1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,239 S1: God bless America. See a child. 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:07,119 S2: Fresh off the back of his major Grammy wins, Bad Bunny. 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:09,040 S3: I never I never heard of him. I don't know 4 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:10,799 S3: who he is. I don't know why they're doing it. 5 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:12,400 S4: A lot of conservatives are freaking out. 6 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:14,480 S5: Okay, he's not an American artist, but. 7 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:17,560 S6: He's Puerto Rican. That's part of America, dear. 8 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:20,439 S7: If you've taken even a passing glimpse at the news 9 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:22,680 S7: over the past week, you would have come across the 10 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:27,160 S7: name Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican musician won three Grammy 11 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:30,320 S7: Awards over a week ago and just performed on the 12 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:33,360 S7: biggest stage in the world as the headline act for 13 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:37,160 S7: the NFL Super Bowl's half time show. The 29 year 14 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:41,760 S7: old's selection and performance has not been without controversy. I'm 15 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:45,440 S7: Samantha Selinger Morris, and you're listening to Morning Edition from 16 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:49,280 S7: The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. Today, culture editor 17 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:52,440 S7: at large Michael Idato on why Bad Bunny has become 18 00:00:52,440 --> 00:00:57,080 S7: a focal point for conservatives. The Anti-ice immigration movement and 19 00:00:57,080 --> 00:01:03,950 S7: the Trump administration. Michael Lodato, you have just been at 20 00:01:03,950 --> 00:01:06,910 S7: the Super Bowl. You are speaking to us from San Francisco. 21 00:01:06,950 --> 00:01:09,550 S7: Of course, many listeners, they know the name Bad Bunny, 22 00:01:09,550 --> 00:01:12,590 S7: but they might not know who he is. And you 23 00:01:12,590 --> 00:01:14,790 S7: know why it is that he isn't just a megastar, 24 00:01:14,790 --> 00:01:18,589 S7: but someone who really embodies just this massive cultural moment. 25 00:01:18,870 --> 00:01:21,030 S7: So tell us, Michael, who is Bad Bunny? 26 00:01:21,510 --> 00:01:28,310 S8: Bad Bunny is a Puerto Rican rapper, I guess. Singer, performer. Um, uh, 27 00:01:28,350 --> 00:01:30,470 S8: they say record producer, but I feel like everyone in 28 00:01:30,470 --> 00:01:33,069 S8: music is a record producer, right? Everybody seems to produce 29 00:01:33,069 --> 00:01:38,870 S8: their own music now. He's a Latin performer. He, uh, 30 00:01:38,990 --> 00:01:42,150 S8: is immensely popular. If you're old, like me, you probably 31 00:01:42,150 --> 00:01:45,990 S8: don't really have a firm handle on him. If you're young, 32 00:01:46,030 --> 00:01:50,070 S8: he's kind of the biggest thing going on. Very handsome, 33 00:01:50,070 --> 00:01:56,230 S8: very energetic. Um, extraordinarily talented singer. His kind of thing 34 00:01:56,270 --> 00:02:00,870 S8: is a genre they call, which is basically, um, a 35 00:02:00,910 --> 00:02:05,780 S8: kind of Panama, Puerto Rico, 80s 90s thing that blends 36 00:02:05,780 --> 00:02:10,859 S8: Jamaican dancehall, Spanish reggae and American hip hop. It's a really. 37 00:02:10,900 --> 00:02:13,860 S8: He's a really bouncy, fun sound. It's great music to 38 00:02:13,900 --> 00:02:16,900 S8: listen to. It's very addictive. It's easy to kind of 39 00:02:16,940 --> 00:02:20,940 S8: fall into the rhythm of, um, that's that's bad Bunny. 40 00:02:20,940 --> 00:02:24,139 S8: If you're if you're a young, cool kid in 2026, 41 00:02:24,139 --> 00:02:27,940 S8: Bad Bunny is the sun around which the solar system 42 00:02:27,940 --> 00:02:29,500 S8: of your life probably orbits. 