September 20, 2025 • 22 mins
Free speech in America is facing fresh pressure and the story at the center of this episode shows how far those in power are willing to push. When the lines between politics and media start to blur, the public conversation itself is on the line.
At the center of the storm is the FCC and the new role it appears to be playing. The very agency once expected to protect satire and commentary is suddenly echoing Trump, and other voices who want to silence it. The shift is not abstract. It is immediate and visible.
In the background is a president who has never hidden his disdain for critics. His latest actions are not about ratings or comedy. They are about influence. And when influence becomes pressure, the marketplace of ideas can shrink before anyone realizes what happened.
This episode also asks tough questions about ambition in politics. With one leading conservative voice suddenly gone, another figure is already moving to fill the vacuum. It raises a blunt question for listeners. Is this tribute or opportunism.
The moves are fast and unmistakable. Speeches, appearances, even symbolic gestures are coming one after another. The speed itself is part of the story. What does it mean when grief and political positioning overlap so quickly.
And while America wrestles with its own drama, a familiar adversary is once again making headlines in Europe. A sudden move across a NATO border has forced new questions about stability and security. The world watches as the tension grows.
The details of these stories may sound surreal, but that is why they matter. Each one reflects a deeper shift in how power is used and how the rules are bent. From the halls of Washington to the skies over Europe, the stakes are rising.
Join me, Jeff Alan Wolf, as I unpack the news you cannot ignore and reveal why these headlines connect in ways that shape your world.
And please let me hear your voice, your opinions. Drop me an email:
WolfPackTalks@gmail.com
AWorldGoneMadPodcast@gmail.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a world gone mad.
This is a world gone mad, mad,mad, mad, mad.
This is a world gone mad wherethe headlines sound like
rejected plot lines from a badreality show and the cast of
characters is equal partscorrupt, clueless and completely
(00:22):
unhinged.
I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe, yourslightly dazed ringmaster,
holding the mic while America'sclowns light the tent on fire
and call it patriotism.
Welcome to the Friday edition,the part of the week where,
later in my podcast, I bring younews from the edge of sanity
(00:42):
and try to lighten the load alittle before you head into the
weekend.
News from the Edge of Sanity,and try to lighten the load a
little before you head into theweekend.
News from the Edge of Sanitythe kind of stories that make
you pause mid-coffee and sayyou've got to be kidding me.
But first let's talk about thereal news stories from the last
48 hours, which sometimes rivalthe bizarre ones.
(01:03):
Okay, here we go.
First up in this episode freespeech.
You know that little Americanthing where you get to say what
you want.
Well, apparently it now comeswith an asterisk Valid only if
President Trump likes yourpunchline and the FCC.
(01:25):
They've gone from defendingsatire to basically auditioning
for the role of Trump's laughtrack police.
This stopped being theory andbecame action.
In the last 48 hours, abc hasalready pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live
off the air after Kimmel'smonologue about Charlie Kirk
(01:46):
sparked outrage and dozens ofstations said they wouldn't run
the show.
Now that pull wasn't some quietinternal edit.
Major station owners likeNexstar and Sinclair announced
they were preempting the showand ABC placed Kimmel's program
into an indefinite hold.
(02:07):
Now watch how the sausage getsmade.
President Trump publiclysuggested networks that give him
too much bad publicity shouldface license revocation.
Revocation Literally saying thefederal government can use
licensing as a crudgel, orrather a cudgel, against outlets
(02:29):
he dislikes.
That comment followed a thinlyveiled threat from FCC Chair
Brendan Carr, who urgedcompanies to change conduct or
face additional work from theFCC.
That pressure is what pushedowners to yank Kimmel.
Let's be absolutely factualabout the legal side.
(02:52):
The FCC doesn't directlylicense national networks the
way people think it licenseslocal broadcast stations.
So the line pull the networklicense is legally messy at best
.
But here's the brutal reality.
Legal technicalities don'tmatter when the point is
(03:16):
intimidation.
You don't have to revokeanything.
If you can make the suits inthe boardroom so scared they
preempt the show themselves.
That's what happened, andhere's the hypocrisy angle that
stings.
Brendan Carr, chair of the FCC,used to be a defender of satire
(03:37):
and free speech.
