1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Molly John Fast and this is Fast Politics, 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: where we discussed the top political headlines with some of 3 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:12,200 Speaker 1: today's best minds and Democrats have staged a historic upset 4 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: in Omaha, Nebraska. We have such a great show for 5 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:19,760 Speaker 1: you today. Pawkin News is John Heilman cuts through the 6 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,119 Speaker 1: noise with a discussion about what happened in the twenty 7 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: twenty four campaign and whether or not Biden's age was obfiscated. 8 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:34,880 Speaker 1: Then we'll talk to Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin about how 9 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 1: we push back on Trump's many, many oversteps. But first 10 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: the news. 11 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 2: Somali the Katari plane, the scandal is not landing at all. 12 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:48,159 Speaker 2: Trump blew his lid today in discussions about it, and 13 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:50,160 Speaker 2: he did a whole lot of talking about the Middle 14 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:51,520 Speaker 2: East today. What are you seeing here? 15 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 1: Look, I think this plain thing is really a good 16 00:00:55,960 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 1: example of corruption that first of all, it cuts through 17 00:01:01,040 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: the noise. Right, You've seen Trump do other corrupt things 18 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 1: like the Trump coin and all of the sort of 19 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: family real estate dealings, but this is something different. It's 20 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:15,480 Speaker 1: a very clear bit of corruption, right, Like we've never 21 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:18,279 Speaker 1: had a president and try to take a plane from 22 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: a Middle Eastern royal family before, Like, it's just so 23 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:29,039 Speaker 1: beyond the pale of normal stuff that I do think 24 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,759 Speaker 1: it's a standout. And if Trump were smart, he would 25 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,839 Speaker 1: just drop it. He would just say, who cares a wait, 26 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 1: I'll get the plane from Boeing. I'm the president. Data 27 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:45,319 Speaker 1: da da. But because Trump is Trump, and maybe this 28 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: is how he got here a little bit. Because Trump 29 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 1: is Trump, he cannot thread the needle on this. He 30 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:55,680 Speaker 1: cannot let it go. So he just thinks that if 31 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,360 Speaker 1: he keeps going with this, he's going to get this plane. 32 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: But it is There's nobody in the world, I mean, 33 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:08,120 Speaker 1: even the biggest Trumper, even the bots on Twitter who 34 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:11,359 Speaker 1: are saying, well, the Americans got the Statue of Liberty, 35 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:15,960 Speaker 1: even those people know for sure understand that this is 36 00:02:16,040 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 1: not fucking right, that this is completely crazy. So we're 37 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:22,480 Speaker 1: three days into this story or four days into the story. 38 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: So this is a bad story for Trump, right, the 39 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: fact that it keeps going and every time he he says, well, 40 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,639 Speaker 1: they are just being nice. It's smart to take the plane. 41 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: And this is my really my theory in life, when 42 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:40,679 Speaker 1: you're defending yourself, you're losing. When you're trying to make 43 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 1: the case that a Middle Eastern royal family should give 44 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 1: you a plane. Okay, and everyone in the world, including 45 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 1: Republican senators, are bursting into laughter. You're losing, so just 46 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 1: give up on the fucking plane. You're not getting the plane. 47 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: Every day you do it, you look like an asshole. 48 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: Like give it up, man, You're welcome. 49 00:03:04,919 --> 00:03:09,240 Speaker 2: So today there is a disastrous hearing with Christino, who 50 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 2: many people have disastrous for her. For her, she looks 51 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 2: pretty pretty bad in this. Many people have talked about 52 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 2: how she's just the spokesperson for all these horrible, horrible 53 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:23,239 Speaker 2: things I is doing. And well, I'm gonna let the 54 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:24,240 Speaker 2: tape speak for itself. 55 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 3: Thank you, Madame Secretary. You have an important job. I 56 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 3: think you have one of the most important jobs in 57 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 3: the cabinet. Thank you for doing it. I want you 58 00:03:33,639 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 3: to have credibility and be taken seriously as you do 59 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 3: the job. And so I want to put to rest 60 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 3: this question about mister Garcia. In this photo that the 61 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:47,960 Speaker 3: President posted on April twenty one, Madame Secretary, you agree 62 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 3: that the letters MS and the number thirteen in Times 63 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:58,000 Speaker 3: Roman numeral font that they are doctored on this photo. 64 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 4: Right, Congressman Brego Garcia. No, no, I'm just it wasn't 65 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 4: based off of tattoos. 66 00:04:05,200 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 5: It was off an. 67 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 3: Entire and accept I'll accept that for the purpose of 68 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 3: this question. 69 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:12,320 Speaker 6: You agree though, that this is doctor, Is that right? 70 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:14,680 Speaker 4: The same protocols that are scary. 71 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:17,040 Speaker 3: I want you to have credibility, and I want you 72 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 3: to be taken seriously. Is this doctored or is it not? 73 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:20,839 Speaker 4: I'm taken quite seriously. 74 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 6: Is it doctored or not? Doctor? 75 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:24,560 Speaker 4: The importance that the President has given me. 76 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,800 Speaker 3: To I understand is it doctored or nothing. 77 00:04:26,880 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 4: That's important to remember is that every single time a 78 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 4: case is. 79 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:32,919 Speaker 2: Built, we stopped at about minute one oh five. That 80 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:34,520 Speaker 2: goes on for two and a half minutes. 81 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:38,480 Speaker 1: Of course, by the way, I love that's Eric swall 82 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: while questioning her and I want you to have credibility. 83 00:04:42,320 --> 00:04:45,240 Speaker 1: First of all, I'm not convinced Eric wants her to 84 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:48,840 Speaker 1: have credibility. But that is neither here nor there. No, 85 00:04:48,960 --> 00:04:52,360 Speaker 1: I mean, that was just an incredible bit. Christy Nome 86 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 1: is one of the inheritors of trump Ism, so she's 87 00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:58,919 Speaker 1: what's in the pike when Trump's term is over. So 88 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: that's something, well. 89 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 2: Let's put some more color on it. I think Congressman 90 00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:05,240 Speaker 2: Robert Garcia did some amazing work here. 91 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:05,680 Speaker 1: Thank you. 92 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 7: Would you commit to just letting his mother know, as 93 00:05:08,839 --> 00:05:11,640 Speaker 7: a mother to mother, if Andrey is alive. He was 94 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:14,800 Speaker 7: given an asylum appointment by the United States government. We 95 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 7: gave him an appointment. We said Andrey come to the 96 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 7: border at this time to claim asylum. He was taken 97 00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:22,440 Speaker 7: to a foreign prison in El Salvador. His mother just 98 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:24,200 Speaker 7: wants to know if he is alive. Can we check 99 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:25,560 Speaker 7: and do a wellness. 100 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 4: Our asylum applications are different than the granting of asylum, 101 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 4: and I don't know the specifics of this individual case. 102 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:35,360 Speaker 4: This individual is an El Salvador and the appeal would 103 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:37,600 Speaker 4: be best made to the President and to the government 104 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 4: of El Salvador on this. We've made that under my 105 00:05:40,880 --> 00:05:41,920 Speaker 4: jurisdiction at METEM. 106 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 7: Secretary, you have said that you that in Ol Salvador 107 00:05:45,640 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 7: is one of the tools in the toolbox that you have. 108 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 7: You have said that and has been quoted as saying 109 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:52,520 Speaker 7: that you and the President have the ability to check 110 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 7: if Andrew is alive and if not being harmed. Would 111 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:57,440 Speaker 7: you commit at least into looking and asking of Salvador 112 00:05:57,440 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 7: if he is alive. 113 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:00,360 Speaker 4: This is a question that's best ask to the resident 114 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 4: and the government of l Salvador. 