The Tonic Accord: Recent Episodes
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Every source of news comes with a spin that takes you to the left or the right, the Tonic Accord wants to take you to the center.
In this short episode, Drew and Alex give their thoughts on the protests, violence and political crackdowns that are taking place in both Cuba and in South Africa.
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Cuba is in a very dire situation. The perfect storm of sanctions reinstated by the Trump administration, electricity shortages, empty grocery shops, a failing economy, a repressive government, and an increasingly bad situation regarding COVID-19, seems to have put the Cuban people over the edge. Over the last few weeks, there have been vast protests around Cuba that started via internet mobilization. Now the government has sent police into the streets to crackdown on the unrest, but many officials think these protests may be different. The Cuba government is in a tough place, in the past they had been able to provide security and stability, in place of open democratic values, but now that contract has been broken. Drew and Alex wonder if this will bring change, will the government respond with compromise or bringing down the hammer?
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In South Africa, the Constitutional Court sentenced Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s corrupt ex-president, to 15 months in prison for refusing to appear before an investigation into corruption while he was in office. On July 7th, Mr Zuma was taken into custody. His allies then spread misinformation about the basis for his arrest and encouraged unrest. This led to some of the worst violence since the Apartheid era; trucks were burned, telecommunication towers were destroyed, the largest oil refinery was shut down, and hundreds of people were killed. Drew and Alex discuss how this was fueled by mob violence created by political division and lies. They also talk about how this will just hurt South Africans as many businesses will leave the country.
Between 1830 and 1998, Canadian governments and churches separated more than 150,000 native children from their parents and placed them in mandatory boarding schools. Children were forced by the schools to cut their hair, forget about their cultural heritage and traditions, and were banned from speaking their native languages. There were reports of sexual and physical abuse, and some of the children even committed suicide. Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission found that this effort amounted to “a cultural genocide." Over the last month, Canadians have discovered hundreds of unmarked graves belonging to children who may have died at the schools due to disease or neglect; some were even been killed. It is estimated that close to 4,100 children vanished from the schools nationwide, but numbers could be even closer to 10,000. In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss this atrocity, what it looks like for a nation like Canada to reconcile with its past, and why the United States needs to do the same. They also discuss recent Catholic Church burnings around Canada that are a reaction to the discovery of these unmarked graves. Is justice served with an eye for an eye?
Eminent Domain is the right given by the constitution for the government to seize private property for public use, with payment of compensation. For example, the government can take someone's private property to make room for a new highway or a bridge, as long as it is defined as being for public use or for the “public good.” In this episode, Drew and Alex break down when this has worked and whether it is the right stance. They look into the interstate highway system during the 1950’s and how eminent domain was used to build highways in urban centers; they also touch on how locations like Dodgers stadium were built under this guise. They also discuss how this process can backfire, how it indirectly hurts minority communities, and where and how this idea can and can’t work.
Conspiracies have become more prominent these days and some are more dangerous than others. This episode from May of 2020 goes over Occam’s Razor and how it can help use logic and common sense to cut through some cooky conspiracy theories.
Occam’s Razor is a philosophical and problem solving method that states that “entities should not be multiplied without necessity.” In simpler terms, this means that the more assumptions one has to make, the less likely the explanation is to be true. In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss popular political conspiracies and discuss how Occam’s Razor can help determine their feasibility. First, they take Occam’s razor to cut into some whacky theories like “Flat Earth” and “Ancient Aliens.” Then, they also relate the theory back to relevant ones such as the many conspiracies surrounding the origins of the Coronavirus in Wuhan, as well as the conspiracies around Bill Gates and vaccinations. Later, the two mention the popularity of political conspiracies by the political party that is out of power and also discuss some Cold War conspiracies that ended up to be true.
It has been almost two weeks since Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated in his residence by armed forces. Usually this amount of time would have given authorities time to solve the assassination, but in this case there are still many questions to answer. In this short episode, Drew and Alex react to this hit job and try to figure out why it happened and who did it. There have been many moving pieces, including a link with a Haitian doctor in Florida. Also, according to the AP, “officers found a hat with the logo of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, 20 boxes of bullets, gun parts, four license plates from the Dominican Republic, two cars and correspondence, among other things, in Sanon’s house in Haiti. Twenty-six former Colombian soldiers are suspected in the killing and 23 have been arrested, along with three Haitians.” Did the DEA do the hit? Was it a drug cartel? Powerful enemies inside Haiti? Or just a successful coup by dissatisfied citizens?
A schism is a division that usually occurs between a group of people that belong to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss what a political schism is, why they may happen, and then they discuss some that have occurred in history. They cover a range of schisms that go back centuries, these include -
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The Great Schism of 1054 (or the East-West Schism) which was the break between the western Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. This highlighted the cultural and ethnic tensions between the Western and Eastern Roman Empire. It also paved the way for other religious schisms like the Protestant Reformation.
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The 1970’s ideological shift in the GOP in which the libertarian, anti-government/anti-regulation views from people like Frederich Hayek hijacked certain segments of the Republican Party. During this time, the GOP went from a moderate, center right party that believed in the efficacy of government programs, to a “don’t tread on me” based movement that felt all government regulation led to tyranny and that government was destined to fail. This paved the way for neoliberal economic values and a growing cultural conservatism that felt at odds with secular politics. Eventually this led to Newt Gingrich and Ted Cruz who turned politics into a “forever war” with no legislation, just new scapegoats.
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The Spanish Civil War which seemed to symbolize the growing clash in Europe between rising nationalism and rising socialism. The war heated up fast, pitting neighbors and families against one another. The wealthier, religious class, supported right-wing nationalism with fascist tendencies, while the peasants and working class aligned more with the socialist republicans. To this day, there are still ghosts that remain in Spain from this bloody time.
The Firehose of Falsehood is every autocrat’s dream and it was crafted by the Soviet Union to sow chaos and division without direct force. According to researchers at the RAND Corporation, it describes a phenomenon where a nation’s leading class flood the news and information cycle with so much misinformation that it doesn’t matter if it is right or wrong, it merely confuses the population and causes chaos. It creates political cynicism and a pure distrust in discourse. “While the bulk of firehose claims are false or misleading or even mutually contradictory, a skilled propagandist may salt the mix with statements that are partly valid, lending apparent plausibility to the rest.” In this episode, Drew and Alex look into how Donald Trump may have used this tactic better than most and it eroded the shared truths that were prevalent in the US. They look into the COVID-19 pandemic, the “Big Lie” and more. They also look into the current situation in Brazil and how this can also relate to the firehose of falsehood. Some questions posed in the episode are -
- Can misinformation be halted?
- Will Bolsanaro in Brazil lose popularity?
- Can political discourse be useful anymore?
- Is the recent Arizona fraud audit just a dress rehearsal for 2022 and beyond?
The Tonic Accord is off this week following the holiday weekend. However, this “Tonic Rewind” episode remains relevant as not all sources of news and information are created equally and the rise of misinformation is a prevalent issue.
From February 2021 -
With the issues of misinformation and fake news escalating around the world, Drew and Alex decide to have some fun and rank some of their favorite and least favorite news sources. From S tier (the best) to F tier (the worst) they rank publications such as the Economist, Fox News, the Blaze, the Associated Press, BBC, OANN, and more. Will Info Wars make the top tier or fall to the bottom? Which publication will make the S tier?
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has turned 100 and it has been wildly successful in ways that the Soviet Union would have envied. When the Soviet Union imploded in 1991, many pundits thought that China would be next. Instead, the CCP has been flexible, agile, and ruthless; embracing capitalism but locking down freedom of speech and expression. After the G7 summit, President Biden worried that democracies would even be able to compete and keep up with China. In this episode, Drew and Alex focus on Hollywood and China’s growing pressure on Hollywood studios to censor “ideas and themes” that the CCP deems “offensive.” They talk about the recent story where John Cena mentioned that Taiwan was a country and had to relentlessly apologize to China because his new “Fast & Furious” movie was filmed and opening in China. This illustrates a growing trend where China has the size and clout to basically control what Hollywood studios can release. This is because China is now the second biggest consumer of Hollywood films in the world and has kept theaters open, while many in the west were closed due to COVID-19. Not only have critical characters and themes in Hollywood movies been changed to appease the CCP, but Drew and Alex worry that younger kids in the west will grow up with a flawed view of China. Cinema is about entertaining, but it is also about criticism and symbolism; if themes are censored, Hollywood will lose its magic. What can be done? Can Hollywood push back? Or is it too late?
The United States military is about halfway done with withdrawing the last of its 3,500 American troops from Afghanistan. Over the last two decades, the country has been hit by massacres and violence almost daily. A recent index by Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security ranks Afghanistan as the second-worst country to be a woman, just behind Yemen. However, since the US government has helped the Afghan government fight the Taliban, one positive is that Afghan women have gained some more rights and educational opportunities. Unfortunately, with this withdrawal of troops and a lack of mandate from the government in Kabul, the Taliban has taken over 12 regions over the last few months and is circling in on Kabul. General Scott Miller, the US general responsible for the movement of troops out of Afghanistan, worries that the Kabul government could fall in as little as six months after the US leaves. In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss and debate what could happen next. Should the US stay or should it go? Is a viable government even possible in this divided and rural country?
In this episode, Drew and Alex give their analysis on the New York City Primary, as well as the bizarre life and death of John McAfee, the man who innovated antivirus software, yet died living like Joe Exotic.
The New York City primary has so far been a rebuttal on the progressive agenda. Eric Adams, an ex-Republican (now current centrist democrat) and former NYC police officer, is currently in first place; while Andrew Yang, the social media god of the 2020 presidential election, already dropped out. Drew and Alex go into why this may be. They also look into “Ranked Choice Voting” or RCV, which in theory forces discussion and moderation, over voting for a fringe candidate. In RCV, voters rank their top choices for candidates — first through fifth — rather than selecting just one candidate. If there isn’t a majority, “the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and voters who picked that candidate as their first choice will have their second choice votes count. This process continues until there is a majority winner.” Drew and Alex spar over whether this is a better alternative to the current system. They also discuss why Andrew Yang did so poorly, and why Eric Adams’ success could serve as a strong message to the Democratic Party.
Later in the episode, Drew and Alex talk about John McAfee. He launched the world's first commercial anti-virus software in 1987, yet turned out to be a controversial figure. His growing paranoia caused him to run from US authorities in Belize, where he allegedly killed one of his neighbors, set up curfews, and patrolled the beaches with his own security force. He also got interested in cryptocurrencies to the point where the US government was pursuing him for illegal transactions. McAfee eventually ended up in a Spanish jail where he died last week due to what Spanish authorities called “suicide.” Several months ago, McAfee was quoted saying “Know that if I hang myself, a la Epstein, it will be no fault of mine…” Inevitably, Drew and Alex entertain some of the conspiracies around his death, as well as criticize his paranoid yet extravagant lifestyle.
In this end of the week short episode -
Drew and Alex talk about the recent Supreme Court decision involving the NCAA. The Court unanimously sided with former college players in a dispute with the NCAA over compensation issues. According to ESPN, Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the court's opinion, which "upheld a district court judge's decision that the NCAA was violating antitrust law by placing limits on the education-related benefits that schools can provide to athletes.” This doesn’t give the green light for college athletes to be paid, but it does recognize that the NCAA cannot continue with their current practices. Justice Brett Kavanaugh also wrote a concurring opinion that pushed a harder line which said this is only the beginning.
Drew and Alex also talk about recent reports from Iranian state TV that said that Iran’s sole nuclear power plant, Bushehr, had undergone an unexplained temporary emergency shutdown. Russia helped get this plant up and running, and Bushehr is fueled by uranium produced in Russia, not Iran, and is monitored by the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency. This comes at an interesting time as President Joe Biden wants to renegotiate an entrance into the Nuclear Deal and a low turnout national election just produced a hardliner named Ebrahim Raisi as Iran’s new president. He is listed by many western countries as an extremist and he may prove to be a roadblock in any attempts to revitalize the Nuclear Deal.
Juneteenth is a new federal holiday in the United States that sheds light on the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. It is also known for celebrating African-American culture. Last week, the Senate Bill 475, called the "Juneteenth National Independence Day Act," was passed with a 415-14 vote. However, some Republican elected officials voted against the act, citing a worry that two “Independence Day” holidays within a month could distract or divide. In reality, it seems like another unnecessary fight in the culture war.
In this episode, Drew and Alex use the debate over Juneteenth to discuss “Critical Race Theory.” CRT is a decades-old academic concept that studies racism through the lens of it being a social construct. This is opposed to something tied solely to an individual, and the lingering effects it has within society. In many ways, this method of study looks at the idea that racism isn’t a universal construct, but instead created by systems, policies, and institutions. Proponents of this theory would argue that to create a better future we need to be able to have a comprehensive discussion about our past. While this theory is mainly involved in academic research in universities, Republicans, led by Donald Trump, decided it would be the next fight in the culture war. Now, many states including Idaho, Texas, Florida, and Arkansas, have banned the teaching of CRT in the classroom. It seems like Republicans like Ron DeSantis are fear mongering about CRT mainly to appeal to a fear of national pride and lost patriotism. Drew and Alex discuss and debate whether this method of study is as toxic as some claim, whether it should be taught in schools, and why this lens of study could be important for moving forward.
Deepfakes are a phenomenon in which an existing image or likeness of a person is replaced with someone else’s image. This technology used to only linked with Snapchat or Instagram, but now it is becoming more nefarious. Last month, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Dutch Parliament had an online call with Leonid Volkov, Alexi Navalny's chief of staff. This man turned out to be a deepfake video of Volkov, meaning it wasn’t really him. To make matters worse, only 30% of companies surveyed by tech experts say they are prepared for deepfake threats.
In this episode, Drew and Alex worry about what is next. While this technology used to be funny and meaningless, it could be the next threat to democracy and the truth. According to “Venture Beat,” the number of deepfakes on the web increased 330% from October 2019 to June 2020, impacting close to 60,000 people. Drew and Alex imagine what could happen if a deepfake of Donald Trump called for violence, or the fear of deepfake technology could stop citizens from listening to their leaders.
