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June 17, 2025 24 mins

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The fragile threads of American democracy AGAIN come under unprecedented strain as a Senator is handcuffed and forcibly removed from a Homeland Security press conference despite clearly identifying himself as an elected official. This shocking breakdown of institutional respect serves as the centerpiece of a week filled with disturbing developments that signal an accelerating erosion of democratic norms and constitutional guardrails.

Against the backdrop of Trump's military parade on his 79th birthday, millions gather in "No Kings" rallies across all fifty states, their voices rising in unified concern about the nation's authoritarian drift. Meanwhile, a provision buried in the "One Big, Beautiful Bill" threatens to strip federal courts of their ability to hold government officials accountable., while the Department of Justice reinterprets century-old law to allow presidents to completely revoke national monument designations!

Congressional ethics face further scrutiny as over a dozen lawmakers execute hundreds of stock trades during market turmoil.

Most alarming is the administration's plan to dismantle FEMA entirely after hurricane season. WTF?!

But among all this turmoil, I have four inspiring stories to share with you.

Do you have comments?

The conversation continues at 833-399-9653  24/7 Voice Mailbox

Or you can send your comments to:

aworldgonemadpodcast@gmail.com as we navigate these turbulent waters together, and stand up to preserve our democratic institutions.

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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.
It's another day in a worldgone mad.
I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe and I amback and to give my commentary
on the news.
Thank you for joining me.
You know I miss a week and theshit hits the fan everywhere in

(00:23):
our country and all over theworld.
I've got a lot to discuss withyou from this past week.
Here we go, and the five-tonelephant in the room is the
disgusting thing that happenedas a dagger to the heart of our
democracy.
The incident involving SenatorAlex Padilla.
The incident involving SenatorAlex Padilla.

(00:44):
June 12th this past week, duringa press conference by Homeland
Security Secretary Christy Ishoot dogs that don't learn how
to train Nome in Los Angeles,senator Alex Padilla was
dramatically removed from theevent.
Now Padilla, who was awaiting aseparate briefing at the
federal building, stepped intoNome's press conference,

(01:09):
publicly challenged her remarksabout immigration enforcement.
Identifying himself as a USsenator, he attempted to ask
questions but was quicklyconfronted by Secret Service FBI
agents.
He was pushed out of the room,restrained in a hallway,
handcuffed and arrested.
Though he resisted removal, hewas released shortly afterward.

(01:32):
Now the Department of HomelandSecurity and FBI Director Dan
Bongino described the episode asa misunderstanding.
You're right.
According to their account,padilla didn't promptly show
Senate credentials, made asudden movement toward the
podium I guess walking to thepodium, according to Republicans
, is a sudden movement whichthey interpreted as a potential

(01:55):
threat.
Now, secretary Noem describedhis behavior as disruptive
political theater, but laternoted that they had a productive
private conversation.
But later noted that they had aproductive private conversation
.
Dhs defended the actions offederal agents as appropriate
under the circumstances.
Padilla, however, stronglydisputed this version of events.
He maintains that he clearlyidentified himself before

(02:18):
speaking and that he wasescorted into the room by staff.
He called the responseexcessive, warned that if an
elected senator could be treatedthis way, the broader
implications for civil libertieswere grave.
Video evidence released laterappeared to support his version
of events, sparking outrage frommany lawmakers and civil rights
groups.

(02:39):
Fallout Democratic leaders,including Chuck Schumer,
elizabeth Warren, gavin Newsom,condemned the treatment of
Senator Padilla as authoritarianand dangerous.
Even some Republicans likeSenator Lisa Murkowski expressed
concern.
She always takes a side of usto look good.
However, others, includingHouse Speaker Mike Johnson,

(03:00):
sided with Nome and federalofficials, arguing that
Padilla-Sank's actions wereinappropriate.
Sorry, his actions I can't talktonight were inappropriate.
Now this confrontation hasbecome a flashpoint in a larger
debate over immigrationenforcement and the balance
between executive power anddemocratic oversight.