115 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 7: And I think it's I think you know very well 116 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:06,160 Speaker 7: that you could ask that question, but you're choosing to 117 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 7: do medical secretary is disregard this young man's life, this 118 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 7: young man's family who was given an appointment by the 119 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 7: United States. I think it is shameful that you won't 120 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:18,400 Speaker 7: even request to see if this young man is alive. 121 00:06:18,720 --> 00:06:21,159 Speaker 7: His family has no idea, has no access to lawyers. 122 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 7: I would hope that we would have that humanity, the 123 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 7: humanity to just check if this young man is okay. 124 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 7: With that, I yep back, it's shameful. 125 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:32,040 Speaker 1: The problem that these people have is that you can't 126 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:36,719 Speaker 1: ever go against Trump. So if something is photoshopped and 127 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:40,320 Speaker 1: everyone knows it's photoshopped, but Trump says it's not photoshopped, 128 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 1: you have to say it's not photoshopped, so right, I mean, 129 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 1: that's what it is. You can't she can't be like 130 00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 1: just like the people in the hearings where they would say, 131 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:52,560 Speaker 1: you know, they'd ask questions like, well, will you do 132 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:55,559 Speaker 1: what the president tells you or will you follow the law, 133 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:59,160 Speaker 1: And then they say, I can't deal with theoreticals, because 134 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:01,120 Speaker 1: what they mean to say is we're going to do 135 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:03,720 Speaker 1: what the president tells us to and we don't give 136 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:05,920 Speaker 1: a shit about the law. So that's where we are here. 137 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 1: That's the way in which these people are painted themselves 138 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:12,000 Speaker 1: into corners they cannot get out of. 139 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 2: Sob The New York Times has this blockbuster report that 140 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:20,000 Speaker 2: Stephen Miller is running the DOJ and Pam Bondy is 141 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:23,200 Speaker 2: just a figurehead that she is like an actor. And 142 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 2: when I think of headlines, I don't want to see. 143 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:28,320 Speaker 2: That's very high up in the echelon of ones I 144 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 2: would not like to see. 145 00:07:29,480 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 1: Okay, So today I've had this conversation with six different people, 146 00:07:32,960 --> 00:07:36,960 Speaker 1: like what is scarier Trump at the rains or Trump 147 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:40,800 Speaker 1: slightly diminished and Stephen Miller at the rains? And yes, 148 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:43,840 Speaker 1: there is a lot of reasons to fear a Stephen 149 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 1: Miller presidency. But just like one Marco Rubio, the guy 150 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 1: has fifty seven jobs. Okay, Stephen Miller is running the administration, 151 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:58,560 Speaker 1: He's running this, he's running that he's running the DOJ. 152 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:02,000 Speaker 1: For sure, I'm sure that's true. That Pam Bondi is 153 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:04,320 Speaker 1: just to pick your head. I'm sure you know if 154 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 1: that's the reporting, I think that's probably right. But I 155 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: do think that this guy can't do It's just one person, right, 156 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:17,080 Speaker 1: unless they have really sophisticated AI. There's only so much 157 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 1: damage one person could do. Now, Canny do a lot 158 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:22,280 Speaker 1: of damage, yes, but it is only one person. 159 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just one person with really, really really bad morals. 160 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 6: Yeah. 161 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:29,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, well no, I me and I think we can 162 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:32,080 Speaker 1: all agree that this is not the person that any 163 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:34,640 Speaker 1: of us want in charge. But that said, it is 164 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: only one person. John Heilman is an NBC National News 165 00:08:43,240 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 1: correspondent as well as a Puck News partner. Welcome, Welcome, John. 166 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 6: Hi, how are you? 167 00:08:50,200 --> 00:08:51,840 Speaker 1: Oh, I'm just living the dream. 168 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,560 Speaker 6: You don't seem like super energetic this morning, Molly, What's 169 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 6: what's going on? 170 00:08:55,600 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 1: I'm energetic. I went to a party last night. I'm energetic. 171 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:00,679 Speaker 6: Or was the party? 172 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:01,680 Speaker 1: Was it the high Line? 173 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:02,319 Speaker 5: It was good. 174 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:06,360 Speaker 1: American life grinds on despite the fact that our political 175 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:09,360 Speaker 1: system is in what is what do you think the 176 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:12,040 Speaker 1: what would you say this sort of word is for 177 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:14,160 Speaker 1: this moment in American politics? 178 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 6: Surreal? I mean just sort of terror, incognita if you 179 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:20,080 Speaker 6: want to be like Latin, this has been true in 180 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:22,640 Speaker 6: both Trump terms. This movie, it's not different, but it's 181 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 6: just like there's just so many things for which there 182 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:29,839 Speaker 6: is no precedent, and I'm like tediously. It's not like 183 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:33,319 Speaker 6: I'm some like, you know, some great historical scholar or something, 184 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 6: but just like I'm always like looking for some precedent, 185 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:38,320 Speaker 6: like how do how do we evaluate this thing? Well, 186 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:40,240 Speaker 6: this has happened before, and this is how it kind 187 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 6: of came out, so there's a guide to this, or 188 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 6: this has happened a lot before, or well it has 189 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:45,719 Speaker 6: happened very often, but there have been times when this 190 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:47,920 Speaker 6: has happened or something like this has happened. But you know, 191 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:51,679 Speaker 6: that's just constantly. Every day, there's like five things that 192 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:55,240 Speaker 6: there's no metric or artstick where you're kind of like, well, 193 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:57,360 Speaker 6: here's how we could we can get some general sense 194 00:09:57,360 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 6: a how this might unfold on the basis of this 195 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:01,320 Speaker 6: thing that happen in nineteen sixty four. It's like just 196 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:04,719 Speaker 6: like I don't know, I mean, what do you think 197 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 6: is gonna happen? John fucking Idea? 198 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 1: Well there is, But it does feel like with trump Ism, 199 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:16,080 Speaker 1: there's always this sort of feeling that maybe someone will 200 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:19,600 Speaker 1: do something right like the Republicans, there's sort of a 201 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:22,120 Speaker 1: wish and I mean that ship is I. 202 00:10:22,080 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 6: Don't have that. I don't have that feeling at all. 203 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:25,360 Speaker 6: I gave up on that feeling a long time ago. 204 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: So we talk about the guard rails. We talk about 205 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:31,000 Speaker 1: sort of I mean, their courts continue to say, hey, 206 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 1: you can't do that. 207 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:34,680 Speaker 6: Yeah, the courts. The courts stopped the court the courts 208 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 6: routinely regularly. Thank God for that branch of government, because 209 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:43,320 Speaker 6: the other one's totally suphine, meaning the legislative branch. Yeah. 210 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:45,719 Speaker 6: Uh so the courts continue to operate. That is a 211 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:47,880 Speaker 6: thing for which there is precedent. The courts, you know, 212 00:10:48,040 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 6: I continue to act like the courts mostly, and they 213 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 6: keep Trump from doing various things that he wants to do. 214 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:58,520 Speaker 6: And I guess I here's here's the thing that's worth 215 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:01,240 Speaker 6: thinking about. I guess in this text. And maybe you 216 00:11:01,280 --> 00:11:04,000 Speaker 6: have an insight on this that I because I've just 217 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:07,040 Speaker 6: started thinking about it. It's like, if you look at 218 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:11,079 Speaker 6: what what has happened just in the last few days 219 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:15,400 Speaker 6: around the big beautiful bill. You know, there's these things 220 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 6: that Trump, you know, campaigned on, right, you know, no 221 00:11:18,800 --> 00:11:21,199 Speaker 6: taxes on tips, no taxes on overtime. 