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
CDC Walkout, Russia Strikes EU, Europe on Alert
It’s Friday, and I’m back with another edition of A World Gone Mad. Some weeks the headlines just drift past…but this week, they hit with the force of a wrecking ball. What you’re about to hear isn’t spin, it’s reality colliding with power in ways that should make every one of us stop and pay attention.
I start with a story that goes beyond politics as usual. It’s about the last place Americans thought they could still find truth…and how that foundation has been ripped apart in a matter of days. People with decades of service and reputations built on science stood their ground, and they paid the price. That alone tells you how deep the rot runs.
Then I take you across the Atlantic, where a strike wasn’t just an attack on Ukraine. It was a carefully staged message aimed straight at Europe’s institutions. The death toll was brutal, but the symbolism was even louder. Europe has been put on notice…and the response is already moving from words to weapons.
These aren’t just “big stories.” They’re turning points. They’re the kind of moments that reveal what happens when truth is sidelined, when loyalty matters more than facts, and when the people in power bet that you won’t notice. My job is to make sure you do notice.
That’s what this podcast is about: stripping away the excuses and saying what too many others won’t. I’m not here to comfort the powerful. I’m here to hold up the mirror and ask if this is really the country we want to live in.
But Fridays are also for breathing room…because nobody can stare at chaos all week without needing a release valve. That’s why I bring you News from the Edge of Sanity: a chance to laugh, shake your head, and wonder how the world manages to outdo satire every single time.
From government shake-ups to the bizarre sideshows of everyday life, I’ll take you through it all. No filters, no sugar-coating, just the sharp edges and the absurd corners that define the week we just lived through.
So plug in, press play, and let’s close this week the way only A World Gone Mad can…with honesty, outrage, and just enough insanity to remind us we’re still standing.
AWorldGoneMadPodcast@gmail.com
This is a world gone mad. This is a world gone mad, mad, mad, mad, mad. This is a world gone mad. I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the Friday edition, the part of the week where I bring you news from the edge of sanity and try to lighten the load a little before you head into your long weekend. Now, if you're listening to my podcast, welcome to the club nobody signed up for. Let me see if I could describe what you're probably already feeling. You've crawled through another week in America where our country is a gorilla-glued bargain bin piñata on wobbly legs staggering its way into a birthday party that's packed with sugar-crazed children who are swinging aluminum bats wildly like it's the Hunger Games. But hey, maybe that's just me screaming from inside the piñata. America is not divided. It's a family reunion food fight where half the relatives brought potato salad, the other half brought Molotov cocktails and the tablecloth is already on fire. The news Still cooked in the microwave with the wrapper on, the politicians Still auctioning off democracy on Craigslist, with the words heavily bruised no returns written in the description and the national mood hovering somewhere between bad wi-fi rage and a hangover. You didn't earn coasting on fumes, pretending the smoke alarm going off in the background is just part of the vibe. Now you might be streaming this on your commute, catching it at the gym or hiding out in Target pretending you're still looking for the toothpaste. Doesn't matter where you showed up. No-transcript, because while the headlines keep bouncing around like squirrels on espresso, somebody's got to grab the mic and say what everyone else is thinking. That somebody is me. So here we go.
Speaker 1:The CDC just exploded. Not with a virus, not with an outbreak, with a political purge. So shameless it makes Watergate look like amateur hour. Think about that. The one agency that is supposed to stand above politics, the one place Americans still look to for straight facts on health, the one place Americans still look to for straight facts on health, is now ground zero for a political demolition job. They fired Susan Monteres, gone in less than a month. Why? Because she wouldn't bend the knee to Robert F Kennedy Jr's crusade to roll back vaccines and replace science with snake oil. That's it. That was her crime. She stood for science. They threw her out, and then Trump and RFK Jr lit the fuse. Four of the agency's most senior doctors said Screw it, we're out the door too. These aren't interns, these aren't mid-level staffers. These are the top names in American public health, people with decades of experience walking away because they refused to be props in a circus.
