Redistricting Showdowns and Fish That Start Fires

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This week on A World Gone Mad, Jeff Alan Wolf takes on the latest chaos shaking American politics, global headlines, and the bizarre stories that mainstream news ignores. 

Sharp, unfiltered, and impossible to ignore…it’s commentary that cuts through the noise.

From power struggles in Washington to international maneuvering, the stories shaping our world get stripped of spin and delivered with no BS commentary.

It’s a solo-hosted deep dive into the dysfunction at the heart of democracy…the part cable news glosses over and corporate media won’t touch. 

Expect bold takes on the forces pulling America apart, the political theater playing out on the world stage, and the cultural absurdities that reveal just how unstable the moment has become.

With biting humor and a progressive edge, this episode unpacks the tension between truth and distraction, leadership and corruption, reality and absurdity. 

Whether it’s Trump’s influence, Putin’s games, or the battles raging in statehouses across the country, the connections are clear: democracy is wobbling, and the stakes are real.

Jeff doesn’t sugarcoat it. He cuts through noise with commentary that’s as sharp as it is entertaining. If you’re searching for a political podcast that blends independent news, satire, and progressive analysis, this episode delivers.

And since it’s Friday, that means the return of News from the Edge of Sanity…a regular segment that showcases the weird news and strange headlines that you almost wouldn’t believe if they weren’t true. 

It’s where the week’s most absurd stories get unpacked with humor and sharp perspective.

From bizarre courtroom dramas to wildlife gone rogue, these Friday news segments capture the surreal side of current events. Equal parts funny, shocking, and thought-provoking, it’s the kind of strange-but-true reporting that makes this political podcast stand out.

A World Gone Mad is ranked among the top 10% of podcasts worldwide…and this latest edition shows why. It’s raw, relevant, and impossible to ignore.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a World Gone man.
This is a World Gone man.
Man, man, man, man.
This is a World Gone man.
I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe and ifyou're hearing this,
congratulations.
You've made it through anotherweek of democracy.
Duct-taped to a shopping cart,rolling downhill toward a

(00:22):
fireworks factory while the bandplays Don't worry, be happy.
Over and over again, americaisn't divided.
It's two teams playingtug-of-war with the emergency
brake on a train that's alreadyon fire and headed for a
cornfield full of dynamite.

(00:43):
The headlines Still unhinged,the politics Still for sale and
the national mood Somewherebetween caffeine withdrawal and
a midlife crisis.
Functioning on autopilot withthe check engine light on.
You might be listening in yourcar, or you're out on a walk, or

(01:05):
still hiding in the laundryroom with the dog, pretending
you don't live here anymore.
But you're here and thatmatters, because this podcast,
it's not polished by consultantsor filtered through a corporate
boardroom.
Just one voice, raw and real.
It's just me a microphone, mybrain full of unresolved

(01:30):
commentary and a goldenretriever next to me wondering
why the hell I'm yelling in acloset again.
Don't forget later.
In this Friday edition, I'vegot a fresh round of news from
the edge of sanity.
You know the kind of storiesthat make you pause mid-coffee
and say you've got to be kiddingme.
Nope, not kidding, and yes,odds are Florida's involved.

(01:56):
But first let's dive in,because while the headlines keep
spinning like a Roomba on RedBull, somebody's got to grab the
mic and say what we're allthinking that somebody is me.
Okay, let's roll.
Last episode, I told you aboutsections of the US Constitution

(02:16):
that were disappearing from anofficial government website.
At the time, there was no clearexplanation and that's why I
brought it to your attention.
Well, here's an update.
This happened on the Library ofCongress Constitution's
annotated site.
The missing sections the end ofArticle 1, section 8, and all

(02:37):
of Sections 9 and 10,.
They were restored later, thatsame day.
The library called it a codingerror, but here's what matters
the fix came only after theissue went public and after
Congressman Mark Takano sent aformal letter demanding answers.

(02:58):
So yes, it was corrected, butit took outside pressure to make
it happen.
A coding error, maybe, but inan era where Trump and MAGA are
working every angle they can younever take your eyes off moves
like this.
I'll let you draw your ownconclusions.

