Historian’s Prediction On Election. Kmart’s Death. Doomsday Glacier Meltdown. Mark Robinson Perv? Middle East Erupting.

Is democracy on the brink of collapse? In my latest episode of 
A WORLD GONE MAD I confront the global turmoil and the urgent necessity to defend democratic values. I start with a dramatic declaration from Donald Trump, which prompts laughter and disbelief from me. Historian Alan Lichtman gives his expectations with his prediction of the 2024 election outcome. As COVID-19 makes an unwelcome return, I provide details on how to snag free at-home testing kits from the US government. Nostalgia hits hard as I reminisce about the last full-size Iconic Box Store on the mainland shutting its doors. Plus, your opinions on my new podcast logo are appreciated.

Shifting my focus to the financial arena, a fresh upheaval is brewing with the Federal Reserve’s first rate cut since March 2020. This dramatic cut has sent shockwaves through the markets, creating volatility and fear of economic instability. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell weighs in, discussing labor market shifts and inflation concerns. On the tech front, the race for nuclear fusion supremacy heats up, with China pulling ahead of the US. And let’s not forget the environmental battle: the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is melting at an alarming rate, posing dire consequences for our planet. Listener feedback is more vital than ever as I navigate these pressing issues—tune in and tell me what you think!

AWorldGoneMadPodcast@gmail.com

Chapters

• 0:00 World on Fire
• 11:29 Economic Impact of Federal Reserve Policies

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

There is chaos in the world, can't you see? And we need to stand up and preserve our democracy. Well, this is a world on fire. This is a world gone mad Gone Mad. We have a lot of things, or rather, I have a lot of things to discuss with you today, a lot of things happening in the news. A couple of quick things.

Speaker 1: 0:50

We changed the logo for the podcast. I think it's a better logo. So, if you like it, let me know, give me a shout out. You know you can reach me several different ways. I keep talking about this. Not a lot of you are taking advantage of that. That's okay, but it's nice to hear from the listeners. You could text message me on some apps, depending on what app you're listening to, and you could stop the podcast and send me a text message. Please leave your first name, because when I see the message, I don't know who is saying hello. Secondly, aworldgonemadpodcast at gmailcom. Let me know what you think of the new logo.

Speaker 1: 1:26

When I do a podcast each week, whether it's a long episode or a short episode, I try to organize the news. What I think is the flow for you to listen to. But I wanted to start off this episode with to me, is the laugh of the week, at least for me. I don't know if you agree with it. This to me, is the stupid statement of the week, at least for me. I don't know if you agree with it. This to me, is the stupid statement of the week.

Speaker 1: 1:48

Donald Delusional stated he won't repeat, he won't run again if he loses the 2024 election. Thank you for stating what would be very obvious to all of us paying attention. Why you would even consider it other than your ego is beyond me. He would be 82 years old and who the hell knows what his mental capacity would be then, let alone one year from now or even one week from now. Year from now or even one week from now. So thank you very much, donald, for letting me be able to sleep at night, knowing on your decision in the future. That's a load off my mind. But then again, with Donald lying so much, who the heck knows whether he changes his mind and comes out and goes. I'm going to run again. All right, alan Lichtman Everyone knows Alan Lichtman, the historian who picked nearly every winner in the presidential election I think it's a nine out of 10, the past 10 US presidential elections and I believe he got the one that supposedly he missed Research it he got that right as well.

Speaker 1: 3:01

There's a reason why he says he didn't the founder of a scientific method that is correctly predicted again nine out of the past ten presidential elections. Finally, making his kind of final statement on the matter, he is convinced that the outcome of this year's race is already settled. Vince that the outcome of this year's race is already settled. No TV debate, he says, or October surprise, will persuade him to change his approach, which rejects opinion polls. He uses instead 13 keys, key indicators honed from analyzing American elections dating back 120 years. And with those predictions he matches it up to the previous results. Of course he wasn't alive all of that time, but it matches up to his methodology, he says.

