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’s Fake Emergencies, TikTok Security Scam, Santos Reckoning
The Monday Fallout starts this week off with Trump once again waving the banner of emergency. The word itself is supposed to create urgency, fear, action. But when it gets used over and over, what is left of its meaning?
Next comes the battle over TikTok. On the surface it is framed as a matter of national security. Scratch a little deeper and the question becomes what the real truth is in this ongoing and delayed battle.
TikTok is no longer just a distraction filled with dances and jokes. It has become a global chessboard where algorithms and ownership carry more weight than speeches. When deals are struck, the question is not who owns the app but who owns the influence.
George Santos steps into the spotlight again, only this time the stage is a courtroom. A man who built his career on fabrications finds himself caught in a ruling that shines a light on truth, comedy, and consequence.
The pattern is hard to ignore. Emergencies that blur into reruns. Security that may not be secure at all. A public figure who cannot outrun the punchline of his own story.
These are not just headlines. They are signals of how power is used and how the narrative is managed. When the same storylines keep circling back, the repetition itself becomes part of the message.
Questions remain. What happens when extraordinary powers start to feel routine. What happens when the justification of security sounds more like the language of profit. What happens when the performance finally crashes into accountability.
This episode is not about settling those questions but raising them in full view. The answers are not packaged, the direction is not obvious, and that is what makes them worth asking.
By the time it ends, the stories of Trump, TikTok, and Santos look less like separate headlines and more like pieces of the same larger play. The stage is crowded, the audience is restless, and the performance keeps repeating until someone decides to call it out.
Would love to hear from you…
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This is a World Gone Mad. This is a World Gone Mad, mad, mad, mad, mad. Hello, I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe. Welcome back to A World Gone Mad. And it's time for another Monday Fallout, where the week starts off heavy. So I make it lighter for you by throwing it back in Washington's face. The headlines are crazy, the spin out of control. I make it lighter for you by throwing it back in Washington's face the headlines are crazy, the spin out of control. And I'm here to call it out with honesty, caffeine and just enough sanity to get us all through Monday. Okay, here we go. First story for the fallout today. Didn't we just see this episode?
Speaker 1:Trump declared a national emergency in DC. He played federal cop for 30 days, he then ended it and now he's back again threatening another one. Why? Because the mayor won't let local cops moonlight as ICE's little sidekicks. I swear Donald declares national emergencies like most of us declare. We're starting a diet tomorrow.
Speaker 1:And let me ask you, the Wolfpack listener, how many times do you want to hear the words national emergency before they stop meeting anything? Is it still an emergency if it happens every couple of weeks, or is it just another day of the week? Think about it. Last time Donald parachuted in, he federalized the DC police, strutted around like the world's oldest hall monitor and then poof, 30 days later it's over and here we go again. Does this feel like leadership or like the world's worst binge watch, where every season is the same plot recycled? Do you actually feel safer when Trump federalizes DC police? Or does it just look like another power grab dressed up in sirens and headlines? And here's the absurdity Immigration enforcement is already federal, ice already exists, so why is Trump treating local cops like unpaid interns who need to fetch him coffee and deportation papers? Do you want your city police working traffic accidents and robberies or checking green cards at a Chipotle? And the deeper question how many emergencies can one president declare before the word is as hollow as new and improved on a cereal box? Does this feel like protecting the country? Or does it feel like a reality show gimmick to keep Trump's name crawling across the bottom of the screen every night?
Speaker 1:And maybe here's the bigger picture nobody's talking about. Is this just chaos for chaos's sake, or is it the first step in something larger? Is this about normalizing emergencies so Trump can declare them everywhere, city by city, state by state, until federal control feels routine. Is this the frustrating step that Donald is taking to make troops on American streets seem normal? What do you, the listener, think? Because here's the truth National emergencies should be rare. They should matter. They should make your stomach drop, not your eyes roll. But under Trump they're like Happy Meal toys there's always a new one in the bag. So to the Wolfpack listeners, what do you think? Is this leadership or is this chaos dressed up in a uniform? Because if we don't talk about it, if we don't push back, then the reruns become the new normal. And personally, I'm not signing up for season three of Trump. Takes DC, are you? And speaking of reruns, nobody asked for Trump's now overseas playing international dealmaker.
