The Lean to the Left Podcast

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Today we’re going to talk about how the QAnon prediction that their messiah, Donald Trump, would miraculously be sworn in as president yesterday, March 4, just didn’t come to pass. It was so sad, seeing all those poor, misguided people being so disappointed. But alas, I’m sure they’ll have another fake day to look forward to. All that’s from a piece called “You’ve Been Q’ed” on Not Fake News.biz b...

Today we’re going to talk about technology – all the “smart” stuff that most of us use, like our phones and our fancy watches that can tell us our heart beat, count our steps, and can even rat on our spouses or partners if they are someplace other than where they say. Our guest is Dr. Don Vaughn, a neuroscientist who works for a new company called Invisibly, which is looking to turn the internet a...

It was just reported this evening, March 3, that the U.S. House of Representatives will not be in session tomorrow March 4. Why is that big news? Why should you care? Because tomorrow is the day that the QAnon crazies believe Donald Trump will return and be inaugurated as the true president of the United States, and federal law enforcement agencies are bracing for another possible riot at the Capi...

Donald Trump made it clear at the Conservative Political Action Conference Sunday that he has no intention of going away, and that he intends to be fully engaged in the Republican Party. While decrying his defeat do to a “rigged” election, he repeated his demands for election changes – changes that go to the heart of challenging our democratic process. I took a look at that in commentary on Not Fa...

I’ve been away on a brief vacation for the last few days, so it’s been a little quiet here at NFN Radio News. But now, I’m back, so here goes with double-header commentary from Not Fake News. First up will be “The Battle for the Soul of the GOP,” with commentary on Donald Trump’s determination to hang on to the Republican Party and growing opposition from reformers who want to see him gone. Then,...

I have a special guest today and I think you’ll enjoy listening to her. When Peg Howell was 25 years old, she was the first woman to be the “company man” on an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Yep, that’s what they called her. She was the person in charge, so she was the “company man.” She reveals what it was like to be one of the last two people left on the rig’s platform after all of the...

I’ve been telling you guys all week about a new podcast that I’ve been cooking up with my old buddy Scott Ramminger, which explores the intersection of music, art, and popular culture with news and politics. Well, here it is. It’s called Tempo and the Times, and we launch today with an introductory episode that explains what you can expect from this new effort to get into trouble. We've lined up s...

I know it’s not nice to speak ill of the dead, but I have to say that I shed no tears yesterday when I learned that Rush Limbaugh had died. Yes, I feel sorry for his family and friends, but that’s the extent of it because Limbaugh was one of the most disgusting, despicable influencers of public opinion ever to be given airtime. And the fact that Donald Trump listened to him and paid homage to him...

It’s a shame what’s happening to the Republican Party, which is apparently in a quandary as to who they are and what they stand for. There’s been plenty of coverage and analysis of all of this, but it’s clear that many believe the GOP has lost its way and the recent impeachment trial of Donald Trump, charged with inciting a mob to attack our Congress, just brought new attention to all of this. Rig...

Yesterday, the Senate declined to convict former president Donald Trump on charges of inciting the deadly insurrection that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. They acquitted him, however, with seven of the 50 Republican senators joining all Democrats in voting to convict Trump, but falling 10 short of the 2/3 majority needed for conviction. After the trial was over, Republican leader Mitch...

Today, Not Fake News writer Susan Hutchinson imagines what might have happened if in 2016 Hilary Clinton had defeated Donald Trump, instead of the other way around. What would have been Trump’s reaction back then? How would events have been changed? It’s fascinating commentary, but remember, as you listen to my narration, that it’s all conjecture, based on Susan’s imagination. But it’s worth consi...

Wondering if you guys watch the TV show, “Bull,” based on a jury analyst who figures out which potential jury members would be more favorable to his firm’s clients, and which would be most unfavorable. They figure this out with a series of questions to potential members of the jury panel, and if it looks like they would not be friendly, or if they have some sort of conflict of interest, the attorn...

Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial opened today and it’s clear what we’re in for. The Trump attorneys spent their time obfuscating and misdirecting, and the first guy, lead counsel Bruce Castor Jr. simply wandered all over the place, seemed to talk to hear himself talk, although he did take time to pander to members of the Senate. Meanwhile, the House impeachment managers, anticipating the Tr...

The news media is filled with pundits asking the weighty question of exactly what has the Republican party become these days. Is it still the party of Donald Trump, even after his disastrous presidency and becoming the first president in history to be impeached TWICE, the second time coming after he incited a violent attack on Congress, trying to disrupt certification Joe Biden’s election. Is it t...

With Donald Trump silenced by social media and apparently hiding out at Mar-a-Lago, we no longer are subjected to his childish name-calling. At least for now. To me, and I’m sure a lot of people, that was one of the most irritating tactics Trump used to demean those who opposed him. He used so many, in fact, that Wikipedia now has a comprehensive list organized in various categories. “Crooked Hill...

Early on when the coronavirus pandemic first struck, men were reported to be adversely affected more than women, and a variety of reasons was given. But now, things have changed and, at least in the Americas, it’s women who are now feeling the impact more than their male counterparts. Take a listen to “Sex & the Coronavirus” , with comments by Dr. Carissa F. Etienne, director of the Pan American W...

The U.S. Senate will put former president Donald Trump on trial following his impeachment by the House of Representatives on charges of insurrection, stemming from his inciting the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Trump has been pushing his lawyers, who keep bailing on him, by the way, to use as his defense his claims that the election was stolen from him, that it was filled with f...

It amazes me that Republicans are now saying the rest of the nation should simply forgive and forget the fact that Donald Trump practically ended our democracy as we know it. They say we should just move on. Well, I don’t think so. Take a listen to “Come on, Man! Can’t We Just Move On?” from Not Fake News.biz. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-lean-to-the-lef...

When the mob was attacking the Capitol building in Washington DC on January 6, we kept hearing their supporters call them “patriots.” We heard them call themselves “patriots.” And, we heard Donald Trump, as he exhorted the crowd to go to the Capitol, call them “patriots.” That made my skin crawl. Those people were not American patriots, they were criminals. And, it turns out, at least one or more...

We finally have a president who is taking action to combat the climate change crisis that threatens our world. Having been in office only days, President Biden has already taken concrete action and the naysayers and industry dirtballs are already acting like the world is coming to an end. That’s funny, really, because just yesterday the people who set the “Doomsday Clock” issued another warning. T...

Today I read a story that former Vice President Pence is afraid for his life, all because rabid Trump supporters are still angry that he would not do the impossible and overturn the election results to keep their hero in office. It’s no wonder, as they were yelling “Hang Mike Pence” on January 6 when they broke into the U.S. Capitol, having erected an actual gallows complete with a noose outside....

Last night when the House of Representatives formally delivered the articles of impeachment against Donald Trump to the Senate, I began to wonder what young school children must be thinking. Here we have a president of the United States who actually tried to attack our own government, really, our own country. Obviously, that’s not what children of die-hard Trump supporters will be told, unlike tho...

Today I’ve got two pieces of commentary for you, both related to the Trump impeachment and issues surrounding it. First, we’ll talk about the upcoming impeachment trial and how Senate Republicans are faced with deciding whether to get rid of Trump by convicting him of inciting insurrection or let him off and then be stuck with him as the supposed leader of a splintered party. There’s a lot at stak...

Today our guest is Scott Ramminger, who for many years was the CEO of a Washington, DC industry lobbying organization and is a Nashville-based songwriter and musician. When Scott was in DC, he performed at clubs maybe three nights a week, but now is a fulltime writer and musician. Scott’s published five blues and roots albums and is working on his sixth. He performs solo and with a band..and on to...