Speaker 1: 3:53

Barring a cataclysmic turn of events, lichtman, who's 77 years old, thinks that Kamala Harris will claim victory over Donald Trump in November. So, again, barring another debate, he says it doesn't matter. Or an October surprise? He doesn't think it matters. Harris has eight out of the 13 predicting points in his methodology in her favor. He doesn't feel Donald Trump gets the charismatic key in the factoring and no Donald Trump. The charismatic key in the factoring and no, donald Trump, he says, is not charismatic. Neither is Kamala Harris, he says. You know charismatic would be like an Obama, a Kennedy, you know, someone who just engages the world and the people at large and locks them in. So thank you, dr Lichtman, or Alan Lichtman, for giving us that prediction. I still don't believe it until we see the polls, but it's nice to know that someone has been right almost all of the time is saying Kamala should win.

Speaker 1: 4:56

You know, I've been in communication with some of the Wolfpack listeners here through text messages or on the Facebook group etc. And I came across about five or so members of the Wolfpack of this podcast who said they had multiple cases of COVID in the past several months. And again I extend my warmest wishes for you in your recovery from that and your health to improve. But we've heard that COVID is ticking up again this season and the government has announced in case you haven't seen it it's very important free COVID-19 test home testing kits will be available from the US government by the end of this month. Now the US government plans to make more at-home COVID-19 tests available for free this month as the country heads into respiratory virus season with high levels of the coronavirus already circulating. Each household will be able to order another round of four free at-home test kits starting at the end of September.

Speaker 1: 6:03

Go to CovaTestsgov, covatestsgov, and if you didn't know that, take advantage of it. And everyone stay safe because apparently that variant is kicking up and people are getting sick that I'm coming across left and right. Attention Kmart shoppers. Attention Kmart shoppers Over in aisle five. You remember that? Are you old enough to remember the Kmart? And the announcement? Very clear, as opposed to some of these stores where you hear there's a sale in social system and if you hurry over there you can go social soon, right? No one knows how to talk anymore in a mic or the system is so bad that it sucks. But Kmart, everyone remember a Kmart. Did you go into a Kmart? I did Well.

Speaker 1: 6:55

Apparently the last full-size Kmart in the mainland of the United States is closing. Kmart, one of the America's leading discount retailers, is closing its last full-size store and that's in Bridgehampton, new York, on Long Island, and it's going to close October 20th. According to an employee who answered the phone at the store Monday morning, did not want to give her name, the manager of the store was not available and the corporate owner, transformco, that's the company that bought the remains of Sears and Kmart out of the bankruptcy of the Sears Holdings in 2019, did not return an email requesting a comment. Return an email requesting a comment. Now the chain still has a small convenience store version of itself in Miami, but not, you know, the full line of offerings that Kmart was once known for. That location does not, rather, does, have some large ticket goods, you know, appliances. It also has stores in Guam and the US Virgin Islands where it does not face competition for more successful big box stores.

Speaker 1: 8:00

Do you remember? I have some personal recollections of Kmart. Remember John L Jewelry? Attention, kmart shoppers, open aisle five. John L Jewelry, please come over for demonstration. And you would see that police light. Remember that spinning light? And you would see it in the distance in the store. And you go over there and there's this jewelry that really was kind of silly to say this, really quite good. I remember buying one. My mom bought one when I was younger, you know, 40 years ago, and it lasted. It didn't tarnish. I remember also another recollection of Kmart. The day after Halloween, that was the best place to get discount Halloween candy. It was going to be like 50% off, 75% off. You know $80 worth of chocolate bunnies and pumpkin candy, marshmallow things and jelly beans and you can get it for, you know, 20 cents on the dollar. So Kmart I once worked there, actually a long time ago, also at Kmart, another big box store closing down Could there be a Kamala Harris victory in November by a landslide?

Speaker 1: 9:14

Well, there's a journalist who does data kind of like a data scientist, and he wrote an article in the news and he correctly called last election. He's saying yes, it's possible that Kamala could win by a landslide. So think about this. I'm happy she wins it all. I'm sure all of us would be glad she won by three votes. But the bigger the victory, the more convincing to the delusional supporters of Donald. Delusional the MAGA supporters, who can't even believe that the sky is blue. Even if you said it and pointed to it, they would say the evidence is fake, right, we can't have a conversation with them. So what are your feelings about a Kamala landslide? I personally don't think so. I would like to hope it would happen. I would like to hope there's a sweep of all the battleground states. So stay tuned. One person is convinced who picked last year's election saying Kamala, he feels will win by a landslide. What's your thoughts? I need to take a brief moment to point this out to everyone. Kamala, he feels will win by a landslide. What's your thoughts? I need to take a brief moment to point this out to everyone.

