Middle Theory

This week, Middle Theory brings you special extended coverage of the Republican National Convention, as the 2016 presidential race enters the heated months leading up to November's election.

We begin with a recap of last week, noting that it's still a 'mystery' why 2 rebel jets that could have attacked the Turkish president's plane didn't, which has some making claims of an 'inside job". Elsewhere, Florida police shoot black man with his hands up as he tries to help autistic patient, and we ask, "where's the outrage?" Finally, the Arizona Republic newspaper distributed newspapers with two different headlines; one shows peace at BLM rally, the other shows violence at BLM rally, on the same day, to different neighborhoods. Why?

Looking back, we also ask why (and how) cash flowed to the Clinton Foundation amidst a controversial Russian Uranium Deal, as covered in the NYT last year. On a similar note, the latest DNC Wikileaks show Clinton and the Dems showed favoritism, and considered out ways to stop Bernie from being the Democratic nominee (the emails also show the DNC acknowledged plans for Donald Trump protests). In the aftermath of the release, Bernie Sanders demanded Debbie Wasserman Schultz's resignation; elsewhere, Twitter was accused of suppressing the Wikileaks story. (Looking ahead, Facebook was accused of something similar in the hours that followed, as all hell broke loose at the DNC amidst upset Bernie voters).

In the hours before the RNC, comedian and late night host Stephen Colbert stormed the stage in a bizarre gesture which got him removed by security, and Alex Jones confronted Karl Rove at the Dallas airport, while en route to the RNC event.

Emerging as the "darling" of the RNC, Laura Ingraham called the media “phonies and frauds”, while elsewhere, a defiant Ted Cruz drew boos, in his refusal to endorse Trump, saying instead “to vote your conscience”. None of this, however, seemed to steal the thunder from Donald Trump, who gave an energetic speech Thursday night to a (remarkably) unified GOP voter base... which was followed by a hilarious (and again, very bizarre) return of another liberal late-night host, who couldn't help but chime in on the RNC week affairs.

Special thanks to those who donated this week, whose contributions help support our efforts: 

* Shaun Curry

This week on Middle Theory, we begin our examination of world news and affairs with the recent declassification of secret 9/11 documents known as the '28 Pages'. What, if anything, do we learn from the long-awaited release of these documents? Meanwhile, breaking news out of Baton Rouge describes at least three police officers that have been shot dead.

This, of course, arrives on the heels of the news that 80 people were killed by a truck crashing into a Bastille Day crowd in France. Micah and McNonymous examine the odd factors surrounding this case, which involve the fact that the Nice attacker sent large sums back home to family; according to his brother, Jaber Bouhlel, "the family received 240,000 Tunisian dinar (almost $110,000) from Mohamed Bouhlel in the past few weeks – a surprisingly large sum for a low-paid deliveryman." Furthermore, Bouhlel had texted a pair of individuals asking for more weapons, just moments before the attack... were there others that assisted him during the attack?

Our featured story this week involves the 'Coup’ attempt in Turkey, which failed. Following the attempt, Egypt has blocked a UN resolution, and U.S. relations with our allies in Turkey appear to have worsened... Meanwhile, as some have begun to suggest that Turkish leader Erdogan may have actually staged the coup himself, Reuters acknowledges that, coup or no, Erdogan is the winner due to "increased centralization of power and popular support". What will Turkey, and its role in the future of international politics, resemble in the months (and years) following this incident?

Finally, McNonymous spends some time ranting about Mike Pence, Donald Trump's announced Vice Presidential nominee. Amidst his vies, pence has said that Federal money should go to "conversion therapy programs" rather than to LGBT groups and HIV/AIDS prevention programs. Elsewhere, TIME provides us with Mike Pence’s views on LGBT issues over the years, and we also look as Pence's apparent questioning of global warming and evolution, as well as the fact that he supports pre-emptive attacks on Iran to neutralize believed threats to Israeli security (for the record, Pence says he's against Iran nuclear deal, as reported in the Indiana Star on Sept 8, 2015).

Special thanks to those who donated this week, whose contributions help support our efforts. 

