1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,360 Speaker 1: Hey, guys, thanks for listening to Breaking Points with Crystal 2 00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:04,280 Speaker 1: and Sager. We're going to be totally upfront with you. 3 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: We took a big risk going independent to make this work. 4 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: We need your support to beat the corporate media CNN, Fox, MSNBC. 5 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: They are ripping this country apart. They are making millions 6 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: of dollars doing it to help support our mission of 7 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: making all of us hate each other, less hate the 8 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: corrupt ruling class more support the show. Become a Breaking 9 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: Points Premium Member today, where you get to watch and 10 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:29,640 Speaker 1: listen to the entire show ad free and uncut, an 11 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:32,479 Speaker 1: hour early before everyone else. You get to hear our 12 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: reactions to each other's monologues. You get to participate and 13 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:37,960 Speaker 1: weekly ask me any things, and you don't need to 14 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,080 Speaker 1: hear our annoying voices pitching you like I am right now, 15 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 1: So what are you waiting for? Go to Breakingpoints dot 16 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: com become a Premium member today, which is available in 17 00:00:46,159 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: the show notes. Enjoy the show, guys, Good morning everybody, 18 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:08,800 Speaker 1: Happy Monday, Happy New Year. It's good to be back. 19 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:12,559 Speaker 1: Indeed it is, and indeed we have a wonderful show 20 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: for you today. Lot's of course to catch up on 21 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:17,760 Speaker 1: we have for you the very latest on omicron, what 22 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 1: we know about the seriousness of it, government responds to it. 23 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:25,720 Speaker 1: All of that good stuff. Also Twitter banning permanently Marjorie 24 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: Taylor Green. We will tell you why and what we 25 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: think about it. You probably won't be surprised to learn 26 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 1: what we think about that. That's new data from our 27 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:37,040 Speaker 1: friend Matt Stoler about exactly some of the causes of 28 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: inflation that you're not hearing a lot about in the 29 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 1: mainstream media. Also some good news going into the new year. 30 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 1: There are record numbers of states and localities that are 31 00:01:46,319 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: upping the minimum wage thanks to referendum that their voters passed, 32 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 1: So that is exciting news as well. Also the less 33 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: than satisfying conclusion to the Galain Maxwell trial and some 34 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:03,920 Speaker 1: developments there, including some very very interesting media choices. Yes, 35 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: BBC guests looking at you with Alan Dershowitz, We've got 36 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: two Starbucks workers on to preview for us what could 37 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 1: very well turn out to be the Year of the worker. 38 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:15,919 Speaker 1: That is something hopeful that sure, we're hoping, we're gonna 39 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:18,320 Speaker 1: push it. It's gonna start here, yeah right, we're plaring 40 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: it right here right now. But we did want to 41 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 1: start sager with the very latest with regards to Omicron. Yeah, 42 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:26,240 Speaker 1: that's right. I mean, obviously everybody you know, probably I 43 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 1: know as well. You know, at least somebody who contacted Omicron. 44 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:32,119 Speaker 1: Everybody I know seems to be doing fine. My mom 45 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: got it checks, she's okay, So glad to hear that 46 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 1: as well. But there's been some troubling questions around treatment 47 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: options and more as we have seen. You know, the 48 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:43,919 Speaker 1: discussion around monocule and antibodies is very very effective against delta. 49 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 1: The data around it is actually a bit mixed, although 50 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:49,640 Speaker 1: still hopeful in the right direction. Obviously booster as well 51 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 1: as vaccination amongst people who are elderly, obese and in 52 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: general seems to dramatically reduce hospitalization and death. Those are 53 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: all good things. The discussion, though, around some of the 54 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: life saving COVID treatments in the City of New York 55 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 1: has taken a very dramatic and really frankly terrible turn, 56 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:06,639 Speaker 1: and we wanted to make sure that we dug into 57 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: it as much as possible because this is causing a 58 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 1: lot of consternation, and you know, rightfully, so when we 59 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 1: get to the bottom of it, let's put it up 60 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:14,400 Speaker 1: there on the screen. So New York City will be 61 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:19,040 Speaker 1: considering race when distributing life saving COVID treatments. So what 62 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:21,120 Speaker 1: they mean by that is that they will take into 63 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:25,639 Speaker 1: account of patient's race when distributing potentially life saving COVID treatments. 64 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,520 Speaker 1: According to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website 65 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:32,359 Speaker 1: the city, this is from their official guidance quote will 66 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: consider race and ethnicity when in assessing individual risk from 67 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: December twentieth, which adds that long standing systemic health and 68 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: social inequities can contribute to an increased risk of dying 69 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: from COVID nineteen. This specifically is targeted towards monoclonal antibody treatments. 70 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: This was another policy that we saw down in the 71 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 1: state of Texas, and it continues to bubble up as 72 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 1: we have shortages. Whether those shortages of supply side, demandside, 73 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:00,720 Speaker 1: or whatever also remains very much up for bait. But 74 00:04:01,080 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: we have to highlight this crystal and say that just 75 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 1: as terrible as it is to discriminate health care based 76 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:11,920 Speaker 1: upon vaccination status, the same is to be said for race. 77 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:15,360 Speaker 1: And also you can assess all of this without even 78 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:17,839 Speaker 1: having to take race into account and it would probably 79 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: still have the same effect. If you are, you know, 80 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:23,680 Speaker 1: obese or have diabetes, you may be more likely in 81 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,279 Speaker 1: order to blong with speific racial category, just use obesity status, 82 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: diabetes status, and immunal compromise status. You don't have to 83 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:33,600 Speaker 1: add race on top of that. It's the worst fears 84 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,280 Speaker 1: of a lot of people in terms of the way 85 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,800 Speaker 1: that healthcare and identity politics would become meshed, you know, 86 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:43,800 Speaker 1: including this babbele speak when medically it's not even necessary, 87 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 1: I mean, is yeah, it's not. That's what this boils 88 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 1: down to. And listen. So there are certain conditions where 89 00:04:51,120 --> 00:04:54,480 Speaker 1: your race could be actually cordless. Sickle cell in I 90 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:56,680 Speaker 1: was about to say, sickle cell is the classic example. 91 00:04:57,240 --> 00:04:59,599 Speaker 1: That is not the case of coronavirus. Okay, I mean, 92 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 1: let's and it's possible that there has not been any 93 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:06,800 Speaker 1: research or data to indicate that COVID impacts people differently 94 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:11,039 Speaker 1: depending on their race. So even if you're using race 95 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: as a proxy for something like socioeconomic status. And by 96 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:16,040 Speaker 1: the way, Glenn Greenwell had a great post breaking all 97 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: of this down that in and of itself is kind 98 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 1: of racist if you're basically saying, like well, we're going 99 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:23,159 Speaker 1: to use We're going to say, if you're black, we're 100 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 1: just going to assume that you're poor. Wait, what that's 101 00:05:26,600 --> 00:05:29,520 Speaker 1: not okay to do? Because yes, if you look at 102 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: socioeconomic status, that is correlated with a lot of the 103 00:05:33,480 --> 00:05:36,360 Speaker 1: risk factors, including the types of work that you're likely 104 00:05:36,440 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 1: to do, which is likely to put you in contact 105 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:41,320 Speaker 1: with the public where you're not able to sequester and 106 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:44,440 Speaker 1: work from home like white collar professionals have been able to. 107 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: That's one thing. Another thing, socioeconomic status is correlated with obesity, 108 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:52,160 Speaker 1: with diabetes, with some of these conditions that put you 109 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:56,480 Speaker 1: at heightened risk. But to boil it down to just race, 110 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:00,720 Speaker 1: it's the opposite of being backed by the sign. So again, 111 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:04,800 Speaker 1: there are some conditions where this would make sense. Coronavirus 112 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:07,719 Speaker 1: isn't one of them. So this is one of those 113 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 1: things where on the one hand, you look at it 114 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:12,440 Speaker 1: and you're like, we don't actually know if any white 115 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 1: people who have been denied treatment because of their race. 116 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 1: Maybe this is just a one off. Maybe it ultimately 117 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: isn't a big deal, but it's emblematic of a very 118 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:24,760 Speaker 1: troubling direction and mindset that seems like less of a 119 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:26,520 Speaker 1: one off and more of a trend, which is why 120 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:28,560 Speaker 1: we chose to highlight it here. Absolutely, you guys will 121 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: have to remember in the very beginning of vaccination, So ma'am, 122 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 1: how about a year ago, there was a big debate 123 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 1: that we saw amongst public health ethicists because some people 124 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 1: like me, normal folks, wanted to vaccinate elderly folks first, 125 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: but many public health ethicists said that, well, old people 126 00:06:47,320 --> 00:06:50,160 Speaker 1: in America are disproportionately more likely to be white, so 127 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:52,600 Speaker 1: that would be systemically racist. And it's like, well, hold 128 00:06:52,600 --> 00:06:55,640 Speaker 1: on a second. Once again, it's not to do with race. 129 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:59,279 Speaker 1: If you're old, you are dramatically more likely to die. 130 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: From there, we'll go down to obesity and immuno compromise, 131 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:05,880 Speaker 1: and then you can go down to health. Health is 132 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 1: variably and widely distributed across all races, and you know, 133 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:12,200 Speaker 1: you have a lot more in common as an obese 134 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 1: black Hispanic person with an obese white person than vice versa. 135 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:19,040 Speaker 1: And saying whenever you're healthy across all different racial categories, 136 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:20,920 Speaker 1: whenever it comes to your health, it's actually one of 137 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 1: the stupidest ways from people that I've spoken to in 138 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:26,239 Speaker 1: order to try and classify the way that we should 139 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 1: be targeting COVID health. So it is a horrific, terrible, 140 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 1: terrible direction that the US healthcare system can go towards. 141 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:37,040 Speaker 1: And that is something which if we're going to see 142 00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 1: this get implemented, and once again, in terms of these shortages, 143 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 1: there's a lot of questions about why exactly we even 144 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: have a monoclone landibody shortage, but that's kind of a 145 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:47,200 Speaker 1: discussion for another day. The real question here is if 146 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:50,320 Speaker 1: we're going to have scarcity of tests, of treatments, and more, 147 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 1: the way then that that gets distributed should always be 148 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: towards the people who are most vulnerable, those who are old, 149 00:07:57,280 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 1: those who are aminal compromise, and those who are obese. 150 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:03,000 Speaker 1: It's not complicated. I can't understand this. There's also a 151 00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: tension between the liberal view, which at times has been 152 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 1: you know what, if you're not vaccinated, you shouldn't even 153 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:13,080 Speaker 1: get treatment. You should be put at the pre liberaltie. Okay, 154 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:16,560 Speaker 1: So that's one view, and then this view which says 155 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 1: if you are non white you should be prioritized, because 156 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:23,600 Speaker 1: it ignores the fact that for most of the pandemic, 157 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:27,800 Speaker 1: the post vaccination pandemic, black people and Hispanic people were 158 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 1: less likely to get vaccinated, largely because of justifiable, you know, 159 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:37,439 Speaker 1: terrible past experiences and present experiences with our healthcare system. 160 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: That's very incand so one of the reasons why you 161 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:44,839 Speaker 1: might say that black people have been disproportionately impacted by 162 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:48,679 Speaker 1: COVID is because they've also been less likely to get vaccinated. Again, 163 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:52,560 Speaker 1: that sits uneasily with this other view over here that 164 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: if you're unvaccinated, you basically, you know, deserve what you get. 165 00:08:57,240 --> 00:09:02,080 Speaker 1: So again, it's it doesn't make sense. It's the opposite 166 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:06,200 Speaker 1: of following the science, and it ultimately boils down to 167 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:09,320 Speaker 1: just like the flip side of the most abhorrent sort 168 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:13,800 Speaker 1: of white nationalists US. It's like the flip side of 169 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,320 Speaker 1: that of let's discriminate based on your race, just in 170 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:19,200 Speaker 1: a different direction. And so that makes it ultimately okay, yeah, 171 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:22,520 Speaker 1: let's go into the deeper just exactly how it's going 172 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:24,679 Speaker 1: with omicron. I know that's what a lot of people wonder. 