43 00:02:30,139 --> 00:02:34,060 S7: And he isn't just a phenomenally talented musician and producer, 44 00:02:34,100 --> 00:02:37,540 S7: though he is. Um. He's also quite unique in the 45 00:02:37,540 --> 00:02:41,380 S7: sense that he almost never sings or raps in English. Right? 46 00:02:41,419 --> 00:02:45,380 S7: Like unlike his predecessors in Latin music, like Marc Anthony 47 00:02:45,380 --> 00:02:48,980 S7: and Shakira, you know, they used to have to record Spanish, 48 00:02:48,980 --> 00:02:50,940 S7: perhaps if they wanted, and then they'd have to do 49 00:02:50,940 --> 00:02:54,139 S7: an English version where, as he hardly ever does. Right? 50 00:02:54,180 --> 00:02:56,459 S7: I mean, that's pretty that's unique. Right. This is a 51 00:02:56,500 --> 00:02:57,579 S7: he's a game changer. 52 00:02:57,620 --> 00:03:00,019 S8: That's his M.O. and I think essentially, I mean, he's 53 00:03:00,020 --> 00:03:04,049 S8: a kid who has come from Puerto Rico. He's American. 54 00:03:04,050 --> 00:03:08,890 S8: Puerto Ricans are Americans. It's an American territory. He Spanish 55 00:03:08,889 --> 00:03:11,690 S8: is his is his native language. He sings in Spanish. 56 00:03:11,690 --> 00:03:14,570 S8: And I think that there is, I think, an idea 57 00:03:14,570 --> 00:03:17,810 S8: around the fact that you the fact that you are 58 00:03:17,810 --> 00:03:21,769 S8: compelled to sing in English to somehow cross a bridge, 59 00:03:22,050 --> 00:03:25,610 S8: I think that's something artistically he rejects. And I kind 60 00:03:25,610 --> 00:03:29,210 S8: of I understand that and I respect that. It's very unapologetic. 61 00:03:29,250 --> 00:03:31,049 S8: There is a kind of I would not call him 62 00:03:31,050 --> 00:03:33,130 S8: a political artist, but there is a bit of lowercase 63 00:03:33,130 --> 00:03:36,730 S8: politics in his music. And I think the rejection, it's 64 00:03:36,730 --> 00:03:39,050 S8: not a rejection of English language. It's a rejection of 65 00:03:39,050 --> 00:03:42,290 S8: the expectation that you have to somehow deny a piece 66 00:03:42,290 --> 00:03:45,010 S8: of yourself and your art in order to build a 67 00:03:45,010 --> 00:03:48,570 S8: bridge to a segment of the audience who quite frankly, 68 00:03:48,570 --> 00:03:51,570 S8: seem to, you know, not want to bother to come 69 00:03:51,570 --> 00:03:55,170 S8: to you. You know, he opened the song with me, Pregunto, 70 00:03:55,210 --> 00:03:58,250 S8: which is basically, I know enough Italian to understand the song. 71 00:03:58,490 --> 00:04:00,530 S8: It's a song about a boy who's got lots of 72 00:04:00,530 --> 00:04:03,810 S8: girlfriends and an auntie who, because the song actually means 73 00:04:03,810 --> 00:04:06,240 S8: the title literally means Auntie asked me if the song 74 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:08,080 S8: is literally about a boy with lots of girlfriends who's 75 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:10,520 S8: auntie is constantly pestering him about when are you going 76 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:12,480 S8: to get married? And you kind of go, this is 77 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,000 S8: a really relatable song. He doesn't need to sing in 78 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,480 S8: English to build a bridge. To me, like most smart people, 79 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:21,000 S8: I think the onus is on me to actually take 80 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,279 S8: three steps towards the art and try to understand it 81 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:24,360 S8: as it's presented. 