(03:22):
And in other news, here's thelightning round recap the plans
for the Putin and Trump to meetalone.
The meeting in Alaska hadshifted at the last minute to
include advisers.
Us Secretary of State MarcoRubio.
Special Envoy Steve Witkoffjoined the US President when he
began his meeting with Putintoday, who was also accompanied

(03:42):
by advisers.
Now President Trump andVladimir Putin just wrapped up
their meeting earlier in Alaskaat a US military base.
Trump said he was open tosecurity guarantees for Ukraine,
but not through NATO.
He also claimed business withRussia would stay frozen until
there's a peace deal.
Putin, for his part, stuck tohis wish list more land, fewer

(04:06):
Western ties, which is about assurprising as finding vodka in
his minibar.
And, true to form, trump took afew shots at Europe, saying
they needed him to broker peacebecause apparently Google Maps
is still too advanced.
The whole thing had the energyof a tense family reunion, where
one relative swore they'd turnover a new leaf and the other

(04:27):
showed up wearing the same oldvillain cape.
Trump banked on a big headlineand a photo op.
Putin played the long game,treating every handshake like
another move on his geopoliticalchessboard.
Meanwhile, europe was sittingat the kids' table wondering if
the grown-ups were going tosettle the fight or just start
throwing dinner rolls.

(04:48):
Will it change anything?
Maybe, but if history's anyguide, it's more likely to go
down as one of those sceneswhere the music swells, the
credits roll and you realizeabsolutely nothing got resolved.
And, true to form, trump saidthey had a productive meeting,
but no deal.
So basically, the only thingthat happened is we all lost two

(05:12):
hours From Putin's poker table.
We go to Abbott's game ofmusical chairs Now.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott hascalled a second special
legislative session to push to aRepublican-backed map that
would grant the GOP fiveadditional US House seats.
That's after the first sessioncollapsed due to Texas House

(05:34):
Democrats staging a walkout,refusing to return to the state
in order to deny the legislaturea quorum and stall the
redistricting vote.
A quorum and stall theredistricting vote.
Now, meanwhile, theGOP-controlled Texas Senate
managed to approve the new map,with two Democratic senators
staying behind to meet quorum,even as House Democrats continue
to hold firm out of state.

(05:55):
Well, they decided to come backOn the other side of the aisle.
Former President Barack Obamalent support to the walkout,
praising the Texas Democrats ina virtual call and standing with
them as they took their protestacross state lines.
Now, in response, californiaGovernor Gavin Newsom is
launching a statewide strategyto counter the GOP plan.

(06:18):
He's pushing a special electionin November to authorize new
Democratic-leaning congressionalmaps, potentially shifting five
US House seats the other way.
Time is shaping up as afull-blown redistricting
showdown and Texas Republicanspushing hard to reshape their
congressional map, mid-decadeHouse Democrats resisting by

(06:42):
denying quorum and Californiareadying its own response in a
bid to neutralize GOP gains.
Response in a bid to neutralizeGOP gains.
And the lunacy never ends whilewe, the citizens of America,
suffer.
Okay, everyone, it's time forour Friday edition News from the
Edge of Sanity.

(07:03):
Because if Putin and Trumpweren't surreal enough, wait
until you hear what's happeningin the places that make Florida
look like the voice of reason.
First stop Fort Collins,colorado, where apparently
Mother Nature decided to throwlogic into a wood chipper this
week.
So residents started spottingwild rabbits.

(07:26):
Let me repeat that they startedspotting wild rabbits With
tentacles.
I'm talking long, dark, twistedgrowths sprouting out of the
heads of rabbits and their faces, like some low-budget sci-fi
monster that escaped from thereject pile at a Star Wars

(07:48):
creature shop pile at a StarWars creature shop.
Now social media went nuts.
People were calling them zombierabbits, alien rabbits, mutant
rabbits.
One guy swore he saw one tryingto order calamari at a Red
Lobster.
Just joking.
Now here's the truth.
It's not alien DNA, it's not azombie apocalypse starter kit.

(08:10):
It's Shope papillomavirus.
That's a virus that causesthese weren't like tumors,
sometimes so big they look likelittle antlers on the rabbits or
, in this case, the kind oftentacles you'd expect to see
wrapping around a submarine,totally harmless to humans and
pets.
But to your sanity that's adifferent story.

(08:31):
Picture this you're out walkingthe dog at dusk, the shadows
are long, the air is still andsuddenly a rabbit with what
looks like a sea monsterattached to its head hops into
your path.
Your brain screams HP,lovecraft.
Your bladder says we're goingnow.
Local wildlife experts say it'snot uncommon.