173 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:27,440 Speaker 1: So we have the charts of hospitalization and death side 174 00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:29,720 Speaker 1: by side. Let's put that up there on the screen 175 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: there you can see the newly reported deaths by day. Now, look, 176 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:37,040 Speaker 1: I mean, obviously there has been an increase because of omicron. However, 177 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:39,800 Speaker 1: it is not even close to the highs that we 178 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:42,280 Speaker 1: saw in delta, despite the fact that if you'll take 179 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:45,400 Speaker 1: a look there on the right side at hospitalizations, we 180 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:48,080 Speaker 1: see the same thing. The hospitalization and debts were much 181 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:51,480 Speaker 1: higher during the Delta variant as opposed to omicron, indicating 182 00:09:51,679 --> 00:09:54,640 Speaker 1: some less severity. So that is actually a very good thing. 183 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:57,120 Speaker 1: There also comes down to the federal response. There was 184 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:00,280 Speaker 1: a lot of consternation Crystal over the weekend or sorry, 185 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:03,319 Speaker 1: over the holiday when the President spoke with all of 186 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:06,880 Speaker 1: the state's governors and said that a solution to COVID 187 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:10,040 Speaker 1: will come from the states, not from the federal government. 188 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:11,679 Speaker 1: Kind of happened to agree with him on that, But 189 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:14,440 Speaker 1: let's take a listen to what he said. First, look, 190 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:18,880 Speaker 1: there is no federal solution. This gets solved kind of statement. 191 00:10:19,040 --> 00:10:21,319 Speaker 1: It was interesting to me. A lot of right wingers 192 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:23,480 Speaker 1: are very upset obviously because Biden, you know, said the 193 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: a federal solution COVID all of that. But look, I mean, 194 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:28,840 Speaker 1: this is kind of what we wanted from the beginning. 195 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:32,520 Speaker 1: We kind of did want an admission that there is 196 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:36,120 Speaker 1: really no quote unquote endgame here except for learning how 197 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:38,800 Speaker 1: to live with what we have, beefing up testing capacity 198 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:40,679 Speaker 1: and the ability for all of us to live our 199 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:44,080 Speaker 1: normal lives. That being said, I mean, seemed hypocritical, but 200 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:47,760 Speaker 1: also it's also an abjecation of responsibility on some of 201 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 1: the stuff that you can do. Yeah, and that's a problem. 202 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:55,000 Speaker 1: So my view on COVID policy is that because we 203 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:57,080 Speaker 1: have different parts of the country that are very different 204 00:10:57,160 --> 00:11:02,119 Speaker 1: culturally and have very different sort of risk assessments and tolerance, 205 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:06,400 Speaker 1: that it does make sense to have local responses. Absolutely. Okay, 206 00:11:06,559 --> 00:11:09,760 Speaker 1: so in that way I agree with him. But to 207 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:13,880 Speaker 1: the abdication of responsibility point, we damn well need a 208 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:17,720 Speaker 1: federal solution for the lack of test or you know, 209 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:20,840 Speaker 1: the lack of sufficient amounts of monoclonal antibodies so that 210 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:23,120 Speaker 1: people can get the very best treatment if they do 211 00:11:23,280 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 1: end up hospitalized. We damn well need a federal response 212 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:29,679 Speaker 1: in terms of lifting the patent protection so that people 213 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:33,680 Speaker 1: around the globe can also get vaccinated so we don't 214 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 1: continue to have these new variant, emerging variants emerging that 215 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:42,720 Speaker 1: pose new and novel risks to our own population. We 216 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:45,080 Speaker 1: could certainly use you know, now they're saying now that 217 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 1: we're allowed to admit that cloth masks like that there's 218 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:49,760 Speaker 1: a difference between levels of mass. We could have been 219 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:51,800 Speaker 1: removed from the internet, you know, three months ago for 220 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:54,880 Speaker 1: saying that that's what if different mass? I mean, this 221 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:56,960 Speaker 1: is something again, there's been science to back up for 222 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:00,120 Speaker 1: a while. Now, distribute good mass to everybody, like those 223 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:02,320 Speaker 1: are things in the federal government. You could use the 224 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:04,760 Speaker 1: Defense Production Act. You can make it a national like 225 00:12:04,840 --> 00:12:08,559 Speaker 1: wartime type effort. The fact that we don't have sufficient 226 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:13,720 Speaker 1: tests is such a disgrace. I personally visited or called 227 00:12:14,960 --> 00:12:19,560 Speaker 1: a dozen or more different Walmart cvs everything in my 228 00:12:19,679 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 1: little region in King George County in Fredericksburg, Virginia impossible 229 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:28,040 Speaker 1: to get a rapid test. So, I mean, this is 230 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:30,960 Speaker 1: and this is unique to America. Plenty of other countries 231 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:33,880 Speaker 1: around the world, including places that are a lot less 232 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:37,600 Speaker 1: wealthy than we are, have managed to have rapid tests 233 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:40,760 Speaker 1: available for their population, and yet we have completely failed. 234 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 1: So yes, on the one hand, local control and you know, 235 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:48,839 Speaker 1: gauging risk tolerance for the population locally, yes, leave that 236 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:52,400 Speaker 1: to state's counties, cities, et cetera. But there is a 237 00:12:52,440 --> 00:12:55,560 Speaker 1: lot that the federal government should have been doing and 238 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:57,920 Speaker 1: has utterly failed to do. And of course this is 239 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:01,200 Speaker 1: very very different from what by and sold when he 240 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 1: was running for president. We were all going to get 241 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 1: back to normal. I would put it this way. The 242 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,280 Speaker 1: FEDS have to make it so that they provide the 243 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:09,920 Speaker 1: backbone and the infrastructure for then everybody then to be 244 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:11,920 Speaker 1: able to make their choice. So if people like you 245 00:13:11,920 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 1: said the mass whatever, I mean, personally I'm against it, 246 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:16,880 Speaker 1: but some people want it. That being said, it's up 247 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:19,120 Speaker 1: to the locals. They get to decide on how they 248 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:21,560 Speaker 1: would then be able to now knowing that they're going 249 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:24,320 Speaker 1: to have enough tests or sorry, enough mass. But on 250 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:26,960 Speaker 1: the testing front, because we don't have enough tests, a 251 00:13:26,960 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: lot of schools are with you know, much more calcil 252 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: trained populations and parents who are freaked out. They're just 253 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:34,480 Speaker 1: going virtual. They don't even have enough tests in order 254 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:36,200 Speaker 1: to test all the students. So what are you going 255 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:38,840 Speaker 1: to do? I mean, testing was and I didn't. I 256 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 1: don't think this should be the case, but it still 257 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:42,960 Speaker 1: could be the case. It would be a way in 258 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:46,120 Speaker 1: order to assuage the most you know, freaked out people 259 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:48,520 Speaker 1: and say, hey, look, you know everybody's been tested. When 260 00:13:48,520 --> 00:13:50,640 Speaker 1: you have a wide availability of test as they do 261 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:53,320 Speaker 1: in Europe and many other parts of the globe, then 262 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 1: you know, a lot of life is much easier in 263 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 1: order to go back to normal. And that's just a 264 00:13:57,480 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: way in order to ease things out to an area 265 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:02,160 Speaker 1: where people can learn to be more comfortable and live 266 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:05,800 Speaker 1: with the virus. And that's just something where while yes, 267 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:07,640 Speaker 1: it is good, and my monologue will be on this 268 00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: with CDC and Fouci and all of them are basically admitting, 269 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:12,679 Speaker 1: you know that a lot of these guidelines have nothing 270 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:14,440 Speaker 1: to do with science and have more to do with 271 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:17,520 Speaker 1: what they think public opinion can gauge. That doesn't mean, though, 272 00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:19,920 Speaker 1: that people aren't still really freaked out, and the media 273 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 1: has a big role to play in this, you know. 274 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:23,600 Speaker 1: Nate Silver tweeted this, let's put this up there on 275 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:25,680 Speaker 1: the screen, which is that the New York Times ran 276 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:31,280 Speaker 1: a story saying, headline, Puerto Rico faces staggering COVID case explosion, 277 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:35,320 Speaker 1: and yet only in the thirteenth paragraph do you learn 278 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:39,240 Speaker 1: that only three hundred people are hospitalized with COVID on 279 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 1: an island of three million. Exceptionally good moves move and 280 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 1: exceptionally good news and testament to the power of the 281 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 1: vaccine whenever it comes to preventing hospitalization and death. It's 282 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:56,360 Speaker 1: just they don't know how to report something without fear mongering. 283 00:14:56,440 --> 00:14:59,240 Speaker 1: I see it every day here in Washington. Oh my god, 284 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:02,000 Speaker 1: we have the highest case rate ever. What are the 285 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,560 Speaker 1: hospitalizations and deaths? Oh less than delta? Okay, So why 286 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:09,600 Speaker 1: should I care? It's across the whole country. And you know, 287 00:15:09,880 --> 00:15:11,920 Speaker 1: the more we look at it in terms of omicron, 288 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 1: South Africa, where we saw the first widespread omicron burst, 289 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:18,960 Speaker 1: put this up there on the screen. Their government now 290 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:22,280 Speaker 1: says that the country has passed its peak without a 291 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:25,960 Speaker 1: major spike in deaths, offering cautious hope to other countries 292 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:28,600 Speaker 1: that are grappling with the variant. So from the beginning, 293 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 1: you know, we owe a lot South Africa. I really 294 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:32,600 Speaker 1: do want to say. It's terrible what happened to them. 295 00:15:32,600 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 1: In terms of the travel band. Omicron didn't even originate 296 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:39,920 Speaker 1: from there. They have a very good identification program. Early 297 00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:42,760 Speaker 1: they warned the entire globe, and they've been giving us 298 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:45,680 Speaker 1: consistently good data and news, and our media is the 299 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:48,160 Speaker 1: one that has been distorting it for our audience. I mean, 300 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:51,440 Speaker 1: the truth is Omicron is much less severe obviously in 301 00:15:51,520 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: terms of hospitalization and death. You could see it in 302 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:55,880 Speaker 1: the data right in front of your eyes, even with 303 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: kids and more that are infected. You know, doctor fauci 304 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:01,280 Speaker 1: As I'll be saying monologue is now even saying don't 305 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 1: worry it to kids, you know, dying from COVID. It's 306 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:05,960 Speaker 1: kids dying with COVID. It's been the case for a 307 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:08,240 Speaker 1: long time, but Amicron has now made it so that 308 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:10,880 Speaker 1: we can all just admit it. And especially with the 309 00:16:10,960 --> 00:16:13,880 Speaker 1: less hospitalizations of severity and the death and all, that 310 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:15,840 Speaker 1: has changed the game. I mean, it really is just 311 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:18,000 Speaker 1: kind of a very virulent type of the flu. With 312 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:21,800 Speaker 1: the vaccination speak, yeah, with vaccinating, that's very true. And 313 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: so one of the stats that's been out there which 314 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 1: is true is that there are more kids hospitalized now 315 00:16:29,200 --> 00:16:31,440 Speaker 1: than because of DELTA. The reason for that is because 316 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:36,720 Speaker 1: fear kids are vaccinated and this has spread. It's incredibly contagious, 317 00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:38,880 Speaker 1: as I'm sure you are experiencing in your own lives. 318 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:41,360 Speaker 1: There can't possibly be a single person in America who 319 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:44,960 Speaker 1: doesn't have someone in their close circle who's had an 320 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:49,320 Speaker 1: encounter at this point with omicron. So the vaccination status 321 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:52,560 Speaker 1: is really really important. Even doctor Fauci is saying that 322 00:16:52,600 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 1: they think that this is going to peak really quickly 323 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 1: and begin to fall really quickly. That was what we 324 00:16:57,320 --> 00:16:59,720 Speaker 1: have seen now in South Africa, which is really hopeful. 325 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:03,880 Speaker 1: The other thing that is also hopeful is number one. 326 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:06,920 Speaker 1: For a long time, people were not saying with confidence 327 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:09,520 Speaker 1: that it's less severe. Now everyone is basically saying with 328 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:13,080 Speaker 1: confidence it's less severe. We see from data in the 329 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:18,199 Speaker 1: UK it reduces compared to delta, omicron is fifty percent 330 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:21,600 Speaker 1: less likely to send you to the hospital. Great news. 331 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 1: And ultimately, because it is so infectious and because it's 332 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:29,720 Speaker 1: less severe, it may actually give us kind of a 333 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:33,879 Speaker 1: way out of the pandemic because everyone will have some 334 00:17:34,119 --> 00:17:37,840 Speaker 1: form of immunity. Now listen, this is not, you know, 335 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:41,280 Speaker 1: a great thing to cheer for. And again I really 336 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:44,359 Speaker 1: recommend if you're not vaccinated that you get vaccinated because 337 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:47,919 Speaker 1: then your risk is so much even less with omicron. 338 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:51,160 Speaker 1: But the other thing that research is starting to show 339 00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:55,399 Speaker 1: is that omicron immunity does provide you with pretty good 340 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:58,840 Speaker 1: resistance to delta. It's actually not the other way around. 