July 10, 2025 • 22 mins
Something cracked this week. Maybe it was the system. Maybe it was your spine trying to keep up with it. Either way, welcome to the second episode of my new format — where the news isn’t just broken, it’s actively bleeding out.
You know those moments when reality glitches so hard, you check your phone twice just to make sure it’s not satire? I’ve got several.
Back to back. No commercial breaks. Just one surreal headline after another, strung together like Christmas lights in a burning house.
The old rules don’t apply anymore — assuming there were rules.
Every institution meant to protect you is now being pressure-tested like a collapsing lung.
And the people pulling the levers?
Let’s just say we’re not exactly sending our best.
This week, I dive face-first into a political mood swing so severe, it should come with a prescription.
International chaos, domestic absurdity, bureaucratic sabotage, and a surprise twist that feels like it was written by an intern having a nervous breakdown.
Some stories get coverage.
Others get buried.
Some protests make the news.
Others disappear like a bad memory.
I’m here to shine a light on the ones they’d rather you scroll past — or never hear about at all.
No safe spaces. No summaries.
Just you, me, a microphone, and whatever’s left of the truth after the dust clears.
If you’re new here, buckle in.
If you’ve been listening…
you already know better.
This is A World Gone Mad. And this week, it earned the name.
Comments, complaints, government secrets you’d like to whisper to a burrito?
If so, then email me:
📧 aworldgonemadpodcast@gmail.com
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📞 833-399-9653 — Toll-free, judgment-optional.
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is a World on Mad.
This is a World on Mad, mad,mad, mad, mad.
The sun came up, the chaosrolled on and the news cycle
once again mistook itself forperformance art.
I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe, and thisis a World on Mad, where reality
(00:23):
gets rebooted hourly andsomehow still runs worse than
Windows 95.
Case in point Donald Trump justcalled Vladimir Putin a liar,
reversed his weapons hold andpledged support to Ukraine Again
.
So either he's had a suddenmoral awakening or he's entered
(00:45):
the final stage of Mar-a-Lagodementia, where the voices in
his head are now arguing witheach other in Russian Duh.
So Donald Trump did what now?
In a moment that left bothallies and adversaries blinking
in confusion, trump publiclyaccused Vladimir Putin of lying
(01:06):
about peace talks with Ukraine.
Then he reversed his ownweapons freeze and announced new
military aid to the country heonce called a total disaster.
Let that sink in.
The man who literally tried towithhold aid from Ukraine the
first time around and gotimpeached for it is now playing
(01:30):
hawk and calling Putin a fraud.
According to Trump, putinmisrepresented negotiations that
supposedly could have ended thewar early on, claiming Ukraine
was ready to deal, but the Westmeaning us sabotaged it.
Trump says that's a lie, whichis correct.
(01:53):
But also what?
Suddenly?
The guy who spent yearspraising Putin's strength and
hinting he might abandon NATO ifreelected has pivoted into John
McCain, but with worse hair.
It's a move so abrupt.
It's either strategic orneurological.
(02:14):
The campaign says it's part ofa realignment a fancy word, for
we need independent voters andsuburban moms to stop thinking
Trump's an actual Russian asset.
But don't confuse this withconsistency or conscience.
Trump still praises dictatorslike it's a Yelp review.
(02:35):
He still undercuts USintelligence when it suits him.
This isn't a worldview.
It's a weather pattern, andthis week the wind blew east.
You know it's like watching adog walk on its hind legs
Technically impressive, but youknow it's not going to last.
(02:55):
Either way.
Ukraine gets the weapons thisweek.
In case you thought the economywas safe for five consecutive
minutes, trump just slapped theworld with a fresh round of
tariffs, because nothing saysstable leadership like a 200%
(03:17):
tax on your blood pressure meds.
Here's what's on the table A50% tariff on copper, expanded
duties on semiconductors andpharmaceuticals and a warning
shot 200% tariffs onforeign-made medications.
