Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a world gone
mad.
This is a world gone mad, mad,mad, mad, mad.
You know, with everything thathappened this week, this is a
world gone mad.
I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe and I'mhere again to give my commentary
on the news.
Thank you for joining me.
I just celebrated my 100thepisode of my podcast and if you
(00:24):
haven't heard it yet, pleaselisten to it.
I explain in that episode whythe number 100 is important in
the podcast world.
To those of you that havelistened and sent me emails
about episode 100, thank yousincerely.
Here's the email if you'd liketo send me your comments
resistdonaldnow at gmailcom.
(00:48):
I'd like to read one email thatI received from Victoria in
Illinois, and she wrote Hi Jeff,congratulations on your 100th
Talking points found to beinteresting and valuable.
As far as abortion, what'smissing with MAGA majority are
no health care during apregnancy.
(01:08):
Ridiculous Children of concernare those traumatized victims
being forced to carry apregnancy.
Female body isn't prepared forthat.
So young, easy to look up forage, medically speaking is now
25 for matured muscle growth.
If you're in a high-riskcategory for your pregnancy,
it's trouble due to no medicalcare.
(01:29):
My child was saved when Imiscarried Her twin.
Every religion puts themother's life first, including
the Jewish and the Islamic, etc.
Medical procedures when you'renot pregnant, such as a DNC, are
considered abortion.
This is now an unacceptablepractice, including women at my
age Could swear.
(01:51):
I heard you say you're 74 yearsold, so if so, you're holding
10 years over my age.
Speaking of which, I just gotmy Medicare card today.
Can't use it till September,but whoop, here it is.
Have a good night.
I'll hear you in a few days.
Thank you, victoria, for that.
And as far as 74 years old, no,not quite.
(02:16):
You aged me a lot.
I'm in my 60s, but I thank youvery much for your email.
You know definite lunacy,victoria, about the lack of
health care during pregnancy.
No question about it.
All right, let's get right tothe news.
Here we go.
Trump's embrace of Syria and itsjihadist-turned-president could
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shake up the Middle East Now.
Us President Donald Trump onWednesday had tea with a former
jihadist who recently had a $10million US bounty on Trump's
head.
Interim Syrian President Ahmedal-Sharra, once known by his
militant name Abu Mohammedal-Jolani, met Trump in Riyadh
(02:58):
six months after leading a swiftcampaign that toppled the
half-a-century-old Assad regime,ejecting Iran-backed armed
groups and declaring himselfleader of the country, al-shara,
was placed on the US speciallydesignated global terrorist list
in 2013 for heading al-Qaeda'saffiliate in Syria, known as
(03:21):
al-Nusra Front, and allegedlyorchestrating suicide bombings
across Syria.
Now, the Saudi-born formerjihadist had spent years
fighting US forces in Iraqbefore moving to Syria to lead
an armed Islamist rebellion thatousted the brutal dictator,
bashar al-Assad.
The meeting, described by Syriaas historic, was the first
(03:46):
between a US and Syrianpresident in 25 years, taking
place during the Trump MiddleEast tour, the first set of
state visits of his second term.
Both leaders were seen smilingin photos released by the White
House and the Saudi foreignministry.
The Syrian foreign ministrysaid Trump committed to standing
by Syria at this criticaljuncture.
(04:07):
A day earlier, trump announcedthe removal of decades-old
sanctions on Syria, a move thatprompted a 40-second long
applause from the audience,including a standing ovation
from the Saudi crown princeMohammed bin Salman.
Oh, what I do for the CrownPrince?
Trump said in a room on Tuesday, crediting the de facto Saudi
(04:29):
leader for leading the effort tolift what the president called
brutal and crippling sanctions.
Syria has been designated bythe US as a state sponsor of
terrorism since December 1979.
Now, during the meeting, trumpproposed that Shara take a
series of measures, includingnormalization with Israel,
(04:51):
expelling foreign andPalestinian terrorists and
helping the US to prevent theresurgence of ISIS.