Speaker 1: 10:24

If you are listening to the podcast, thank you, bless you. I truly do appreciate that. If you are listening to the podcast and you're a member of the Wolfpack that's the club that's free, takes three seconds to sign up to and you will be getting different perks, like a private group for those who are listeners and members of the club. You'll never be charged for this podcast, no matter what I do in the future. So if you're a listener but you're not signed up, why why not? I'm baffled, I'm beguiled, I'm bewildered. Write to me and just say Wolfpack link. I'll give you the link and you will be a member of the group for free, forever and you will be invited to the private Facebook group. It just I can't wrap my brain around why you would listen to the show, continue to listen, but not make it official to the Wolfpack and never be charged and a private group and all these perks in the show. Continue to listen, but not make it official to the Wolfpack and never be charged and a private group and all these perks in the future. Write me, ask for the Wolfpack link and you'll get it.

Speaker 1: 11:29

Let's talk about something else in the news that I think is very important. There was a jumbo-sized rate cut by the Federal Reserve. They slashed rates by a half a percentage point. By the Federal Reserve. They slashed rates by a half a percentage point. Now, stocks ended a bumpy trading session lower as Wall Street continued to review the Federal Reserve's latest interest rate decision and projections about the economy. The Dow had fallen to 103 points or 0.3%, after jumping more than 300 points earlier that day. The S&P declined and on and on and on. Elsewhere, gold futures reached a fresh record high before retreating to settle, and the Federal Reserve this past Wednesday cut interest rates by a jumbo half point, making its first rate cut since March 2020. Now, while stocks initially jumped on the news, the trading session became volatile as investors worried that the large cut signals that the central bank is concerned that the US economy will weaken further. But Powell, federal Reserve Chairman, said at his post-meeting press conference that he believes the labor market remains healthy, that the Fed cut rates by half a point to stay ahead of potential further weakness. He added that the Fed is not yet satisfied with the cool down in inflation. A risk of lowering rates is that is going to possibly happen again. As pressure eases off companies and consumers, inflation could rev up again. But on the other side, waiting too long to lower rates or doing so too slowly could help spur an economic downturn. The Fed said it expects the unemployment rate to rise to 4.4% and remain at that level in its economic projections. Traders expect the Fed to cut rates again at its November and December. Traders expect the Fed to cut rates again at its November and December policy meetings. So some major news from the Federal Reserve. Let's see in the next 30, 60, 90 days what it does to the economy and how it affects us.

Speaker 1: 13:33

Personally. This is the type of podcast episode for my show World Gone Mad that I enjoy Very little doses of Donald Delusional that I enjoy Very little doses of Donald Delusional. I apologize immensely to all the Wolfpack listeners. If you've been listening from the beginning or you just joined, it's hard to keep Donald out of the news because he keeps making ridiculous statements. So this episode, thank God it was only very little about Donald, and hopefully we can keep it that way. But you know how Donald is right. Probably next episode is all going to be about Donald and hopefully we can keep it that way. But you know how Donald is right. Probably next episode is all going to be about Donald.

Speaker 1: 14:05

All right, here's something that is concerning. To this extent, the US led on nuclear fusion for decades, but now China is in position to win the race. The bustling city of Shanghai marks national celebrations with world-famous light shows, illuminated skyscrapers with dazzling colors, like beacons of Chinese innovation. It is here that scientists and engineers work around the clock to pursue the next big thing in global tech, from 6G internet and advanced AI to next-generation robotics. It's also here, on an unassuming downtown street, a small startup called Energy Singularity is working on something extraordinary nuclear fusion. Energy and nuclear fusion, if you understand, that's unlimited energy without the risks. Well, us companies and industry experts are worried that America is losing its decades-long lead in the race to master this near-limitless form of clean energy, as new fusion companies sprout across China, and Beijing is outspending DC, the big industries that are left or that are in the forefront AI, nuclear fusion. And it's not about oh, American, we got to win, but in essence, it affects the economy for us and the opportunities for people in this country. Fusion is important, ai is important. We need to be spending more money and we have to take the lead back again from China.