Now he's the man who signaledtrouble for a late night host.
That reversal is an abstract.
It's a functional threat.
When the agency that's supposedto protect the public interest
starts leaning on the verycompanies that distribute
comedic commentary, you don'tjust get fewer jokes on late
(03:58):
night, you get a narrower publicconversation.
House Democrats and presswatchdogs are already calling
this an abuse of power.
Even Ted Cruz chimed in sorta,somewhat Basically.
He was a pussy.
Meanwhile, trump didn't stop atKimmel.
He publicly urged NBC to dumpSeth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon
(04:23):
next.
That's not rumor, that's whatTrump said.
So the pattern is simplePressure from the top, threats
from regulators, frightenedcorporate owners and comedians
on the chopping.
Block Fallon and Meyers arestill standing for now.
(04:43):
Block Fallon and Myers arestill standing for now.
But the message to every hostis clear Cross the line and
you're next.
So what's the takeaway from allof this?
This isn't a dispute over tasteor a ratings war.
This is a coordinated powerplay, political leadership
leading on regulators to tiltthe marketplace of ideas and
(05:05):
corporations backpedaling toavoid being the target.
The result Fewer jokes, fewercritics and a public square
that's been effectively softenedby fear.
That's how suppression happensin the open Not with a blackout,
but with a thousand quietpreemptions.
(05:26):
Bottom line Jimmy Kimmel's gonefrom the airwaves for now.
Trump and Carve signaled Fallonand Myers could be next.
That's the threat.
Not a legal argument in avacuum, but a practical campaign
to make broadcasters policethemselves.
And once the media policesitself, the public loses.
(05:51):
That's the danger, that's theabsurdity and that's why we have
to care.
Okay, here we go again.
Washington's favorite rerun thegovernment about to run out of
money and Congress scramblinglike college kids who just
realized the rent's due tomorrow.
(06:11):
The House passed a stopgap billto keep the lights on past
September 30th.
But let's be honest.
This isn't responsiblebudgeting.
It's duct tape over a gas leak.
Every few months they actshocked.
The deadline is here, and thenthey slap together a temporary
patch while blaming each otherfor breaking the calculator.
(06:36):
And here's the absurdity thesame politicians wag their
fingers at us about balancingour checkbooks, wag their
fingers at us about balancingour checkbooks.
Well, they're running thecountry like a maxed-out credit
card with no minimum payment.
They know they'll never getcaught.
They'll never get cut off.
They just argue about who hasto make the phone call to the
(06:59):
bank.
The Senate is already signalingit wants changes, which means
we're staring at anothershowdown, where the stakes are
your government paycheck, yourSocial Security office, your
federal benefits, but the peopleholding them hostage are
insulated from the fallout.
They'll still get paid.
(07:21):
They'll still fund their petprojects.
The only people sweating arethe workers and the public.
And here's the game Manufacturea crisis, patch it with
political duct tape and thentake credit for keeping the
government open.
It's not leadership, it'shostage-taking with paperwork.
(07:43):
And we'll be right back hereagain in a few months, watching
the same performance withslightly different actors
pretending to be shocked allover again.
Charlie Kirk is barely in theground politically and already
JD Vance is circling the carcasslike a vulture with a law
(08:07):
degree.
Here's what we know.
After Charlie Kirk'sassassination, vice President JD
Vance has been everywhere,flying on Air Force Two with
Kirk's body, delivering speeches, even guest hosting the Charlie
Kirk show from the White House.
Vance is out front loudly andrepeatedly, making sure nobody
(08:28):
forgets his face in the middleof this.
So the question is what isVance really doing?
Is this just grief and tribute,or is Vance positioning himself
to inherit Kirk's activist basefor the long haul, because the
timing is striking?
Instead of stepping back andletting the movement breathe,
(08:50):
vance is leaning in hard.
And that is where the lunacycomes in.
Imagine losing your leader andbefore the flowers have wilted,
another politician is alreadymeasuring the curtains.
Is this about honoring Kirk orstaking a claim to his audience?
Because the overlap betweenKirk's loyalists and Vance's
(09:11):
ambitions is too convenient toignore.
And what makes this sogrotesque is the speed of it.
