Centered From Reality

In this sports focused podcast, Alex brings back guest Cole Costello, a PhD candidate at the University of Montana and the pod's history correspondent. They discuss the changing landscape of college football, including the collapse of the Pac-12, conference realignment, the loss of regional rivalries, and the growing corporatization of college sports. They also turn to the NFL, breaking down prese...

In this episode, Alex explores generational and political shifts, using Tucker Carlson’s ideological divergence from his father’s establishment-conservative background as a window into changing political coalitions. He then focuses on generational wealth inequality, arguing that younger Americans face much steeper barriers to building financial security even with strong incomes. Using the frustrat...

Cole Costello joins host Alex for a spin on the viral trend of ranking different regions of the United States based on one question: if they had to pick one region to live in forever, where would it be? From the Pacific Northwest and desert Southwest to the Great Lakes, Deep South, and New England, they weigh culture, climate, geography, cities, and what makes somewhere actually feel livable. Alon...

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians is ending, leaving hundreds of thousands vulnerable to deportation to a country the U.S. State Department itself tells Americans not to travel to. Alex highlights the stark contradiction: Haiti remains under the highest-level “Do Not Travel” advisory, and U.S. deportation flights cannot even safely land at the main airport in Port-au-Prince because of...

Alex uses the latest season of Outer Banks as a case study in what happens when streaming economics collide with geographic authenticity. After noticing that supposedly Spanish and Mediterranean locations look suspiciously like Croatia, he digs into why productions consolidate filming in places like Dubrovnik—and how tax incentives, production infrastructure, and cost-cutting can turn entire count...

Alex is joined by history correspondent Cole Costello, a PhD student at the University of Montana studying labor history around the turn of the 20th century. The two dig into Donald Trump’s unusual ranking of U.S. presidents, using it as a jumping-off point to discuss presidential history, political leadership, expansionism, and what the rankings may reveal about Trump’s worldview. They also exami...

Alex breaks down signs of an unusually powerful El Niño taking shape in the Pacific and what it could mean for South America, from flooding and landslides in Peru and Chile to major disruptions in marine ecosystems. He also looks at the extreme ocean heat fueling concern among scientists and why this El Niño could hit differently in a world already dealing with warmer seas and stressed ecosystems....

The episode focuses on two stories with a heavy dose of irony and geopolitical anxiety. Alex reacts to far-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos being detained by ICE and facing deportation after overstaying his authorized time in the U.S., then turns to CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s surprise trip to Moscow to warn Russia against testing NATO—potentially through a limited attack on a Baltic state. T...

In this episode, Alex centers on two escalating crises tied to Trump-era instability. First, there's growing speculation that Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, may be dead, brain-damaged, or in hiding—he hasn't been seen publicly in six months, and new leadership billboards notably exclude him, showcasing IRGC military commanders instead of clerics. This shift suggests Iran may be slidi...

Alex examines how the Russia-Ukraine war may be accelerating a troubling new era of autonomous warfare, including reports that Ukraine considered using AI-guided drone swarms to disrupt Moscow’s civilian airports. He draws a cautious comparison between Ukraine and Israel, asking what happens when a country increasingly doubts its allies will protect it and concludes that survival requires acting o...

Alex examines speculation that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth could be positioning himself for a 2028 presidential run before turning to a more immediate national security concern: America’s dwindling supply of Patriot missile interceptors. Using Ukraine and the war with Iran as warning signs, Alex explores how slow production and surging demand could leave the U.S. and its allies dangerously unde...

Alex opens the episode with reflections on a recent movie outing, politics, and memories of traveling through Greece and seeing once-thriving towns affected by economic decline. He then hosts María Tribe for a wide-ranging conversation centered on the World Cup, soccer culture, and controversies surrounding racism and player and fan behavior, particularly involving Argentina and Spain. They explor...