Yes, medications the stuff youneed to survive or at least get
(03:40):
through the week without yourheart exploding.
Trump claims the move willbring back American jobs and
reduce foreign dependence, whichsounds nice, until you realize
we don't actually make a lot ofthese things domestically.
Over 70% of the activeingredients in US medications
(04:02):
are manufactured overseas,mostly in India and China.
So unless Trump is planning toopen a pharmaceutical factory in
Mar-a-Lago between golf rounds,this is more bluff than
blueprint.
Also on the list semiconductors, which, if you've ever tried to
buy a car, a phone, fridge ortoaster since 2020, you know are
(04:26):
already in short supply.
And copper, because sure, whynot declare war on plumbing
while we're at it.
These aren't strategic moves,they're pressure tactics.
Tariffs sound tough on paper,but they're taxes, hidden ones,
ones you pay when your copaygoes from manageable to
(04:49):
mortgage-sized.
And no American pharmaceuticalcompanies aren't suddenly going
to start churning outantibiotics in Wisconsin because
Trump yelled from behind apodium.
What they will do is raiseprices to offset uncertainty,
blame it on foreign instabilityand cash in, like they always do
.
So the next time you pick up aprescription and your pharmacy
(05:13):
tech whispers the price likeit's a ransom demand.
Just remember America iswinning again.
And speaking of winning, trump'steam is now purging
cybersecurity experts forfailing the loyalty vibe check,
because nothing protects Americalike firing the people who
(05:39):
protect America.
The Department of HomelandSecurity is reportedly preparing
to gut up to 80% of the staffat CISA, the Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security Agency.
These are the folks who defendour infrastructure from
ransomware, russian cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns.
You know minor stuff like that.
(06:02):
But apparently the realnational threat isn't hostile
foreign actors, it's careerprofessionals who don't clap
hard enough at Trump rallies.
The purge is part of whatinsiders are calling a loyalty
protocol, where civil servants,not political appointees career
professionals are beingevaluated based on whether
(06:26):
they're aligned with theiradministration.
In other words, your cybersecurity team is being replaced
with political loyalists,because that's what every good
dictatorship does we caninternal defenses to protect the
leader's ego.
Cisa has been a nonpartisanagency since its creation in
(06:47):
2018.
It sounded the alarm onelection interference,
state-sponsored hacks andcritical vulnerabilities in
everything from energy grids tohospital systems.
But those facts Inconvenient.
Some of CISA's past reportsdirectly contradicted Trump's
(07:07):
election fraud claims.
So now, instead of updatingfirewalls, they're updating
resumes.
And if you think this stopswith cyber experts, think again.
This is the blueprint Purge thefact-checkers.
Politicize the agencies, thenclaim total control while the
(07:29):
lights flicker.
We're not soft on cyber now.
We're soft on democracy and thehackers.
They don't care who you votedfor.
So first they fired the cyberdefenders, now they're coming
for the rest of the building.
(07:51):
The Supreme Court just clearedthe path for Trump's mass
federal layoffs.
And yes, it's exactly as bad asit sounds.
The Supreme Court just handedTrump a blank check and the
balance is payable in pink slips.
In a 6-3 decision, the courtlifted a block on mass federal
(08:14):
layoffs, clearing the way forTrump's long-planned purge of
government workers.
Agencies on the chopping blockinclude agriculture on the
chopping block includeagriculture, state veterans
affairs you know, the ones thatmake people, make sure people
can eat, stay alive abroad andget care after coming home from
(08:35):
war.
But sure, let's call itdraining the swamp.
Trump's plan would allow him toreclassify tens of thousands of
civil service jobs under acategory that strips away job
protections and turns careerprofessionals into at-will
employees or, in MAGA terms,disposable if disloyal.
(08:58):
These are not politicalappointees, they're analysts,
inspectors, policy experts,caseworkers, veterans, hospital
staff, the institutional memoryof the government Gone.
This is the kind of move thatused to be whispered about in
authoritarian regimes.
