A WORLD GONE MAD
A Progressive Liberal News Podcast
Veteran Television, and Radio Broadcaster Jeff Alan Wolf offers his Observations on the issues (many issues) of the week with a fearless liberal bent. His solid delivery, and dry common sense approach sets him apart from other liberals that populate Talk and Commentary Podcasts”
Jeff Does NOT Pull Punches.
He does NOT Make comments that are “SAFE”.
He tells the Truth.
(He Tells It As He Sees It)
He Is Very OPINIONATED!
He says the things Out Loud YOU’RE
already thinking.
Jeff is Unfiltered, Unspun, A little Unhinged, but offers a lot of Common Sense.
This Podcast could make you MAD.
This Podcast could make you SMILE.
Regardless, it WILL make you THINK!
A WORLD GONE MAD
Trump Ignores Judges, China Cheers Trump, Putin Wants To Be Rewarded For War!
Democracy teeters on the edge as constitutional crises loom across multiple fronts. The Trump administration's relationship with federal courts has become increasingly strained, raising profound questions about the separation of powers that has maintained American democracy for centuries. When judges issue orders blocking executive actions, what happens if those orders are simply ignored? Legal experts warn that judicial enforcement mechanisms are shockingly limited—civil contempt and fines may be meaningless against an administration willing to flout the rule of law.
Meanwhile, authoritarian regimes celebrate as Trump dismantles Voice of America and Radio Free Asia—institutions that have broadcast truth into oppressive states for decades. Chinese state media gleefully calls VOA a "lie factory" while Beijing rapidly expands its own propaganda networks worldwide. This retreat from global information leadership comes at precisely the wrong moment, as disinformation threatens democracies everywhere.
The economy shows troubling signs as retail sales disappoint and major retailers report consumers struggling with basic necessities. "Many customers report only having enough money for essentials," Dollar General's CEO revealed, while Walmart predicts slowing sales amid trade war uncertainties. These economic concerns compound as Trump's Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations suggest Ukraine may need to surrender territory and power plants to Russia—effectively rewarding Putin's aggression and alarming European allies who question America's reliability as a security partner.
What do these developments mean for our democratic institutions? How can we preserve the checks and balances that prevent authoritarianism? Join me as we navigate these treacherous waters and stand up for democratic values. Your engagement makes a difference—share your thoughts and subscribe to continue this crucial conversation about protecting democracy in a world that sometimes seems to have truly gone mad.
AWorldGoneMadPodcast@gmail.com
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 land, this is a World Gone Mad. I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe and I give my commentary on national and world news and politics. And have I got news for you? Here's what federal judges could do if they're ignored by the Trump administration.
Speaker 1:Now, recent court orders slowing down indefinitely, blocking President Donald Trump's policy blitz have raised the specter that the executive branch might openly flout the federal judiciary and prompted questions about how judges would respond. Any decision by the administration to defy federal courts, federal judiciary and prompted questions about how judges would respond. Any decision by the administration to defy federal courts would immediately implicate profound constitutional questions about separation of powers that have kept each branch of the government in check for centuries. That's in large part because it would test the power of courts to enforce rulings that are supposed to be the final word. Now the issue reached a fever pitch over the weekend when the Trump administration deported hundreds of alleged gang members to El Salvador, despite a federal judge's order that the 19th Century Alien Enemies Act could not be used. Asked on Sunday night whether his administration had violated the judge's order. Trump replied you'd have to speak to the lawyers about that. Legal experts say there are few options to force compliance with its pronouncements. Judges could hold an agency or official and civil or criminal contempt. But that's about it Now.
Speaker 1:Fears that the Trump administration might deliberately break into a pattern of not following judicial rulings with which it disagrees were amplified last month when a federal judge in Rhode Island for the second time told the Trump administration it can't cut off grant and loan payments after Democratic-led states complained that the administration wasn't obeying the judge's previous court order. Now, a day earlier, vice President JD Vance also created a storm of criticism when he questioned in a post on X whether courts can block any of Trump's agenda. Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power, he wrote in part. The most likely response by a court if the administration were to defy its edict would be to hold the agency acting in defiance of an order or ruling in civil contempt, which would allow a judge to levy fines on the government for its noncompliance. So you find whoever the relevant defendant is, whether it's Secretary of the Treasury or some other official, and the fines escalate as the non-compliance continues, said Michael Dorff, a constitutional law professor at Cornell Law School. But the issue that Dorff added is that the agency or official might also ignore the imposed fines. If they've been willing to defy the order in the first place, they might be willing to defy the sanctions order, he said.