Robert Price $10

Additional Thank You's and Societal Greetings: 

This week on Middle Theory, we examine the heavy issues surrounding police shootings in America, and the protests that have ensued in the aftermath.

In Baton Rouge, a young African American man, Alton Sterling, was seen being shot by police in a grisly video appearing online; one day later, 32-year-old Philando Castile, a black man with a concealed carry permit, was shot by a police officer outside St. Paul, Minnesota, as his girlfriend Diamond Reynolds streamed the aftermath live on Facebook.

24 hours later during a Black Lives Matter protest in response to the shootings, Micah Xavier Johnson, a 25-year-old gunman, opened fire on Dallas police officers. During a standoff that followed, Johnson said his aim had been to shoot white cops, and according to authorities, he had been planning a larger attack at the time of the shooting.

Protests have been ongoing in the days since the trifecta of violence involving police shootings, which have effectively become the focus of attention here in America. In the days that follow, it is our hope that peace will preside over the continuing protests, as the heavy questions about racially fueled arrests and killings by law enforcement continue to be asked.

Special thanks to those who donated this week, whose contributions help support our efforts. 

* Ali Buchan

* William Lovelace

* Betty June Farkas

* John Ciambriello

If you like Middle Theory and want to help support the show as well, you can donate to the program here. Your kind contributions not only help us provide more of the content you enjoy on this program, but it helps us buy donuts... lots of donuts. 

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To send us feedback, you can email us here. Also, follow Middle Theory on Twitter too... this is highly recommended, and may even be vital for some of you. Finally, as mentioned earlier, some may be further compelled to donate to the program, which helps keep ads for survival gear, water filters, male enhancement supplements, and do-it-yourself earthworm farming kits off the program. 

You can also sign up for our newsletter, and get daily news from Middle Theory sent right to your inbox:

Finally, here are links to stories discussed on this week's show:

* Clinton Email Investigation Closed by Attorney General Lynch

* Clinton Email Investigation Reopened by State Department

* WikiLeaks Publishes 30,000+ Clinton Emails, says ‘she could be indicted’ based on info 

* Update: Snopes Says Claim that Hillary Defended Rapist of 12-Year-Old Victim Mostly False

* Snopes: Lawsuit Charges Donald Trump with Raping a 13-Year-Old Girl

* FLASHBACK: Wealthy Indonesian Businessman Has Strong Ties to Clinton

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This week on Middle Theory, we kick things off on a particularly weird morning: First off, Andrews base went on lockdown this morning, after a mistaken active shooter report on-site. Elsewhere, a naked idiot model guy took Times Square by storm as he danced around naked, showing his ass (literally) and demanding a meeting with Trump... shortly afterward, hilarity ensued.

Elsewhere, in "real news", we report on the Istanbul Terror Attack that left 44 dead, and more than 250 injured. Meanwhile back at home, the TSA suggests moving checkpoints to airport entrances, as well as vehicles outside. We explain why we don't think this would be effective. We also recap some of the recent developments with the ongoing saga of the "Brexit" affair in the UK, and why the international implications are among the greatest concerns raised by the situation.

Finally, we help examine the "real news" as it relates to the issuance of the recent Benghazi report. While one media outlet has reported that "Republicans ‘blew their chance’ to attack Hillary over Benghazi", elsewhere we see reports that the Benghazi report 'shows Clinton put her own ambitions above fidelity to the law'. As the politicization ensues, we try to report the facts... without as much bias.

Special thanks to those who donated this week, whose contributions help support our efforts: 

* Jason Wyant

* Mark Stephan

If you like Middle Theory and want to help support the show as well, you can donate to the program here. Your kind contributions not only help us provide more of the content you enjoy on this program, but it helps us buy donuts... lots of donuts. 

JOIN US: REACH OUT TO MIDDLE THEORY

To send us feedback, you can email us here. Also, follow Middle Theory on Twitter too... this is highly recommended, and may even be vital for some of you. Finally, as mentioned earlier, some may be further compelled to donate to the program, which helps keep ads for survival gear, water filters, male enhancement supplements, and do-it-yourself earthworm farming kits off the program. 

