WEBVTT - The Big Weekend Pod 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:03.720 Welcome to today's podcast sponsored by Hillsdale College, All Things 0:00:03.800 --> 0:00:06.440 Hillsdale Hillsdale dot ed or I encourage you to take 0:00:06.480 --> 0:00:08.920 advantage of the many free online courses there, and of 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:11.280 course I'll listen to the Hilldale dialogues, all of them 0:00:11.280 --> 0:00:14.560 at q for Hillsdale dot com or just Google, Apple 0:00:14.920 --> 0:00:18.960 iTunes and Hilldale Morning Laura and even Grace America. Welcome 0:00:19.000 --> 0:00:23.120 to the Big Weekend Pod. On Thursday, President Trump issued 0:00:23.160 --> 0:00:26.920 a memorandum rebuilding the United States Navy and America's shipbuilding 0:00:27.000 --> 0:00:32.239 industrial base pretty dance, and it's very important. Hasn't been 0:00:32.280 --> 0:00:36.440 covered much outside of navalist literature like the United States 0:00:36.560 --> 0:00:39.320 Naval Institute Press and things like that, but it ought 0:00:39.360 --> 0:00:42.919 to be covered everywhere and in depth because it has 0:00:43.000 --> 0:00:46.040 major changes to our carrier fleet. It's got major changes 0:00:46.080 --> 0:00:48.080 to where we buy our ships, and it's got a 0:00:48.120 --> 0:00:50.640 new model, the quote Finland model, which I approve of. 0:00:51.159 --> 0:00:54.520 And I'm very aware of what I don't know in 0:00:54.560 --> 0:00:57.040 this area, and I don't know whether the change order 0:00:57.080 --> 0:00:59.320 for the carriers is a good idea or a bad idea. 0:01:00.000 --> 0:01:03.319 We'll be talking about it on today's program. As one 0:01:03.320 --> 0:01:06.680 of the issues for John ellis founder of News Items, 0:01:06.760 --> 0:01:10.399 which I read first thing every single morning. Also be 0:01:10.480 --> 0:01:13.319 talking with Eli Lake of The Free Press, Matt Conney, 0:01:13.400 --> 0:01:16.759 the Wall Street journel also over head of Domestic Studies 0:01:16.800 --> 0:01:20.040 at the American Enterprise Institute, Ben Dominich, shall be along, 0:01:20.040 --> 0:01:22.360 and I'm going to throw in some questions about the 0:01:22.560 --> 0:01:24.880 vacancy at the front of the White House press room 0:01:25.319 --> 0:01:27.520 and the people that are in front of that lectern 0:01:27.600 --> 0:01:30.720 as well, because I don't think it's me. I just 0:01:30.760 --> 0:01:34.320 think they're getting dumber, and every dumb reporter who takes 0:01:34.400 --> 0:01:37.120 up space and as stupid questions is doing a disservice 0:01:37.120 --> 0:01:40.080 to their platform and to the American people. So I 0:01:40.120 --> 0:01:42.360 think it's about time we have some barriers to entry 0:01:42.400 --> 0:01:44.840 to getting a press pass, so I'll be talking about that, 0:01:45.240 --> 0:01:48.480 and of course we're getting close to football. There's gotta 0:01:48.480 --> 0:01:50.600 be a little football today too, because it can't be 0:01:50.840 --> 0:01:55.240 all vegetables. We need some dessert. A little football today 0:01:55.240 --> 0:01:58.280 on the agenda as well. Don't go anywhere, Stay tuned. 0:01:58.280 --> 0:02:01.720 A great big weekend pod is at the h Hewitt Show, 0:02:01.760 --> 0:02:04.880 and I regular weekend starting lineup is with us coming up. 0:02:05.000 --> 0:02:08.160 Eli Lake in the Free Press, Matt Continetti, of the 0:02:08.400 --> 0:02:10.920 Wall Street Journal and Ben Dominich of the Daily Wire. 0:02:10.960 --> 0:02:12.440 We got a lot of head and we begin as 0:02:12.440 --> 0:02:15.480 we always do him. We're lucky with John Ellis, founder 0:02:15.480 --> 0:02:18.720 and editor in chief of News Items, my Morning Read 0:02:19.680 --> 0:02:22.440 six days a week and Political Items fills in a 0:02:22.480 --> 0:02:24.760 couple of times. If you're not a subscriber to News Items, 0:02:24.800 --> 0:02:27.400 you ought to be. Look up Elis and News Items 0:02:27.440 --> 0:02:30.880 and you'll find it. John, you sent me word that's 0:02:30.919 --> 0:02:34.320 got best announced yesterday we are going to really turn 0:02:34.400 --> 0:02:37.560 the screws on Iran next week. On the banking side. 0:02:38.000 --> 0:02:40.120 What can we do that we haven't done? And what 0:02:40.160 --> 0:02:41.680 did he promise that we would do? 0:02:43.280 --> 0:02:47.320 Well, it's unclear because he didn't want to reveal what 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:51.680 exactly you know, he was going to execute that would 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:57.320 bring more strangulation than already exists. But one assumes that 0:02:57.560 --> 0:02:59.880 it just you know, it makes it much more to 0:03:00.000 --> 0:03:05.320 difficult for a Ran to conduct any kind of international business, 0:03:05.639 --> 0:03:09.800 and uh, you know, obviously the blockade would continue as well. 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:12.720 I think it's a funny thing because I think, you know, 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:16.080 it's been a lot of a lot of difficulty in 0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:19.440 getting to where we are now, but where we are 0:03:19.520 --> 0:03:23.080 now is actually not a bad place. We set, you know, 0:03:23.639 --> 0:03:30.440 percent as articulated a policy of economic strangulation. The blockade 0:03:30.480 --> 0:03:34.520 is in place. The Uranians have two points of leverage. 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:37.520 One is control of the strait. The other is what 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:40.400 they believe. You know, they believe the calendar works to 0:03:40.520 --> 0:03:44.400 their advantage. But if President Trump is willing to forget 0:03:44.400 --> 0:03:49.840 the calendar, then you know, day by day economic strangulation 0:03:50.480 --> 0:03:53.960 gets worse and worse and worse. And you know, the 0:03:54.000 --> 0:03:57.120 Iranian economy is a disaster as it is, and if 0:03:57.160 --> 0:04:00.680 it gets worse and worse and worse, then they are 0:04:00.720 --> 0:04:02.280 the ones that are going to have to come to 0:04:02.360 --> 0:04:05.440 the table. So through all these twists and turns, I 0:04:05.520 --> 0:04:08.040 think we're actually in a fairly good place as long 0:04:08.080 --> 0:04:10.160 as President Trump is willing. 0:04:09.880 --> 0:04:10.560 To be patient. 0:04:11.440 --> 0:04:14.680 I saw Richard Goldberg at the Foundation for Defensive Democracies 0:04:14.680 --> 0:04:18.960 and a veteran of the Treasure Department Sanctioned Division, making 0:04:19.000 --> 0:04:22.160 this argument Bill Hammer this morning that in fact, we're 0:04:22.200 --> 0:04:25.120 doing quite well visa b Iran. But I got two questions, 0:04:25.600 --> 0:04:28.560 and maybe you can remember the answer to Warner book, 0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:32.479 there is a banking system which we shut North Korea 0:04:32.600 --> 0:04:37.080 off from once and wrecked havoc even on the Hermit Kingdom. 0:04:37.760 --> 0:04:39.719 I don't know if that's what he's plotting. Do you 0:04:39.720 --> 0:04:42.080 know what I'm talking about? Does that ring a bell? Yeah? 0:04:42.080 --> 0:04:44.279 It's the Swift It's the Swift system. 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:50.200 I mean it's basically international transactions are shut they're shut 0:04:50.279 --> 0:04:55.000 out of the whole financial infrastructure that enables you know, 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:59.520 somebody from Moran to buy treasuries that were to execute 0:04:59.560 --> 0:05:03.720 a trade with I don't know, you know, pick your country. 0:05:05.120 --> 0:05:09.400 So that's that system is there. And then there's obviously 0:05:09.800 --> 0:05:12.599 the US has a lot of allies, they have a 0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:15.320 lot of leverage with a lot of countries. We can 0:05:15.360 --> 0:05:17.679 say to them, look, you can't you can't do any 0:05:17.720 --> 0:05:22.120 business at all with Iran. Obviously Iran can do business 0:05:22.160 --> 0:05:25.640 with Russia, it can do business, you know, with China. 0:05:25.839 --> 0:05:29.679 But even there, you know, with President Trump getting ready 0:05:29.720 --> 0:05:32.720 to meet with President G, a favor that G can 0:05:32.800 --> 0:05:36.560 do for him without you know, without you know, breaking 0:05:36.560 --> 0:05:40.880 a sweat is shutting down economic support for Ran. So 0:05:41.440 --> 0:05:43.640 I think that's what pissonna is talking about is just 0:05:43.760 --> 0:05:47.000 every you know, piece of pipe and the plumbing that 0:05:47.120 --> 0:05:50.440 can be shut off, the US will shut off. And 0:05:50.600 --> 0:05:55.520 because the Iranian economy, I mean, the currency is wallpaper, right, 0:05:55.600 --> 0:06:00.279 I mean, it's just unbelievable. The inflation is insane, and 0:06:00.560 --> 0:06:03.599 you know, the notion that they can survive this, you 0:06:03.640 --> 0:06:07.760 know forever, that the population is infinitely patient with the 0:06:07.839 --> 0:06:11.240 leadership that it doesn't like seems to me. 0:06:13.200 --> 0:06:14.479 Not accurate. 