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
Military Tribunals, Legal Bribes, Child Labor and The Racist Mascot Revival
This episode has everything: corruption in a robe, nostalgia soaked in racism, teenagers deep-frying themselves for minimum wage, and a former president playing dictator cosplay like it’s open mic night at Gitmo.
I didn’t plan for it to go this far — but apparently, America did.
I’m not saying we’ve officially jumped the shark… but the shark just filed a restraining order. If you thought things couldn’t get dumber, darker, or more legally unhinged — buckle up. The institutions are melting, the mascots are back in blackface, and somewhere out there, a Supreme Court justice is sipping champagne on a billionaire’s yacht while rewriting what counts as a bribe.
This isn’t satire anymore. This is civic decay with a soundtrack and a merch table.
If you’re new here — welcome to the bonfire. If you’re part of the Wolf Pack already, you know I don’t pull punches. I aim for the part of your brain that still believes in outrage.
Oh — and yes, the $50 Amazon giveaway is still live. If your coping mechanism is contest therapy, now’s your shot.
I’m Jeff Alan Wolf.
This is A World Gone Mad.
And trust me — this one’s a ride.
I’ve been doing A World Gone Mad for well over a year, three times a week — 126 episodes and counting…
with ZERO ads, just truth.
If you want to help me grow this thing, I’ve launched a Ko-fi page.
Five dollars makes a difference.
Fifty makes a dent.
Five hundred makes history.
👉 https://ko-fi.com/aworldgonemad
AWorldGoneMadPodcast@gmail.com
This is a world gone mad. This is a world gone mad, mad, mad, mad, mad. Welcome back to A World Gone Mad, the show where I sift through the roaring bonfire of destruction forged by the very people now roasting marshmallows over it and not giving a damn who they hurt. I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe, your sarcastic narrator, full-time explainer of the absurd and designated driver in a country swerving off the road. You could be outside living your best life, smelling flowers, walking your dog, but you're not. You're here, which means you either still care or you've just run out of coping mechanisms. I want to start by thanking everyone who entered the $50 Amazon giveaway and sent in their answer to last Monday's episode question. If you emailed me and you got the answer right, you think you got it right. You're in. You're officially entered. Nothing changes that You're locked, so no worries. Now, if you entered but you don't think you quite got the right answer, listen up, you've still got a shot. I'm giving everyone one more week to get it right and get into the drawing.
Speaker 1:Here's why my podcast has been spreading. New listeners are showing up through social media, word of mouth, directories and a few reached out saying to me damn, I just found the show. Did I miss the contest? So here's what I'm doing I'm extending the contest one more week, but the rule still stands You've got to answer the original question from last Monday's episode. That's the gate. No guessing, no shortcuts.
Speaker 1:If you're hearing this and you haven't entered yet, go back, listen to episode 123, send the right answer. If you entered and got it wrong, this is your second chance. And if you got it right the first time, you're in. You're all set. Relax, don't worry. Final deadline is Sunday night. Winner gets $50 from Amazon gift card. I'll announce it next Monday. Look for episode 123, $50 giveaway in the title. Details are there. That's it. Last chance, if you want in. Now's the time.
Speaker 1:And speaking of time, apparently we're hurtling back to the 1600s. Because this week, donald Trump, a man who thinks courtrooms are for TV appearances and campaign stops, decided to repost a video calling for jailing your enemies. Isn't dramatic enough. Just dream about hanging them on live TV. Can you get any more fascist than this?
Speaker 1:Let's talk about the story we should be talking about, because this week, donald Trump, a man who treats indictments like merit badges, decided to go full Banana Republic and repost a video calling for military tribunals against his political enemies, military tribunals as in. Let's take journalists, prosecutors and political rivals, run them through a courtroom designed for war criminals and see where the rope lands. Not metaphor, not satire, not buried in some weird post. At 2 am, he reposted it on purpose in daylight to his followers. Because apparently, when you're insecure like Donald, the next best legal strategy is secure. Like Donald, the next best legal strategy is medieval justice with a flag. I mean. Imagine being so desperate, so cornered, so absolutely owned by the legal system that your next move is next move. What if we tried? The entire Justice Department at Gitmo? That's where we are. And the scary part, his base eats it up. They don't blink, they just hit like they scream.
Speaker 1:Finally, because this isn't just about Trump's paranoia anymore. It's become a shared fantasy, a revenge cartoon for people who think the real problem in America is too much accountability. We used to mock places that did this. You know countries where political opponents disappear, trials are held in secret, outcomes, you know, come with a rope or a rifle. Now one bad court ruling and Trump's out there playing dictator on demand Not that he's had a lot of bad court rulings lately. This is beyond dangerous. It's fascist fan fiction with a marketing team and the GOP leadership Quiet, spineless, complicit. Half of them would co-sign this if he asked, nicely. The other half are just praying he doesn't tweet their name because at this point, supporting Trump isn't about policy, it's about submission. Whatever he floats, they salute and don't fall for the.