Vance has not even let Kirk'ssupporters finish mourning
before showing up in theirspaces, sliding into Kirk's role
(09:32):
on radio, at rallies, at eventsthat were once built around the
guy who just died.
Is that tribute or opportunismwith a side of ambition?
And there is the danger.
Kirk built one of the mostenergized, radicalized
followings on the right.
(09:52):
If Vance is really aiming toabsorb that energy and let's be
honest, that looks like the playhere it shifts power inside
conservatism towards someone whohas shown he is willing to
weaponize grievance politics atevery turn.
That is not just filling avacuum, that is consolidating it
(10:15):
.
But what makes it asinine ishow blatant it is.
Vance is not even pretending.
This is about unity or healing.
Vance is out there using Kirk'sdeath as a springboard and
nobody in his corner is tellinghim to slow down.
The American way of life saysyou show respect, you show
(10:36):
patience, you do not hijackgrief for gain.
Yet here we are watching ithappen in plain sight, watching
it happen in plain sight.
So maybe this is tribute, maybeit's opportunism, maybe it's
both.
But when you see JD Vancesuddenly popping up in all the
(10:56):
places Charlie Kirk used todominate, you have to ask is
this mourning or is this atakeover in slow motion?
Off we go into the wild blueyonder.
Vladimir Putin is everywhere andhis Air Force apparently thinks
(11:17):
Estonia is just an Airbnb withno checkout time.
Estonia says three Russian jetscrossed into its airspace this
morning.
This is not a paperwork glitch,that is Russian military
aircraft poking at NATO's border, and it is exactly the kind of
stunt Vladimir Putin seems tolive for.
(11:38):
So what is this?
A deliberate test, a warningshot?
Or just Putin being Putinderanged, desperate and looking
for attention like a boreddictator who ran out of
shirtless photo shoots?
Because the facts are clear.
Nato countries take thisseriously.
(11:59):
Estonia has summoned Moscow'sambassador.
The alliance is watching andPutin knows.
Every move like this forces theWest to ask do we respond hard
or do we shrug and risk lookingweak?
That question is the point.
Putin creates the tension andsits back and watches everyone
(12:22):
else sweat.
Is Putin probing for somethingbigger?
A distraction from Ukraine, away to rattle Europe, a trial
balloon for how far he can pushbefore someone snaps?
Or is it just his version ofjoyriding A dictator with a
joystick, daring the neighborsto call the cops?
Maybe it's both.
(12:43):
The absurdity is howpredictable it has become.
Putin is everywhere, stretchinghis reach, from Ukraine to the
Baltics to cyber attacks, andyet somehow the man acts
surprised when the world callshim dangerous.
You keep flying jets into NATOterritory and people are not
(13:05):
going to think you are just loston the way to the gas fueling
station Bottom line.
Estonia is sounding the alarm,nato is on edge and the rest of
us are left wondering is thisthe opening move of something
larger or just another day inthe surreal circus of Vladimir
Putin's foreign policy?
(13:29):
And after these news stories,wolfpack listeners, you deserve
a break before your weekend Now.
I skipped this segment lastFriday due to something
important an assassination thathappened in the news.
I felt that was important tocover.
But let's get back to news fromthe edge of sanity, where the
stories are still insane, but atleast you don't need a stiff
(13:50):
drink to get through them.
Okay, first up, new Jerseydrivers got a sweet surprise
this week when two tractortrailers collided an I-80 and
spilled thousands of bags ofM&Ms across the highway.
And spilled thousands of bagsof M&Ms across the highway.
Police had to shut down laneswhile workers shoveled candy off
(14:10):
the asphalt.
Like it was snow in February.
Except instead of salt trucksyou've got guys with brooms
pushing little chocolate bombsinto piles.
Now picture it You're late forwork, stuck in bumper-to-bumper
traffic.
Now picture it You're late forwork, stuck in bumper-to-bumper
traffic, and your excuse isn'tconstruction or weather, it's
(14:32):
candy.
Sorry, boss, I got trappedbehind a pileup of M&Ms.
That's not an alibi, that's aMars candy commercial waiting to
happen.
And the crazy part is howofficial the cleanup looked
Cones out, crews in reflectivevests, radios buzzing, all to
(14:53):
keep traffic from turning intobumper cars on candy-coated
marbles.