Speaker 1:For the moment, the Justice Department has taken the usual approach of appealing to a higher court on preliminary injunctions that have blocked various executive actions. The Alien Enemies Act is already being appealed to the DC US Circuit Court of Appeals. Asked at the White House last month whether he'll comply with court rulings, trump said that he will. Well, I always abide by the courts and then I'll have to appeal it. Well, I always abide by the courts and then I'll have to appeal it. But then what Trump's done is he's slowed down the momentum and it gives crooked people more time to cover up the books. Trump said so yeah, the answer is I always abide by the courts, always abide by them and will appeal. But appeals take a long time, trump added. So the plan is obvious. Wolfpack listeners, they don't care what the federal courts say about their actions. They say we're going to abide by those actions, but of course they won't, and if there's a problem they'll appeal it. They will delay it. What are you going to do? Arrest me. Trump is basically saying it's not even subtle anymore going against the rule of law. It's now blatantly in your frigging face, full force, without the court's actions, however limited that they may be. At this time, this is the only avenue on checks and balances preventing Trump from a full-fledged takedown of our country.
Speaker 1:Here's a news story that has major implications on freedom of speech. How gratifying Cheers in China as Trump dismantles the voice of America. One nationalist influencer called it truly gratifying, another said he was laughing his head off, and a state media editorial hailed the demise of what it called the lie factory. For years, the Chinese government and its propaganda apparatus have relentlessly attacked VOA and RFA for their critical coverage of China, particularly on human rights and religious freedom. Chinese nationalists and state media could hardly contain their schadenfreude after President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday to dismantle VOA, the Voice of America and RFA, radio Free Asia and other US government-funded media organizations that broadcast authoritarian regimes. And now the Trump administration is silencing the very institutions that Beijing has long sought to undermine, at a time when China is spending lavishly to expand the global footprint of its own state media.
Speaker 1:In an editorial Monday, the Global Times, a pugnacious Communist Party-run newspaper, denounced Voice of America as a lie factory with an appalling track record on China reporting. They said, from its coverage of alleged human rights abuses in the far western Xinjiang region to reporting on South China Sea disputes, taiwan, hong Kong, the coronavirus pandemic and the Chinese economy, almost every malicious falsehood about China has Voice of America's fingerprints all over it. The editorial claimed. Others cheered Trump, who, during his first term in office, was nicknamed or Trump, the Chinese nation builder, by the Chinese internet, in a mocking suggestion that the US president's isolationist foreign policy and divisive domestic agenda was helping Beijing to overtake Washington on the global stage. Thank you, comrade Yuan Jingjiao and Elon Musk, please take care and stay safe, a Weibo user said on Monday.
Speaker 1:But as the US-funded stations dialed down, china is busy amplifying its own messages to the world. Under leader Xi Jinping, china has drastically expanded the reach and influence of its state media outlets as part of its push to gain discourse power in a world it sees as unfairly dominated by the Western narrative. In 2018, beijing announced the creation of a giant media conglomerate by merging three existing state-run networks aimed at overseas audiences to better combine resources. Its name, voice of China, add further evidence that Donald Trump is not a friend of America. He is, however, a wonderful person to dictators and countries around the world like Russia and China. This is what over 70 million people voted for Not just a destruction of our country, but a tearing down of the values and institutions that the United States championed for many decades. Point these pieces of evidence out to your Republican friends and family.
Speaker 1:Retail sales came in weaker than expected, another bad sign for the US economy. Spending at US retailers last month was much weaker than expected, in a troubling sign that the American shopper could be starting to tap out. Retail sales rose 0.2% in February from the prior month, the Commerce Department said Monday, up from January's downwardly revised 1.2% decline. That was much lower than the 0.7% increase that the economists predicted in a fact set poll. The figures are adjusted for seasonal swings, but not inflation.
Speaker 1:Now, president, donald Trump's whipsawing trade spat with America's biggest trading partners has spurred high levels of uncertainty among consumers and businesses. The skittishness has been evident across many consumer surveys and now shoppers seem to be adjusting their purchasing behavior accordingly. Retail sales account for about a third of overall spending in the US. Weak consumer spending figures are adding to concerns that the US economy is slowing, perhaps heading into a recession. Monday's retail report didn't ease those fears. Executives of America's retail stores have recently warned of consumers feeling stretched and becoming cautious of their spending. Some stores have said they will need to raise prices if Trump's trade war spirals out of control.
Speaker 1:Our customers continue to report that their financial situation has worsened over the last year as they have been negatively impacted by ongoing inflation. Todd Vasso's, chief executive of Dollar General, said last week in an earnings call. Many of our customers report they only have enough money for basic essentials, with some noting that they have had to sacrifice even on the necessities. Meanwhile, walmart, america's biggest retailer, expects sales and profits to slow this year. John David Rainey, the company's financial officer, in an earnings call last month, pointed to uncertainties related to consumer behavior and global economic and geopolitical conditions. And global economic and geopolitical conditions. Officials have said in recent speeches that the prospects for economic growth still look good, despite the uncertainty sowed by the Trump administration's flurry of policy changes. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said earlier this month that officials are waiting for Trump's policies, ranging from tariffs to mass deportations, to show up clearly in the economic data before central bankers can determine whether to keep rates unchanged, resume cutting or hike again.
Speaker 1:Wolfpack, listeners, this is just another added storm front why we as a citizen of America feel overwhelmed. It is a non-stop assault from Donald the King, a class war from the billionaires against the peasants us. What will it take for Republican leadership to speak out, take a stand against Donald? Are we at the point where Trump literally has to shoot someone in front of the public and things will finally change? Public and things will finally change. Sorry, listeners, I don't even think that would move the needle for senators and congressmen and congresswomen.