You can also sign up for our newsletter, and get daily news from Middle Theory sent right to your inbox:

Finally, here are links to stories discussed on this week's show:

* Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Bill Clinton Met Amid Email Investigation

* Brexit campaign wipes its homepage amid accusations of false promises

*

Yesterday, the people of the UK voted on the controversial British Referendum known as "BREXIT". Today, in the aftermath of the vote, it has seemed at times as if the sky had already fallen... in other words: the fecal matter has hit the spinning turbine in the UK.

As we begin our analysis of news this week, we touch on the latest in the American political race, and see where the media has been going with the latest claims that Bernie Sanders will vote for Clinton... is this an endorsement? Elsewhere, new information involving the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooter has surfaced, and we examine why the FBI says they can find no evidence that Omar Mateen was gay. Witnesses dispute this report, however, and the FBI reluctantly admits they also haven’t found evidence that he wasn part of ISIS; though one witness says friends of his turned their phones over to the FBI to back up their claims, but that the FBI kept the phones, and told them to stay silent about Mateen being gay. So what's really going on? And why is the AP and other media agencies suing Orlando for phone recordings from the Florida shooting?

Then, getting to our big story this week, a landmark decision in British politics has led the world's fifth largest economy to make the choice leave the European Union, leading to wide-reaching political ramifications around the world. Known as BREXIT, the results of this vote among the citizens of the UK may be one of the most significant turning points in global politics in modern times.

Here are the latest stats on the BREXIT situation: First, the British referendum voted to leave European Union in a decision that won 51.9% to 48.1%, amidst almost 34 million votes, a bit less than roughly 75% of eligible UK voters.

As he promised prior to the historic vote, Prime Minister David Cameron stated his intentions to resign, and hopes to have a replacement in office by October. Meanwhile, Leave Party chief Nigel Farage confessed on TV that LEAVE can’t/won’t actually do at least one of the big things they promised. Elsewhere, live updates on Britain’s tanking economy indicate the following dives within the last 24 hours in the hours following the BREXIT vote:

* RBS stocks fall 17% at last update

* Barclays down 20%

* Lloyds down 24%

* GBP trading against the USD at lowest since 1985

* 200 billion lost in stock market already?

* Morgan Stanley moving 2,000 London jobs to Dublin or Frankfurt

* J.P. Morgan threatens to move jobs as well

* Dun and Bradstreet lower Britain’s credit rating by two notches (still low risk)

Finally, the Oakland Police Department is falling apart amidst a recent child sex scandal, that involves murder, cover-ups, and institutional racism. To-date, three police chiefs have been fired in the past 9 days, one officer’s wife allegedly committed suicide, and as fellow officers investigated crime scene,

On the heels of last week's broadcast, Micah and McNonymous kick things off with a brief analysis of the latest updates pertaining to the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. We also cast our watchful eye back toward the mysterious tech startup known as The Groundwork, and our continuing attempts at trying to understand what, precisely, it's all about, and what it has to do with Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

In other breaking news, a pro-ISIS group has issued a “kill list”, naming 8000 American citizens it suggests for targeting. Elsewhere, State Department officials say they're calling for MILITARY ACTION against Syria's Assad Regime, in the name of thwarting ISIS.

The lead story this week, however, looks at the tragic shooting death of British PM Jo Cox, who was shot outside a library recently by a man identified as a possible right-wing extremist, who the Southern Poverty Law Center says had purchased books on learning how to create makeshift weapons. This, however, may run contrary to the Daily Mail's reporting that the incident involved an "antique weapon"... why the difference in description? We provide analysis on this, and other stories, on this week's episode of Middle Theory.

JOIN US: REACH OUT TO MIDDLE THEORY

To send us feedback, you can email us here. Also, follow Middle Theory on Twitter too... this is highly recommended, and may even be vital for some of you. Finally, some may be further compelled to donate to the program, which helps keep ads for survival gear, water filters, male enhancement supplements, and do-it-yourself earthworm farming kits off the program. 