341 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:01,199 Speaker 1: So if you've had delta, it doesn't appear that you 342 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:04,199 Speaker 1: have great resistance to omicron, you're still very likely to 343 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:07,720 Speaker 1: get breakthrough infection, but omicron seems to provide pretty good 344 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,760 Speaker 1: protection against other variants that are out there, which again 345 00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:15,159 Speaker 1: is really encouraging. So listen, guys, it's I know, a 346 00:18:15,200 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 1: really chaotic time. The fact that it is so infectious 347 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:20,640 Speaker 1: means you are going to have a spike in hospitalizations 348 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,520 Speaker 1: and you will have some increase in depths that's already happening. 349 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:28,480 Speaker 1: That's inevitable, but much less severe than delta, and ultimately, 350 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:31,720 Speaker 1: hopefully we'll get through it quickly, and I just pray 351 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:34,000 Speaker 1: that it doesn't, you know, disrupt The thing that I 352 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:37,240 Speaker 1: worry the most about is schools, because since it does 353 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:39,919 Speaker 1: spread so rapidly, I can see how school districts just 354 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 1: like literally don't have teachers sufficient teachers to have in 355 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:47,480 Speaker 1: the schools. But I would just really encourage you to 356 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:50,400 Speaker 1: push to keep the schools open if it is at 357 00:18:50,400 --> 00:18:54,679 Speaker 1: all possible, because we know for sure how damaging school 358 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:56,879 Speaker 1: shutdowns were for kids, and we know that this is 359 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:59,280 Speaker 1: mild and a low risk for children. Ultimately, I saw 360 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:02,879 Speaker 1: a good take. I forget who exactly it was, but 361 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:05,240 Speaker 1: you know, in other countries The last thing they shut 362 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:07,640 Speaker 1: down is the school here. The first thing that gets 363 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:10,480 Speaker 1: shut down is the school. All the universities here in Washington, 364 00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:13,320 Speaker 1: DC are remote, even though they have booster mandates. It's 365 00:19:13,359 --> 00:19:16,560 Speaker 1: the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. And look, you know, yeah, 366 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:19,320 Speaker 1: they're college kids, but they're suffering. I mean I've heard 367 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:21,800 Speaker 1: from a lot of them. They're paying you know, top 368 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:23,959 Speaker 1: dollar in order to sit at home in their parents' 369 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:26,960 Speaker 1: house and do zoom school. You could say, oh, those idiots, 370 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:28,680 Speaker 1: you know student. Look, it's a sun costs. It's a 371 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:31,320 Speaker 1: certain point too. You know, you're already within the system, 372 00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:33,159 Speaker 1: so you got a feel for not just them, I 373 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:35,560 Speaker 1: mean every young person out there who's having their life 374 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:37,840 Speaker 1: hobbled by this. It's not a way to live, and 375 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:40,040 Speaker 1: we don't. We shouldn't live this way. There's nothing to 376 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:42,080 Speaker 1: indicate that there's a lot of people who don't and 377 00:19:42,119 --> 00:19:45,480 Speaker 1: they're doing just fine. Okay, let's move on Twitter. This 378 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:49,040 Speaker 1: kind of I guess pairs very well. Marjorie Taylor Green 379 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:53,440 Speaker 1: an interesting character in her own right and suspended. That's 380 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:57,280 Speaker 1: the easiest way of putting it there. It's funny, gristle. 381 00:19:57,320 --> 00:19:59,400 Speaker 1: You know, we've had a consistent theme on the show 382 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:02,840 Speaker 1: of having to defend people who we cannot stand and 383 00:20:02,920 --> 00:20:06,000 Speaker 1: yet this is where I once again find myself. Let's 384 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:09,000 Speaker 1: put this up there on the screen. Twitter permanently suspended 385 00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:11,840 Speaker 1: Marjorie Taylor Green's account. The social media service of that 386 00:20:11,880 --> 00:20:15,880 Speaker 1: the Republican congresswoman had violated its policy on coronavirus misinformation. 387 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:20,199 Speaker 1: So specifically, Miss Green had been suspended after five separate 388 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:24,560 Speaker 1: strikes for posting what they say is quote misleading COVID 389 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:28,400 Speaker 1: nineteen misinformation policy. Now, I actually think it's very important 390 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:32,320 Speaker 1: in order to highlight that term misleading, not false information, 391 00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:35,760 Speaker 1: misleading information. Now. I don't know if you've spent any 392 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:39,200 Speaker 1: time on Twitter, pretty much everything is misleading. There's only 393 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:41,320 Speaker 1: two hundred and something characters that you're even allowed to 394 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:44,919 Speaker 1: tweet selective screenshots in morgo viral all the time, with 395 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:48,120 Speaker 1: fake news and fake information, I think we're probably better off, 396 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:50,359 Speaker 1: even though it's really annoying, in order to have that 397 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:53,399 Speaker 1: out there now. Specifically to what Miss Green tweeted, this 398 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:57,359 Speaker 1: specific tweet, the fifth tweet the violated their policy. She 399 00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:00,639 Speaker 1: said quote that there were extremely high amounts of COVID 400 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:05,080 Speaker 1: vaccine debts of high amounts of COVID vaccine debts, including 401 00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:09,200 Speaker 1: a quote chart that pulled from information on the government database, 402 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:13,080 Speaker 1: a vaccine Adverse Event Reporting system. Would I use the 403 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:18,560 Speaker 1: term extremely high amounts of COVID vaccine debts? No, However, 404 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:22,000 Speaker 1: she posted a chart from a government database. Now, for 405 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,560 Speaker 1: those who don't know, it's called the Ver's database. Vair's 406 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:27,439 Speaker 1: is all self reported. It's very difficult to know whether 407 00:21:27,560 --> 00:21:30,840 Speaker 1: it's real or not. You know, whether anybody can technically 408 00:21:30,840 --> 00:21:33,199 Speaker 1: do it. Some people look at it as gospel, some 409 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:35,600 Speaker 1: people look at it as only one percent or whatever 410 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 1: of all the vaccine debts. Regardless, it is a government database. 411 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:41,320 Speaker 1: And you know, I don't agree with what she said, 412 00:21:41,400 --> 00:21:43,440 Speaker 1: but at the end of the day, if you look 413 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:46,520 Speaker 1: at the actual strike itself, she posted a chart from 414 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:49,800 Speaker 1: a government website, Crystal and misinterpreting data is something that 415 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: happens on Twitter all the time. Ask any of these 416 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,280 Speaker 1: idiots who still believe in supply side economics. I see 417 00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:57,280 Speaker 1: it every day on my Twitter feed. And what really 418 00:21:57,359 --> 00:22:00,080 Speaker 1: pissed me off is that some of the things that 419 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:02,920 Speaker 1: she was given a strike for before that, this one 420 00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:07,679 Speaker 1: in particular, was whenever she said that COVID is not 421 00:22:07,960 --> 00:22:11,480 Speaker 1: dangerous unless you are obese or over the age of 422 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:15,600 Speaker 1: sixty five. That is an objectively true statement. Now, I'm 423 00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:19,560 Speaker 1: not saying that you can't still die or get hospitalized 424 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 1: whenever you're under the age of sixty five and not obese, 425 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:27,959 Speaker 1: but is extremely unlikely to the point where there are 426 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:30,200 Speaker 1: a lot of other common illnesses where you're a lot 427 00:22:30,280 --> 00:22:34,440 Speaker 1: more a lot more at risk. Four And so when 428 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:37,639 Speaker 1: you say quote not dangerous for people unless they're obese 429 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:41,119 Speaker 1: or over age sixty five, from both a directional and 430 00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:45,240 Speaker 1: objectively true way of talking, especially in terms of Twitter, 431 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:49,119 Speaker 1: that is correct. You know, the overall policy here is 432 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:52,159 Speaker 1: just leading a lot up to interpretation where if you 433 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:54,240 Speaker 1: want to set the standard, fine, but we all know 434 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:56,440 Speaker 1: then it's not going to be applied equally. I think 435 00:22:56,440 --> 00:23:00,399 Speaker 1: that's the big problem. Another one of her strikes fourth 436 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:03,840 Speaker 1: strike in August, was she posted that the vaccines were 437 00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:07,840 Speaker 1: quote failing. So and I don't know what the first Uh, yes, 438 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:11,959 Speaker 1: they don't talk, but listen, I mean, I think everything 439 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:14,160 Speaker 1: she's posting is misleading. I don't think there's any doubt 440 00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:16,840 Speaker 1: about that. More, if the point is number one, I 441 00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:20,000 Speaker 1: don't want a bunch of tech oligarchs interpreting public health information, 442 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:22,560 Speaker 1: which that we already know they've done incorrectly and been 443 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:25,919 Speaker 1: wrong about. We've seen throughout this pandemic. Even scientists were 444 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:28,560 Speaker 1: really well intentioned have gotten things wrong and had to 445 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:31,400 Speaker 1: adjust on the fly. So even when the people who 446 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:35,280 Speaker 1: are total experts and have dedicated their life to you know, 447 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:39,359 Speaker 1: understanding what's going on here are getting things wrong, you 448 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:42,320 Speaker 1: think that Twitter is going to be one hundred percent 449 00:23:42,600 --> 00:23:46,000 Speaker 1: on where things stand. Another issue here is like it 450 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:49,440 Speaker 1: or not public elected Marjorie Taylor Green. That's the real 451 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:51,959 Speaker 1: problem is that the public is electing people like Marjorie 452 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:54,400 Speaker 1: Taylor Green. And there's a whole reason that we talk 453 00:23:54,440 --> 00:23:56,840 Speaker 1: about a lot on the show why the country has 454 00:23:56,880 --> 00:24:00,159 Speaker 1: gotten to this place where morons like this, who are 455 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:03,359 Speaker 1: or wildly irresponsible are put in positions of power. You 456 00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:06,040 Speaker 1: are not going to solve that issue by just kicking 457 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:10,080 Speaker 1: them off of this platform. Furthermore, to your point, there 458 00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:14,119 Speaker 1: has been a lot of misleading misinformation spread by people 459 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 1: on the liberal side as well. Things that are you know, 460 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:19,679 Speaker 1: anti size. I mean, we talked about one just a 461 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:22,160 Speaker 1: minute ago, New York having this policy of like race 462 00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:25,639 Speaker 1: based discrimination, and there was a lot of discourse that 463 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:29,200 Speaker 1: seemed to indicate that people were more at risk from 464 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:33,200 Speaker 1: COVID just because of their race. That's not true. That 465 00:24:33,359 --> 00:24:36,160 Speaker 1: is misleading. What it really is to the underlying health 466 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:39,800 Speaker 1: conditions and factors, things like OBC, diabetes, your associate, what 467 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:42,199 Speaker 1: your job is, what your lifestyle is, all of those things. 468 00:24:42,680 --> 00:24:46,520 Speaker 1: But you don't ultimately see it applied in the same 469 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:51,840 Speaker 1: way because certain misinformation is comfortable for elites and certain 470 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:56,959 Speaker 1: misinformation is not. And so that's the other issue is listen, 471 00:24:57,080 --> 00:24:59,920 Speaker 1: I still wouldn't support it if it was applied even 472 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:02,840 Speaker 1: but at least then you'd say, Okay, well, I feel 473 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:05,080 Speaker 1: that you're doing this across the board, and at least 474 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:07,800 Speaker 1: there's some transparency about how this is going. But this 475 00:25:07,960 --> 00:25:11,960 Speaker 1: is just extremely selective. Again, I don't like Marjory Taylor Green, 476 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:14,440 Speaker 1: and I think she's very irresponsible, and I don't think 477 00:25:14,480 --> 00:25:16,240 Speaker 1: you should be listening to what she has to say 478 00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:20,440 Speaker 1: about COVID. But that is the reality of a democracy. 479 00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:22,959 Speaker 1: It's a free country. People who suck and people who 480 00:25:23,040 --> 00:25:26,160 Speaker 1: have bad takes and who put crappy information out there 481 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:29,040 Speaker 1: are still allowed to speak. And if we had a 482 00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:32,920 Speaker 1: healthy society, we would be able to evaluate these claims 483 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:34,920 Speaker 1: and have a discussion about it, and trying to push 484 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:37,719 Speaker 1: them out of the public square has not worked to 485 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:40,040 Speaker 1: move our country in a better direction. And these people 486 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:42,040 Speaker 1: should not be put in a position of power to 487 00:25:42,080 --> 00:25:44,000 Speaker 1: determine who gets to speak and who doesn't. And let 488 00:25:44,040 --> 00:25:45,879 Speaker 1: me give you the perfect example of why put this 489 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:49,040 Speaker 1: up there on the screen. The current COVID misinformation policy 490 00:25:49,040 --> 00:25:55,840 Speaker 1: from Twitter says that criticism of official regulations and restrictions, 491 00:25:56,359 --> 00:26:00,840 Speaker 1: even on the grounds of efficacy, are just pations for 492 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:05,040 Speaker 1: strikes and bands. Now when the CDC itself and doctor 493 00:26:05,080 --> 00:26:08,320 Speaker 1: Fauci admit that the official regulations and restrictions are not 494 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:10,680 Speaker 1: based in science, but are based upon what they think 495 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:13,320 Speaker 1: that the public can tolerate, and then you are not 496 00:26:13,359 --> 00:26:16,080 Speaker 1: even you're even banning the ability in order to criticize 497 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:20,879 Speaker 1: that on efficacy. Congratulations, you just created the grounds for 498 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:22,800 Speaker 1: a police state. I mean, I don't know what else 499 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:24,919 Speaker 1: you can describe it. In order to have it so 500 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:28,280 Speaker 1: that the people in charge who have outright admitted they 501 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:31,639 Speaker 1: are putting policy into effect which is not grounded in 502 00:26:31,640 --> 00:26:34,280 Speaker 1: the science, when actually grounded in terms of social and 503 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:36,640 Speaker 1: public engineering, and then make it so that you can't 504 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:40,199 Speaker 1: even question the underlying efficacy of whether these are in charge. 