According to the White House,bringing Syria in from the cold
gives a lifeline to thecountry's fledgling regime and
its president, who pledged in aninterview with CNN last year
that Syria's armed oppositionultimately plans to form a
(05:15):
government defined byinstitutions and a consul chosen
by the people.
But it also presents anopportunity for Gulf Arab states
and Turkey, which also pushedfor sanctions to be lifted, to
expand their influence in Syriaand profit from it after decades
of being left out of thecountry.
I think is a sort of tacitapproval for those who are
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looking to invest in Syria,potentially as well.
Natasha Hall of the Middle EastProgram at the Center for
Strategic and InternationalStudies, csis, said it means
that he is giving wins toMohammed bin Salman.
After meeting Sharon Wednesday,trump heaped praise on him,
(06:07):
calling him a great, young,attractive guy with a very
strong past, who is a fighter,trump said.
The new Syrian president, hesaid, has got a real shock of
putting it all together.
Look, donald just embracesanyone that he can, especially
people who are dictators orterrorists or anyone with
questionable character fromtheir past actions.
(06:27):
I don't know why I'm amazedwhen I hear news like this.
Nothing should shock us aboutDonald and the way he thinks he
puts his energies and his wordsand his actions into people that
don't deserve it.
So Trump is given an expensivegift from Qatar a ridiculous,
(06:49):
expensive luxury plane as a gift, but the legality of receiving
that expensive gift is inquestion.
Until now, doj lawyers clearedPam Bondi's memo backing the
legality of Trump acceptingQatar's 747 plane.
(07:09):
The Justice Department'sinternal legal advisors cleared
a memo signed by AttorneyGeneral Pam Bondi endorsing the
legality of President DonaldTrump accepting the 747 luxury
jet from Qatar, a DOJ officialsaid Wednesday the Office of
Legal Counsel approved the memobefore Bondi signed it sent it
(07:29):
to the White House.
A Justice Department officialtold CNN Bondi, who previously
lobbied on behalf of the Qatargovernment, also consulted with
career ethics officials, theofficial said, who determined
there was no conflict that wouldrequire her recusal.
There was no conflict thatwould require her recusal.
(07:51):
Doj's acknowledgement ofBondi's memo and the process
behind it comes as the topDemocrat on the Senate Judiciary
Committee sent a letterdemanding answers from the
Justice Department about thememo that reportedly said it was
okay for Qatar to gift theplane to the Department of
Defense and then transfer it tothe Trump Presidential Library
Foundation.
There are serious questionsabout whether you should have
(08:15):
recused yourself from thismatter.
Illinois Democratic SenatorDick Durbin said in a letter to
the Attorney General, addingthat Bondi committed to consult
with the career ethics officialswithin the department if
matters involving Qatar arose.
Now the Justice Department toldCNN it has received Durbin's
letter.
(08:35):
Durbin is the latest Democraticlawmaker to demand answers from
the Trump administration on themulti-million dollar gift gift.
On Tuesday, senate MinorityLeader Chuck Schumer said he was
placing a blanket hold on allJustice Department political
nominees until he got answersrelated to the jet.
(08:57):
Some Republican senators havealso expressed concerns over
Trump's plan to accept theluxury jet, saying that the
administration should ensurethat the gift will pass legal
muster.
Bottom line it doesn't matter,trump does whatever Trump wants
to do, even though, as president, it's wrong to accept the gift
(09:19):
from another country, let alonea ridiculously expensive gift,
let alone a plane that's goingto be retrofitted to be used as
the new Air Force One.
What the hell?
This is wrong on so many levels.
It's a terrible look for apresident to accept gifts.
It's also beyond rationalconversation that a president
(09:43):
would accept the plane with thepossibility of security problems
left and right, while it'stransporting the most powerful
man in the world.
I'm not saying the plane isbugged, but we can't take the
chance of allowing something onglitz to take place, with the
president and his importantstaff members sitting on board
of a gift from Qatar and thepossibility of listening devices
(10:07):
and surveillance devices insidethat damn plane.
