Where Malcolm, Simone and Joseph discuss Chuck Schumer and the Congressional Democratic leadership's lack of resistance, Casey Anthony's recent social media resurgence, a long-time kidnapped person's readjustment to free life, and other current issues.



Show Notes:

Congressional Democrats and the CR Bill Passing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL6RJgODGoU

https://time.com/7268499/senate-democrats-budget-vote/

https://nlihc.org/resource/congress-passes-and-president-trump-signs-law-year-long-stopgap-funding-bill-underfunding

https://pelosi.house.gov/news/press-releases/pelosi-statement-government-funding-bill-senate



Gavin Newsom's Podcast

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/20/gavin-newsom-podcast

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLg-fFQbrQw7c-JVsZ25IX6eiJ2EYNZpAp



Waterbury, CT Imprisonment/Fire Case

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/biological-mother-connecticut-man-allegedly-held-captive-stepmom-decad-rcna196853

https://www.ctpost.com/waterbury/article/waterbury-man-captive-kimberly-sullivan-tessman-20231934.php



Josef Fritzl:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritzl_case

https://people.com/where-is-elisabeth-fritzl-now-11686985

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc0TWOt382g



Casey Anthony's Social Media Return

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/casey-anthony-joins-tiktok-faces-backlash-for-rebranding-herself-as-legal-advocate/articleshow/118691652.cms?from=mdr

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Caylee_Anthony

https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2014/2/26/casey_anthony_speaks



The Importance of Federal Bureaucracy

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/is-government-too-big-reflections-on-the-size-and-composition-of-todays-federal-government/

https://pressbooks.online.ucf.edu/pos2041lg/chapter/bureaucracy-and-the-evolution-of-public-administration/

https://www.ushistory.org/gov/8a.asp



Michael Lewis and Civil Service

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9ETYFli2tI

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/219551344-who-is-government



Statistics on Federal Workers

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/data-analysis-documentation/federal-employment-reports/historical-tables/executive-branch-civilian-employment-since-1940/

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/07/what-the-data-says-about-federal-workers/

https://usafacts.org/articles/how-many-people-work-for-the-federal-government/



National Parks Service Worker Fired due to Trump Administration Cuts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1ykyUpvCDY

The Perspectives Pod: Episode 6

Join Malcolm and Joseph as they have a discussion about the meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the broader impact on US foreign relations, Curtis Yarvin and the 'Dark Enlightenment' theory behind many powerful individuals in business and politics, and a brief conversation about Cajun/Creole French struggling to survive in the modern era.

Show Notes:

Zelenskyy/Trump Oval Office Meeting (Feb 28):

Argument:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_kTNIYsFnQ

Full Meeting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pxbGjvcdyY



Suits and Politics:

Obama tan suit episode:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kNSNPwuSjQ

Zelenskyy's stated reason about not wearing a suit:

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/03/08/zelenskyy-suit-ukraine-fashion-style-00219275

White House reporter asking about Zelenskyy's lack of a suit:

https://www.the-independent.com/tv/news/marjorie-taylor-greene-brian-glenn-zelensky-b2708753.html



Dimitri Trenin/Iam Brewmmer Interview:

https://www.pbs.org/video/who-gets-to-decide-ukraines-fate-afe1vx/



Ursula van der Leyen's Push to Rearm Europe:

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-defence-plans-could-mobilise-800-billion-euros-von-der-leyen-says-2025-03-04/



Ukrainian Claim on Russian War Casualties:

https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/12/8/7488226/index.amp



Ivana Trump's Father as a KGB asset:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/29/trump-czechoslovakia-communism-spying



Paul Manafort's Russo-Ukrainian Work:

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/18/manafort-worked-with-russian-intel-officer-who-may-have-been-involved-in-dnc-hack-senate-panel-says-397597



US-European Trade:

https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/europe-middle-east/europe/european-union



US Foreign Aid Spending:

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/02/06/what-the-data-says-about-us-foreign-aid/#how-much-does-the-federal-government-spend-on-foreign-aid