Later in the episode, they turn their attention to Apple in China. Two decades ago, Apple thought it could change China by bringing their American values to China, instead many experts worry that China is managing to change American companies. Now Apple, a company considered to be at the forefront of protecting consumer privacy, has opened their market to China and the backlash could be coming. User data, including iCloud, is currently stored in Chinese data facilities. In the past, Chinese officials couldn’t access the data due to encryption keys that Apple was assumed to possess. Unfortunately, Chinese firms want to open this data up for state organizations and let them use these same systems. This would mean that many Apple users' information could be vulnerable to the Chinese government. Drew and Alex worry that Apple has become one company with two distinct markets and policies. Should western companies put profits ahead of their pure standards?
In this end of the week episode, Drew and Alex touch on some of the fascinating, hilarious, crazy, and fascinating political/cultural issues they have seen over the last week. They discuss:
- Jeffrey Toobin, the Chief Legal Analyst at CNN, who returned after an eight month “hiatus” involving inappropriate conduct during a Zoom call.
- The Biden Administration has kept their promise to end the Keystone XL Pipeline.
- In her middle age, Marjorie Taylor Greene FINALLY learned about the atrocities of the Holocaust after visiting a museum.
- Violence, crime, and shootings are up in the US. Will this be a fun summer, a crazy summer, or a potentially violent summer?
- The conspiracy around magnetic COVID-19 vaccines.
Peru was something of a success story in Latin America. According to the Economist’s tracking, from 2001 to 2016, the poverty rate fell from 60% to 21% and the economy also grew at an average annual rate of 5.6%. The government also used a healthy mix of free market policies and export led growth, which was different from the protectionism seen in other countries in the region. Unfortunately, as of late, the country has become politically divided and has produced four presidents and eight finance ministers in five years. This instability has made long term change impossible and the pandemic only made it worse. As of June 2021, COVID-19 killed over 190,000 people and 3 million fell into poverty once again. Now Peru has a new left wing president named Pedro Castillo. He won just 50.2% of the vote, which is only around 70,000 more votes out of 17.5m cast. Castillo barely beat Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of Alberto Fujimori, the autocrat and corrupt leader who ruled in the 1990s. People believe Castillo has a weak mandate and will preside over a bitterly divided country. He also has applauded socialists like Evo Morales in Bolivia and Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, and he seems to sympathize with Communist Cuba. Now Keiko Fujimori is saying that the election was fraudulent and this likely won’t help the bitter division between urban and rural Peruvians.
In this episode, Drew and Alex try to make sense of how a leftist and a right-wing candidate were the only options left, when there were eighteen candidates in the election. They also discuss what is next for Peru and whether the country can succeed, while also fending off the leftist policies that brought down Venezuela.
It took four elections over just two years to finally get a coalition to oust Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu, Israel’s longterm Prime Minister. Finally, 60-59 majority was created that removed Netanyahu from his role. The new ruling coalition is a fragile partnership between the far-right, the left, and even an Arab Party. Naftali Bennett, head of the right-wing Yamina party, will be prime minister for the next two years, then the role will be transferred to Yair Lapid, head of the center-left Yesh Atid party.
In this episode, Drew and Alex wonder if this fragile coalition will last. They discuss how Naftali Bennet is arguably further right than Netanyahu, and has said that he doesn’t want to change any of Israel’s policies involving Gaza. They also talk about Netanyahu’s push that the vote was fraudulent and how he is hoping to sew chaos and division that could lead to him returning to power. This coalition needs to focus on less divisive issues like health care, education, and infrastructure, if they want to stay popular and in power. Will this coalition work? Only time will tell.
The G7 is a global alliance made up of some of the world’s most important economic “big hitters,” this includes Canada, Germany, the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Italy. This year, the U.K. hosted the summit and it marked some change because the United States returned to the table, not as a troll, but as an ally and friend. There was some unity over not only delivering vaccines to the world’s most vulnerable nations, but also holding corporations more accountable (via a global corporate tax). Unfortunately, while the G7 agreed that the Uighur situation in China was atrocious, it floundered over an actual solution on dealing with China. Even some G7 nations like Italy, the U.K., and France, have even welcomed some Chinese influence. Some scholars believe that this G7 was a frozen moment in time, removed from the past, but also not focused on the future. It was as if the last four years hadn’t happened… yet they did. In this episode, Drew and Alex look at what is next for the G7 countries, whether the Biden v. Putin summit will amount to anything, and how the US can work with its allies to deal with China.
Due to the pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics were postponed from the summer of 2020 and now are going to be taking place in late July of 2021. However, these summer games have become controversial. In May, 83 percent of those polled in Japan said that they didn’t want Tokyo to hold the Olympics. This is coming as Japan is experiencing a brutal fourth wave of COVID-19 and the nation has only vaccinated about 9% of its population with at least one dose. Though foreigner tourists won’t be allowed to attend the games in Tokyo, there are fears that unvaccinated athletes from other countries could turn this into a “super spreader” event. In this episode, Drew and Alex talk about the pros and cons of continuing with these games. The discuss how the Japanese government is contractually obligated by the International Olympic Committee to hold the games and they also may need them for a boost of national morale. Do they postpone the games again? Do they require that all athletes be vaccinated? Are the Olympics even worthwhile anymore?
In this quick episode, Drew and Alex try to understand why West Virginia’s senator, Joe Manchin, is still holding out against fellow Democrats’ desire to end the filibuster. His political ideology is being a “bipartisan centrist” but is that possible when the country is so politically divided? Is Manchin being naive? Or is he a man with a plan, who is looking to the future?
On May 31, Democrats staged a walk-out in the Texas legislature, this prevented Republicans from passing a bill that would tighten the state’s voting laws. Like other red states, Texas has been emboldened by success in the 2020 election and Trump’s claims of fraud. It seems like these state legislatures are trying to mold the states in the shape they like ahead of the primaries, it also seems like they are focused on the present without any regard for the future. In this episode, Drew and Alex look into why these states are going full into a witch hunt for election fraud, as well as deep into the culture war. They also talk about how Texas was once a fairly pragmatic state that tried to stay out of the culture issues. This all changed when Republicans did very well in the 2020 elections and were emboldened by the president. Will these changes help Republicans in 2022? Or will it cause a backlash?
In late May, Belarus forced a Ryanair plane to land in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. The plane was flying from Greece to Lithuania, but was in Belarusian airspace. Local forces cited a “bomb threat” as the reason for the stop. After hours in Minsk, officials arrested two passengers: Roman Protasevich, an exiled Belarusian journalist, and his girlfriend. After not being seen for weeks, Protasevich has reemerged on Belarusian state TV. Once an outspoken critic of the Belarusian regime, he changed his rhetoric. He apologized and said that Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus’ dictator, is the valid leader. Many humans rights groups however found that Protasevich appeared to have been tortured and was being forced to make this statement.
In this episode, Drew and Alex look into how shocking it is that a private airline can just be forced down a man can be taken, no questions asked. They can only imagine what ideas this is giving the world’s dictators. Drew and Alex also talk about Belarus and its close ties to Russia. Alex Lukashenko, has met with Putin since the incident and seems emboldened by their alliance. Lukashenko doesn’t believe in fair elections, especially after stealing an election last summer. The entrenched dictator is considered Europe’s last dictator and he is also somewhat of a remnant of the Soviet era, the anniversary of the October Revolution of 1917 is still a national holiday, and he controls state owned factories and companies. The US and Europe face a serious dilemma with Belarus. Do they punish Russia? Sanction Belarus? Or isolate the country?
Myanmar’s military junta, or the Tatmadaw, controls the majority of the nation’s elections and parliament. Last February, in a military coup, they ousted Aung San Suu Kyi, of the National League for Democracy, this was over what the junta deemed an illegitimate election. Aung San Suu Kyi was the nation’s first democratically elected leader. Since the coup, human rights groups estimate that Myanmar’s military has arrested roughly 4,000 people, killed hundreds, and has arrested close to half a dozen foreign journalists. One of these journalists is an American, named Danny Fenester. In this episode, Drew and Alex wonder what is next for Myanmar. They also discuss how President Trump’s embattled ex-National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn, believes that the US needs a coup similar to Myanmar. Now, many Trump and QAnon supporters are echoing this need for a “military coup.” This is at a bad time, because new studies show that 15% of Americans believe some views of QAnon (which is more than some religions). Is this all just talk? Does anyone actually understand the severity of the Myanmar situation? OR could another coup hit Washington D.C.?
In this special episode, Alex sits down with Jon Friesen, an old friend. Jon grew up around firearms and was taught at a young age to give them the upmost respect and responsibility. From competition shooting in high school to eventually serving in the US Navy as a Master at Arms(Military Police), he carried a firearm on a daily basis and has a broad understanding of many weapon systems.
As of April 30, 2021, there were 178 mass shootings which fit the Mass Shooting Tracker project criterion. This left 206 people dead and 693 injured. Over the month of May, it looks like the trend has only been getting worse. Alex uses this opportunity to have a discussion with Jon around shootings in the U.S., gun control, and how Americans can help change this issue. Jon debunks several myths about guns that many gun control advocates may believe. The two also debate and at times disagree over the meaning of the Second Amendment, gun culture in the U.S., and the efficacy of “red flag laws,” and personal responsibility versus societal safety. The two don’t agree all the time, but it hopes to be an informative back and forth discussion!
In this end of the week episode, Drew and Alex dive into a crime reporting app called “Citizen” which some have called a private security subscription service. The app “is a mobile app that sends users location-based safety alerts in real time,” or in other words it is a citizen reported crime update system. Drew talks about how the app is back in the news after it offered a controversial bounty of 30,000 dollars to catch a man that was suspected of starting the Palisades Fire in Southern California last week. The man’s face was plastered all over the app, sadly he turned out to be the wrong one. Also, Citizen was reported by Vice’s “Motherboard” to be “testing an on-demand private security force that would respond to user-submitted incidents.” Drew and Alex both fear that this may incentivize vigilantism, subjective reports on crime, and potentially more racism and hate crimes.
In this quick episode, Drew and Alex just talk about the recent updates in the world of cryptocurrencies like Dogecoin, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and more! Over the last few weeks, China has practically banned Bitcoin and other cryptos inside of China. Also, Elon Musk has said that Tesla will no longer accept bitcoin as a form of payment, voicing concerns over the environmental impact of “bitcoin mining.” Most of the biggest forms of cryptocurrency have seen major drops in the Stockmarket. Is this temporary? What will the future look like? Is Dogcoin going to the moon? (hint, probably not).
In this episode, Drew and Alex try to make sense of what is happening in the pandemic economy that Biden’s inherited. They touch on the April Jobs Report, which predicted a gain of close to one million jobs, but instead capped out at a little over 260,000 new jobs (about 1/4 of what was expected). Are less people going back to work due to stimulus checks and heightened unemployment checks? Have people reexamined the worth of their role at lower paying jobs during the pandemic? Are others afraid just to go back? Or is it because the recovery is slower than previously expected?
Drew and Alex also look into the worry about inflation. Some experts think that with more money being put into the economy and stimulus checks, it is possible that inflation will be a prevalent cycle for awhile. Others think it is just temporary in some industries like travel and hospitality, since they have been slowed down during the pandemic. Will the fed raise interest rates after this “crisis” is over?
Finally, Drew and Alex discuss President Biden’s Infrastructure Bill. This broad scoped bill started at over $2.25 trillion, but now there are reports that GOP leaders could offer Biden Nearly $1 Trillion for the plan. Would Biden be willing to compromise on a smaller bill and then go back later for more? Is a bipartisan bill even possible or will Democrats again go down the partisan and strange “Budget Reconciliation” route?
In this brief discussion, Drew and Alex talk about embattled GOP congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. Her recent comments have compared Nancy Pelosi’s mask mandate in the house, to the Holocaust and the forced removal/extermination of millions of Jews. She also has said that she wouldn’t support removing a Hitler statue, because people need to learn from history. These tone deaf comments not only show her lack of knowledge about the worst atrocity in history, but also they seem to be a new form of holocaust denialism. Unfortunately, these comments have come when the Jewish community in Europe and the US has seen a significant rise in hate crimes. This is likely linked to the angry rhetoric on both sides involving the Gaza violence, and just in the US over the weekend, there were dozens of reported hate crimes. Drew and Alex feel that Congresswoman Greene is using dangerous rhetoric in a time where the nation doesn’t need it. Will she be censured? Or will McCarthy and others just give a quick condemnation and move on?
For most of the last year, the assumption that COVID-19 accidentally came from the biosafety level-4 (BSL-4) lab in Wuhan, China, was seen as a conspiracy theory at best. It didn’t help that the media discredited any part of the idea because Donald Trump and his allies baselessly backed the “lab leak” due to its political ramifications towards pressure on China. Now, the Wall Street Journal has reported that U.S. intelligence officials have found that “3 Wuhan lab workers were sick enough to go to the hospital in November 2019, bolstering calls to reconsider the coronavirus lab-leak theory.” This is big news because this would have been around the time that experts think the virus would have started circulating in Wuhan. In this episode, Drew and Alex talk about how this revelation may complicate the matter. Drew was more skeptical but is now open to more information, while Alex found the hypothesis to make sense from the beginning, though politics tainted it. Both talk about how this needs to be solved. The world needs to know whether “gain of function research” is beneficial towards fighting a pandemic or if it plays god in making a pandemic worse. Will China ever come clean? Has all evidence been removed? Or did the virus come from a bat?
Inside of Morocco there are two Spanish territories - the autonomous region of Melilla and the enclave of Ceuta. Last week, over 8,000 desperate Moroccans either swam or breached the border between Morocco and Ceuta and entered the Spanish enclave looking for work. The Spanish government responded with armed vehicles and a mass deployment of the police. Spain now will face issues dealing with close to 1,500 unacompannied minors. The Moroccan government has had a milquetoast response to this crisis and it seems like they are mad at Spain. They are upset because Spain decided to help Brahim Ghali , an independence movement leader in Western Sahara, because he had COVID-19. In this episode, Alex looks into why Morocco could be upset. Western Sahara is a disputed territory that Morocco and the Polisario independence movement both claim. Alex looks at the history of this region. He also mentions that Donald Trump’s recognition of Western Sahara being part of Morocco, which broke from the international consensus, many not have helped. This may be a tricky issue for the EU as well as Morocco.
