Épisodes

  • Do Russia and China Care About Iran?
    Jul 12 2025

    Send us a text

    In the wake of the American bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities, Adam and Jeff discuss the apparent lack of response by either Russia or China to the attack. Adam believes that the lack of response is due to the reluctance of both countries to call attention to themselves due to their failure to respond in any meaningful way. Jeff suggests that neither Russia or China have any type of mutual defense treaty obligations with Iran, because they would both be concerned that Tehran would pull them into a war with Israel and the United States. Indeed, any patronage by Russia and China of Iran may be nothing more than a coldhearted calculation of influence buying in the Middle East. Iran could be seen by both Russia and China as a foothold whereby they can challenge the hegemony of the United States in the Middle East without getting their hands too dirty. Jeff suggests the muted responses of both China and Russia to the bombings reflects the increasingly poor prospects facing both countries due to declining economic growth rates, declining populations, and a generally deteriorating geostrategic position in the international system.

    Voir plus Voir moins
    38 min
  • The Omaha Bugle Discusses New Global Population Estimates by the United Nations and Two Kids Down the Street
    Jul 12 2025

    Send us a text

    Adam and Jeff turn their attention to a recent report that the United Nations has lowered their predictions that the global population in the year 2100 will be at least a billion less than past estimates. Adam and Jeff return to a recurring theme that demographers, like everyone else, get caught up in the trends and forget to question the long-term viability of those very same trends. Jeff points out that many demographers take a bird's eye view of population trends whereas others ask individuals about their preferences and draw their own conclusions. In short, it appears that most women do not want to have 6 or 7 children and sit in a grass hut all day long, instead preferring to pursue careers and other opportunities that were not always available to them in the past. This mystifying trends appears to have surprised most demographers who have had to drastically revise downward their predictions about the world's population in the coming decades. In the spirit of efficiency, Jeff predicts that there will be 7 billion people in the world in the year 2100, pointing out that he did not waste any time hiring an expensive, credentialed staff that was going to get the prediction wrong anyways.

    Voir plus Voir moins
    34 min
  • Adam and Jeff Talk About Jeff's Recent Trip to Iceland
    Jul 12 2025

    Send us a text

    In an attempt to reach listeners who are not necessarily interested in the pseudo-fact news stories that are typically featured on the Omaha Bugle, Adam and Jeff talk about Jeff's recent trip to Iceland. Jeff provides an account of some of the "touristy" things that he and his family did while roaming through southern Iceland including venturing into warm mineral springs baths, shopping and dining in the capital city of Reykjavik (where absolutely no bargains are to be had), and roaming around the countryside. Although Iceland is about the size of the state of Kentucky, it has only about 400,000 people--all of whom are legally required to be blonde. Jeff did attend the Independence Day parade in Reykjavik where he saw exactly two floats go down the main thoroughfare. However, he was disappointed that there were no balloons floating overhead. Jeff also talks about the cuisine of Iceland, much of which is sea food--including delicacies such as fermented shark--which is so appalling in taste, texture and odor that some masochists find it oddly alluring. Other delicacies for the more adventurous types include ram's testicles. Jeff also admits to some frustration with driving in Iceland because the top speed is only 90 kilometers per hour--which is around 55 miles per hour.

    Voir plus Voir moins
    29 min
  • Will the United States Win the Tariff Tango?
    Jun 19 2025

    Send us a text

    Noted trade experts Adam and Jeff discuss the new American trade policy of greatly increasing tariffs on most foreign imports.
    They debate whether across-the-board increases in tariffs on imported goods is a strategic action or simply a blunt instrument approach to cutting down America’s enormous trade deficits. Jeff points out that the current policy is prompted by the desire to reshore industries and rebuild our domestic supply chains. Adam sees the increases in tariffs as a strategy to force other countries to build their products in the United States so that they do not get shut out of the American market by higher tariffs as the Japanese car industry chose to do when its auto exports were limited to the United States in the 1980s. Both see tariffs as a way to force other countries to the table now as opposed to waiting a decade or more to possibly work something out at the WTO.