222 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 1: Uh. 223 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 6: You know, he recently, as you know, last week, came 224 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:26,720 Speaker 6: out and said, having kind of been towing and throwing 225 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 6: about it for a while, finally came out and said 226 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:31,160 Speaker 6: to Mike Johnson, let's raise taxes on the rich. I mean, 227 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:34,000 Speaker 6: he set that he set the limit really high at 228 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:35,520 Speaker 6: two and a half million, but he said he'd be 229 00:11:35,559 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 6: open to, he'd be He wants that, not just the 230 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 6: he'd be able to. He wants that. That's not going 231 00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:44,240 Speaker 6: to happen. And nor nor are a lot of things 232 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:48,640 Speaker 6: that he campaigned on, you know, pretty vocally, like no 233 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:52,559 Speaker 6: tax on tips and you know, his unfeasible. It's not 234 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:53,960 Speaker 6: like but it's not like the it's not like the 235 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:57,520 Speaker 6: Republicans are standing up and saying, you know, getting in 236 00:11:57,520 --> 00:11:59,920 Speaker 6: his face about it. They're just not going to do that. 237 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 6: You know, it's the thing he wanted. They're not going 238 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:09,160 Speaker 6: to do it. He's you know, he capitulated on on 239 00:12:09,640 --> 00:12:14,160 Speaker 6: the US Attorney for uh, the District of Columbia. You know, 240 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 6: Tom Tillis said, no, I'm not gonna this, this is 241 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:22,080 Speaker 6: fucking nuts, and Trump was like, all right, no. He 242 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:25,440 Speaker 6: put in Jeanine Perrot, you know, how long that will last, 243 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:31,160 Speaker 6: who knows. But it's like there's things where he's kind 244 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 6: of giving up on things, you know, rather than stomping 245 00:12:34,120 --> 00:12:35,960 Speaker 6: his feet and saying I must have this, I must 246 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:37,760 Speaker 6: have that, there's more things that he's willing to kind 247 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:39,439 Speaker 6: of like when somebody says no to him, he kind 248 00:12:39,440 --> 00:12:42,680 Speaker 6: of goes all right. The interesting question is like what's 249 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:45,600 Speaker 6: going to happen with the with the plane and just 250 00:12:45,840 --> 00:12:48,800 Speaker 6: all of the obvious corruption, right, because there's more Republicans 251 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:50,800 Speaker 6: speaking out about that than I've heard speak out about 252 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:51,520 Speaker 6: almost anything. 253 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:57,920 Speaker 1: Cynthia Cynthia Loomis burst into hysterical laughter when she heard 254 00:12:57,960 --> 00:12:58,360 Speaker 1: about it. 255 00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:02,000 Speaker 6: Yes, I mean, you know, Laura Lumer is attacking him, 256 00:13:02,320 --> 00:13:05,320 Speaker 6: Ted Cruz, Ben Shapiro, all these people are now taking 257 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:07,199 Speaker 6: are Like I said, what this is like? You can't 258 00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:10,520 Speaker 6: take this plane from from Cutter. That's crazy. And you 259 00:13:10,559 --> 00:13:14,360 Speaker 6: know what happens now? And here's the interesting the thing 260 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:17,440 Speaker 6: that ties the two things together for me. Do you 261 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:22,400 Speaker 6: think that Trump being willing to kind of give up 262 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:24,640 Speaker 6: on shit he doesn't really care about that much, like, 263 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:27,280 Speaker 6: you know, does he really care about like raising text 264 00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 6: on the wealthy? You know, if Trump were really running 265 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:32,680 Speaker 6: for a third term, like really thought he was gonna 266 00:13:32,720 --> 00:13:36,280 Speaker 6: that he had a political future. I think he might 267 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:39,040 Speaker 6: not take the plane from Cutter, you know, because the 268 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:42,760 Speaker 6: corruption of his really so naked, that is, it's a 269 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:46,200 Speaker 6: political If Trump were really running for a third term, 270 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:48,960 Speaker 6: he might want to like really press for raising taxes 271 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:50,959 Speaker 6: on the rich, because that's like a good band and 272 00:13:51,040 --> 00:13:54,080 Speaker 6: esque like populist economics. I wonder whether we're starting at 273 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:57,840 Speaker 6: like and both that his behavior and the fact that 274 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:01,520 Speaker 6: Republicans are starting to either just kind of ignore him 275 00:14:01,559 --> 00:14:05,319 Speaker 6: on certain things or openly criticize him, like on the plane, 276 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:08,520 Speaker 6: whether what's sinking in with people. And I say this 277 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:10,440 Speaker 6: as someone who's thought for a long time Trump was 278 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:11,840 Speaker 6: going to stay in the White House until he was 279 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:14,840 Speaker 6: dead or taken out either either leave the ovalops with 280 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:17,560 Speaker 6: a toe tag or an handcuffs. Those are the only 281 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:20,560 Speaker 6: ways you're going to get him out. I wonder whether 282 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:22,520 Speaker 6: it's starting to have like on both sides, people are 283 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:25,560 Speaker 6: kind of going, yeah, you know what, two term, Like 284 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:28,200 Speaker 6: I'm gonna we got another four years to get to 285 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:31,840 Speaker 6: do whatever the fuck I want. But I'm not gonna 286 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 6: try to press it here and try to stick around 287 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 6: for a third I wonder I'm right. 288 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:40,680 Speaker 1: I mean, it is the real open question, right is 289 00:14:40,880 --> 00:14:46,200 Speaker 1: how much energy does he have for the authoritarianism he 290 00:14:46,440 --> 00:14:49,880 Speaker 1: is very delighted and curious by. 291 00:14:50,000 --> 00:14:54,320 Speaker 6: And that's the question, and whether he and whether he thinks, yes, 292 00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:56,960 Speaker 6: that's certainly right. And I don't mean to suggest at 293 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:02,760 Speaker 6: all that the authoritarian threat is receded, but just that 294 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,640 Speaker 6: on certain things he just seems more exhausted, you know, 295 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:08,800 Speaker 6: than than he has in the path. He just sort 296 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:11,200 Speaker 6: of seems kind of like, you know, the answers to 297 00:15:11,240 --> 00:15:13,520 Speaker 6: some of these questions, you know, than these interviews he's 298 00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:16,200 Speaker 6: done recently. He has just seemed so flaccid to me, 299 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:18,560 Speaker 6: like he's kind of like Steve Miller, still out there 300 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:21,280 Speaker 6: talking about repeal it, taking back, about getting rid of 301 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 6: Habeas corpus and that's super dangerous. And but I just 302 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:26,600 Speaker 6: there are times when you look at Trump and you 303 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:29,360 Speaker 6: kind of go, he looks like he's just like a 304 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:31,920 Speaker 6: little like he's a little like kind of had it, 305 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 6: you know, He's Okay. I'm just like, I just don't 306 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:38,200 Speaker 6: have that much energy anymore. Let's just get on, like money, 307 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:40,200 Speaker 6: give me the money, let me build it, let me 308 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 6: build the giant hotel and cutter and let my family 309 00:15:42,760 --> 00:15:45,359 Speaker 6: get really rich. You can't prosecute me because I got immunity. 310 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:47,600 Speaker 6: It's just like, you know, let me give me, give 311 00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:48,800 Speaker 6: me as much shit as I can get a hold 312 00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:51,000 Speaker 6: of in the next four years, and I'll like go off, 313 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:51,480 Speaker 6: thank you. 314 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:55,520 Speaker 1: And and my man is in his late seventies. I mean, 315 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:57,120 Speaker 1: this is not a young guy. 316 00:15:57,640 --> 00:15:59,960 Speaker 6: Yes, and a lot of mileage on those tires too, moy. 317 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 6: I mean, you know, if you if you get to 318 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:05,520 Speaker 6: be that age, I don't care what kind of genetics 319 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:06,800 Speaker 6: you have, you get to be that age and you've 320 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:09,560 Speaker 6: only eaten like Big Max and not done any exercise 321 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 6: other than what he would pass us for him playing 322 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 6: around the golf, right, you know that body is not 323 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 6: cannot be like in the I don't care what doctor says. 324 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 6: That body cannot be in the best shape well. 325 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:21,800 Speaker 1: And also he doesn't sleep. I mean, the guy looks 326 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:24,960 Speaker 1: a very frenetic, high stress life. So there's a book 327 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,080 Speaker 1: that's coming out that says that basically there was a 328 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:30,000 Speaker 1: cover up about Biden's age. I have yet to see 329 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:33,440 Speaker 1: anything that threads a needle for cover up. It just 330 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:36,120 Speaker 1: seems like that, you know, if I could you know, 331 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:39,560 Speaker 1: it all seems like people were you know, the things 332 00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 1: people do when other people are in power or they 333 00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 1: want them to stay in power. It doesn't seem in 334 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:48,720 Speaker 1: my mind like there's if only Democrats were organized enough 335 00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:50,880 Speaker 1: for a cover up, is my hot take. 336 00:16:51,160 --> 00:16:52,080 Speaker 5: But I'm curious. 337 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:53,840 Speaker 6: You're talking about Tapa Thompson. 