(09:20):
Now it's being printed in pressreleases and backed by the
highest court in the land.
The ruling sets a precedentthat future presidents, not just
Trump can fire massive swathsof the federal workforce based
on ideology, politics or purespite.
And if you think this won'taffect you because you're not a
(09:44):
federal employee, think again.
The people most likely to getcut aren't the bloated top brass
.
They're the public servants whoactually do the work Field
investigators, benefitsprocessors, it staff, food
inspectors, va nurses.
You know the boring, thanklessjobs that quietly keep society
(10:09):
from collapsing.
But now, if they're notpolitically in line, they could
be replaced With a tick-tockinfluencer, somebody's cousin
who once ran an Arby's and theSupreme Court just said that's
fine.
We used to argue about the sizeof government.
(10:31):
Now we're arguing whether itneeds to exist at all.
This isn't downsizing, it'sdemolition, and the wrecking
crew just got legal clearance.
So the government's clearingout its workers with the court's
approval.
(10:51):
Meanwhile, silicon Valley isdoing it with a press release
and a smile.
Ai isn't coming for your job,it's already parked in your
chair.
Officially, just 75 layoffs havebeen blamed on AI so far.
Unofficially, it's more like20,000 and growing, according to
(11:15):
data from Challenger, gray andChristmas.
Those technological updates youkeep hearing about, they're
just AI layoffs With better PR.
Companies aren't saying we'rereplacing you with software.
They're saying we're embracinginnovation, and innovation
(11:35):
apparently looks a lot like achatbot doing your job worse but
cheaper.
These aren't just factoryworkers or call centers, it's
finance, marketing, it, hr jobsthat were once considered safe
from automation because theyrequired judgment or emotional
(11:59):
intelligence.
But guess what?
Corporations have decided thesequalities are optional.
As long as the quarterly reportlooks good, your job can be
done by a clunky algorithm thatconfuses your boss's lunch order
with a compliance memo.
Don't worry, the robot's stilllearning.
(12:19):
It'll screw up your job slowly,but hey, it won't ask for
healthcare.
And here's the trick Companiesaren't reporting these as AI
layoffs.
They've lumped them underrestructuring or cost efficiency
, phrases that sound responsibleon paper but mean we'd rather
(12:43):
invest in code than people.
And the media Mostly runningwith the headline AI boosts
productivity, not.
Ai quietly dismantles themiddle class.
So while the number, theofficial number, stays low, the
real number creeps up behindNDAs, corporate memos and
(13:08):
silence, because no one wants tosay we're firing you so we can
license an emotionalistpredictive model trained on your
emails.
But that's what's happening.
This isn't the future, it's therollout.
And if you think your job issafe because it has nuance,
(13:30):
personality or creative voice.
Well, so did 20,000 otherpeople, turns out.
Artificial intelligence doesn'thave to be smarter than you,
just cheaper, while techcompanies replaced humans with
code.
Millions of Americans filled thestreets on June 14th to protest
(13:54):
creeping authoritarianism.
It was loud, it was loud, itwas massive, it was everywhere
and mainstream media didn't missit.
They buried it.
On June 14th, millions ofAmericans marched in small towns
, suburbs, state capitals toprotest the rise of
(14:15):
authoritarianism.
It was one of the largestdecentralized political protests
in years and unless you werethere, you probably didn't hear
much about it.
No helicopters, no wall-to-wallcoverage, no breathless pundits
dissecting the turnout.
Because mainstream media didn'tjust under-report it, they
(14:38):
basically ghosted it.
Instead of leading the eveningnews, it got buried under
lighter stories A gas stationexplosion in New Jersey, a
feel-good dog rescue and a10-minute segment on whether
flip-flops are bad for yourposture.
Meanwhile, entire communitieswere turning out in places like
(14:59):
Topeka, missoula and Fort Worthholding signs, marching in heat,
waving American flags anddemanding protection for
democratic norms.