You can also sign up for our newsletter, and get daily news from Middle Theory sent right to your inbox:

Finally, here are links to stories we discussed on this week's podcast:

* U.S. probes whether gunman in nightclub massacre had help

* Orlando gunman's Facebook posts: Expect attacks from ISIS in the US

* Gun store employees warned FBI about Mateen

* Meanwhile, pro-ISIS group issues “kill list” naming 8000 American citizens

* State Department Officials Call For MILITARY ACTION Against Assad Regime

* British MP Jo Cox dies after being shot with makeshift gun in political assassination

* Murder Suspect described as “friendly but lonely”

* SPLC Reports that Mair subscribed to white supremacist rags in USA and South Africa

* Meanwhile, why are these bankers committing suicide? Is there more to this?

* Panama Papers Show How Rich United States Clients Hid Millions Abroad

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This week on Middle Theory, in the wake of the tragic shootings in Orlando this weekend, we begin with official word from Sunday Morning's press conference, during which the FBI, along with local Orlando authorities, referred to a violent shooting at a gay night club as an act of terrorism, in addition to being the worst shooting to occur in America to-date. The incident is the second shooting within the last 48 hours, preceded by events that led to the death of pop singer Christina Grimmie, in which a man carrying two firearms approached her after a concert on Friday and opened fire, claiming the life of the young talent.

Elsewhere, new allegations of racism have been directed at GOP hopeful Donald Trump, as he recently referred to an attendee at a Trump rally as "my African American". Was the statement taken out of context? And is this any more cringe-worthy than Trump's use of the name "Pocahontas" in his further attacks against one of his Democratic rivals? Finally, is Bernie Sanders "sexist" because he hasn't suspended his campaign and yielded to his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton? We think the assertion (of which Sanders himself asked, "is this a serious question?") is utter bullshit, and one of the best examples of how misguided many people's attitudes are in relation to this election. Should a nominee -- Hillary Clinton in this instance -- be considered viable only based on her gender? If this weren't the case, why would Sanders' involvement in the race be questioned on grounds of his alleged "sexism", despite his actions being right, legal, and a viable part of the American political process? Rights, and laws, be damned... he's just a sexist, right?

On the subject of Hillary Clinton, a recent analysis by SourceFed suggests that Google may have secretly been working to skew search results in a way favorable to the Clinton campaign. While many media agencies have claimed to have "debunked" SourceFed's analysis, this has brought a number of deeper questions to light. For instance, what role have certain Google executives played in working to support Clinton's campaign -- perhaps through subversive methods --and have they succeeded? Also, revisiting a news report from last August which offers data which proves Google's ability to sway elections, paired with an even earlier article by Julian Assange of Wikileaks, alleging that "Google is not what it seems", does certain data point to Google's role in operations with the State Department, some of which involving Clinton's role as Secretary of State, which have actually worked to help foster hawkish warfare in managed conflicts abroad, which include Presidentially-approved drone strikes?

Finally, what is the mysterious tech-startup known as "The Groundwork", and what role do they play in all of this? Could this even present a plausible scenario in which Eric Schmidt is indeed more deeply connected to an effort to ensure Hillary Clinton's presidency? And why the hell do they have a webpage with no links or other data, apart from a mysterious (and slightly sinister-looking) logo? 

Special thanks to Steven Walker for his donation this week, which helps us do more of what you have come to expect from this program. 

JOIN US: REACH OUT TO MIDDLE THEORY

To send us feedback, you can email us here. Also, follow Middle Theory on Twitter too... this is highly recommended, and may even be vital for some of you. Finally, some may be further compelled to donate to the program, which helps keep ads for survival gear, water filters,

This week on Middle Theory, we welcome McNonymous back to the United States, as he comes to us live from Newtown, Connecticut, where the tragic Sandy Hook shooting transpired. We recap his research from a few years back (that in likelihood inspired a later Snopes.com article) which debunked fringe claims about "zero deaths" that occurred resulting from Adam Lanza's attack at Sandy Hook elementary, and remember the lives affected by the incident.

Then looking to the news, the latest developments in the EgyptAir Flight 804 search indicate that the plane's 'black box' signals have been detected, according to French investigators. And speaking of French, just who is David French, apart from beng the guy Bill Kristol has named as his proposed Third-Party Candidate? Meanwhile, we're just as disappointed as you are that the proposed Trump-Sanders debate won't be happening, as we get Bernie's impressions about Trump's move to disengage the idea. And speaking of Trump, the recent interview he did with (gasp!) recent adversary Megyn Kelly is actually more interesting than many may realize... is Fox News forcing Megyn to “make nice”, now that everyone is rallying behind Trump?