In this end of the week episode, Drew and Alex touch on the January 6th commission. On Wednesday, the house did vote to approve the commission to look into the chaos at the Capitol, however only 35 House Republicans supported a commission. The rest, including Kevin McCarthy, did not. This meant that 175 Republicans did not support it. Drew and Alex talk about how the GOP seems to want power over truth, why the commission may hurt some GOP members of the house, and why the nation really can’t move on until there is an investigation. Then they touch on Matt Gaetz, who apparently the GOP tent is still big enough for. Last Monday, Joel Greenberg, a friend and colleague of Gaetz, pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges, including sex trafficking. This could be serious for Gaetz as clearly Greenberg is willing to talk and it could implicate the Florida congressman. Both Drew and Alex are shocked that while Liz Cheney has been castigated from the party, a potential pedophile and sex trafficker hasn’t. Is it a big tent? Or one just hellbent on maintaining power?
In this new episode format for the Tonic Accord, Drew and Alex start off by talking about the CDC’s new mask policy that states that vaccinated Americans may take off their mask for a new range of places and activities. Both react to this rapid change and discuss what may happen next. Then, Drew and Alex talk about how the United States, and other rich nations, need to address the global vaccine supply shortages. They mention how the Biden administration is going to send tens of millions of doses around the world instead of push for the removal of intellectual property rights on the vaccines. Finally, they discuss the recent updates on the world’s UFO (or UAP) situation. It seems like the world is slowly starting to accept that UFOs exist; even the Pentagon and other top military organizations have admitted to constantly witnessing this phenomenon. Why are these interactions becoming more frequent? Is the Overton window on the existence of aliens changing? What do these UFOs want?
The recent iteration of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has hit its second week of escalating tensions and purely tragic violence bin the worst fighting since 2014. Once again, average people are being forgotten in the tragedy as both sides' leaders seem to want violence and national dogma over discussion. In this episode, Drew and Alex try to break down why this is happening, why it is escalating, what can be done, and if there is still any hope for a two state solution. They also dive into how though Israel is using asymmetrical force and this just could backfire. How do you combat a crisis when one side has big guns and western support, but the other side knows that terrorism and violence will just fuel a propaganda network? The answer: IT IS TOUGH.
In this episode, Drew and Alex look at some of the most pressing issues in Latin America. They catch up on the violent protests in Colombia around a tax reform bill. They also talk about violence against environmentalists in Honduras, and why El Salvador’s young president may be a perfect autocrat in the making. There are some troubling trends in Latin America involving poverty, inequality, and authoritarianism, and they all seem to have stemmed from the pandemic and its uncertainty.
Since the 1970’s, there has always been a Cheney family member in the upper echelon of Republican leadership. That changed today, as Liz Cheney was voted out of her position as the third ranking Republican in the House. This was following her continuous criticism of President Trump and her outspoken rebuttal of the “Big Lie.” Now, it looks like Elise Stefanik, a once moderate Republican from New York, will take her place. In this episode, Drew and Alex look into what is next. They talk about how this is a disturbing trend in the Republican Party in which loyalty supersedes ideology. They wonder how moderates can stay afloat in this post-democratic party. What will future elections look like when the majority of GOP voters think that Biden isn’t a duly elected president. Could Liz Cheney run for president? Or is this the end of the two party system?
After being ranked as a “fully functioning democracy” for most of the last decade, Freedom House, a reputable watchdog for democracy, lists Hungary as a “hybrid regime” meaning it is one step up from being considered “authoritarian”. Hungary now scores worse than Serbia in terms of democratic values. This is worrying because Hungary has been circling the authoritarian drain for years and now its prime minister, Victor Orbán is going further, looking to put public universities into his propaganda network of false information and conspiracies. This is only the latest, and potentially most detrimental step, towards Hungary no longer remaining a democracy. In this episode, Alex looks into why this is truly alarming and why other authoritarians are taking notice. Alex mainly focuses on what the Economist magazine states, “one reason why democracy is in decline around the world is that its enemies keep swapping tips on how to undermine it.
A “wedge issue” is a politically divisive issue, that is usually raised by a candidate for public office in hopes of attracting or alienating an opponent's supporters. Typically, wedge issues have a cultural or populist theme. These can be issues relating to crime, national security, sexuality, abortion or identity. Over the years both parties have used them to get out unlikely or new voters because these issues force people to pick a side. In this episode, Drew and Alex talk about how wedge issues can be problematic because they lack nuance on a given topic and don’t look to change people’s minds. They also look at how the Republican Party has really relied on wedge issues to stay relevant, and it seems to be working. The two discuss some of the most ridiculous wedge issues like masks, vaccine passports, transgender athletes in professional sports, guns, words like ‘communism,’ and Trump himself. Both feel that while wedge issues can help divide and conquer a base, they aren’t good for a healthy society and for open discussion.
Last week, the United States released the 2020 Census, which was the 24th census since 1790. This census not only showed slow population growth, but it also moved several congressional and electoral seats from blue states like California and New York to red and purple states like Texas and Florida. Now there are lawsuits about the accuracy of the census, Democrats just underperformed in a special election in Texas, and critics of this census believe that minorities were undercounted. In this episode, Drew and Alex dive into everything involving this census. They look at what has changed and whether this may be problematic for Biden’s marginal majority. They also look into redistricting and its impact on the electorate. Was the census accurate? Will it change the House and Senate in 2022? Is it a big deal?
Since the pandemic, New York City has struggled. Those who could afford to have left the city, restaurants have been closed, and there has been a wave of crime. In this episode, Alex talks about Andrew Yang and how he has announced his run for Mayor of New York City. Though he has no experience in politics or government, it seems like he may have a shot to win. Alex goes into Yang’s spotty career history, his ambitious plans, and how he came to adopt a very unique and innovative political ideology. It seems like Biden’s presidency is showing that messaging is crucial and sometimes the most progressive agendas can be passed by very non ideological people. Could Yang do the same for NYC?
Jacob Riis was famous for his work “How the Other Half Lives.” It exposed the gritty and impoverished underbelly of New York City during the height of the “Gilded Age”. He has an interesting quote, “It is a dreary old truth that those who would fight for the poor must fight the poor to do it.” In this episode, Drew and Alex dive into the more broad concept that sometimes the disadvantaged vote against their own interests and preservation. They look at how layers like populism, messaging, identity politics, culture, and fear, all can cause people to elect leaders that aren’t in their own interest. They talk about issues like gun deaths, health care, the New Deal, the Southern Strategy, and more. Can ideology or group dynamics be more important to some than self preservation?
According to reports, before March, India barely was recording 13,000 new COVID-19 cases a day which was fewer than Germany or France. However, over the last month, the caseload is the highest in the world for any country during any period of the pandemic. On April 21st, India reported 315,000 new positive covid-19 tests, and as of Monday, April 26th, that number is over 350,000 daily positive cases. In this episode, Drew and Alex look into how this crisis is not an Indian problem, but a global crisis. They look into how this happened, what may be coming, and how this may impact global vaccination.
Recently, there have been reports that Matthew McConaughey may be actively considering a run for the governor of Texas. A poll by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler found that McConaughey could have a good chance. In a hypothetical poll, he “garnered 45% support of the vote, with Gregg Abbott, a Republican, getting 33% and 22% saying they would vote for someone else.” In this episode, Drew and Alex turn this into a discussion around celebrity politicians. It seems like over the last decade, Americans are truly turning to celebrities as politicians. Why do they gain popular appeal? Can they govern? Should they govern? The two look at past examples like Ronald Reagan, and they also look at future potentials like Dwayne the Rock Johnson.
In March of 2020, Drew and Alex discussed how reunification between Ireland and Northern Ireland could be nearing as Sinn Fein, a nationalist party won a majority of seats in Northern Ireland and had unification at the center of their platform. Unfortunately, the perfect mix of COVID, Brexit border issues, and religious and political division have led to weeks of the worst riots and violence in decades. In recent weeks, many young unionists have taken to the streets with Molotov cocktails and bricks over what they called “two tiered policing” and a worsening economic situation over Brexit borders. In this episode, Drew and Alex look at how this situation can be resolved. Currently, the UK’s government compromised with the EU to allow Northern Ireland (which is part of the UK) to be part of a shared trade zone with Ireland. This has indirectly made a border in the Irish Sea and has complicated trade between the UK, Northern Ireland, and Ireland. It has also worsened tensions with Brussels. Drew and Alex discuss how this may reflect the brutal realities of Brexit and how politicians were never honest about how complicated it would be. London, Dublin, and Belfast were not ready for this issue and now they will be forced to address it.
A headline out of the San Francisco Gate Newspaper reads “'Another family losing their home' as SF transplants are displacing Tahoe locals.” This is a trend that is growing in mountain towns across the United States in which remote work has allowed white collar workers from cities to relocate to rural areas. Now, towns from California to Colorado are seeing surges in transplants that are causing a housing shortage that may kick out locals that work in the tourism industry that are needed to run these local economies. In this episode, Alex discusses how this is just another aspect of the inequalities that COVID-19 has brought to the surface. He also proposes a few solutions such as affordable housing.
During the 2020 campaign trail, President Biden gave relatively milquetoast answers on whether or not he would support “packing the court.” Adding members to the court comes from the idea that although the Supreme Court has been made up of nine justices for over a century, the Constitution does not require that number. In recent years, there has been a growing group of liberals and progressives in the US who believe that the Supreme Court should be expanded to better represent the nation’s population and majority. In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss how packing the court used to be a progressive dream, but now even moderates are warming up to it. They also debate whether this would be a good idea during a divisive and trying time, and whether this would just lead to an even more political and zigzagging Supreme Court. The two also look into other options such as balancing the courts, stripping jurisdiction, a lottery system, and term limits.
In this episode, Drew and Alex bring on John Dewald. He is the president and co-founder of Full Belly Brasil, a 501c3 charitable organization that is working to end world hunger and combat climate change. John founded Full Belly in 2020 after completing his Fulbright Grant in Brazil with Rio de Janeiro native Jorge Ferreira. John graduated from Claremont McKenna College in 2017 and has lived abroad since. He speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese. In this episode, the three talk about why Full Belly Brasil is taking a unique and impressive approach to dealing with world hunger and climate at the same time. They also discuss how the political climate in Brazil could be impacting aid to vulnerable communities.
Full Belly Brasil is on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and their website https://fullbellybrasil.com
European and NATO allies have expressed concerns over a buildup of Russian forces on the Crimean and Ukrainian border. The Atlantic Council says that “The military build-up has raised fears of a possible Russian offensive that could push beyond the areas of eastern Ukraine currently under Kremlin control and lead to a dramatic escalation in the simmering seven-year conflict between the two countries.” In this episode, Drew and Alex go over the history of Crimea, Ukraine, and the seven year conflict. They think the key element to understanding the conflict is understanding what Putin wants. They look at other conflicts in Georgia to try and better understand what is happening. The two also look at the opinions of different foreign policy experts and discuss how the EU and Biden should respond to this issue. Is Putin just testing the Biden administration? Or is he planning for a true offensive?
Last week, Janet Yellen, the US Secretary of the Treasury proposed the idea of a global corporate tax rate. There is the idea that it would cause more transparency, equity, and reform on the global "safe-haven" issue involving corporate taxes. However, this also comes at a time when both parties in the US have become less friendly towards corporations but for very different reasons. Republicans, the once champions of free trade and open markets, now want to boycott private companies that have said things they don’t agree with. On the left, Democrats continue to want to raise corporate taxes and the minimum wage, but now they support political statements from corporations. In this episode, Alex looks at the state of corporations in the US and around the world.
Derek Chauvin was the police officer who became infamous after the death of George Floyd back in May. He placed his knee on Floyd for over nine minutes as the man called out for his mother and for help. This arguably started the largest movement in history against police violence and systematic racism. Now Chauvin is standing trial on three counts of intentional homicide. If convicted, he could receive as much as 40 years in prison. In this episode, Drew and Alex look into the first seven days of the trial. They look into how Chauvin is facing three charges: second degree unintentional felony murder, third degree “depraved mind” murder, and second degree manslaughter. They discuss these charges and which one is the most likely to be successful in this trial. They also discuss the hypotheticals of what would happen if Chauvin is acquitted and the larger cultural context of this trial and its potential aftermath.
While Drew and Alex were off, the US-China relationship evolved in a multitude of ways. In this episode, they look into how the U.K., the U.S. and Canada joined the European Union in placing sanctions on Chinese officials. This is related to international anger over the Uighur situation in China. Also, the United States and China sparred with harsh rhetoric during a summit in Anchorage, Alaska. Closer to China, a new law was passed in Hong Kong that will limit the democratic system and will likely allow Beijing to pick more politicians that are friendly to the communist party. To top it off, Chinese rhetoric towards Taiwan has become more aggressive and even one Chinese pilot said that Taiwan belonged to China. Drew and Alex try to make sense of it all and find it ironic that while Biden has been ridiculed by the right for being too “China friendly,” his rhetoric has been closer to Trump’s than Obama’s.
Last week, Georgia passed SB 202 which gives the state legislature power over county elections. This has the potential to give the Republican controlled state legislature the ability to disqualify votes they deem “illegitimate.” The law also criminalizes handing out food and water to voters waiting in line to vote, it requires voter ID for absentee ballots, and will limit the amount of ballot drop boxes in certain counties. In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss how the Brennan Center, a nonpartisan institute focused on voting rights, has been “tracking the spread of new voting restrictions across the country. The last time its data was updated, there were more than 250 bills under consideration in statehouses that would limit access to the ballot box.” Drew and Alex discuss voter ID laws and how they don’t seem to impact voting numbers. They also find that some of the new laws seem to want to discourage voting without any reason. They fear that this is political theater to appease Trump and his supporters who still support “the big lie.”
Today on catching up, Alex worries that the Overton Window is expanding in regards to the acceptance of fascist ideas. He fears that the media and some right-wing figures have pushed fear and grievance that is leading towards anti-democratic means and values. He thought that after Trump left office things would calm down, but now some people are saying things that Trump wouldn’t. Alex begins with a Tucker Carlson interview in which his guest thinks that the left is driving the right to elect a fascist. Then he discusses a Claremont Institution article that plainly states that anyone who didn’t vote for Trump isn’t an American and that conservatives need to find a way to deal with these “foreigners.” The article openly says that a new conservative movement needs to use power and strength to create a counter-revolution.