0:06:15.279 --> 0:06:18.200 Well, the second question I had, I was trying to remember, 0:06:18.720 --> 0:06:20.760 and this goes back to my college days. So that's 0:06:20.760 --> 0:06:25.960 a long time ago. South Africa eventually capitulated and they 0:06:26.000 --> 0:06:29.920 were ringed with sanctions of all sorts, and they eventually 0:06:30.480 --> 0:06:34.200 brought Mandela out freedom and they turned over their nukes 0:06:34.360 --> 0:06:38.120 and they just capitulated. I can't remember how long that took, 0:06:38.560 --> 0:06:38.839 do you. 0:06:40.560 --> 0:06:42.280 I think it was like twenty years. 0:06:42.760 --> 0:06:47.320 Yeah, it switched, you know, it smitched with administrations with 0:06:48.160 --> 0:06:52.880 President Rake, Presidents Reagan and Bush. It came to pass 0:06:53.560 --> 0:06:57.880 and President Bush senior was an important part of that. 0:06:59.360 --> 0:07:02.600 But yeah, take these things take a long time. In 0:07:02.640 --> 0:07:07.680 this case, however, the Iranian economy is a disaster. And 0:07:08.560 --> 0:07:11.560 if it gets you know, if it gets strangled more 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:19.160 it you know, things that can't be sustained don't aren't sustained. 0:07:19.280 --> 0:07:21.800 If you can't. So I feel in people's cars they 0:07:21.880 --> 0:07:26.480 notice second issue about the Strait oil spills in the 0:07:26.520 --> 0:07:27.560 Strait of Hormuz. 0:07:27.920 --> 0:07:32.200 Tell us about that, Well, there's a guy named Javier Blass. 0:07:32.240 --> 0:07:36.400 He writes a column, probably the best column columnists at Bloomberg. 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:40.520 And you know, the question has been, why is the 0:07:40.560 --> 0:07:44.600 price of oil the commodity itself, uh not, you know, 0:07:44.720 --> 0:07:45.680 risen dramatically? 0:07:45.680 --> 0:07:47.760 Why isn't it doubled? Why isn't it tripled? 0:07:48.640 --> 0:07:51.360 And he's pointed out, and I think this is accurate 0:07:51.400 --> 0:07:56.680 that more obviously, China demand has has dropped significantly, so 0:07:56.760 --> 0:07:59.960 that's probably the biggest reason that the price of oil 0:08:00.280 --> 0:08:03.680 has not gone up as much as everybody thought it would. 0:08:04.200 --> 0:08:06.960 But the second thing that he's arguing now is that 0:08:07.160 --> 0:08:12.600 more tankers are getting through the straits than the reporting 0:08:12.720 --> 0:08:16.400 on it. That it's not six or twenty or thirty three, 0:08:16.800 --> 0:08:20.400 it's probably one third. And he bases that on the 0:08:20.440 --> 0:08:23.760 fact that there are oil spills all over the strait, 0:08:24.200 --> 0:08:28.400 which indicates that the Iranians are hitting some, but the 0:08:28.440 --> 0:08:31.280 fact that they're hitting some is an indication and that 0:08:31.360 --> 0:08:32.680 a lot more are getting through. 0:08:32.760 --> 0:08:36.000 It's a very good column. People can find it at Bloomberg. 0:08:37.200 --> 0:08:40.000 All Right. A third story and I found this both 0:08:40.040 --> 0:08:44.600 alarming and also somewhat inspiring. The United States Army faced 0:08:44.640 --> 0:08:47.960 off in a war game with Ukrainian drone operators and 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:52.080 lost decisively at Fort Hood or not fort Hood in Germany. 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:55.840 So tell me about that, because the lesson I drop 0:08:55.920 --> 0:08:59.600 from that is every superpower ought to take a big, 0:08:59.679 --> 0:09:02.960 deep breath before they engage in conflict. 0:09:02.960 --> 0:09:06.480 What do you think, Yeah, I mean, you know the 0:09:06.880 --> 0:09:12.000 classic wargame US Army which the troops came from Fort Hood, 0:09:12.040 --> 0:09:15.840 they were up against drone operators from Ukraine, and in 0:09:15.960 --> 0:09:18.880 the war you know, in the wargame, the Ukrainians won. 0:09:19.960 --> 0:09:23.240 This fits into the LS theory of the Pentagon, which 0:09:23.320 --> 0:09:28.439 is we should buy essentially the Iranian Defense Department or 0:09:28.480 --> 0:09:32.200 take a forty nine percent stake in it, and begin 0:09:32.360 --> 0:09:37.560 the process of building Pentagon two point zero, which would be, 0:09:37.800 --> 0:09:41.280 you know, we would follow the example of the Ukrainians 0:09:42.080 --> 0:09:47.160 or in fact by the Ukrainian drones capability, but also 0:09:47.240 --> 0:09:49.680 bring in all these new technologies that are going to 0:09:49.679 --> 0:09:53.960 be the ones that we fight future wars. In the 0:09:54.040 --> 0:09:57.440 current Pentagon is you know, it's tangled up. It's a 0:09:57.480 --> 0:10:04.800 congressional military is you know, corporate maze it's very difficult 0:10:04.960 --> 0:10:09.320 for it too. It's very difficult to turn the battleship around, 0:10:09.360 --> 0:10:12.520 so to speak. But if we if we just set 0:10:12.559 --> 0:10:15.959 aside and say, Okay, this is Pentagon two point zero 0:10:16.000 --> 0:10:18.880 and we're gonna, you know, build out all of the 0:10:18.920 --> 0:10:23.720 tools necessary to fight warfare in the future, that would be, 0:10:23.800 --> 0:10:25.240 in my view, a good idea. 0:10:25.960 --> 0:10:28.040 I'm going to talk with Matt Connelly about the memo 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:30.920 the President put out yesterday about shipbuilding, because that's right 0:10:30.960 --> 0:10:33.720 down that alley. But before we get to that, in 0:10:33.800 --> 0:10:37.880 our last moment, I talked to State Center Betton Court 0:10:37.920 --> 0:10:40.840 from Texas two weeks ago. Tom Me, Texas already has 0:10:40.880 --> 0:10:44.160 three hundred and fifty data centers AI centers, and one 0:10:44.160 --> 0:10:46.559 of them in one county more than double their revenue 0:10:46.600 --> 0:10:50.400 in property Texas. Uh so, yeah, they may have some 0:10:50.640 --> 0:10:53.400 negative externality, but they bring in a lot of revenue. 0:10:53.600 --> 0:10:54.600 How loud are they? 0:10:54.720 --> 0:10:58.439 John, Well, there's a I did a podcast with a 0:10:58.480 --> 0:11:02.080 guy named Alan to Upson, who sort of is the 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:08.760 guy who measures the march to artificial superintelligence, and everybody 0:11:08.800 --> 0:11:11.960 in the business and the AI business reads his memo 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:16.760 and he had a little sidebar, which was that the 0:11:16.960 --> 0:11:19.760 data center. If you have X number of racks of 0:11:20.240 --> 0:11:27.640 Navidia machinery, the decibel level is one oh one, which 0:11:27.679 --> 0:11:30.920 is essentially the same as standing next to a helicopter, 0:11:31.440 --> 0:11:34.559 and that if you lose and if you use evermore right, 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:39.920 if you use a larger group of racks of Navidia equipment, 0:11:40.840 --> 0:11:44.000 the decibel level goes to one hundred and thirteen. One 0:11:44.000 --> 0:11:47.480 of the big complaints that people have who live near 0:11:47.760 --> 0:11:52.120 data centers is noise, because they don't It's not like 0:11:52.200 --> 0:11:54.559 they run from nine to five, they run twenty four 0:11:54.600 --> 0:11:55.040 to seven. 0:11:56.440 --> 0:11:58.880 That is bad. That's why I do live under a 0:11:58.880 --> 0:12:03.480 flight path in the Beltway, and that's not pleasant. I 0:12:03.520 --> 0:12:06.120 can't imagine lesaring next to one hundred and ten decibels. 0:12:06.880 --> 0:12:09.920 John Ellis from news Items, Thank you. If you want 0:12:09.960 --> 0:12:12.280 to subscribe to news items, be smarter than the average 0:12:12.280 --> 0:12:16.479 fair and most of the Beltleigh every morning by seven am, 0:12:16.880 --> 0:12:19.959 go to news Items on substack or Google news items 0:12:20.000 --> 0:12:23.480 and John Ellen's subscribe and you will be taking care 0:12:23.559 --> 0:12:25.400 of John. Thank you so much of me. Right back 0:12:25.840 --> 0:12:28.520 with Eli Lank of the Free Press, stay tuned to 0:12:28.520 --> 0:12:40.320 the QQ at show Bernard or and I mean Grace 0:12:40.360 --> 0:12:43.000 America again. Eli Lake is back with us. He is 0:12:43.040 --> 0:12:44.680 with the Free Press. He's as the host of the 0:12:44.760 --> 0:12:47.439 Getting of the Breaking History podcast we ought to be 0:12:47.480 --> 0:12:51.000 Getting History ELI. Earlier today, I posted on x a 0:12:51.040 --> 0:12:53.240 list of books that I think anyone who gets a 0:12:53.240 --> 0:12:56.160 White House press pass ought to have read, because I 0:12:56.240 --> 0:12:59.079 think the questions being asked of the press Secretary of 0:12:59.120 --> 0:13:02.080 the President are going down the drain and levels of 0:13:02.920 --> 0:13:06.520 acuity and literacy. Do you agree with me? And number two? 0:13:06.640 --> 0:13:09.640 If so, what books would you think someone would have 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:10.000 to read? 0:13:12.000 --> 0:13:16.920 It's a great question, Hugh, I generally agree that. I mean, 0:13:17.840 --> 0:13:20.640 my view is that the briefings are like kind of 0:13:20.640 --> 0:13:25.080 a spectacle anyway I understand, but it feels more like 0:13:25.600 --> 0:13:29.160 a pageant, less like a news kind of breaking thing. 