Social Security Cuts Under 'Entitlements' Banner:

https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-donald-trump-doge-b21b74f56f30012a6450a629e7232a1a



Biden Admin Infrastructure Bill:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrastructure_Investment_and_Jobs_Act



50501 Protest Organizing:

https://www.fiftyfifty.one/



Curtis Yarvin:

Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis_Yarvin

Personal Blogs:

https://www.unqualified-reservations.org/

https://graymirror.substack.com/

Governmental Worldview:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/21/curtis-yarvin-trump

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/18/magazine/curtis-yarvin-interview.html

The Cathedral:

https://graymirror.substack.com/p/a-brief-explanation-of-the-cathedral

'A humane alternative to genocide':

https://www.unqualified-reservations.org/2008/11/patchwork-2-profit-strategies-for-our/



Dark Enlightenment:

https://www.hudsonbooksellers.com/book/9781922602688

https://www.populismstudies.org/Vocabulary/dark-enlightenment/

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/techno-fascism-comes-to-america-elon-musk

https://www.ft.com/content/02217acf-ac64-49c2-acd5-ef4f107f014c

Peter Thiel and Dark Enlightenment:

https://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=b6434c0b-0c39-4a57-a542-4e75b94ef305



Historical Supression of LA French:

https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/preserve-cajun-french-many-fear-dying/289-d4ca1f28-1807-4d93-9dc4-2e1c9fcd7bc4

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/reviving-the-cajun-dialect

https://www.houmatoday.com/story/news/2012/04/30/cajun-french-can-dying-language-be-saved/27038050007/

The Perspectives Pod: Episode 5

From the Oval Office debacle to halting our offensive cyber efforts against Russia, can Trump do any more to show his loyalty to Putin?

What a friggin disgrace.

Join us as we discuss how to avoid political apathy, the Yankees' recent removal of their no-beard rule, an administrative mix-up at an IVF clinic that had dramatic consequences, the diplomatic reversal by the United States and the resultant geopolitical fallout, and other political topics in a more free-form discussion.

Sources/Links Discussed:



Chris Kluwe Arrest:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/former-nfl-punter-chris-kluwe-arrested-anti-trump-protest-city-council-rcna192978



Woman arrested at Idaho Town Hall:

https://apnews.com/article/idaho-protest-woman-removed-town-hall-b4348df006fe83723f95769a05007098



Elon Musk Hitler Verification

The following link clarifies that this was actually a hacked legitimate gov account that has no apparent ties to Musk.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/musk-hitler-verifiy-accounts/



Elon Musk's Apartheid Background

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jan/26/elon-musk-peter-thiel-apartheid-south-africa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdfQc1X_0yo



Steve Bannon's CPAC Nazi Salute:

https://apnews.com/article/steve-bannon-cpac-nazi-salute-gesture-wave-43a06de6184fe58940c8ae3d743bc6ba



Germany's Anti-Democracy Shift in 1933:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/01/hitler-germany-constitution-authoritarianism/681233/



Bernie Sanders' Anti-Oligarchy Tour:

https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2025/02/25/bernie-sanders-shows-anti-oligarchy-path-iowa-city/80281521007/

https://www.wcax.com/2025/02/22/sen-bernie-sanders-kicks-off-fighting-oligarchy-where-we-go-here-tour/



Congressional Phone Numbers:

(202)-224-3121 | https://5calls.org/



Elon Musk's 2024 Election Expenditures:

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/01/politics/elon-musk-2024-election-spending-millions/index.html



Yankees' Beard Policy Removal:

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2025/02/26/yankees-drop-beard-ban



Georgia IVF Clinic Embryo Mix-up:

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/savannah-georgia-ivf-lawsuit/63840609

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/19/woman-ivf-switch



Trump Administration's Ukraine Policy Shift:

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/26/europe/ukraine-us-mineral-resources-deal-explained-intl-latam/index.html