Following an ABC interview on Wednesday where Joe Biden agreed with the statement that Vladimir Putin was a killer, rhetoric between Russia and the United States returned to a Cold War era low. Since Biden made this powerful, yet likely true statement, Russia has removed their diplomat from Washington D.C., Putin has wished Biden good health, and the Kremlin has called Biden's words unforgivable. In this episode, Alex looks into why this recent feud is just the culmination of about a month of the Biden administration's calling out of nefarious Russian behavior. He thinks that the change from Trump to Biden has really rocked the boat and feels that Biden is breaking from the Obama era foreign policies.
Washington D.C. was arguably meant to be the seat of government and nothing else. Now close to 700,000 people live in the District of Columbia, yet they can't elect a senator or congressman. They also receive less federal funding and people are getting sick of it. Citizens of D.C. have come to represent "taxation without representation." Also, territories like Puerto Rico and Guam were acquired by the states after the Spanish American War, but they have never gained statehood. Now close to half of Americans feel that Puerto Rico and D.C. should be made states. In this episode, Drew and Alex wonder if right now may be the opportune time for politicians to try and get Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. turned into states. They look into the example of Alaska, the political issues of trying to do so, and why Puerto Rico could be supported by Republicans, while D.C. could be more polarizing. They also touch on how race may have contributed to D.C. not being a state.
In this episode, Drew and Alex look into the idea that the desire for small government is no longer feasible. Since 2000, each president, right or left, has exacerbated the national debt. They look at George W. Bush, Barack Obama and the recent policies of Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Trump campaigned as an outsider and a budget czar, yet increased the deficit by close to $7 trillion. Biden passed one of the biggest stimulus packages in US history. Is small government still feasible? Is it possible? Will the national debt catch up to the average American?
Last week, Italy allegedly blocked a shipment of 250,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Australia. Italy was the first country to use its new blocking powers recently approved by the EU. This was in response to growing tensions between many countries including the UK, the US, and the EU, over shortages of the vaccine. In this episode, Alex looks into the idea of “Vaccine Nationalism” and how it can be common during a global health crisis. He also highlights the fact that this nationalism isn’t just between rivals; it can be between allies and friends. Through interviews from Scott Gotlieb (the ex-FDA chief) about the movement of vaccine facilities from Ireland to the US, and examples from around the world, Alex worries that the pandemic is eroding global cooperation. Could countries retreat into their own closed spheres again?
In this episode, Drew and Alex look into the ever growing tragedy that is occurring in Yemen. They discuss how the current humanitarian crisis began as an ousting of a despot during the Arab Spring and ended in a proxy war between the Iranian backed Houthis and the Saudi backed Yemeni government. Drew and Alex also look into the larger picture of the crisis and how it may be highlighting a shift in power dynamics in the Middle East. Is there a growing schism? Could it lead to a bigger conflict? What should the US do?
In this episode, Drew and Alex touch on the events over the last month involving the border and Biden’s immigration policies so far. They debate the broad ideas involving the scope and volume of people that should be allowed to enter the US. They also touch on Obama and Trump’s policies and contrast them with what Biden has been doing so far. Later they also get into feasible reforms that Biden should push for to make the US’s immigration system less broken.
In this special “Catching Up” segment, Alex sits down with Grayson Forsberg. He is a returning guest, who is currently a law student at McGeorge School of Law, a legislative aide, and a content writer for the Convention of States. In this short discussion, they touch on the growing trend towards authoritarianism in the United States and how both parties seem to be prone to it. They also touch on the constitution, minority rule, and more.
In this episode, Drew and Alex talk with John McCombs. He is a 10 year veteran of comedy and a 4 year veteran of the Marine Corps. John has performed in 15 different countries over two European tours and has opened for Michelle Wolf (Netflix, Comedy Central) and Tim Meadows (SNL). Also, he is a regular at the Laugh Factory and Zanies. John is hilarious and the three discuss comedy in the COVID era, Trump’s effect on comedy, cancel culture, and the state of the GOP.
John’s website - https://www.johnmccombscomedy.com
IG - https://www.instagram.com/johnmccombscomedy/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/Brolli106
President Joe Biden has officially been the president of the United States for over a month. In this episode, Drew and Alex dive into what the first month of Biden’s administration has looked like. They agree and disagree on a myriad of his policies. They talk about the vaccination program, the relief package, what “unity” means, and what the recent bombings in Syria may foreshadow.
Last Tuesday, Gavin Newsom, California’s governor, signed a $7.6 billion coronavirus relief package that plans to provide at least $600 one-time payments to close to six million Californians. It also set aside more than $2 billion in grants for struggling small businesses. In this episode, Alex looks at how states can pass their own relief packages if Congress is stalling on passing any relief. He looks into criticisms that the State of California can’t afford this relief package. He says that the state actually did better than expected through high state taxes, a booming stock market, and high capital gains taxes. He worries that the state is becoming only one of high earners and low earners; but at least the state was able to redistribute some of this revenue to help those in need.
The filibuster is one of those strange features of American democracy that seems to have come to fruition by accident and over centuries of political opportunism. In this episode, Drew and Alex debate whether or not the filibuster should still be a feature in the US Senate. They go into its strange history and why it seems to serve as an apparatus for the minority. Drew and Alex feel that some of the founding fathers were so afraid of "tyranny of the majority" that they left certain safety nets to protect the minority. Has this backfired?
Andrew Cuomo, Ron DeSantis, Gavin Newsom, Greg Abbott, what do they all have in common? Answer - they are all governors of large states. Also, they all have chosen different methods towards dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. They also have dealt with different issues and the coverage has varied.
In this episode, Drew and Alex look how politics has plagued how we view governors and how states deal with crisis. They also dive into some of the controversies, blatant problems, and mistakes that these governors have made and they think that the last four years has made people blind towards the need for efficient state governance.
The debate over what is acceptable free speech gained a Spanish twist as thousands of protesters took to the streets across cities in Spain starting on Tuesday. These people were demanding the release of Pablo Hasél, a rapper who was arrested by police over a series of tweets and lyrics that criticized the Spanish monarchy and also glorified terrorism and left-wing extremism. In this episode, Alex looks into this case and how there appears to be a glaring double standard in which not all inflammatory speech is treated the same. Hasel was arrested for his statements yet Neo-Nazis and other far-right parties are still allowed to hold rallies. Alex worries this double standard, in a country that had such a turbulent 20th century, could bring up old tensions.
Since the 14th century, there have been disputes over Tibet and whether it is autonomous or part of China (the Qing Dynasty at the time). Since the rise of Maoist China, the Communist Party has continued to lock down ideas and practices that go against a unified, Han China. This has been seen in other regions of China like the Uighur camps in Xinjiang, a lockdown of dissent in Taiwan and Hong Kong, and the exile of the Dalai Lama from Tibet. This ideology has been termed “Sinicization” and it is defined as “bringing people who are not of Chinese descent under the influence of Chinese culture.”
In this episode, Drew and Alex talk about the complicated situation in Tibet that involves the Chinese government and the suppression (potential manipulation) in picking the next Dalai Lama. Drew and Alex talk about how the Dalai Lama has reincarnated 13 times and is getting to the age where the process of finding his reincarnate is approaching. However, he has been in exile in India and hasn’t returned to his cultural land of Tibet. The Chinese government is muddling the waters and sowing division with the hopes that they can pick the next Dalai Lama. There are also reports that Chinese officials kidnapped the Panchen Lama as a baby and have touted a hand picked one instead. According to Robbie Barnett, a scholar of Tibetan culture, “it seems these policies are aimed at creating future Tibetans who won’t know about the Dalai Lama as having any role in Tibetan Buddhism except as an enemy.” Could there be two Dalai Lamas? One in India and a Chinese plant in Tibet?
In this episode, Drew and Alex reflect on the impeachment trial. They are angry at the outcome, but not surprised. They go into the politics of the impeachment, issues with how the process happens, and the ramifications for the future. Later, they look into a new Quinnipiac poll that found a majority of Republicans support Trump’s continued hold on the party even as "a majority of Americans believe he incited the Jan. 6 riot." They also worry that the Republican Party will continue to try to hold onto power while being a diminishing minority party; could this authoritarian fringe be growing?
With the issues of misinformation and fake news escalating around the world, Drew and Alex decide to have some fun and rank some of their favorite and least favorite news sources. From S tier (the best) to F tier (the worst) they rank publications such as the Economist, Fox News, the Blaze, the Associated Press, BBC, OANN, and more. Will Info Wars make the top tier or fall to the bottom? Which publication will make the S tier?
The second impeachment of Donald Trump has begun, but other things are happening abroad that could have even more ramifications. In Myanmar, the ruling military junta finally staged what some are calling a coup, to remove the elected state counsellor of the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi. In Russia, Putin's managed democracy is failing as protests have followed the jailing of Alexei Navalny. And in India, farmers are protesting Prime Minister, Narendra Modi's, calls to deregulate the agricultural sector. In this episode, Drew and Alex look into these three protest movements and discuss how they could be related. All three countries are trying to masquerade as democracies, while also limiting free speech and fair elections. The lie may be over, what is next?
In this quick episode, Alex looks into the new lawsuit against Fox News filed by the election technology company Smartmatic. The lawsuit targets "stars" like Lou Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro, as well as Trump allies Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell. The lawsuit is for $2.7 billion and is being ran by a media defamation attorney who brought "pink slime" in meat to the spotlight. Alex talks about how this lawsuit and the recent Dominion voting systems lawsuits may actually help in holding companies like Fox News, OANN, and Newsmax more accountable. He is against deplatforming, but does feel that companies that report to millions of Americans need to be accountable. Could lawsuits be the last defense against misinformation?
Controversy in Washington has moved from ex-President Donald Trump to the new freshman republicans who are following in his footsteps. Of this new dream-team Marjorie Taylor Greene is the "famous" one and there isn’t a conspiracy theory that she doesn’t believe in. She harassed Parkland shooting victims, blamed Jewish lasers for the California fires, believes in QAnon, and has supported the killing of Democratic leaders. Today on the Tonic Accord, Drew and Alex look into why people like Greene could be problematic for the GOP and the country. They also look into why the house may be trying to protect her.
Starting from the subreddit "wallstreetbets", a movement began earlier last week to react to hedge funds that were shorting the stock of GameStop. These hedge funds bet against GameStop, knowing that it would drop and they could make money off of it. They went all in on the stock going down and they put their financial position on the line. Unfortunately for the hedge funds, this movement of individual reddit investors was able to completely flip the process by overvaluing GameStop. Some argue that they wanted to show that they could manipulate the system as good if not better than the hedge funds. This led to some early independent GameStop investors winning big, hedge funds losing a lot, and AOC and Ted Cruz agreeing on the outcome. In this episode, Drew and Alex look into this crazy situation and debate what is next.
The Republican Party had an easy off ramp from supporting Donald Trump after the insurrection. However, now it appears like they are doubling down on supporting him. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy met with Trump in Mar-a-lago earlier this week and clearly showed signs of loyalty and support. It looks like Trumpism isn’t going away and it may be growing and evolving. In this quick episode, Alex gives his thoughts on the evolution of Trumpism through the eyes of Marjorie Taylor Greene and the fact that Liz Cheney is being attacked more than these conspiratorial nuts. Apparently condemning violence is deplorable, but not blaming the California fires on Jewish lasers? He speculates on whether Trump should even run again when it seems like he may be more powerful in the shadows.
The Fairness Doctrine originated in 1949 with the intention to require broadcasters to give equal time to opposing opinions and stances. It required TV and radio stations holding FCC-issued broadcast licenses to “devote some of their programming to controversial issues of public importance and allow the airing of opposing views on those issues. “ However, it was repealed in the 1980’s during the Reagan era. Some people believe that the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine allowed for the rise of conservative talk radio, Fox News, and inevitably the problem of misinformation that is happening now. Others believe it should be brought back. In this episode, Drew and Alex wade through all the myths and realities of the Fairness Doctrine. Both feel that it wouldn’t fix the problems because it was truly used during a different time. They also talk about alternative solutions to dealing with the age of misinformation.
In this episode, Drew and Alex talk with Nazli Donmez. She is a fellow Chapman University alumni and shares her firsthand experiences on how Turkey’s democracy, under the leadership of Recep Erdogan, has slipped into autocratic rule. They look into modern Turkey’s push for secular politics, its military influence, and the cultural backlash from religious conservatives. Nazli also talks about how a lot of Erdogan’s rhetoric mirrors Donald Trump and other populists’ rhetoric.
In a rare showing of agreement between the Trump Administration and the Biden Administration, last week former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo accused China of Genocide against the Uighur Muslim population in China. Then his successor, Antony Blinken, of the new administration, said he agreed with the assessment. However, many state department officials say this could be a loaded term. While the situation in China is clearly bleak, it is unprecedented for the State Department to use that word in a situation where there aren’t mass killings happening. Today, Alex catches everyone up on how this agreement with Pompeo may foreshadow how the Biden Administration may escalate tensions with China.
In this episode, Drew and Alex decide to take their focus off of world affairs and turn their heads to the stars. They talk about the rise of private space enterprises that have teamed with the public sector like SpaceX. They also look into the changing foreign affairs that could meet their peak in space and how current space treaties that were created between the US and Soviets need to be updated for the modern times. It is an interesting time in the world and it is time to start looking outwards!
It is the eve of President-Elect Joe Biden's inauguration and President Trump has less than a day left in office. He has been an historic president for some unique reasons and this week he added to that by getting impeached for the second time. Now, there are 25,000 troops defending the capitol, tensions are high, and the nation hasn’t been this divided since the civil war. Today, Drew and Alex do a bit of an autopsy of the nation and discuss how we can reconcile and move forward. They look into white supremacy, Greek Philosopher Plato's fears over Mob Rule, and how the nation needs to find a medium between limiting misinformation while still allowing free speech.
There is an out of print book that has been exploding in popularity over the last week inside of China. The book is called America Against America by Wang Huning and some copies of the book have surged to more than $2,500 dollars as Chinese people are racing to buy it so they can better understand the recent chaos in the United States. The book came out over 30 years ago and it forecasts the decline of the US due to domestic conflicts. It also talks about how a "Cold Civil War" would tear the US apart and would weaken its international influence. In this episode, Alex talks about whether this book could be a harbinger for things to come.