It was less Highway Patrol andmore Willy Wonka partnering with
the Department ofTransportation.
Somewhere in that backupthere's a parent telling their
kids no, you cannot eat the roadcandy.
And the kids insisting to theirdad.
(15:13):
But dad, they're still M&MsBottom line.
Only in America can a majorhighway accident instantly turn
into a Halloween parade and,honestly, this might be the
first traffic jam in New Jerseyhistory that actually smelled
better afterward.
(15:34):
This is a hell of a lot betterbeing caught in a traffic jam of
M&Ms than being caught in themiddle of what's happening in
America today.
All right, next up on our news,from the edge of sanity, I love
this one.
In Louisiana, somebody decidedto see how far confidence alone
(15:56):
could take them.
No disguise, no elaborate plan,no Shawshank tunnel, just a
phone and a voice.
The guy picks up the phone,dials the local jail and says he
is a judge.
That's it.
No badge number, no court order, no paperwork.
(16:18):
Just I'm a judge.
Do what I say over the phone.
There is a prisoner I need youto release now.
Here's where it gets insane.
On the other end, staffactually took them seriously.
They listened, they nodded,they went along.
Imagine running a correctionalfacility and your entire
(16:40):
security check is basically thehonor system and the payoff.
An inmate walked out not becauseof a court order, not because
of a hearing, but becausesomebody on the phone sounded
judgy enough to be believed.
Think about that.
Years of bars, guards andcameras, all bypassed by a phone
(17:04):
call all bypassed by a phonecall.
That is not a correctionalsystem, this is a customer
service hotline.
Thank you for calling Press 1to hear your charges.
Press 2 if you would like toleave immediately.
Eventually, reality caught up.
The man behind the stunt,adrian J St Romain, was arrested
(17:27):
.
The inmate was put back incustody, but the damage was done
Bottom line.
The Louisiana justice systemdoes not look like it cracked
down on crime.
It looks like it got catfished.
And last but not least, on ourbizarre, off-beat sideline
stories, in Kentucky, of allplaces, a rescue story unfolded
(17:53):
that nobody saw coming, not at ahospital, not at a firehouse,
but behind a dumpster next to amoonshine distillery.
Witnesses say a baby raccoonhad been nosing around some
fruit peaches that had beensitting long enough to ferment.
They say the raccoon staggered,wobbled and gave off the smell
(18:18):
of straight booze.
Picture a tiny woodlandcreature looking like it just
left the world's smallesthonky-tonk.
Then things got worse.
The raccoon slipped into waternearby and by the time people
saw it it was going under.
That is when a nurse namedMisty Combs stepped in and
(18:40):
here's where it turned surreal.
She knelt down, began givingwhat looked like CPR to a
raccoon.
I kid you not.
Compressions, rescue breaths,the whole deal Improvised, but
enough to try to bring theraccoon back.
Imagine that scene On one side,a half-drowned animal that,
(19:00):
according to witnesses, seemedintoxicated from the fermented
peaches.
On the other side, a nursecounting chest compressions,
like she is on a shift at the ER, a crowd of bystanders staring,
probably wondering if theyshould clap, call animal control
or order another round.
(19:21):
And somehow it worked.
The raccoon coughed back tolife.
A vet later checked it out andthe little guy was released back
into the wild.
Officials confirmed it appearedintoxicated from the fermented
fruit.
But the headline everyoneremembers is simple A Kentucky
(19:42):
nurse performed CPR on a raccoonand it lived to scamper another
day.
Bottom line this was not amedical drama, it was a country
song that accidentally came true, and if there is ever an AA
meeting for wildlife, thatraccoon has earned the first
(20:02):
chair.
Okay, that was your news fromthe Edge of Sanity.
Now a regular segment onFridays, a friendly reminder
that while the headlines areterrifying, the sidelines are
completely unhinged.
I'm not saying reality isbroken, but I swear I just saw
common sense hitchhiking out oftown with a cardboard sign that
(20:26):
said anywhere but here.
Wolfpack listeners, drop me aline, email me anytime
wolfpacktalks at gmailcom.
Or call my 24-7 voicemail line833-399-9653.