European Response to US Support of Russia:

https://www.turkiyetoday.com/world/france-backs-trumps-ukraine-diplomacy-seeks-us-support-for-european-troops-123788/

https://www.bruegel.org/analysis/defending-europe-without-us-first-estimates-what-needed



Foreign Relations and Polarity:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polarity_(international_relations)



Cincinnatus (Roman Republican Figure):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Quinctius_Cincinnatus



Harry Truman's Post-Presidency:

https://www.nps.gov/articles/harry-truman-and-independence-missouri-this-is-where-i-belong-teaching-with-historic-places.htm



Ezra Klein Interview (Yuval Levin, American Enterprise Institute):

https://www.aei.org/articles/the-breaking-of-the-constitutional-order/



Obama 'A Promised Land' Megalomania quote:

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/86336100-a-promised-land?page=26



Trump Administration Joint Chiefs of Staff Firing:

https://apnews.com/article/trump-brown-joint-chiefs-of-staff-firing-fa428cc1508a583b3bf5e7a5a58f6acf

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/21/us/politics/hegseth-navy-lisa-franchetti.html



Colin Powell (Joint Chief of Staff member under Clinton Administration):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Powell



The Big Sort (Book):

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2569072-the-big-sort

The Perspectives Pod: Episode 4

Where Malcolm, Simone and Joseph chat about the validity of the Grammys, offer a perspective on Kendrick Lamar's success and the genres of rap and hip-hop in general, and discuss the latest in Presidential overreach along with what it means to be a man. 



Sources/Links Discussed:

Award Ceremonies Rigging Allegations:

https://medium.com/@marno.lucas28.com/people-think-the-game-awards-are-rigged-this-is-why-6d3c788b8864

https://sites.cortland.edu/dragon-chronicle/2023/02/12/the-grammys-have-always-been-rigged/

https://nordicnews.net/11727/ae/the-oscars-a-rigged-game/



Kendrick v. Drake Feud Overview:

https://old.reddit.com/r/CasualConversation/comments/1ckx3sg/can_anyone_explain_the_drake_kendrick_beef/



History of Hip-Hop/Rap:

https://www.pbs.org/show/fight-power-how-hip-hop-changed-world/



Soft Power (International Politics):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_power

https://www.gzeromedia.com/the-end-of-us-soft-power

https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2023/06/27/views-of-american-soft-power/



George Allen ('macaca' incident):

https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=2322630&page=1



Yuval Levin's 'Durable Majority' Remarks:

https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/politics-without-winners-can-either-party-build-a-majority-coalition/



Tip O'Neill and President Reagan:

https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/centers/church21/publications/c21-resources/c21-resources-articles/Ronald-Reagan-and-Tip-O-Neill--A-Real-life-Friendship.html



USAID Origins/Purpose:

https://2012-2017.usaid.gov/who-we-are/usaid-history

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Agency_for_International_Development

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2025/02/03/usaid-how-it-started/



DOGE's Youth:

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/pixels/article/2025/02/07/who-are-the-doge-kids-the-disciples-of-elon-musk-tasked-with-hacking-the-us-federal-government_6737883_13.html

https://www.yahoo.com/news/one-elon-musks-doge-kids-181406909.html

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-doge-edward-coristine-b2695812.html



Elon Musk and Ketamine:

https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/18/tech/elon-musk-ketamine-use-don-lemon-interview/index.html

https://futurism.com/neoscope/elon-musk-doge-staffer-ketamine

https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/ketamine/

https://www.oxfordhealth.nhs.uk/ips/ketamine-trd/risks-benefits/



Congress blocked from entering Dept. of Education:

https://thehill.com/homenews/education/5132685-department-of-education-musk-doge-trump-frost/

https://frost.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-maxwell-frost-dozens-of-members-of-congress-denied-entry-into-department-of-education-as-they-demand-answers-on-plans-to-dismantle-the-agency



The State of Manliness:

(The following links are added for additional context. They do not necessarily reflect exactly what was discussed in the podcast.)