Speaker 1:Yep in London announcing more than $10 billion in agreements with the Brits covering tech, artificial intelligence, nuclear energy and defense. And of course, it's wrapped in a state visit with pomp royals and cameras everywhere. Think James Bond meets Big Macs and tax cuts. It's less 007 and more 047 undignity. So let's break this down.
Speaker 1:Wolfpack, $10 billion in deals Sounds huge, right, but ask yourself who benefits. Do you think that cash is going into your pocket, your kid's school, your local hospital, or do you think it's padding defense contractors, nuclear firms and data center deals so big you'd need a telescope to see the trickle down. Now here's the part they don't put in the headlines. Buried in this deal is a nuclear pact, britain and the US agreeing to basically accept each other's safety reviews so reactors can be approved faster Faster nuclear approvals. Does that make you feel more secure? Or does it sound like shaving off guardrails so companies can say, hey, it's passed over there, no need to check here? Would you buy a used car based on someone else's inspection across the ocean? Then why are we doing it with nuclear reactors?
Speaker 1:And let's talk optics, because, make no mistake, this visit is designed for photos. Trump shaking hands with royals flashing that smile that looks like a staple-on smile surrounded by pomp and circumstance. My question to you, the listener do you buy the image of Trump as an international statesman, or do you see a guy trying to play James Bond while actually giving off Austin Powers energy yeah, baby, but with executive orders and let's go bigger picture. Deals like this are supposed to symbolize unity, strength, partnership, but it is really about partnership. Is it at all about partnership, or is it about headlines? Do you honestly think Trump is focused on long-term stability, or is this about flying home with a stack of press clippings that say $10 billion? Man? Ask yourself when you hear about billions in deals overseas, do you feel proud or do you feel like the guy who was left out of the group dinner check while everyone else passed the bill to you? Because, dear listener, that's the reality. The deals sound grand, but they rarely touch the lives of the people listening right now, in your car or in your kitchen.
Speaker 1:And here's the absurd cherry on top Trump gets to stand next to the royals, bask in the cameras, act like he's a king on a mission, when in reality it's more like Mr Bean with a nuclear contract. Do you trust him in that role? Do you feel safer knowing nuclear approvals are being fast-tracked because a billionaire and a monarch thought it would look good on TV? That's what I want to know, because to me, this isn't about partnership, it isn't about progress, it's about spectacle and if we don't call it out, we're all extras in Trump's badly written movie. See here Global leadership or global theater. Do you feel like this deal strengthens your future or just strengthens Trump's photo album? Because if the only thing we get from this trip is another picture of Trump pretending to be an international bond figure, then I say the movie's a flop.
Speaker 1:All right, everyone, let's move from nukes and royals to something even more absurd TikTok. Yes, we're now at the point where world leaders are burning midnight oil, negotiating the future of cat dances and lip sync videos, like it's the Cuban Missile Crisis. A framework deal is in place to keep TikTok alive in America under US control, but here's the twist China still gets to keep its fingerprints all over the app. So, while it may be owned here the flavor, the filters, the algorithms pushing what you see and don't see that still has Beijing written all over it. Now tell me, wolfpack, do you really believe this deal is about your security and our country's security, or is it about who gets to profit off your scrolling addiction? Do you feel safer knowing your feed is being argued over at the same level as nuclear weapons treaties? Or do you feel like you're being played by billionaires in two different time zones? Think about it the United States is treating this like a Cold War standoff. Over what Videos of teenagers dancing in their kitchens, comedy sketches with bad lighting and influencers telling you which mascara not to buy. Does that feel like national security to you, or does it feel like political theater, starring your thumbs on a touchscreen? And let's not forget how we even got here.