It's toll free.
Please, if you get the chance,leave a review on Spotify and or
(20:48):
Apple.
That makes a difference towhere my podcast ranks and how
many more people can listen toit.
I did ask politely please sendme an email, drop a voicemail,
give me something, because ifthere's no feedback, reviews and
or ratings, I'm going to windup juggling oranges in front of
(21:10):
strangers just to feel likesomebody notices me.
This has been a world gone mad.
I'm Jeff Allen Wolf.
I'll be back Monday becausesomeone has to say the shit that
no one else will, andapparently that job's mine.
Until then, wolfpack listeners,stay skeptical, stay focused
(21:31):
and, most of all, stay hopeful.
There is chaos in the world,can't you see?
And we need to stand up andpreserve our democracy.
This is a world gone mad, thankyou.
This is a world gone mad.
This is a world gone mad, mad,mad, mad, mad.
This is a world gone mad wherethe headlines sound like
rejected plot lines from a badreality show and the cast of
characters is equal partscorrupt, clueless and completely
(00:22):
unhinged.
I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe, yourslightly dazed ringmaster,
holding the mic while America'sclowns light the tent on fire
and call it patriotism.
Welcome to the Friday edition,the part of the week where,
later in my podcast, I bring younews from the edge of sanity
(00:42):
and try to lighten the load alittle before you head into the
weekend.
News from the Edge of Sanity,and try to lighten the load a
little before you head into theweekend.
News from the Edge of Sanitythe kind of stories that make
you pause mid-coffee and sayyou've got to be kidding me.
But first let's talk about thereal news stories from the last
48 hours, which sometimes rivalthe bizarre ones.
(01:03):
Okay, here we go.
First up in this episode freespeech.
You know that little Americanthing where you get to say what
you want.
Well, apparently it now comeswith an asterisk Valid only if
President Trump likes yourpunchline and the FCC.
(01:25):
They've gone from defendingsatire to basically auditioning
for the role of Trump's laughtrack police.
This stopped being theory andbecame action.
In the last 48 hours, abc hasalready pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live
off the air after Kimmel'smonologue about Charlie Kirk
(01:46):
sparked outrage and dozens ofstations said they wouldn't run
the show.
Now that pull wasn't some quietinternal edit.
Major station owners likeNexstar and Sinclair announced
they were preempting the showand ABC placed Kimmel's program
into an indefinite hold.
(02:07):
Now watch how the sausage getsmade.
President Trump publiclysuggested networks that give him
too much bad publicity shouldface license revocation.
Revocation Literally saying thefederal government can use
licensing as a crudgel, orrather a cudgel, against outlets
(02:29):
he dislikes.
That comment followed a thinlyveiled threat from FCC Chair
Brendan Carr, who urgedcompanies to change conduct or
face additional work from theFCC.
That pressure is what pushedowners to yank Kimmel.
Let's be absolutely factualabout the legal side.
(02:52):
The FCC doesn't directlylicense national networks the
way people think it licenseslocal broadcast stations.
So the line pull the networklicense is legally messy at best
.
But here's the brutal reality.
Legal technicalities don'tmatter when the point is
(03:16):
intimidation.
You don't have to revokeanything.
If you can make the suits inthe boardroom so scared they
preempt the show themselves.
That's what happened, andhere's the hypocrisy angle that
stings.
Brendan Carr, chair of the FCC,used to be a defender of satire
(03:37):
and free speech.
Now he's the man who signaledtrouble for a late night host.
That reversal is an abstract.
It's a functional threat.
When the agency that's supposedto protect the public interest
starts leaning on the verycompanies that distribute
comedic commentary, you don'tjust get fewer jokes on late
(03:58):
night, you get a narrower publicconversation.
House Democrats and presswatchdogs are already calling
this an abuse of power.
Even Ted Cruz chimed in sorta,somewhat Basically.
He was a pussy.
Meanwhile, trump didn't stop atKimmel.
He publicly urged NBC to dumpSeth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon
(04:23):
next.
That's not rumor, that's whatTrump said.
So the pattern is simplePressure from the top, threats
from regulators, frightenedcorporate owners and comedians
on the chopping.
Block Fallon and Meyers arestill standing for now.