505 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:44,960 Speaker 1: Think Australia's COVID camps, for example, Then how can you 506 00:26:45,119 --> 00:26:48,679 Speaker 1: possibly say that you stand for anything but then serving 507 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:52,000 Speaker 1: as like an enforcement arm of the state. And you know, 508 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:54,840 Speaker 1: unfortunately all of this seems to be the case under 509 00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:57,600 Speaker 1: the new CEO of Twitter. Will remind you put this 510 00:26:57,720 --> 00:27:01,080 Speaker 1: up there with the new CEO, Paragagawa had previously said 511 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:03,920 Speaker 1: that their job is quote not to be bound by 512 00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:07,640 Speaker 1: the First Amendment, And every day we seem to see that, 513 00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:11,440 Speaker 1: you know, coming forward, we saw that idiotic policy about oh, 514 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:14,520 Speaker 1: we're going to remove stuff of people you know, who 515 00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:17,399 Speaker 1: have not consented to be allowed in the photo, I mean, 516 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,400 Speaker 1: which effectively destroys a lot of journalism and the ability 517 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:22,680 Speaker 1: for viral moments in order to go and we all 518 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:25,440 Speaker 1: know exactly which viral moments we're going to get taked down. 519 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:27,760 Speaker 1: The selective way in which all of this is being 520 00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:32,080 Speaker 1: applied is just really a dramatic, terrible way to have 521 00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:35,240 Speaker 1: a public, a free country, and to have any public 522 00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:38,479 Speaker 1: discourse whatsoever. And you know, Crystal, you had this idea 523 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:41,639 Speaker 1: to get this mash up of all these blue checks 524 00:27:42,040 --> 00:27:45,040 Speaker 1: celebrating this stuff. These are the people who are run stuff. 525 00:27:45,119 --> 00:27:48,080 Speaker 1: Put this up there on the screen, Lawrence Tribe. Marjorie 526 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:53,080 Speaker 1: Taylor Green suspended. Goodbye, good riddance do her official account next. 527 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:56,960 Speaker 1: To be clear, he's calling for her government issued Twitter account. 528 00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:00,800 Speaker 1: Marjorie Taylor green personal account has been suspended. A great 529 00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:04,560 Speaker 1: move by Twitter and a win for public health and truth. Okay, 530 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:08,359 Speaker 1: I'm glad Marjorie Taylor Green was banned from Twitter, but 531 00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:11,960 Speaker 1: she needs to be censored and expelled from the Congress 532 00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:15,200 Speaker 1: for the same reasons. Who agrees. These are the people 533 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:17,919 Speaker 1: who are in charge. They're celebrating this stuff. They're you know, 534 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:20,880 Speaker 1: the elite taste makers, and these are who Twitter are 535 00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:23,440 Speaker 1: responding to. You want to live in a country run 536 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:27,520 Speaker 1: by these people? Absolutely not. We can't have this. I look, 537 00:28:27,560 --> 00:28:30,040 Speaker 1: and I know there's a lot of hypocrisy Whenever left 538 00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:32,880 Speaker 1: people get banned, and you know, right, people don't speak up. 539 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:35,040 Speaker 1: I agree with you. We speak out about it all 540 00:28:35,080 --> 00:28:37,040 Speaker 1: the time here on the show, on every side, from 541 00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:40,600 Speaker 1: BDS people who have been silenced to also, Yes, Marjorie 542 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:43,000 Speaker 1: Taylor Green, that's how it has to be. There's no 543 00:28:43,080 --> 00:28:45,600 Speaker 1: other way. Yeah, yeah, that's right. And I'm thinking this 544 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:49,080 Speaker 1: through too. I mean, you can easily see because sometimes 545 00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:52,080 Speaker 1: people like myself are very critical of big pharmah yeah, 546 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:54,160 Speaker 1: and very critical of the fact that there's you know, 547 00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:57,760 Speaker 1: profit at the center of all of their decision making 548 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:01,360 Speaker 1: can get branded as anti vax. I mean, you guys know, 549 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:04,800 Speaker 1: I'm like the polar opposite of anti vax. I'm encouraging, 550 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 1: I ready to get your vaccinations in this show, I 551 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:09,600 Speaker 1: myself a vaccine and I'm boosted my kids are vaccinate. Whatever. 552 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:14,320 Speaker 1: But the questioning even of the motive of big pharma 553 00:29:14,680 --> 00:29:18,320 Speaker 1: is enough, exactly in some liberal circles to get you 554 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:22,640 Speaker 1: branded as anti vacs. You could easily see that type 555 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:27,080 Speaker 1: of just accurate discourse of what their motives are becoming 556 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:31,240 Speaker 1: problematic in a space like Twitter, and then having in 557 00:29:31,240 --> 00:29:34,560 Speaker 1: the power to ban you just from questioning the wonderful 558 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:38,240 Speaker 1: motives of the big pharma giants or tech giants for 559 00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:41,200 Speaker 1: that matter. So this stuff doesn't stay just in the 560 00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 1: lane where you might want it or feel comfortable. I mean, listen, 561 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:45,720 Speaker 1: we both said a million times it's been nice having 562 00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:48,840 Speaker 1: Donald Trump off of Twitter. That doesn't mean that it 563 00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:51,800 Speaker 1: was ultimately the right decision and the same thing here. Yeah, 564 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:54,160 Speaker 1: maybe it feels a little nicer on Twitter to have 565 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,720 Speaker 1: Marjorie Taylor green band. That does not ultimately mean that 566 00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:00,320 Speaker 1: it was the right decision and, in the grand scheme 567 00:30:00,320 --> 00:30:03,040 Speaker 1: of things, the right direction for our democracy to go in. 568 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:09,720 Speaker 1: All right, We wanted to highlight this because obviously inflation 569 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:12,240 Speaker 1: is on the minds of everybody. This is literally the 570 00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:16,200 Speaker 1: number one concern of majority of Americans. Huge issue has 571 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:18,840 Speaker 1: spiked significantly, and there have been a lot of really 572 00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:22,840 Speaker 1: bad takes and analysis or very selective takes an analysis 573 00:30:23,040 --> 00:30:28,360 Speaker 1: of what exactly is driving that inflation. Larry Summers, who 574 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:32,040 Speaker 1: has been honestly one of the worst actors in economics 575 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:38,600 Speaker 1: for decades, had particularly aggressive take about what he said 576 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:42,320 Speaker 1: was not driving inflation, and he I'll get to those 577 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:44,720 Speaker 1: tweets in a minute, but he sort of aggressively said, 578 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:47,920 Speaker 1: it is one hundred percent not monopoly pricing power. It 579 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:51,000 Speaker 1: is not corporations just jacking up their prices because they 580 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:53,880 Speaker 1: can and using the cover of inflation. Of course, our 581 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:57,840 Speaker 1: great friend Matt Stoller had to break that completely down 582 00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:01,440 Speaker 1: and expel the dispel them that Larry Summers spreading mail. 583 00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:03,520 Speaker 1: Let's go ahead and put Matt sellars sweet up on 584 00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:07,880 Speaker 1: the screen. So he shows here the corporate profit increase 585 00:31:07,960 --> 00:31:10,600 Speaker 1: from twenty nineteen to twenty twenty one, from one trillion 586 00:31:10,640 --> 00:31:14,000 Speaker 1: to one point seven trillion. That's twenty one hundred dollars 587 00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:17,560 Speaker 1: per American. Yes, you pay more than two thousand dollars 588 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:20,320 Speaker 1: a year for everything than you did before the pandemic, 589 00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:25,120 Speaker 1: purely because corporate profits have gone up that much. So 590 00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:28,480 Speaker 1: this is really really important to note. Okay, at the 591 00:31:28,520 --> 00:31:31,960 Speaker 1: same time that we're being told that these corporations are 592 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:35,840 Speaker 1: under such price pressure from inputs from labor that they're 593 00:31:35,880 --> 00:31:39,880 Speaker 1: just forced to increase prices, their profits are going through 594 00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:44,400 Speaker 1: the roof, especially large corporations. Well, those two things don't square. 595 00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:48,400 Speaker 1: If you have these massive profit margins, then the price 596 00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:52,080 Speaker 1: increase can't all be attributed to just your costs have increased, 597 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:54,200 Speaker 1: because then you wouldn't see any profit increase at all. 598 00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:57,880 Speaker 1: You may even see a profit decrease ultimately in that scenario. 599 00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:01,920 Speaker 1: Matt wrote an entire post breaking down these numbers, and 600 00:32:01,960 --> 00:32:06,520 Speaker 1: it's quite revealing because the other pieces corporations in Wall Street, 601 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:09,440 Speaker 1: they're not even denying that this is the yea, they 602 00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:12,120 Speaker 1: admit this is true. There have been a number of 603 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:14,520 Speaker 1: you know, these quarterly earnings calls where they talk to 604 00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:18,600 Speaker 1: their investors and reporters and whatever, where they are admitting 605 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,960 Speaker 1: that they have been able to lift prices even beyond 606 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:26,280 Speaker 1: what would have been demanded by inflation, using inflation as 607 00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:29,880 Speaker 1: a cover story. And Wall Street has also that, you know, 608 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:32,840 Speaker 1: bankers who are analyzed and stop, they have been looking 609 00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:37,040 Speaker 1: for the same thing, companies that have pricing power so 610 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:41,000 Speaker 1: that they can go even beyond what inflation is demanding 611 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:43,680 Speaker 1: that they do. Matt did some sort of back of 612 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:47,480 Speaker 1: the envelope type calculations and found that in fact, somewhere 613 00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:51,800 Speaker 1: around sixty percent of the increase in inflation over what 614 00:32:51,840 --> 00:32:57,760 Speaker 1: it normally is is attributable to corporate profits, corporations using 615 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:01,240 Speaker 1: the excuse of inflation to jack up prices and to 616 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:04,640 Speaker 1: hurt you. By the way, there was also, and I 617 00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:07,520 Speaker 1: hadn't seen this, He writes, that there was a set 618 00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:10,320 Speaker 1: of data that came from Digital dot Com. It's a 619 00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:14,720 Speaker 1: survey research firm. They asked retail businesses about inflation. A 620 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:19,320 Speaker 1: majority fifty six percent of retailers toll Digital dot Com 621 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:22,960 Speaker 1: inflation has given them the ability to raise prices beyond 622 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:28,560 Speaker 1: what's required to offset higher gosts. And also, unsurprisingly, those 623 00:33:28,640 --> 00:33:33,200 Speaker 1: price hikes are concentrated among large retailers. Sixty three percent 624 00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:36,920 Speaker 1: of large firms have used inflation to as an excuse 625 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:39,440 Speaker 1: to jack up prices. That's as opposed to fifty two 626 00:33:39,480 --> 00:33:42,960 Speaker 1: percent of small and medium sized businesses. And the price 627 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:46,480 Speaker 1: increases from those large enterprises are much much more. They 628 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:49,640 Speaker 1: have jacked up prices fifty percent or more compared to 629 00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:53,240 Speaker 1: six percent for small and medium sized enterprises. All that 630 00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:58,040 Speaker 1: means is that if you have monopoly market power in 631 00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:01,320 Speaker 1: a particular segment of the econ me, you look around, 632 00:34:01,480 --> 00:34:03,560 Speaker 1: you see all this inflation discourse, and you say, you 633 00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:05,760 Speaker 1: know what, I can get away with it. Consumers are 634 00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:08,359 Speaker 1: expecting prices to increase. I can get away with it, 635 00:34:08,640 --> 00:34:11,239 Speaker 1: and that is undeniable. Looking at the numbers here, Just 636 00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:13,400 Speaker 1: to again show you what Larry Summers was saying all 637 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:15,759 Speaker 1: about this that Matt thoroughly debunked. Let's go ahead and 638 00:34:15,760 --> 00:34:18,720 Speaker 1: put Larry's first tweet on the screen here. He says, 639 00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:24,240 Speaker 1: the emerging claim that antitrust can combat inflation reflects quite 640 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:28,960 Speaker 1: quote science denial, which is a very interesting use of terms. 641 00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:31,640 Speaker 1: There there are many areas like transitory inflation. Where serious 642 00:34:31,640 --> 00:34:35,600 Speaker 1: economists differ antitrust as an anti inflation strategy is not 643 00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:40,480 Speaker 1: one of them. That's very untrue. Next tweet from Larry Summers, 644 00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:43,440 Speaker 1: he says monopoly may lead to high prices, but there 645 00:34:43,520 --> 00:34:45,640 Speaker 1: is no reason to expect it to lead to rising 646 00:34:45,719 --> 00:34:48,520 Speaker 1: prices unless it is increasing. There is no basis whatsoever 647 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:51,640 Speaker 1: thinking that monopoly power has increased during the past year 648 00:34:51,680 --> 00:34:55,000 Speaker 1: and which inflation has greatly accelerated. So his argument is, look, 649 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:58,600 Speaker 1: monopoly power hasn't gotten worse, so why would price gouging 650 00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:03,160 Speaker 1: get worse. Exposes here that since they have the excuse 651 00:35:03,239 --> 00:35:05,600 Speaker 1: of inflation, they can get away with it because the 652 00:35:05,719 --> 00:35:10,200 Speaker 1: only check on them ultimately is consumer outrage and potentially 653 00:35:10,239 --> 00:35:13,400 Speaker 1: you know, government calling them out and government outrage. And 654 00:35:13,719 --> 00:35:16,000 Speaker 1: since they have this excuse of inflation to run with, 655 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:17,520 Speaker 1: they're able to get away with it. That's the problem 656 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:19,000 Speaker 1: that we have right now is we have an inept 657 00:35:19,000 --> 00:35:21,320 Speaker 1: government with no trust from the public. The public doesn't 658 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:24,680 Speaker 1: feel like Biden's doing anything about inflation. Also, because he's 659 00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:27,120 Speaker 1: not addressing both sides of the equation. He wants to 660 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:29,640 Speaker 1: try and blame it all on corporations. Look, it's about 661 00:35:29,680 --> 00:35:31,719 Speaker 1: sixty percent. By the way, I wish he would I 662 00:35:31,719 --> 00:35:33,560 Speaker 1: have heard. I mean, he's barely said any they did 663 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:36,399 Speaker 1: that one thing from the podium I found like some 664 00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:38,839 Speaker 1: one statement about it. That's right, that's the one thing 665 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:40,960 Speaker 1: that he did. But he's not also even addressing the 666 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:42,719 Speaker 1: other part. And that's all we're trying to present to 667 00:35:42,719 --> 00:35:44,759 Speaker 1: you is this is a very complicated story, which is 668 00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:48,760 Speaker 1: that it's incredibly multifaceted and some huge confluence of events. 669 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:51,880 Speaker 1: And if you believe, as I think we do, and 670 00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:56,200 Speaker 1: most people should, that big corporations will use anything as 671 00:35:56,200 --> 00:35:59,080 Speaker 1: an excuse in order to screw you over to the 672 00:35:59,080 --> 00:36:01,560 Speaker 1: their shareholders in order to make more money for themselves, 673 00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:05,600 Speaker 1: that is absolutely part of the story. You can even believe, 674 00:36:05,800 --> 00:36:08,440 Speaker 1: I believe incorrectly that government spending might have caused that, 675 00:36:08,640 --> 00:36:11,279 Speaker 1: But you can't look at that chart and deny this. 676 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:14,080 Speaker 1: This is government data. Not just government data. This is 677 00:36:14,239 --> 00:36:19,160 Speaker 1: self reported, aggregated data from the corporations themselves about their marget. 