Finally, police are investigating the family of the three-year-old boy 'rescued' from slain gorilla, Harambe, at the Cincinnati zoo. We look at the possible implications and repercussions, as well as a story about 'Neo-Nazis' wearing sausage necklaces that lobbed meat at vegans in Tbilisi, Georgia, and what Reddit's CEO recently had to say on native ad campaigns, where he noted that ‘we know your dark secrets’.

DONATES: Special thanks to Jonathan Kaufman for his donation last week, which helps sponsor this episode and the work that went into producing it for our listeners and honorary members of The World's Most Secret Society around the meme-sphere.

JOIN US: REACH OUT TO MIDDLE THEORY

To send us feedback, you can email us here. Also, follow Middle Theory on Twitter too... this is highly recommended, and may even be vital for some of you. Finally, some may be further compelled to donate to the program, which helps keep ads for survival gear, water filters, male enhancement supplements, and do-it-yourself earthworm farming kits off the program. 

You can also sign up for our newsletter, and get daily news from Middle Theory sent right to your inbox:

Finally, here are links to stories we discussed on this week's podcast:

* EgyptAir Flight 804: 'Black box' signals detected, French investigators say

* Who is David French? Bill Kristol Names His Proposed Third-Party Candidate

* TIME’S Five Most Likely Third Party Scenarios for 2016

* Police investigate family of boy 'rescued' from slain gorilla

* Trump, 800-Pound Media Gorilla, Pounds His Chest at Reporters

*

This week on Middle Theory, beyond new revelations about a famous (and controversial) Hungarian novelist and his relationship with an ancient secret society of Middle Theory fame, our hosts embark on a foray into media analysis that begins with the latest announcements about the case against a police officer charged with wrongdoing in the death of Freddie Gray; we also break down the hilarity that ensued as a "mysterious substance" had a Planned Parenthood facility on lockdown in Florida. We also spend time looking at the Bernie Sanders campaign, and what the latest polls are saying about Bernie supporters... is it too late for us to see an independent or third-party candidate in this race?

Then, in addition to discussion about the current election, Micah approaches McNonymous with an observation: when the American political system is bought and sold, in which the ideas of "we" within the democratic republic begin to seem largely ineffective, what does that mean for the reality of the society in which we live?

Perhaps our society isn't so much one of "we the people", but instead those of corporate interests... but is that, by definition, fascism? Maybe not as we've seen in notable instances throughout history, like in Germany during World War II. However, what can't be denied is that the United States of America as we know it today is a corporatist state... and in response to this, the movement behind independent-minded candidates Bernie Sanders and, yes, Donald Trump.

Speaking of our current American Presidential hopefuls, the recent shock following the crash of EgyptAir Flight 804 has led to a "war of words" between Hillary Clinton and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, based on the current likelihood that the crash represents an act of terror. Each of these candidates thinks they would be better at waging war against terror abroad. However, as the families of those lost continue to grief and seek answers as to what brought the plane down, one unusual fact remains: no terror groups have, at present, claimed responsibility for the crash. In the tradition of "never letting tragedies going to waste", this seems odd indeed...

JOIN US: REACH OUT TO MIDDLE THEORY

To send us feedback, you can email us here. Also, follow Middle Theory on Twitter too... this is highly recommended, and may even be vital for some of you. Finally, some may be further compelled to donate to the program, which helps keep ads for survival gear, water filters, male enhancement supplements, and do-it-yourself earthworm farming kits off the program. 

You can also sign up for our newsletter, and get daily news from Middle Theory sent right to your inbox:

Finally, below are links to a number of stories discussed on this week's podcast:

* Breaking: Freddie Gray verdict: Officer Edward Nero not guilty

* Woman tied to tree on Parkway; suspect details released

* Redstate Founder: Believe It Or Not, The Country Needs Mitt Romney

* Bernie Sanders Returns to San Diego: Voters Drawn to Independent Message