(04:43):
Block Fallon and Myers arestill standing for now.
But the message to every hostis clear Cross the line and
you're next.
So what's the takeaway from allof this?
This isn't a dispute over tasteor a ratings war.
This is a coordinated powerplay, political leadership
leading on regulators to tiltthe marketplace of ideas and
(05:05):
corporations backpedaling toavoid being the target.
The result Fewer jokes, fewercritics and a public square
that's been effectively softenedby fear.
That's how suppression happensin the open Not with a blackout,
but with a thousand quietpreemptions.
(05:26):
Bottom line Jimmy Kimmel's gonefrom the airwaves for now.
Trump and Carve signaled Fallonand Myers could be next.
That's the threat.
Not a legal argument in avacuum, but a practical campaign
to make broadcasters policethemselves.
And once the media policesitself, the public loses.
(05:51):
That's the danger, that's theabsurdity and that's why we have
to care.
Okay, here we go again.
Washington's favorite rerun thegovernment about to run out of
money and Congress scramblinglike college kids who just
realized the rent's due tomorrow.
(06:11):
The House passed a stopgap billto keep the lights on past
September 30th.
But let's be honest.
This isn't responsiblebudgeting.
It's duct tape over a gas leak.
Every few months they actshocked.
The deadline is here, and thenthey slap together a temporary
patch while blaming each otherfor breaking the calculator.
(06:36):
And here's the absurdity thesame politicians wag their
fingers at us about balancingour checkbooks, wag their
fingers at us about balancingour checkbooks.
Well, they're running thecountry like a maxed-out credit
card with no minimum payment.
They know they'll never getcaught.
They'll never get cut off.
They just argue about who hasto make the phone call to the
(06:59):
bank.
The Senate is already signalingit wants changes, which means
we're staring at anothershowdown, where the stakes are
your government paycheck, yourSocial Security office, your
federal benefits, but the peopleholding them hostage are
insulated from the fallout.
They'll still get paid.
(07:21):
They'll still fund their petprojects.
The only people sweating arethe workers and the public.
And here's the game Manufacturea crisis, patch it with
political duct tape and thentake credit for keeping the
government open.
It's not leadership, it'shostage-taking with paperwork.
(07:43):
And we'll be right back hereagain in a few months, watching
the same performance withslightly different actors
pretending to be shocked allover again.
Charlie Kirk is barely in theground politically and already
JD Vance is circling the carcasslike a vulture with a law
(08:07):
degree.
Here's what we know.
After Charlie Kirk'sassassination, vice President JD
Vance has been everywhere,flying on Air Force Two with
Kirk's body, delivering speeches, even guest hosting the Charlie
Kirk show from the White House.
Vance is out front loudly andrepeatedly, making sure nobody
(08:28):
forgets his face in the middleof this.
So the question is what isVance really doing?
Is this just grief and tribute,or is Vance positioning himself
to inherit Kirk's activist basefor the long haul, because the
timing is striking?
Instead of stepping back andletting the movement breathe,
(08:50):
vance is leaning in hard.
And that is where the lunacycomes in.
Imagine losing your leader andbefore the flowers have wilted,
another politician is alreadymeasuring the curtains.
Is this about honoring Kirk orstaking a claim to his audience?
Because the overlap betweenKirk's loyalists and Vance's
(09:11):
ambitions is too convenient toignore.
And what makes this sogrotesque is the speed of it.
Vance has not even let Kirk'ssupporters finish mourning
before showing up in theirspaces, sliding into Kirk's role
(09:32):
on radio, at rallies, at eventsthat were once built around the
guy who just died.
Is that tribute or opportunismwith a side of ambition?
And there is the danger.
Kirk built one of the mostenergized, radicalized
followings on the right.
(09:52):
If Vance is really aiming toabsorb that energy and let's be
honest, that looks like the playhere it shifts power inside
conservatism towards someone whohas shown he is willing to
weaponize grievance politics atevery turn.
That is not just filling avacuum, that is consolidating it
(10:15):
.
But what makes it asinine ishow blatant it is.
Vance is not even pretending.
This is about unity or healing.
Vance is out there using Kirk'sdeath as a springboard and
nobody in his corner is tellinghim to slow down.