    Voir plus Voir moins
    39 min
  • Should the United States Take Over Greenland?
    Jun 19 2025

    Send us a text

    Anxious to display their recently acquired knowledge about all things Greenland, Adam and Jeff address whether the United States should take over Greenland and the means by which it should do so. They talk about the fact that Greenland is heavily subsidized by Denmark and that if the United States should take it over, it will inherit that same open-ended obligation to keep the Greenlandic economy, afloat for years and years to come. They also talk about past efforts by the United States to buy Greenland outright from Denmark for cash. However, Jeff points out that this approach (which has been rejected repeatedly by Denmark) does not have any appeal to the Greenlanders themselves because the money would be going to the Danish government.. Adam and Jeff discuss a more innovative approach whereby the United States would bribe every man, woman and child in Greenland with large sums of cash to persuade them to switch sides and join the United States. They even offer to oversee the money transfers in person by taking trunks full of cash to the various Greenlandic settlements and obtaining proxy votes in favor of joining the United States.


    Voir plus Voir moins
    34 min
  • "The Return of the King". The First Hundred Days of Trump's Presidency: Part One
    May 21 2025

    Send us a text

    Adam opens the show solo because Jeff is on assignment overseas with a group of cartographers mapping the tunnels underneath the Gaza Strip for a new travel guide. Jeff discusses the workplace hazards in Gaza as he and his colleagues make their way through boobytrapped tunnels, losing the occasional finger or toe to an explosive device. Adam and Jeff then turn to the theme of the show which looks at some of the major policy changes that have taken place in the first 100 days of the second Trump presidency--most notably immigration. Adam points out that people always act in their own self-interest and are willing to give their life savings to traffickers in order to come to the United States where they can receive food and lodging benefits not typically available to many Americans. Jeff points out that the Biden Administration seemed to believe that open borders would allow enough people to come into the country who would have an undying loyalty toward the Democratic Party and thus reward it with an electoral majority for years, if not generations to come. However, Adam and Jeff point out that most groups of immigrants typically split their votes among the major parties by the second or third generation, rendering the "demographics is destiny" argument moot. They also consider instances in which government agencies such as FEMA and the Department of Education have been created and funded but have had little positive impact in recent years due to misallocated funds and bureaucratic sclerosis. Adam believes the government should limit itself to certain core functions such as national infrastructure (e.g., TVA, interstate highway system), a universal postal system and national defense, whereas Jeff is hoping that he can avoid stepping on another explosive device before he returns home.

    Voir plus Voir moins
    42 min
  • More Executive Orders from the Desk of President Donald Trump
    May 5 2025

    Send us a text

    Adam and Jeff discuss some of the more recent executive orders signed by President Trump and suggest that the sheer number of these executive orders may be diluting their effectiveness. One order which directs that Washington D.C. be made safe and beautiful is little more than a directive that the relevant officials do whatever they can to make Washington D.C. great again. As with other orders such as one which directs that bank payments be made safe and efficient, many of these orders appear to be more aspirational in nature instead of offering concrete steps to take. Unfortunately, Jeff and Adam are both painfully aware that the modern banking system is incredibly efficient insofar as debiting monies from their accounts is concerned. However, the speed with which deposits are credited back to their accounts harkens back to the days of the Pony Express. Yet another executive order directs that the White House set up a task force to deal with FIFA (the governing body of professional soccer competitions throughout the world) even though most people in the United States do not watch professional soccer or even realize that FIFA is not a light and flakey bakery treat. Yet another executive order directs that a strategic bitcoin reserve be established; Jeff is unsure, however, how you stockpile something that is basically an imaginary asset.

    Voir plus Voir moins
    40 min
  • The Omaha Bugle Talks With GOP Congressional Candidate Chris Eddy About the 2024 Elections and the State of the World
    Mar 9 2025

    Send us a text

    Never shy about foisting their views on others, Adam and Jeff invite Chris Eddy, the retired general and recent GOP candidate for the 25th U.S. Congressional District in Florida to talk about what went right and what went wrong in his election bid. Chris provides a statistical analysis of the early voting and election day voting and focuses on some of the factors that may have prevented him from unseating the incumbent in a very tight election. Jeff asks Chris why Democrats appear to be willing to "die on the hill" for various issues that appeal to very small groups of voters. Chris also talks about the changes made in the last four years in the election laws of many states that caused the 2024 election to appear like a seamless process compared to the 2020 clown show that resulted in the Biden victory. Adam points out that President Trump is bringing in more loyalists the second time around due to the very mixed results he obtained during his first term when he relied heavily on Washington "insiders". All three seem to agree that Trump framing his policies as "common sense" rather than being motivated by ideological concerns would explain why Trump's policies are more popular than Trump himself--who is not exactly known for his cuddley demeanor.

    Voir plus Voir moins
    46 min