Speaker 1:And then came the moment you almost never see in government, and if you missed this, you missed history Hundreds of staffers staging a clap out. Picture it. The people who fight pandemics for a living, the people who work insane hours to keep the public safe, lining the halls, slow clapping, the very leaders who just got shoved out the door. That wasn't a polite goodbye, that was a defiance in motion. That was a scientific middle finger in surround sound. When government workers, the quiet ones, the ones who usually keep their heads down stand up like that, you know something is rotten.
Speaker 1:And Dimitri Daskalakis didn't just resign. He detonated His letter, ripped Trump and RFK Jr to shreds. He accused them of cooking the numbers, gagging scientists, endangering kids, pregnant women and LGBTQ Americans. He called the environment untenable Translation. The CDC has been turned into a propaganda machine. That letter from him was spine-straining. It was a kind of defiance we haven't seen in public health in decades, in a country where so few people are willing to stand up to Trump and his wrecking crew.
Speaker 1:Daskalakis did. He put it on paper, he made it public. And he made it crystal clear this was not about policy disagreements. This was about betrayal Betrayal of science, betrayal of medicine, betrayal of the public trust. And who takes over in his place? Jim O'Neill, a biotech investor, which is a fancy way of saying the guy's resume is cashing in on sick people, not curing them. Putting him in charge of the CDC is like putting the Marlboro man in charge of the American Lung Association. This isn't an appointment, it's a punchline, and it tells you everything about where the administration is headed Loyalty over expertise, politics over science, ideology over truth.
Speaker 1:So let me be clear. This isn't just a shakeupup. This is an all-out hijacking. The last guardrail of trust in public health is being ripped out. Once that goes, everything collapses from the flu shots to food safety, from pandemic response to basic guidance you thought you could trust. And in a country already drowning in lies, that collapse could be lethal. This is not science versus politics, it's truth versus propaganda. The propaganda is winning. Kennedy and Trump are ripping out the voices of science and replacing them with voices of loyalty, voices of spin, voices of control. And if they succeed, public health in America will never look the same. The people who walked out, the people who slow clapped in the hallways, the ones who risked their careers to say enough. They showed more spine in a week than most of this country's so-called leaders have shown in years. And that's what makes this moment matter, because if those doctors can stand up inside the CDC, then the rest of us damn well better be ready to stand up outside of it. And standing up isn't just something we owe here at home, it's something the world is being forced to do right now in Ukraine.
Speaker 1:Russia's latest strike on Kiev wasn't just brutal, it was deliberate theater 18 dead, four of them children, 48 more wounded. And where did the missiles land? Not only homes and streets, but the British Council and the European Union delegation offices. That's not random. That's a message. That's Putin saying I'm not just at war with Ukraine, I'm daring Europe to get off the sidelines. And Europe heard it. The UK and the EU immediately hauled in Russian diplomats. Condemnations flew and Ukraine demanded tougher sanctions. The European Union for the first time announced it would use profits from frozen Russian assets to bankroll Kiev's defense Bravo and Germany. Germany flipped the switch on the largest ammunition factory in all of Europe. That's not diplomacy, that's preparation. So let's stop pretending. This is just another chapter in Ukraine's suffering. This was a direct strike on Europe's institutions.
Speaker 1:The line between Ukraine's war and our war is getting thinner by the day, because when missiles hit the EU's own offices, that's no longer collateral damage everyone, that's a calling card. And here's the deeper meaning. Putin isn't pulling back, he's escalating. He's testing how much Europe will take before it fights back, not just with sanctions, but with real teeth. And Europe, for the first time, is moving like it believes Putin. Frozen assets are turning into weapons, ammunition plants are roaring back to life. The West is no longer whispering support. It's putting its money and its muscle on the table. 18 people died in Kiev, four of them were children. That's the human cost. But the political cost is that Putin may have just crossed a line, a line where the war in Ukraine stops being over there and starts becoming a full-blown confrontation between Russia and Europe, the kind of confrontation history books call by one word conflagration.
