Cuba Libre, Why Cuba and the U.S. Have Been at Odds for almost 70 Years - Part 2

Cuba Libre, Why Cuba and the U.S. Have Been at Odds for almost 70 Years - Part 2

From Machado’s Fall to the Rise of Fidel Castro Cuba and the US’s history is much more than cigars, the Castros, embargo, and Che Guevara tees. Join us for part 2 which takes us through the post-Machado military period, the establishment of the Second Cuban Republic, and its rapid descent into corruption and violence culminating in Castro's coup. [00:00] Intro and Cuba Libres [00:27] Batista Rises to Power [01:56] Progressive 1940 Constitution [02:46] Peaceful Transfer and Recovery [04:47] Authentico Corruption Era [05:38] Cold War Labor Purge [06:25] Gangster Politics and Mafia [10:01] Chibas and Ortodoxo Surge [11:16] Radio Suicide Shocks Cuba [12:58] Batista 1952 Coup [15:05] Racket State and US Backing [17:06] Castro Enters the Fight [18:52] Guerrilla War Takes Hold [19:59] Batista Falls New Years 1959 [20:50] Castro Era Takeaways [21:49] Invasion Talk Returns [22:51] Energy Crisis vs Iran [24:54] Why Embargo Persists [26:34] Embargo vs Blockade [28:08] Time to Move On From Grudges? [31:30] Cuban Exiles Politics [34:43] Cuba vs Iran Complexity [37:29] Closing Toast Goodbye

Cuba Libre, Why Cuba and the U.S. Have Been at Odds for almost 70 Years - Part 1

From the Spanish Empire to Machado’s Fall Cuba and the US’s history is much more than cigars, the Castros, embargo, and Che Guevara tees. Join us for part 1 which takes us through US ambitions towards the island, the rise of the Republic of Cuba, and the fall of its first strongman dictator Gerardo Machado. [00:00] Dumbest Timeline Intro [01:24] Heading to Cuba [02:10] What We Know About Cuba [05:49] Why US an Cuba Feud [06:59] Cuba Under Spain [10:51] Sugar Boom and US Trade [12:09] 19th Century US Openly Wants Cuba [18:21] Independence Wars to 1898 [19:41] Platt Amendment for US Control [21:46] US Marines and Sugar Empire [26:12] Machado’s Rise [31:36] Depression and Revolt [35:07] Machado Falls Batista Next [36:25] Wrap Up and Part Two

Iran So Far Away. How the US, Israel and Iran Used to be Besties

Rich and Adam discuss the history of Iran, Israel and the Middle East to put context to the recent air strikes this past weekend and to try and understand what the end goal is for Trump, Netanyahu, and Co. [00:40] The Writers of our Simulation Love Soap Operas [02:45] Early Modern Iran, Fallen Empire Under Great Power Pressure [04:58] Pahlavi Dynasty Founded, Modernization of Iran [06:58] 1941 Invasion and Abdication [09:28] Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi and a New Postwar Parliamentary Iran [10:43] Mossadegh and the Oil Nationalization Showdown [13:30] CIA-MI6 Coup and the Shah’s Shift back to Autocracy [15:49] SAVAK and the Police State [17:45] Shah’s Decline and Backlash [19:53] Israel and Early Iranian Ties [22:08] Israel and Iran: Twin Pillars of US Middle East Policy [22:49] The CIA, Mossad, and SAVAK: Blowback [23:33] Yom Kippur War, OPEC, and the Peak of Iranian-Israeli Cooperation [26:32] Revolution Turns Tables [27:47] Israel, Iran Contra and Proxy Wars [28:57] Pan Islamism vs Periphery Doctrine [30:46] Modern Day: Trump Strike Scenarios [35:20] Running Out of Ammo: What Does That Mean For Regime Change [38:47] What Winning Looks Like [41:38] Sign Off and Credits

State of the Union 2026, Sadly Not Another Erfurt Latrine Disaster

Confirming this is the bad place, the collective SOTU attendees at the Capitol did not fall through the floor into a cesspool. Join Rich and Adam in a watch party-style viewing.

SAVE Act - Election integrity is the biggest lie you're being sold right now

Happy Lupercalia! Like downing a box of Rid-X, we could use the ancient Roman festival of purification right about now. Rich and Adam take a look at the latest in federal election takeover in real time, starting with the DOJ's demand for Minnesota to turn over its voter rolls as a pre-requisite to withdrawing ICE from Minneapolis. Nationwide, election after election, we find little to no voter fraud regardless of the winning party. Regardless, the Trump administration is building a modern-day voter suppression infrastructure with the SAVE Act building on Crosscheck's legacy in the earlier part of the century.