678 00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:21,360 Speaker 1: They're telling you how much money they make. They're like, 679 00:36:21,400 --> 00:36:23,920 Speaker 1: here it is, this is exactly how much profit and 680 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:26,960 Speaker 1: loss profit actor taxes. Even. This is what it looks like, 681 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:30,080 Speaker 1: and it's up by you know, billions and billions of dollars, 682 00:36:30,080 --> 00:36:32,320 Speaker 1: and so when you look at that, you can understand 683 00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:35,720 Speaker 1: very clearly too from that data from the self reported study, 684 00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:38,279 Speaker 1: the small businesses are not the ones who are doing 685 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:40,560 Speaker 1: this by and large. In fact, they're probably the ones 686 00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:43,920 Speaker 1: being screwed most by the supply chain crisis. It's the 687 00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:47,560 Speaker 1: people who have the economies of scale who probably could 688 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:50,680 Speaker 1: survive some sort of supply crunch, and yes, pass on 689 00:36:50,719 --> 00:36:54,040 Speaker 1: some of that to the consumer, who are then tackling 690 00:36:54,120 --> 00:36:57,240 Speaker 1: onto that in increase in price. And here's the worst part. 691 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:01,440 Speaker 1: Nobody's getting paid more. It's not like they're increasing wages. 692 00:37:01,840 --> 00:37:04,480 Speaker 1: You know, they're not increasing wages, or even if they are, 693 00:37:04,520 --> 00:37:06,920 Speaker 1: they're being drag their kicking and screaming as we're going 694 00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:09,799 Speaker 1: to be talked with our guests from Starbucks. They're making 695 00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:14,320 Speaker 1: record profits, they're certainly not increasing wages enough to offset 696 00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:18,879 Speaker 1: the impact that inflation, right exactly. And that's where really 697 00:37:18,920 --> 00:37:21,560 Speaker 1: this becomes such a big problem because we have seen 698 00:37:21,600 --> 00:37:25,320 Speaker 1: some wage increases, but they're being eaten and more by inflation. 699 00:37:25,480 --> 00:37:28,919 Speaker 1: So ultimately people majority of people end up worse off 700 00:37:28,960 --> 00:37:31,640 Speaker 1: because of the increase of costs. Here the reason this 701 00:37:31,760 --> 00:37:35,040 Speaker 1: is important is because even if you accept that part, 702 00:37:35,080 --> 00:37:37,000 Speaker 1: and I think that this is true, that part of 703 00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:41,160 Speaker 1: why you have inflation is because people, because of the 704 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:43,839 Speaker 1: pandemic relief programs, had a little bit more money in 705 00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:47,560 Speaker 1: their pockets. What you choose to focus on and what 706 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:50,759 Speaker 1: you choose to ignore determines what your response will be. 707 00:37:50,800 --> 00:37:53,200 Speaker 1: So if you pin it all on, well, people got 708 00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:55,279 Speaker 1: more money in their bank accounts, so we got to 709 00:37:55,320 --> 00:37:57,640 Speaker 1: deal with that, Well, what's the response to that, Then 710 00:37:57,760 --> 00:38:00,719 Speaker 1: it's well, we got to have austere. We got to 711 00:38:00,719 --> 00:38:02,680 Speaker 1: cut these problems. We've got to make sure people are 712 00:38:02,719 --> 00:38:06,399 Speaker 1: worse off so that they can spend less money. That's 713 00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:09,640 Speaker 1: the solution that he's advocated for. People like Larry Summers, 714 00:38:09,640 --> 00:38:12,759 Speaker 1: and there are many others like him are advocating for. Well, 715 00:38:12,800 --> 00:38:15,800 Speaker 1: if we just focus on the spending, the government spending side, 716 00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:17,640 Speaker 1: then we need to pull back them and make sure 717 00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:21,200 Speaker 1: people are worse off so that they cannot spend. What 718 00:38:21,239 --> 00:38:23,520 Speaker 1: I'm saying is we need to focus on you know, 719 00:38:23,719 --> 00:38:27,320 Speaker 1: corporations are doing just fine. Focus on that side. Focus 720 00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:29,319 Speaker 1: on the part that Matt Stellar focuses on that they 721 00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:31,960 Speaker 1: have way too much power and allows them to manipulate 722 00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:34,160 Speaker 1: and take in this is not a free market. This 723 00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:36,680 Speaker 1: is not anything like you know what people who do 724 00:38:36,760 --> 00:38:39,640 Speaker 1: believe in capitalism what they would want to see in 725 00:38:39,719 --> 00:38:41,880 Speaker 1: terms of a free market. They have all of this 726 00:38:42,040 --> 00:38:45,759 Speaker 1: pricing power. Go after that, and yeah, try to deal 727 00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:48,399 Speaker 1: with some of the supply shocks in the supply chain 728 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:50,600 Speaker 1: issues as well, which Biden has done sort of like 729 00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:53,560 Speaker 1: a fumbling in a neft. Try to deal with But 730 00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:57,480 Speaker 1: the problem is not that people have actual money and 731 00:38:57,520 --> 00:38:59,960 Speaker 1: are doing a little bit better thanks to the like, 732 00:39:00,160 --> 00:39:02,480 Speaker 1: you know, six hundred dollars checks that they got. It's 733 00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:05,040 Speaker 1: actually fizzling out. We see that consistently. Yeah, that they're 734 00:39:05,080 --> 00:39:08,440 Speaker 1: spending down and depleting their bank accounts. People feel like 735 00:39:08,600 --> 00:39:12,120 Speaker 1: the largest percentage member we track this says that they 736 00:39:12,239 --> 00:39:15,480 Speaker 1: expect things to get worse for them economically. So we're 737 00:39:15,520 --> 00:39:17,840 Speaker 1: actually at this place where people are getting backed up 738 00:39:17,840 --> 00:39:21,280 Speaker 1: against the wall again, and you know, people like Larry Summers, 739 00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:23,520 Speaker 1: they want to further pull the rug out from under them. 740 00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:26,520 Speaker 1: Rather than turning around to these corporations and saying, hey, 741 00:39:26,600 --> 00:39:29,880 Speaker 1: you guys are making record breaking profits. What's going on here? 742 00:39:30,120 --> 00:39:32,080 Speaker 1: This is not all you're just oa we have to 743 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:35,000 Speaker 1: pass on the cost of consumers. It's a bunch of bullshit. Yeah, 744 00:39:35,719 --> 00:39:37,000 Speaker 1: all right. We do have a little bit of good 745 00:39:37,000 --> 00:39:38,560 Speaker 1: news that we wanted to make sure we got into 746 00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:40,120 Speaker 1: the show, which is that there are a lot of 747 00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:43,040 Speaker 1: places around the country that are going to have minimum 748 00:39:43,040 --> 00:39:45,400 Speaker 1: wage increase even though they weren't able to get it 749 00:39:45,400 --> 00:39:48,600 Speaker 1: done at the federal level. Let's put this AXIOS information 750 00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:51,160 Speaker 1: up on the screen. Here's tear sheet record number of 751 00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:54,560 Speaker 1: minimum wage increases set for twenty twenty two. They cite 752 00:39:54,560 --> 00:39:57,080 Speaker 1: a report from the National Employment Law Project that found 753 00:39:57,080 --> 00:40:00,440 Speaker 1: that twenty five states and fifty six municipality are going 754 00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:02,960 Speaker 1: to raise their minimum wages by the end of twenty 755 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:06,360 Speaker 1: twenty two. In a lot of areas, that wage floor 756 00:40:06,480 --> 00:40:09,800 Speaker 1: is going to meet or exceed fifteen dollars per hour. 757 00:40:10,560 --> 00:40:13,719 Speaker 1: They have more information here. Forty seven cities and counties 758 00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:15,480 Speaker 1: by the end of this year are going to have 759 00:40:15,520 --> 00:40:18,680 Speaker 1: wages that meet or exceed fifteen dollars per hour. That 760 00:40:18,719 --> 00:40:22,879 Speaker 1: includes DC, includes eleven different California localities where fifteen dollars 761 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:25,880 Speaker 1: minimum wage has already been met and further wage increases 762 00:40:25,880 --> 00:40:29,359 Speaker 1: to encount for inflation are expected. There are ten new 763 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:32,640 Speaker 1: states with laws in place looking to reach minimum wage 764 00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:35,239 Speaker 1: of fifteen dollars or more by specific amount of time. 765 00:40:35,680 --> 00:40:38,960 Speaker 1: So a lot of progress here. On the flip side, 766 00:40:39,000 --> 00:40:41,360 Speaker 1: there are still twenty states that have not raised the 767 00:40:41,360 --> 00:40:43,840 Speaker 1: minimum wage below the federal floor, which is seven to 768 00:40:43,880 --> 00:40:47,359 Speaker 1: twenty five an hour, which is pathetic, which has been 769 00:40:47,400 --> 00:40:49,520 Speaker 1: stuck at that level since two thousand and nine, which 770 00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:52,279 Speaker 1: is the longest time in the history of the program 771 00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:55,959 Speaker 1: of minimum wage that has gone without an increase, which 772 00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:58,319 Speaker 1: is pathetic. But at least some states and localities are 773 00:40:58,320 --> 00:41:00,319 Speaker 1: trying to make up for it on their own term. Yeah, 774 00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:01,920 Speaker 1: we want to try and highlight this. I mean, it's 775 00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:05,399 Speaker 1: always good news whenever we see that. And yes, I'm 776 00:41:05,840 --> 00:41:09,319 Speaker 1: not going to lie. With the price of goods increasing, 777 00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:11,520 Speaker 1: some of it's going to be negated, but at least 778 00:41:11,520 --> 00:41:14,520 Speaker 1: take home pay, we'll keep pace at least somewhat. Let's 779 00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:17,040 Speaker 1: also put this up there from the Washington Post. Really 780 00:41:17,080 --> 00:41:21,640 Speaker 1: interesting piece about the unusual, most unusual job market in 781 00:41:21,760 --> 00:41:25,240 Speaker 1: modern American history, and some of the key takeaways there 782 00:41:25,320 --> 00:41:28,600 Speaker 1: are that demand for workers right now has recovered, but 783 00:41:29,120 --> 00:41:32,719 Speaker 1: the number of willing workers has not. And we've consistently 784 00:41:32,800 --> 00:41:34,360 Speaker 1: pointed this out. There's a lot of reasons for this, 785 00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:37,360 Speaker 1: some people have left the workforce, some who are older 786 00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:40,040 Speaker 1: on the older side of the spectrum. Some people decided 787 00:41:40,080 --> 00:41:42,520 Speaker 1: that they like spending time more with their kids, so 788 00:41:42,560 --> 00:41:44,480 Speaker 1: they just simply don't want to go back to work. 789 00:41:44,600 --> 00:41:47,160 Speaker 1: And some people also cannot find a job in their 790 00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:50,640 Speaker 1: desired category and don't necessarily want to go back to 791 00:41:50,680 --> 00:41:53,160 Speaker 1: the type of employment that they were doing before. So 792 00:41:53,200 --> 00:41:56,680 Speaker 1: that's pretty interesting. But the other thing is that it 793 00:41:56,760 --> 00:42:00,879 Speaker 1: is still one of the fastest and slowest recoveries. At 794 00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:04,439 Speaker 1: the same time, it's the fastest return for the unemployment rate, 795 00:42:04,719 --> 00:42:09,759 Speaker 1: but the slowest return in modern history for labor force participation. 796 00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:11,520 Speaker 1: And I think that we have to try and keep 797 00:42:11,520 --> 00:42:13,560 Speaker 1: coming back to this, which is that there's a lot 798 00:42:13,600 --> 00:42:15,919 Speaker 1: of reasons, Crystal that people just aren't going back to work, 799 00:42:16,120 --> 00:42:18,479 Speaker 1: and some of them are good if you value those, 800 00:42:18,520 --> 00:42:21,080 Speaker 1: like we're saying spending time more with the children. Also, 801 00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:23,440 Speaker 1: you know, with all the school disruptions that you tell 802 00:42:23,480 --> 00:42:25,359 Speaker 1: me about, I think it's pretty crazy that you even 803 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:27,600 Speaker 1: get to come in all the time. I don't know 804 00:42:27,600 --> 00:42:30,560 Speaker 1: how that worked, right, So this is the beating itself 805 00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:34,000 Speaker 1: on a level all across the entire country. There's a 806 00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:36,200 Speaker 1: lot of people who have to deal with the same thing. 807 00:42:36,400 --> 00:42:39,680 Speaker 1: A lot of people said, hey, driving for Uber really sucks. 808 00:42:39,880 --> 00:42:42,880 Speaker 1: Hey working you know, you know you always pointed as 809 00:42:42,880 --> 00:42:45,080 Speaker 1: in nursing homes. Are these you know those workers got 810 00:42:45,200 --> 00:42:46,920 Speaker 1: hammered and they're like, you know, what'screw this? I'm not 811 00:42:46,960 --> 00:42:48,759 Speaker 1: doing this anymore. Yeah, there's a lot of jobs like 812 00:42:48,760 --> 00:42:51,640 Speaker 1: that across the whole country. The burnout is very real, 813 00:42:52,320 --> 00:42:54,720 Speaker 1: and it is making it so that we have both 814 00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:58,520 Speaker 1: the fastest recovery in terms of the actual unemployment rate. 815 00:42:58,800 --> 00:43:00,840 Speaker 1: And this is what the Biden people never seem to understand. 816 00:43:00,840 --> 00:43:03,000 Speaker 1: They're like, we have one of the best economies in history. 817 00:43:03,600 --> 00:43:07,480 Speaker 1: People are still dislodged. They feel upset. Nothing is normal, 818 00:43:07,600 --> 00:43:11,719 Speaker 1: nothing is real school clothes on a CDC. They change 819 00:43:11,719 --> 00:43:13,879 Speaker 1: the recommendation every other day, and then they admit some 820 00:43:13,960 --> 00:43:16,560 Speaker 1: fake reason as to why they're doing so. Nothing is 821 00:43:16,640 --> 00:43:19,839 Speaker 1: yet back to the way where people want it to be. 822 00:43:19,920 --> 00:43:22,960 Speaker 1: They don't feel like they personally are going in the 823 00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:25,839 Speaker 1: right direction. There's a lot of different reasons for that, 824 00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:29,040 Speaker 1: and exactly whether you can even solve that is a 825 00:43:29,200 --> 00:43:32,840 Speaker 1: very very difficult, you know thing. But the one piece 826 00:43:32,840 --> 00:43:35,760 Speaker 1: of good news within this has been the Blue collar 827 00:43:35,840 --> 00:43:39,560 Speaker 1: great resignation with the ability of blue collar workers across 828 00:43:39,560 --> 00:43:42,480 Speaker 1: this country to quit basically as they see fit and 829 00:43:42,600 --> 00:43:45,360 Speaker 1: immediately seek appointment for a higher wage, usually in the 830 00:43:45,360 --> 00:43:47,479 Speaker 1: same town. Now the wage is still in high enough, 831 00:43:47,640 --> 00:43:49,920 Speaker 1: it should be a lot higher, But that is one 832 00:43:50,000 --> 00:43:51,839 Speaker 1: good thing I think this company. Yeah, I mean, there's 833 00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:55,560 Speaker 1: a mix here of One of the most interesting charts 834 00:43:55,560 --> 00:43:58,200 Speaker 1: in this is they look at why people are saying 835 00:43:58,200 --> 00:44:01,000 Speaker 1: that they left their jobs, and there seems to be 836 00:44:01,040 --> 00:44:03,759 Speaker 1: a mix of some things that are affirmative choices where 837 00:44:03,760 --> 00:44:06,160 Speaker 1: people reevaluated, And this is the part that I think 838 00:44:06,239 --> 00:44:10,840 Speaker 1: is so encouraging people basically reevaluating what really counts in 839 00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:14,439 Speaker 1: their lives and having a little bit of market power 840 00:44:14,480 --> 00:44:16,319 Speaker 1: be able to stand up for themselves and say, I'm 841 00:44:16,320 --> 00:44:19,920 Speaker 1: not working the shitty, low paid jobs where I'm disrespected 842 00:44:19,920 --> 00:44:21,880 Speaker 1: and treat as less than human anymore. I'm just not 843 00:44:21,960 --> 00:44:24,560 Speaker 1: going to do that. And you know, and in some 844 00:44:24,719 --> 00:44:28,360 Speaker 1: cases they were sort of forced into that reassessment because 845 00:44:28,360 --> 00:44:30,520 Speaker 1: so many people were laid off at the beginning of 846 00:44:30,560 --> 00:44:33,040 Speaker 1: the pandemic, and so you didn't have a choice of 847 00:44:33,160 --> 00:44:35,520 Speaker 1: saying it that shitty, low paid job, and you had 848 00:44:35,560 --> 00:44:39,640 Speaker 1: to reevaluate so some of it is choice and affirmative 849 00:44:39,680 --> 00:44:42,719 Speaker 1: and that's really positive. Some of it seems to not 850 00:44:42,880 --> 00:44:46,080 Speaker 1: be choiced. So for some people, some people are really 851 00:44:46,080 --> 00:44:48,960 Speaker 1: still worried about getting sick and worried about you know, 852 00:44:49,040 --> 00:44:51,480 Speaker 1: caring for people in their life who have gotten sick 853 00:44:51,520 --> 00:44:55,279 Speaker 1: from COVID. Some people are struggling to find childcare. This 854 00:44:55,360 --> 00:44:58,600 Speaker 1: is another issue of childcare has become you know, way 855 00:44:58,640 --> 00:45:01,759 Speaker 1: more expensive. It's all so one of the industries that's 856 00:45:01,800 --> 00:45:05,600 Speaker 1: been hard hit by with those workers in that industry 857 00:45:05,640 --> 00:45:07,080 Speaker 1: are very low paid. So this is one of the 858 00:45:07,160 --> 00:45:10,560 Speaker 1: areas where there's been huge turnover and childcare facilities having 859 00:45:10,600 --> 00:45:13,439 Speaker 1: trouble finding workers at the wage that they're paying, which 860 00:45:13,440 --> 00:45:16,000 Speaker 1: would indicate that the government should get involved and help 861 00:45:16,040 --> 00:45:19,040 Speaker 1: to subsidize those wages so that there are wildly you know, 862 00:45:19,120 --> 00:45:22,600 Speaker 1: more available and affordable childcare, so that people who want 863 00:45:22,640 --> 00:45:25,680 Speaker 1: to work and are struggling to find affordable childcare would 864 00:45:25,719 --> 00:45:27,759 Speaker 1: be able to do it. There are some people who 865 00:45:27,840 --> 00:45:30,640 Speaker 1: just say I don't want to work, you know, that 866 00:45:30,680 --> 00:45:33,960 Speaker 1: could be a sort of life assessment thing. So there's 867 00:45:34,000 --> 00:45:37,800 Speaker 1: a real interesting mix back here. The number one reason though, 868 00:45:38,120 --> 00:45:41,960 Speaker 1: thirty eight percent of those who aren't working cited retirement. 