The American way of life saysyou show respect, you show
(10:36):
patience, you do not hijackgrief for gain.
Yet here we are watching ithappen in plain sight, watching
it happen in plain sight.
So maybe this is tribute, maybeit's opportunism, maybe it's
both.
But when you see JD Vancesuddenly popping up in all the
(10:56):
places Charlie Kirk used todominate, you have to ask is
this mourning or is this atakeover in slow motion?
Off we go into the wild blueyonder.
Vladimir Putin is everywhere andhis Air Force apparently thinks
(11:17):
Estonia is just an Airbnb withno checkout time.
Estonia says three Russian jetscrossed into its airspace this
morning.
This is not a paperwork glitch,that is Russian military
aircraft poking at NATO's border, and it is exactly the kind of
stunt Vladimir Putin seems tolive for.
(11:38):
So what is this?
A deliberate test, a warningshot?
Or just Putin being Putinderanged, desperate and looking
for attention like a boreddictator who ran out of
shirtless photo shoots?
Because the facts are clear.
Nato countries take thisseriously.
(11:59):
Estonia has summoned Moscow'sambassador.
The alliance is watching andPutin knows.
Every move like this forces theWest to ask do we respond hard
or do we shrug and risk lookingweak?
That question is the point.
Putin creates the tension andsits back and watches everyone
(12:22):
else sweat.
Is Putin probing for somethingbigger?
A distraction from Ukraine, away to rattle Europe, a trial
balloon for how far he can pushbefore someone snaps?
Or is it just his version ofjoyriding A dictator with a
joystick, daring the neighborsto call the cops?
Maybe it's both.
(12:43):
The absurdity is howpredictable it has become.
Putin is everywhere, stretchinghis reach, from Ukraine to the
Baltics to cyber attacks, andyet somehow the man acts
surprised when the world callshim dangerous.
You keep flying jets into NATOterritory and people are not
(13:05):
going to think you are just loston the way to the gas fueling
station Bottom line.
Estonia is sounding the alarm,nato is on edge and the rest of
us are left wondering is thisthe opening move of something
larger or just another day inthe surreal circus of Vladimir
Putin's foreign policy?
(13:29):
And after these news stories,wolfpack listeners, you deserve
a break before your weekend Now.
I skipped this segment lastFriday due to something
important an assassination thathappened in the news.
I felt that was important tocover.
But let's get back to news fromthe edge of sanity, where the
stories are still insane, but atleast you don't need a stiff
(13:50):
drink to get through them.
Okay, first up, new Jerseydrivers got a sweet surprise
this week when two tractortrailers collided an I-80 and
spilled thousands of bags ofM&Ms across the highway.
And spilled thousands of bagsof M&Ms across the highway.
Police had to shut down laneswhile workers shoveled candy off
(14:10):
the asphalt.
Like it was snow in February.
Except instead of salt trucksyou've got guys with brooms
pushing little chocolate bombsinto piles.
Now picture it You're late forwork, stuck in bumper-to-bumper
traffic.
Now picture it You're late forwork, stuck in bumper-to-bumper
traffic, and your excuse isn'tconstruction or weather, it's
(14:32):
candy.
Sorry, boss, I got trappedbehind a pileup of M&Ms.
That's not an alibi, that's aMars candy commercial waiting to
happen.
And the crazy part is howofficial the cleanup looked
Cones out, crews in reflectivevests, radios buzzing, all to
(14:53):
keep traffic from turning intobumper cars on candy-coated
marbles.
It was less Highway Patrol andmore Willy Wonka partnering with
the Department ofTransportation.
Somewhere in that backupthere's a parent telling their
kids no, you cannot eat the roadcandy.
And the kids insisting to theirdad.
(15:13):
But dad, they're still M&MsBottom line.
Only in America can a majorhighway accident instantly turn
into a Halloween parade and,honestly, this might be the
first traffic jam in New Jerseyhistory that actually smelled
better afterward.
(15:34):
This is a hell of a lot betterbeing caught in a traffic jam of
M&Ms than being caught in themiddle of what's happening in
America today.
All right, next up on our news,from the edge of sanity, I love
this one.
In Louisiana, somebody decidedto see how far confidence alone
(15:56):
could take them.