And Pam Bondi allows this whilethe Republicans, except for a
few of them, are not screamingbloody murder.
I'm going to step away from themicrophone.
Get a couple of slugs ofwhiskey, because this type of
garbage drives me mad.
(10:29):
Moving on from stupidity tolunacy, us Homeland Security
Secretary says requirements havebeen met to suspend habeas
corpus as Donald Trump continuesto embark on his Middle East
trip.
During a congressional hearingWednesday, department of
(10:51):
Homeland Security SecretaryKristi Noem said that
requirements have been met tosuspend habeas corpus, a legal
procedure that allows people tochallenge their detention in
court, adding that she was not,however, a constitutional lawyer
.
Cnn reported Friday that Trumpwas personally involved in
discussions over suspendinghabeas corpus, and one of
(11:15):
Trump's top aides, stephenMiller, confirmed publicly
Friday that the administrationwas actively looking at
suspending the procedure.
This is something that's not onmy purview to weigh in on.
This is the president'sprerogative to pursue.
Noam said Wednesday before theHouse Homeland Security
(11:36):
Committee.
He has not indicated to me thathe will or will not be taking
that action.
The Constitution only allowshabeas corpus to be suspended
when, in cases of rebellion orinvasion, when the public safety
may require it.
On Wednesday, representativeEli Crane, an Arizona Republican
, asked Noem whether unlawfulimmigration into the US under
(11:56):
President Joe Biden, which Noemhas referred to as an invasion,
was enough to meet theconstitutional threshold to
suspend habeas corpus.
To meet the constitutionalthreshold to suspend habeas
corpus.
I'm not a constitutional lawyer, but I believe it does know.
Him said Look, I find it hardto tell you, the listeners,
(12:17):
about this news story and keep astraight face.
I'm not a constitutional lawyer.
But hey, listeners, some of youthat are doing any renovations
on your house, I'll fly out toyou, give you some great
suggestions on-site on how tobuild that new structure.
(12:38):
Now, I'm not a contractor, butoh, and any surgeries any of the
listeners have coming up, I'llbe more than glad to assist the
doctor in the operating room.
Now, I'm not a doctor, butKristi Noem, another unqualified
person who was put in charge tomake decisions that are
(13:02):
incredibly important but has nofreaking clue on what the hell
she's doing.
These lunatics in charge justmake me drink more heavily at
the end of each day.
Gabbard fires two seniorintelligence officials focused
on assessing threats to the USDirector of National
(13:24):
Intelligence, tulsi.
Gabbard has fired the top twocareer officials leading the
National Intelligence Council,the senior, most analytical
group in the intelligencecommunity, whose job it is to
understand and assess thebiggest threats facing the
United States.
Gabbard fired Mike Collins, theacting chair, and his deputy,
(13:47):
maria Langen-Reikhoff On Tuesday.
A spokesperson confirmed to CNN.
The dismissals come as Gabbardhas vowed to root out what she
has described as politicizationof the intelligence community
and launched a war on leaks tothe media that critics say is
(14:08):
hollowing out the intelligencecommunity of needed expertise
from experienced professionals.
Jonathan Panikoff, a formerintelligence official who served
(14:32):
on the NIC and his work withboth people, said Collins is an
unbelievable professional whoserved selfishly for 30 years
and is a real China expert, andLangenreichoff is not just a
strategic thinker but anunbelievably gifted analyst.
Gifted analyst the director isworking alongside President
Trump to end the weaponizationand politicization of the
intelligence community, theoffice of the director of
national intelligencespokesperson said in a statement
CNN has reached out to Collinsand Langenreich off through an
(14:52):
intermediary because theircontact information was not
immediately available.
Now the dismissals come shortlyafter the ODNI, which Gabbard
leads, released a declassifiedassessment from the NIC about
the Venezuelan gang Tren deAragua.