(08:54):
It's been around apparentlysince the 1930s, which means
these rabbits have beencosplaying as horror villains
for nearly a century, and we'rejust now noticing Bottom line.
They're not dangerous, but theywill haunt your dreams and if

(09:17):
you're in Fort Collins and seeone, maybe just wave politely at
the rabbit and hope it doesn'twave back.
Okay, on to Adelaide, australia,where apparently the courtroom
drama comes with its own boardgame night.
Bethanyany Hunt, age 53, isfacing charges for allegedly
dognapping a Marama sheepdognamed Alfredo and this week,

(09:37):
during a break in court, duringher trial she didn't pace the
hallway, call her lawyer or sitquietly and reflect.
Nope, she set up a Scrabbleboard, started a full on word
battle with herself.
Witnesses say she calmly playedin the court interview room,
flipping tiles like she was at aSunday game night.
No stress, no panic, justhunting for a triple word score

(10:02):
while awaiting her legal fate.
She also had a stack of bookswith her, because, why not?
If you're going to be accusedof stealing a dog, you might as
well catch up on your readinglist.
Then, nearly two hours later,she strolls out of the building
bundled up in a beanie and scarf, like she's leaving a ski lodge
instead of a courthouse, andthe only thing she says is

(10:25):
where's my car?
Not a word about the dog.
Alfredo, not, I didn't do it,not, justice will prevail, just
car.
The alleged crime Alfredo wentmissing was later found safe,
but not before a citywide searchturned into a headline maker.
Now Hunt's case is movingforward and so is her Scrabble

(10:49):
game.
Apparently it's the kind ofbizarre courtroom image you
can't unsee the accused quietlyspelling out words while the
justice system literally waitson her and somewhere I hope
Alfredo is lying in the Sunthinking humans are weird.
Okay, that's enough spellingtrouble.

(11:12):
Join me as we fly north where abird, a fish and a power line
walk into a bar and set theplace on fire.
British Columbia, canada, ournext stop, where this week
Mother Nature decided to writeher own slapstick sketch.
Fire crews were called out to asmall wildfire and when they

(11:33):
traced cause, it wasn'tlightning, it wasn't careless
campers, it wasn't even theusual guy with a welding torch
and dry grass.
No, it was an osprey out of anearby river.
A decent catch dinner for thenight for him, and somewhere

(11:56):
between the water and the nestthe Osprey fumbled.
The fish fell and landeddirectly on a high voltage power
line.
Now, fish are great in a fryingpan, but they're also great
conductors of electricity,thanks to all that water and
minerals.
The second it hit the powerline, there was a blinding

(12:16):
electrical arc.
Sparks rained down and drybrush below went up like it had
been waiting for the cue.
By the time firefightersarrived, the blaze had spread to
about one and a half acres.
It took 4,800 gallons of waterand several hours to get it
under control.
Gallons of water and severalhours to get it under control.

(12:36):
No buildings were damaged, nopeople or animals were hurt and
the osprey itself escapedwithout injury, the fish Not so
lucky.
Officials say it's not unusualfor birds to cause trouble with
power lines, but usually it'sthe bird making contact, not the
takeout dinner order.
But in this case the takeoutorder managed to shut down a

(12:58):
chunk of the power grid andstart a wildfire in the same
move.
Wildfire danger in the regionremains high, so authorities are
asking residents to be on alertbecause in British Columbia
even your dinner might set theneighborhood on fire.

(13:20):
That was your news from the edgeof sanity, now a regular
segment on Fridays.
A friendly reminder, listeners,that while the headlines are
terrifying, the sidelines arecompletely unhinged.
I'm not saying the world'sunwell, but it just tried to
high five a ceiling fan and lostthree fingers.
Wolfpack, listeners, if you'vegot opinions, rants or a

(13:41):
spontaneous conspiracy theoryinvolving your neighbor's garden
gnome, or maybe you just wantto email me a photo of a
half-crushed donut floating in akiddie pool with a caption
below that reads I laughed, Icried, I challenged my toaster
to a staring contest.
Thanks, jeff.
Email me anytime.

(14:01):
Madworldtalk at gmailcom.
M-a-d-w-o-r-l-d-t-a-l-k atgmail.
Write me something sharp, writeme something completely
unhinged, or write me somethingI could get printed on a t-shirt
and regret instantly, or callmy 24-7 voicemail line

(14:22):
833-399-9653.
It's toll free and when youcall, give me your best
impression of someone explainingTikTok to their 90-year-old
uncle, and do it as MarlonBrando in the Godfather.
And please leave a review onApple or Spotify, because it's

(14:43):
the only way this podcast getsnoticed, instead of being buried
under podcasts people listen towhile folding laundry, without
your stars and comments.
Apple and Spotify think I'mjust a guy having a
philosophical conversation witha sock puppet during visiting
hours.
This has been A World Gone Mad.

(15:04):
I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe.
I'll be back Monday becausesomeone has to say the shit that
no one else will, andapparently that job's mine.
Until then, wolfpack listenersstay skeptical, stay focused.
Most of all, stay hopeful, andwe need to stand up and preserve

(15:33):
our democracy.
This is a world gone mad.
This is a world gone mad.