Speaker 1:Well, he was just reposting. He didn't say it. Defense, that's the same gaslight they use every time. He didn't say it, he just amplified it to millions. He didn't suggest it, he just platformed it. And here's the real kicker this guy actually won and is president again. That's not hyperbole, that's reality. So if you're hearing this and thinking, oh, he's just trolling, no, he's testing. Testing what he can say, testing what you'll tolerate, testing what gets cheers in a room that used to boo this crap. This isn't a campaign, it's a coup.
Speaker 1:Fantasy on loop, dressed up in red, white and rage, and if you're not paying attention, you're already in the tribunal lineup. So let's say you're a public official, you do something nice for a wealthy donor, maybe slip in a favor, you know, smooth out a permit, kill a bill, whatever, and later they give you a gift not a bribe, of course, no, no, a gratuity. Congratulations. According to the supreme court of the united states. You're not corrupt, you're just thoughtful, because this week, in a ruling so brazen, it should have come with a cigar and a brown envelope. The court decided that bribes are only legal if they're handed over before the favor. That's right, afterwards totally fine, like tipping your waiter If your waiter was also a senator and the tip was a beachfront condo. This is the most. This is the moral logic of the ruling.
Speaker 1:Did you take money to influence your actions? No, I influenced my actions first, then took the money. Oh, okay, carry on, sir. What the hell are we doing? This isn't just a legal technicality. This is the Supreme Court telling America that corruption is okay as long as you don't Venmo it in advance. It's like saying murder is illegal unless you apologize first, then commit the murder.
Speaker 1:You know we used to hide corruption. Now we're itemizing it. The ruling basically says don't worry about hiding the money in a freezer, just wait a few days, deposit it openly. As long as you could say, it wasn't a quid pro quo, it's a thank you note with cash. And this came from the same court where a sitting justice took luxury vacations from a billionaire, failed to disclose it, then said what he's just my friend Clarence, for shame. If your friends buy you $500,000 vacations and private jet rides, they're not your friends, they're your clients. So now we're in a place where the people deciding what's legal are also benefiting from the very thing they just legalized. Corruption isn't a loophole anymore, it's precedent. The highest court in the land just told every crooked official as long as you wait until after the betrayal to collect the check, you're fine. We're living in a country where justice is blind. But apparently it's also wearing a Rolex paid for by a defense contractor.
Speaker 1:If you thought legalized bribery was bleak, wait till we've got 14-year-olds punching the clock next to ex-cons in the poultry plant, because nothing says family values like gutting child labor laws. So a 14-year-old can deep fry nuggets in a grease trap older than they are. Welcome to Mississippi Now serving sweatshop nostalgia with a side of hush puppies. So Mississippi, the state that proudly brings you the worst health care, lowest education, highest number of politicians who think shoes are optional, has decided the real problem with America is that the kids aren't working hard enough. That's right. They've quietly legalized child labor. Not fixed schools, not raised teacher pay, not expanded access to lunch programs. No, they took a look at a 14-year-old and thought you know that kid should be handling boiling oil during a dinner rush.
Speaker 1:We're not talking about a summer job sweeping popcorn at the movie theater. We're not talking about a summer job sweeping popcorn at the movie theater. We're talking about full-on 10-hour shifts, working nights, weekends and holidays in industrial kitchen slaughterhouses and job sites where more OSHA violations are than light bulbs. Mississippi basically rolled out the red carpet for sweatshop summer camps, except instead of s'mores and sing-alongs you get third degree burns and PTSD. And this wasn't passed with a press conference or fanfare. No, no, they slipped it through quietly like it was a shameful fart in church, because even they know how grotesque this is. Let's be clear this isn't about helping families. It's about creating a cheap, desperate, voiceless labor pool, because nothing beats corporate profits like a 14-year-old who don't unionize and can't legally complain without a parent's permission slip.
Speaker 1:So picture it okay A ninth grader in a paper hat scrubbing out a grease trap that's older than the Constitution, clocking in while his classmates are at marching band practice, falling asleep during algebra because he pulled a double shift on the fryer. We used to protect kids from this crap. We passed laws after kids lost arms in textile machines. Now we're throwing it in reverse, like labor rights were some liberal mistake. And here's the cherry on this deep-fried dumpster sundae. This comes right after the Supreme Court said bribery is fine as long as it's post-dated. So yeah, once you legalize buying politicians, of course you're going to get laws written by the Chick-fil-A night manager.
Speaker 1:Welcome to America 2025. We can't afford school books or bus routes, but we've got a hard hat, a hairnet and a 40-hour work week. Waiting for your teenager Clock in Junior. Your childhood's been outsourced. And speaking of horrifying child abuse, let's talk about what Trump wants your kids to chant at a football game. Want your kids to chant at a football game? Because when you're president of the United States, with a full nuclear arsenal and global crises on your desk, obviously the top priority is forcing sports teams to bring back names. We retired for being racist. Welcome to the authoritarian tailgate where presidential power gets used to rebrand mascots, like it's 1952.