The "Overton Window" is a concept by Joseph Overton who was a libertarian think tanker who popularized the concept in the 1990's. His concept involved looking at a policy spectrum that went from extreme to benign. He believed that only a portion of this policy spectrum was within the realm of the politically feasible at any time. He said that "regardless of how vigorously a group may campaign, only policy initiatives within this window of the politically possible will meet with success." In this episode, Drew and Alex talk about how this concept is really about political boundaries and what is acceptable in the current political landscape. They talk about how both the left and the right have expanded the window. Sometimes expanding the Overton Window leads to progress, but other times it can lead to hate, violence, and the rise of oppressive regimes.
In this special episode, Drew and Alex sit down with Madeline Quasebarth to talk about her upcoming paper on the Pfizer Vaccine and the exploitation of Bauxite miners in Guinea. The two topics may seem separate and worlds apart, but Madeline talks about how Bauxite is a crucial component of keeping the vaccine cold and the mining of this material may be cause social, economic, and health issues to the population of Guinea. Madeline is a recent graduate from the University of Chicago with a Masters in Social Sciences. Currently she works for the Chicago Center for HIV elimination and the Africa Center for Strategic Progress. She is passionate about economic, racial, and reproductive justice and volunteers as a case manager for the Chicago Abortion Fund.
Nobody was able to predict what happened in 2020, now the big question is what will be coming in 2021. The Spanish Flu was the predecessor to the "Roaring '20’s," could the world see another booming decade ahead? Or could 2020 be a harbinger for a new world to come? Last year, Drew and Alex talked about their predictions for 2020 and they didn’t predict most of the chaos that followed. In this episode they make predictions on COVID-19, the vaccine, Asian geopolitics, China's economy, the future of the EU, what may happen in the United States, and more! Will they be more correct than the previous year?
In this special Wednesday episode, Drew and Alex discuss the horrifying events that unfolded outside nation's capitol yesterday. They provide their reactions, thoughts, and more. They also talk about the future of the GOP, what can be done from here, and what Biden can do to unify the country.
In this episode, Drew and Alex do a live analysis and discussion over the two runoff elections in Georgia for the US Senate. The elections are Raphael Warnock against Kelly Loeffler and David Purdue against Jon Ossoff. As the results come in, they break down the implications of this election, the drastic difference between this election, and how Trump may affect voter turnout on both sides.
Over a week ago, news broke that the U.S. government had been hacked by what appeared to be a Russian intelligence service. A week later, the list of affected agencies continues to grow, as do the calls for a U.S. response. Experts say the hackers may have been seeking nuclear secrets, blueprints for advanced weaponry, and COVID-19 vaccine-related research. Now President Trump has claimed without evidence that China did the hacks. In this episode, Drew and Alex cover the hack, how the US should deal with Russia, and why Trump’s blindspot towards Russia may be dangerous.
The Senate finally reached an agreement on a new stimulus. In this episode, Alex looks at why the first stimulus bill since May is trying to fix the wrong problem. He cites economists who mention that normally during a recession, you want to incentivize people to get back to work and you want firms to invest more. However, with a pandemic, you want to pay people not to work. Alex discusses how Europe seems to have found the right approach in which they have nationalized payroll systems instead of expanding unemployment. In Spain, furloughed citizens still get 70% of their paycheck.He feels that the US is too caught up in a philosophical debate over the role of the federal government, and this has hurt COVID-19 relief. Is Alex right?
Did you know that President Carter issued over 560 pardons? President Clinton over 450? And President Obama granted clemency 1,927 times during his eight-year tenure, which included 212 pardons? In this episode, Drew and Alex look into the presidential pardon. They discuss its history from a tool of the British Monarchy to something added to the US constitution at the last minute. They also talk about how the pardon has changed over time. Then Drew and Alex get into the question of whether President Trump can pardon himself? Can he pardon Rudy? His family?
On Monday, the Electoral College cast their votes in the 2020 presidential election, this officially certified Joe Biden as the president elect. However, not all has been rosy. There’s a growing schism not only inside of the country but also inside of the GOP. Less than a week earlier, 126 House Republicans and 18 states’ attorney’s generals supported asking the Supreme Court to nullify the election results in four battleground states. The Supreme Court denied it, but the anger isn’t going away. Today, Drew and Alex discuss the future of the GOP and why Republicans are hanging on to this nightmare. What could be next for a party that is clearly divided?
In this episode, Alex catches listeners up on the COVID-19 situation in the African continent. He talks about how Africa has done better than projected in handling the virus. Many African nations have proven that localized projects can help average people during a crisis. He talks about solutions from drones that can deliver public messages and medical supplies, to digital currency which helps against fraud, to cheap COVID tests and transparent messaging. One can only wonder if this pandemic may help Africa realize its ability to evolve and create adaptive solutions.
Should the government always be trusted? Why does support for public spending seem to imply you’re a socialist? Is the United States actually a democracy? In this episode, Drew and Alex look into some of the biggest misconceptions and myths that many people take for fact inside of the political world.
The Arctic is warming and it will have lasting implications. The planet’s northern polar region recorded its second hottest 12-month period up to September 2020. This has led to declining ice, rising water, fires in Siberia, and a new sea. It has also redefined geopolitics. In this episode, Drew and Alex look at how a new geopolitical battle over the Arctic is growing. From the Bering Strait to Greenland to the Faroe Islands, everyone from China to Russia to the United States and Europe want to control the final frontier due to its locations, resources, and more. What will happen? How will countries react?
Democracy has died in Venezuela. Yesterday, President Nicolás Maduro won control of Venezuela's National Assembly. This was the only branch of government that actually opposed Maduro. The government said turnout was 31 percent and many members of opposition parties opted out of the election. Among them were Juan Guaidó, the leader of the National Assembly and someone who many western nations had labeled as the interim president of Venezuela. Now it looks like President Maduro should be renamed “Dictator Maduro” as he has become entrenched and still maintains military support. In this episode, Alex talks about how this is the nail in the coffin for Venezuelan democracy. He also looks into how Venezuela almost has two governments, the Maduro regime which controls the country, and Guaidó’s support which is mainly only legitimate in international circles. Should the world have recognized Guaidó when he had no legitimacy?
In this "Catching Up" segment, Alex looks into the statement Trump made during the earlier days of his campaign in which he said that he would lose billions of dollars by being president and that he was only running out of the altruism of his heart. Alex looks into the new reports that show that Trump's election fraud fund has gained $170 million dollars from small donors since the election. He looks at how Trump could end up being able to use this money for some personal matters. Then Alex looks into the reports of an investigation into a "pay-to-pardon" scheme in the White House. He finishes by discussing potential pardons on Rudy Giuliani and the Trump family... He poses the main question: has Trump drained the swamp or has he found a bipartisan amount of swamp creatures?
In simple terms, the "Democratic Peace Theory" is the idea that democracies are less likely to engage in armed conflict or war with other countries that also identify as democracies. This originated from Emmanuel Kant who said that "If consent of the citizens is required to decide whether or not war is to be declared, it is very natural that they will have great hesitation in embarking on such a dangerous an enterprise." In this episode, Drew and Alex debate and break down this theory. They have one question in mind: does the theory hold true? Or are things changing? They look at the theory through the lens of globalization and the idea that capitalism could be a driver in peace as well. They also look into the realist and constructivist counterarguments.
In this episode, Drew and Alex look into the death of Iran's leading nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. He was killed in a mysterious attack on a road outside the capital Tehran and all signs say that the Israeli group Mossad did the job. Drew and Alex talk about the fragile dynamics of the Middle East, how this could muddle peace talks, and how it is very likely that Israel and the US could be making grave decisions in the region.
With the 2020 election results being finalized, the balance of power in the Senate falls upon two Georgia runoff races. Can democrats mobilize their base in Atlanta to keep GA blue or will Republicans maintain a likely victory in what used to be safe red state? In this episode, Drew, who is working on campaigns in Georgia, breaks down what he thinks is happening.
Since Drew and Alex did their "Quarantine Quagmire" episode during the onset of the pandemic back in March, a lot has changed. During that time, both took a somewhat optimistic approach on how a crisis can positively change the trajectory of society. The crisis seemed like a good time to come together, look at the small things, and maybe fix some serious issues in society. Unfortunately, nine months in, things have spiraled into chaos. It seems like this pandemic has not only gotten worse, but the United States has become politicized on the severity of the pandemic, President Trump has given up, hospitals are more full than ever, and a vaccine may still be a long time off. In this episode, they reflect on what they got right and wrong back in March.
In this episode, Drew and Alex look into Trump's brash yet potentially good decision to pull all troops out of Afghanistan. They both agree that the "conflict" in Afghanistan needs to be ended, but they question the motives of Trump. Could it be a political motive to place pressure on Biden? They also look into Trump's reported desire to escalate pressure on Iran and his building anger towards China for the "China Virus."
After a pretty intense election cycle, Drew and Alex lighten things up (or at least try to) with an episode looking into some of the worst and funniest political blunders and gaffes of all time. Some of the blunders and goofs are funny, others may have led to tragedy, and even some led to the fall of an empire.
Peru had three different presidents in the last week. This was after ex-President Martin Vizcarra was impeached last week by his opposition in congress. He was replaced by his vocal opponent, Manuel Merino. People took to the streets after this decision and several protesters were killed by the police. Congress cited corruption as the reason for Vizcarra's impeachment but many supporters of the president think it was motivated by politics. Others think this was a coup. Now the third president is a centrist who hopes to unite the nation. In this episode, Alex talks about how corruption has always been linked to leadership in a lot of South America and Peru. He talks about past scandals that have plagued Peruvian presidents, why using Article 113 to impeach a president sets up a dangerous precedent, and why Democracy may be flailing in Latin America.
In 2016 it became somewhat evident that there was a growing divide between urban and rural populations. 2020 only made that divide more glaring. In this episode, Drew and Alex try to look at how “post-Cold War” dynamics, globalization, the culture war, diverging politics, and more; have put the United States into opposing trajectories based on location. They also look at global trends and how there are solutions that need to be pushed forward.
Alex takes some time to react to several moments from President Trump's vaccine response press conference. He tries to break down the rumors around whether the administration was involved in the Pfizer Vaccine. He also feels that Trump is using the vaccine as his last Hail Mary to try and hold onto his presidency.
Ethiopia is on “Civil War Watch” as the country’s Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy Ahmed has started an offensive against an ethnic group in the Tigray Region in northern Ethiopia. Since November, thousands of people from the Region have fled to Sudan, there have been reports of hundreds of deaths on each side, and it looks like Eritrea has been drawn into the mess. Many foreign observers fear that this could turn into an international crisis at any point. In this episode, Drew and Alex look into the ethnic issues inside of Ethiopia, the history of their crisis with Eritrea, and more. Their goal is to find out how Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed went from Nobel peace prize winner to a controversial figure. They also discuss how both sides aren’t perfect on this issue.
Argentina has had a long long history of ups and downs involving their economy; since the establishment of Argentina, the country has seen a multitude of recessions (22). In 2018, the IMF was cajoled into helping Argentina get out of yet another crisis. Common sense says that something hasn't been working but again in 2018, the IMF loaned them over $50 billion dollars. This was nothing particularly different except for the fact that the pandemic has made the economic situation worse and the government has only imposed draconian lockdowns without any reasonable solutions. This large protest movements, high per capita COVID infections, and even support for a separatist movement in the economic heart of the country.
Since the last episode, Joe Biden was announced as the president elect of the United States. In this episode, Drew and Alex clash over what is next and what happened in the lead up to this election. They debate over the problems of polling, the failed argument over voter fraud from Trump's side, whether "Trumpism" is over, how the GOP may have a serious crisis ahead, and what is next for the United States.
In this special episode, Drew and Alex break down all the chaos and news that has occurred over the last day. They discuss Biden's almost inevitable chance of becoming president, how the Democratic Party seems to have misunderstood what voters want, and much more!
In this last episode leading up to the 2020 election, Alex goes over his last thoughts on what the election is looking like. Then he gives his FINAL prediction on who will win and also gives a plea to anyone listening to vote.
In this 2020 election episode, Drew and Alex discuss several senate, congressional, and local elections that they are watching. They play out different election scenarios and discuss what they see November looking like. They also highlight the point that just because President Trump is unpopular on a national level; it doesn't mean that all Republicans up for election face threats. Will there be a blue wave? Or are people underestimating local elections vs national sentiment?
In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss the spill of the oil vessel Wakashio off the coast of Mauritius back in August as well as the Nabarima which is spilling off the coast of Venezuela. Both of these spills are unprecedented in size and reflect a growing problem that has gone undiagnosed. These spills are affecting neighboring countries and have decimated fishing markets. They talk about how both these vessels were owned by multinational Japanese companies and have gone unnoticed by international bodies like the International Maritime Organization (IMO). They also discuss how these countries may be victims of a Japanese government scandal and how many countries are fine with turning a blind eye to these spills.
In this episode, Drew and Alex reflect on the debate and notice that it actually felt more normal. However, they also feel that the rhetoric between Trump and Biden became ever more clear - one has words that encompass every American, the other wants to appeal to only his base.
In this special, Drew and Alex stream the final debate between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden. They have a few drinks while live reacting to the fact that this debate was actually semi civil.
Call it the pandemic or call it poor longterm economics, but the Cuban government is again toying with the idea of ditching their dual currency system. Since the end of the Cold War, Cuba has adopted a dual currency to get them off of the Soviet currency. Hence, they created the CUC which was meant to be more comparable to US dollars. The CUC can also be exchanged to a Cuban peso, but at a poor rate. This system has allowed public and state companies to flourish and has left average citizens with a 24:1 conversion rate that has stunted private and small business. In this Catching Up, Alex dives into this and discusses why now may be the perfect time to get rid of the CUC.
Back in March, during the early days of the Coronavirus Pandemic, Drew and Alex speculated on how this pandemic could change society for the better and worse. Now seven months in, it is interesting to look back and see where they were right and where they were wrong. Did Drew and Alex get it right? Where were they wrong?
The original summary -
In this episode focused on the coronavirus, Drew and Alex catch up on what has been occurring around the world and in the United States. Since they covered the issue in early February, the virus has spread to many countries especially in Europe, the United States, South Korea, and many more. Hospitals have been overrun, death tolls have been rising, and people have started panic buying. They focus on the political, economic, and logistical impacts COVID-19 could have on the lives of everyone. They also discuss some of the changes (positive and negative) that may come out of this virus.
