies LLC. More information at audiographies.com

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Jacob Shapiro is a speaker, consultant, author, and researcher covering global politics and affairs, economics, markets, technology, history, and culture. He speaks to audiences of all sizes around the world, helps global multinationals make strategic decisions about political risks and opportunities, and works directly with investors to grow and protect their assets in today’s volatile global environment. His insights help audiences across industries like finance, agriculture, and energy make sense of the world.

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Marko Papic is a macro and geopolitical expert at BCA Research, a global investment research firm. He provides in-depth analysis that combines geopolitics and markets in a framework called GeoMacro. He is also the author of Geopolitical Alpha: An Investment Framework for Predicting the Future.