Speaker 1: 15:48

A few people over the course of the last several months had taken advantage of the email and wrote to me and, in essence, the same comment came back to me how can we help you with the podcast? And I didn't expect that type of question, but that's a great question. Here's how you, the listener, can help me. I'm not asking for money from you. Okay, I spend enough, as it is each week for this podcast. I'm asking you to do two things. One, could you email me? Seriously, I stated this many times before.

Speaker 1: 16:23

Sometimes I feel I'm sitting in a room talking to myself. I know you're there, I see the stats, but could you drop me a line and say hi, first name, what city, state you're listening from your country? A worldgonemadpodcast at gmailcom. And B, give me your comments. Do you think you would like to hear anything different? Do you like the music? Do you like the new logo? Do you wish this was done longer, shorter, different day of the week? Your comments help shape my podcast for you. So remember Tom Cruise, help me, help you, email me. It's so nice to see emails come in, picks my energy up, makes me want to do the next week's podcast. When I hear crickets, it kind of is a downer. So that's how you, the listener, can help me. Email me, give me your comments, join the wolf pack for free. Ask for the wolf pack link. Thank you, I. I would appreciate that helps more than you could know. All right, I have the last couple of news bits that I want to share with you and comment on. Unfortunately, are negative, and that's why this is called the World Gone Mad.

Speaker 1: 17:37

Scientists have looked deep beneath the Doomsday Glacier. You know about the Doomsday Glacier. This is the glacier that, if things go wrong, could cause catastrophic problems in the world. Well, they found I'm saying this in a nice way what they found recently spells potential disaster for our planet. Scientists using ice-breaking ships and underwater robots have found that I believe it's pronounced the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is melting at an accelerating rate, more than they could predict, and could be on an irreversible path to collapse, spelling catastrophe for global sea level rise.

Speaker 1: 18:24

Now, since 2018, a team of scientists forming the International Glacier Collaboration has been studying this glacier, often dubbed the Doomsday Glacier. They studied it up close to better understand how and when it might collapse. Well, their findings, recently set out across a collection of studies, provide the clearest picture yet of this complex, ever-changing glacier. And I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, the outlook is grim, the scientists said in a report published Thursday revealing the key conclusions of their six years of research. They found rapid ice losses set to speed up this century. The Doomsday Glacier retreat has accelerated considerably over the past 30 years, said Rob Larter, a marine geophysicist at the British Antarctic Survey and part of the ITGC team. Our findings indicate it is set to retreat further and faster. The scientists project the glacier and the Antarctic ice sheet could collapse within 200 years, which would have devastating consequences. So yeah, I know we're not going to be around in 200 years, but we need to be aware of this, people, because if their findings are wrong and it accelerates triple, it could be within our lifetime. Now the glacier holds enough water to increase sea levels by more than two feet, but because it also acts like a cork holding back the vast Antarctic ice sheet, its collapse could ultimately lead to around 10 feet 10 feet of sea level rise, which would devastate coastal communities from Miami and London to Bangladesh and the Pacific Islands.

Speaker 1: 20:09

And the funny thing is, ironically, when I found this news bit a couple of days ago, I was watching for the 400th time the movie the Day After Tomorrow about Dennis Quaid, I believe about weather rather gone haywire across the world. Remember that Doomsday movie. So kind of freaked me out reading about this and then seeing this movie of planetary destruction from the weather. So let's be aware, each time we check things like this it gets faster and faster, as it did in the movie where they thought it was, you know, a thousand years out, and then 200 years out, it's going to happen in three months and eight weeks. This is kind of scary, folks, twilight Zone-ish, so to speak.

Speaker 1: 20:52

I'm a black Nazi. No, that's not me coming out to the listeners and telling you about me. That's Mark Radical Raunchy Robinson, north Carolina's GOP nominee for governor, who's making dozens of disturbing comments that they found on a porn forum. Remember Mark Robinson with all of the silly stupid stuff that he's been saying. Well, they now found these disturbing comments.

Speaker 1: 21:24

I am a black Nazi, the controversial and socially conservative Republican nominee for governor of North Carolina he's currently the lieutenant governor made a series of inflammatory comments on a pornography website's message board more than a decade ago, in which he referred himself as a black Nazi and expressed support for reinstating slavery. The findings have found on the investigation. Now, during a recent history of anti-transgender rhetoric, robinson said he enjoyed watching transgender pornography. A review of archived messages found on this website and he also referred to himself as a perv. So Mark raunchy, radical Robinson, running for governor of North Carolina, which is causing Donald Trump to scramble to North Carolina because it's a key battleground state, all right, this is the guy also who said certain Democrats, we just need to kill them. Remember this one. We just need to kill them. Women shouldn't have the right to vote. Big heavyset, black guy. Remember this guy? Okay, mark Raunchy, radical Robinson, denies making these comments.