82 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:26,760 S7: And he really, I guess, capitalized on that, I guess 83 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:30,400 S7: uncompromising perhaps attitude last year because he had this 31 84 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:35,480 S7: concert residency and he very intentionally held that in Puerto Rico, 85 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:36,920 S7: you had to go to Puerto Rico to go to 86 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:40,240 S7: these concerts. He specifically did not have any of the 87 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:45,280 S7: concerts on mainland American territory, which I guess leads us 88 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:47,960 S7: to my next question, which is that Bad Bunny's performance 89 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,640 S7: at the halftime show today has been hugely anticipated, but 90 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:54,520 S7: also controversial. Tell us why, Michael? 91 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:57,640 S8: So essentially, when it was announced, obviously it came with 92 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:01,480 S8: a clear expectation he'd perform in Spanish that seemed to 93 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:04,159 S8: get up the nose of the white House. To put 94 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:09,200 S8: it bluntly, they seemed offended somehow that it was un-American, 95 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:11,719 S8: which is one of those things where you go, oh, 96 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:14,160 S8: this guy's not a foreigner. They kind of talked about 97 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:16,120 S8: him like he was a foreigner. And the truth is, 98 00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:19,760 S8: he's like all Puerto Ricans. He's an American citizen, um, 99 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:23,280 S8: born in an American territory. So essentially what sprang out 100 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:28,440 S8: of that was that sort of very American, you know, um. Oh, 101 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:30,080 S8: you know, why isn't he going to sing in English? 102 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:32,280 S8: This is very un-American. I mean, the irony, of course, 103 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:35,760 S8: that Americans are speaking a language called English, which actually 104 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:38,719 S8: is a borrowed language that came with immigrants from England 105 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:41,719 S8: and still, in fact, is called English because it's named 106 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:45,120 S8: after England, where it originated. This is the madness of 107 00:05:45,120 --> 00:05:48,280 S8: the world in which we live. So what that created, though, 108 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:53,680 S8: was that kind of right wing social media commentariat echo chamber, 109 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:56,120 S8: where it just suddenly became a whole thing that this 110 00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:59,120 S8: was happening. Um, I think to the NFL's great credit, 111 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:01,320 S8: they were just like, steady as she goes. This is 112 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:03,599 S8: a really clear, I think, you know, if we even 113 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:06,040 S8: take the NFL in a really cynical way, this is 114 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:10,230 S8: a really clear, simple, transactional exercise for them. They're a 115 00:06:10,230 --> 00:06:14,670 S8: gigantic institutional franchise, a sport. They want young people to 116 00:06:14,710 --> 00:06:17,990 S8: engage with their sport. And young people love Bad Bunny. 117 00:06:18,029 --> 00:06:19,950 S8: There is a secondary layer to it, which is that 118 00:06:19,950 --> 00:06:22,990 S8: obviously Bad bunny himself. Let's as I said before, let's 119 00:06:22,990 --> 00:06:27,150 S8: call him lowercase p political. As an artist, he obviously 120 00:06:27,150 --> 00:06:29,150 S8: has had some very clear things to say about the 121 00:06:29,150 --> 00:06:33,710 S8: Trump administration, about the very violent presence of Ice Border 122 00:06:33,710 --> 00:06:36,789 S8: Patrol on American streets, and what they have done to 123 00:06:36,830 --> 00:06:39,630 S8: American citizens in the last few months, particularly. 