That undercut the Trumpadministration's key argument
(15:13):
for invoking the Alien EnemiesAct to speed up deportations,
the key provisions of which hadalready leaked to the media and
which Gabbard has said is underinvestigation.
Gabbard, when asked about theassessment, blasted the media
for twisting and manipulatingintelligence assessments to
undermine the president's agendato keep the American people
(15:34):
safe.
It's not clear whether the twoepisodes are linked in any way,
but Gabbard's crackdown onunauthorized disclosures to the
media and said that she hasreferred three cases to the
(16:04):
Department of Justice forpotential prosecution.
Really, what is happening whenthey do that is they're
undermining our democracy,because what they're doing is
saying I'm doing what's best forthe country and I know what's
better for the country than themajority of the American people
who chose this duly electedpresident.
Gabbard told Kelly, the only waywe bring about accountability
(16:27):
is by doing the work ofconducting these investigations.
Gabbard said Okay, oh good, Iwas worried there for a moment.
I feel so safe right now withmy family in our home after what
Gabbard described.
Don't you agree with me?
Everyone, hold on listeners,please give me a moment.
(16:49):
Thank you for letting me getthat out of my system.
It did not do jack to make meand my family feel safe.
All of these lunatics thatdonald, the delusional appointed
to all these departments andwith all the ridiculous actions,
(17:11):
just makes all of us feeluneasy.
We're going to fire, dismiss,remove qualified human beings
who have been doing their jobsfor decades for the reason of,
of, of, of, because we can,because we get a kick out of
hurting America more.
Please, someone who has abetter insight into this,
(17:33):
explain this to me.
I say this sarcastically andfinally breaking away from all
of this lunacy.
This week, when I look foruplifting and inspiring stories,
I try to find something that Ican share with you, the listener
, that would resonate, and thisparticular story did it for me
(17:54):
in several ways.
A little Welsh boy has drawn 99animals to celebrate Sir David
Attenborough's 99th birthday,which just passed this week.
Spanning across eight A3-sizedsheets of paper, the giant
birthday card took Max EvansBrowning four days and a lot of
(18:17):
research to find each and everyanimal that Attenborough has
ever expressed a fondness for.
Now, max's mom, samantha,shared a picture of her son and
his artwork on Facebook, askingfor anyone willing to listen to
share it, in the hopes that itarrives on the desktop of the
famous British conservationistBorn 99 years.
(18:41):
The Tuesday before last, sirDavid Attenborough became the
most famous advocate and voicefor nature and conservation the
Western world has ever known.
Offering the British media aninterview in the days leading up
to his quasi-centennial, sirDavid acknowledged that he felt
there wasn't much time left forhim on the earth and that he
(19:04):
saved his greatest work for lastOcean, a documentary covering
the salty watery world allaround us.
In the interview, attenboroughsaid that his 60-year career as
a conservationist has convincedhim that the world's oceans
should be the highestconservation priority for
(19:26):
humanity and that if we save theoceans, we save the planet.
A regular animal lover,five-year-old max, watches
animals, reads animals and knowsthe most rare animals, said his
mom, who added that his bedroomwalls in their Pembrokeshire
home are covered in animals.
He will say to me I know thatit's a pangolin and I'm like
(19:52):
what.
I don't even know what that is.
Thank you in advance.
And, mr Attenborough, if youever see this happy birthday
from Max Evans Browning, age 5,from five, from pebricshire, his
birthday card read orderreceiving hundreds of shares,
gnn will wait and see if theyoung man's virtual well wishes
arrive at their destination.
(20:12):
I'll have to admit thatchildren and their imaginations
and drive always keep mefascinated to read about it.
If you'd like to comment onthis story or anything from this
episode or other episodes,resistdonaldnow at gmailcom,
(20:32):
keep your comments and emailscoming.
I appreciate it.
I will be back in two days withmore madness and with my
thoughts.
I'm Jeff Alan Wolfe and untilnext time, stay hopeful.
(20:57):
This is a world gone mad.
This is a world gone mad.