Speaker 1:The whole point of forcing TikTok to sell in the first place was national security. The fear was that Beijing could use TikTok to hoover up American user data and pump propaganda right into your phone. That was Trump's original pitch Force TikTok to sell or ban it. So here's the question Does this framework deal actually fix that? The whole security danger of TikTok? Or is it just a headline that lets everyone claim victory, while the same risks are still baked into the app? And here's the absurdity that no one wants to say out loud. Even with this so-called framework deal, china still controls the DNA of TikTok, the algorithm, the push, the pull, what goes viral, what gets buried. You think you're choosing what you see on TikTok. You're not. You're being nudged. And if Beijing wants to sprinkle in a little soft power, a little propaganda, a little subtle shift in the conversation, guess what it happens while you're swiping. Subtle shift in the conversation, guess what it happens while you're swiping at 2 in the morning.
Speaker 1:So here's my question for you, the Wolfpack listeners Do you actually care who owns TikTok or do you care more about the fact that both governments are fighting over who gets to control your eyeballs. Be honest If TikTok vanished tomorrow, would you be devastated? Or would you move to the next app in about 30 seconds and forget TikTok? You ever missed it? And think about the bigger picture. If America gives an inch here, if we let Beijing keep its hooks in TikTok while pretending it is all under US control, what stops us from becoming the playbook for every tech fight going forward?
Speaker 1:One side says security, the other side says culture. One side says security, the other side says culture, and you end up as the pawn. Who just wants to watch a dog skateboard down the sidewalk? Wolfpack, here's what I want to know from you. Do you see this as leadership or lunacy? Do you see this as keeping America safe or keeping you distracted? Because while world leaders are treating TikTok like it's nuclear codes, you're the one being studied, monetized and nudged, one scroll at a time. So tell me, are you buying that this is about national security, or do you see it for what it really is a global custody battle over your attention span? For the players, trump and MAGA, it's all about the money.
Speaker 1:And now let's shift from nuclear deals and Cold War apps to a courtroom circus starring America's favorite pathological liar, george Santos. Yes, the man who made up entire chapters of his life tried to sue Jimmy Kimmel because Kimmel tricked him into making cameo videos and then roasted him on national TV. And appeals court just smacked that down, calling it what it is satire, which means for once in his life, george Santos actually got duped, and it wasn't by voters, it was by a late-night host with a coffee mug and a punchline. Here's the headline George Santos, a man who lied about his education, his jobs, his religion, his family tree, probably lied what he had for breakfast Decided he was going to sue Jimmy Kimmel. Why? Because Kimmel tricked him into making cameo videos and then he used those videos to roast Santos on late night TV. Santos called it fraud, the court called it comedy. Let me ask you, the listeners, how do you lie about literally everything in your own life and then have the nerve to cry foul when somebody finally lies to you? Isn't that like a pickpocket filing a police report because somebody stole his wallet? An appeals court just sided with Kimmel, saying the obvious this is satire, this is fair use. A federal appeals court explicitly ruled that Jimmy Kimmel's use of those videos was fair use, and that's the absurd beauty of it.
Speaker 1:Santos wanted to turn Cameo into a courtroom drama and instead he became the punchline of his own lawsuit. Picture it George Santos, the man who once claimed he was a volleyball star, a finance wizard, a Broadway producer, walks into court and says your honor, I was tricked, tricked by Jimmy Kimmel. Kimmel, whose entire job is to trick people into laughing at night. Tell me, does this sound like justice or does it sound like the universe, finally sending George Santos a bill for services rendered? And here's my question to you, wolfpack. And here's my question to you, wolfpack what's funnier, jimmy Kimmel writing jokes about Santos or Santos writing himself into a joke by suing Jimmy Kimmel victim when he's been the con artist all along? So where does that leave us? With George Santos officially losing a case where the court had to explain to him, like a kindergarten teacher, that satire is legal, that satire is legal, with Jimmy Kimmel winning not just laughs but a legal president that basically says yes, it is okay to mock the man who lied his way into Congress, and you have to admit that's poetic. The one guy who spent a lifetime inventing a fake resume finally gets duped by a comedian with a desk, a coffee mug and a sharper punchline than Santos ever could. So tell me, listeners, do you think Santos learned anything from this? Or do you think he's already cooking up his next lawsuit, maybe against Saturday Night Live, for making jokes without his permission? Because if there's one thing certain in this world, it's this. George Santos is always good for a laugh. The question is, are we laughing with him or at him? And, judging by this court ruling, the answer is clear.