869 00:45:42,200 --> 00:45:45,360 Speaker 1: There were so many early retirements of people who just 870 00:45:45,440 --> 00:45:48,439 Speaker 1: during the pandemic, they said, you know what, we're done here. 871 00:45:48,560 --> 00:45:51,880 Speaker 1: I'm not going back. I'm you know, at a point 872 00:45:52,080 --> 00:45:54,080 Speaker 1: where I can make it work. I'm going to make 873 00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:56,440 Speaker 1: it work. I'm just leaving. And that's kind of the 874 00:45:56,520 --> 00:45:59,359 Speaker 1: largest percent of ultimately what we see going on here. 875 00:45:59,360 --> 00:46:01,680 Speaker 1: And of course we see the way that people are 876 00:46:01,719 --> 00:46:05,960 Speaker 1: reorienting their relationship to the workplace in many, many different ways. 877 00:46:06,000 --> 00:46:08,799 Speaker 1: We're going to talk to these two Starbucks workers who 878 00:46:08,840 --> 00:46:11,600 Speaker 1: are part of the successful union drive up in Buffalo. 879 00:46:11,719 --> 00:46:15,480 Speaker 1: We see more Starbucks filing for union elections across the country. 880 00:46:15,520 --> 00:46:18,280 Speaker 1: It seems to have been that sort of domino effect 881 00:46:18,280 --> 00:46:20,960 Speaker 1: that the Starbucks executives most feared and that the Amazon 882 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:24,440 Speaker 1: executives also really feared. With regards to Bessemer, We've of 883 00:46:24,480 --> 00:46:28,480 Speaker 1: course tracked the strike waves, We've tracked the great resignation. 884 00:46:28,840 --> 00:46:32,759 Speaker 1: We've tracked the workers at fast food places that you know, 885 00:46:32,840 --> 00:46:35,160 Speaker 1: they just have a mass while they're just done, they 886 00:46:35,360 --> 00:46:36,880 Speaker 1: like lock up the door and put a little note 887 00:46:36,960 --> 00:46:38,399 Speaker 1: on the door and say we're done here, We're going 888 00:46:38,400 --> 00:46:42,759 Speaker 1: somewhere else. So there's clearly a major reorientation that is 889 00:46:42,800 --> 00:46:45,680 Speaker 1: happening here that you know, it's possible, possible that it 890 00:46:45,719 --> 00:46:48,080 Speaker 1: really shakes out for the better. Right now, those wage 891 00:46:48,120 --> 00:46:51,000 Speaker 1: gains are being eaten by inflation, but the hope is 892 00:46:51,560 --> 00:46:54,719 Speaker 1: that the wage gains persist and that the prices were 893 00:46:54,760 --> 00:46:57,160 Speaker 1: turned back to normal. So we'll see. It's something we 894 00:46:57,400 --> 00:47:00,000 Speaker 1: certainly will be tracking very very closely all this year. 895 00:47:00,160 --> 00:47:02,319 Speaker 1: There's a high level of discontent. I don't think that's 896 00:47:02,400 --> 00:47:04,680 Speaker 1: going away anytime soon. I don't think any election is 897 00:47:04,680 --> 00:47:08,000 Speaker 1: going to solve that. But from discontent often is born 898 00:47:08,200 --> 00:47:11,640 Speaker 1: new choices, reevaluations, and more so, I hope that we 899 00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:13,680 Speaker 1: can come out on the other side of this thing. Indeed, 900 00:47:13,680 --> 00:47:16,840 Speaker 1: all right, let's move on to Epstein. Okay, you know, 901 00:47:16,960 --> 00:47:19,640 Speaker 1: really I was wiping away a tear there for Glene Maxwell, 902 00:47:20,920 --> 00:47:23,840 Speaker 1: just kidding, really felt for her. She was convicted on 903 00:47:24,120 --> 00:47:26,959 Speaker 1: all but one count in her trial. But this isn't 904 00:47:27,000 --> 00:47:30,640 Speaker 1: really about her actual conviction. It's more about we didn't 905 00:47:30,680 --> 00:47:33,279 Speaker 1: learn all that much from this trial. She never took 906 00:47:33,280 --> 00:47:35,600 Speaker 1: the stand. In terms of the government evidence. These were 907 00:47:35,600 --> 00:47:38,239 Speaker 1: crimes committed in the early two thousand and even in 908 00:47:38,320 --> 00:47:42,120 Speaker 1: the nineteen nineties. They very narrowly focused on sex trafficking 909 00:47:42,200 --> 00:47:46,480 Speaker 1: allegations against miss Maxwell, But we didn't really learn a 910 00:47:46,520 --> 00:47:49,239 Speaker 1: whole lot about Jeffrey Epstein, about the power elite, about 911 00:47:49,239 --> 00:47:52,640 Speaker 1: the people they associated with, about potential blackmail, about videotapes, 912 00:47:52,880 --> 00:47:55,719 Speaker 1: about all of the information that the FBI possesses, and 913 00:47:55,760 --> 00:47:58,279 Speaker 1: in some ways, Crystal, this is the perfect little bow 914 00:47:58,320 --> 00:48:01,440 Speaker 1: tie ending that the FEDS could ever for. Glene Maxwell 915 00:48:01,480 --> 00:48:04,520 Speaker 1: is going to jail. Yes, However, nothing was revealed in 916 00:48:04,600 --> 00:48:07,839 Speaker 1: open court against the most powerful people on earth. Some 917 00:48:07,960 --> 00:48:11,480 Speaker 1: might say that was by design, because now all of 918 00:48:11,520 --> 00:48:14,480 Speaker 1: those files in the FBI, they're not coming out, they're 919 00:48:14,520 --> 00:48:17,719 Speaker 1: part of an investigation. They can remain secret for all time. 920 00:48:18,000 --> 00:48:21,440 Speaker 1: Open court was the last and only opportunity for us 921 00:48:21,440 --> 00:48:24,440 Speaker 1: to learn about so much of what these two were 922 00:48:24,560 --> 00:48:27,960 Speaker 1: up to for several decades, and shockingly, even the New 923 00:48:28,040 --> 00:48:30,719 Speaker 1: York Times did a decent job of this. Let's put 924 00:48:30,719 --> 00:48:33,840 Speaker 1: this up there on the screen. Maxwell prosecutors won their case, 925 00:48:34,040 --> 00:48:37,200 Speaker 1: but shed little light on Epstein. And as they point to, 926 00:48:37,719 --> 00:48:40,680 Speaker 1: we had a rare window into Jeffrey Epstein, and yet 927 00:48:40,920 --> 00:48:44,400 Speaker 1: we got a very narrow blockbuster, or a very narrow 928 00:48:44,440 --> 00:48:48,279 Speaker 1: trial where high profile friends like Donald Trump and Bill 929 00:48:48,320 --> 00:48:51,759 Speaker 1: Clinton came up only in passing just a few of 930 00:48:51,800 --> 00:48:55,840 Speaker 1: the financial tractions of transactions and a fraction of the 931 00:48:55,880 --> 00:48:59,920 Speaker 1: thousands of FBI photos were even offered into evidence of 932 00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:04,240 Speaker 1: Epstein's private planes, while much fascination came off as stay 933 00:49:04,280 --> 00:49:07,319 Speaker 1: it and what they say there is we learned very 934 00:49:07,719 --> 00:49:11,320 Speaker 1: little about his actual lifestyle, about the financial connections between 935 00:49:11,400 --> 00:49:14,880 Speaker 1: him people like Bill Gates and others. Yes, we learned 936 00:49:15,000 --> 00:49:18,360 Speaker 1: a tad bit about the way that they were able 937 00:49:18,440 --> 00:49:21,480 Speaker 1: to schmooz amongst the power elite, but we didn't learn 938 00:49:21,600 --> 00:49:25,239 Speaker 1: about any potential blackmail or more and the way that 939 00:49:25,280 --> 00:49:28,960 Speaker 1: this entire thing, both from the media level in terms 940 00:49:28,960 --> 00:49:31,400 Speaker 1: of the lack of coverage around this lack of understanding 941 00:49:31,480 --> 00:49:34,600 Speaker 1: generally outside of these reporters about these larger connections of 942 00:49:34,680 --> 00:49:38,759 Speaker 1: the Epstein network have largely been ignored and actually on 943 00:49:38,920 --> 00:49:42,800 Speaker 1: the BBC network are British friends who just a reminder, 944 00:49:42,880 --> 00:49:45,319 Speaker 1: one of their princes was literally you know, ensnared in 945 00:49:45,360 --> 00:49:48,360 Speaker 1: all this. To react to this trial and the verdict, 946 00:49:48,520 --> 00:49:50,600 Speaker 1: who do you think they brought on put this up there? 947 00:49:51,360 --> 00:49:56,520 Speaker 1: The BBC had to apologize after they had Alan Dershowitz, 948 00:49:56,800 --> 00:50:01,200 Speaker 1: one of Epstein's own lawyers on their program to react, 949 00:50:01,440 --> 00:50:04,359 Speaker 1: they said, oh, well, his appearance did not meet our 950 00:50:04,480 --> 00:50:08,600 Speaker 1: editorial standards. We did not make the relevant background clear 951 00:50:08,640 --> 00:50:11,200 Speaker 1: to our audience. We will look into how this happened. 952 00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:14,640 Speaker 1: Dershowitz not only served as a lawyer to Epstein, he 953 00:50:14,719 --> 00:50:17,359 Speaker 1: has been accused by Virginia Guffray, one of the most 954 00:50:17,440 --> 00:50:22,440 Speaker 1: credible Epstein survivors, as himself being a recipient of I 955 00:50:22,440 --> 00:50:25,720 Speaker 1: don't know how to say this, like participating in sexual assault. 956 00:50:25,840 --> 00:50:29,200 Speaker 1: Basically she claims he denies this, Yeah, he denies it. 957 00:50:29,200 --> 00:50:31,680 Speaker 1: To be clear, she claims that he raped her when 958 00:50:31,680 --> 00:50:35,560 Speaker 1: she was sixteen. Right, That's that's who they chose to 959 00:50:35,640 --> 00:50:41,040 Speaker 1: have on to evaluate the Maximell trial, and he took 960 00:50:41,040 --> 00:50:45,000 Speaker 1: the opportunity to spin it in his favor because because 961 00:50:45,160 --> 00:50:47,680 Speaker 1: of the prosecutors what they called this thin to win 962 00:50:48,080 --> 00:50:53,239 Speaker 1: strategy of only presenting like the very narrowest evidence and 963 00:50:53,280 --> 00:50:58,240 Speaker 1: not bringing a lot of the other accusers in Virginia, 964 00:50:58,280 --> 00:51:00,799 Speaker 1: Guffray did not take the stance, was not called as 965 00:51:00,800 --> 00:51:04,840 Speaker 1: a witness, so Dershowitz took advantage of his time on 966 00:51:04,960 --> 00:51:09,040 Speaker 1: BBC to smear her and say the reason she wasn't 967 00:51:09,040 --> 00:51:12,239 Speaker 1: called is because she's not credible and to make the 968 00:51:12,280 --> 00:51:16,880 Speaker 1: case that you know, this really exonerates him and Prince Andrew. 969 00:51:17,280 --> 00:51:20,760 Speaker 1: So that's what he used his airtime to do without 970 00:51:20,800 --> 00:51:24,640 Speaker 1: them even disclosing. I mean, you shouldn't have this guy 971 00:51:24,719 --> 00:51:27,719 Speaker 1: on anyway unless you're gonna grill him about the sweetheart 972 00:51:27,760 --> 00:51:31,000 Speaker 1: deal that he helped to get for Epstein. But at 973 00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:33,440 Speaker 1: the very least, if you're going to have him on, 974 00:51:34,280 --> 00:51:39,520 Speaker 1: you need to disclose his very personal entanglements with this case. 975 00:51:39,840 --> 00:51:43,080 Speaker 1: They didn't do that. Fox News also had him on, 976 00:51:43,320 --> 00:51:47,520 Speaker 1: which again why But at the very least they did say, 977 00:51:47,640 --> 00:51:49,880 Speaker 1: you know that he was involved and disclosed that his 978 00:51:50,480 --> 00:51:53,799 Speaker 1: arrangements here. But why you would turn to Alan Dershowitz 979 00:51:53,800 --> 00:51:58,600 Speaker 1: for any of this is so beyond comprehension. It is 980 00:51:59,320 --> 00:52:02,080 Speaker 1: one of the most egregious things. And this says Eliza 981 00:52:02,120 --> 00:52:05,560 Speaker 1: high Bar that I have ever seen on cable news. 982 00:52:05,719 --> 00:52:07,920 Speaker 1: And then you add on top of this in terms 983 00:52:07,960 --> 00:52:11,080 Speaker 1: of tying up loose ends, so to speak. Well, right 984 00:52:11,120 --> 00:52:14,080 Speaker 1: after the Maxwell verdict, the Department of Justice, let's put 985 00:52:14,080 --> 00:52:17,320 Speaker 1: this up there, had decided to end the criminal case 986 00:52:17,640 --> 00:52:22,720 Speaker 1: against the two Manhattan jail guards who admitted to falsifying 987 00:52:22,840 --> 00:52:26,760 Speaker 1: records on the night that Epstein quote unquote killed himself 988 00:52:26,920 --> 00:52:31,400 Speaker 1: on their watch. So these two gentlemen were both having 989 00:52:31,440 --> 00:52:35,320 Speaker 1: the charges dismissed against them because, according to the government, 990 00:52:35,560 --> 00:52:39,160 Speaker 1: they both complied with a six month deferred prosecution agreements 991 00:52:39,239 --> 00:52:42,280 Speaker 1: that they had agreed to in May. And just remember 992 00:52:42,560 --> 00:52:47,080 Speaker 1: these two gents, the prison guards have admitted to falsifying 993 00:52:47,160 --> 00:52:50,920 Speaker 1: records and according to them, we're falling asleep and serving 994 00:52:50,920 --> 00:52:53,560 Speaker 1: the internet that night rather than checking on Epstein every 995 00:52:53,600 --> 00:52:56,120 Speaker 1: thirty minutes. They're caught on video at least according to 996 00:52:56,160 --> 00:52:58,960 Speaker 1: the Department of Justice, of doing all this. The records 997 00:52:58,960 --> 00:53:00,719 Speaker 1: of the night that they were there and all that 998 00:53:01,000 --> 00:53:04,319 Speaker 1: have been falsified. They've admitted to falsifying them, and they 999 00:53:04,320 --> 00:53:08,800 Speaker 1: are somehow now getting the charges dropped against them. Remember 1000 00:53:08,840 --> 00:53:11,560 Speaker 1: at the time, Bill Barr was like, oh, this is 1001 00:53:11,600 --> 00:53:15,120 Speaker 1: an outrage. We're gonna go after everybody in charge, ordered 1002 00:53:15,120 --> 00:53:19,560 Speaker 1: a review of the Bureau of Prisons, the people, the guards, 1003 00:53:19,600 --> 00:53:21,799 Speaker 1: you know, everybody was like, no, it was the guard's fault. 1004 00:53:21,800 --> 00:53:24,239 Speaker 1: They were asleep, they were shirking their duty, they were 1005 00:53:24,239 --> 00:53:26,680 Speaker 1: surfing the web, they weren't doing anything. We're gonna go 1006 00:53:26,719 --> 00:53:29,640 Speaker 1: after them. And then the day after the trial, it 1007 00:53:29,680 --> 00:53:31,319 Speaker 1: comes out and the Feds are like, no, we're not 1008 00:53:31,320 --> 00:53:33,239 Speaker 1: going to prosecute them at all. So these guys aren't 1009 00:53:33,280 --> 00:53:36,200 Speaker 1: going to jail. They're off, you know, they can do 1010 00:53:36,239 --> 00:53:40,279 Speaker 1: whatever they want now. And the actual trial itself did 1011 00:53:40,280 --> 00:53:43,920 Speaker 1: not reveal a lot about Epstein. This is it. I mean, 1012 00:53:43,960 --> 00:53:46,279 Speaker 1: this was the last chance christ We had two court 1013 00:53:46,360 --> 00:53:50,200 Speaker 1: chances in court. It was the Maxwell trial and it 1014 00:53:50,280 --> 00:53:52,160 Speaker 1: was these guards in order to at least learn about 1015 00:53:52,160 --> 00:53:55,560 Speaker 1: the quote unquote suicide and the circumstances around that. And 1016 00:53:55,600 --> 00:53:58,320 Speaker 1: now it's just disappeared. So you know, two years later, 1017 00:53:58,760 --> 00:54:00,840 Speaker 1: they've they've done a very good job of covering up 1018 00:54:00,880 --> 00:54:02,280 Speaker 1: all their tracks. I don't know. I don't know another 1019 00:54:02,280 --> 00:54:04,759 Speaker 1: way in order to describe it. It really is remarkable that. 1020 00:54:05,200 --> 00:54:08,160 Speaker 1: I mean, look, journalists are probably not really going to 1021 00:54:08,160 --> 00:54:11,240 Speaker 1: pursue that. No, very uncomfortable. I'd love to interview these gentlemen. 1022 00:54:11,520 --> 00:54:13,560 Speaker 1: By the way, they have an open invitation to the show. 1023 00:54:13,719 --> 00:54:18,279 Speaker 1: The court discovery process was one of the only mechanisms 1024 00:54:18,280 --> 00:54:22,080 Speaker 1: that we really had to learn more and listen. I'm 1025 00:54:22,200 --> 00:54:25,480 Speaker 1: very glad to see Gleeen Maxwell go go away, probably 1026 00:54:25,719 --> 00:54:30,160 Speaker 1: possibly for the rest of her life. But how many 1027 00:54:30,200 --> 00:54:36,359 Speaker 1: people were complicit, how many people were directly guilty? This 1028 00:54:36,440 --> 00:54:39,600 Speaker 1: is I mean, we'll never know. That's basically what this 1029 00:54:39,640 --> 00:54:42,360 Speaker 1: looks like now. We will never know a lot of 1030 00:54:42,400 --> 00:54:45,239 Speaker 1: sides of relief out there around the world among the 1031 00:54:45,280 --> 00:54:49,080 Speaker 1: global elite who had any sort of involvement with Epstein. 1032 00:54:49,239 --> 00:54:52,040 Speaker 1: And to take it back to the first this thin 1033 00:54:52,160 --> 00:54:55,520 Speaker 1: to win strategy of the prosecutors against Maxwell, which they're 1034 00:54:55,520 --> 00:54:58,760 Speaker 1: hailing is a success because they did secure guilty verdict. 1035 00:55:00,320 --> 00:55:03,960 Speaker 1: This is not the way that the strategy always works. 1036 00:55:03,960 --> 00:55:05,640 Speaker 1: So with Harvey Weinstein, they point out in this New 1037 00:55:05,719 --> 00:55:08,759 Speaker 1: York Times article, for example, they brought a lot of 1038 00:55:08,960 --> 00:55:13,040 Speaker 1: accusers and even who ones who weren't directly implicated in 1039 00:55:13,080 --> 00:55:15,360 Speaker 1: the charge that were levied against him to paint a 1040 00:55:15,440 --> 00:55:19,120 Speaker 1: portrait and a context of this is a repeated predator. 1041 00:55:19,160 --> 00:55:21,680 Speaker 1: This is someone who has been engaged in repeated a 1042 00:55:21,719 --> 00:55:26,000 Speaker 1: pattern of repeated predatory behavior. Here, because they had this 1043 00:55:26,280 --> 00:55:31,319 Speaker 1: very very narrow strategy and focus, we really learned very 1044 00:55:31,360 --> 00:55:35,360 Speaker 1: little and we are likely to learn very little period. 1045 00:55:35,600 --> 00:55:41,480 Speaker 1: End of story. Crystal, what are you taking a look at? Well, everyone, 1046 00:55:41,600 --> 00:55:43,680 Speaker 1: it is hard to believe that twenty twenty two is 1047 00:55:43,760 --> 00:55:46,640 Speaker 1: upon us. And you know what that means time to 1048 00:55:46,680 --> 00:55:49,360 Speaker 1: look straight past the in terms towards that twenty twenty 1049 00:55:49,360 --> 00:55:53,200 Speaker 1: four presidential race. I'm actually serious here, jocking and plotting. 1050 00:55:53,280 --> 00:55:55,920 Speaker 1: They have already started, and all of the maneuvering will 1051 00:55:55,960 --> 00:55:59,400 Speaker 1: be supercharged by what a manifestly weak president Joe Biden 1052 00:55:59,400 --> 00:56:01,279 Speaker 1: has certainly ton or not to be. Now on the 1053 00:56:01,320 --> 00:56:04,400 Speaker 1: Republican side, there's only one real question will Trump run again. 1054 00:56:04,640 --> 00:56:06,440 Speaker 1: If he does, he's going to be the nominee, and 1055 00:56:06,480 --> 00:56:08,120 Speaker 1: who knows what that dude is going to do, But 1056 00:56:08,239 --> 00:56:10,919 Speaker 1: it seems more likely than not that he will try 1057 00:56:10,920 --> 00:56:13,840 Speaker 1: to reclaim the White House. After all, he's around throwing 1058 00:56:13,880 --> 00:56:16,520 Speaker 1: his weight around in the party, making endorsements, ramping up 1059 00:56:16,520 --> 00:56:19,879 Speaker 1: his media appearances, setting up his cringy social media company, etc. 1060 00:56:20,680 --> 00:56:24,240 Speaker 1: On the Democratic side, with an incumbent president, there should 1061 00:56:24,280 --> 00:56:28,440 Speaker 1: be little to nothing interesting happening, but instead there's actually 1062 00:56:28,440 --> 00:56:30,440 Speaker 1: a lot more intrigue on the Democratic side than with 1063 00:56:30,480 --> 00:56:33,640 Speaker 1: the gopete. Biden is a terrible president, and he is 1064 00:56:33,680 --> 00:56:36,600 Speaker 1: also extremely old, and while he does insist that he 1065 00:56:36,640 --> 00:56:39,640 Speaker 1: plans on running again, literally no one in DC is 1066 00:56:39,680 --> 00:56:42,200 Speaker 1: confident that that is actually going to happen. Now. If 1067 00:56:42,200 --> 00:56:46,520 Speaker 1: Biden steps aside his vice president would be the obvious successor, 1068 00:56:46,680 --> 00:56:50,120 Speaker 1: but Kamala Harris is even less popular than Joe Biden. 1069 00:56:50,200 --> 00:56:52,920 Speaker 1: Somehow that has caused the donor class who start plotting 1070 00:56:52,920 --> 00:56:56,040 Speaker 1: in secret meetings how they could push mayor Pete ahead 1071 00:56:56,080 --> 00:56:59,480 Speaker 1: of Kamala. In line, it's an amusing soap obara that 1072 00:56:59,560 --> 00:57:01,640 Speaker 1: I will so and track with popcorn in hand. But 1073 00:57:01,719 --> 00:57:05,440 Speaker 1: from my perspective, it couldn't possibly matter less which careerist 1074 00:57:05,520 --> 00:57:08,680 Speaker 1: corporate tool destined to lose they decide to prop up. 1075 00:57:09,239 --> 00:57:11,239 Speaker 1: But there is a new possibility taking shape that's a 1076 00:57:11,280 --> 00:57:14,920 Speaker 1: bit more intriguing. The left, disgusted with the lies, broken promises, 1077 00:57:14,920 --> 00:57:18,360 Speaker 1: and sheer incompetence of the Biden presidency, are considering putting 1078 00:57:18,440 --> 00:57:21,440 Speaker 1: up a primary challenger of their own against him in 1079 00:57:21,600 --> 00:57:24,800 Speaker 1: the Democratic primary. Not the progressives here an elected office 1080 00:57:24,800 --> 00:57:28,160 Speaker 1: in DC, they've sadly been largely neutered. But someone outside 1081 00:57:28,200 --> 00:57:30,960 Speaker 1: of elected office. Nina Turner, Mary and Williamson have both 1082 00:57:30,960 --> 00:57:33,840 Speaker 1: been named they have the potential to step up. Politico 1083 00:57:33,920 --> 00:57:36,960 Speaker 1: has that report quote the left is already looking to 1084 00:57:37,000 --> 00:57:40,960 Speaker 1: twenty twenty four. Some want to see a Biden primary challenge. Quote. 