338 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: The Taper Thompson book. 339 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 6: Yeah, so I've read it. I haven't. I haven't. I'm 340 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:00,160 Speaker 6: going to interview those guys on my podcast and as 341 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:01,760 Speaker 6: I'm sure you are, and others or are they're going 342 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:04,159 Speaker 6: to publicize the book like crazy, I'm eager to read it. 343 00:17:04,200 --> 00:17:06,639 Speaker 6: Those are two serious people with who are good reports 344 00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:09,080 Speaker 6: and or well sourced. And Alex Thompson was was, you know, 345 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:16,479 Speaker 6: commendably resistant to the aggressive White House pushback on biden 346 00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:18,119 Speaker 6: age and health stories. 347 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:21,800 Speaker 1: You know, over the everybody like, didn't you read a 348 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:24,800 Speaker 1: ton of stories about how Biden was old and doddering? 349 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:29,280 Speaker 6: And I think that you didn't know? Now, I mean, yes, 350 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:31,240 Speaker 6: you what you read was a lot of people. First 351 00:17:31,240 --> 00:17:32,280 Speaker 6: of all, you've heard a lot of people on the 352 00:17:32,359 --> 00:17:34,960 Speaker 6: right saying that all the time, right, I don't think 353 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:38,920 Speaker 6: that you would say that in that on MSNBC CNN 354 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:43,040 Speaker 6: and otherwise that there was a lot of like aggressive 355 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:46,000 Speaker 6: coverage like that kind of made that point. I spent 356 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:48,320 Speaker 6: you know, we've talked about this before, I'm sure on 357 00:17:48,359 --> 00:17:51,280 Speaker 6: this podcast, but you know I spent when I would 358 00:17:51,359 --> 00:17:55,879 Speaker 6: say on television not like doing investigative trying to investigate this, 359 00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:58,120 Speaker 6: but just would say there is a consistent through line 360 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:00,960 Speaker 6: starting in October of twenty twenty one through whatever point 361 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,760 Speaker 6: you were talking that the American public things Joe Biden's 362 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:05,520 Speaker 6: too old for run for a second time. I would 363 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 6: get it, but I would say that and then get 364 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:10,479 Speaker 6: there and get brutalized. And there were not a lot 365 00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:13,399 Speaker 6: of people brutalized in social media and by Democrats, and 366 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:15,840 Speaker 6: you would get you wouldn't get a chorus of people 367 00:18:16,080 --> 00:18:18,080 Speaker 6: who are like, yes, this is a giant problem for 368 00:18:18,160 --> 00:18:22,040 Speaker 6: Joe Biden politically, and and why isn't the Democratic Party 369 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:24,879 Speaker 6: running a prime? Why isn't there a real primary? Why 370 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:26,960 Speaker 6: is no one taking them on that? That was not 371 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:28,760 Speaker 6: something that you heard of. There was not something that 372 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:30,720 Speaker 6: was like uh, that was front of the center and 373 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:33,320 Speaker 6: the coverage going forward and so but your point is 374 00:18:33,359 --> 00:18:35,400 Speaker 6: about cover up. So I don't know what the book alleges. 375 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:37,239 Speaker 6: So it's it's I don't want to like knock down 376 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:40,119 Speaker 6: a straw many right, you know, My sense of it 377 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 6: is that it's a much more interesting, complicated thing. It is. 378 00:18:44,160 --> 00:18:47,560 Speaker 6: There is no doubt that the White House did what 379 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:50,679 Speaker 6: every White House always does for any income and president, 380 00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:52,959 Speaker 6: which is to try to push reporters away from their 381 00:18:52,960 --> 00:18:56,840 Speaker 6: political vulnerabilities and towards their political strengths. 382 00:18:57,240 --> 00:19:00,320 Speaker 1: Right, And it would be malpractice to not that's what 383 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:00,680 Speaker 1: they did. 384 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:03,879 Speaker 6: So that's what they did. I think there were a 385 00:19:03,920 --> 00:19:08,200 Speaker 6: lot of reporters who the Biden press shop, and and 386 00:19:08,480 --> 00:19:14,600 Speaker 6: you know, was there openness about you know, when you 387 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:17,120 Speaker 6: started to hear things like I'll give you an example 388 00:19:18,760 --> 00:19:25,000 Speaker 6: in like the fall of twenty twenty three, actually more 389 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:27,879 Speaker 6: like the winter of twenty twenty four. Was when people 390 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,080 Speaker 6: at who were donors started saying to me they thought 391 00:19:30,119 --> 00:19:33,000 Speaker 6: it was that Biden looked really bad even in small groups. 392 00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:35,560 Speaker 6: And what was it was even for like a ten 393 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:39,000 Speaker 6: minute off the record thing with big donors was reading 394 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:41,560 Speaker 6: off a teleprompter. Yeah, I didn't see that that was 395 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:45,880 Speaker 6: not reported widely? Now was that because those were closed fundraisers? 396 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:48,320 Speaker 6: The White House obviously didn't want people to know that 397 00:19:48,320 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 6: that's what any White House would have done to try 398 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:53,040 Speaker 6: to protect their boss on an issue of political vulnerability. 399 00:19:53,600 --> 00:19:58,119 Speaker 6: Reporters didn't seem to really super aggressively pursue it. The 400 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:03,840 Speaker 6: questions around why the Democratic Party, which is a political 401 00:20:03,880 --> 00:20:08,840 Speaker 6: party last I checked, and as a political party, should 402 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:18,840 Speaker 6: be interested primarily in two things. One it's preferred policies, programs, values, ideology, whatever, 403 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:22,040 Speaker 6: but prior to that, having to win elections so that 404 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:25,600 Speaker 6: you could institute your policies, priorities, values, and ideology. Why 405 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:31,800 Speaker 6: the Democratic Party all these congressman, senators, donors who saw 406 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:35,040 Speaker 6: Biden with some frequency in various settings and now have 407 00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:37,560 Speaker 6: come out and said that they had private concerns. Why 408 00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:41,960 Speaker 6: those people didn't speak up and say, hey, if we're 409 00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:46,120 Speaker 6: a serious political party, we should consider you know, someone 410 00:20:46,119 --> 00:20:48,879 Speaker 6: should come forward and challenge the president, like, why, you 411 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:51,760 Speaker 6: know what we have concerns about this? Why did that 412 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:55,080 Speaker 6: raise the alarm earlier? I think that's a really good question. 413 00:20:55,119 --> 00:20:58,320 Speaker 6: But I think that speaks more to the way that 414 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:03,480 Speaker 6: the system works to you know, it is the case 415 00:21:03,480 --> 00:21:05,280 Speaker 6: that challenging a sitting president is really hard for a 416 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:07,080 Speaker 6: lot of reasons. It's hard because it's hard to raise 417 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:09,159 Speaker 6: the money to challenge that person. It's hard because if 418 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:11,199 Speaker 6: you challenge that person and don't win, your future is 419 00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:14,399 Speaker 6: fucked in the party, And there's all this institutional stuff 420 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:17,679 Speaker 6: that basically protects incumbents. And I think that there were 421 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:22,240 Speaker 6: a lot of Democrats who were in denial about his situation. 422 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:24,879 Speaker 6: There were a lot of Democrats who didn't want to 423 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:27,280 Speaker 6: really know the details, the kind of thought. He looked tired, 424 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:28,720 Speaker 6: but then he would give a good state of the Union. 425 00:21:28,760 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 6: They'd be like, Okay, cool, we can get through. Trump 426 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:33,760 Speaker 6: is fucking crazy. He's fulfilling also, And there were a 427 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:36,399 Speaker 6: lot of Democrats out there who might have challenged Biden 428 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:39,719 Speaker 6: who looked at it and said, you know the way 429 00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:41,600 Speaker 6: I asked a juggernaut, they have a lot of money, 430 00:21:41,760 --> 00:21:44,280 Speaker 6: there's gonna there's really hard to beat an incumbent. Do 431 00:21:44,359 --> 00:21:47,240 Speaker 6: I want to mortgage my future or risk my future 432 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:49,840 Speaker 6: as a presidential candidate in twenty twenty eight, twenty thirty two, 433 00:21:49,960 --> 00:21:53,240 Speaker 6: twenty thirty six to taking on a sitting president where 434 00:21:53,280 --> 00:21:57,200 Speaker 6: if I don't win, everyone in the institutional Democratic Party's 435 00:21:57,200 --> 00:21:59,640 Speaker 6: going to hate me forever. I think like there's much 436 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:02,480 Speaker 6: more like was it much more that the story here 437 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:05,360 Speaker 6: isn't so much a giant cover up in the way 438 00:22:05,359 --> 00:22:07,359 Speaker 6: we think of a cover up, as a series of 439 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:11,960 Speaker 6: institutional things that led a lot of people to forget 440 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:14,520 Speaker 6: what the point of being the Democratic Party was, which 441 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:17,000 Speaker 6: is or any party is, which is You've got to win, 442 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:19,879 Speaker 6: you know, and it's as not you shouldn't mortgage your 443 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:22,280 Speaker 6: values or your preferred policies. Shouldn't you know, you shouldn't 444 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:23,920 Speaker 6: do anything to win. That's not win at all cost, 445 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:27,840 Speaker 6: that's not stop believing. But you have to win. If 446 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:31,040 Speaker 6: you don't win, you this is what happens. You get 447 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:33,040 Speaker 6: Donald Trump for the next four years. So you know, 448 00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:36,560 Speaker 6: you have to first things first, consistent with your priorities, 449 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 6: consistent with your values, consistent with your ethics. You have 450 00:22:39,359 --> 00:22:41,200 Speaker 6: to do anything you can, everything you can to win. 451 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,160 Speaker 6: And that the Democratic Party was not operating on that 452 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:47,880 Speaker 6: principle when it looked just as Joe Biden's poll numbers 453 00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:50,480 Speaker 6: forget about what people saw behind the scenes. If you 454 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:52,600 Speaker 6: just looked at his poll numbers, you would have said, 455 00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:55,440 Speaker 6: we have a problem. Yeah, you know, for like two 456 00:22:55,520 --> 00:22:57,640 Speaker 6: years you would have said we have a problem. And 457 00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:00,000 Speaker 6: you know there were again we go on forever here 458 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,560 Speaker 6: about this, But you have some countervailing things. Biden was 459 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:04,879 Speaker 6: able to look up after the midterms and say, hey, 460 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:06,719 Speaker 6: y'all said that we were going to get killed the midterms. 