Yesterday, Senator Ben Sasse criticized President Trump on a call with constituents. He said that “the president kisses dictators’ butts” and “flirts with white supremacists.” He also said that “I’m now looking at the possibility of a Republican bloodbath in the Senate, and that’s why I’ve never been on the Trump train.” In this episode, Alex tries to break down if this is an authentic schism inside the GOP or just a panic by some moderate republicans because the election is coming. Alex mentions the report from the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia which predicted that Senate Democrats would earn “a net gain of between one and eight seats … enough to give them a small majority”.
In the United States, potential voters must register or "opt-in" to exercise their right to vote. However, in around two dozen countries, voting is considered a duty. This means that voting in elections has been made compulsory or mandatory and citizens are automatically expected to vote. Even some countries impose sanctions on those who don't vote. In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss the pros and cons of mandatory voting and they talk about whether or not this system would work in the US. They mention that mandatory voting can make democracy more vibrant and representative, and can also keep the fringe movements out of the mainstream.
In this episode of The Tonic Accord, Drew and Alex sit down with Mitchell Rosenberg who was on the show back in May. Mitchell works for California Governor Gavin Newsom and also is the creator of the news site ”Now Simplified.” The three discuss the shifting political demographics in the United States around President Trump’s self proclaimed “Silent Majority.” They discuss how the this idea may no longer exist and instead Trump’s base may have become the loud minority. They also discuss the state of politics in the United States and the chaos surrounding Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination.
Last week President Trump spent several days in Walter Reed Hospital after contracting COVID-19. He emerged from the hospital with an almost too perfect tale about how helpful the experimental drug HEK-293T (Regeneron) was for combating the virus. In this episode, Alex decides to discuss the controversial side of this Regeneron drug. According to The Guardian "The cells used to develop the drug derived from an embryonic kidney after an elective abortion performed in the Netherlands in the 1970s." It is a tale of two narratives, the GOP wants to limit women's reproductive rights and fight to overturn Roe v. Wade. However, they are fine with supporting the production of a controversial drug, that is from embryos if it helps Trump's polling and public reception for the election.
In this episode, Drew catches everyone up on the alarming story that came out of Michigan a few days ago. On Thursday, 13 men with links to the militia movement that protested Michigan Governor Whitmer lockdowns, had been involved in a plot to kidnap Whitmer from her vacation home. Then they were hoping to try her for treason, and overthrow the Michigan state government. Alarming or just some crazies?
The United States of America issued a travel alert to American citizens in Ghana after Western Togoland separatist groups committed acts of violence and protests broke out in parts of Ghana. It has been over ten years now since the group has campaigned for the Volta region and parts of northern Ghana to break away. In this episode, Drew and Alex dive into the Western Togoland independence/separatist movement. They talk about the flaws in actually covering an issue like this as both had a lot of issues finding good information about the conflict. They then look into related independence movements in Sudan and talk about the characteristics that make a movement successful.
In this debate recap, Alex discusses how the civility of the vice presidential debate could undermine the severity of the pandemic and ignore the paradoxical narrative used by the Trump Administration. He also goes into the different parts of the debate and gives his takeaways.
Late last week, President Trump was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19. He was taken to Walter Reed Hospital and since then there have been speculations on how severe his diagnosis has been. Then yesterday, Trump came back to the White House saying, "Now I'm better and maybe I'm immune? I don't know. But don't let it dominate your lives. Get out there, be careful.” Critics and allies alike now think that Trump has shot himself in the foot and Biden, according to some polls, could be up by as many as 16 points. Is this the end of Trump’s reelection hopes? Or just a speed bump? In this episode, Drew and Alex break down all the chaos and how this may impact the election.
In September, over six hundred of Mexico’s prominent academics and intellectuals published an open letter stating that “freedom of expression is under siege in Mexico, and with that democracy is threatened.” This is only the latest step in which Mexico is spiraling into authoritarian darkness. Mexico’s president, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has been at war with intelligence and free speech for years and things seem to only be getting worse. In this segment, Alex catches up listeners on the last two years of AMLO's presidency that have led to this.
In this episode, Drew and Alex look into why this debate was unanimously panned by both sides. They try to bring analysis to a debate that truly seemed void of reason.
In this special episode, Drew and Alex sit down to react and discuss in live time the debate between Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. They criticize, analyze, and make their predictions. They also laugh off some of the more ridiculous moments, equate Chris Wallace to a preschool chaperone dealing with students, and more. Tomorrow, they will be back with an analysis and discussion involving the actual meat and content of the debate.
In this episode, Drew and Alex look into the recent death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg. They talk about how this is just another factor that could make this November election chaotic. They also look at how the American system seems to be broken and the death of Ginsberg has made that ever so clear.
A senior advisor to the Biden/Harris campaign said that if their campaign were to win the election, they would pursue aggressive federal policy changes involving the decriminalization of marijuana. In this catching up episode, Alex looks into how democrats should embrace decriminalizing marijuana as an issue that could drive out voters. He also talks about how it could be bipartisan as progressives and libertarians could agree on it. Alex looks into Biden’s shaky record on pot and how it is likely that many progressives will think that decriminalization is not enough. He ends by highlighting the fact that most countries have only decriminalized marijuana and that progress, even if slow, is progress.
On September 15th, at a ceremony in Washington DC, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates established formal relations with Israel. This agreement was brokered by the United States, and more specifically, President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. This deal was significant because this was the first formalization of trade talks between the Arab states and Israel. In this episode, Drew and Alex talk about the ramifications of this deal. While President Trump said that this discussion was important, many fear that again Palestine has been left out of the talks. Also, there are fears that this agreement will embolden Benjamin Netanyahu and it may cause a hot conflict between Iran and this new alliance.
In this different episode, Drew and Alex each take a political compass test to gauge where each of them land on the political spectrum. They discuss the complicated nuances of defining one's political ideology. They also talk about some of the shortfalls and limits on these tests.
On Monday, the House of Commons voted on a controversial bill that was published by the current Torry government. According to the BBC, this discussion was centered around differences in negotiations between the UK and the EU. The bill, the Internal Market Bill, is trying to prevent the disruption of trade between the four nations of the UK, and more specifically the hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. However, this bill is being criticized because it may be violating international law. This is because the EU and UK had already agreed on the terms for Brexit back in December of 2019. In this episode, Alex worries that Boris Johnson and the Torry party may be setting a bad precedent by violating an international agreement. He worries that this may incentivize leaders like Putin to take advantage of the international order.
Back in June, Drew and Alex did an episode on Trump’s awful week, and at the moment, they didn’t think that the bar could get any lower. Unfortunately, it looks like Trump has outdone himself. Last week started out with an Atlantic article that claimed Trump disparaged WW1 veterans. Then a damning interview with Bob Woodward came out in which Trump admitted to downplaying the COVID threat. Next, the New York Times reported that the campaign had blown through their campaign funds. And finally, just yesterday, the top communications official at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) accused career government scientists of plotting against Trump and told Trump supporters to arm themselves ahead of the November presidential election. In this episode, Drew and Alex try to get through all the chaos.
Yet again, the west is burning and Noah Diffenbaugh, who is a Climate Scientist and Stanford Professor, says that the current fires are a troubling sign of what is to come. He also says that "over 1.8 million acres burned in the past 30 days... an event that only occurs every 10 to 12 years.” In this episode, Alex goes into the fires, the accelerating climate crisis behind their intensity, and the politicization of the crisis. He looks into how mismanagement from state governments and environmental lobbyists, Trump's divisive messaging, republican finger-pointing, and an intensifying climate crisis have created a "no-win scenario" in California.
While Drew and Alex are taking a week off, here is an older episode from January 2020. In this "Tonic Rewind," this discussion is 8 months old, but the topic has become even more relevant. Since this was recorded, the Uighur situation in China has gotten worse and the public has started to focus more on this issue. With COVID, world chaos, and growing issues in the US, sometimes it is important to focus back on relevant topics that are out of the public eye.
Original summary:
In this episode of the Tonic Accord, Drew and Alex discuss the Uighur situation in Western China. The Chinese government’s surveillance state has taken a sinister turn and over the last few years they have been rounding up the Uighurs and putting them in “re-education” camps for the sake of “national security.” Though the Chinese government claims that these camps are just to help the Uighurs assimilate into the Han culture, there are accounts of abuse, forced abortions, sexual assault, harvested organs, and much more. Of the 10 million Uighurs living in Western China, some reports estimate that up to 3 million are in these prison camps. Drew and Alex believe that this situation resembles not only an apartheid regime but also a form of ethnic cleansing. They’re worried that not enough is being done about this situation because of China’s economic influence. Can the world stop this issue? Or will the world sit on the side and play a fool?
It has been reported inside of the United States that there is a growing rush to release a vaccine, even while skipping the Phase Three trials that usually confirm safety and that there are no risks in taking the vaccine. Dr. Nirav Shah, who is Maine’s CDC director, says there is ‘inherent’ risk in distributing a vaccine before Phase 3 trials are complete. In this episode of “Catching Up” Alex discusses the current issues surrounding releasing a vaccine before it could be ready. He also looks into when President Gerald Ford tried to rush a vaccine for H1N1. Then he mentions that there are also some officials that worry that the federal government's push to release a vaccine before Election Day is politically driven. Will there be an October surprise for Trump? Is a vaccine even safe if made this quickly?
In this lighter episode, Drew and Alex look into their favorite protest/political songs. They talk about Country music, Rap, Rock, and more.
Early last week, events in Kenosha, Wisconsin took a turn when protesting followed another unnecessary shooting of a black man by police. However, by the end of the week, things escalated to disturbing levels. A 17-year-old male shot three people and killed two of them. Now Kenosha is burning and another wave of chaos has hit the US cities. Americans on both sides are struggling with the right words to describe the shooter, Kyle Rittenhouse. In this episode, Drew and Alex talk about how the murkiness of the protests has made it difficult to distinguish who's who. Are people like Kyle Rittenhouse vigilantes? Counterprotesters? Violent extremists? Drew and Alex also look at the health of US Democracy as a whole and what could've brought the nation to the brink of social unrest.
In this "Catching Up" segment, Alex looks into the new CDC report that says that close to 94% of Americans who died from COVID-19 had other “types of health conditions and contributing causes.” He goes into how these numbers only tell a portion of the story and could be misleading and detrimental to public health.
"The Paradox of Tolerance" is an idea popularized by the philosopher Karl Popper in his 1945 book " The Open Society and Its Enemies." The paradox of tolerance states that if a society is tolerant without limit, its ability to be tolerant is eventually seized or destroyed by the intolerant. This idea came to fruition after World War Two and it is likely that Popper used the example of what happened in Nazi Germany as his support for this idea. In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss this idea and try to figure out how society can protect free speech but also limit dangerous ideas from going into the mainstream. They look at how different countries deal with hate speech. The two also wonder if fringe ideas are again going into the mainstream.
In this segment, Alex goes into the first two nights of the Republican National Convention. His first takeaway is that politically Americans on the left and right are seeing two completely different narratives unfold. He discusses how the RNC seems to be a tale of two messages - one message is that this election is about saving the country from Marxists and anarchists. The other message is that America is a great country that is always getting better. Alex is appalled by the positive coverage of Trump's handling of the coronavirus and personal accounts of his compassionate character. He also touches on moments he enjoyed like the speech by Tim Scott and Trump's pardoning of Jon Ponder. However, Alex fears that the GOP seems to be leaving their traditional platform and instead is fully embracing Trump as their platform.
For decades, Turkey and Greece have been at odds with one another over territorial rights in the Aegean Sea. Last week, a collision between a Turkish and Greek frigate set up new issues and both countries have announced that they will carry out opposing naval drills off the coast of Crete. These demonstrations are merely for the show but could be serious as the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas says that "the current situation in the eastern Mediterranean is equivalent to playing with fire." She says that "Every little spark can lead to catastrophe." In this episode, Drew and Alex try to understand why the post-Cold War alliances seem to be unraveling.
Last week, the growing online fringe conspiracy movement Qanon really seemed to hit the mainstream. In a Republican primary in Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene, an avid QAnon supporter, won the primary and will likely be going to congress in November. This illustrates the fact that QAnon is a growing movement that has large support on the right and likely amongst President Trump himself. This group sees many liberal elites as satanic cannibals who are trafficking children and destroying the world. This is a dangerous message and it is getting louder. The Atlantic calls this movement, the birth of a new religion. In this episode, Drew and Alex take a deep dive into QAnon and why it is a very encompassing and strange movement. They also talk about the potentially dangerous implications of going deep down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories.
Under intense pressure by lawmakers, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy halted changes that were said to be slowing mail ahead of the November election. This occurred after heavy criticism from politicians and the media said that Trump and DeJoy were trying to sabotage the USPS ahead of the election. In this episode, Drew and Alex look into this controversy and discuss whether Dejoy was purposely trying to sabotage the US Postal Service. They also express their fears involving the November results, why Trump's messaging against voting by mail is dangerous for democracy, and discuss the ten "scariest" election day scenarios.
It is now mid-August and that means that the November elections are getting closer and closer. In this episode, Drew and Alex focus on the political advertising field and the strategies behind different methods to get people out to vote. Drew works in political media and goes into the specifics of why this time of year is intense and nonstop. Alex also asks him a myriad of questions that may seem obvious to insiders, but likely many Americans may not know. The two also end the episode by going over some of the best, funniest, and worst political ads that have been made.
Yesterday, Joe Biden FINALLY chose his running mate, and it is Kamala Harris from California. In this episode, Alex reacts to this decision and doesn't think that this duo makes sense. He understands that she has strong name recognition on the left and is popular among democrats, but her record on criminal justice doesn't fit the era. Alex also thinks that her lack of strong policy ideas during the debates will make her an easy target for attack ads on the right. He also worries that Biden - an East Coast former senator, and Harris - a senator from California, won't expel the notion of Democrats not caring about the middle of the country.