Alex takes a quick break from a dinner party to unpack what he sees as two of Trump’s latest foreign-policy headaches: scaling back military exercises with South Korea while cozying up to North Korea, and threatening Oman as the Iran conflict drags on. Between Trump’s “too late to cancel” excuse, threats to bomb a longtime U.S. partner, and a war looking increasingly like the “forever wars” he pro...

Alex is joined by María Tribe for a wide-ranging conversation about life in Spain, beginning with Maria’s firsthand experience of wildfires near Madrid and expanding into Spanish culture, immigration, politics, and the country’s complicated relationship with its past. They explore the growing appeal of figures like Andrew Tate, masculinity and the frustrations of young men, as well as the role rel...

Alex opens with casual updates on preseason football and pickleball before pivoting to a critique of the Senate's near-unanimous Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, warning that its tariff waiver provisions could hand Trump economic powers the Supreme Court had previously struck down. The episode's main focus shifts to Europe, where Alex explains that record-low water levels on the Rhi...

Alex hosts history correspondent and Montana history PhD candidate Cole Costello for a wide-ranging conversation on wildfires, politics, technology, and American political culture. They discuss the growing social costs of wildfires and post-disaster rebuilding, concerns surrounding AI and data centers, and the challenges facing Democrats and working-class politics. The conversation also turns hist...

Alex Kopytko is joined by the podcast’s history correspondent, Cole Costello, a PhD candidate at the University of Montana, for a wide-ranging conversation about food, history, and globalization. They explore how the Columbian Exchange transformed cuisines around the world, from tomatoes becoming central to Italian cooking to Old World crops and livestock reshaping diets in the Americas. Along the...

Alex breaks down reports that President Trump was secretly moved off Air Force One after intelligence warned of a possible Iranian missile threat, while more than 100 aides, officials, and journalists reportedly remained aboard without being told. He argues the extraordinary security operation raises serious ethical and national-security questions—and may signal that Iran is becoming increasingly...

Alex and Martin Benes discuss right-wing OnlyFans influencers like Savannah Cannon, who blend racist and misogynistic rhetoric with provocative posing to attract young men, and tie this to broader MAGA figures accused of abusing women, like Max Miller. They argue this reflects a Republican Party that has abandoned any pretense of "family values." Martin frames the dynamic using a doping analogy: t...

Alex opens with a quick riff on going to the movies before diving into Tucker Carlson's ten-point "manifesto" about his vision for America. He runs through each point — Fair, Sovereign, Productive, Beautiful, Healthy, Honest, Optimistic, Wise, Decent, and United — reacting to each in turn. His overall take: he doesn't think Tucker is actually running for president, but is instead building a politi...

In this episode, Alex opens with casual updates on weather, LAFC, the Leagues Cup, and Trump's "Patriot Games" youth sports event before shifting to politics. He then focuses on Wisconsin's Democratic gubernatorial primary, arguing that candidate Francesca Hong's democratic-socialist positioning, past comments on police and holidays, and struggles to clearly answer questions have made her a risky...

Alex examines several political and cultural debates, including “Burrito Gate,” a fight on the right over $20 burritos that he sees as reflecting a much larger divide over affordability, inflation, tariffs, and the cost of living. He also discusses Donald Trump’s brazenness around potential conflicts of interest and considers what Michigan’s Senate race reveals about the Democratic Party’s directi...

Alex opens with a frustrated rant about Senate Republicans — particularly Bill Cassidy and Thom Tillis — for caving to Trump and supporting Todd Blanche's nomination for Attorney General. Alex and guest Martin Benes then shift to sports, criticizing Argentina's poor sportsmanship after the World Cup final and calling out players like Leandro Paredes and Valentín Barco. The two also dig into FIFA p...

Steven Crowder released a video titled The Case for Fascism, and Alex sets out to systematically dismantle its arguments. Alex argues that Crowder fundamentally misunderstands the defining characteristics that make fascism uniquely dangerous and repeatedly conflates it with broader forms of right-wing authoritarianism. He also contends that Crowder demonstrates a weak grasp of history by selective...