Speaker 1:I truly hope I'm wrong. Let's be honest this never had to get this far. Donald Trump could stop kissing Putin's ass to get this far. Donald Trump could stop kissing Putin's ass and stand with Ukraine and Europe. He could shut this down tomorrow by joining the free world instead of enabling a thug. But Donny boy won't, because weakness dressed up as bravado has always been his specialty. Donald the delusional is spineless and after these two news stories, wolfpack listeners, you deserve a break for your long, hopefully fun Labor Day weekend.
Speaker 1:It's time for news from the edge of sanity, where the stories are still insane, but at least you don't need a stiff drink to get through them. Okay, so everyone stay with me. Focus on this Picture. This A prestigious New York City law firm, marble lobby, polished mahogany desks, the kind of place you know, where you expect whispered deals and overpriced coffee. And suddenly it turns into the Walking Dead Summer Associate Edition.
Speaker 1:Because, yes, an intern bit, multiple co-workers. Not a typo, not a metaphor. We're talking actual teeth. An intern bit, multiple co. -workers. Forget mergers and acquisitions. This was molars and mastication.
Speaker 1:Somewhere in Manhattan there's a law partner right now explaining to HR why risk management suddenly includes rabies shots. And think about the poor victims here. You didn't go to Columbia Law to rack up $200,000 in student debt just to get gnawed on by Chad. The intern you're billing $1,500 an hour. Now you're googling. Does a human bite require antibiotics? That's not in the law firm's handbook.
Speaker 1:Let's keep it real. Interns already strike fear in law firms. They're caffeinated, over, eager, desperate to impress and biting to the resume. And suddenly you've got you know ad. Biting to the resume, you got Hannibal Esquire, you know. Someone in the office said this is why we can't hire from Zoom interviews anymore. Here's the kicker. In a profession built on precedent, this sets a hell of one. Next time a partner says this contract has teeth, everybody's ducking under the conference table. So yes, wall Street has bulls and bears, midtown apparently has biters. Welcome to corporate America in 2025. The economy's shaky, democracy's hanging by a thread, and now the interns are literally eating each other alive. Okay, wolfpack, next stop. Follow me as we zoom in on Florida.
Speaker 1:So Florida, never one to disappoint, has now combined two of its favorite hobbies bad decisions and illegal substances. Police say a drone carrying bags of drugs literally crashed. That's right, high tech crime, low IQ execution. I mean this is supposed to be the future, right? Drones delivering packages, maybe even your groceries, but in Florida it's just Amazon Prime for cocaine. Except, instead of arrives tomorrow, it's arrives in the evidence locker. Think about the planning here. You're smuggling drugs with a drone, cutting-edge technology, and it still manages to nosedive like a frat boy on spring break. You can picture the cartel tech team standing there, remote control in hand from the drone, watching their brilliant plan go down and thinking well, I guess we should have sprung for the extended warranty. And the cops didn't even have to investigate the drugs literally delivered themselves. Forget stakeouts, forget wiretaps, all the evidence just plopped onto the pavement with a little bow on top. Florida law enforcement is probably thinking can every crime solve itself like this? Maybe tomorrow stolen car will just drive itself back to the station. But the real kicker somewhere in Florida there's a dealer right now trying to explain to his boss how the new delivery system wasn't foolproof. Yeah, boss, the drone crashed, but don't worry, boss, we still got great Yelp reviews. So there you go. In most of America, drones are delivering packages. In Florida they're just delivering indictments.
Speaker 1:Okay, this time we travel to Florida again. Because, of course, this time it's not a drone, not an alligator, not even meth on a Roomba. No, this time it's a man in a full jester costume pulling a dagger on a landscaper. Imagine mowing a lawn sweating in the Florida sun, when suddenly you look up and there's a medieval court jester brandishing steel, like it's open mic night at the Renaissance Fair. That's not yard work, that's yard warfare.