Last week, the Lebanese city of Beirut was hit by a devastating explosion of ammonium nitrate that left over 200 dead and 300,000 homeless. This exasperated the woes in a nation that was already in political and economic turmoil. Now citizens have taken to the streets after the government has stepped down. They want change. Several countries away, Belarus is also experiencing political turmoil after the sham election that gave Aleksandr G. Lukashenko his sixth term as president. Lukashenko is known as one of Europe’s last dictators, only Russia and China accept his victory, and protests by angry citizens on the streets have turned violent and deadly. In this episode, Drew and Alex look into the growing global movement that pushes for accountability by leading officials. They look into these two specific cases and link it into the global context with bigger implications.
In this episode, Drew and Alex take a break from the heavy news cycle and have a bit lighter conversation about political movies. Both have a wide range of criteria for their favorites including political themes, historic significance, plot strength, and more. Do you agree or disagree with some of these choices?
In this “Catching Up” segment, Alex reacts to and analyzes President Trump’s interview with Axios’ Jonathan Swan. With video from the interview to compliment the analysis, Alex looks into the double narrative that Trump continues to push with the coronavirus. He also looks into Trump’s ignorance involving historical context and Afghanistan, Black Lives Matter, voting by mail, Trump’s accidental acceptance that systemic racism exists, and the late John Lewis.
There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic is going to wreak havoc politically, economically, and socially on the continent of Africa. The pandemic came at a time in which Africa was starting to see political and social change. It also came at a time when the Chinese Belt and Road initiative was starting to place Africa into a Chinese sphere of influence. Now, South Africa is accepting unprecedented loans from the IMF and there are growing issues with China’s large projects in the region. In this episode, Drew and Alex touch on the future of Chinese investment in Africa, a shared African currency, the problems with the IMF and World Bank, and a potential African unification.
Tens of thousands of Russian people have been marching every weekend for the past few weeks in the Russian border city of Khabarovsk.The protests have been focused on the region's governor, Sergei Furgal. In this episode, Drew looks into why these protests are occurring, who Furgal is, and what is happening. He talks about the arrest of Furgal for murder charges and why some people think it may be a political coup.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Marshals Service and the city of Portland last week. This was after there had been accusations that federal law enforcement had gone out of their legal parameters to shoot rubber bullets at protesters, stop medical crews from entering the zones, and taking protesters away in unmarked vehicles. Now President Trump is vowing to send federal law enforcement to several other US cities including Chicago, Kansas City, and more. Today, Drew and Alex look into the legality of this action, the political ramifications, and the reasons why.
Today, Ghislaine Maxwell threw off prosecutors by asking for a gag order on witnesses in her criminal trial involving Jeffery Epstein. Also last Wednesday, Trump stirred up controversy when he was asked about Ghislaine Maxwell at a White House press briefing. He even appeared to express support for the socialite saying, “I just wish her well, frankly.” Today on the “Tonic Accord,” Drew and Alex dive into the new revelations around Ms. Maxwell, her relationship with Jeffery Epstein, and why this case just continues to baffle everyone.
Earlier this week, the EU agreed on a record breaking stimulus package to deal with the economic fallout from the Coronavirus Pandemic. The $857 billion package included many steps to help less wealthy European countries. However, while this package may have been passed, it could cause more political division between the frugal north and the debt riddled south. Also, as always, in order for the deal to be passed, Poland and Hungary were excused for their illiberal tendencies and actions. Alex gets into all of this today, on “Catching Up.”
In 1789, Thomas Jefferson said that “No society can make a perpetual constitution... The earth belongs always to the living generation and not to the dead .… Every constitution, then, and every law, naturally expires at the end of 19 years." In this context, there has been growing criticism in the United States that the constitution needs reform and potentially needs to be updated in it’s entirety. In this episode, Drew and Alex look into this complicated issue. They get into the pros and cons of changing a constitution, and how true reform could be carried out.
More than a dozen Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers have been killed in the recent days following clashes between the two former Soviet republics. These two countries have long been at odds over the Nagorno - Karabakh region which is culturally Armenian yet is still part of Azerbaijan. This heating up of tensions was one of the worst moments of violence since 2016 and could spark trouble, not only for the Caucus region and its people, but also for world powers such as Western Europe, the US, and Russia. In this episode, Drew and Alex look at the extremely complicated ethnic issues between these two countries. They talk about the economic implications on oil supply chains if a hot war were to break out between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Also, they discuss a need for global arbitration when these small ethnic conflicts are blowing up.
Trump has replaced Brad Parscale with Bill Stepien as campaign manager in an attempt to turn around tumultuous poll numbers. But who is Bill Stepien? And why is he Trump’s pick? Drew discusses Stepien’s history as a cunning political operative and his brushes with scandal.
Joe Biden has emerged as the presumptive 2020 Democratic Candidate for President during a very strange and complicated time. For this reason, Joe Biden seems to be seen by both sides as something he isn't. The more progressive left thinks that Biden hasn't done enough and is too centrist; the right worries that Biden is a puppet of the far left that will defund the police and enact "Medicare for All." In this episode, Drew and Alex take a look into the specifics of what Biden ACTUALLY wants to accomplish in 2020. They look into his tax plan, his environmental policies, his economics, and his plans for police reform. They go over the pros and cons of a Biden Presidency and find that he likely would be an efficient "transitional" president during these strange times.
July marks twenty-five years since the Srebrenica massacre and the larger Bosnian Genocide. This year’s memorial will feature videos from leaders from all around the world. However, there is one exception: the mayor of Srebrenica will remain silent. In fact, Bosnian Serbs in general have been quick to deny any wrong doing during this period. In this episode, Drew and Alex try to tie history with the present. They discuss how this recent revelation illustrates a larger trend in which many nations still have issues facing their past. They look at why some nations (Germany) can move on from their past atrocities, while others (Turkey) can't. The two also hope to add relevance to the issue the US is facing in reexamining their relationship with past atrocities.
Earlier this week, Kanye West announced that he was running for President in this year’s presidential election. He was later endorsed by people like Elon Musk. In this “Catching Up” segment, Alex breaks down this ridiculous headline. Is it possible? Is he serious? Could he win? Is it too late? Would it hurt Joe Biden or Donald Trump? Alex discusses his “2.5 theories” on what could be happening and why it could matter.
Earlier this week, Mike Pompeo told Laura Ingraham, on Fox News, that the US is looking to ban TikTok, the popular Chinese app. In this episode, Drew and Alex look into TikTok and why it is controversial. Then they turn the episode into a larger discussion regarding the role of big tech companies in geopolitics and global democracy. They discuss whether breaking up big tech would be a viable option, why these companies took the easy road in harvesting user data, and what can be done to resolve this issue.
Before the pandemic, Latin America was already on life support. Following populist elections in many of the countries, the collapse of Venezuela, the subsequent refugee crisis, and the removal of Morales in Bolivia; it seems like this pandemic may bring even more upheaval to a volatile region. Now around 50% of worldwide daily COVID-19 cases are coming out of Latin America. Today, Drew and Alex talk about the state of Latin America as a whole during the pandemic. They touch on the chaos in Venezuela, the growing problems in Mexico and Brazil, and the dire situation in Brazil. They also bring in some positivity by touching on the feel good story of how Uruguay handled the crisis.
What started as an attempt to live free of police authority in the capital hill zone of Seattle, ended up devolving into violence, arson, sexual assaults, and two deaths. Now the police under order from the mayor, have retaken the zone, but they now face legal repercussions from local businesses. In this episode, Drew catches you up on CHOP and compares it to a few other occupation movements in the US.
In this episode, Drew and Alex break away from their usual discussions on current events. They break down the political figures throughout history that they believe have been influential, infamous, and game changing. They discuss some modern figures, some controversial and evil figures, and some ancient figures that helped create the framework for modern society.
Europe will be opening up its external borders for summer travel starting on July 1st, but America will be joining a list with Russia and Brazil and won't be allowed to enter. Most of Europe is seeing a decline in COVID-19 cases, but countries like the US, Brazil, and Russia are still struggling with the pandemic. In this episode, Drew and Alex talk about how this is an inevitable but interesting turn of events. It also may spawn a conversation about whether US states can limit interstate travel during this crisis. Drew and Alex also touch on the horrifying report that Russia has been offering Taliban soldiers bounties for killing American soldiers.
Whether Donald Trump wins his reelection or Joe Biden defeats him in November, there will be a time when America moves on from Donald Trump as president. In this segment on "Catching Up", Alex discusses his long articulated thesis that in some ways Donald Trump was a necessary evil to bring all the negative aspects of America to the surface. Alex, a Trump critic, finds that the silver lining of Trump is that he may force America to have the conversation that it keeps denying itself. He uses a metaphor involving the day after a brutal hangover, in order to talk about how Trump brought to the surface all the rage and bile that everyone was feeling. It seems like America had been in denial about their problem for a long time, and "sometimes it takes a bad hangover to realize that you need to drink less."
Last week, over 20 Indian troops were killed after a confrontation with Chinese soldiers on the Sino-Indian border high in the mountains. This region has been contested for over 40 years. China hasn’t been transparent, but the incident was quite gruesome in which Chinese troops used nail studded clubs and stones. In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss how tensions between India and China have been increasing since April. They also discuss how India is one of China’s biggest trading partners, yet this skirmish could lead to a backlash and decoupling between the two.
It has been a chaotic week for the United States: the Trump Administration has tried to block the upcoming book by the ex-Trump advisor John Bolton. Also, Trump has returned to his rallies, even though coronavirus hospitalizations have spiked in over a twenty states and the turnout wasn’t close to the millions he predicted. In this episode, Drew and Alex break down the completely ridiculous events happening in America. They worry about a second wave of Coronavirus and what a second term of Trump could bring. They also ponder why his rally was less packed than first expected.
China is preparing to pass new laws that would ban the trade and consumption of wildlife, but critics fear that there will be many loopholes. Also, while China has domestically banned this trade, there are fears that illegal poaching of Jaguars, inside of South America, can be linked to Chinese investment and demand back home. In this episode, Drew and Alex look into the exotic animal trade and the reasons as to why there is still a large demand for exotic animals and Traditional Chinese Medicine. This issue has again become relevant due to the COVID-19 pandemic which is linked back to the trade of wildlife in wet markets in China. The two discuss that this could be a hard issue to combat, mainly because there are the opposing forces of culture, tradition, conservation, and modern science.
It has been over two weeks now since the murder of George Floyd and peaceful protests and hot riots alike have continued across the US. There have been growing calls by many protestors and congressmen alike to defund or even dismantle the police. While an overwhelming majority of Americans support some form of police reform, only about 20% of Americans agree with defunding the police. In this episode, Drew and Alex break down the demands to "defund the police" and try to work through the chaos to better understand what could be done to reform police departments. Both agree that this is an important issue, but it could be diluted by the inaccurate messaging taking place on both sides.
On Friday, the Bureau of Labour Statistics released the "Jobs Report" for May and it showed that unemployment had decreased to 13%. Also, the S&P 500 just had its fastest advance in nine decades, and the Nasdaq 100 hit a record high. However, there are reports of errors in this job report and worries that the stock market may not correctly indicate the strength of the economy. In this episode, Drew and Alex try to wade through the muck to try and understand why this has happened, why economists’ predictions were so off, and how these numbers could be exaggerated to help Trump’s reelection campaign. They also touch on the role of the Federal Reserve in the stock market, how coronavirus may impact the economy for years to come, and how the unemployment numbers may be better but not great.
In this episode, Drew and Alex bring on Leah Thomas for a discussion on the current protests after the murder of George Floyd and the state of race relations in the US. Leah is an intersectional environmentalist, who runs the social media account and website “Green Girl Leah.” She is also a writer and activist, who according to her website, pushes for "an inclusive version of environmentalism that advocates for both the protection of people and the planet. It identifies the ways in which injustices happening to marginalized communities and the earth are interconnected.”
On Monday, law enforcement used heavy handed measures to scatter peaceful protestors outside of Saint John’s Church so that President Trump could pose in front of it with a Bible. Only days later, Mike Pompeo met with survivors of the Tiananmen Square protests, which ended on June 4, 1989. The Tiananmen Square massacre ended after the Chinese government cracked down on pro-democracy protests that ended in violence and death. In this "Catching Up" segment, Alex talks about how State Department officials feel that the US government’s response to protesters may undermine the State Department’s mission overseas. How can diplomats promote their message of supporting free speech, when the President wants to crack down on domestic protests? Alex also mentions how this could impact China’s actions in Hong Kong. He later brings up General James Mattis’ strong condemnation of Trump’s actions against the protesters.
Last week, the State Department announced their plans to pull the United States out of the Open Skies Treaty. This agreement allows the 35 countries involved to conduct unarmed aerial surveillance over the territories of the other member countries. This is the third little, yet significant arms control agreement that the Trump Administration has left. In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss the problems with leaving important arms control agreements. They talk about how the Trump administration seems to only want to commit to "perfect" international treaties and pulls out of any ones that may be flawed but crucial. It seems that the US and Russia have been dismantling many of their Cold War era arms control agreements. This is problematic because they have made the world safer and have allowed transparency and dialogue between the United States and Russia. If this trend continues, could the world be a less safe place?
Last Thursday, President Trump created even more controversy when he signed an Executive Order that aimed to “narrow tech companies’ protections from liability over the content posted on their platforms. This was after Twitter had flagged the president for posting an inaccurate tweet about mail-in voting. In this episode, Drew and Alex ask WHY NOW? They frame the discussion around Trump, Twitter, and whether the company should be able to flag and block content. Have social media companies finally overstepped their boundaries or is Trump just irritated and playing the victim?
China plans to pass unilateral security controls over Hong Kong, and in response, the US plans to revoke Hong Kong's unique economic status. What does this mean for business and politics in the region? Let's Catch Up and discuss!
Occam’s Razor is a philosophical and problem solving method that states that “entities should not be multiplied without necessity.” In simpler terms, this means that the more assumptions one has to make, the less likely the explanation is to be true. In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss popular political conspiracies and discuss how Occam’s Razor can help determine their feasibility. First, they take Occam’s razor to cut into some whacky theories like “Flat Earth” and “Ancient Aliens.” Then, they also relate the theory back to relevant ones such as the many conspiracies surrounding the origins of the Coronavirus in Wuhan, as well as the conspiracies around Bill Gates and vaccinations. Later, the two mention the popularity of political conspiracies by the political party that is out of power and also discuss some Cold War conspiracies that ended up to be true.