Speaker 1:I'd like to address something before I close this episode of A World Gone Mad To everyone listening right now. I've been hearing from some of you with emails, texts saying you're done, you're tired of politics, tired of the headlines, tired of the nonstop chaos. And I get it. Politics right now feels like binge watching a show where every episode is worse than the last and yet somehow it never gets canceled. Of course you want to turn it off. Who wouldn't? And let me be clear there's nothing wrong with taking a breather If you need to step away for your sanity. That's human, that's healthy. We all need to breathe. Sometimes Republicans are counting on that. They want one in three Democrats to throw up their hands, walk away and say I don't want to deal with this anymore, because every time we unplug, they get louder, they get stronger and they get to set the rules without anyone in their way.
Speaker 1:So the question isn't whether you the listener feels exhausted. Of course you do. The question is do you want that exhaustion to hand them the keys to the kingdom? Do you want to wake up one day and realize that while you were resting, they were writing the script for the next season of this nightmare? I'm not saying you can't take a break. I'm saying don't confuse stepping away with giving up. One is self-care, the other is surrender, and surrender is exactly what they want. So ask yourself are you truly disengaging or are you just hiding for a while and pretending it will go away? Because if it's the second one, that's not escape, that's denial, and denial doesn't change anything except who's in charge.
Speaker 1:When you finally look up again, I get the fatigue. Listeners, I feel it too, but I can't walk away, and neither should you, because every time we check out, they check in. Every time we cover our eyes, they move another chess piece on the board, and every time we say I don't want to deal with this anymore, I can't. They smile and say thank you for the power, for the extra power. So I'm imploring every one of my listeners and hopefully some of you told me you've had enough are still listening and happening to catch this episode. If you need to step back for a day, a weekend, take that time, breathe, clear your head, but don't mistake that pause for permission to give up. Take the breather but then come back, stay angry, stay laughing, stay, because the only thing more dangerous than a world gone mad is pretending you don't live in it.
Speaker 1:Time to hear from you, the wolf pack. Look, I'm not asking for applause, I'm not asking for a pat on the back or kudos, but I'm asking for you, the listener, to engage. Some of you repeatedly do engage with me Emails, voicemails, texts. I thank you for that. Others are just crickets and no, I'm not insulting anyone who's listening. I'd like to hear from the rest of the listening audience. If you haven't written in a while, say hello. Please check back in Wolfpacktalks at gmailcom W-O-L-F-P-A-C-K-T-A-L-K-S at gmailcom. Please use it. Or voicemail 833-399-9653. Please give me your feedback, give me rants, give me something I can use because, honestly, to every one of you listening right now, I feel like I'm not moving the needle at all and I'm not doing anything to help at all and I'm not making a difference. I'm not complaining. It would just be nice to hear from the rest of you. Also, I have listeners in 55 other countries and if you're one of those listeners, I'd love to get an email from you. I'm literally building that wall in my studio. Like I said last episode, I'm putting up emails from all different states. Right now, I've got only a small slice of America covered. I know more of you out there are listening, and I have only one email from outside the country. So come on, wolfpack, let's get every state on the map and every country that's listening to. Please check in with a text, an email, a voicemail. Wolfpacktalks at gmailcom.
Speaker 1:This has been a World Gone Mad Monday's Fallout edition. I'm Jeff Allen Wolf. I'll be back Wednesday because someone has to say the shit that no one else will, and apparently that job's mine. Until then, wolfpack, listeners, stay skeptical, stay focused and, most of all, stay hopeful. There is chaos in the world, can't you see? And we need to stand up and preserve our democracy. This is a world gone mad. This is a world gone mad.