124 00:06:41,430 --> 00:06:47,549 S9: Before I say thanks to God, I'm going to say 125 00:06:48,670 --> 00:06:55,909 S9: eyes out. We're not savage. We're not animals. We're not aliens. 126 00:06:55,910 --> 00:06:58,430 S9: We are humans, and we are Americans. 127 00:06:59,630 --> 00:07:03,070 S8: I think also critically, the failure of the American government 128 00:07:03,070 --> 00:07:06,070 S8: really to respond properly to the hurricane in Puerto Rico, 129 00:07:06,070 --> 00:07:08,860 S8: which would have affected him very personally. And to talk 130 00:07:08,860 --> 00:07:11,660 S8: to your last point. The answer to why he would 131 00:07:11,700 --> 00:07:15,500 S8: have taken his residency to Puerto Rico is because I think, 132 00:07:15,500 --> 00:07:19,340 S8: like all lowercase p political artists, he understands that he 133 00:07:19,340 --> 00:07:22,380 S8: is big business and at the very least, he can 134 00:07:22,380 --> 00:07:25,700 S8: gift his birthplace. You know, the island that he was 135 00:07:25,700 --> 00:07:28,580 S8: born on and that he derives his identity from. The 136 00:07:28,580 --> 00:07:31,059 S8: very least he can give them is the economic boom 137 00:07:31,060 --> 00:07:33,140 S8: of all of the business that that residency would have 138 00:07:33,140 --> 00:07:36,180 S8: brought lots of people flying to Puerto Rico, staying in 139 00:07:36,180 --> 00:07:39,140 S8: Puerto Rican hotels, engaging in the Puerto Rican economy, and 140 00:07:39,140 --> 00:07:43,179 S8: actually bringing something home in effect from his fame, rather 141 00:07:43,180 --> 00:07:45,500 S8: than doing what a lot of people do, which is 142 00:07:45,500 --> 00:07:47,220 S8: you could be born in Puerto Rico, you moved to 143 00:07:47,260 --> 00:07:49,860 S8: New York, and everything you do sinks billions of dollars 144 00:07:49,860 --> 00:07:54,020 S8: into the mainland American economy and never really trickles back 145 00:07:54,020 --> 00:07:56,340 S8: to the people who, you know are your family and 146 00:07:56,340 --> 00:07:57,740 S8: your friends and your neighbors. 147 00:07:57,900 --> 00:08:00,460 S7: It's so interesting to me. You make that point, of course, 148 00:08:00,460 --> 00:08:03,420 S7: that some people, you know, responded to the fact that 149 00:08:03,420 --> 00:08:06,380 S7: Bad Bunny was performing at the half time show as 150 00:08:06,380 --> 00:08:10,210 S7: it's un-American When um. And we know that Donald Trump 151 00:08:10,210 --> 00:08:13,650 S7: after the half time show, uh, he posted on social media, 152 00:08:13,650 --> 00:08:15,810 S7: it makes no sense. It's an affront to the greatness 153 00:08:15,810 --> 00:08:20,050 S7: of America and doesn't represent our standards of success, creativity 154 00:08:20,050 --> 00:08:23,809 S7: or excellence. But it's quite fascinating because I guess one 155 00:08:23,810 --> 00:08:26,890 S7: could argue there's nothing more American than making money. And 156 00:08:26,970 --> 00:08:29,330 S7: on your point about NFL, you know, I was going 157 00:08:29,370 --> 00:08:31,570 S7: to ask you, why would they select someone who, of course, 158 00:08:31,570 --> 00:08:34,210 S7: is going to be so controversial and who would draw 159 00:08:34,210 --> 00:08:37,449 S7: the ire of the Trump administration? And what's really interesting 160 00:08:37,450 --> 00:08:38,890 S7: is I was doing a bit of a deep dive 161 00:08:38,929 --> 00:08:41,929 S7: before speaking to you about this, and I discovered that, 162 00:08:41,970 --> 00:08:46,570 S7: of course, NFL team owners themselves overwhelmingly lean Republican, both 163 00:08:46,570 --> 00:08:50,209 S7: in their voting habits and in the way they donate money. Um, 164 00:08:50,210 --> 00:08:55,970 S7: and right before the 2024 presidential election, uh, about 83% 165 00:08:55,970 --> 00:08:58,370 S7: of the money donated by NFL owners had gone to 166 00:08:58,410 --> 00:09:01,970 S7: conservative candidates and causes. And it was a massive amount 167 00:09:01,970 --> 00:09:05,050 S7: of money. It was like $28 million or something like that. 168 00:09:05,050 --> 00:09:08,450 S7: So I would argue that Bad bunny, I mean, he 169 00:09:08,450 --> 00:09:10,960 S7: knows about making money and the NFL knows about making money. 