(03:22):
There are no words.
A sitting senator treated likethat are you out of your fucking
mind?
They claim to perceive him as athreat when he clearly
identified himself.
Why are we attacking politicalfigures like this?
This is a full-throated clampdown on freedom of speech.
No other way to look at thisthan that way the the Wolfpack

(03:44):
listeners.
Hey, this is incredibly scary.
It needs to be monitored minuteby minute.
You know almost 12 million noKings rallies total of the
people who showed up at theserallies nationwide as President
Trump's military parade takesplace on his 79th birthday.
As a military parade rolledthrough Washington DC on

(04:05):
Saturday, president DonaldTrump's birthday, millions of
Americans, who are expected towork, actually came out to
protest and what organizerspredict was the strongest
display of opposition to Trump'sadministration since he took
office.
In January, 2,000 protestsacross all 50 states happened

(04:26):
for the no Kings movement, whichorganizers say seek to reject
authoritarianism, billionairefirst policies and the
militarization of our democracy.
Hey, did you also see thetroops, the small amount of
military for Donald Trump at hisbirthday parade?
And they weren't organized.
There was no cadence to theirstep.

(04:46):
It was kind of a disorganizedmovement that people were saying
was deliberate to show theirdisdain for the president.
I don't know about that.
I didn't see it, I didn't wantto watch that crap, but that's
what everyone's saying Now.
The mobilization was a directresponse to Trump's military
parade and it coincided, ofcourse, with his birthday.

(05:07):
So everyone came out in all 50states for the known King's
Rally.
Good start.
We need 10 times that amount.
This is just going to be apeaceful parade, which it was.
Was there a surprise we thoughtwould happen with the
announcement from Trump on theend of democracy?
No, a lot of people felt thatsomething was going to happen

(05:31):
during the parade.
It didn't.
So hopefully it would justbecame a stupid ass parade for
Donald to show how much ego hehas.
Another extremely volatilesituation and we have to watch
how things play out week by weekwith Donald the egotistical
dictator.
Israel strikes in the heart ofIran against their nuclear

(05:53):
facilities, also killing severaltop-notch commanders.
Iran struck back.
Israel went back again.
Iran went back.
Iran said they're only going todo equal retaliation.
They don't want to get into anall-out war with Israel, damage
back and forth.
Our response is going to beworse.
No, ours is.

(06:13):
No, ours is.
And Iran and Israel go back andforth with rhetoric and
missiles.
Will rational heads stop themadness?
I doubt this sincerely.
This is a huge powder kegescalating by the hour and again
, as you listen to this episode,it probably became 3,000 times
worse in the next 24 hours.
Chaos is breaking outeverywhere and we feel helpless

(06:38):
under the weight of it.
Newsom confronts Trump Ablueprint for Democrats.
California Governor GavinNewsom delivered a primetime
televised address on June 10thcondemning President Trump's
deployment of 4,000 NationalGuard troops 700 Marines to Los
Angeles in response toICE-related protests.

(07:00):
Now Newsom called it anauthoritarian overreach, warning
that the operation was madeillegally and for no reason.
It served only to inflametensions, not to protect public
safety.
He framed Trump's actions aspart of a broader struggle
against a war on culture,history, science and knowledge,
urging Californians in thenation to stand firm in peaceful

(07:24):
protest.
Now Newsom also filed thelawsuit to block military
involvement in civilian lawenforcement and explicitly
positioned the clash as a moraland constitutional line that
Democrats should rally around.
Beyond the immediate legalaction, newsom used the moment
to rebrand himself as a nationalDemocratic leader, signaling a
blueprint for the party himself.

(07:45):
As a national Democratic leader, signaling a blueprint for the
party, blend progressiveresistance against Trump's
authoritarian tendencies, whichcalls for responsible governance
.
Political commentators notedhis approach, combining strong
rhetoric with legal restraints atemplate for Democrats seeking
to stand up to Trump whilemaintaining broader appeal.
This strategy highlights twothemes defending democratic

(08:09):
institutions and civil liberties, and showcasing state-level
leadership that balancesfirmness with procedural
discipline.
I honestly don't know if thisis the correct course of action
from Newsom, but at leastsomebody's doing something
instead of sitting in the cornerand playing with themselves.