1085 00:57:41,000 --> 00:57:44,760 Speaker 1: Will there be a progressive challenger? Yes? Said one prominent Democrat, 1086 00:57:45,080 --> 00:57:46,720 Speaker 1: and the quote in the article sub had there comes 1087 00:57:46,800 --> 00:57:50,360 Speaker 1: courtesy of former Burning campaign manager Jeff Weaver. Other strategist 1088 00:57:50,400 --> 00:57:53,840 Speaker 1: from the Burning Left voice similar sentiments. AOC's former comms director, 1089 00:57:53,880 --> 00:57:56,760 Speaker 1: Corbyn Trent, had this to say of Biden. He is 1090 00:57:56,800 --> 00:58:00,960 Speaker 1: deeply unpopular, he's old as shit, He's largely been ineffective, 1091 00:58:01,160 --> 00:58:04,120 Speaker 1: unless we're counting judges or whatever the hell inside baseball 1092 00:58:04,120 --> 00:58:07,160 Speaker 1: scorecard we're using. And I think he'll probably get demolished 1093 00:58:07,200 --> 00:58:10,160 Speaker 1: in the midterms. People will spell opportunity, and DC is 1094 00:58:10,160 --> 00:58:13,120 Speaker 1: filled with people who want to be president. So what 1095 00:58:13,200 --> 00:58:15,720 Speaker 1: are the odds that such a challenge could succeed? Pretty 1096 00:58:15,760 --> 00:58:18,680 Speaker 1: much zero, close to zero. Bernie Sanders is the best 1097 00:58:18,680 --> 00:58:20,680 Speaker 1: politician the left has had in decades, and he wasn't 1098 00:58:20,720 --> 00:58:22,400 Speaker 1: able to get the job done against Biden when it 1099 00:58:22,480 --> 00:58:24,640 Speaker 1: was a wide open field. The odds of taking out 1100 00:58:24,640 --> 00:58:28,760 Speaker 1: an incumbent of your own party are very, very small, 1101 00:58:28,800 --> 00:58:32,040 Speaker 1: but very small. Close to zero is still better than 1102 00:58:32,160 --> 00:58:35,760 Speaker 1: absolute zero. And if you don't try, defeat is certain. Look, 1103 00:58:35,840 --> 00:58:38,240 Speaker 1: you never know what craziness might unfold. First of all, 1104 00:58:38,480 --> 00:58:40,840 Speaker 1: Biden may well not run or may not live to 1105 00:58:40,840 --> 00:58:43,520 Speaker 1: see the next election, and Second of all, if anything 1106 00:58:43,640 --> 00:58:45,960 Speaker 1: was going to turn our politics upside down and inside down, 1107 00:58:46,080 --> 00:58:47,600 Speaker 1: it is the last couple of years that we have 1108 00:58:47,720 --> 00:58:49,680 Speaker 1: just lived through. We dealt with a once in a 1109 00:58:49,720 --> 00:58:52,600 Speaker 1: century pandemic in which trillions of dollars of wealth were 1110 00:58:52,600 --> 00:58:55,320 Speaker 1: funneled to the top of society, while the working class 1111 00:58:55,360 --> 00:58:56,920 Speaker 1: was given a little pat on the head, told they 1112 00:58:56,960 --> 00:58:59,320 Speaker 1: were special essential workers, and sent back out there to 1113 00:58:59,360 --> 00:59:02,840 Speaker 1: generate more offits for mister bezos. And what's more, we 1114 00:59:02,960 --> 00:59:06,520 Speaker 1: face a dire reality right now. The country desperately needs 1115 00:59:06,520 --> 00:59:08,480 Speaker 1: to be rescued. It needs to be rescued from the 1116 00:59:08,520 --> 00:59:11,720 Speaker 1: Trump Republicans, but it needs almost as urgently to be 1117 00:59:11,800 --> 00:59:15,240 Speaker 1: rescued from the Biden Pelosi Democrats. I am one hundred 1118 00:59:15,280 --> 00:59:19,120 Speaker 1: percent behind any effort with even a tiny minuscule chance 1119 00:59:19,240 --> 00:59:22,880 Speaker 1: of accomplishing that goal. Obviously, a rising labor movement is 1120 00:59:22,960 --> 00:59:26,680 Speaker 1: one really critical part of that, But electoral politics that's 1121 00:59:26,680 --> 00:59:29,520 Speaker 1: another critical piece, because it sure seems like we are 1122 00:59:29,560 --> 00:59:32,640 Speaker 1: at a tipping point of catastrophe on basically every front. 1123 00:59:32,920 --> 00:59:36,760 Speaker 1: You might say we're at a breaking point. Destabilizing inequality 1124 00:59:36,800 --> 00:59:40,120 Speaker 1: has accelerated dramatically as wealth by the Trillians poured into 1125 00:59:40,120 --> 00:59:42,440 Speaker 1: the bank accounts of the wealthiest among us, while Congress 1126 00:59:42,440 --> 00:59:46,080 Speaker 1: handed out comparative pennies to the broader public. Whatever you 1127 00:59:46,120 --> 00:59:48,760 Speaker 1: think about the fairness of the situation, history is littered 1128 00:59:48,800 --> 00:59:52,120 Speaker 1: with examples of societies which collapse and revolutions that are 1129 00:59:52,160 --> 00:59:56,040 Speaker 1: sparked when the public rejects the basic distribution of wealth 1130 00:59:56,280 --> 00:59:59,959 Speaker 1: and sees through whatever bullshit rationalizations the ruling class dreams 1131 01:00:00,160 --> 01:00:03,960 Speaker 1: up to justify their grotesque lar jess. Government capture by 1132 01:00:04,000 --> 01:00:07,360 Speaker 1: moneyed interest has reached extreme levels, as well as evidenced 1133 01:00:07,360 --> 01:00:10,080 Speaker 1: by the fact that the one really transformative bill that 1134 01:00:10,120 --> 01:00:13,200 Speaker 1: has passed under Trump or Biden was a giant corporate 1135 01:00:13,240 --> 01:00:16,320 Speaker 1: tax cut. In the Biden era, corporate America has been 1136 01:00:16,360 --> 01:00:19,440 Speaker 1: able to absolutely run the table. They cherry picked only 1137 01:00:19,560 --> 01:00:23,160 Speaker 1: the business friendly infrastructure deal and killed off the broader 1138 01:00:23,200 --> 01:00:27,600 Speaker 1: social and climate agenda altogether. Meanwhile, many of our legislators 1139 01:00:27,680 --> 01:00:31,240 Speaker 1: are brazenly on the take. Pelosi recently scoffed at the 1140 01:00:31,280 --> 01:00:33,480 Speaker 1: idea that they should not be gambling in the stock 1141 01:00:33,520 --> 01:00:37,640 Speaker 1: market while also legislating with access to inside information. She 1142 01:00:37,760 --> 01:00:40,720 Speaker 1: then proceeded to make some big trains over the holiday 1143 01:00:40,760 --> 01:00:43,960 Speaker 1: break by millions in call options in companies like Google, 1144 01:00:44,080 --> 01:00:47,240 Speaker 1: roadblocks and Disney thanks to our friend's friend unusual Whales 1145 01:00:47,280 --> 01:00:50,720 Speaker 1: for tracking that one. Of course, the climate crisis continues unabated. 1146 01:00:50,760 --> 01:00:53,600 Speaker 1: This holiday season brought with it more horrifying records and 1147 01:00:53,680 --> 01:00:57,920 Speaker 1: shocking weather extremes. Tornadoes ripped across the Midway West in 1148 01:00:57,920 --> 01:01:01,160 Speaker 1: a way that has literally never had before. In December. 1149 01:01:01,520 --> 01:01:04,080 Speaker 1: The previous record high number of tornadoes for the month 1150 01:01:04,320 --> 01:01:08,280 Speaker 1: was shattered by the one hundred and sixty three tracked 1151 01:01:08,320 --> 01:01:13,200 Speaker 1: in December this year. Suburban Colorado face down an urban 1152 01:01:13,480 --> 01:01:18,120 Speaker 1: firestorm that four shoppers to flee a Costco under apocalyptic 1153 01:01:18,160 --> 01:01:21,960 Speaker 1: skies of gusting winds and swirling embers. Let's look at that. 1154 01:01:22,200 --> 01:01:26,040 Speaker 1: It's insane. Here in DC. We were setting records that 1155 01:01:26,400 --> 01:01:29,240 Speaker 1: were actually kind of nice, if they were a bit unsettling. 1156 01:01:29,280 --> 01:01:31,080 Speaker 1: We had a bunch of seventy degree days as we 1157 01:01:31,200 --> 01:01:34,640 Speaker 1: bassed the second warmest December ever recorded, and then the 1158 01:01:34,640 --> 01:01:37,160 Speaker 1: temperature abruptly dropped thirty degrees in one day and this 1159 01:01:37,240 --> 01:01:40,360 Speaker 1: morning get snowed. And look, with the anniversary of January 1160 01:01:40,360 --> 01:01:43,640 Speaker 1: sixth looming, we gotta admit the whole democratic experiment we're 1161 01:01:43,640 --> 01:01:46,440 Speaker 1: engaged in here, it's kind of unlock life support folks. 1162 01:01:46,720 --> 01:01:49,800 Speaker 1: Increasing numbers of people trust no one, believe nothing, and 1163 01:01:49,880 --> 01:01:53,000 Speaker 1: have fallen into complete nihilism. Or on the other hand, 1164 01:01:53,000 --> 01:01:55,680 Speaker 1: they fall prey to phony saviors and brigid ideologies that 1165 01:01:55,720 --> 01:01:59,160 Speaker 1: see the world in dangerous binaries of good versus evil. 1166 01:01:59,720 --> 01:02:01,840 Speaker 1: That's the logical end state of a nation with no 1167 01:02:02,080 --> 01:02:06,720 Speaker 1: organizing values outside of money and outside of profit. So course, 1168 01:02:06,920 --> 01:02:09,520 Speaker 1: face with the primary challenge, establishment Democrats will try to 1169 01:02:09,640 --> 01:02:11,880 Speaker 1: argue that any threat to their control of the Democratic 1170 01:02:11,920 --> 01:02:14,720 Speaker 1: Party mounts to an existential threat to the nation. Sure, 1171 01:02:14,880 --> 01:02:17,040 Speaker 1: they've done nothing but allow conditions to ripen for the 1172 01:02:17,040 --> 01:02:19,360 Speaker 1: return of Trump or something worse. But they'll still claim 1173 01:02:19,360 --> 01:02:21,440 Speaker 1: that they are the only ones standing between America and 1174 01:02:21,440 --> 01:02:24,760 Speaker 1: the abyss. They'll insist that any descent within the party 1175 01:02:24,800 --> 01:02:28,919 Speaker 1: will inevitably lead to fascism, that any honest critics must 1176 01:02:28,920 --> 01:02:31,000 Speaker 1: actually be doing the work of Putin or Trump or 1177 01:02:31,000 --> 01:02:34,640 Speaker 1: white nationalists. But we can't be afraid of more democracy. 1178 01:02:34,920 --> 01:02:37,360 Speaker 1: In fact, it is the only thing, both in the 1179 01:02:37,360 --> 01:02:40,320 Speaker 1: workplace and in the nation at large, with even a 1180 01:02:40,440 --> 01:02:43,400 Speaker 1: sliver of a chance of saving us. I hope that 1181 01:02:43,520 --> 01:02:47,520 Speaker 1: someone courageous and uncompromising steps up, not for some phony 1182 01:02:47,600 --> 01:02:50,120 Speaker 1: notion of pressuring Biden or pushing Biden on this or 1183 01:02:50,120 --> 01:02:52,640 Speaker 1: that issue, but to take their best shot to actually 1184 01:02:52,720 --> 01:02:55,720 Speaker 1: win as a long shot this point, it's the only 1185 01:02:55,760 --> 01:02:59,200 Speaker 1: shot that we've got. And Sager, the very least these 1186 01:02:59,240 --> 01:03:01,680 Speaker 1: people deserve to be challenged in a way that is 1187 01:03:01,720 --> 01:03:04,920 Speaker 1: not And if you want to hear my reaction to 1188 01:03:05,040 --> 01:03:11,600 Speaker 1: Crystal's monologue, become a premium subscriber today at Breakingpoints dot Com. 1189 01:03:11,640 --> 01:03:14,800 Speaker 1: All right, Sager, ready looking at well. Happy New Year, everybody. 1190 01:03:14,840 --> 01:03:16,760 Speaker 1: I missed you all very dearly. I hope that you 1191 01:03:16,800 --> 01:03:19,160 Speaker 1: spent it with some family and some friends. Luckily, the 1192 01:03:19,160 --> 01:03:21,080 Speaker 1: people I was hanging out with for the most part, 1193 01:03:21,120 --> 01:03:23,640 Speaker 1: were able to avoid omicron. But I'm sure that many 1194 01:03:23,680 --> 01:03:26,120 Speaker 1: of you know as I do, dozens, if not hundreds 1195 01:03:26,160 --> 01:03:29,040 Speaker 1: of people who tested positive over the holidays. A near 1196 01:03:29,200 --> 01:03:31,800 Speaker 1: universal theme that I heard from many who tested positive 1197 01:03:32,080 --> 01:03:33,680 Speaker 1: or who were left in the lurch by the public 1198 01:03:33,680 --> 01:03:37,760 Speaker 1: health elite was twofold Number one. They failed us this story. 1199 01:03:37,840 --> 01:03:41,200 Speaker 1: You already know, hours long lines for tests, no tests 1200 01:03:41,240 --> 01:03:45,880 Speaker 1: available in pharmacies, Biden's so called testing distribution not arriving 1201 01:03:46,040 --> 01:03:49,160 Speaker 1: for weeks, the fact that they never gave any therapeutic 1202 01:03:49,200 --> 01:03:52,200 Speaker 1: guidance when it was clear even the booster shot doesn't 1203 01:03:52,240 --> 01:03:56,000 Speaker 1: give you all that much protection from catching COVID. But 1204 01:03:56,160 --> 01:03:59,040 Speaker 1: the second thing I heard was, Okay, now that I 1205 01:03:59,120 --> 01:04:01,919 Speaker 1: got it, I'm done. I'm done with the restrictions, I'm 1206 01:04:01,920 --> 01:04:05,000 Speaker 1: done with their bs, I'm done with their idiotic recommendations. 1207 01:04:05,120 --> 01:04:07,480 Speaker 1: I'm done with my kids wearing masks. I'm finished. I 1208 01:04:07,600 --> 01:04:10,520 Speaker 1: could put I could not have coincided better with the 1209 01:04:10,560 --> 01:04:13,520 Speaker 1: new year of twenty twenty two. And while a central 1210 01:04:13,600 --> 01:04:15,680 Speaker 1: part of this show is that the elite are fundamentally 1211 01:04:15,680 --> 01:04:17,960 Speaker 1: corrupt and out of touch with the majority of the 1212 01:04:17,960 --> 01:04:21,600 Speaker 1: American people, something I've tried to emphasize is that if 1213 01:04:21,840 --> 01:04:24,080 Speaker 1: just enough of you get together and you make your 1214 01:04:24,160 --> 01:04:26,600 Speaker 1: voice heard, then they are forced to respond in a 1215 01:04:26,600 --> 01:04:30,280 Speaker 1: little tiny way. In their response, we saw remarkably how 1216 01:04:30,320 --> 01:04:32,280 Speaker 1: full of it the COVID regime has now been for 1217 01:04:32,280 --> 01:04:34,360 Speaker 1: the last two years, and how we need to keep 1218 01:04:34,400 --> 01:04:37,600 Speaker 1: pressuring them to destroy them forever. Now we've known for 1219 01:04:37,640 --> 01:04:40,600 Speaker 1: some time that doctor Fauci many of the CEC's recommendations 1220 01:04:40,720 --> 01:04:43,960 Speaker 1: around social distancing or mass in schools are not based 1221 01:04:44,040 --> 01:04:47,760 Speaker 1: whatsoever in science, but instead in social engineering, trying to 1222 01:04:47,800 --> 01:04:51,080 Speaker 1: manipulate public opinion toward a restriction minded goal, and as 1223 01:04:51,120 --> 01:04:54,600 Speaker 1: many millions of people got omicron and realize, hey, wasn't 1224 01:04:54,600 --> 01:04:57,040 Speaker 1: that bad after all, and others saw that even if 1225 01:04:57,040 --> 01:04:58,960 Speaker 1: they lived under a rock, they were still going to 1226 01:04:59,000 --> 01:05:02,400 Speaker 1: be exposed, a lot of people started questioning the guidance, 1227 01:05:02,760 --> 01:05:06,200 Speaker 1: and just like that, the CDC changed its recommendation for 1228 01:05:06,280 --> 01:05:10,560 Speaker 1: quarantine after testing positive for COVID, not based on any 1229 01:05:10,640 --> 01:05:14,000 Speaker 1: science whatsoever, based upon what they thought that the public 1230 01:05:14,240 --> 01:05:17,520 Speaker 1: could handle. Take a listen. The purpose of it was 1231 01:05:17,640 --> 01:05:22,480 Speaker 1: is that given the wave, the extraordinary, unprecedented wave of 1232 01:05:22,560 --> 01:05:26,760 Speaker 1: infections that we are experiencing now and will certainly experience 1233 01:05:27,480 --> 01:05:31,040 Speaker 1: more of in the next few weeks, that there is 1234 01:05:31,080 --> 01:05:34,320 Speaker 1: the danger that there will be so many people who 1235 01:05:34,360 --> 01:05:38,800 Speaker 1: are being isolated, who are asymptomatic for the full ten days, 1236 01:05:38,800 --> 01:05:42,320 Speaker 1: that you could have a major negative impact on our 1237 01:05:42,360 --> 01:05:46,360 Speaker 1: ability to keep society running. So the decision was made, 1238 01:05:46,360 --> 01:05:50,479 Speaker 1: although it's not completely risk free of saying, let's get 1239 01:05:50,520 --> 01:05:54,920 Speaker 1: that cut in half, so that we could have fifty percent, 1240 01:05:55,120 --> 01:05:58,440 Speaker 1: namely half of the ten days, and fifty percent of 1241 01:05:58,440 --> 01:06:02,680 Speaker 1: that time people could actually be out with a mask 1242 01:06:02,760 --> 01:06:07,080 Speaker 1: in society. Do you hear that everybody science himself just 1243 01:06:07,120 --> 01:06:10,120 Speaker 1: had to acknowledge you have to balance COVID risk with 1244 01:06:10,200 --> 01:06:13,800 Speaker 1: the ability to have a society functioning. This singular point 1245 01:06:13,800 --> 01:06:16,240 Speaker 1: of criticism has been used by people like myself for 1246 01:06:16,320 --> 01:06:19,400 Speaker 1: over a year to argue for the end of COVID restrictions, 1247 01:06:19,520 --> 01:06:21,920 Speaker 1: and it was brushed off by the mentally ill people 1248 01:06:21,920 --> 01:06:25,320 Speaker 1: in charge of public health who screamed at us about 1249 01:06:25,360 --> 01:06:28,960 Speaker 1: science and COVID zero the entire time. But now the 1250 01:06:29,080 --> 01:06:31,560 Speaker 1: dam is breaking. Once they set it out loud, they're 1251 01:06:31,600 --> 01:06:34,000 Speaker 1: not going back. Once they've admitted it, you can't put 1252 01:06:34,000 --> 01:06:36,400 Speaker 1: it back in the bottle. Omicron has been a real 1253 01:06:36,440 --> 01:06:38,800 Speaker 1: come to Jesus moment for the public health elite. They 1254 01:06:38,840 --> 01:06:41,600 Speaker 1: can scream double masking and boosters at you all you want, 1255 01:06:41,840 --> 01:06:44,760 Speaker 1: and most of them still end up getting COVID themselves 1256 01:06:45,000 --> 01:06:47,560 Speaker 1: or exposed to it. In the last three months. All 1257 01:06:47,600 --> 01:06:50,120 Speaker 1: you can do is a SASCAR risk level, get the 1258 01:06:50,240 --> 01:06:53,280 Speaker 1: vaccine if you're worried about hospitalization and death, and then 1259 01:06:53,400 --> 01:06:56,800 Speaker 1: live your freaking life. Once the release of the vaccine, 1260 01:06:56,880 --> 01:06:59,600 Speaker 1: they have done everything that they can to shut that 1261 01:06:59,600 --> 01:07:03,200 Speaker 1: message down, usually by pointing to dishonest statistics of case 1262 01:07:03,240 --> 01:07:07,000 Speaker 1: counts while ignoring dropping hospitalization and death, and in the 1263 01:07:07,040 --> 01:07:10,680 Speaker 1: case of children, pointing to them who were already terribly 1264 01:07:10,720 --> 01:07:13,400 Speaker 1: ill otherwise and then seeing that the reason that they 1265 01:07:13,520 --> 01:07:17,320 Speaker 1: died was COVID. This again, is something that Omicron ripped 1266 01:07:17,320 --> 01:07:19,640 Speaker 1: a band aid off from millions of parents who saw 1267 01:07:19,680 --> 01:07:22,200 Speaker 1: their kids essentially get a cold and then brush it off. 1268 01:07:22,560 --> 01:07:25,520 Speaker 1: Once again, it forced a stunning admission from mister science, 1269 01:07:25,680 --> 01:07:28,520 Speaker 1: who has refused to acknowledge these base, effact basic facts 1270 01:07:28,560 --> 01:07:30,840 Speaker 1: around children, and was forced to do so on TV. 1271 01:07:31,160 --> 01:07:33,959 Speaker 1: Let's take a listen. Yes, but the other important thing 1272 01:07:34,560 --> 01:07:37,000 Speaker 1: is that if you look at the children who are hospitalized, 1273 01:07:37,680 --> 01:07:42,200 Speaker 1: many of them are hospitalized with COVID as opposed to 1274 01:07:42,480 --> 01:07:46,720 Speaker 1: because of COVID. And what we mean by that if 1275 01:07:46,720 --> 01:07:49,840 Speaker 1: a child goes in the hospital, they automatically get tested 1276 01:07:49,880 --> 01:07:55,520 Speaker 1: for COVID and they get counted as a COVID hospitalized individual, 1277 01:07:56,000 --> 01:07:58,600 Speaker 1: when in fact they may go in for a broken 1278 01:07:58,680 --> 01:08:02,960 Speaker 1: leg or a pen or something like that. So it's 1279 01:08:03,040 --> 01:08:08,320 Speaker 1: overcounting the number of children who are quote hospitalized with 1280 01:08:08,600 --> 01:08:13,560 Speaker 1: COVID as opposed to because of COVID. I think I'm 1281 01:08:13,560 --> 01:08:16,040 Speaker 1: gonna lose my mind. What's next? They're going to acknowledge 1282 01:08:16,080 --> 01:08:20,000 Speaker 1: natural immunity yes, it's maddening to see Fauci, the CDC 1283 01:08:20,080 --> 01:08:22,120 Speaker 1: and others admit the basic truths that we've all been 1284 01:08:22,120 --> 01:08:24,720 Speaker 1: shouting for the last year. But here's the thing, it 1285 01:08:24,760 --> 01:08:27,920 Speaker 1: only shows that we're winning. People are waking up day 1286 01:08:28,040 --> 01:08:30,680 Speaker 1: after day to the terrible restrictions that they have been 1287 01:08:30,720 --> 01:08:34,519 Speaker 1: forced upon with no grounding whatsoever in science, and the 1288 01:08:34,560 --> 01:08:36,800 Speaker 1: more they are forced to admit that they don't act 1289 01:08:36,840 --> 01:08:40,600 Speaker 1: with only science in mind, the closer we get to normalcy. 