461 00:23:06,760 --> 00:23:08,679 Speaker 6: We didn't get killed in the midterms. Y'all think I 462 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:10,200 Speaker 6: can't give a decent speech. I did okay at the 463 00:23:10,240 --> 00:23:12,000 Speaker 6: State of the Union. He had things to point to. 464 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:16,400 Speaker 6: But again, two and a half years of polling, and 465 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:20,280 Speaker 6: what you could see, which was that without saying the 466 00:23:20,280 --> 00:23:24,359 Speaker 6: guy had Alzheimer's or had dementia or had just think 467 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:27,080 Speaker 6: I was old, and he looked his age. He looked 468 00:23:27,119 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 6: his age. And if you look, if you looked at 469 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:31,520 Speaker 6: that guy and say, looked his age, he's not his best. 470 00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:33,879 Speaker 6: He's lost a lot of miles per hour of his fastball. 471 00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:37,280 Speaker 6: We probably, if we really think democracy is on the line, 472 00:23:37,359 --> 00:23:41,159 Speaker 6: we probably should consider some other alternatives, because this is 473 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:43,399 Speaker 6: not who you put forward in an existential election. 474 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:47,440 Speaker 1: But it is interesting now. So Biden was the oldest 475 00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 1: person ever to be president. Now Donald Trump is the 476 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:52,800 Speaker 1: oldest person to ever be president. And this sort of 477 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:55,120 Speaker 1: dovetails back to what we were talking about before, which 478 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:58,240 Speaker 1: is that as someone who has dealt and just wrote 479 00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:02,560 Speaker 1: a book about aging parents and my experience with my 480 00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:05,359 Speaker 1: aging parents and et cetera, et cetera. Getting old is 481 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:09,000 Speaker 1: not a conspiracy theory. It's what happens to all of them. 482 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:13,680 Speaker 6: Yes, And anybody who's ever dealt with anybody in their eighties, yeah, 483 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:17,520 Speaker 6: knows that. It is not agism. Nor is it disrespectful 484 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:21,840 Speaker 6: to say people in their eighties are not who you 485 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:25,760 Speaker 6: want driving a Formula one car, you know, flying your 486 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:28,800 Speaker 6: airplane or being president of the United States. It's not 487 00:24:29,119 --> 00:24:31,720 Speaker 6: They are diminished in various ways. Do they have wisdom 488 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:34,800 Speaker 6: that we don't have? Maybe sometimes yes, if they're wise, 489 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:36,919 Speaker 6: like they have certain like some of them do, not 490 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:39,119 Speaker 6: all of them. I'm like, I'm not ready to say 491 00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:41,600 Speaker 6: everyone who's eighty is wiser than me, but I'm saying 492 00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:45,440 Speaker 6: some are. Some are, but they don't have the reflexes 493 00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:48,359 Speaker 6: of a of a forty year old, and they don't 494 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:50,800 Speaker 6: have the energy or the stamina, and they don't have 495 00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:52,679 Speaker 6: the sharpness or they don't have to recall, they have 496 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:54,320 Speaker 6: a lot of things that are diminished by that age. 497 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:56,080 Speaker 6: And so you have to ask that question. It was, 498 00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 6: you know, to say someone is it's not like you know, 499 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:01,440 Speaker 6: you would say you know he's getting out of yours people. 500 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:03,480 Speaker 6: You know, you're saying that that people in their agies 501 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:06,160 Speaker 6: are worthless. I'm no, I'm not saying they're worthless. I'm 502 00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:08,159 Speaker 6: just saying they probably are not the best person to 503 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:10,280 Speaker 6: have the hardest job in the world. 504 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:10,880 Speaker 5: I mean. 505 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:13,560 Speaker 1: The one thing I would say, and I'm not trying 506 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:18,040 Speaker 1: to be argumentative here, is I do think that Nancy Pelosi, 507 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:20,520 Speaker 1: as I hold of a yellow crayon, God help me, 508 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:23,399 Speaker 1: that Nancy Pelosi is pretty sharp. 509 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:26,240 Speaker 6: Yes, I'm not saying there aren't exceptions to the rules. 510 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:27,800 Speaker 1: Right, but there are exceptions to the rule. 511 00:25:29,400 --> 00:25:31,119 Speaker 6: Is there are there exceptions to the rule. There are 512 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:34,320 Speaker 6: exceptions to every rule. I'm just trying to say as 513 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:36,520 Speaker 6: a general thing. You know, I am very much in 514 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,040 Speaker 6: the John Stewart camp, which was when he first came back, 515 00:25:39,080 --> 00:25:41,360 Speaker 6: and was like, both of these guys are too old 516 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:43,399 Speaker 6: to be president. In three hundred fift I heard this 517 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:45,679 Speaker 6: all over the country, which was people would come up 518 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:48,520 Speaker 6: to me and go, whether they were Democrats or Republicans, 519 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:53,480 Speaker 6: would be like, really, two octagenarian dudes, for both of 520 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:56,800 Speaker 6: whom when you watch them, one of whom seems bonkers. 521 00:25:57,119 --> 00:25:59,680 Speaker 6: That's right, And the other of whom seems like pretty 522 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:03,720 Speaker 6: as I watch him shuffle across the south lawn, Yeah, 523 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:06,439 Speaker 6: is this really the best we can do? That was 524 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:08,520 Speaker 6: what the question that people we give and I and 525 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:11,360 Speaker 6: I was always like, that's a totally reasonable question. That's 526 00:26:11,400 --> 00:26:13,480 Speaker 6: like and again, it's not a dis to Joe Biden 527 00:26:13,560 --> 00:26:15,439 Speaker 6: or his years of service or the various things that 528 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:18,120 Speaker 6: have made him wise, but like you know. 529 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:22,480 Speaker 1: At this point, it's just a truism. Yes, about twenty 530 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:23,000 Speaker 1: twenty four. 531 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:26,280 Speaker 6: And and people who would make this point most most 532 00:26:26,280 --> 00:26:32,199 Speaker 6: appointedly to me, people in their eighties who would say, 533 00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:34,520 Speaker 6: I am not what I was, what I once was, 534 00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:36,359 Speaker 6: I wouldn't want this job, and proas like, what are 535 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:38,280 Speaker 6: we talking about here? Was it like old? Was it 536 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:40,840 Speaker 6: like elderly? People were like you are rallying around Joe 537 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:42,760 Speaker 6: Biden constantly? They were kind of going, they we should 538 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:43,600 Speaker 6: look at someone younger. 539 00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:47,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, no, it's true. And and I think a really 540 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:49,760 Speaker 1: good point, John. I hope you will come back. 541 00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:52,800 Speaker 6: I'll always come back. Yeah, always come back back. And 542 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 6: if I didn't tell you this story before, please I'll 543 00:26:55,840 --> 00:26:57,959 Speaker 6: tell you it now. It's my last is exactly are 544 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:00,640 Speaker 6: the point were we're just on I've told one hundred times, 545 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 6: but I'll tell it now because it was. It was 546 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:04,520 Speaker 6: literally the funniest thing that happened in the whole of 547 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:07,199 Speaker 6: the twenty twenty four election cycle. To me that Saturday night. 