(08:30):
We need Democratic leadershipnow.
Here's a fun one Congressionalstock trades during Trump's
tariff rollout.
Now, in early April 2025,following President Trump's
announcement of the so-calledLiberation Day tariffs, more
than a dozen members of Congress, as well as their spouses and

(08:54):
families, executed over 700stock trades between April 2nd
and April 8th during intensemarket volatility.
Notable participants includeRepresentative Ro Khanna,
democrat California, who ledwith 310 trades processed
through family trusts, as wellas Representatives Rob Bresnahan

(09:16):
, marjorie Taylor, loonballGreen and Jared Moskowitz, and
the transactions included stocksand companies like MKS
Instruments, jpmorgan Chase,honeywell and Visa firms
directly affected by tariffpolicy.
The market lost over $6trillion in value before

(09:38):
recovering after the tariffswere paused for 90 days.
Controversially, many of thelawmakers involved are focal
proponents of banningcongressional stock trading.
Representative Conner, forexample, has supported such
reforms.
Wallace accounts engaged inhundreds of trades,
representative MarjorieLoonball-Green, representative

(10:00):
Moskowitz also participated, butdefended their actions by
citing independent financialadvice.
The magnitude of the trades hasrevived concerns about conflicts
of interest and insiderknowledge, prompting bipartisan
calls for reform.
Several bills have beenintroduced in response,
including the End CongressionalStock Trading Act, the Trust in

(10:22):
Congress Act and the Pelosi Act.
These seek to require blindtrust, mandate real-time
disclosures or completely banstock trading for lawmakers.
Currently, the Stock Actmandates reporting within 45
days, but enforcement has beenweak, with fines as low as $200

(10:42):
for late filings.
This incident highlights thepotential for lawmakers to
profit from policies they helpimplement.
With bipartisan pressurebuilding, congress may soon
enact tighter restrictions oreven a complete ban on member
stock trading to restore publictrust.
Look, if this is indeedwrongdoing that happened, which

(11:05):
it seems like it is, then therehas to be some kind of
consequence, and I don't give ashit if it's a Democrat or a
Republican doing this.
Everyone needs to pay.
No one is above the law, helloDonald.
I'm speaking directly to pay.
No one is above the law, helloDonald.

(11:25):
I'm speaking directly to you.
You've broken the law so manytimes.
The balance of justice you knowthe figure with the scales is
rusting.
Controversial bill provisionlimiting judicial accountability
.
This is huge.
A short but powerful clause,section 70302, buried inside the
Republican-backed budget bill,known as the One Big, beautiful

(11:49):
Bill, would prevent federalcourts from enforcing contempt
citations against governmentofficials unless plaintiffs post
a monetary bond before thecourts may act.
According to civil libertiesadvocates, this effectively

(12:09):
makes court injunctionsunenforceable without such bond
payments.
Legal experts warn that thisprovision could shield officials
, including the president, fromcourt-ordered enforcement.
It closely aligns with theFebruary presidential memo
advocating bond requirements forinjunctions against government
agencies.
If passed, this clause couldeven retroactively void prior

(12:31):
rulings, significantly weakeningjudicial oversight.
Critics argue that this measureis a constitutional threat,
stripping the courts of theirenforcement mechanisms and
violating the principle ofseparation of powers.
The proposal comes amid a waveof court rulings that have
blocked various executiveactions.
It is one of severalcontroversial parts of this bill

(12:53):
, including bans on local AIregulation, sweeping tax code
changes.
The bill is under Senate review, where Democrats may attempt to
remove the provision usingprocedural tools like the Byrd
Rule.
Constitutional scholars, civilliberty groups, multiple state
attorneys generals are callingfor the provision to be stripped

(13:14):
out before passage.
If it remains, it may faceconstitutional challenge as a
violation of Article III powers.
This is just ridiculous.
Every time you and I comeacross something like this, we
just realize how insane and howdeep the stupidity shines from

(13:35):
these dumb actions, these bills,these executive orders,
whatever you want to call them.
Speaking of dumb ass ideas, theDOJ ruling that Trump can
revoke national monumentdesignations Think about this.