Speaker 1:So let's review. You're the President of the United States. The world's on fire, literally. There's inflation, climate disaster, floods, housing collapse, global tension, cyber attacks and two wars simmering overseas, and you've decided to plant the full weight of your presidency behind bringing back racist sports teams names. That's right, donald Trump, the commander in chief of absolutely nothing resembling perspective, announced he wants to force teams like the Washington commanders to go back to being called the Redskins and the Cleveland Guardians to return to being the Indians.
Speaker 1:Because when you can't fix anything that matters, you double down on the one thing you can do Weaponize nostalgia to rile up the base and punch minorities in the face while you're at it. This isn't leadership. This is your racist uncle drunk at Thanksgiving but with Secret Service. Let's be clear Nobody's actually asking for this. No one's camped out in the streets chanting bring back the slurs. This isn't the will of the people. This is the will of one very fragile, very orange man who gets triggered when a corporation apologizes for something in history.
Speaker 1:Trump isn't protecting traditions. He's just pissed that the culture moved on without his permission. He saw team name change and thought that's an attack on me, because in his world, if a mascot gets updated, that's tyranny. But if a sitting president uses his office to pressure private sports teams into reviving racially offensive branding, that's freedom. That's freedom. It's the most pathetic use of executive energy since Nixon asked the FCC to ban one toke over the line.
Speaker 1:Let's talk priorities. He's got presidential authority and instead of fixing anything, he's using it like a guy screaming at the manager of a Spirit Halloween store because they don't sell Confederate flag costumes. This isn't a policy, it's not even a real issue. It's a toddler's tantrum painted red, white and blue. Trump's base loves this crap because it's performative, meaningless and easy to clap along to. It's the same old playbook make you mad at made-up enemies while he robs the place blind. Presidential strength apparently now includes rebranding racism as nostalgia.
Speaker 1:And finally, tonight, if your week wasn't unsettling enough, let's sprinkle in a secret Trump-Putin meeting, some Beijing paranoia and the faint smell of global collapse drifting in from the east. Because when you're totally not colluding with authoritarian strongmen, the best place to prove it is behind closed doors with zero cameras, while Taiwan panic buys missiles like it's a Black Friday sale at the end of the world. So let's just lay this out there are credible whispers not TikTok rumors, not blog-fueled nonsense that Donald Trump, the actual sitting president of the United States, may be preparing for a private meeting with Vladimir Putin. No advisors, no press, no transparency, just two authoritarian cosplayers with nukes, delusions and matching beefs with democracy, getting cozy while the rest of the world peeks through the blinds, clutching its chest. And the craziest part, nobody's denying it. No one in Trump's administration is out there shouting fake news. It's just quiet, suspiciously quiet, like the sound of duct tape being peeled off a hard drive in a Moscow hotel room. And sure, maybe it's just a casual little chat between pals, you know, just a friendly catch-up between the guy who invaded Ukraine and the guy who invaded the Capitol.
Speaker 1:What could go wrong? I'll tell you what could go wrong. Everything you think this is about football team names and sweatshop nostalgia. No, this is the real game. This is the moment where we stop pretending that Trump's chaos is funny and start realizing it's a global, goddamn liability. Because while you're worrying about gas prices, school boards or your 401k, the President of the United States might be in a side room with an enemy head of state playing let's make a deal with your democracy. And guess who's watching? Beijing and Taiwan's not just watching, they're panic, ordering missiles. You don't do that, unless you believe the guy in the White House might let Putin blow something up just to see what happens. This isn't diplomacy, it's geopolitical arson.
Speaker 1:And we've seen this movie before. It's called Helsinki 2018. And the sequel doesn't end with popcorn. It ends with sanctions, silence and Russian troops on someone else's border. But hey, I'm sure it's fine. What's one unmonitored presidential summit with a known war criminal between friends? If there was ever a moment to stop laughing and start paying attention, this is it, because while Trump plays shadow games with Putin, we're all standing around like, wow, that smoke smells weird. I don't have to be Nostradamus to know this. That's not smoke, that's democracy burning.
Speaker 1:Okay, I celebrated my birthday this weekend and I want to thank every one of you, the Wolfpack listeners, who sent messages and greetings. That meant a lot to me. Thank you so much and yes, I've extended the contest for one week. If you missed it, you've still got time. Just listen to episode 123 for how to enter the $50 Amazon gift card giveaway. If you've got thoughts, outrage or conspiracy theories involving squirrels, I promise I won't say you're nuts. Yeah, I know, I had to go there. You can email me at mad world Talk, at gmailcom, m, a, d, w, o, r, l, d, t, a, l, k at Gmail, or leave a voicemail 24-7. It's free 833-399-9653. Don't forget to leave a review on Apple or Spotify. It really does help. I'll be back again Wednesday, but in the meantime I will be digging through government documents to see if anyone trademarked the phrase the Department of what the fuck? I'm Jeff Allen Wolf. This is A World Gone Mad. Stay sharp, stay vocal, stay sane, but most of all, stay hopeful. There is chaos in the world, can't you see? Stay hopeful.