170 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:12,199 S7: This is all American. 171 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:14,240 S8: Completely. And I think look, I think that what you 172 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:18,359 S8: also see in modern American politics is everyone in power 173 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:20,360 S8: sort of trying to have an each way bet. I think, 174 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:22,439 S8: and I think for a really good example of that 175 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:25,920 S8: is Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, who basically, you know, 176 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:28,760 S8: he donated to Trump's inauguration fund. And yet, on the 177 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:31,720 S8: same breath, Apple obviously is the sponsor of the half 178 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:34,240 S8: time show and has been for some years. And prior 179 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:36,520 S8: to the Super Bowl, Tim Cook himself was on social 180 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:39,200 S8: media popping out a quick photo of him and Bad 181 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:42,560 S8: Bunny because in the end, you know these guys, they 182 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:45,520 S8: know how the system works. They know where the money 183 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:49,080 S8: needs to go to serve them and their businesses. They 184 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:51,320 S8: also know what's popular and, you know, they would have 185 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:55,439 S8: all of that kind of controversy around Big Bunny performing. 186 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:58,400 S8: All of that is happening at the kind of the 187 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:02,600 S8: social media, right wing commentariat noise level. None of it's 188 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:05,400 S8: happening in the boardrooms of NFL football teams. They're all 189 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:09,120 S8: sitting back. They all know really clearly that the future 190 00:10:09,120 --> 00:10:14,550 S8: of their sports code is a white, black, brown. You know, 191 00:10:14,590 --> 00:10:17,870 S8: it's a multicultural future. In the end, they want to 192 00:10:17,870 --> 00:10:20,949 S8: sell tickets, and they know that the ticket buying public 193 00:10:20,950 --> 00:10:24,550 S8: comes from the broad cultural spectrum that makes up America, 194 00:10:24,590 --> 00:10:26,189 S8: you know? And look, I mean, what Donald Trump says 195 00:10:26,190 --> 00:10:29,110 S8: about art and excellence, the truth is bad bunnies, all 196 00:10:29,110 --> 00:10:32,829 S8: of those things. He's artistically brilliant. He demonstrates excellence. He's 197 00:10:32,830 --> 00:10:36,670 S8: commercially successful. He's in every way the exemplar of all 198 00:10:36,670 --> 00:10:38,990 S8: of those ideals. And if you wanted to boil all 199 00:10:39,030 --> 00:10:41,190 S8: of it away and take the most cynical approach and 200 00:10:41,190 --> 00:10:44,350 S8: say that really America is just a violent, aggressive, angry, 201 00:10:45,030 --> 00:10:49,150 S8: capitalist economy that is constantly chasing money, well, Bad Bunny 202 00:10:49,150 --> 00:10:51,750 S8: is a big old bag of money happening right in 203 00:10:51,750 --> 00:10:54,270 S8: front of us, and no two ways about it. He's 204 00:10:54,309 --> 00:10:58,710 S8: an incredibly successful commercial artist on top of everything else. Um, 205 00:10:58,710 --> 00:11:00,309 S8: so at the very least, you know, you would think 206 00:11:00,350 --> 00:11:02,910 S8: Donald Trump, the businessman, would be shrewd enough to look 207 