(14:02):
The Department of Justiceofficial, or rather Office of
Legal Counsel, released a legalopinion stating that President
Trump, or any president, has theauthority to revoke national
monument designations under theAntiquities Act of 1906.
Yeah, let's use an old law,right?
No-transcript?

(14:36):
This marks a significantdeparture from previous
interpretations that presidentscan only reduce monument size,
not abolish designationsentirely.
Reduce monument size, notabolish designations entirely.
Now, this reinterpretationplaces Bidens-era monuments such
as Chukwala that was 625,000acres and Satitla Highlands

(14:58):
225,000 acres in California, atdirect risk.
These areas are culturallysignificant to Native American
tribes and environmentallyprotected.
Trump administration officialshave indicated active review of
these and other monuments forpossible revocation or reduction
, largely, you know, to enableoil, gas and mineral extraction.

(15:23):
Historically, while presidentslike Eisenhower and Trump have
reduced monument boundaries,none have revoked a designation
entirely.
President Biden had previouslyrestored these boundaries.
Legal scholars stress that theAntiquities Act is silent on

(15:44):
revocation, raising significantconstitutional questions.
Critics argue that such a moveviolates the separation of
powers and could underminefederal protections for public
lands.
Lawsuits from conservationgroups and tribal nations are
expected if the revocationsproceed.

(16:04):
In summary, the DOJ's newstance allows presidential
revocation of national monuments, targeting recently designated
areas in California.
No vendetta there, right.
The decision has triggeredbacklash from environmental and
tribal groups, is likely to leadto legal challenges that may
redefine the scope of executivepower over public lands.

(16:28):
This sets the stage for majorcourt battles and a potential
shift in how federal landprotections are managed.
I want to tell you the Wolfpacklisteners and this is just my
personal opinion, of course, youmay or may not agree with me
this is another situation fromDonald Trump and his supporters

(16:50):
backing him up of nut fuckery,total bullshit of what they're
trying to do in our countrydestroying protections of
monuments.
It's lunacy.
Trump plans I take a week offand I'm left with this.

(17:10):
Here we go, listeners, getready to join me.
Trump plans to abolish FEMAafter the hurricane season.
That's right.
On June 10th, president Trumpannounced during an Oval Office
briefing that he intends to weanoff FEMA by the end of the 2025
hurricane season.
Under his plan, fema's disasterresponse duties will be

(17:34):
transferred to state governors.
Instead of FEMA requestingdisaster declarations, the White
House or the Department ofHomeland Security would
distribute the aid directly.
Security would distribute theaid directly.
Homeland Security SecretaryKristi Nutty-Noem supported the
plan, describing FEMA asinefficient and advocating for

(17:54):
decentralized disaster responses.
The Trump administration hasalready reduced FEMA staff by
approximately one-third and isreconsidering eligibility
criteria for federal disasteraid.
A FEMA review council co-led byNome and Defense Secretary
Hegseth is active.
What a duo right.
Nome and Hegseth is activelyevaluating the agency's

(18:18):
operations and preparing aphase-out strategy that would
shift emergency response andfunding responsibilities away
from federal control.
Emergency managementprofessionals and local
officials have raised seriousconcerns, warning that state
governments lack FEMA'sinfrastructure, their experience
and centralized coordinationabilities as natural disasters

(18:41):
become more severe and frequentexperts argue that removing
federal aid could leavevulnerable communities at
increased risk, especially thosein disaster-prone regions.
If implemented, the plan wouldfundamentally restructure the
current disaster response systemAuthority would shift
dramatically to individualstates, potentially resulting in