548 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:11,280 Speaker 1: Anything funny happened to you during that anyway, go on yes. 549 00:27:11,359 --> 00:27:14,320 Speaker 6: Saturday night after the Republican Convention. You'll recall this weird 550 00:27:14,600 --> 00:27:19,280 Speaker 6: span of time where Trump assassination, attempt a convention in Milwaukee, 551 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:23,119 Speaker 6: and then other things that happened immediately there after. So 552 00:27:23,119 --> 00:27:25,280 Speaker 6: the Saturday night after the Republican Convention ended on a 553 00:27:25,359 --> 00:27:28,520 Speaker 6: Thursday Saturday night, Dave Chappelle and John Stewart did a 554 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:31,600 Speaker 6: comedy set at the kind of like a freends and 555 00:27:31,680 --> 00:27:36,080 Speaker 6: family show at the Apollo Theater at Harlem, and John 556 00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:39,840 Speaker 6: told this story in his set. He said to the crowd, 557 00:27:39,840 --> 00:27:41,280 Speaker 6: you know, I just came back. I've been back on 558 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:44,080 Speaker 6: six months. I've been getting a lot of crap from 559 00:27:44,119 --> 00:27:46,280 Speaker 6: Democrats because I came out at the very beginning it 560 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:48,040 Speaker 6: said that both of these guys are told to be president. 561 00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:50,560 Speaker 6: And you know, it's been really hard for me because 562 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:52,199 Speaker 6: how many people in the crowd have had someone in 563 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:54,439 Speaker 6: their eighties who they've had to do something hard in 564 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:58,000 Speaker 6: their family, you know, an uncle, a grandfather or a grandmother, 565 00:27:58,080 --> 00:27:59,520 Speaker 6: a mother, a father, or whatever, where they've had to 566 00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:01,679 Speaker 6: do something like take away their driver's license to their 567 00:28:01,720 --> 00:28:04,080 Speaker 6: car keys. Everyone's hand went up in the room and 568 00:28:04,119 --> 00:28:06,000 Speaker 6: Stuart said, you know, yeah, what happened with me with 569 00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:07,919 Speaker 6: my nana. My nana was in her nineties and we 570 00:28:07,960 --> 00:28:10,199 Speaker 6: had to take away a driver's license and it was 571 00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:11,680 Speaker 6: the hardest thing we'd ever done. It with the last 572 00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:13,840 Speaker 6: shred of her independence. She just like, look, was clinging 573 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:15,360 Speaker 6: to this one thing. She was kind of like, don't 574 00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:17,240 Speaker 6: take my driver's license. That's basically like putting me in 575 00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:20,600 Speaker 6: the grave. But my family rallied, We did the hard thing, 576 00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:23,480 Speaker 6: We had the hard conversations, and we finally got her 577 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:26,680 Speaker 6: to give up her driver's license. It was really painful, 578 00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:28,560 Speaker 6: but it was the right thing to do, but it 579 00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:32,160 Speaker 6: was really painful, and you know, and then he said, now, 580 00:28:32,280 --> 00:28:34,600 Speaker 6: just imagine we were trying to do that with twenty 581 00:28:34,640 --> 00:28:42,560 Speaker 6: million people going. Let the bitch drive, Like that's how 582 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:44,440 Speaker 6: it s felt with me and Joe Biden. Let the 583 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:48,760 Speaker 6: bitch drive. That made me laugh and will make me 584 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:49,440 Speaker 6: laugh forever. 585 00:28:49,960 --> 00:28:52,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, Let the bitch drive. Thank you, thank. 586 00:28:52,480 --> 00:28:54,400 Speaker 6: You, bye, mollie Ie. 587 00:28:56,560 --> 00:29:01,280 Speaker 1: Tammy Baldwin is the junior Senator from Wisconson. Welcome to 588 00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:04,680 Speaker 1: Fast Politics, Tammy Paldwin. It's great to be There's a 589 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:07,880 Speaker 1: big beautiful bill. Is it called one big beautiful bill? 590 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:08,960 Speaker 1: Is that what it's called? 591 00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:12,080 Speaker 8: You know, if you're a billionaire, you might think so, 592 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:14,560 Speaker 8: But this is good for the wealthy and bad for you. 593 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:16,920 Speaker 5: And that's kind of what we're dealing with, right. 594 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:18,959 Speaker 1: I would love you to explain to us where it is, 595 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:21,240 Speaker 1: where it's going, and a little bit about sort of 596 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:23,240 Speaker 1: how it's being put together right now. 597 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:24,160 Speaker 5: Absolutely. 598 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:28,320 Speaker 8: So, the way they start the reconciliation process is they 599 00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:31,120 Speaker 8: tell all these committees in the House of Representatives, you 600 00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:34,080 Speaker 8: got to find some cuts here, or in some cases 601 00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:36,640 Speaker 8: they're saying you even have more money to spend here, 602 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:39,840 Speaker 8: like for the tax breaks for the billionaires, right, And 603 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:42,800 Speaker 8: so they instruct all these committees to do this, and 604 00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:46,960 Speaker 8: this week all the major committees that deal with big 605 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,719 Speaker 8: pieces of this are doing their work. So they are 606 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:53,080 Speaker 8: looking at the medicaid budget, they are looking at the 607 00:29:53,800 --> 00:29:58,760 Speaker 8: agriculture budget and nutrition programs. They are looking at more 608 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:02,600 Speaker 8: tax breaks they can get to corporations, and billionaires in 609 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:03,840 Speaker 8: the various different. 610 00:30:03,520 --> 00:30:05,440 Speaker 5: Committees in the House, and that's happening this week. 611 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:08,320 Speaker 1: And the nutrition benefits that you're talking about, that's SNAP, 612 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:12,280 Speaker 1: that's supplemental nutritional assistance. So there's an eight hundred and 613 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:16,640 Speaker 1: eighty billion dollar cut to Medicaid and medicare right, talk 614 00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:19,160 Speaker 1: me through. That was like the top line number they 615 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:22,360 Speaker 1: needed to pay for the tax cuts that are already 616 00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:22,959 Speaker 1: in place. 617 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:26,680 Speaker 5: Yeah, so let me tell you a little bit about that. 618 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:30,520 Speaker 8: That was the instruction, the goal set for the Energy 619 00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:32,720 Speaker 8: and Commerce Committee in the House. I used to sit 620 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:34,680 Speaker 8: on it, so I know a little is something about this, 621 00:30:35,240 --> 00:30:39,400 Speaker 8: and so they have met their goal, or that's what 622 00:30:39,440 --> 00:30:42,760 Speaker 8: they are in the process of doing this week, by 623 00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 8: cutting Medicaid about seven hundred and fifty billion dollars and 624 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:52,840 Speaker 8: then making some other cuts, particularly some of the energy 625 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:57,040 Speaker 8: things like clean energy tax credits. They've taken some pieces 626 00:30:57,120 --> 00:30:59,760 Speaker 8: out of other areas too. But let's talk about the 627 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:05,920 Speaker 8: big one, Medicaid. We predict that somewhere close to fourteen 628 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:10,560 Speaker 8: million people will lose their healthcare because of the cuts 629 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:13,840 Speaker 8: that are being proposed this week. Some of those people 630 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:21,480 Speaker 8: will lose their healthcare because of the work reporting requirements 631 00:31:21,560 --> 00:31:23,640 Speaker 8: that they are putting forward, which by the way, is 632 00:31:23,680 --> 00:31:25,719 Speaker 8: just a scheme and I'll be happy to tell you 633 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:26,640 Speaker 8: more about that later. 634 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:29,440 Speaker 5: And the other big group. 635 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:32,760 Speaker 8: Of people will lose their health insurance because Republicans have 636 00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:37,320 Speaker 8: turned away from a tax credit that helps people afford 637 00:31:38,080 --> 00:31:42,680 Speaker 8: their healthcare in the Affordable Care Act. This is a 638 00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:49,400 Speaker 8: really important premium tax credit that really makes healthcare super 639 00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:53,520 Speaker 8: affordable for those who otherwise would probably choose to go 640 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:57,240 Speaker 8: without because they just couldn't afford the monthly premium. 641 00:31:57,240 --> 00:32:01,400 Speaker 1: And then there's also sort of reason more money for 642 00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:05,640 Speaker 1: the military. More money, give me the kind of breakdown 643 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:06,240 Speaker 1: of where it is. 644 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:11,400 Speaker 8: Yeah, So the places where you will see more spending 645 00:32:11,880 --> 00:32:17,880 Speaker 8: according to Trump, priorities are the military, homeland security, and 646 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:22,640 Speaker 8: of course they will allow the committees that deal with 647 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:29,880 Speaker 8: tax policy to spend more in order to both continue 648 00:32:29,960 --> 00:32:34,520 Speaker 8: some of the Trump one point zero era tax cuts 649 00:32:34,960 --> 00:32:38,760 Speaker 8: for corporations and the wealthy, but also they are looking 650 00:32:38,840 --> 00:32:44,000 Speaker 8: seriously at adding some more tax cuts that benefit the 651 00:32:44,040 --> 00:32:47,440 Speaker 8: wealthy in America. And so those are sort of the 652 00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:51,400 Speaker 8: three major areas where you're seeing the committees freed up 653 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:55,480 Speaker 8: to spend more money. In fact, they predict next year 654 00:32:55,960 --> 00:32:59,680 Speaker 8: that for the first time ever, the Defense Department will 655 00:32:59,720 --> 00:33:04,640 Speaker 8: spend over a trillion dollars. That is like unfathomable in 656 00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:08,080 Speaker 8: so many different ways. But in any event, they're cutting 657 00:33:08,120 --> 00:33:12,320 Speaker 8: everything else. But when you put everything else together, it 658 00:33:12,440 --> 00:33:15,840 Speaker 8: is much smaller. In order to achieve the type of 659 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:20,840 Speaker 8: savings that they're talking about to pay for their tax 660 00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:24,200 Speaker 8: breaks for the wealthy, it would be. 661 00:33:24,080 --> 00:33:26,320 Speaker 5: Crippling to so many programs. 662 00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:31,640 Speaker 8: We talked about nutrition programs, snap in particular, Medicaid, et cetera. 