This wasn't coastal elitesyelling in front of courthouses.
This was teachers, farmers,veterans and retirees saying
enough.
But because there were no riots, no fires and no made-for-cable
(15:25):
violence, it didn't fit thenarrative, and the narrative
matters, because silence createserasure.
If something isn't covered, itdidn't happen, at least in the
minds of people who rely onmedia to tell them what's real.
Think about it If these samecrowds had been angry, armed and
(15:48):
wrapped in Trump flags, they'dhave gotten a week of national
hand-wringing, but peacefulpro-democracy protesters in red
state America Crickets.
This is what grassroots lookslike when it's not being
filtered through a marketingcampaign.
It's ordinary people doingextraordinary things and getting
(16:12):
quietly sidelined because theyweren't dramatic enough to trend
.
Because they weren't dramaticenough to trend.
June 14th wasn't a flash mob.
It was a warning shot, and thefact that so many ignored it,
that might be the scariest part.
Millions marched and mainstreammedia blacked it out, not by
(16:35):
mistake, because their bossestold them to.
While mainstream media ignoreddemocracy in our streets, israel
made sure no one ignored whatrained from the sky.
Israel just launched its largestdrone assault to date,
hammering over 740 targetsacross Gaza in a single campaign
(16:59):
.
It was less a precision strikeand more a blunt message we have
drones, we're going to use them, all of them at once.
The Israeli military called theoperation surgical, which
raises the question listeners,what kind of surgery involves
(17:22):
dropping explosives onneighborhoods and hoping the
diagnosis is better when thedust clears.
Meanwhile, pope Francis isoffered to host peace talks,
because when religious leadersstart negotiating ceasefires,
you know the diplomats have leftthe group chat and expectations
(17:43):
for those talks Somewherebetween low and holding a candle
in a wind tunnel.
Israel says the strikes wereaimed at Hamas infrastructure,
but in Gaza there's no suchthing as a clean war.
When you hit infrastructure,you're talking about buildings
(18:03):
with families still inside orstreets where kids are playing.
This isn't just warfare, it'sreal estate flattening with
talking points.
And while all this unfolds, theglobal response remains a
masterclass in selectiveattention.
One side yells self-defense,the other screams genocide and
(18:27):
Western powers manage to nodsolemnly while selling more
weapons.
Let's be honest 740 drone hitsin a place the size of Detroit
isn't a military strategy.
It's a slow motion demolitionof a boxed-in population with
(18:48):
nowhere to run.
And yet the coverage Minimal,the outrage Filtered, the
humanity Barely noticed.
In a war of surveillance, itturns out the world sees
(19:13):
everything and still chooses tolook away While drones lit up
Gaza, elon Musk's empire lostits CEO because even loyal
executives know when to evacuatea burning building.
And in today's episode ofAbsolutely no One Surprised.
Linda Iaccarino has officiallyresigned as CEO of X because
(19:37):
nothing says we're doing great,like your CEO slipping out the
side door before the next serveroutage.
Insert sad trombone.
Just weeks ago she was assuringthe public that everything was
thriving Cut to.
Now she's gone.
The ad revenue is bleeding andthe algorithm's eating itself
like a snake that forgot whichend was lunch.
(19:58):
No press conference, nostrategy handoff, just one final
post before disappearing like aTesla Cybertruck delivery date.
Elon, for his part, remains,because when the ship's on fire,
who better to steer it than theguy holding the flamethrower?
(20:18):
The CEO of X.
She came, she spun, shevanished.
She came, she spun, shevanished, leaving behind three
stunned interns, two panickedlawyers and one unpaid vendor
holding the bag.
If you have comments, rants oroffers to buy my podcast for $44
(20:42):
million, email me ataworldgonemadpodcast at gmailcom
.
I read everything, even theweird emails, especially the
weird emails or call833-399-9653 toll free and
(21:05):
listen to my opening messagewith the soothing sound of my
voice while I'm unwrappingstring cheese like it's a
classified document.
Also, please don't forget toleave comments on Apple or
Spotify.
That helps my podcast move upin the rankings and be heard by
thousands more people, becausewithout your reviews, apple and
(21:25):
Spotify think I'm just a guymuttering into a can of soup.
This has been A World Gone Mad.
I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe.
I'll be back Friday because Ihave a microphone, a half-eaten
burrito and, unless someonechanges the Wi-Fi password and
unless someone changes the Wi-Fipassword, I'll be good to go.
(21:45):
Until then, stay grounded, stayskeptical and if all else fails
, stay hopeful.
There is chaos in the world,can't you see?
And we need to stand up andpreserve our democracy.
(22:06):
This is a world gone mad.
This is a world gone mad.
This is a World on Mad.
This is a World on Mad, mad,mad, mad, mad.
The sun came up, the chaosrolled on and the news cycle
once again mistook itself forperformance art.
I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe, and thisis a World on Mad, where reality
(00:23):
gets rebooted hourly andsomehow still runs worse than
Windows 95.
Case in point Donald Trump justcalled Vladimir Putin a liar,
reversed his weapons hold andpledged support to Ukraine Again
.
So either he's had a suddenmoral awakening or he's entered
(00:45):
the final stage of Mar-a-Lagodementia, where the voices in
his head are now arguing witheach other in Russian Duh.
So Donald Trump did what now?
In a moment that left bothallies and adversaries blinking
in confusion, trump publiclyaccused Vladimir Putin of lying
(01:06):
about peace talks with Ukraine.
Then he reversed his ownweapons freeze and announced new
military aid to the country heonce called a total disaster.
Let that sink in.
The man who literally tried towithhold aid from Ukraine the
first time around and gotimpeached for it is now playing
(01:30):
hawk and calling Putin a fraud.
According to Trump, putinmisrepresented negotiations that
supposedly could have ended thewar early on, claiming Ukraine
was ready to deal, but the Westmeaning us sabotaged it.
Trump says that's a lie, whichis correct.
(01:53):
But also what?
Suddenly?
The guy who spent yearspraising Putin's strength and
hinting he might abandon NATO ifreelected has pivoted into John
McCain, but with worse hair.
It's a move so abrupt.
It's either strategic orneurological.
(02:14):
The campaign says it's part ofa realignment a fancy word, for
we need independent voters andsuburban moms to stop thinking
Trump's an actual Russian asset.
But don't confuse this withconsistency or conscience.
Trump still praises dictatorslike it's a Yelp review.
(02:35):
He still undercuts USintelligence when it suits him.
This isn't a worldview.
It's a weather pattern, andthis week the wind blew east.
You know it's like watching adog walk on its hind legs
Technically impressive, but youknow it's not going to last.
(02:55):
Either way.
Ukraine gets the weapons thisweek.
In case you thought the economywas safe for five consecutive
minutes, trump just slapped theworld with a fresh round of
tariffs, because nothing saysstable leadership like a 200%
(03:17):
tax on your blood pressure meds.
Here's what's on the table A50% tariff on copper, expanded
duties on semiconductors andpharmaceuticals and a warning
shot 200% tariffs onforeign-made medications.
Yes, medications the stuff youneed to survive or at least get
(03:40):
through the week without yourheart exploding.
Trump claims the move willbring back American jobs and
reduce foreign dependence, whichsounds nice, until you realize
we don't actually make a lot ofthese things domestically.
Over 70% of the activeingredients in US medications
(04:02):
are manufactured overseas,mostly in India and China.
So unless Trump is planning toopen a pharmaceutical factory in
Mar-a-Lago between golf rounds,this is more bluff than
blueprint.
Also on the list semiconductors, which, if you've ever tried to
buy a car, a phone, fridge ortoaster since 2020, you know are
(04:26):
already in short supply.
And copper, because sure, whynot declare war on plumbing
while we're at it.
These aren't strategic moves,they're pressure tactics.
Tariffs sound tough on paper,but they're taxes, hidden ones,
ones you pay when your copaygoes from manageable to
(04:49):
mortgage-sized.
And no American pharmaceuticalcompanies aren't suddenly going
to start churning outantibiotics in Wisconsin because
Trump yelled from behind apodium.
What they will do is raiseprices to offset uncertainty,
blame it on foreign instabilityand cash in, like they always do
.
So the next time you pick up aprescription and your pharmacy
(05:13):
tech whispers the price likeit's a ransom demand.
Just remember America iswinning again.
And speaking of winning, trump'steam is now purging
cybersecurity experts forfailing the loyalty vibe check,
because nothing protects Americalike firing the people who
(05:39):
protect America.
The Department of HomelandSecurity is reportedly preparing
to gut up to 80% of the staffat CISA, the Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security Agency.
These are the folks who defendour infrastructure from
ransomware, russian cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns.
You know minor stuff like that.
(06:02):
But apparently the realnational threat isn't hostile
foreign actors, it's careerprofessionals who don't clap
hard enough at Trump rallies.
The purge is part of whatinsiders are calling a loyalty
protocol, where civil servants,not political appointees career
professionals are beingevaluated based on whether
(06:26):
they're aligned with theiradministration.
In other words, your cybersecurity team is being replaced
with political loyalists,because that's what every good
dictatorship does we caninternal defenses to protect the
leader's ego.
Cisa has been a nonpartisanagency since its creation in
(06:47):
2018.
It sounded the alarm onelection interference,
state-sponsored hacks andcritical vulnerabilities in
everything from energy grids tohospital systems.
But those facts Inconvenient.
Some of CISA's past reportsdirectly contradicted Trump's
(07:07):
election fraud claims.
So now, instead of updatingfirewalls, they're updating
resumes.
And if you think this stopswith cyber experts, think again.
This is the blueprint Purge thefact-checkers.
Politicize the agencies, thenclaim total control while the
(07:29):
lights flicker.
We're not soft on cyber now.
We're soft on democracy and thehackers.
They don't care who you votedfor.
So first they fired the cyberdefenders, now they're coming
for the rest of the building.
(07:51):
The Supreme Court just clearedthe path for Trump's mass
federal layoffs.
And yes, it's exactly as bad asit sounds.
The Supreme Court just handedTrump a blank check and the
balance is payable in pink slips.
In a 6-3 decision, the courtlifted a block on mass federal
(08:14):
layoffs, clearing the way forTrump's long-planned purge of
government workers.
Agencies on the chopping blockinclude agriculture on the
chopping block includeagriculture, state veterans
affairs you know, the ones thatmake people, make sure people
can eat, stay alive abroad andget care after coming home from
(08:35):
war.
But sure, let's call itdraining the swamp.
Trump's plan would allow him toreclassify tens of thousands of
civil service jobs under acategory that strips away job
protections and turns careerprofessionals into at-will
employees or, in MAGA terms,disposable if disloyal.
(08:58):
These are not politicalappointees, they're analysts,
inspectors, policy experts,caseworkers, veterans, hospital
staff, the institutional memoryof the government Gone.
This is the kind of move thatused to be whispered about in
authoritarian regimes.
(09:20):
Now it's being printed in pressreleases and backed by the
highest court in the land.
The ruling sets a precedentthat future presidents, not just
Trump can fire massive swathsof the federal workforce based
on ideology, politics or purespite.
And if you think this won'taffect you because you're not a
(09:44):
federal employee, think again.
The people most likely to getcut aren't the bloated top brass
.
They're the public servants whoactually do the work Field
investigators, benefitsprocessors, it staff, food
inspectors, va nurses.
You know the boring, thanklessjobs that quietly keep society
(10:09):
from collapsing.
But now, if they're notpolitically in line, they could
be replaced With a tick-tockinfluencer, somebody's cousin
who once ran an Arby's and theSupreme Court just said that's
fine.
We used to argue about the sizeof government.
(10:31):
Now we're arguing whether itneeds to exist at all.
This isn't downsizing, it'sdemolition, and the wrecking
crew just got legal clearance.
So the government's clearingout its workers with the court's
approval.
(10:51):
Meanwhile, silicon Valley isdoing it with a press release
and a smile.
Ai isn't coming for your job,it's already parked in your
chair.
Officially, just 75 layoffs havebeen blamed on AI so far.
Unofficially, it's more like20,000 and growing, according to
(11:15):
data from Challenger, gray andChristmas.
Those technological updates youkeep hearing about, they're
just AI layoffs With better PR.
Companies aren't saying we'rereplacing you with software.
They're saying we're embracinginnovation, and innovation
(11:35):
apparently looks a lot like achatbot doing your job worse but
cheaper.
These aren't just factoryworkers or call centers, it's
finance, marketing, it, hr jobsthat were once considered safe
from automation because theyrequired judgment or emotional
(11:59):
intelligence.
But guess what?
Corporations have decided thesequalities are optional.
As long as the quarterly reportlooks good, your job can be
done by a clunky algorithm thatconfuses your boss's lunch order
with a compliance memo.
Don't worry, the robot's stilllearning.
(12:19):
It'll screw up your job slowly,but hey, it won't ask for
healthcare.
And here's the trick Companiesaren't reporting these as AI
layoffs.
They've lumped them underrestructuring or cost efficiency
, phrases that sound responsibleon paper but mean we'd rather
(12:43):
invest in code than people.
And the media Mostly runningwith the headline AI boosts
productivity, not.
Ai quietly dismantles themiddle class.
So while the number, theofficial number, stays low, the
real number creeps up behindNDAs, corporate memos and
(13:08):
silence, because no one wants tosay we're firing you so we can
license an emotionalistpredictive model trained on your
emails.
But that's what's happening.
This isn't the future, it's therollout.
And if you think your job issafe because it has nuance,
(13:30):
personality or creative voice.
Well, so did 20,000 otherpeople, turns out.
Artificial intelligence doesn'thave to be smarter than you,
just cheaper, while techcompanies replaced humans with
code.
Millions of Americans filled thestreets on June 14th to protest
(13:54):
creeping authoritarianism.
It was loud, it was loud, itwas massive, it was everywhere
and mainstream media didn't missit.
They buried it.
On June 14th, millions ofAmericans marched in small towns
, suburbs, state capitals toprotest the rise of
(14:15):
authoritarianism.
It was one of the largestdecentralized political protests
in years and unless you werethere, you probably didn't hear
much about it.
No helicopters, no wall-to-wallcoverage, no breathless pundits
dissecting the turnout.
Because mainstream media didn'tjust under-report it, they
(14:38):
basically ghosted it.
Instead of leading the eveningnews, it got buried under
lighter stories A gas stationexplosion in New Jersey, a
feel-good dog rescue and a10-minute segment on whether
flip-flops are bad for yourposture.
Meanwhile, entire communitieswere turning out in places like
(14:59):
Topeka, missoula and Fort Worthholding signs, marching in heat,
waving American flags anddemanding protection for
democratic norms.
This wasn't coastal elitesyelling in front of courthouses.
This was teachers, farmers,veterans and retirees saying
enough.
But because there were no riots, no fires and no made-for-cable
(15:25):
violence, it didn't fit thenarrative, and the narrative
matters, because silence createserasure.
If something isn't covered, itdidn't happen, at least in the
minds of people who rely onmedia to tell them what's real.
Think about it If these samecrowds had been angry, armed and
(15:48):
wrapped in Trump flags, they'dhave gotten a week of national
hand-wringing, but peacefulpro-democracy protesters in red
state America Crickets.
This is what grassroots lookslike when it's not being
filtered through a marketingcampaign.
It's ordinary people doingextraordinary things and getting
(16:12):
quietly sidelined because theyweren't dramatic enough to trend
.
