WEBVTT - Impeachment:  Smoke, But No Fire.  David Drucker Talks to Armstrong & Getty

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<v Speaker 1>When four friends from Washington, DC's most elite prep school

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<v Speaker 1>are hacked, they're thrust into a global conspiracy that threatens

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<v Speaker 1>to expose DC's most influential families. Meet the Daughters of

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<v Speaker 1>d C. Listen to Daughters of d C on the

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<v Speaker 1>I Heart Radio app or wherever you get your podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>The Armstrong and Getty Show. But let's be frank and

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<v Speaker 1>national nightmares upon us. The basic rules of our democracy

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<v Speaker 1>a under attack from the president. We begin tonight with

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<v Speaker 1>a series of admissions by the President that all but

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<v Speaker 1>assures his impeachment in the House of Representatives, all but

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<v Speaker 1>insurance his impeachment. We're living in a national nightmare upon

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<v Speaker 1>us that's not very measured by sleepy eyes. Chuck Todd

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<v Speaker 1>trying to figure out so that So that's Chuck Todd

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<v Speaker 1>to meet the press, trying to figure out the currents here.

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<v Speaker 1>So you got britt Hume of Fox here, senior political

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<v Speaker 1>analyst of Fox. He's their top guy who tweeted, as

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<v Speaker 1>I've written before, Adam Schiff is a reckless partisan who

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<v Speaker 1>is only credible to other reckless partisans. But for the

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<v Speaker 1>President of the United States States to say he could

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<v Speaker 1>meet in treason is despicable, It's insanity. Trying to figure

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<v Speaker 1>out where we are with all this stuff is difficult, yes, yes,

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<v Speaker 1>and the currents EBB and flow. Who better to discuss

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<v Speaker 1>that with than David Drucker, the senior political correspondent for

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<v Speaker 1>the Washington Examiner. Speaking of top guys, David joins us. Now, Hello, David,

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<v Speaker 1>how are you? I'm good to be here. Good, we're

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<v Speaker 1>we're we're imported here. I don't I don't know what

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<v Speaker 1>introm's supposed to use. I'm all confused. Well, do you

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<v Speaker 1>believe a nationale whereas upon us never mind, don't answer that.

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<v Speaker 1>We're employing what we call the impeachometer, and each unit

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<v Speaker 1>of it is a Nixon and we are day to

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<v Speaker 1>day trying to decide whether the impeechometer has moved closer

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<v Speaker 1>to the president being removed from officer further away. It's

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<v Speaker 1>a lot like the nuclear clock, right, it's impeachment, right,

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<v Speaker 1>exactly So, given the EBB and flow of news stories

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<v Speaker 1>and counter stories, So what do you make of all

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<v Speaker 1>this today? Well, you know, I think that we're in

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<v Speaker 1>a period and I think this will continue for probably

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<v Speaker 1>for some time. But who knows where there are a

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<v Speaker 1>number of facts that are coming out will come out

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<v Speaker 1>that you know, will appear problematic for the President and

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<v Speaker 1>give Democrats um reaffirm the Democrats belief that the impeachment

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<v Speaker 1>inquiry was was the right course of action. I think,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, the I think Republicans and the President will

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<v Speaker 1>simply take a different view of those same facts. And

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<v Speaker 1>I think there are Republicans on Capitol Hill that will

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<v Speaker 1>not necessarily agree with the President, but I don't think

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<v Speaker 1>many of them will break with him unless we end

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<v Speaker 1>up with a set of a set of information that

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<v Speaker 1>is particularly obvious and damning and not a matter of debate. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, in that In that regard, it's going to

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<v Speaker 1>be similar to the Russia investigation, where there was a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of smoke, but there was never quite fire, at

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<v Speaker 1>least as the partisan looked at it. Yeah, the partisans,

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<v Speaker 1>because I'm still waiting to see the first and I

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<v Speaker 1>haven't yet either partisan pundit that that I follow, or

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<v Speaker 1>person in my real life change their position on supporting

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<v Speaker 1>Trump or not. I still haven't had one person yet,

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<v Speaker 1>and I would think that that would have to happen

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<v Speaker 1>before impeachment really gets going, because so far it's still

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<v Speaker 1>it's people that they were on board for impeaching him

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<v Speaker 1>over Russia UM or supporting him over Russia, and they're

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<v Speaker 1>in the same camp now. So I still haven't seen

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<v Speaker 1>one person changed sides. Maybe you have, No, I haven't,

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<v Speaker 1>And I mean I think that would be telling in

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<v Speaker 1>terms of things turning against the president on Capitol Hill.

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<v Speaker 1>I do believe at this point that he is very

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<v Speaker 1>likely to be impeached and very very unlikely to be removed,

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<v Speaker 1>so and and and I say that because if you

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<v Speaker 1>look at the the information that Democrats are citing and

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<v Speaker 1>referring to as um making impeachment the right course of action,

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<v Speaker 1>at least the inquiry, I don't see what they're going

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<v Speaker 1>to find out that is going to cause them to say, yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>all this information is true and exists, but now that

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<v Speaker 1>we know more about the context of it, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>it's all it's not impeachable. I just do not see

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<v Speaker 1>that happening. And I do not see the Democratic base

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<v Speaker 1>being okay with that. But I don't even see them

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<v Speaker 1>being okay with it. So I really think we're on

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<v Speaker 1>course or impeachment UM. But at by the same token,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, Republicans, whether this was strategic or not set

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<v Speaker 1>the bar for legitimizing the impeachment inquiry and possibly entertaining

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<v Speaker 1>impeachment as a quid pro quo in which he, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>said to the to Ukraine, you can have this if

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<v Speaker 1>you give me that. And Republicans are insisting that is

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<v Speaker 1>in no way the case. And so unless there's something

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<v Speaker 1>that is just completely obvious that that is the case,

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<v Speaker 1>even if Democrats say in the fact they think that

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<v Speaker 1>might be the case, then I don't really see them moving.

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<v Speaker 1>And in part it's because I'm not sure that Republican

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<v Speaker 1>voters are going to move now. If they do move,

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<v Speaker 1>that I think would produce a different reaction among Republicans

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<v Speaker 1>on the hill. You know, we know they're afraid to

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<v Speaker 1>cross Trump. They don't want to get tweeted at problems

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<v Speaker 1>and Republican primaries, but they don't want to cross their

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<v Speaker 1>own voters. That's the bigger deal. As long as their

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<v Speaker 1>voters are with Trump, there's very little motivation for them

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<v Speaker 1>to move, no matter what they think. Privately, for folks

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<v Speaker 1>just tuning in, we're talking to David Drucker with the

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<v Speaker 1>Washington and Examineries, their senior political correspondent. The big headline

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<v Speaker 1>today impeachment wise, is that a couple of diplomatcy you've

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<v Speaker 1>never heard of are exchanging texts in which one was saying,

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<v Speaker 1>this is crazy. It looks like a quid pro quo. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, if they investigate Biden will do these things

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<v Speaker 1>for them, And the other guy says, it ain't that.

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<v Speaker 1>Why are you saying that? Stop saying that? Um. And

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<v Speaker 1>there are a number of instances where diplomats feel like, Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>maybe it is a quid pro quote. But I'm always

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<v Speaker 1>hesitant when the Democrats on a committee unleash um excerpts

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<v Speaker 1>of something. I know they're carefully selected. And can we

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<v Speaker 1>expect a Republican counter release today of texts? Well, I

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<v Speaker 1>don't know, because I don't know what was withheld or

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<v Speaker 1>not withheld, But I think that if such information was

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<v Speaker 1>with hell, I'm sure it will be released. I think

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<v Speaker 1>your question gets to the larger issue of voters and

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<v Speaker 1>Americans trying to figure out what's true and what's not,

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<v Speaker 1>what to believe and what not to believe, what the

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<v Speaker 1>context of things are. And I mean, I think it's

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<v Speaker 1>incumbent upon Democrats as they make the political case for

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<v Speaker 1>impeachment and impeachment is a political process of politics is

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<v Speaker 1>not unimportant here. They're going to have to make the

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<v Speaker 1>case that the information proves the president acted improperly. At

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<v Speaker 1>the very least, I think acting improperly would be enough

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<v Speaker 1>of a case. By the way, um, if they're able

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<v Speaker 1>to make it for Independence and Swing voters, two start

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<v Speaker 1>to agree that impeachment and possibly removal is warranted. And

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<v Speaker 1>I think that if you want to understand the long

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<v Speaker 1>term political ramifications of this visa, you just watch Swing

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<v Speaker 1>voters and Independence. A lot of them don't like Trump.

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<v Speaker 1>They've been very suspicious about impeachment as the proper course

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<v Speaker 1>of action. Will those numbers change. We've seen some indications

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<v Speaker 1>that those numbers are changing, But you're gonna have to

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<v Speaker 1>see how this plays out over time. The president is

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<v Speaker 1>going to continue to make an alternate case. He has

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<v Speaker 1>a big megaphone. Sometimes the Democrats don't know how to

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<v Speaker 1>do anything that's politically smart because for some reason, and

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<v Speaker 1>it's contects both parties. If you're a member of the

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<v Speaker 1>House of Representatives, you're just clueless as to how to

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<v Speaker 1>communicate to people who don't agree with you, and you

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<v Speaker 1>think that stunts are actually a good idea Yeah, Adams

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<v Speaker 1>Shifford doing himself no favors in terms of getting people

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<v Speaker 1>on board. Finally, I think Nancy Pelosi. Nancy Pelosi is

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<v Speaker 1>the most effective spokesman they have for this. She needs

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<v Speaker 1>a deputy that's almost as good as her. Yeah, I

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<v Speaker 1>would say that's absolutely correct. Hey, a final question, David,

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<v Speaker 1>is Rudy Giuliani the loosest cannon in the history of

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<v Speaker 1>American politics? I mean honestly, that is, he may be

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<v Speaker 1>more entertaining than the president. I mean honestly, and and

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<v Speaker 1>by the way, Republicans are concerned about him because he

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<v Speaker 1>is he's he's his own boss. He says what he

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<v Speaker 1>wants when he wants. And I think if he, if

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<v Speaker 1>the President were able to put him in a box somewhere,

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<v Speaker 1>they feel a love better. Out of time with David Drucker,

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<v Speaker 1>senior political correspondent for The Washington CAAMA will have a

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<v Speaker 1>link to find his latest pieces easily. David, Thanks, Milian,

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<v Speaker 1>good to talk to you anytime.