663 00:33:32,120 --> 00:33:36,240 Speaker 5: And what I would say is that a lot of. 664 00:33:36,320 --> 00:33:41,560 Speaker 8: Republicans that I'm hearing from say quietly at this point, 665 00:33:42,080 --> 00:33:46,920 Speaker 8: but are uncomfortable with the deep cuts that are being 666 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:51,200 Speaker 8: proposed for Medicaid. And I think if people keep doing 667 00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:54,560 Speaker 8: what they've been doing and speaking out and sharing their 668 00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:59,040 Speaker 8: stories and writing their particularly their Republican representatives, but write 669 00:33:59,040 --> 00:34:01,600 Speaker 8: all of us. But I think we can make some 670 00:34:01,840 --> 00:34:05,120 Speaker 8: headway in getting them to back off some of the 671 00:34:05,160 --> 00:34:06,680 Speaker 8: worst of their proposals. 672 00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:09,279 Speaker 1: So you've been in the Senate a while, you know 673 00:34:09,400 --> 00:34:12,760 Speaker 1: all of these people. Clearly there has to be some 674 00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:17,120 Speaker 1: regret for letting these cabinet picks slide through. And you 675 00:34:17,160 --> 00:34:19,080 Speaker 1: don't even have to tell me who. But I'm sure 676 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:22,200 Speaker 1: you know there are some good Republican senators right. They 677 00:34:22,200 --> 00:34:25,200 Speaker 1: may not agree with us, but they're good people, largely 678 00:34:25,239 --> 00:34:29,080 Speaker 1: who have gone into government service to serve and not 679 00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:32,640 Speaker 1: to profit with the RFK stuff. I mean, are you 680 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:35,600 Speaker 1: seeing a little buyer's remorse here from some of these 681 00:34:35,640 --> 00:34:37,520 Speaker 1: Republican senators. 682 00:34:37,840 --> 00:34:39,400 Speaker 8: Mollie, I want to answer this in a couple of 683 00:34:39,440 --> 00:34:41,960 Speaker 8: different ways. You're saying, I've served in the Senate a while, 684 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:43,520 Speaker 8: I've served with some of these people. I want to 685 00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:46,280 Speaker 8: tell you that a whole bunch of new Republican senators 686 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:48,320 Speaker 8: that have been elected in the past couple of cycles, 687 00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:52,160 Speaker 8: and many of them are supercharged LAGA people, so you know, 688 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:54,440 Speaker 8: I'm getting to know them, but they're not the ones 689 00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:58,880 Speaker 8: we're talking about. Absolutely, there are senators who are having 690 00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:02,480 Speaker 8: buyers remorse with regard to some of the confirmation votes 691 00:35:02,520 --> 00:35:08,880 Speaker 8: they've cast, also for the amount of cruelty and harm 692 00:35:09,239 --> 00:35:13,200 Speaker 8: this budget reconciliation process is teeing up. But I also 693 00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:16,120 Speaker 8: want to just mention one other thing that I that 694 00:35:16,160 --> 00:35:18,120 Speaker 8: I'm keeping in the back of my mind because you know, 695 00:35:18,160 --> 00:35:19,960 Speaker 8: every so often I have to be reminded of this 696 00:35:20,080 --> 00:35:22,319 Speaker 8: both in the House as they're trying to figure out 697 00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:27,359 Speaker 8: how to put together a majority to advance this reconciliation bill. 698 00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:31,440 Speaker 8: You have some who have said, and I'm not going 699 00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:34,120 Speaker 8: to call them moderates, these are just maybe more traditional 700 00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:36,319 Speaker 8: Republicans who have said, oh, some of these cuts go 701 00:35:36,360 --> 00:35:39,440 Speaker 8: a little too far, and then have this right flank 702 00:35:39,600 --> 00:35:42,640 Speaker 8: that says, we are not voting for any bill unless 703 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:48,320 Speaker 8: you cut five trillion dollars out of domestic spending, because 704 00:35:48,520 --> 00:35:50,600 Speaker 8: we're not going to vote for a bill where the 705 00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:54,600 Speaker 8: tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations aren't completely paid for. 706 00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:59,000 Speaker 8: Now in the Senate, interestingly, my counterpart in the United 707 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:03,080 Speaker 8: States Senate run Johnson has recently said the same thing. 708 00:36:03,280 --> 00:36:04,520 Speaker 5: He says he will. 709 00:36:04,320 --> 00:36:09,360 Speaker 8: Not vote for a measure where the tax breaks for 710 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:13,359 Speaker 8: the wealthy and corporations are not fully paid for. And 711 00:36:13,520 --> 00:36:16,960 Speaker 8: so it makes for strange bedfellows, if you will that 712 00:36:17,040 --> 00:36:19,440 Speaker 8: there are folks who say, I'm not going to support 713 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:22,680 Speaker 8: it because the cuts are too deep and it hurts 714 00:36:22,719 --> 00:36:26,440 Speaker 8: my constituents too badly. And you know, at the end 715 00:36:26,480 --> 00:36:29,760 Speaker 8: of the day, if it ends up being some super 716 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:34,960 Speaker 8: right wingers who join with a couple of more traditional Republicans, 717 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:37,080 Speaker 8: and then all the Democrats in opposing this. 718 00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:39,040 Speaker 5: Who knows what's going to happen, But we. 719 00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:42,719 Speaker 8: Have a lot of hard work to do between now 720 00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:45,359 Speaker 8: as we're speaking and the houses marking up all their 721 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:49,320 Speaker 8: bills and the final votes in each House of Congress. 722 00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:51,680 Speaker 8: So got a lot of work on all of our 723 00:36:51,719 --> 00:36:55,080 Speaker 8: shoulders to make sure that we put a stop to 724 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:58,520 Speaker 8: the cruelest and most harmful of these proposers. 725 00:36:58,719 --> 00:37:00,520 Speaker 1: You know, I think that's a really good and I 726 00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:03,479 Speaker 1: mean we saw this with the tariffs, too, right. I 727 00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:07,720 Speaker 1: mean Rand Paul, who is hardly anyone's idea of a liberal, 728 00:37:08,320 --> 00:37:11,719 Speaker 1: is staunchly against the tariffs, and he turned out to 729 00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:14,080 Speaker 1: be a sort of ally there. I feel like what 730 00:37:14,120 --> 00:37:16,919 Speaker 1: we've seen with Trump is that if you push back 731 00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:20,600 Speaker 1: in a big, loud way, right, you get the attention 732 00:37:20,680 --> 00:37:23,399 Speaker 1: of a Laura Luhmer or someone like that, right, one 733 00:37:23,400 --> 00:37:27,360 Speaker 1: of his people, for example, cutting these social safety net stuff. 734 00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:30,200 Speaker 1: This is the kind of thing that there are populas 735 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:32,439 Speaker 1: in Trump's camp who don't like this kind of thing. 736 00:37:32,640 --> 00:37:36,279 Speaker 1: And so I'm wondering, do you think that that's sort 737 00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:39,080 Speaker 1: of the play. And then also I want to add, 738 00:37:39,239 --> 00:37:41,560 Speaker 1: if this doesn't pass, what does that look like? 739 00:37:42,680 --> 00:37:44,640 Speaker 5: Boy? A lot of great questions there. 740 00:37:44,680 --> 00:37:49,640 Speaker 8: So I do think our most powerful tool is elevating 741 00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:52,760 Speaker 8: the stories of the people who would be harmed by 742 00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:57,239 Speaker 8: the worst provisions. And for the last months we've been 743 00:37:57,400 --> 00:38:01,480 Speaker 8: trying to organize folks and uplift their stories, not knowing 744 00:38:01,640 --> 00:38:05,880 Speaker 8: exactly what shape or form the final cuts would take. 745 00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:09,160 Speaker 8: And this week is really the first week where we've 746 00:38:09,200 --> 00:38:13,320 Speaker 8: seen them put things into writing and now can assess 747 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:17,359 Speaker 8: with much greater specificity, assuming they pass what's before them, 748 00:38:17,880 --> 00:38:20,200 Speaker 8: how it's going to harm people. And you know, when 749 00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:24,920 Speaker 8: you're talking about fourteen fifteen million people losing their healthcare, 750 00:38:25,480 --> 00:38:28,759 Speaker 8: that's something that as soon as that knowledge gets out, 751 00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:32,600 Speaker 8: we have a way of fighting back through the population. 752 00:38:33,200 --> 00:38:36,319 Speaker 8: So first question is what happens in the House. We've 753 00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:41,080 Speaker 8: seen this before where the more traditional Republicans are at 754 00:38:41,200 --> 00:38:45,680 Speaker 8: a breakpoint with the right wing flank that is insisting 755 00:38:45,960 --> 00:38:50,640 Speaker 8: on massive cuts to government spending, as they say, so 756 00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:52,279 Speaker 8: they're going to have to work through that first, and 757 00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:55,200 Speaker 8: we'll see it in real time as it happens over 758 00:38:55,239 --> 00:38:58,920 Speaker 8: the next week or two, and that will be predictive obviously, 759 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:01,640 Speaker 8: if they can't get their act together and can't do 760 00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:04,600 Speaker 8: it by Memorial Day, which is their goal. Then they'll 761 00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:07,399 Speaker 8: take another stab at it when we get back after 762 00:39:07,440 --> 00:39:10,360 Speaker 8: the Memorial Day recess if they are able to come 763 00:39:10,440 --> 00:39:15,760 Speaker 8: to some fragile agreement and send it over to the Senate. Again, 764 00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:18,880 Speaker 8: this is budget reconciliation, so they get around the filibuster. 765 00:39:19,080 --> 00:39:22,279 Speaker 8: It only takes a simple majority vote, and there we're 766 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:25,719 Speaker 8: going to be working really hard to persuade both flanks 767 00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:29,560 Speaker 8: of that Republican caucus, the ones who won't vote for 768 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:32,480 Speaker 8: it unless it's fully paid for, and the ones who 769 00:39:32,640 --> 00:39:36,360 Speaker 8: think that the proposals that are out there right now 770 00:39:36,680 --> 00:39:40,160 Speaker 8: are too cool and too harmful for our neighbors and 771 00:39:40,239 --> 00:39:41,600 Speaker 8: are willing to help us fight. 772 00:39:41,719 --> 00:39:44,960 Speaker 1: When you cut these programs like Medicare Medicaid, they will 773 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:49,640 Speaker 1: be larger things like closing of nursing homes and rural hospitals, 774 00:39:49,719 --> 00:39:52,799 Speaker 1: largely in red states where there's less state tax. There 775 00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:57,319 Speaker 1: are certainly Republican senators who understand this and what is 776 00:39:57,440 --> 00:40:02,000 Speaker 1: their feeling on this? So can you use this to 777 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:02,560 Speaker 1: prevent it? 778 00:40:03,680 --> 00:40:04,000 Speaker 5: Yeah? 779 00:40:04,040 --> 00:40:07,520 Speaker 8: So I think the answer is yes. Really, until we 780 00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:12,640 Speaker 8: saw the specifics about the cuts they were intending, we 781 00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:18,560 Speaker 8: were organizing folks who rely on Medicaid in their families 782 00:40:18,880 --> 00:40:22,040 Speaker 8: because you know, they have a relative who's a senior 783 00:40:22,280 --> 00:40:24,920 Speaker 8: in a nursing home, and the majority of seniors in 784 00:40:25,000 --> 00:40:28,319 Speaker 8: nursing homes rely on Medicaid, or people who have, say 785 00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:31,440 Speaker 8: an adult child with significant disabilities, and they rely on 786 00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:34,960 Speaker 8: Medicaid for both services and healthcare. A third of all 787 00:40:35,040 --> 00:40:38,000 Speaker 8: children are on Medicaid. So we were elevating those stories. 