00:11:02,910 --> 00:11:05,429 S8: at it and see all of the money flowing the 208 00:11:05,429 --> 00:11:07,670 S8: way it does and understand, you know, the value of 209 00:11:07,670 --> 00:11:08,750 S8: what this guy does. 210 00:11:09,150 --> 00:11:11,620 S7: Well, that's right. And we know that Donald Trump, of course, 211 00:11:11,660 --> 00:11:13,580 S7: famously said that he was not going to attend the 212 00:11:13,580 --> 00:11:16,540 S7: Super Bowl. You know, he was very much championing, you know, 213 00:11:16,580 --> 00:11:19,700 S7: the I believe it was called the All American Halftime Show, 214 00:11:19,820 --> 00:11:22,980 S7: which was the one, you know, featuring kid Rock. And, 215 00:11:23,020 --> 00:11:24,820 S7: you know, that was sort of put on by the 216 00:11:24,860 --> 00:11:28,700 S7: right wing nonprofit organization Turning Point USA. Anyway, we're not 217 00:11:28,700 --> 00:11:30,220 S7: going to talk about that. We really want to talk 218 00:11:30,220 --> 00:11:32,740 S7: about the Super Bowl. So you've got to tell us 219 00:11:32,740 --> 00:11:35,140 S7: what was the show actually like. Like what was the 220 00:11:35,140 --> 00:11:39,100 S7: atmosphere like? Because we do know that Trump's Homeland Security secretary, 221 00:11:39,100 --> 00:11:41,900 S7: Kristi Noem, she flagged that Ice was going to be, quote, 222 00:11:41,900 --> 00:11:45,060 S7: all over, unquote, the concert, the Super Bowl. You know, 223 00:11:45,100 --> 00:11:49,700 S7: her special assistant, Corey Lewandowski was even more explicit, saying 224 00:11:49,740 --> 00:11:51,700 S7: about the Super Bowl, you know, Ice was going to 225 00:11:51,700 --> 00:11:53,819 S7: target people. We will find you. He said, we will 226 00:11:53,820 --> 00:11:56,900 S7: apprehend you. We will put you in a detention facility 227 00:11:56,900 --> 00:11:59,900 S7: and we will deport you. So could you feel any 228 00:11:59,900 --> 00:12:02,500 S7: of that tension there? Like what was the show like? 229 00:12:03,100 --> 00:12:05,580 S8: So the so there's two things going on there. There's 230 00:12:05,580 --> 00:12:07,820 S8: the Super Bowl itself as a piece of kind of 231 00:12:07,860 --> 00:12:10,660 S8: fuller sports theater. And obviously there's the halftime show in 232 00:12:10,660 --> 00:12:14,330 S8: the middle, the fullness of the experience is extraordinary. It's 233 00:12:14,330 --> 00:12:18,290 S8: incredibly energetic. It's very tribal. It's also very beautiful. 234 00:12:19,530 --> 00:12:20,370 S1: Puerto Rico. 235 00:12:24,610 --> 00:12:28,010 S8: There was no I felt there was no tangible Ice 236 00:12:28,210 --> 00:12:31,610 S8: policing presence. Um, that is not, I think, a reflection 237 00:12:31,610 --> 00:12:35,890 S8: of their their fear specifically around the Super Bowl. I 238 00:12:35,890 --> 00:12:39,370 S8: suspect what we were seeing was part of a wider 239 00:12:39,370 --> 00:12:44,410 S8: withdrawal from public spaces. And they're plunging popularity and the 240 00:12:44,410 --> 00:12:47,810 S8: clear political indicators, you know, that they're going to be 241 00:12:47,809 --> 00:12:51,050 S8: completely demolished at the midterms. So I think what you're 242 00:12:51,050 --> 00:12:54,010 S8: seeing is a general pullback, because they know simply the 243 00:12:54,010 --> 00:12:56,929 S8: optics are destroying them. And the optics of ice on 244 00:12:56,929 --> 00:13:01,209 S8: the streets harassing Americans is is an optic that has 245 00:13:01,250 --> 00:13:04,210 S8: basically set them up for demolition at the midterms. So 246 00:13:04,210 --> 00:13:06,370 S8: I don't think ice was absent because they were afraid 247 00:13:06,370 --> 00:13:10,570 S8: specifically of the, um, Super Bowl. I think Trump himself 248 00:13:10,570 --> 00:13:13,520 S8: was absent. Um, because, you know, no one likes to 249 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:16,160 S8: be booed. And I think he's worked out that wherever 250 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:18,360 S8: he goes, he's going to get a big boo. The 251 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:21,160 S8: vice president just got a gigantic boo at the Olympics 252 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:21,880 S8: in Italy. 253 00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:24,000 S7: And I guess, just to wrap up, Michael, I mean, 254 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:25,680 S7: it has to be said that, you know, I'm glad 255 00:13:25,679 --> 00:13:28,000 S7: to hear there was parts that were beautiful, but certainly 256 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:31,640 S7: bad bunny. I think he did hit some political moments. Right. 257 00:13:31,640 --> 00:13:33,920 S7: We know that at the very end, he sort of 258 00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:38,199 S7: listed off a bunch of countries in South America, Central America, uh, 259 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:41,280 S7: the sign behind him as he sort of finished his set, 260 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:44,120 S7: you know, said the only thing more powerful than hate 261 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:46,600 S7: is love. And he was holding a a football, I 262 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:49,400 S7: believe that said, together we are America. Those are very 263 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:53,080 S7: clear signs that counter the divisiveness of Trump, obviously, and 264 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:58,400 S7: his incredibly anti-immigrant messages. So I guess, do you think 265 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:02,760 S7: this perhaps will rile up Bad Bunny's Hispanic voter, you know, 266 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:06,600 S7: voters or fans? Because we are heading into the midterm elections. 267 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:09,720 S7: We do know that the Hispanic community was really quite 268 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:14,000 S7: instrumental in bringing Trump, winning him the white House for 269 00:14:14,000 --> 00:14:16,079 S7: a second time. I'm just wondering, do you think that 270 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:17,959 S7: that message is going to be sort of picked up 271 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:19,960 S7: by the fans? I mean, I was reading just before 272 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:24,000 S7: we began this interview that, um, you know, there's now 273 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:29,640 S7: an estimated more than 68 million Latin Americans in the 274 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:33,120 S7: US population right now, for the first time in American history, 275 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:37,000 S7: 1 in 5 people living in the US identify as Latino. 276 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:39,760 S7: That was from October last year. So yeah. Do you 277 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:42,760 S7: think this might rile people up to sort of vote 278 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:44,000 S7: with their feet in November? 279 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,040 S8: I guess it's one of those things where, you know, 280 00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:48,600 S8: kind of how you interpret it depends on the perspective 281 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:51,960 S8: that you come at it, which is to say it 282 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:55,800 S8: is this is Bad Bunny's performance, a performance that will 283 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:59,280 S8: ignite the Latino voter base. Yes, it will, but I 284 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:03,160 S8: don't think it's that simple. Transactionally I think it's also 285 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:06,240 S8: equally true to say that Bad Bunny's performance is a 286 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:12,040 S8: reflection of an existing sentiment in the wider Latin community 287 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:16,390 S8: in America, which is anger, frustration, rage, fear all of 288 00:15:16,390 --> 00:15:19,390 S8: these emotions in reaction to the horrific scenes we're seeing 289 00:15:19,390 --> 00:15:22,030 S8: played out on the evening news on the streets of 290 00:15:22,030 --> 00:15:25,790 S8: America against American citizens. So I think there's a kind 291 00:15:25,790 --> 00:15:27,630 S8: of it's kind of it's like a transaction in a 292 00:15:27,630 --> 00:15:31,510 S8: sense that cuts both ways. Absolutely. I think he these 293 00:15:31,550 --> 00:15:36,030 S8: this the political messaging in his performance is is strong, um, 294 00:15:36,110 --> 00:15:38,830 S8: not overt. I think it's clearly he, you know, he 295 00:15:38,830 --> 00:15:42,990 S8: had a very wild Grammys acceptance speech last week for 296 00:15:42,990 --> 00:15:45,310 S8: album of the year. He said, we're not savage, we're 297 00:15:45,310 --> 00:15:47,830 S8: not animals, we're not aliens. We are humans and we 298 00:15:47,830 --> 00:15:51,630 S8: are Americans. And it was an incredibly, very potent, explicit statement. 299 00:15:51,630 --> 00:15:55,910 S8: I thought the most revealing thing in his performance was 300 00:15:55,910 --> 00:15:59,590 S8: that in all of that beautiful Spanish language, the three 301 00:15:59,630 --> 00:16:01,790 S8: English words that he sang in the middle of it 302 00:16:01,790 --> 00:16:04,790 S8: all were God Bless America. And I thought it was 303 00:16:04,790 --> 00:16:07,390 S8: very telling that they were the three English words he 304 00:16:07,390 --> 00:16:10,830 S8: chose to use in a in a sea of Spanish lyrics. 305 00:16:10,830 --> 00:16:13,470 S8: I don't think the messaging in the Super Bowl half 306 00:16:13,510 --> 00:16:17,900 S8: time show was overt, but it was certainly present. Um, 307 00:16:17,940 --> 00:16:21,700 S8: and I think absolutely there's there's a, you know, is 308 00:16:21,700 --> 00:16:25,660 S8: this the moment of, of cultural ignition, you know, for 309 00:16:25,660 --> 00:16:29,060 S8: a change in America? I think it's certainly reflective of 310 00:16:29,100 --> 00:16:32,780 S8: a shift in thinking and feeling. And I think feeling 311 00:16:32,780 --> 00:16:35,780 S8: is a is a really useful word there as much 312 00:16:35,780 --> 00:16:40,180 S8: as thinking within, you know, Latin communities around how they 313 00:16:40,180 --> 00:16:44,060 S8: want to, you know, you know, use their share as 314 00:16:44,060 --> 00:16:46,820 S8: shareholders in the great American experiment. 315 00:16:53,700 --> 00:16:54,220 S1: Gracias. 316 00:16:55,220 --> 00:16:58,300 S7: Well, it's a lovely note to end on, Michael. So 317 00:16:58,300 --> 00:17:00,900 S7: thank you so much for your time there on the 318 00:17:00,900 --> 00:17:02,300 S7: ground in San Francisco. 319 00:17:02,900 --> 00:17:04,540 S8: Pleasure to speak to you always. 320 00:17:06,380 --> 00:17:10,340 S7: In other news, today, Israeli President Isaac Herzog has declared 321 00:17:10,340 --> 00:17:14,380 S7: anti-Semitism a global emergency during his visit to Bondi Beach 322 00:17:14,380 --> 00:17:19,570 S7: in Sydney, accusing pro-Palestinian protesters of seeking to undermine Israel's 323 00:17:19,570 --> 00:17:23,690 S7: right to exist. The families of two Australian teenagers who 324 00:17:23,690 --> 00:17:27,290 S7: died of methanol poisoning in Laos have condemned a secret 325 00:17:27,290 --> 00:17:32,570 S7: court deal that saw ten people punished with $185 in fines. 326 00:17:32,730 --> 00:17:37,850 S7: Describing the outcome as beyond comprehension, and businesses have doubled 327 00:17:37,850 --> 00:17:40,690 S7: their planned spending on data centres to fuel the AI 328 00:17:40,730 --> 00:17:44,930 S7: revolution in just six months, with Australia now only second 329 00:17:44,930 --> 00:17:49,010 S7: to the United States as the global destination for new technology. 330 00:17:50,170 --> 00:17:54,290 S7: Today's episode was produced by our executive producer Tammy Mills, 331 00:17:54,290 --> 00:17:58,690 S7: and our podcasts are overseen by Lisa Muxworthy and Tom McKendrick. 332 00:17:58,850 --> 00:18:01,410 S7: If you like our show, follow the Morning Edition and 333 00:18:01,410 --> 00:18:04,530 S7: leave a review for us on Apple or Spotify. Thanks 334 00:18:04,530 --> 00:18:05,330 S7: for listening.