0:13:29.240 --> 0:13:32.120 I think that I wouldn't mind if they basically called 0:13:32.160 --> 0:13:33.880 it off and they only had these kind of press 0:13:33.880 --> 0:13:36.120 conferences when there was a national emergency or they had 0:13:36.160 --> 0:13:39.160 to roll out of policy. Books that I think that 0:13:39.240 --> 0:13:42.120 political reporters should read. I'm going to give you some 0:13:42.120 --> 0:13:43.600 one just off the top of my head. It's a 0:13:43.600 --> 0:13:46.840 good question. Have you ever heard of the book Plunket 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:51.440 of Tammany Hall, which exploded politics? That's a good one 0:13:51.720 --> 0:13:54.320 for any kind of political reporter to understand it. 0:13:54.760 --> 0:13:55.480 Another one. 0:13:55.760 --> 0:13:57.600 And I'm just thinking now in terms of political books 0:13:57.600 --> 0:14:02.960 that I really like What It Takes. 0:14:01.920 --> 0:14:05.800 Book of the Decade Century YEP of. 0:14:05.800 --> 0:14:10.040 Nineteen eighty eight. That is the best book I've ever 0:14:10.080 --> 0:14:13.360 read about what it means to run in a presidential campaign. 0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:18.319 The level of detail is just a masterful. I think 0:14:18.440 --> 0:14:21.560 you should read that. Then I would say I'm going 0:14:21.640 --> 0:14:24.000 to do two by one author, or two series of 0:14:24.040 --> 0:14:26.720 books really one author, and it's you know, read Robert 0:14:26.760 --> 0:14:34.040 Carrow on the Lynnon Johnson biographies, because you're not you're 0:14:34.040 --> 0:14:35.920 getting more than the Lyndon Johnson and that you're getting 0:14:35.920 --> 0:14:38.320 a history of the Senate, You're getting a history of 0:14:38.360 --> 0:14:42.280 Texas politics. And then read his book on Robert Moses 0:14:42.280 --> 0:14:46.360 to understand how local power, particularly New York works. So 0:14:46.400 --> 0:14:48.400 those are some Those are some good ones. I'm sure 0:14:48.440 --> 0:14:49.680 I'm missing stuff right now. 0:14:50.520 --> 0:14:53.520 An good one I went in the direction that you 0:14:53.560 --> 0:14:58.400 should be literate in Western civilization before you Oh yeah, yes, 0:14:58.520 --> 0:15:01.080 And so I listed the Lonely Tower because that's the 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:05.680 enemy of the West. Yes, Israeli by Lord Blake Napoleon 0:15:06.400 --> 0:15:10.040 and Salisbury by Andrew Roberts I listed to provide and 0:15:10.040 --> 0:15:13.240 maintained by Henry Hendrick since he's in charge of shipbuilding 0:15:13.240 --> 0:15:16.160 over at omb, but to rule the ways by Arthur 0:15:16.200 --> 0:15:21.920 Herman Jews versus Rome, Barry Strauss American Caesar. But stuff 0:15:21.960 --> 0:15:24.520 like that, I just don't think they know much. I 0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:26.920 listened to Hassan Piker. This all got started because of 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:30.320 two things, Hassan Piker rising up to my level of 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:33.720 consciousness and Carol Lovett leaving. And I'm beginning to what 0:15:34.240 --> 0:15:37.280 Hassan Piker just doesn't know anything. I think he's just 0:15:37.360 --> 0:15:41.360 flat out stupid. 0:15:43.160 --> 0:15:45.000 You're putting him on the spot, But I mean, he 0:15:45.080 --> 0:15:48.680 has a gift for shocking people, I suppose, transgressive and 0:15:49.160 --> 0:15:52.720 babbling for hours on end on his twitch stream, but 0:15:53.240 --> 0:15:56.800 there's no wisdom there. He's a poser when it comes 0:15:56.840 --> 0:15:57.280 to dealing. 0:15:58.160 --> 0:15:59.720 When he's I think he's trying. 0:15:59.760 --> 0:16:02.720 He's like a shock jock, so he's trying. He knows 0:16:02.760 --> 0:16:06.040 that he knows that there are lots of people who 0:16:06.560 --> 0:16:11.560 understand the evils of Mause Tongue or Joseph Stalin and 0:16:12.080 --> 0:16:14.360 what he and he's gonna say he likes them or 0:16:14.360 --> 0:16:17.480 that they were there were and you know, listen, there 0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:20.680 are professors, there are people who are experts and historians 0:16:21.560 --> 0:16:24.920 who can make arguments that I would disagree with about 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:28.640 how bad things were before now, and you know, the 0:16:28.640 --> 0:16:32.160 conditions that led to the revolution. But he's not doing that. 0:16:32.200 --> 0:16:34.120 He's skipping all over that. He's what he's trying to 0:16:34.160 --> 0:16:36.760 do is just provoke a reaction but also kind of 0:16:36.800 --> 0:16:41.480 reveal a preference for what I've called the anti American 0:16:41.600 --> 0:16:44.640 or anti patriotic I mean that is the anti patriotic left. 0:16:46.000 --> 0:16:49.320 They've been going strong cute now for some time, for 0:16:49.360 --> 0:16:53.440 about half a century. It's this view that America is 0:16:53.480 --> 0:16:59.800 irredeemably evil, and so therefore you are no longer if 0:16:59.840 --> 0:17:04.479 you're progressive trying to perfect the union, but you're you know, 0:17:04.480 --> 0:17:07.080 you're trying to tear it apart. So and that is 0:17:07.080 --> 0:17:09.919 where I would put intellectuals that are much more serious 0:17:09.960 --> 0:17:12.919 than Piker, like a Howard Zinn. I would put him 0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:15.840 in that category nom Chromsky to a certain extent. But 0:17:16.200 --> 0:17:18.720 those of you know this is like, you know, he's 0:17:18.720 --> 0:17:21.200 standing on this. He's a midget standing on the shoulders 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:24.000 of those anti American giants. 0:17:24.600 --> 0:17:28.000 Short short historian, Eli, you do breaking history, I would 0:17:28.000 --> 0:17:30.520 like to know what broke in Columbia, which once had 0:17:30.600 --> 0:17:36.160 the most revered Western civilization undergraduate education in the country, 0:17:36.640 --> 0:17:39.000 and now I don't know if they read anything. I 0:17:39.040 --> 0:17:40.600 had to read stuff that I didn't want to read. 0:17:40.640 --> 0:17:42.760 And by the way, I've got Believer by David Axelrod 0:17:42.800 --> 0:17:45.480 on my list and the Right by Matt Continetti. I 0:17:45.480 --> 0:17:47.280 don't want people to be blind to one side or 0:17:47.280 --> 0:17:50.480 the other. But David Axelrod is a very smart guy, 0:17:50.880 --> 0:17:52.959 and there are very smart people on the left. I 0:17:53.040 --> 0:17:56.120 just wonder did they teach the West at all anymore 0:17:56.400 --> 0:17:58.280 in the university system. 0:17:59.080 --> 0:18:00.840 Well, this is a good question for your next guest, 0:18:00.840 --> 0:18:02.960 Matthew Counnon, who's a graduate of Columbia. But I can 0:18:03.000 --> 0:18:05.360 tell you in my own kind of research. I did 0:18:05.359 --> 0:18:08.120 an episode about this a little over a year ago. 0:18:08.880 --> 0:18:12.880 I think that you know the introduction of Edward Said, 0:18:13.560 --> 0:18:17.800 and you know the fact that he was so revered 0:18:18.359 --> 0:18:21.520 and you know, emulated throughout the academy, but he was 0:18:21.560 --> 0:18:24.399 based at Columbia. That to me is kind of the 0:18:24.440 --> 0:18:27.800 beginning of the end, because one of his conceits is 0:18:28.280 --> 0:18:32.919 that if you are a scholar, if you're a historian, 0:18:33.000 --> 0:18:34.760 or if you are an analyst. If you're in the 0:18:34.800 --> 0:18:37.280 academic disciplines, you have to have to be an activist 0:18:37.840 --> 0:18:40.320 for justice and for the you know, for him it 0:18:40.359 --> 0:18:45.359 was the Palaesidian cause. But it really does. It requires 0:18:46.000 --> 0:18:49.639 people to in the to sort of take a stand 0:18:49.720 --> 0:18:52.359 and to try to make the world a better place. 0:18:53.160 --> 0:18:54.919 And in the process, I think what it does is 0:18:54.960 --> 0:18:59.840 it blinds them to the alternative view, and that is 0:18:59.880 --> 0:19:02.119 an anti intellectual position, and that is I think what 0:19:02.720 --> 0:19:07.439 gets Columbia into so much trouble to now where you know, 0:19:07.720 --> 0:19:10.119 I agree with you that it looks like most of 0:19:10.160 --> 0:19:13.800 the most important kind of treasures of Western civilization are 0:19:13.840 --> 0:19:16.240 not are no longer kind of mandatory. They've been replaced 0:19:16.280 --> 0:19:19.560 with a lot of gobblygooks, Like everybody seems to have 0:19:19.600 --> 0:19:23.000 read bell Hooks and no one seems to have read Tacitus. 0:19:23.680 --> 0:19:26.440 And I'm not even asking for great books in Hillsdale. 0:19:26.520 --> 0:19:29.880 I'm just asking for a basic outline of Western civilization. 0:19:30.400 --> 0:19:33.560 I begin every con law class with the Greeks, the Jews, 0:19:33.800 --> 0:19:36.560 the Romans, the Brits, and the Americans. That's how we 0:19:36.680 --> 0:19:39.040 ended up in the law school classroom in twenty twenty 0:19:39.080 --> 0:19:41.359 seven or whatever year, I'm going back in the in 0:19:41.400 --> 0:19:44.440 the spring of this next year and I begin same 0:19:44.480 --> 0:19:47.520 way for thirty years, the Jews, the Great the Romans, 0:19:48.040 --> 0:19:52.919 the Brits, and the American Eli. Did you have a chance, 0:19:53.080 --> 0:19:54.560 and we may go in the break on this if 0:19:54.600 --> 0:19:56.960 you meany more time to read the President's memorandum on 0:19:57.000 --> 0:19:58.440 shipbuilding he issued yesterday. 0:19:59.520 --> 0:20:01.240 I have not yet had a chance to read it. 0:20:01.359 --> 0:20:03.239 I know that it's a very important thing. I mean, 0:20:03.240 --> 0:20:06.159 I'm hoping it's it's what I hear it is, but no, 0:20:06.240 --> 0:20:06.720 I'm sorry. 0:20:07.040 --> 0:20:09.720 Okay, Well, we'll come back around to it next week. 0:20:09.880 --> 0:20:11.600 What is the next breaking history going to be? 0:20:13.160 --> 0:20:16.080 I am working on a big are kind of a 0:20:16.200 --> 0:20:18.000 series that is going to be coming on the fall 0:20:18.560 --> 0:20:21.560 on the narrative side right now, and it is going 0:20:21.560 --> 0:20:27.240 to be looking at sort of the order that Trump destroyed, 0:20:27.240 --> 0:20:30.159 a look at the Bush dynasty, a second look if 0:20:30.200 --> 0:20:32.200 you will, at the Bush dynasty, which I have to 0:20:32.200 --> 0:20:34.479 say has been a real joy kind of reading about 0:20:35.240 --> 0:20:39.280 what an extraordinary family and their ability to kind of, 0:20:39.640 --> 0:20:43.440 you know, produce really if you think about it, three 0:20:43.520 --> 0:20:49.200 generations of national leaders, starting with Prescott, that I think 0:20:49.400 --> 0:20:52.680 had a sense of civic duty and Republican virtue that's 0:20:52.760 --> 0:20:55.200 very much missing today, not just in the Republican Party 0:20:55.200 --> 0:20:56.320 but our politics overall. 0:20:57.000 --> 0:21:00.640 That I look forward to that will be very well received. 0:21:00.880 --> 0:21:06.040 And I think if Baxrod's theory on electing personalities that 0:21:06.240 --> 0:21:13.240 differ Bush hw personality would be very much welcome post Trump, 0:21:13.880 --> 0:21:18.840 not partisans, just in terms of gravitas, experience in the 0:21:18.880 --> 0:21:22.639 public sector, public sector, public minument you, I thank you, 0:21:22.680 --> 0:21:25.359 I'm you right back to America with Matt Contenetti. Stay tuned, 0:21:34.440 --> 0:21:37.600 walking back on to Hewett. Matt Contnetti is a charge 0:21:37.600 --> 0:21:41.040 of Domestic policy over at the American Enterprise Institute. He's 0:21:41.080 --> 0:21:45.480 also the Wall Street Journal Free Expressions columnist and Matt Connetti, 0:21:45.560 --> 0:21:49.399 I hope you have thrown yourself into shipbuilding in the 0:21:49.400 --> 0:21:52.159 President's memorandum of yesterday. Am I lucky there? Have you 0:21:52.200 --> 0:21:53.399 read it yesterday? Yet? 0:21:54.560 --> 0:21:56.800 I dove in, Hugh. As soon as I heard that 0:21:56.960 --> 0:21:59.240 this was of interest to you, I dove in. I 0:21:59.320 --> 0:22:01.920 started studying the US Code, and I'm ready to go. 0:22:02.320 --> 0:22:05.880 All right, So let's start with the President's section one 0:22:06.080 --> 0:22:09.320 his purpose, which is the United States Navy has been 0:22:09.359 --> 0:22:12.480 screwing up for decades. Agree or disagree. 0:22:13.560 --> 0:22:14.080 Agree. 0:22:14.440 --> 0:22:16.399 And you know, I think this also speaks to a 0:22:16.440 --> 0:22:21.040 broader program with the prime defense contractors. I know that 0:22:21.119 --> 0:22:24.399 the Department of War Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is 0:22:24.440 --> 0:22:29.639 incredibly frustrated with the major weapons manufacturers that we depend on. 0:22:30.720 --> 0:22:34.000 They're not producing what we need at the speed with 0:22:34.040 --> 0:22:36.240 which we need it. And that's clearly the case with 0:22:36.280 --> 0:22:37.400 the shipbuilders as well. 0:22:37.880 --> 0:22:40.560 All Right, So that takes us section two, and this 0:22:40.600 --> 0:22:43.720 is the one about which I am an agnostic. Restoring 0:22:43.760 --> 0:22:47.920 steam and hydraulic systems to carriers. Now the Ford has 0:22:48.119 --> 0:22:53.119 a magnet to catapult our fighter planes into the sky. 0:22:53.680 --> 0:22:57.960 Everything before the Ford used catapults, and the President's memorandum says, 0:22:58.000 --> 0:23:01.560 go back to catapults. Got brief last night by people 0:23:01.560 --> 0:23:03.720 who know this stuff, and I said, look, the problem 0:23:03.800 --> 0:23:06.640 is the Ford took twelve years to build. Nimtz takes 0:23:06.680 --> 0:23:09.000 four years to build, and we can't We're going to 0:23:09.040 --> 0:23:12.240 be down to six or seven carriers when it's mandated 0:23:12.280 --> 0:23:15.000 by law to have twelve at this rate. What do 0:23:15.040 --> 0:23:17.760 you think of a go back to get faster mode. 0:23:19.440 --> 0:23:22.400 Well, I know that it's a priority for President Trump, Hugh. 0:23:22.760 --> 0:23:25.560 This is something that he raised repeatedly during his first 0:23:25.640 --> 0:23:29.040 term in office, and now it seems that he's using 0:23:29.080 --> 0:23:34.400 the executive order to actually get some results. My operating 0:23:34.400 --> 0:23:36.600 philosophy is, if it was good enough for top Gun, 0:23:36.640 --> 0:23:40.080 then it's good enough for our carriers. But whatever makes 0:23:40.119 --> 0:23:43.840 the most sense in getting these ships operational and you know, 0:23:44.600 --> 0:23:47.840 on on station as quickly as possible, that's what I 0:23:47.840 --> 0:23:48.520 would pursue. 0:23:49.080 --> 0:23:53.080 So the big debate is our carriers, the battleships of 0:23:53.160 --> 0:23:55.919 this century. In other words, Pearl Harbor came along and 0:23:55.960 --> 0:23:58.679 we realized, oh, those big battleships are nice, but you 0:23:58.760 --> 0:24:03.240 can't really use them except for bombardment the Nazi fortifications 0:24:03.320 --> 0:24:05.920 or the islands. The Marines are taking the Pacific. It's 0:24:05.960 --> 0:24:10.639 aircraft carriers that have we gone a generation forward. And 0:24:10.720 --> 0:24:13.240 I'm a civilian. I don't know. You're a civilian, You 0:24:13.280 --> 0:24:15.080 probably don't know. But do you get the sense that 0:24:15.160 --> 0:24:17.480 maybe aircraft carriers are going away of the battleship. 0:24:19.000 --> 0:24:21.840 It's a definite possibility when you consider that we're in 0:24:21.880 --> 0:24:26.119 this new age of missile and drone warfare, and we 0:24:26.240 --> 0:24:29.159 know that our carriers in the Persian Gulf have to 0:24:29.200 --> 0:24:33.240 be at a certain remove in order to prevent them 0:24:33.320 --> 0:24:38.800 from coming under attack by Iranian missiles. And so I 0:24:38.840 --> 0:24:42.320 think we need to think new about all of our 0:24:42.359 --> 0:24:44.959 weapons platforms. And I do believe this has been a 0:24:44.960 --> 0:24:48.000 priority of the President and of Pete Hegseth, is to 0:24:48.119 --> 0:24:51.960 get the new platforms for this new age, that is 0:24:52.000 --> 0:24:56.119 the autonomous platforms, that is the missiles, the interceptors, the 0:24:56.280 --> 0:25:03.400 undersea submersible, autonomous on surface, autonomous weapons like we saw 0:25:03.400 --> 0:25:06.920 with the rescue of our down pilots last month or 0:25:07.000 --> 0:25:09.760 so in the Persian Gulf. We need to get those 0:25:10.680 --> 0:25:13.760 on ready and ready to fight, ready to go in 0:25:13.800 --> 0:25:15.399 theater as soon as we can. 0:25:16.080 --> 0:25:18.720 So Part three, and we'll take this into the break 0:25:18.760 --> 0:25:21.000 and come back and talk about something else. We're going 0:25:21.080 --> 0:25:23.680 to go with the Finland model which we use for icebreakers, 0:25:23.680 --> 0:25:25.920 which is they build a lot them in Finland. We're 0:25:25.920 --> 0:25:29.080 going to buy two off the Finish assembly line, provided 0:25:29.119 --> 0:25:32.760 that that shipbuilder produces a shipyard in the United States 0:25:32.800 --> 0:25:37.720 that builds the same ship here using Americans. We're going 0:25:37.800 --> 0:25:39.480 to open that up to the South Koreans and the 0:25:39.560 --> 0:25:43.720 Japanese for other ship lines like frigates, maybe destroyers, I 0:25:43.840 --> 0:25:47.280 doubt destroyers, but frigates and maybe some other support ships. 0:25:47.320 --> 0:25:48.840 What do you think of the Finland model? 0:25:50.119 --> 0:25:53.200 Oh, this's a great idea. I think it's absolutely overdue. 0:25:53.680 --> 0:25:57.119 My friends who study this subject for a living have 0:25:57.200 --> 0:26:02.440 been talking about partnerships along the Finland model for for 0:26:02.480 --> 0:26:06.080 a long time now. I think Korea and Japan in 0:26:06.119 --> 0:26:09.000 particular can help us. There are allies. That's the way 0:26:09.000 --> 0:26:11.960 that we should be using our alliances as one of 0:26:11.960 --> 0:26:16.160 our many superpowers. So I'm in a firm firm support 0:26:16.200 --> 0:26:17.800 with this part of the executive order. 0:26:18.359 --> 0:26:21.520 And then the last part is a fifth public Navy shipyard. 0:26:21.600 --> 0:26:24.119 Whoever gets this, and this is a throw a dart 0:26:24.600 --> 0:26:27.480 will be an enormous benefit to the state wherein it 0:26:27.560 --> 0:26:30.280 is located. If you had to guess where it's going, 0:26:30.280 --> 0:26:31.439 where do you think it's going to go? 0:26:31.640 --> 0:26:34.280 Matt Contnetty, I don't know. 0:26:34.359 --> 0:26:36.720 Somewhere near the Gulf of America is what I would say. 0:26:36.840 --> 0:26:39.240 That's what I was on one of the states, one 0:26:39.280 --> 0:26:41.840 of the states bordering the Gulf of America. But you know, 0:26:42.160 --> 0:26:45.399 Q this I think it's absolutely crucial as well. But 0:26:45.480 --> 0:26:47.800 it does introduce Congress, and when I look at this 0:26:47.880 --> 0:26:51.480 executive order, I support it, but I need Congress to 0:26:51.600 --> 0:26:55.240 pass that defense budget to appropriate these resources, and I 0:26:55.280 --> 0:26:58.800 have to say I've been slightly disappointed in Congress this summer. 0:26:58.840 --> 0:27:02.639 They haven't moved with the speed they need to resupply 0:27:02.960 --> 0:27:06.680 our armed forces in a time of low intensity conflict. 0:27:06.680 --> 0:27:07.160 Would be wrong. 0:27:07.680 --> 0:27:09.800 I'm going to talk with Matt Connenny about that very 0:27:09.840 --> 0:27:12.000 subject during the break and be back on the other side. 0:27:12.040 --> 0:27:15.000 We talk about the next White House Press Secretary and 0:27:15.680 --> 0:27:17.399 the people who want to be allowed into the press 0:27:17.400 --> 0:27:19.480 from stay tuned. I'm going to do it, so I'm 0:27:19.480 --> 0:27:22.160 back with Matt Connenny. Matt, the President requested a trillion 0:27:22.200 --> 0:27:24.680 and a half dollars. I'm all for it, a huge 0:27:24.680 --> 0:27:29.720 amount of spending Golden Fleet, Golden Dome, and other long 0:27:29.800 --> 0:27:33.160 neglected parts of the defense supply chain. The Republicans did 0:27:33.200 --> 0:27:37.720 not use reconciliation three Senator Collins to Charity Appropriations Committee 0:27:37.720 --> 0:27:41.080 wanted to go through appropriation. Democrats said no. They passed 0:27:41.080 --> 0:27:44.199 a sear to December. Do you think if it's a 0:27:44.280 --> 0:27:48.920 lame duck session they can do a reconciliation three point 0:27:49.000 --> 0:27:51.639 zero in the lame duck? No. 0:27:51.840 --> 0:27:54.320 I think it becomes much harder hu in the lame duck. 0:27:54.480 --> 0:27:58.440 I really do, because you don't. The Republicans may be demoralized. 0:27:58.520 --> 0:28:01.520 Democrats may be in a position to say, look, we 0:28:01.560 --> 0:28:03.800 don't want to do anything until we take over the 0:28:03.840 --> 0:28:06.520 House or even the Senate. I think the time for 0:28:06.600 --> 0:28:11.760 reconciliation is overdue, and I'm with Senator Kennedy on this. 0:28:11.880 --> 0:28:14.879 I think that we need to move to another reconciliation bill, 0:28:15.640 --> 0:28:18.879 not only on the economic priorities, but on defense, because 0:28:18.880 --> 0:28:23.600 it's an emergency. When you read these headlines about the munitions, Look, 0:28:24.240 --> 0:28:27.040 I don't know the reality. I don't think anyone who 0:28:27.119 --> 0:28:29.960 doesn't have a top secret clearance knows the reality about 0:28:29.960 --> 0:28:31.200 our munition stockpiles. 0:28:31.680 --> 0:28:32.480 But we need more. 0:28:32.760 --> 0:28:35.680 We need more, whatever the level is, we need more, 0:28:35.920 --> 0:28:37.439 and we need it now. 0:28:37.480 --> 0:28:39.880 Do you read news items in the morning by John 0:28:39.880 --> 0:28:42.040 Ellis Because he had a news item this week that 0:28:42.160 --> 0:28:45.840 we had a wargame in Germany between the United States 0:28:45.960 --> 0:28:48.760 Army and the Ukrainian Army and we got smoked. The 0:28:48.840 --> 0:28:52.440 Ukrainian smoked us because they sniffed out all of our tanks. 0:28:53.080 --> 0:28:56.840 That's very alarming. We can fix that, but it's very alarming. 0:28:58.000 --> 0:29:01.280 It's an incredibly important story. I believe leave Wall Street Journal, 0:29:01.440 --> 0:29:05.040 my paper broke it. John Alis publicized it in his 0:29:05.080 --> 0:29:08.600 excellent newsletter. But it shows you this new reality. We've 0:29:08.640 --> 0:29:12.360 confronted this new reality with Iran, where the short range 0:29:12.360 --> 0:29:19.040 missiles can really constrain the behavior of the American armed forces, 0:29:19.040 --> 0:29:22.520 the greatest military in the world. It certainly constrain our 0:29:22.560 --> 0:29:25.760 political leadership. And we see it in Ukraine every day 0:29:26.200 --> 0:29:30.960 where the Ukrainian drone efforts, their drone warfare has pinned 0:29:31.320 --> 0:29:37.600 the Russian advanced to a standstill, kills tens of thousands 0:29:37.640 --> 0:29:40.520 of Russians a month. And then also now the long 0:29:40.640 --> 0:29:45.640 range drones are wrecking economic havoc on Russia. That is 0:29:45.680 --> 0:29:48.440 the new reality, and we need to change our thinking, 0:29:48.480 --> 0:29:50.760 and we need to change the way in which we 0:29:50.840 --> 0:29:56.520 supply and build our armed forces in a response. Otherwise, 0:29:56.840 --> 0:29:58.920 I think we're going to be caught off guard, just 0:29:58.960 --> 0:30:01.080 as we seem to have been in that exercise the 0:30:01.160 --> 0:30:02.960 Journal reported on, and. 0:30:02.840 --> 0:30:06.480 The Black Sea is now could be denied completely. We 0:30:06.640 --> 0:30:11.920 actually asked the Ukrainians to stop bombarding Russian cargo because 0:30:11.960 --> 0:30:15.800 it was driving up the cost of oil nation worldwide. 0:30:16.080 --> 0:30:20.800 Do you think we've absorbed the vulnerability at every littoral 0:30:20.840 --> 0:30:23.200 area and indeed far out to sea. Do you think 0:30:23.280 --> 0:30:25.040 that's been internalized. 0:30:25.960 --> 0:30:27.920 No, I don't think it's been internalized human And you know, 0:30:27.960 --> 0:30:30.080 it's funny, I was thinking about it this just the 0:30:30.120 --> 0:30:33.080 other day, is that I've been reading about the you know, 0:30:33.920 --> 0:30:36.720 the weapons build up, the missile build up, this new 0:30:37.280 --> 0:30:41.560 strategy of anti access area denial for years, and then 0:30:41.600 --> 0:30:44.160 all of a sudden it becomes a reality. It's a 0:30:44.160 --> 0:30:47.080 reality in Ukraine, it's a reality in the Black Sea, 0:30:47.240 --> 0:30:50.600 It's a reality in the Persian Gulf and Iran. It 0:30:50.640 --> 0:30:54.680 could well be a reality in Taiwan. And so we 0:30:54.720 --> 0:30:58.480 need to be able to have a proactive posture here. 0:30:58.840 --> 0:31:02.480 And like I've been said saying, I think that secretary. 0:31:03.440 --> 0:31:15.120 On the network will come right back, brought them back America. 0:31:15.200 --> 0:31:17.400 You are talking, is Matt Totten Many about what is 0:31:17.440 --> 0:31:20.400 really a Tom Clancy novel. The world has changed so 0:31:20.520 --> 0:31:23.800 rapidly when it comes to warfare that that Matt and 0:31:23.840 --> 0:31:27.560 I both agree that the United States public, I think 0:31:27.600 --> 0:31:30.120 the military studying it, but I don't think we're equipped 0:31:30.120 --> 0:31:33.560 for it. I think actually all of war has changed 0:31:33.680 --> 0:31:36.160 in the blink of an eye. 0:31:36.480 --> 0:31:37.080 Yeah. 0:31:37.120 --> 0:31:40.000 Absolutely, And you know we kind of saw it. I 0:31:40.000 --> 0:31:42.200 think even before Ukraine We kind of saw it in 0:31:42.240 --> 0:31:45.320 the war against Israel in the sense that for many 0:31:45.400 --> 0:31:48.040 years Israeli's had to live under the daily threat of 0:31:48.120 --> 0:31:51.200 Hummas rockets, the short range rockets, and then of course 0:31:51.240 --> 0:31:54.320 that led to Iron Dome and all now that the 0:31:54.640 --> 0:32:01.160 even more sophisticated Israeli technologies to knock out missiles and 0:32:01.200 --> 0:32:04.680 to intercept drones before they hit the target. And then 0:32:04.680 --> 0:32:08.920 we see it in Ukraine where the Ukrainian innovation on 0:32:09.080 --> 0:32:13.360 drones has changed not just the Ukraine Russia war, but 0:32:13.520 --> 0:32:17.520 war in general, and like I've been seeing it in 0:32:17.560 --> 0:32:20.920 Iran as well, where it seems as though this new 0:32:20.960 --> 0:32:25.320 reality of missiles and drones you gives an edge to 0:32:25.440 --> 0:32:29.640 the defense because they are able to pin down maneuver, 0:32:29.960 --> 0:32:34.680 They're able to deny their enemy the maneuver capability. And 0:32:34.720 --> 0:32:36.600 this is something that we really need to reckon with. 0:32:36.640 --> 0:32:38.680 I know, smart people are thinking about it all the time, 0:32:38.960 --> 0:32:41.400 but they also now have to add in the additional 0:32:41.440 --> 0:32:46.800 dimensions of artificial intelligence and robotics. And when you put 0:32:46.840 --> 0:32:52.720 those three things together, robots, AI, drones and missiles, I mean, 0:32:52.760 --> 0:32:56.240 we're talking science fiction stuff here, but yet it's coming, 0:32:56.520 --> 0:32:57.040 and part of. 0:32:57.040 --> 0:33:00.320 It's already here. Goodness, the China people have to do 0:33:00.360 --> 0:33:02.960 the same thing. They built a new navy, they built 0:33:02.960 --> 0:33:04.800 a bluewater navy, but all of a sudden they've got 0:33:04.800 --> 0:33:08.360 a new reality to deal with as well, provided we 0:33:08.400 --> 0:33:10.600 make them realize aggression. 0:33:10.800 --> 0:33:13.240 Well, I think that that's exactly it. We need to 0:33:13.280 --> 0:33:16.560 make this new reality work for us. And you can 0:33:16.600 --> 0:33:18.880 see how the Ukrainians have done it. You can see 0:33:18.880 --> 0:33:24.040 how Israel has used it defensively. America needs to think, 0:33:24.040 --> 0:33:25.480 how are we going to be able to use these 0:33:25.480 --> 0:33:29.760 new technologies to give us the edge in the Indo Pacific? 0:33:30.240 --> 0:33:31.840 All right, now, I want to change over to the 0:33:31.880 --> 0:33:35.080 fact that Carolyn Lovett, a very fine press secretary, is retiring, 0:33:35.400 --> 0:33:38.440 and there's been a lot of speculation about who ow 0:33:38.480 --> 0:33:40.120 to do it. I don't know if your phone's been ringing, 0:33:40.160 --> 0:33:42.720 Matt or Ben Dominich's. I think both of you would 0:33:42.720 --> 0:33:45.440 be great. But I don't think the issue really is 0:33:45.520 --> 0:33:47.640 who's at the front of the electn I think it's 0:33:47.760 --> 0:33:51.320 who's in front of the electron And generally speaking, I'm 0:33:51.360 --> 0:33:54.000 beginning to wonder. I think Peter Baker is a fine reporter. 0:33:54.840 --> 0:33:57.200 Steve Holland is a fine reporter. I think a lot 0:33:57.200 --> 0:34:00.640 of these reporters read, read, read, and they're well versed 0:34:00.640 --> 0:34:04.520 in Western civilization. I'm not so sure about the youngs. 0:34:05.000 --> 0:34:07.800 Do you think the youngs are well read in Western 0:34:07.880 --> 0:34:10.400 civilization and American political history? 0:34:13.000 --> 0:34:15.839 Not at large, I would say, I mean, I would 0:34:15.840 --> 0:34:19.040 say my friend and colleague Phil Wegman is, and he's 0:34:19.160 --> 0:34:21.440 very good, and he covers the White House, and so 0:34:21.560 --> 0:34:25.640 you'll find you find stars like that who know history, 0:34:25.680 --> 0:34:28.280 who know kind of the political tradition of the United States. 0:34:28.280 --> 0:34:31.880 They can ask informed questions, tell interesting stories. But I 0:34:31.920 --> 0:34:35.440 think in general your point stands you, which is, no 0:34:35.480 --> 0:34:39.560 one reads anymore, no one really has much of a 0:34:39.719 --> 0:34:44.480 historical memory beyond what happened the other week, or certainly 0:34:44.520 --> 0:34:46.839 beyond the Trump era, which is now, of course, ten 0:34:46.920 --> 0:34:50.080 years old. And so you want to have a White 0:34:50.080 --> 0:34:54.080 House press corps that actually knows something about Washington and 0:34:54.239 --> 0:34:57.520 knows something about the presidency, and knows something about world affairs, 0:34:57.920 --> 0:35:02.200 so that they can ask intelligent questions. I don't see 0:35:02.239 --> 0:35:05.400 us having that, not to the degree that maybe we 0:35:05.440 --> 0:35:06.240 once did. 0:35:06.560 --> 0:35:08.920 Well. The reason this came up is I listened. I 0:35:08.960 --> 0:35:12.000 actually was obliged by the events in Michigan to listen 0:35:12.000 --> 0:35:15.840 to some Hassan Piker. That man doesn't know anything. And 0:35:15.920 --> 0:35:18.480 I don't know that Abdi Lsie knows anything. I know 0:35:18.560 --> 0:35:21.640 Graham Platner didn't. I'm not too sure about a lot 0:35:21.640 --> 0:35:25.279 of the nominees across the board, say, compared with Susan Collins, 0:35:25.320 --> 0:35:27.120 who I think is very well read. But if I 0:35:27.200 --> 0:35:31.640 ran down my books blooming Tower, Disraeli, Salisbury, Napoleon Diplomacy, 0:35:31.680 --> 0:35:33.360 I've got them all lined out. I even included The 0:35:33.440 --> 0:35:36.120 Right by You and Believer by David Axrod. Do you 0:35:36.200 --> 0:35:38.560 think the White House Press Corps would score very well 0:35:38.640 --> 0:35:41.360 on like a basic reading list that Columbia might have 0:35:41.520 --> 0:35:45.040 used when what they still believed in Western civilization there? 0:35:46.200 --> 0:35:48.319 I think maybe on the Hugh Hewitt Reading List, the 0:35:48.360 --> 0:35:51.200 average would be kind of a C. And that's you know, 0:35:51.239 --> 0:35:54.440 if we don't grade on a curve like most schools 0:35:54.480 --> 0:35:59.000 do on the Great Books List, I say it'd be 0:35:59.000 --> 0:36:01.920 a D. Don't unless you go to a Great Book school. 0:36:02.400 --> 0:36:05.280 I think it's very hard to encounter the Great Books 0:36:05.719 --> 0:36:13.480 through through your college education. Hillsdale grat like Jack Biden Hillsdale, Right, yeah, 0:36:13.520 --> 0:36:15.600 hills Now he's at the Journal, and so that's why 0:36:15.640 --> 0:36:17.920 he was on my list, Well, well. 0:36:18.000 --> 0:36:20.680 Would you, if you were actually pick on a White 0:36:20.680 --> 0:36:25.880 House reporter, give them some kind of probing, a series 0:36:25.880 --> 0:36:28.160 of questions to find out whether or not they knew 0:36:28.920 --> 0:36:31.319 that Jews, the Greats, the Romans, the Brits, and the 0:36:31.360 --> 0:36:34.440 American experience because that's basically Western sid isn't that what 0:36:34.480 --> 0:36:38.920 you learned at Columbia before the Columbia Western Civilization course collapsed? 0:36:40.440 --> 0:36:41.120 It is, you know. 0:36:41.360 --> 0:36:44.000 Rather than ask the questions to which I would be 0:36:44.040 --> 0:36:46.560 disappointed with the answers, I might give them a copy 0:36:46.600 --> 0:36:49.640 of Russell Kirk's The Roots of American Order, which goes 0:36:49.680 --> 0:36:52.799 through precisely that history you talk about. I think it's 0:36:52.800 --> 0:36:55.520 a very firm grounding. I might give them the book 0:36:55.600 --> 0:36:59.239 What It Takes by Richard ben Kramer, just fantastic book 0:36:59.320 --> 0:37:04.719 about the nineteen eighty eight presidential elections. Think yeah, And 0:37:05.040 --> 0:37:06.600 I was looking at your list and I thought, you know, 0:37:06.640 --> 0:37:08.840 you have Believer on there by David Axelrod, which. 0:37:08.640 --> 0:37:09.120 Is a good book. 0:37:09.160 --> 0:37:13.120 I'd also include Courage and Consequence by Karl Rove Oh, 0:37:13.200 --> 0:37:16.560 a memoir of his his life in politics and the 0:37:16.600 --> 0:37:19.560 Bush presidency. I learned a lot about from that book. 0:37:19.560 --> 0:37:22.120 When it came out, and I think it would hold 0:37:22.200 --> 0:37:23.760 up for reporters today. 0:37:24.239 --> 0:37:26.719 And did you read one damn thing after another by 0:37:26.760 --> 0:37:28.640 Bill Barr Oh? 0:37:28.719 --> 0:37:29.239 I loved it. 0:37:29.680 --> 0:37:32.920 I think it's maybe the best classic, the best political 0:37:32.960 --> 0:37:38.000 memoir in since Axel Rods and Carl's was before that, 0:37:38.320 --> 0:37:40.799 But it was also a primer and con Law, I mean, 0:37:41.080 --> 0:37:44.040 that guy's a smart fellow. He's also funny. 0:37:44.120 --> 0:37:46.680 Yeah, yeah, and you learn a lot about how the 0:37:46.719 --> 0:37:50.359 government works. I think that's what's missing is we used 0:37:50.360 --> 0:37:53.319 to have a lot of veteran reporters who have been 0:37:53.400 --> 0:37:57.320 doing covering this beat for so long, they really knew 0:37:57.360 --> 0:38:00.480 how Washington and the government worked. Now, because of the 0:38:00.560 --> 0:38:02.880 changing economics of media, we have a lot of young people. 0:38:03.400 --> 0:38:07.480 They don't really know much about what works, what doesn't, 0:38:07.520 --> 0:38:12.600 what has happened, what is actually new, and so giving 0:38:12.680 --> 0:38:17.120 these young people some grounding is very important, and I 0:38:17.120 --> 0:38:19.120 do believe books are really the only way we can 0:38:19.160 --> 0:38:19.800 do that today. 0:38:20.239 --> 0:38:22.960 You know, if we had analytics for the press the 0:38:22.960 --> 0:38:25.560 way that they do for baseball, Steve Holland would be 0:38:25.640 --> 0:38:28.279 the first guy that Brad Pitt would draft in the 0:38:28.320 --> 0:38:31.520 movie for the watch Out Quite Outs Press Corps Matt Cottnetty. 0:38:31.719 --> 0:38:33.560 You'd score pretty eye on that too. Thank you for 0:38:33.600 --> 0:38:36.480 spending time with the follow Matt at Continetti. Read them 0:38:36.480 --> 0:38:39.319 in the Wall Street Journal twice a week. Follow him 0:38:39.320 --> 0:38:42.839 over at the American Enterprise Institute and at Continetti follow 0:38:42.840 --> 0:38:44.840 me in the next segment right here on the viewers. 0:38:45.040 --> 0:38:47.160 If you've listened to this program for any length of time, 0:38:47.200 --> 0:38:50.040 you know I appreciate companies that deliver real value without 0:38:50.120 --> 0:38:54.359 unnecessary gimmicks. That's fine. Please to recommend Consumer Cellular. They 0:38:54.400 --> 0:38:58.319 offer reliable NATIONLID coverage, outstanding customer service and plans. It 0:38:58.360 --> 0:39:00.480 simply makes sense. Right now, you get a brand new 0:39:00.520 --> 0:39:03.839 five G phone and an unlimited everything rate plan for 0:39:03.920 --> 0:39:06.359 fifty nine dollars a month or even less. 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That's Consumer Sailor dot Com slash Hue, and 0:39:40.280 --> 0:39:43.319 remember to use the promo code Hugh fifty to save 0:39:43.360 --> 0:39:44.880 an additional fifty dollars. 0:39:45.120 --> 0:39:49.880 It is finally time for a straightforward assess of the 0:39:50.000 --> 0:39:51.120 state of our nation. 0:39:51.480 --> 0:39:55.160 What happens when the institutions built to protect a liberty 0:39:55.360 --> 0:39:59.360 are accused of working against it. This weekend, Salem News 0:39:59.400 --> 0:40:04.760 Channels America two fifty film series presents Government Gangsters. Watch 0:40:04.800 --> 0:40:08.759 a hard hitting look at power, corruption, and accountability in 0:40:08.840 --> 0:40:13.000 modern America Saturday and Sunday at seven pm Eastern only 0:40:13.080 --> 0:40:14.799 on Salem News Channel. 0:40:16.560 --> 0:40:19.760 Morning Laura and Even Grace America. I'm Hugh Hewittt. Welcome 0:40:19.800 --> 0:40:22.720 to your weekend. Ben dominate showings me as he does 0:40:23.160 --> 0:40:25.560 most Fridays. Ben, I want to begin with a very 0:40:25.560 --> 0:40:27.400 difficult question for you. I'm going to put you on 0:40:27.440 --> 0:40:31.120 the spot. I know you're on vacation, I know your rush, 0:40:31.160 --> 0:40:33.439 but I got to play for you. Secretary of State 0:40:33.520 --> 0:40:36.080 Rubio on what the best day would be like, and 0:40:36.120 --> 0:40:38.560 then go to the controversial part of it at number one. 0:40:39.880 --> 0:40:42.200 Here's the thing, The day would actually start much earlier. 0:40:42.600 --> 0:40:45.760 The greatest show on television today in America is College 0:40:45.760 --> 0:40:48.759 Game Day. Great show starts around ten or eleven, and 0:40:48.800 --> 0:40:50.680 that leads you to noon and then the noon game, 0:40:50.760 --> 0:40:52.719 and then there's a three thirty game, and then there's 0:40:52.760 --> 0:40:55.160 a so I messed, and then the idea like this 0:40:55.200 --> 0:40:56.000 is a crazy weekend. 0:40:55.960 --> 0:40:56.720 It would never happen. 0:40:56.760 --> 0:40:57.960 So I'm just putting this out there. 0:40:58.120 --> 0:41:01.080 But you could start at ten am on Saturday, you know, 0:41:01.160 --> 0:41:03.880 run the whole college football day, sleep for a few hours, 0:41:03.880 --> 0:41:05.560 then you wake up, and then you're in the NFL 0:41:05.600 --> 0:41:07.799 game Day. Then you've got the one o'clock game, the 0:41:07.800 --> 0:41:12.000 four o'clock game, the NBC game that night. That is 0:41:12.000 --> 0:41:13.600 an incredible weekend in my opinion. 0:41:13.640 --> 0:41:16.799 Now, Ben Dominic shirts that apparently is a very very 0:41:17.120 --> 0:41:21.520 mainstream opinion. However, it's actually anti Big ten and pro 0:41:21.680 --> 0:41:25.399 sec because we all know Big New kickoff with Urban 0:41:25.480 --> 0:41:29.000 Meyer is better. Is much better than say it. 0:41:29.000 --> 0:41:32.879 It's much better. Actually, yes, and I actually don't think 0:41:32.920 --> 0:41:35.799 it's close, though I will point out, you know, I mean, 0:41:35.840 --> 0:41:39.480 come on, we know Marcos allegiance is here. Yes, so 0:41:40.280 --> 0:41:44.360 you know, but look, I think I can't think of 0:41:44.400 --> 0:41:49.080 a more human like comment in that. Also, I think 0:41:49.080 --> 0:41:52.040 that he is implying heavily that like, this is what 0:41:52.080 --> 0:41:53.640 I want for my birthday present. 0:41:54.280 --> 0:41:57.520 Yes, my father's day, but it doesn't work on July, 0:41:57.600 --> 0:41:58.480 works in the fall. 0:41:59.200 --> 0:42:02.200 Yeah, I don't know what his birthday is, but yes. 0:42:02.719 --> 0:42:05.800 In the sending order of importance, the President issued a 0:42:06.280 --> 0:42:10.080 executive order a memorandum on shipbuilding yesterday. Carriers are going 0:42:10.120 --> 0:42:12.760 back to same catapults. We're going to go the Finland 0:42:12.760 --> 0:42:15.520 model and buy ships and pairs of two from South 0:42:15.520 --> 0:42:17.719 three and Japan provided to build a shipyard here and 0:42:17.760 --> 0:42:20.239 start making the real thing here. And we're going to 0:42:20.280 --> 0:42:23.560 have a fifth public shipyard. This is enormously important. I 0:42:23.600 --> 0:42:26.080 haven't seen it covered anywhere. Have you had a chance 0:42:26.120 --> 0:42:27.080 to read it yet. 0:42:27.320 --> 0:42:29.200 And I have not had a chance to read it yet, 0:42:29.200 --> 0:42:31.360 but I have to say that it is enormously important. 0:42:31.440 --> 0:42:34.040 It's been something that we you know, and obviously it 0:42:34.120 --> 0:42:36.960 popped up on my feet. I, you know, think that 0:42:37.000 --> 0:42:39.200 this is one of those things that you know is 0:42:39.360 --> 0:42:41.600 long overdue and that we need we need to go 0:42:41.719 --> 0:42:44.160 back to this quite frankly years ago, and in terms 0:42:44.200 --> 0:42:46.839 of the approach that we've had to this process and 0:42:46.920 --> 0:42:51.080 too into shipbuilding generally has been just so lax, especially 0:42:51.120 --> 0:42:54.719 considering what the conflicts of the next decades look like. 0:42:55.440 --> 0:42:57.400 And so it's it's well overdue and I'm glad the 0:42:57.400 --> 0:42:58.560 President is taking action on it. 0:42:59.160 --> 0:43:00.919 All right now, I want to turned to the White 0:43:00.920 --> 0:43:03.480 House Press secretary. Keron Levitt did a great job, and 0:43:03.520 --> 0:43:06.160 we've been blessed on the Republican side by a lot 0:43:06.200 --> 0:43:09.280 of good ones. A couple of steps, but data Perno 0:43:09.440 --> 0:43:13.520 and Tony Snow and you go back to Ery Fleischer, 0:43:13.560 --> 0:43:17.520 and you go back all the way to to HW's 0:43:18.080 --> 0:43:21.279 team and to Reagan's team, Merlon Fitzwater. We had great 0:43:21.280 --> 0:43:23.920 press secretary. But I think the press corps in the 0:43:23.960 --> 0:43:26.799 White House is getting dumber. I just don't think they 0:43:26.880 --> 0:43:29.120 read much. Ben and I posted my list of what 0:43:29.200 --> 0:43:32.720 I would require the press to be credentialed to have read. 0:43:33.080 --> 0:43:34.560 Do you think they're getting dumber? 0:43:36.080 --> 0:43:38.120 Well, I think that in terms of the press corps, 0:43:38.120 --> 0:43:42.560 they are absolutely getting dumber. They're also getting much more forgetful. 0:43:42.680 --> 0:43:46.000 They don't they don't have any sense of history. They 0:43:46.040 --> 0:43:49.440 don't really I don't think that they actually, I mean, 0:43:49.520 --> 0:43:51.640 you just rattled off a list of some of the 0:43:51.640 --> 0:43:56.279 most prominent you know, press secretaries and comms directors who 0:43:56.280 --> 0:43:59.400 have been you know, in the White House over the 0:43:59.480 --> 0:44:02.359 last a couple of decades, and you know, and most 0:44:02.360 --> 0:44:05.080 of my lifetime, you know, I was you know, had 0:44:05.080 --> 0:44:08.000 the pleasure of being able to work in the w 0:44:08.040 --> 0:44:12.320 administration and meet not just Dana but but Tony snow 0:44:12.440 --> 0:44:16.000 before he passed, and and get to know the team 0:44:16.040 --> 0:44:19.080 that was there, that was obviously expert and knew how 0:44:19.080 --> 0:44:22.520 to handle things. And it's really really shocking to me 0:44:22.920 --> 0:44:24.719 that you could run through a list like that. And 0:44:24.800 --> 0:44:26.960 I wonder how many of the people who are currently 0:44:26.960 --> 0:44:29.040 in the press corps today could run through that list 0:44:29.320 --> 0:44:31.239 and would be able to tell you who work for who, 0:44:31.440 --> 0:44:32.320 who was a Republican. 0:44:32.320 --> 0:44:34.400 Well, I can also do Marlon Fitze. I mean, I 0:44:34.400 --> 0:44:36.640 can do Mike Murphy for Clinton. I can go back 0:44:36.680 --> 0:44:36.920 and do. 0:44:36.960 --> 0:44:39.640 Crazy Murphy was great. Murphy was the one. He was 0:44:39.680 --> 0:44:42.440 great when I first started paying attention to and you know, 0:44:42.600 --> 0:44:44.400 and the way that he handled that room, especially with 0:44:44.440 --> 0:44:47.880 the level of difficulty that the Clinton administration presented in 0:44:47.960 --> 0:44:51.160 terms of representing them every day. You know that that 0:44:51.400 --> 0:44:53.719 was impressive. You know, I got to meet him as well. 0:44:53.800 --> 0:44:55.799 I got you know, I've met most of these folks 0:44:55.880 --> 0:44:58.440 that you've mentioned. The thing, the thing that is you know, 0:44:58.480 --> 0:45:01.160 striking about them is they have to learn to speak, 0:45:01.800 --> 0:45:04.040 you know, for the president, but also not to nail 0:45:04.080 --> 0:45:07.000 something down that is not nailed down by the president, 0:45:07.239 --> 0:45:09.600 which is a very unique position to be in. It's 0:45:09.640 --> 0:45:12.520 not the same as being a speech writer, where when 0:45:12.520 --> 0:45:15.480 you run a speech through you you are doing something 0:45:15.480 --> 0:45:18.200 that is getting approved and so there is a betting process. 0:45:18.239 --> 0:45:20.640 There is a you know, we are going to take 0:45:20.760 --> 0:45:22.440 this line and we are going to make sure that 0:45:22.480 --> 0:45:24.680 we stick it in there because we want to send 0:45:24.680 --> 0:45:27.520 a message to whichever country needs to listen. That's not 0:45:27.640 --> 0:45:29.600 the same as having to do this stuff on the fly. 0:45:29.719 --> 0:45:32.000 And I think that you know, everyone who has who 0:45:32.000 --> 0:45:34.319 has done this job, you know, for Donald Trump, has 0:45:34.320 --> 0:45:38.080 had a particularly unique challenge in doing that because, of course, 0:45:38.120 --> 0:45:41.239 the president changes his mind a lot. And look, I 0:45:41.600 --> 0:45:44.759 think that quite frankly that the the the job that 0:45:44.800 --> 0:45:47.840 Caroline Lovett has done is enormously impressive. It's going to 0:45:47.920 --> 0:45:51.440 be hard, hard to follow up that act with anything 0:45:51.480 --> 0:45:53.560 that approaches the level of skill that she presented in 0:45:53.560 --> 0:45:56.239 that job, which by the way, people thought she was 0:45:56.239 --> 0:45:56.759 capable of. 0:45:57.440 --> 0:45:59.640 You better have good humor. So here's that what led 0:45:59.680 --> 0:46:03.600 to this line of questioning Hassan Piker, I was obliged 0:46:03.640 --> 0:46:05.520 to dig into over the last couple of weeks, and 0:46:05.560 --> 0:46:08.840 I'd never really care to him, and I am sorry, 0:46:09.640 --> 0:46:12.319 I don't think he knows anything. I've listened to him 0:46:12.520 --> 0:46:17.680 rattle off like critical legal studies, jargon, crits, jargon about 0:46:18.080 --> 0:46:23.960 all sorts of just the language deconstructionists, and it's nonsense. 0:46:24.520 --> 0:46:28.480 Do you think like this generation, generally, if they're not 0:46:28.520 --> 0:46:32.720 a Hillsdale graduate, will know anything about the Greeks, the Jews, 0:46:32.760 --> 0:46:33.880 the Romans did break you. 0:46:34.040 --> 0:46:38.960 If you look. You know, I know that. I know 0:46:39.040 --> 0:46:41.960 this is kind of a dated reference because it's it's 0:46:42.040 --> 0:46:44.640 it's a movie that doesn't get as much praise this 0:46:45.040 --> 0:46:47.239 at the time. But you know, one of the points 0:46:47.280 --> 0:46:49.920 about Goodwill Hunting that is correct is that you can 0:46:49.960 --> 0:46:52.719 get a better education with a library card. And that's 0:46:52.760 --> 0:46:55.080 the truth about like one of the one of the 0:46:55.120 --> 0:46:57.400 things that we see going on this generation. You know, 0:46:57.719 --> 0:47:00.640 there they are going to schools where if they actually 0:47:00.719 --> 0:47:03.800 went to a public library and did the right reading list, 0:47:04.200 --> 0:47:06.120 they would have a better education than the one that 0:47:06.160 --> 0:47:09.600 they're paying tens of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of 0:47:09.640 --> 0:47:13.200 dollars for. And I think that that's pathetic and sad. 0:47:13.640 --> 0:47:16.560 But as someone who was an absolute nerd, spent a 0:47:16.600 --> 0:47:20.000 lot of time the library, was was literally a library 0:47:20.080 --> 0:47:23.319 volunteer for many years growing up. Let me tell you 0:47:23.400 --> 0:47:25.759 it was very useful and has proven you. 0:47:28.280 --> 0:47:28.799 Were nerd. 0:47:28.800 --> 0:47:31.080 That is thief, that is I'm telling you man, I 0:47:31.120 --> 0:47:32.440 had a lot of I had a lot of I 0:47:32.440 --> 0:47:33.200 had a lot of friends. 0:47:33.239 --> 0:47:35.360 They were so let me let me ask you about 0:47:35.480 --> 0:47:37.000 I'm going to just pull the name ount of Rent 0:47:37.120 --> 0:47:41.440 Michael Knowles. Michael Knowles I've met twice and I had 0:47:41.520 --> 0:47:44.200 on the radio once. I just don't know. Michael seems 0:47:44.200 --> 0:47:47.560 to me to have read everything, like literally everything. And 0:47:47.600 --> 0:47:49.399 there are some people out there with whom I didn't 0:47:49.440 --> 0:47:52.880 agree who have read everything like Sorouh and others. I 0:47:52.920 --> 0:47:55.280 just don't agree with them, but they're they're very well. Rent. 0:47:55.760 --> 0:47:59.359 Why is the left turning up such dummies? I'll say 0:47:59.400 --> 0:48:00.879 it is all. 0:48:00.960 --> 0:48:03.399 First all agree with you about Michael. He is one 0:48:03.400 --> 0:48:06.399 of the very rare humans, and I would include ross 0:48:06.400 --> 0:48:08.799 Stout that this number, and you know a couple of 0:48:08.840 --> 0:48:11.839 other folks, including yourself, by the way, who can make 0:48:11.920 --> 0:48:16.760 references that I don't get. And that's and that's not 0:48:16.000 --> 0:48:19.400 a not a long list because again, but it's one 0:48:19.400 --> 0:48:22.160 of these things where when he does that, it makes 0:48:22.160 --> 0:48:23.879 me curious and I say, hey, wait a minute, that's 0:48:23.960 --> 0:48:27.040 what is that from? I haven't you know that I've 0:48:27.080 --> 0:48:29.359 read that author, but not that book, that kind of thing. 0:48:29.600 --> 0:48:32.720 Spencer Clayven and his father are another of them. But look, 0:48:33.120 --> 0:48:37.960 it's it is really, I think an indictment of the 0:48:38.080 --> 0:48:41.160 nature of our current politics that we have people who 0:48:41.200 --> 0:48:45.200 are being very successful in it, who who don't really 0:48:45.239 --> 0:48:47.799 have any knowledge of the philosophical basis for even the 0:48:47.800 --> 0:48:50.799 positions that they hold. Like now, on a certain level, 0:48:51.000 --> 0:48:53.120 is that a good thing? You know, would I rather 0:48:53.200 --> 0:48:55.600 have a dumb version of a son biker than a 0:48:55.640 --> 0:48:58.399 smart version because you know that's going to be something 0:48:58.440 --> 0:49:02.160 that's harder to debate, harder to win. On a certain level, Yes. 0:49:02.160 --> 0:49:04.400 On the another level, it's like he's catering to the 0:49:04.480 --> 0:49:10.439 TikTok morons, the you know, the twitch Trotskyites who want 0:49:10.520 --> 0:49:15.080 to you know, completely upend everything that makes America great 0:49:15.440 --> 0:49:18.560 without actually understanding what they're going to replace it with 0:49:18.800 --> 0:49:21.719 or how that will hurt them. I had a conversation 0:49:22.080 --> 0:49:24.839 with a casual friend of mine the other day who 0:49:25.280 --> 0:49:28.560 is someone who is entirely in favor of socialism of 0:49:28.600 --> 0:49:31.759 the Mom Donnie style, and she is very much of 0:49:31.800 --> 0:49:34.759 the opinion why isn't everybody against this? It's just the 0:49:34.760 --> 0:49:37.719 most basic thing. You know, It's gonna be great, it's 0:49:37.760 --> 0:49:40.320 gonna work, and we're going to have healthcare for everybody 0:49:40.520 --> 0:49:42.439 and things like that. And it's how do you even 0:49:42.480 --> 0:49:45.160 have a conversation with that when you're starting from such 0:49:45.760 --> 0:49:49.440 a difference of opinion about the history of socialism, about 0:49:49.440 --> 0:49:51.440 what this communist movement represents. 0:49:52.040 --> 0:49:54.479 I couldn't agree more. And by the way, I don't 0:49:54.480 --> 0:49:58.440 know Spencer Claven Andrew Clavin. I know, I don't know Spencer. 0:49:58.480 --> 0:50:00.400 How old is he is? He like Michael Moll. 0:50:00.360 --> 0:50:04.360 Smart yes and uh and he's he's very smart and 0:50:04.360 --> 0:50:06.120 you should check out his stuff. He writes a lot 0:50:06.160 --> 0:50:09.000 for us about at the Baily Wire, about classics, uh 0:50:09.160 --> 0:50:12.400 and and things of that nature. He's very much He's 0:50:12.440 --> 0:50:14.600 one of these guys who can talk about, you know, 0:50:15.080 --> 0:50:18.880 the Plato, Aristotle, and Ai all in the same piece. 0:50:19.000 --> 0:50:21.480 And that's the kind of skill that I appreciate. 0:50:21.600 --> 0:50:26.800 And time to book, Spencer Claven Ben Dominic, enjoy your vacation. 0:50:26.920 --> 0:50:28.279 Thank you for spending time with me.