788 00:40:38,080 --> 00:40:40,239 Speaker 8: But one of the points I was also trying to 789 00:40:40,360 --> 00:40:43,279 Speaker 8: draw out is there's a lot of people whose employment 790 00:40:43,680 --> 00:40:46,439 Speaker 8: is paid for it by Medicaid. The people who work 791 00:40:46,480 --> 00:40:50,080 Speaker 8: in nursing homes, the people who work in rural critical 792 00:40:50,200 --> 00:40:55,120 Speaker 8: access hospitals, the people who work in nonprofits that serve 793 00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:58,520 Speaker 8: adults and children with severe disabilities. 794 00:40:58,719 --> 00:41:01,480 Speaker 5: All of those people their jobs. 795 00:41:01,200 --> 00:41:04,759 Speaker 8: Are there and part of their salaries come from the 796 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:08,800 Speaker 8: Medicaid program. And so I think because of the nature 797 00:41:08,840 --> 00:41:12,239 Speaker 8: of some of the specifics they're now proposing, we are 798 00:41:12,280 --> 00:41:14,720 Speaker 8: going to be able to get a whole new group 799 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:19,680 Speaker 8: of people speaking out. Hospital administrators and nursing home administrators, 800 00:41:19,719 --> 00:41:24,680 Speaker 8: but also the frontline nurses and nurses assistants who provide 801 00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:29,920 Speaker 8: care every single day under very tough circumstances, you know, 802 00:41:29,960 --> 00:41:32,560 Speaker 8: because they're dedicated to the health and well being of 803 00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:33,240 Speaker 8: their Naghbin. 804 00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:36,040 Speaker 1: It would be malpractice if they did not ask you 805 00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:39,839 Speaker 1: about the plane. Donald Trump wants to take a four 806 00:41:39,920 --> 00:41:42,880 Speaker 1: hundred million dollar plane from the royal family of Qatar 807 00:41:43,239 --> 00:41:46,440 Speaker 1: and use it as Air Force One. Cynthia Lumis was 808 00:41:46,480 --> 00:41:50,360 Speaker 1: asked about this. She's quite a trumpy Republican and she 809 00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:55,480 Speaker 1: burst out laughing, Yes, that's my question. Is me just 810 00:41:55,600 --> 00:41:56,440 Speaker 1: without speech? 811 00:41:57,640 --> 00:41:59,960 Speaker 8: I know? And there's so many different ways you can 812 00:42:00,120 --> 00:42:02,960 Speaker 8: respond to this. You know, this is corruption at its highest. 813 00:42:03,120 --> 00:42:05,920 Speaker 1: Is it a violation of the emoluments cause? 814 00:42:07,040 --> 00:42:09,960 Speaker 8: Absolutely, But let me give you the anecdote that I 815 00:42:10,040 --> 00:42:11,320 Speaker 8: just heard from a colleague. 816 00:42:11,520 --> 00:42:14,640 Speaker 5: I'm gonna I'm not gonna give you attributes. 817 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:16,040 Speaker 8: To who it was, but it's like, would you let 818 00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:21,040 Speaker 8: the Katari royal family rebuild the White House situation room, 819 00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:27,000 Speaker 8: rebuild the press conference room, rebuild the Oval office, because 820 00:42:27,239 --> 00:42:30,359 Speaker 8: that is what Air Force one is. It has all 821 00:42:30,400 --> 00:42:34,200 Speaker 8: of those things in it. This is so ridiculous. And 822 00:42:34,239 --> 00:42:37,759 Speaker 8: then the amount of money that it's going to take 823 00:42:38,080 --> 00:42:42,960 Speaker 8: to take out what the Kataris have installed in terms 824 00:42:43,080 --> 00:42:47,600 Speaker 8: of communications and security, et cetera, and replace it with 825 00:42:47,719 --> 00:42:51,840 Speaker 8: stuff that we know is secure and impenetrable. Is probably 826 00:42:51,840 --> 00:42:55,320 Speaker 8: going to cost more than just waiting two more years 827 00:42:55,400 --> 00:42:57,279 Speaker 8: for the new air Force. 828 00:42:57,600 --> 00:42:59,560 Speaker 1: Like the conversations I had with people who's taught me 829 00:42:59,560 --> 00:43:02,680 Speaker 1: in this stream, how grid are you about securing the 830 00:43:02,719 --> 00:43:07,040 Speaker 1: midterms and having free and fair elections for the midterms, 831 00:43:07,040 --> 00:43:09,360 Speaker 1: because this is the thing that a lot of people 832 00:43:09,400 --> 00:43:10,440 Speaker 1: I know are word about. 833 00:43:11,480 --> 00:43:11,800 Speaker 5: Yeah. 834 00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:15,799 Speaker 8: So I'm looking at a whole bunch of things that 835 00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:19,440 Speaker 8: I think we've seen throughout history in the demise of 836 00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:24,600 Speaker 8: other democracies, are signs that something really bad is happening. 837 00:43:24,640 --> 00:43:28,320 Speaker 8: And part of it is election denial, trying to disenfranchise 838 00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:31,200 Speaker 8: parts of the electorate, trying to make it harder to 839 00:43:31,320 --> 00:43:34,879 Speaker 8: vote in various ways. Part of it is corruption and 840 00:43:34,920 --> 00:43:40,720 Speaker 8: the mass movement of taxpayer dollars to the very wealthy, 841 00:43:40,760 --> 00:43:45,520 Speaker 8: the oligarchs of a society, other types of corruption. There's 842 00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:50,560 Speaker 8: hallmarks of what happens when a democracy is in trouble. 843 00:43:50,920 --> 00:43:54,000 Speaker 5: And boy, I can tell you I see. 844 00:43:54,280 --> 00:43:59,640 Speaker 8: Action after action in this administration that overreach, that cross 845 00:43:59,719 --> 00:44:02,520 Speaker 8: those lines that make me very concerned, and we've got 846 00:44:02,560 --> 00:44:04,000 Speaker 8: to be vigilant about it. 847 00:44:04,200 --> 00:44:05,279 Speaker 5: At the same. 848 00:44:05,080 --> 00:44:09,000 Speaker 8: Time that we're fighting to make sure that our constituents 849 00:44:09,440 --> 00:44:13,680 Speaker 8: have access to healthcare and have access to nutrition programs. 850 00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:15,920 Speaker 5: We have to do it all, but we. 851 00:44:15,960 --> 00:44:18,920 Speaker 8: Have the courts, we have the Congress when it acts, 852 00:44:19,040 --> 00:44:23,200 Speaker 8: we have our constituents who we are fighting alongside on 853 00:44:23,239 --> 00:44:26,959 Speaker 8: all of these fronts, and that's how we are going 854 00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:27,520 Speaker 8: to push it. 855 00:44:27,760 --> 00:44:31,960 Speaker 1: Things really get like a situation where you start to 856 00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:35,239 Speaker 1: really panic. Do you think that there are enough Republican votes? 857 00:44:35,280 --> 00:44:37,879 Speaker 1: Because I think there are, but I'm not in there 858 00:44:38,280 --> 00:44:41,200 Speaker 1: enough for Publican votes to run a check on Trump 859 00:44:41,280 --> 00:44:44,400 Speaker 1: if he starts doing really out of the box staff. 860 00:44:45,480 --> 00:44:46,239 Speaker 5: Yeah, I do. 861 00:44:46,480 --> 00:44:49,879 Speaker 8: I have heard a number of my Republican colleagues ask 862 00:44:49,960 --> 00:44:52,840 Speaker 8: a question that almost all of my Democratic colleagues have 863 00:44:52,920 --> 00:44:55,919 Speaker 8: been asking, and that is, when faced with a law 864 00:44:56,000 --> 00:44:59,840 Speaker 8: that Congress has passed or a ruling of a court, 865 00:45:00,280 --> 00:45:04,520 Speaker 8: would you follow that law or follow that ruling over 866 00:45:04,600 --> 00:45:07,960 Speaker 8: an order from the Trump administration to the contrary? And 867 00:45:08,320 --> 00:45:11,839 Speaker 8: I heard that question asked by a Republican colleague at 868 00:45:11,920 --> 00:45:16,440 Speaker 8: a Commerce Committee hearing earlier this week, And I'm hearing 869 00:45:16,560 --> 00:45:22,479 Speaker 8: increasingly Republicans saying to Trump nominees, there's only one right 870 00:45:22,600 --> 00:45:26,399 Speaker 8: answer to this question. It's crossing a line too far. 871 00:45:26,600 --> 00:45:26,839 Speaker 5: Now. 872 00:45:27,160 --> 00:45:31,440 Speaker 8: Is that many of my Republican colleagues. No, but if 873 00:45:31,480 --> 00:45:34,960 Speaker 8: it's a simple majority vote, we only need four to 874 00:45:35,440 --> 00:45:39,000 Speaker 8: stand strong. If it's something that can be decided, you 875 00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:41,799 Speaker 8: know that has a subject to a filibuster, we need 876 00:45:41,840 --> 00:45:42,319 Speaker 8: a few more. 877 00:45:42,480 --> 00:45:46,200 Speaker 1: Tammy Baldwin, I am so delighted to get to have 878 00:45:46,280 --> 00:45:47,920 Speaker 1: you on this podcast. I hope you will come back 879 00:45:47,960 --> 00:45:50,560 Speaker 1: because it's just you know, you are answering these questions. 880 00:45:50,640 --> 00:45:53,080 Speaker 1: I ask these very nerdy questions because I'm like, so 881 00:45:53,360 --> 00:45:56,320 Speaker 1: interested in the procedural, where I feel like most people 882 00:45:56,360 --> 00:45:59,839 Speaker 1: are not so interested in. I'd well, you're making them 883 00:45:59,840 --> 00:46:04,879 Speaker 1: as this is crying, So please come back, senitor, Thank you. 884 00:46:06,080 --> 00:46:06,560 Speaker 5: Thank you. 885 00:46:08,800 --> 00:46:13,800 Speaker 1: No moment fu Jesse Cannon smile. 886 00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:18,040 Speaker 2: Let's say your Health and Human Services director has just 887 00:46:18,080 --> 00:46:21,320 Speaker 2: gotten back from a nice swim and some sewage. 888 00:46:21,080 --> 00:46:22,320 Speaker 1: In Rock Creek Park. 889 00:46:22,760 --> 00:46:26,239 Speaker 2: Yes, what would you like the quote for them to 890 00:46:26,280 --> 00:46:28,920 Speaker 2: be at their next press conference? Because if I was 891 00:46:28,960 --> 00:46:31,400 Speaker 2: in the Trump administration, I don't think i'd want that 892 00:46:31,480 --> 00:46:34,160 Speaker 2: quote to be. I don't think people should be taking 893 00:46:34,200 --> 00:46:38,800 Speaker 2: medical advice for me when you're in charge of medical policy. 894 00:46:39,080 --> 00:46:42,600 Speaker 1: One of my favorite things about RFK Junior is that 895 00:46:42,880 --> 00:46:49,120 Speaker 1: he really does seem like he doesn't know what is 896 00:46:49,160 --> 00:46:54,279 Speaker 1: going on, You know what I mean, Like he really unhinged. 897 00:46:54,480 --> 00:46:57,560 Speaker 1: Like he also said earlier this week that it's because 898 00:46:57,600 --> 00:46:58,600 Speaker 1: Trump gets money. 899 00:46:58,880 --> 00:47:01,560 Speaker 2: Remember that, Yes, yes, yes, we discussed that on the 900 00:47:01,600 --> 00:47:02,440 Speaker 2: last episode. 901 00:47:02,760 --> 00:47:07,239 Speaker 1: Yeah, so, I honestly think he's like still kind of 902 00:47:07,280 --> 00:47:10,600 Speaker 1: a Democrat secret weapon, despite the fact that he is 903 00:47:10,719 --> 00:47:15,239 Speaker 1: disassembling much of the federal government. Yeah no, I mean 904 00:47:15,480 --> 00:47:19,840 Speaker 1: RFK Junior, this guy, you know, he is the guy 905 00:47:19,960 --> 00:47:24,920 Speaker 1: who goes to the bathroom without wearing shoes on an xplane. 906 00:47:25,920 --> 00:47:26,640 Speaker 6: You're welcome. 907 00:47:27,360 --> 00:47:31,680 Speaker 1: That's it for this episode of Fast Politics. Tune in 908 00:47:32,040 --> 00:47:37,480 Speaker 1: every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday to hear the best 909 00:47:37,560 --> 00:47:41,839 Speaker 1: minds and politics make sense of all this chaos. If 910 00:47:41,880 --> 00:47:44,960 Speaker 1: you enjoy this podcast, please send it to a friend 911 00:47:45,400 --> 00:47:48,600 Speaker 1: and keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening.