Meeting of the Maniacs at Mar-a-Lago, Chinese Protests & Iran Throws Shade at the U.S. Team

In this episode, Alex starts by ranting about current airline failures during the holidays and why Congress is placing extra scrutiny on the main companies. Then, Alex discusses the new controversy regarding former President Donald Trump having a dinner party with Kanye West and hate-mongering individuals such as Nick Fuentes, a well-known white supremacist, and holocaust denier. New York Magazine notes that “Former President Donald Trump is continuing to face backlash after hosting and dining with notorious white supremacist and avowed antisemite Nick Fuentes at his Mar-a-Lago estate on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.” Of course, Trump has denied knowing Fuentes; however, Alex questions these answers and ponders who is checking the guest list at Mar-a-Lago. The president must set boundaries and lead by example, he cannot amplify the voices of despicable human beings like Fuentes. Later, Alex discusses the recent protests in China over COVID-19 lockdowns and why these may be different. He argues that these are unified in calling out the regime and worries that President Xi may show his cards in this case. Xi has become president for life and will likely grapple with how to control these protests. Finally, Alex discusses the bravery of the Iranian Football Team and wonders what happens when they return home to Iran. He also discusses how according to CNN, “the United States Federation of Soccer had temporarily displayed Iran’s national flag on its official Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook account without the emblem of the Islamic Republic.” Now the Iranian government is calling out the U.S. Team and is demanding that FIFA kicks them out. Of course, the U.S. Men’s Team has denied knowing about this change and has shown cowardness while the Iranian team has done the opposite.