The U.S. has tried to combat Huawei, a Chinese tech giant, by prohibiting its tech companies from selling to Huawei. However, this hasn’t worked. Now on May 15th, the U.S. decided to try a different tactic - they are looking to target Huawei’s in-house microchips by saying that no American tools can be used in making them. This is a bold action because although microchips are an American invention, their production has mainly gone global. Drew and Alex break down Huawei’s complicated and troubling past. Both feel that Huawei is a dangerous company that is linked to the Chinese government and is infringing on the privacy of their customers. They discuss whether a company that many consider to be “an arm of the Chinese government” should be the world's leading provider of 5G. They also talk about the growing tensions between the U.S. and China and potential solutions to how the west should deal with this issue.
In this episode, Drew and Alex take a deep dive into assassinations. They have one question at the heart of the matter: when can assassinations be justified? The two have a discussion that morphs history, politics, and hypothetical scenarios in order to see if these extrajudicial means of “justice” can ever be the right course of action. They also touch on some of history's most famous assassinations and look into how the United States has tried to end these forms of justice.
Last Friday, President Trump announced the firing of another one of his Investigator Generals, this time it was Steve Linick, the IG watchdog for the State Department. He was fired soon after his investigation into Mike Pompeo's actions was ended. This is yet another occasion in which Trump has fired an IG after they have been critical of his administration or have investigated the inner workings of his administration. Is this a purge? Is Trump just exercising his right to fire Investigator Generals? Or is this a worrying trend that may jeopardize the role of the IG, which is to limit corruption inside of the government? In this week’s episode, Alex tries to catch everyone up on this growing issue.
This week, a bipartisan amendment to protect web search history failed to pass in the Senate. However, a 2-1/2-year extension on parts of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) did pass on Thursday. Also, controversy continues to surrounds Attorney General William Barr’s dropping of the Michael Flynn case. In this episode of the Tonic Accord, Drew and Alex discuss these revelations and whether the government should be expanding their surveillance powers. They also discuss the many flaws of the FISA process and relate it back to government accountability. They end by reacting to William Barr’s handling of the Michael Flynn case.
The Cheyenne River and Oglala Sioux of South Dakota have set up checkpoints on highways to contract trace the spread of COVID-19. South Dakota's governor thinks that this is illegal. Today, Drew looks at the current context and compares it with past case law to catch you up on tribal sovereignty and state authority in the United States.
In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss, and debate, how different countries have responded to the coronavirus pandemic. They talk about the difficult balance that is needed between saving lives and trying to limit economic devastation. Then they look into the feasibility of the herd immunity argument and the misguided polarization of the crisis in the United States. The two also compare government responses between the United States, Sweden, South Korea, Hong Kong, and more. Will lockdowns be necessary for the foreseeable future? Or will they become unsustainable when their secondary effects become apparent?
In this episode of the Tonic Accord, Drew and Alex discuss a current issue that is three parts ridiculous, two parts pathetic, and one part worrying. This is the failed “coup” attempt that occurred last Sunday in Venezuela which some foreign policy experts say made the bay of pigs disaster look like D-Day. In this event, Venezuelan authorities said that eight men were killed and two Americans were captured. Nicolás Maduro told the nation that these men “were playing Rambo, they were playing hero.” Drew and Alex look into the chaotic details of this failed coup. They also discuss Jordan Goudreau, a former member of the US Army special forces, who started the private security company “Silvercorp” which seems to have been responsible for the events. They break down the carelessness of Goudreau and turn the discussion into a larger argument about the risks of relying on private security forces in combat zones. This may have been a ridiculous and stupid attempt at a coup, but what could be next?
During the Peloponnesian War, Sparta was the dominant power of the region and Athens was an emerging force. The Athenian historian Thucydides believed that this shift in power had made the war unavoidable, "it was the rise of Athens, and the fear that this inspired in Sparta, that made war inevitable.” Since this time, this phenomenon has been called “Thucydides Trap” and it has been used to describe historical trends of conflict on an international scale. In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss this theory and turn it into an analysis of conflicts over the last 500 years. They also relate this theory back to current tensions between the United States and China. Does "Thucydides Trap” prove that a hot war between the U.S. and China is almost inevitable? Or have globalism and interdependence made this nearly impossible?
During this pandemic, the United States needs its honey bees. The USDA reports that honey bees are responsible for nearly one out of every three bites of food taken in the U.S. They also help increase the nation’s crop values by around 15 billion dollars a year. Unfortunately, one of the largest hornets in the world has arrived in the United States from Asia and it's known as the Long Asian Giant Hornet or the "Murder Hornet". This name is fitting as this matchbox-sized hornet can decimate a hive of 30,000 honey bees within several hours and multiple stings can even kill a human. In this episode, Alex discusses how these murderers must be eradicated, as they could potentially cause an awful tipping point in a honey bee population that is already significantly in decline. He also worries that these murderers could only worsen the food supply issues in the United States. Will this infestation of the “Murder Hornet” wake Americans up to the fact that nature is fragile and that bees are a necessary part of their lives?
In this special episode of the Tonic Accord, Drew and Alex have a discussion with Mitchell Rosenberg. He currently works on the Legislative Affairs team for Governor Gavin Newsom in California and before that, he worked on campaigns for Hillary Clinton and Cory Booker. Mitchell also recently launched his new platform which is called “Simplified" and it’s looking to help engage more people with politics. The three have an open discussion about the importance of local politics during the pandemic, how to face the growing divisions inside the country, the next generation of the Democratic party, and the upcoming election.
Simplified:
IG: @nowsimplified
FB: NowSimplified
In this "Catching Up" episode, Drew covers the strange story of the recently declassified UFO videos from the Pentagon. The footage released by the Pentagon shows a fast moving aerial phenomenon. Trump himself has even commented on the footage, calling it "a hell of a video." Is it Aliens? Drones? Something fantastic or more mundane? Let's discuss!
Around the world, national governments from Germany to Spain have surged in popularity as they have tried to rally their countries around an effective and necessary response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the tale is different in the United States - President Trump is back to his pre-pandemic lows in popularity and Americans are divided about the severity of the pandemic along party lines.
In this episode, Drew and Alex try to pick through the chaos to better understand this polarization. They believe that President Trump could have had his unifying moment during this crisis, much like George W. Bush had after 9/11, but he hasn't. Instead he has created a murky public response and has fanned the flames of polarization. However, Drew and Alex discuss that on a local and state level Americans may be more united than before. National politics are still partisan and divided, but a survey by "More in Common" found that the portion of Americans that believe America is divided has dropped from 62% to 22%. Also, over 90% of Americans felt that “we’re all in it together”, compared with 63% before the pandemic. Drew and Alex find that this is good news and may mean that common discussion can still be had. They also agree that there should be a discussion about the length and scope of these lockdowns, and the impact they will have on the economy.
In this episode of the Tonic Accord, Drew and Alex dive into the interesting reports and rumors coming out of North Korea that Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un could be either in a weak physical state or dead. They filter through the details and misinformation to discuss the objective fact that North Korea is a dark spot for information in an age of data. Drew and Alex cover the political realities of a death in the leadership and how the supreme leader’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, would likely be the successor. They also discuss the realities of Korean unification, whether the coronavirus could be the culprit for why the Supreme Leader hasn’t been in public, why China favors the status quo of a separated Korean peninsula, and why it is dangerous for countries to not have the proper information coming out of North Korea.
In this special episode of the Tonic Accord, Drew and Alex have a reflection/discussion on the most pivotal moments of the twentieth century. They reflect on the large shifts in dynamics and paradigms that occurred over the century and analyze their longterm impacts. Each has their own “top events of the twentieth century” and they explain why. During this time of lockdown and quarantines, it is important to look back on the events that shaped the current world.
In this “Catching Up” segment of the podcast, Alex looks into how the COVID-19 pandemic could potentially impact violence around the world. He looks into the civil war in Yemen, in which peace talks seem to be getting louder. He also looks at the decline in crime rates in Chicago, but a rise in domestic violence in Houston. Alex finds it likely that this virus could completely change the dynamics of violence in our world, some for the better others for the worse. The world could see a decrease in civil war and armed conflicts, but it may also allow for different and more social forms of violence to emerge.
Last week, President Donald Trump said he would suspend American funding to the World Health Organization. This was after the organization came under fire for mishandling the early days of the outbreak and allowing Chinese misinformation to be taken as fact. In this episode, Drew and Alex look into the World Health Organization. They discuss its strengths and limits and both take a critical stance on how it has handled this crisis. They also criticize its openness towards working with Chinese officials even though there were many early warnings from Taiwan and Hong Kong about a “new form of pneumonia.” However, Drew and Alex think that the WHO is more than just its upper leadership; both feel that this organization is important in aiding the third world during a pandemic and they think that defunding it during a pandemic could be detrimental for a global effort to combat the virus.
The U.S. Postal Service is estimated to lose $2 billion a month during this pandemic. Some say it's an outdated government expenditure that needs to be cut, others say it's a vital function of government protected by the constitution. In this short catch up episode, Drew takes a look at the costs of the USPS and some of the values it provides to the country during these uncertain times.
In this episode, Drew and Alex have a long anticipated discussion about Universal Basic Income or UBI. They cover many layers of this issue including its political feasibility, the real world possibilities, and the different forms of UBI that could be used. They also discuss the places where UBI has been tested, the price tag of such programs, and how this is more of a bipartisan topic that most people think. Both show some hesitance towards a policy such as this, but feel that it could be necessary depending on what its looking to accomplish
In this Easter episode, Drew and Alex discuss Bernie Sanders dropping out of the 2020 presidential race and the fact that Joe Biden will officially be the Democratic candidate for president. Drew and Alex both express their doubts and concerns over “Uncle Joe” being president. They look into his past issues and wonder how he would be able to react to attacks from Donald Trump. Drew and Alex both link the election to the COVID-19 pandemic and discuss whether Biden would handle the situation better than the current administration.
In this episode, Drew and Alex take a step back from current events and discuss a topic that is more based in theory - when can violent revolution be justified? They cover many historic revolutions such as the Haitian Revolution, the Chinese Revolution, the Bolshevik Revolution, the European Revolutions of 1848, and many more. The two discuss when violent revolution could be necessary, and when the measures may not be justified. Both feel that revolution can be a necessary part of civil society, especially when the citizens of a government feel that their social contract has been violated. The two finish by relating this topic to current events in Venezuela, the United States, and the Middle East (Arab Spring). This is one of the more debate style episodes of “the Tonic Accord” as both agree and disagree on many aspects of this topic.
In the west, many of the countries that have been slow to react to the coronavirus have been countries like the United States, Brazil, and the United Kingdom. All three have leaders that believe in a laissez faire approach to the economy and crisis response. On the contrary, nations like Germany have utilized large government responses and have had adequate success with curbing the spread of COVID-19. In this segment, Alex discusses how this crisis may be providing a strong rebuttal of libertarian and neoliberal government responses in a crisis. Alex talks about John Stuart Mill's harm principle that states that a person can do whatever he or she wants as long as his or her actions do not harm others, and if they do harm others, society is able to prevent those actions. Alex argues that by not instituting a good enough national response to the crisis, these governments are actively harming their citizens by relying on “the invisible hand". It seems like neoliberals and small government advocates don’t want to sacrifice the free market or individual liberties for the common welfare of the country during a crisis and this has already backfired.
It seems by now that most countries around the world have adopted extraordinary measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus. While many of these measures may be necessary to combat the spread of this deadly and still highly misunderstood virus, it seems that the pandemic may be allowing democracies with authoritarian tendencies to finally consolidate power. Drew and Alex discuss how this issue begins with misinformation and can lead to the erosion of democratic norms. The sad outcome of this pandemic may be that there may be a global rise in authoritarianism. Both feel that this crisis has caused countries to implement draconian policies to limit the spread of this virus and unfortunately, most of these countries haven’t set an end for these mentioned measures. The dust hasn’t settled yet, but when it does - we may see many dynamic changes to countries that we once assumed were pure democracies.
It seems that only news about the coronavirus pandemic has covered the airwaves the last couple weeks. However, in this “Catching Up” segment, Drew discusses an issue that seems to have gone unnoticed - a current accusation of sexual assault against Joe Biden. Drew takes a look at this accusation that took place while Biden was still a senator and could definitely impact his election chances in 2020.
In Wednesday's episode, Drew and Alex discuss another dimension of the coronavirus pandemic - the 2020 elections and the primaries that precede them. It seems like the U.S. electoral cycle flourishes off of crowds, rallies, conventions, and the show of it all. Both Drew and Alex feel that with people staying at home and primaries being postponed, the 2020 election could be dramatically changed. They discuss how the pandemic could benefit or hurt President Trump depending on how he appears to manage the crisis. However, they mention that it is nearly impossible for Trump to postpone or cancel the election; this is because of constitutional requirements. They also feel that this crisis could be detrimental to Bernie Sanders' need for large crowds, and it could help Joe Biden as long as he plays things safe. The two also discuss potential alternatives to voting at locations such as voting by mail, and also the complications and issues that could be caused by this.
In this episode of the Tonic Accord, Grayson Forsberg returns to the podcast to cover a wide range of environmental topics such as the bold “Green New Deal,” U.S. energy policy, Greta Thunberg, and more. Drew, Alex and Grayson all provide a wide range of opinions and facts involving the big questions on whether the United States can move away from fossil fuels and release zero carbon emissions by 2050. They touch on the politics of environmentalism, why some conservatives downplay the threat of climate change, and how the world can move forward and work together to face this crisis.
In 1991, the Burmese activist and politician Aung San Suu Kyi won the Nobel Peace Prize after her fight and struggle to lead Myanmar towards a transition from a military junta to a partial democracy. She ended up battling the status quo for decades to come and finally became the State Counsellor of Myanmar in 2015 after her party won a landslide election. However, Suu Kyi’s has recently drawn criticism from the western democracies that once applauded her. This is because many believe that she has downplayed and been inactive in condemning the genocide of the Rohingya people inside of Myanmar. In this episode, Drew and Alex discuss why this shining beacon of democratic hope has fallen from grace. They discuss the fact that Suu Kyi is highly limited by the constitution, in which the military has political power and is independent from civilian control. They also discuss the complex history of Myanmar and why Buddhist nationalism may be part of the issue. They also talk about how countries like the United States don’t always seem to understand the foreign leaders that they support. The world is not black and white, and sometimes leaders like Suu Kyi aren’t either.