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/01/the-miseducation-of-the-american-boy/603046/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=atlantic-daily-newsletter&utm_content=20191216&silverid-ref=MzIxODYxNzEwMTQ3S0

https://www.brookings.edu/books/of-boys-and-men/



Gigachad:

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/gigachad



Heather Cox Richardson:

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnbKOlm6H9njgmN-Yil90Rg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Cox_Richardson

Episode 3: Grammys, Drake/Kendrick, and the American Crisis

Where we discuss a rumor about the Obamas' relationship, a world record involving considerable appreciation for human sexuality (and stamina to boot), as well as the recent appointing of Pete Hesgeth as the Secretary of Defense and emergent open-source AI model DeepSeek.



Sources/Links Discussed:

The Obamas' Relationship Rumor:

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/why-people-think-barack-obama-083447595.html

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/michelle-obamas-posts-message-mentioning-barack-obama-on-instagram-sparks-speculation-amid-separation-rumors/articleshow/117749360.cms?from=mdr



Bonny Blue and Lily Phillips' World Record:

https://www.joe.ie/news/bonnie-blue-says-shes-broke-world-record-by-sleeping-with-1057-men-in-twelve-hours-830860

https://www.irishmirror.ie/news/world-news/bonnie-blue-onlyfans-queue-romp-34556084



DeepSeek AI Model:

https://www.deepseek.com/

https://github.com/deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-R1

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/what-is-deepseek-heres-a-quick-guide-to-the-chinese-ai-company



AI Model Distillation:

https://medium.com/stream-zero/understanding-the-essentials-of-model-distillation-in-ai-1e97403bee8a

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_distillation

https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/knowledge-distillation



Markov Chains:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markov_chain

https://towardsdatascience.com/text-generation-with-markov-chains-an-introduction-to-using-markovify-742e6680dc33

https://medium.com/ymedialabs-innovation/next-word-prediction-using-markov-model-570fc0475f96



Nuclear Power for Generative AI:

https://sustainability.atmeta.com/blog/2024/12/03/accelerating-the-next-wave-of-nuclear-to-power-ai-innovation/

https://medium.com/@thedatabytenewsletter/why-meta-has-begun-to-chase-nuclear-power-too-cd58f64d55e5



Locally run AI Models:

https://journal.hexmos.com/run-your-image-generator/?src=reddit

https://old.reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA/comments/16y95hk/a_starter_guide_for_playing_with_your_own_local_ai/



Technological Singularity and Ray Kurzweil:

https://philosophynow.org/issues/86/The_Singularity_Is_Near_by_Ray_Kurzweil

https://www.shortform.com/blog/what-is-the-technological-singularity/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Singularity_Is_Near



Dyson Sphere:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_sphere



NIH Gag Order:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2025/01/23/trump-administration-halts-public-health-agencies-activities/



Congregation Rejecting Jesus' Teachings:

https://www.businessinsider.com/church-official-warns-christianity-in-crisis-jesus-liberal-talking-points-2023-8

https://newrepublic.com/post/174950/christianity-today-editor-evangelicals-call-jesus-liberal-weak



Tulsi Gabbard and Assad:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/how-tulsi-gabbard-became-assads-mouthpiece-in-washington/2017/01/29/215e9c70-e4bf-11e6-a547-5fb9411d332c_story.html (Opinion Piece)

https://apnews.com/article/tulsi-gabbard-assad-syria-trip-dni-trump-d06373c24d3e87a1e13c63023c64268e



Birthright Citizenship Crisis:

https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-14/

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/federal-judge-puts-blocks-on-trumps-order-to-end-birthright-citizenship

The Perspectives Pod: Episode 2

Where we discuss the recent TikTok ban (which was still in effect at the time of this recording), social media's broader influence on our politics, and the viability of a third party for non-MAGA conservatives. (Mind the name--we've changed from Bridging the Gap!)

The Perspectives Pod: Episode 1

Join Malcolm, Simone, and Joseph as they discuss current events, US (and occasionally global) politics, social and technological trends, and other topics of great interest and varying importance with a focus on thoughtful conversation and an open-minded approach. Episodes posted weekly on Thursdays!