Speaker 1:Trump says Ukraine-Russia peace talks looking at dividing up certain assets. Negotiators working to end the Russia-Ukraine war have already discussed dividing up certain assets. I'm sure Zelensky wasn't talking about that. Us President Donald Trump said Sunday, as he announced he planned to speak to Russian counterpart Putin on Tuesday. He planned to speak to Russian counterpart Putin on Tuesday. Trump's comments come after he announced last week that Ukraine had accepted a US proposed 30-day ceasefire, putting the ball in Russia's court as to whether it would accept his proposal to swiftly end the war. We're doing pretty well, I think, with Russia. We'll see if we have something to announce. Maybe by Tuesday. I'll be speaking to Putin on Tuesday.
Speaker 1:Trump told reporters on board Air Force One during a flight back to the White House after his weekend in Mar-a-Lago. A lot of work's been done over the weekend. We want to see if we bring that war to an end. Trump said Maybe we can, maybe we can't, but I think we have a very good chance. Trump said negotiators had already pinpointed certain topics up for discussion. We'll be talking about land. A lot of land is a lot different than it was before the war, as you know. We'll be talking about land. We'll be talking about power plants. That's a big question, trump continued. But I think we have a lot of it already discussed very much by both sides Ukraine and Russia. We've already talking about that dividing up certain assets. Trump added. The Kremlin spokesperson confirmed that the two leaders would speak Tuesday, but did not disclose any further details.
Speaker 1:Putin's response so far to the Trump-backed ceasefire proposal has been ambiguous. So far to the Trump-backed ceasefire proposal has been ambiguous. He said that Moscow agreed with the proposal in theory, but he also set out tough conditions and demanded concessions from Kiev and repeatedly has claimed that the current Ukrainian government was part of the root cause of the war. So basically, putin is alluding to wanting Zelensky to step down. In my opinion, meetings between American negotiators with representatives from Ukraine and Russia will continue this week. The Kremlin also said last week that US negotiators would travel to Russia for further talks, though it did not share details on the participants.
Speaker 1:Russia first started seizing parts of Ukraine in 2014, before launching its full invasion in 2022, triggering the largest land conflict in Europe since World War II. Since the 2022 invasion, ukraine has lost control of about 11% of its land, according to an analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War, a US-based conflict monitor. Land concessions are among the most sensitive issues left to hammer out. American officials have said Ukraine will likely need to cede territory for the war to end, and Putin has made it a condition of entering into a ceasefire. But conceding territory has long been a non-starter for Ukrainian President Zelensky, and some European leaders have voiced concern about appearing to reward Putin for launching the invasion in the first place. Russia has also made clear it has no desire to give up the swaths of Ukrainian territory. It has occupied Trump's willingness to grant Moscow concessions even before talks began, as his embrace of Putin has also rattled NATO allies in Europe who are now openly questioning whether decades of US security guarantees towards the continent can be relied upon.
Speaker 1:Trump's special envoy, steve Witkoff, told CNN on Sunday that the ongoing talks over Ukraine were productive, but didn't say how the matter of territorial concessions would be resolved. Putin accepts the philosophy of President Trump in wanting to see the war come to an end. Witkoff said he described his meeting last week with Putin as a solution-based discussion and voiced confidence that a pause in fighting could arrive within weeks. Putin also said Friday that his country is working at restoring relations with the US after they were practically reduced to zero, destroyed by the previous American administration. Putin said Overall, the situation is starting to move, referring to relations with the Trump administration. Putin said Overall, the situation is starting to move, referring to relations with the Trump administration. Let's see what comes out of this. Putin stated this is such a bad vibe to the Ukraine-Russian war listeners.
Speaker 1:Trump started this out 150% in favor of Putin and they're basically talking about Ukraine has to give up land. Seriously, putin invades Ukraine and, like European leaders, voiced their concern about rewarding Putin for his invasion by giving him land. I seriously hope Zelensky and Europe take a firm stand against this delusional idea from Donald and Putin that we will end the war if you give us land and power plants. And finally, trump transforms the Oval Office into a gold shrine Flags, statues, gold bibles, ridiculous gold art pieces. Listeners, have you seen the photos of this shrine to Donald, the mafia don of his kingdom? The dignity and sanctity of the White House went out the window the first time Donald was in power and now that he's in his second go-around on the throne, it's dissolved into a pile of garbage.
Speaker 1:Send me your comments, wolfpack listeners, on this or anything else. Please check out my sub stack as well, that I just started again. You could find it on sub stack under Jeff Allen Wolf, but Wolfstem, or you can contact me and I'll send you a direct link. I'll be back again in two days. This is A World Gone Mad. I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe and without your comments and feedback and engagement, I'm sitting in a room talking to myself. Stay hopeful. There is chaos in the world, can't you see? And we need to stand up and preserve. Thank you.