No disguise, no elaborate plan,no Shawshank tunnel, just a
phone and a voice.
The guy picks up the phone,dials the local jail and says he
is a judge.
That's it.
No badge number, no court order, no paperwork.
(16:18):
Just I'm a judge.
Do what I say over the phone.
There is a prisoner I need youto release now.
Here's where it gets insane.
On the other end, staffactually took them seriously.
They listened, they nodded,they went along.
Imagine running a correctionalfacility and your entire
(16:40):
security check is basically thehonor system and the payoff.
An inmate walked out not becauseof a court order, not because
of a hearing, but becausesomebody on the phone sounded
judgy enough to be believed.
Think about that.
Years of bars, guards andcameras, all bypassed by a phone
(17:04):
call all bypassed by a phonecall.
That is not a correctionalsystem, this is a customer
service hotline.
Thank you for calling Press 1to hear your charges.
Press 2 if you would like toleave immediately.
Eventually, reality caught up.
The man behind the stunt,adrian J St Romain, was arrested
(17:27):
.
The inmate was put back incustody, but the damage was done
Bottom line.
The Louisiana justice systemdoes not look like it cracked
down on crime.
It looks like it got catfished.
And last but not least, on ourbizarre, off-beat sideline
stories, in Kentucky, of allplaces, a rescue story unfolded
(17:53):
that nobody saw coming, not at ahospital, not at a firehouse,
but behind a dumpster next to amoonshine distillery.
Witnesses say a baby raccoonhad been nosing around some
fruit peaches that had beensitting long enough to ferment.
They say the raccoon staggered,wobbled and gave off the smell
(18:18):
of straight booze.
Picture a tiny woodlandcreature looking like it just
left the world's smallesthonky-tonk.
Then things got worse.
The raccoon slipped into waternearby and by the time people
saw it it was going under.
That is when a nurse namedMisty Combs stepped in and
(18:40):
here's where it turned surreal.
She knelt down, began givingwhat looked like CPR to a
raccoon.
I kid you not.
Compressions, rescue breaths,the whole deal Improvised, but
enough to try to bring theraccoon back.
Imagine that scene On one side,a half-drowned animal that,
(19:00):
according to witnesses, seemedintoxicated from the fermented
peaches.
On the other side, a nursecounting chest compressions,
like she is on a shift at the ER, a crowd of bystanders staring,
probably wondering if theyshould clap, call animal control
or order another round.
(19:21):
And somehow it worked.
The raccoon coughed back tolife.
A vet later checked it out andthe little guy was released back
into the wild.
Officials confirmed it appearedintoxicated from the fermented
fruit.
But the headline everyoneremembers is simple A Kentucky
(19:42):
nurse performed CPR on a raccoonand it lived to scamper another
day.
Bottom line this was not amedical drama, it was a country
song that accidentally came true, and if there is ever an AA
meeting for wildlife, thatraccoon has earned the first
(20:02):
chair.
Okay, that was your news fromthe Edge of Sanity.
Now a regular segment onFridays, a friendly reminder
that while the headlines areterrifying, the sidelines are
completely unhinged.
I'm not saying reality isbroken, but I swear I just saw
common sense hitchhiking out oftown with a cardboard sign that
(20:26):
said anywhere but here.
Wolfpack listeners, drop me aline, email me anytime
wolfpacktalks at gmailcom.
Or call my 24-7 voicemail line833-399-9653.
It's toll free.
Please, if you get the chance,leave a review on Spotify and or
(20:48):
Apple.
That makes a difference towhere my podcast ranks and how
many more people can listen toit.
I did ask politely please sendme an email, drop a voicemail,
give me something, because ifthere's no feedback, reviews and
or ratings, I'm going to windup juggling oranges in front of
(21:10):
strangers just to feel likesomebody notices me.
This has been a world gone mad.
I'm Jeff Allen Wolf.
I'll be back Monday becausesomeone has to say the shit that
no one else will, andapparently that job's mine.
Until then, wolfpack listeners,stay skeptical, stay focused
(21:31):
and, most of all, stay hopeful.
There is chaos in the world,can't you see?
And we need to stand up andpreserve our democracy.
This is a world gone mad, thankyou.
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