(19:04):
unequal capabilities dependingon that state's resources.
With NOAA predicting a severehurricane season and FEMA
already managing significantrecovery operations $4.3 billion
allocated for Hurricane Helenecritics believe the move is

(19:24):
poorly timed or possiblyperfectly timed, according to
the Republicans, because theydon't care about us.
Okay, and I tell all my friends, or so-called friends, who are
Republicans and family members,they don't care about us.
As evidenced by all of thisstupidity.
States have been encouraged toestablish mutual aid packs, but

(19:46):
many nonprofits caution thatthey cannot fully replace FEMA's
scope.
Abolishing FEMA.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Just when you think Republicanscan't sink any lower, they jump
up and surprise us with anotherasinine move.

(20:09):
And with all these callousdecisions from Trump and his
MAGA supporters, it's time formy inspiring news story.
This case is going to beseveral stories.
I probably need this more thanyou, but we'll listen together.
Okay, I'm going to sharestories with you from multiple
sources.
Put all of our stress aside,take a deep breath, listen to

(20:33):
the sound of my voice, relax andtake a listen to these.
And, by the way, if you want tosay hello, I've been off a week
.
833-399-9653.
That's the toll-free number, ora World Gone Mad podcast.
You've got to put the wordpodcast in at gmailcom or say
hello in blue sky.
I love to hear from people.

(20:53):
I haven't heard from peoplelike in a month.
Okay, here we go.
Inspiring news stories in thelast 24 hours.
A 12-year-old girl plants150,000 trees in India.
In a remarkable act ofenvironmental stewardship, a
12-year-old girl from ruralIndia has led the planting of
150,000 trees in her region.

(21:15):
Motivated by a desire to combatclimate change, preserve nature
, she organized school andcommunity volunteers to grow
native saplings like mango, neemand banyan trees.
Her effort not only helpsrestore local ecosystems, but
also inspires civilresponsibility among youth.

(21:36):
Regional leaders are nowexploring how to replicate her
project in other villages.
Bravo.
Columbia cuts Amazondeforestation by 33 percent.
Columbia has reduceddeforestation in its Amazonian
regions by 33% in early 2025compared to last year, saving

(21:57):
over 40,000 hectares of forest.
The improvement followsstronger law enforcement,
expanded conservation areas andcollaborative programs with
indigenous communities.
Environmental Minister LinaEstrada Anokazi called it a
turning point for South Americanbiodiversity and climate

(22:19):
resilience.
And all about, you know, savingthe environment.
Pretty cool.
Yorick tribe restores ancestrallands.
California's Yurok tribe hasregained control of 73 square
miles of ancestral land amongthe Klamath River in a landmark
return agreement.

(22:40):
This is California's largesttribal land restoration and
includes sacred sites, forestareas and salmon habitats.
The Yurok now plan to applytraditional ecological knowledge
to manage the land sustainablyand revive cultural practices.
All great stories, great,inspirational, about what

(23:02):
they're doing to the environment.
And finally, hero Crane Drivergets a bucket wish list.
A bucket list wish, rather Saythat three times fast.
In Australia, a crane operatorwho saved a man from a burning
building has been publiclyhonored and granted a personal
bucket list wish.
The rescuer remained anonymousfor months, was surprised by

(23:26):
firefighters and communitymembers during a local event
recognizing his heroism.
His actions remind us of thequiet courage that uplifts and
unites communities.
Hope that takes an edge off ofall the stupidity from Trump and
his minions Hardly, but it's astart.
Look, this is a world gone mad.
I'm Jeff Allen Wolf.

(23:47):
I will be back again Wednesday.
I really hope to hear from you.
I could use your input, your Ireally hope to hear from you.
I could use your input, yourcomments, your thoughts, your
energy.
Otherwise, I'm sitting in aroom talking to myself.
Stay hopeful.
There is chaos in the world,can't you see?
And we need to stand up andpreserve our democracy.

(24:15):
This is a world gone mad.
This is a world gone mad.
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