Mark Riley: The Intersection of Politics Culture

Some embarrassing communication among Fox News stars about the 2020 election and whether it was stolen. Democrats and Republicans have sharply differing views on how to "fix" Social Security and Medicare. What can US youth learn from an insurgent candidacy in Nigeria that's drawn massive support from young people? And could an indictment of Donald Trump actually be in the cards in the near future?

The tragedy of Turkey and Syria. Beyond the number of people killed and left homeless, politics is rearing its ugly head. The US, and now he US and Canada are shooting flying objects out of the sky, including three just this past weekend. Are they all Chinese spy balloons? 21 Attorneys General, including New York's formidable Leticia James, are asking a Texas judge to reject efforts to ban an abortion drug nationwide. Russia is bombarding Ukraine's Donbas region, seemingly trying to get ahead of all those weapons the West is sending to the country. And what's this? There are predictions that electric car prices will fall to the level of gas-powered vehicles by the end of this year.

Lots to talk about, starting with the Chinese spy balloon that the US shot down this past weekend. We talked before about the nation's overall economic picture, and how it's been getting better. Figures late last week show things are better than even expert economists thought. The question is, will the public notice? The College Board waffles on AP black studies in deference, I guess, to Florida. Anti-abortion activists now target states where abortion has been skyrocketing. Pro-choice groups may have underestimated their persistence. And finally, Republicans want term limits in Congress.

What's up with presidents and classified documents, and why saying one is worse than the other is a zero-sum game. Andrew Tate is still detained in Romania, yet another example of why influencers should find something else to do. Another sad sack is George Santos, Republican Congressman from Long Island, at least for now. New reports say high level Republicans knew about his tissue of lies. The West is sending provocative weapons to Ukraine in anticipation of a new Russian offensive. Meanwhile, the Russians keep bombing.

Kevin McCarthy, the price of fame, and how low can one Speaker go? South Carolina's Supreme Court rules the state's constitution includes the right to abortion. The US economy isn't as bad as some have predicted, with the latest jobs numbers telling an interesting story.

In this episode, anti-abortionists want to jail people who traffic in the abortion pills that have become popular since the Supreme Court gutted Roe v. Wade.

President Joe Biden wants to improve relations with countries in Africa, in part to keep up with China. Will it work?

Florida Governor DeSantis facing opposition from, of all people, the right flank of his own party. A Republican gala in New York draws the sublime and mostly, the ridiculous. And of course, there are those Trump trading cards...

Donald Trump, remember him, now wants to shred the Constitution because, wait for it, voter fraud from 2020. He also got himself a couple of setbacks in recent days! Brittney Griner has been freed from a Russian gulag, but not everyone is happy. The House passes legislation to protect same sex and interracial marriages; and Germany arrests some right-wing coup plotters.

In his episode, as we head into the Holiday season, are the gaps between haves and have-nots getting wider? Why are some in Media just started to pay attention? The real heroes of the 2022 World Cup aren't much talked about, and they'll remain heroes no matter the outcome of the games. Wonder how many mass shootings there have been since the start of November? The answer may surprise you. I know it surprised me. And why are so many January 6th staffers angry with Liz Cheney?

Like a bad penny, like a recurring boil, he's back. I predicted wrongly on this, but why is Donald Trump running for president again? Elon Musk may have inflicted a death blow on Twitter. Can he stop the bleeding? Quick takes on Nancy Pelosi stepping aside from her role as House Speaker, more homophobic murders, this time in Colorado. And a conversation with one of New York City's early nightlife entrepreneurs, Noel Hankin, author the new book, After Dark.

Well, the midterms are done, and all I can say is "Mea Culpa". While I never thought there would be a red wave, or tsunami, or anything else the punditocracy predicted. I did, however, think that the Democrats might lose both houses of Congress. Thankfully, that doesn't look like it's going to happen. And who dos the Trumpster blame for the GOP's lackluster showing? Anybody but him, who else? Plus, he's decided to wage war against a former ally. While we're at it, the midterm results did little to tamp down speculation not just about Trump, but about Joe Biden's future as well. Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, which some thought would be like a kid in a candy store, ends up being like a bull in a China shop. Emissions from carbon dioxide are set to reach record levels this year just in case the poohbahs at COP-27 are finished patting themselves on the back. And the families of Sandy Hook just got told Alex Jones owes them more than a billion dollars.