The Tonic Accord

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.  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?    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 - 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.    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.    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.”