Because they weren't dramaticenough to trend.
June 14th wasn't a flash mob.
It was a warning shot, and thefact that so many ignored it,
that might be the scariest part.
Millions marched and mainstreammedia blacked it out, not by
(16:35):
mistake, because their bossestold them to.
While mainstream media ignoreddemocracy in our streets, israel
made sure no one ignored whatrained from the sky.
Israel just launched its largestdrone assault to date,
hammering over 740 targetsacross Gaza in a single campaign
(16:59):
.
It was less a precision strikeand more a blunt message we have
drones, we're going to use them, all of them at once.
The Israeli military called theoperation surgical, which
raises the question listeners,what kind of surgery involves
(17:22):
dropping explosives onneighborhoods and hoping the
diagnosis is better when thedust clears.
Meanwhile, pope Francis isoffered to host peace talks,
because when religious leadersstart negotiating ceasefires,
you know the diplomats have leftthe group chat and expectations
(17:43):
for those talks Somewherebetween low and holding a candle
in a wind tunnel.
Israel says the strikes wereaimed at Hamas infrastructure,
but in Gaza there's no suchthing as a clean war.
When you hit infrastructure,you're talking about buildings
(18:03):
with families still inside orstreets where kids are playing.
This isn't just warfare, it'sreal estate flattening with
talking points.
And while all this unfolds, theglobal response remains a
masterclass in selectiveattention.
One side yells self-defense,the other screams genocide and
(18:27):
Western powers manage to nodsolemnly while selling more
weapons.
Let's be honest 740 drone hitsin a place the size of Detroit
isn't a military strategy.
It's a slow motion demolitionof a boxed-in population with
(18:48):
nowhere to run.
And yet the coverage Minimal,the outrage Filtered, the
humanity Barely noticed.
In a war of surveillance, itturns out the world sees
(19:13):
everything and still chooses tolook away While drones lit up
Gaza, elon Musk's empire lostits CEO because even loyal
executives know when to evacuatea burning building.
And in today's episode ofAbsolutely no One Surprised.
Linda Iaccarino has officiallyresigned as CEO of X because
(19:37):
nothing says we're doing great,like your CEO slipping out the
side door before the next serveroutage.
Insert sad trombone.
Just weeks ago she was assuringthe public that everything was
thriving Cut to.
Now she's gone.
The ad revenue is bleeding andthe algorithm's eating itself
like a snake that forgot whichend was lunch.
(19:58):
No press conference, nostrategy handoff, just one final
post before disappearing like aTesla Cybertruck delivery date.
Elon, for his part, remains,because when the ship's on fire,
who better to steer it than theguy holding the flamethrower?
(20:18):
The CEO of X.
She came, she spun, shevanished.
She came, she spun, shevanished, leaving behind three
stunned interns, two panickedlawyers and one unpaid vendor
holding the bag.
If you have comments, rants oroffers to buy my podcast for $44
(20:42):
million, email me ataworldgonemadpodcast at gmailcom
.
I read everything, even theweird emails, especially the
weird emails or call833-399-9653 toll free and
(21:05):
listen to my opening messagewith the soothing sound of my
voice while I'm unwrappingstring cheese like it's a
classified document.
Also, please don't forget toleave comments on Apple or
Spotify.
That helps my podcast move upin the rankings and be heard by
thousands more people, becausewithout your reviews, apple and
(21:25):
Spotify think I'm just a guymuttering into a can of soup.
This has been A World Gone Mad.
I'm Jeff Allen Wolfe.
I'll be back Friday because Ihave a microphone, a half-eaten
burrito and, unless someonechanges the Wi-Fi password and
unless someone changes the Wi-Fipassword, I'll be good to go.
(21:45):
Until then, stay grounded, stayskeptical and if all else fails
, stay hopeful.
There is chaos in the world,can't you see?
And we need to stand up andpreserve our democracy.
(22:06):
This is a world gone mad.
This is a world gone mad.
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