Speaker 1:The landscapers, to his eternal, eternal credit, did what any reasonable human being would do. He grabbed his lawnmower and used it as a shield. That's right. Home depot meets game of thrones. Forget john snow. This guy was john deere. And think about the absurdity. Here. Jesters are supposed to juggle, tell bad jokes, wear bells on their hats, not attempt aggravated assault with a blade Somewhere in Shakespeare's grave. He's rolling over thinking even I didn't write something this dumb. And what exactly was the plan? Did this guy wake up and think, yes, the costume of comedy plus a deadly weapon equals fear? And he really did guarantee himself the world's dumbest mugshot. That's all he did. The world's dumbest mugshot. A clown suit, a dagger and a rap sheet. The landscaper wins this one. The mower held the line and Florida once again proves it's the only place where you can survive an armed attack by cutting the grass.
Speaker 1:Okay, wolfpack, let's go clear across the other end of America or to the top of America and back to New York where we started. So the Yankees and Red Sox baseball teams are locked in another rivalry game and out of nowhere, a squirrel bolts across the field. Not a streaker, not a rogue fan, a squirrel. The Bronx crowd goes wild because apparently this little rodent had more hustle than half the Yankees baseball team. Now picture it Professional athletes who train year-round bench press like superheroes, live on protein shakes and the loudest cheer of the night goes to a squirrel sprinting the base path like he's stealing home. Sprinting the base path like he's stealing home and somewhere Babe Ruth is rolling in his grave thinking really, I hit 714 home runs for this. And you know baseball. It already worships the weird rally monkeys, curse-breaking goats, mascots that look like nightmares in fuzzy costumes. But this squirrel, he stole the show. He became the Bronx's furry little MVP.
Speaker 1:And here's where it goes from funny to insane. Topps, the actual trading card company Topps, is giving the squirrel his own baseball card. That's right In between rookie stars and all-stars established. You can now collect a rodent. Forget Derek Jeter. The hottest new collectible in baseball is Rocky the outfield squirrel. So yes, america's pastime is officially America's punchline when the most memorable moment of Yankees Red Sox is a squirrel. So yes, america's pastime is officially America's punchline when the most memorable moment of Yankees Red Sox is a squirrel and that squirrel gets more merch than some rookies. And then when that happens, you know it's been a long baseball season.
Speaker 1:That was your news from the Edge of Sanity, now a regular segment on Fridays, a friendly reminder that while the headlines are terrifying, the sidelines are completely unhinged. I'm not saying the world's unwell, but it just walked into a glass door, apologized to the door and then walked into it again and again and yet again. Wolfpack listeners, if you've got thoughts, unload them. Maybe it's a rant about why you always get the shopping cart with a bad wheel and the rattling metal, or why you need assistance more times at self-checkout than you ever do in an actual checkout line. I want to hear it. Or skip the rant. Just tell me the last time you accidentally waved at someone who wasn't waving at you and then committed to the wave anyway, because that's who we are now. Either way, this is your space.
Speaker 1:Send me your weird, your petty, your over-caffeinated brain dumps, because, trust me, they'll fit right in here. Caffeinated brain dumps, because, trust me, they'll fit right in here. Email me anytime wolfpacktalks at gmailcom. W-o-l-f-p-a-c-k-t-a-l-k at gmail. Or email me the dumbest thing you've ever seen someone try to return at a store, the one that made you stop and think there's no way they're getting a refund for that. Or email me the most crazy thing you've seen in a parking lot this month Bonus points if it involved a shopping cart with a bad wheel. Or call my 24-7 voicemail line 833-399-9653. It's toll free. When you call, give me your best impression of Donald Trump giving his next executive order. The more absurd, the better. And please leave a review on Apple or Spotify, because without your stars, I'll end up dressed as the Statue of Liberty, standing on the side of the highway spinning a cardboard sign that says Will podcast for snacks, while commuters throw half-eaten egg McMuffins at me.
Speaker 1:This has been a World Gone Mad. I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe. I'll be back Monday because someone has to say the shit that no one else will, and apparently that job's mine and please enjoy your long Labor Day weekend. Have fun Until then. Wolfpack listeners, stay skeptical, stay focused and, most of all, stay hopeful. Stand up and preserve our democracy. This is a world gone mad. This is a world gone mad.