Speaker 1: 22:35

This predates his entry into politics and current stint as North Carolina's lieutenant governor. They were made under a username that CNN was able to identify as Robinson by matching a litany of biographical details and a shared email address between the two. Many of Robinson's comments were gratuitously sexual and lewd in nature. They were made between 2008 and 2012 on Nude Africa, a pornographic website that includes a message board. The comments were made under the username Minisoldier, a moniker Robinson used frequently online. Now Robinson radical raunchy. Mr Mark listed his full name on his profile for Nude Africa, as well as an email address he used on numerous websites across the Internet for decades. Cnn is reporting only a small portion of Robinson's comments on the website, given their graphic nature. So a man running for governor who says Democrats should be killed? Women don't have the right to vote. Mark radical raunchy Robinson causing Donald Trump problems in his race to become president again. Call these people out, these MAGA nutcakes.

Speaker 1: 23:52

Before I end this episode with a major news story that you've seen in the news, I just want to encourage you. Please send me an email, say hello. It really makes my day and encourages me to go bigger and bolder. All right, this is huge. We've been following this for a while. It's been going on for hundreds of years, but to us in the last couple of years and the Middle East, quite frankly, is closer to the brink of a catastrophic war the threads are unraveling. No-transcript.

Speaker 1: 24:37

Now you've seen in the news the exploding pagers and the walkie-talkies aimed at Hezbollah. Have you heard about this? If you haven't? Pagers from the Hezbollah group, military part of the group and walkie-talkies were exploding. First of all, that's amazing that they can even do that. I didn't know that technology was available. I don't know how they do that. I didn't read deeper into how they do that but it's causing deaths and damage to people with a pager or a walkie-talkie, and Israel claimed responsibility for this. Well, hezbollah then fires rockets deep into northern Israel as tensions flare and they stated it's going to be an unlimited attack back from Hezbollah.

Speaker 1: 25:23

Now the latest news if that wasn't scary enough everyone is that the US military is now going to send a small number of troops to the Middle East amid the Israel and Lebanon escalation. This is from CNN. The US military is sending a small number of US military personnel forward to the Middle East to augment the forces already in the region amid heightened tensions between Israel and Lebanon, and this was stated by Pentagon Press Secretary, major General Patrick Ryder. He said Friday In light of the increased tensions in the Middle East and out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional US military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region, ryder said, but for operational security reasons, I'm not going to comment. Further. Ryder declined to say how many troops were deployed, where they were sent, what branch they belonged to, etc.

Speaker 1: 26:24

So, whether you believe Israel is right, whether you believe Israel is wrong I have a friend who lives in Israel. He may take it against me that I'm feeling this way or whether Palestine is right, palestine is wrong, hezbollah whatever Gaza whatever. Hezbollah, whatever Gaza, whatever. This is never going away. This is never going to de-escalate, because we're at the point where every year, every couple of years, something happens and it gets bigger and bolder and nastier and more deadly. This is a day-by-day, hour-by-hour situation in the Middle East that could have ramifications all the way to other allies and us. So keep vigilant, watch the news.

Speaker 1: 27:10

I'm fearful that this is not going to back down. Israel is determined to protect themselves. They have the right to do that. Gaza and Palestine are determined to protect what they feel is right. Nobody is right, nobody is wrong. I don't care who you are. I don't care if you live in Israel, if you're for the Israeli government, if you're against the Israeli government, if you're for Palestine, you're against. I don't care. They're never going to come to a consensus on this. Whether it be a two-state situation, a single state. It doesn't matter, folks. I'm not talking about right or wrong. I'm talking about the tensions and emotions are so ingrained With all of these years of death and destruction. We're never going to go back to normal, short of a miracle, so keep an eye out for that. Okay, this is A World Gone Mad. I will be back next week with another episode. Hope you like the new logo. Say hello, drop me an email. I'm Jeff Allen Wolf, your host, and until next time, please stay hopeful. There is chaos in the world, can't you see? Thank you.