1290 01:08:40,920 --> 01:08:43,000 Speaker 1: The tragedy, of course, is that it's all nearly a 1291 01:08:43,040 --> 01:08:45,360 Speaker 1: year or too late. How many children lost a year 1292 01:08:45,360 --> 01:08:47,640 Speaker 1: of their lives with remote school are mass and the 1293 01:08:47,680 --> 01:08:50,840 Speaker 1: attendance social development. How many college students were built out 1294 01:08:50,880 --> 01:08:53,160 Speaker 1: of tens of thousands of dollars to sit at home 1295 01:08:53,200 --> 01:08:55,200 Speaker 1: with their parents and miss out on some of the 1296 01:08:55,200 --> 01:08:57,800 Speaker 1: best years of their lives. How many working class kids 1297 01:08:57,880 --> 01:09:00,000 Speaker 1: right out of high school couldn't get an entry level 1298 01:09:00,120 --> 01:09:03,599 Speaker 1: job because of whatever dumb law localities are forcing upon 1299 01:09:03,640 --> 01:09:06,080 Speaker 1: their people. When you start to answer those questions, your 1300 01:09:06,080 --> 01:09:08,680 Speaker 1: heart actually breaks. But once again I show you the 1301 01:09:08,720 --> 01:09:11,240 Speaker 1: hopeful way out of this. When even the most stringent 1302 01:09:11,280 --> 01:09:13,960 Speaker 1: liars like doctor Fauci are forced to admit the truth, 1303 01:09:14,160 --> 01:09:17,200 Speaker 1: then there is hope. It's because the masses of this 1304 01:09:17,280 --> 01:09:20,240 Speaker 1: country are fed up. They're done. They won't live their 1305 01:09:20,240 --> 01:09:24,240 Speaker 1: lives with such significant description for something they can plainly 1306 01:09:24,360 --> 01:09:27,000 Speaker 1: see with their two eyes is not a threat to 1307 01:09:27,080 --> 01:09:30,280 Speaker 1: their life or the vast majority of other peoples. But 1308 01:09:30,400 --> 01:09:33,320 Speaker 1: there is a darker truth here I want everyone to 1309 01:09:33,320 --> 01:09:36,120 Speaker 1: be aware of too. We only matter when we band 1310 01:09:36,160 --> 01:09:39,320 Speaker 1: together in very, very very large groups. We can only 1311 01:09:39,360 --> 01:09:42,280 Speaker 1: break elite consensus on a case by case basis when 1312 01:09:42,280 --> 01:09:44,960 Speaker 1: they directly are destroying our lives, and even then it 1313 01:09:45,000 --> 01:09:47,519 Speaker 1: takes a really long time. We are governed not by 1314 01:09:47,560 --> 01:09:50,559 Speaker 1: the masses, but by elite public opinion. It's a much 1315 01:09:50,600 --> 01:09:54,360 Speaker 1: bigger problem that describes nearly every area of American public life, 1316 01:09:54,400 --> 01:09:56,640 Speaker 1: and we cannot fix it tomorrow. The first step of 1317 01:09:56,680 --> 01:09:59,719 Speaker 1: fixing a problem is acknowledging it. So spread the word 1318 01:10:00,040 --> 01:10:02,639 Speaker 1: red pill the masses, so to speak. This is our 1319 01:10:02,680 --> 01:10:05,040 Speaker 1: only way out. I mean, how incredible was that Crystal 1320 01:10:05,080 --> 01:10:07,559 Speaker 1: when he's like talking about Oh, He's like, wow, we 1321 01:10:07,600 --> 01:10:10,519 Speaker 1: did it because Society Review and if you want to 1322 01:10:10,560 --> 01:10:14,160 Speaker 1: hear my reaction to Cyber's monologue, become a Premium subscriber 1323 01:10:14,160 --> 01:10:19,760 Speaker 1: today at breakingpoints, dot com. All right, guys, So we're 1324 01:10:19,800 --> 01:10:22,200 Speaker 1: very excited to be joined now by Jazz Brissak and 1325 01:10:22,280 --> 01:10:26,799 Speaker 1: Danny Brojas. So Jazz works at that Starbucks that unionized 1326 01:10:26,800 --> 01:10:30,880 Speaker 1: in Buffalo. Danny Starbucks is voting on a unionization effort 1327 01:10:30,920 --> 01:10:33,880 Speaker 1: in Buffalo coming up. So we'll get both the past 1328 01:10:33,920 --> 01:10:37,200 Speaker 1: and the present in the future all in one segment. Jazz, 1329 01:10:37,280 --> 01:10:39,519 Speaker 1: let me start with you just talk to us a 1330 01:10:39,600 --> 01:10:43,000 Speaker 1: little bit about what this whole experience was like from 1331 01:10:43,400 --> 01:10:46,880 Speaker 1: start to finish and bring us up to speed. Well, 1332 01:10:47,880 --> 01:10:51,599 Speaker 1: a whole bunch of us created and organizing committee at 1333 01:10:51,640 --> 01:10:55,320 Speaker 1: the end of August of Barista's in Buffalo who were 1334 01:10:55,320 --> 01:10:59,479 Speaker 1: trying to unionize. There were three stores that immediately got 1335 01:10:59,600 --> 01:11:02,080 Speaker 1: very star majorities. My store was one of them, and 1336 01:11:02,160 --> 01:11:07,880 Speaker 1: the Genesee store, which has ballots that are currently impounded 1337 01:11:07,920 --> 01:11:12,000 Speaker 1: because the company tried to stack the deck against the 1338 01:11:12,479 --> 01:11:16,200 Speaker 1: unionizing Baristas, was another one. We are confident that that's 1339 01:11:16,240 --> 01:11:19,200 Speaker 1: also going to end up being recognized. But what we 1340 01:11:19,280 --> 01:11:21,360 Speaker 1: really wanted was just to come together and have a 1341 01:11:21,439 --> 01:11:25,680 Speaker 1: real voice and a real democracy. And our workplace. Starbucks 1342 01:11:26,280 --> 01:11:28,160 Speaker 1: is a place that you know, many of us have 1343 01:11:28,240 --> 01:11:30,400 Speaker 1: been at for a long time that we love working at, 1344 01:11:30,479 --> 01:11:32,960 Speaker 1: but it is also a place where we have no 1345 01:11:33,040 --> 01:11:36,639 Speaker 1: real say in what our work life is like. And 1346 01:11:37,200 --> 01:11:39,720 Speaker 1: Starbucks response, you know, we were kind of night. They 1347 01:11:39,720 --> 01:11:42,960 Speaker 1: say that they're a progressive, better kind of company, and 1348 01:11:43,160 --> 01:11:44,880 Speaker 1: we thought, you know, they might sign up their election 1349 01:11:44,960 --> 01:11:48,960 Speaker 1: principles and agree to actually work with us as we 1350 01:11:48,960 --> 01:11:52,840 Speaker 1: were trying to organize. Instead, they parachuted in what they 1351 01:11:52,880 --> 01:11:55,679 Speaker 1: called the Starbucks Swat Team from the president of Starbucks 1352 01:11:55,680 --> 01:12:00,559 Speaker 1: North America, Russian williams on down and flooded us with 1353 01:12:00,600 --> 01:12:06,920 Speaker 1: over one hundred corporate managers. Wow. So in about the 1354 01:12:06,960 --> 01:12:10,960 Speaker 1: four months that it took us to Winter Union, we've 1355 01:12:11,000 --> 01:12:14,400 Speaker 1: seen a lot of different union investing tactics, but we've 1356 01:12:14,479 --> 01:12:17,000 Speaker 1: stayed as strong as we can and are looking forward 1357 01:12:17,040 --> 01:12:20,240 Speaker 1: to going into country negotiations. Well, you know, it's something 1358 01:12:20,280 --> 01:12:22,640 Speaker 1: we tracked a lot here. Danny, as somebody who's kind 1359 01:12:22,640 --> 01:12:25,160 Speaker 1: of on the forefront of actually trying to make this 1360 01:12:25,200 --> 01:12:28,360 Speaker 1: happen again, talk to us about what that victory meant 1361 01:12:28,400 --> 01:12:31,360 Speaker 1: in Buffalo to you and then your efforts and the 1362 01:12:31,400 --> 01:12:34,559 Speaker 1: other barriers that you're facing at the Starbucks locations that 1363 01:12:34,600 --> 01:12:40,439 Speaker 1: you both work at and also are working with as 1364 01:12:40,600 --> 01:12:42,920 Speaker 1: a partner at one of the stores who is still 1365 01:12:42,960 --> 01:12:46,439 Speaker 1: waiting on their election date. They gave us a lot 1366 01:12:46,479 --> 01:12:49,439 Speaker 1: of hope and clarity that it can be done because 1367 01:12:49,439 --> 01:12:52,920 Speaker 1: we saw one store successfully do it and we are 1368 01:12:53,160 --> 01:12:56,479 Speaker 1: going to have more. We've seen stores file throughout the 1369 01:12:56,520 --> 01:13:00,640 Speaker 1: country since that victory, and it's building a lot of 1370 01:13:00,680 --> 01:13:06,800 Speaker 1: excitement around my store for both partners and customers. I 1371 01:13:06,800 --> 01:13:10,960 Speaker 1: have partners who were already pro union who felt even 1372 01:13:11,040 --> 01:13:15,040 Speaker 1: more like sure of their decision, and have partners who 1373 01:13:15,520 --> 01:13:24,240 Speaker 1: joined the effort after seeing on Wood basically like attain 1374 01:13:24,280 --> 01:13:30,080 Speaker 1: their right to unionize and become like certified right Jazz. 1375 01:13:30,120 --> 01:13:32,559 Speaker 1: What were some of the tactics that that shocked you most, 1376 01:13:32,560 --> 01:13:35,840 Speaker 1: because I think you made a really interesting and important 1377 01:13:35,960 --> 01:13:39,280 Speaker 1: point that a lot of these companies that build build 1378 01:13:39,320 --> 01:13:44,520 Speaker 1: themselves as progressive different et cetera, and may undertake efforts, 1379 01:13:44,560 --> 01:13:50,759 Speaker 1: you know, too uncertain fronts to live and embody progressive values, 1380 01:13:51,080 --> 01:13:53,120 Speaker 1: but the one that comes to unionization is like no, 1381 01:13:53,360 --> 01:13:56,559 Speaker 1: absolutely no, absolutely not in that sphere. Starbucks is a 1382 01:13:56,640 --> 01:13:58,680 Speaker 1: primary example of that. So talk to us about some 1383 01:13:58,720 --> 01:14:02,200 Speaker 1: of the tactics that they used that were ultimately pretty 1384 01:14:02,280 --> 01:14:05,479 Speaker 1: shocking to you and your co workers. I mean, the 1385 01:14:05,479 --> 01:14:08,280 Speaker 1: biggest thing that they did was bring in quote unquote 1386 01:14:08,320 --> 01:14:11,759 Speaker 1: support managers. They're not really here to support us. They're 1387 01:14:11,880 --> 01:14:15,120 Speaker 1: here to spy on us and watch us and try 1388 01:14:15,120 --> 01:14:18,439 Speaker 1: to make sure we can't have conversations. Elmwood is the 1389 01:14:18,479 --> 01:14:20,880 Speaker 1: only store of the stores that have filed for a 1390 01:14:20,960 --> 01:14:24,599 Speaker 1: union that still has our original manager, who's wonderful. We've 1391 01:14:24,680 --> 01:14:28,799 Speaker 1: had at this point five additional managers at various points 1392 01:14:29,080 --> 01:14:33,519 Speaker 1: working in the store covering the shifts that you know 1393 01:14:33,600 --> 01:14:38,879 Speaker 1: they want watchful eyes on. So that was pretty shocking 1394 01:14:39,040 --> 01:14:42,479 Speaker 1: and overwhelming because there's no non work area to have 1395 01:14:42,520 --> 01:14:45,519 Speaker 1: a conversation in. All the conversations have been happening in 1396 01:14:45,560 --> 01:14:50,519 Speaker 1: the store, and they've been, you know, pulling us into 1397 01:14:51,080 --> 01:14:56,479 Speaker 1: anti union presentations. They've been using their emergency text alert 1398 01:14:56,520 --> 01:15:00,479 Speaker 1: system to send us you must vote know for union, 1399 01:15:02,040 --> 01:15:05,599 Speaker 1: and they've been cracking down. I think even herder Wisch 1400 01:15:05,640 --> 01:15:07,719 Speaker 1: Danny can lay in on. At some of the stores 1401 01:15:07,800 --> 01:15:12,480 Speaker 1: that are going next in the pipeline. For example, coworkers 1402 01:15:12,600 --> 01:15:16,479 Speaker 1: at another store that having an election have been put 1403 01:15:16,520 --> 01:15:22,760 Speaker 1: on final written warnings or minor incidents, and I think 1404 01:15:22,800 --> 01:15:25,679 Speaker 1: what they realized is, you know, they're not stopping their movement. 1405 01:15:25,800 --> 01:15:28,240 Speaker 1: They couldn't beat us at Elwood, so now they're trying 1406 01:15:28,720 --> 01:15:32,080 Speaker 1: even more intense psychological warfare and some of those coming next. 1407 01:15:32,600 --> 01:15:34,360 Speaker 1: Danny talk to us a little bit about that. What's 1408 01:15:34,400 --> 01:15:36,800 Speaker 1: going on in terms of what Jazz is talking about. 1409 01:15:39,240 --> 01:15:44,000 Speaker 1: I I have a partner another store who is also 1410 01:15:44,080 --> 01:15:49,000 Speaker 1: part of that like trio of violing stores, and they 1411 01:15:49,000 --> 01:15:53,959 Speaker 1: were put on a final written warning for a minor offense. 1412 01:15:54,080 --> 01:15:57,519 Speaker 1: And this is something that I'm no stranger to even 1413 01:15:57,560 --> 01:16:01,960 Speaker 1: pre union. Like union, I the efforts at Starbucks. Starbucks, 1414 01:16:01,960 --> 01:16:06,200 Speaker 1: definitely when you speak out against your store manager, when 1415 01:16:06,240 --> 01:16:09,719 Speaker 1: you're trying to seek out change by calling our partner 1416 01:16:09,800 --> 01:16:14,320 Speaker 1: resources number, they tend to use corrective actions as a 1417 01:16:14,400 --> 01:16:17,559 Speaker 1: means to silence you and make you feel alone. That 1418 01:16:17,600 --> 01:16:21,720 Speaker 1: has happened to me personally before unionizing. So with that 1419 01:16:21,760 --> 01:16:23,720 Speaker 1: like prior knowledge, I was able to go into this 1420 01:16:23,920 --> 01:16:25,960 Speaker 1: knowing like the game I had to play if I 1421 01:16:26,000 --> 01:16:29,800 Speaker 1: wanted to come out of this successful. And I feel 1422 01:16:29,800 --> 01:16:34,000 Speaker 1: that I was put through what I went through initially 1423 01:16:34,160 --> 01:16:36,600 Speaker 1: to be able to be that additional support for my 1424 01:16:36,680 --> 01:16:42,200 Speaker 1: partners and kind of help them navigate this situation in 1425 01:16:42,240 --> 01:16:44,840 Speaker 1: a way where we can come out of it. Kind 1426 01:16:44,880 --> 01:16:47,880 Speaker 1: of untouched by corporate. Even though I can't protect them 1427 01:16:47,920 --> 01:16:54,000 Speaker 1: from everything, I do feel very proud of how they 1428 01:16:54,000 --> 01:16:58,800 Speaker 1: have handled everything since we filed, you know, Jazz. In 1429 01:16:58,840 --> 01:17:02,840 Speaker 1: a sense, there's worst nightmares coming true. Because obviously why 1430 01:17:02,880 --> 01:17:05,519 Speaker 1: they spend so much money and put in so much 1431 01:17:05,560 --> 01:17:09,760 Speaker 1: time and effort and such aggressive tactics to try to 1432 01:17:09,760 --> 01:17:12,439 Speaker 1: stop this efforts. They were worried about domino effect. They're 1433 01:17:12,479 --> 01:17:14,720 Speaker 1: worried that next Danny store is getting unionized. And of 1434 01:17:14,720 --> 01:17:17,120 Speaker 1: course we've seen stores not just in Buffalo but now 1435 01:17:17,120 --> 01:17:20,920 Speaker 1: in other places across the country also file for union elections. 1436 01:17:21,360 --> 01:17:23,120 Speaker 1: On the other hand, the reason they do this is 1437 01:17:23,160 --> 01:17:25,360 Speaker 1: because number one, they want control. Number Two, they're worried, 1438 01:17:25,360 --> 01:17:27,439 Speaker 1: are this's going to hurt our business? But what have 1439 01:17:27,520 --> 01:17:30,280 Speaker 1: you seen there at your store in terms of how 1440 01:17:30,320 --> 01:17:34,520 Speaker 1: has business been? Has this destroyed Starbucks business in Buffalo? 1441 01:17:34,680 --> 01:17:39,240 Speaker 1: How have customers ultimately responded to this effort? Customers have 1442 01:17:39,400 --> 01:17:44,240 Speaker 1: been overwhelmingly supportive. I mean, we even have customers coming 1443 01:17:44,280 --> 01:17:47,920 Speaker 1: in and hanging Buffalo as a union town ornaments on 1444 01:17:47,960 --> 01:17:51,760 Speaker 1: our lobby. Christmas Tree tips have been higher. Business has 1445 01:17:51,760 --> 01:17:55,600 Speaker 1: been really good. I think, you know, we've had regulars 1446 01:17:55,800 --> 01:17:59,920 Speaker 1: who aren't the most talkative coming in and handing us 1447 01:18:00,240 --> 01:18:04,920 Speaker 1: bags of union pins to where it's been actually adorable, 1448 01:18:05,240 --> 01:18:09,519 Speaker 1: and I think going into contract negotiations, that's something that 1449 01:18:09,560 --> 01:18:15,280 Speaker 1: we want to harness because while obviously there's economic issues 1450 01:18:15,560 --> 01:18:19,600 Speaker 1: and issues of health and safety. Right now, half of 1451 01:18:19,640 --> 01:18:23,800 Speaker 1: our store is in COVID self isolation, and we're trying to, 1452 01:18:24,439 --> 01:18:28,000 Speaker 1: you know, make sure that everyone's taken care of, but 1453 01:18:28,080 --> 01:18:31,160 Speaker 1: we also want to put first and foremost that we 1454 01:18:31,200 --> 01:18:33,680 Speaker 1: need to win the right to organize for everyone so 1455 01:18:33,720 --> 01:18:35,519 Speaker 1: that no one has to go through this kind of 1456 01:18:35,520 --> 01:18:41,720 Speaker 1: fight again and really set a standard in a not 1457 01:18:41,840 --> 01:18:45,639 Speaker 1: a purely economic weight, but in a power shifting way 1458 01:18:46,080 --> 01:18:48,320 Speaker 1: for what this industry looks like and what it means 1459 01:18:48,320 --> 01:18:51,840 Speaker 1: to be a Starbucks partner and Jazz, what are some 1460 01:18:51,920 --> 01:18:54,000 Speaker 1: of the things that you all be pushing for in 1461 01:18:54,040 --> 01:18:58,200 Speaker 1: your contract. Because as important as this first victory is, 1462 01:18:58,240 --> 01:19:00,479 Speaker 1: we also know that companies have a whole range of 1463 01:19:00,560 --> 01:19:04,680 Speaker 1: tactics that they use to try to never negotiate that 1464 01:19:04,720 --> 01:19:07,360 Speaker 1: first contract. When we saw this happen with Dollar General 1465 01:19:07,479 --> 01:19:10,880 Speaker 1: in Missouri, there was a store that voted for a union, 1466 01:19:11,680 --> 01:19:14,840 Speaker 1: the company engaged in these sort of sham contract negotiations 1467 01:19:14,880 --> 01:19:17,240 Speaker 1: and ultimately when they were forced to recognize the union 1468 01:19:17,200 --> 01:19:19,439 Speaker 1: and they just shut the store down. So what are 1469 01:19:19,479 --> 01:19:21,200 Speaker 1: some of the things that you will be pushing for 1470 01:19:21,320 --> 01:19:24,360 Speaker 1: in terms of contract negotiations and what of your interactions 1471 01:19:24,360 --> 01:19:28,160 Speaker 1: with corporate been like to this point. Well, I mean 1472 01:19:28,240 --> 01:19:30,720 Speaker 1: most of my interactions with corporate have been when you know, 1473 01:19:30,840 --> 01:19:33,640 Speaker 1: they've had top executives in the stores telling us to 1474 01:19:33,720 --> 01:19:39,680 Speaker 1: vote no. I have had interactions with them, but I 1475 01:19:39,680 --> 01:19:43,040 Speaker 1: think going into contract negotiations, we've asked Starbucks to sign 1476 01:19:43,080 --> 01:19:46,840 Speaker 1: an agreement for equity and sustainabilities. It basically says, you know, 1477 01:19:46,920 --> 01:19:50,559 Speaker 1: we're recognizing the union, we will stop fighting the union 1478 01:19:50,640 --> 01:19:54,360 Speaker 1: going forward and respect all partners right to organize, and 1479 01:19:54,439 --> 01:19:58,160 Speaker 1: we're going to actually make this negotiations a place where 1480 01:19:58,160 --> 01:20:01,760 Speaker 1: we recognize all the diverse voice of partners and try 1481 01:20:01,800 --> 01:20:03,960 Speaker 1: to make this company the best and most sustainable it 1482 01:20:04,000 --> 01:20:08,960 Speaker 1: can be. I think from you know, everything from seniority 1483 01:20:08,960 --> 01:20:11,960 Speaker 1: pay and better benefits so that no one's going into 1484 01:20:12,000 --> 01:20:17,799 Speaker 1: medical debt for you know, healthcare, needs to actually making 1485 01:20:17,840 --> 01:20:21,439 Speaker 1: sure that our company is living up to what it 1486 01:20:21,479 --> 01:20:25,240 Speaker 1: should be doing on a sustainability front, on making sure 1487 01:20:25,280 --> 01:20:31,320 Speaker 1: that everyone is respected and truly treated equally. Because certainly 1488 01:20:31,360 --> 01:20:35,400 Speaker 1: there's a lot of divides in our workplace and Starbux 1489 01:20:35,439 --> 01:20:39,679 Speaker 1: could be doing more on equitable promotions and equitable treatment. 1490 01:20:40,720 --> 01:20:43,439 Speaker 1: Danny Finling, just tell us what the timeline is. When 1491 01:20:43,560 --> 01:20:46,240 Speaker 1: is your election schedule? When are people going to start voting? 1492 01:20:47,720 --> 01:20:52,360 Speaker 1: We currently don't have a scheduled election day. We're hoping 1493 01:20:52,400 --> 01:20:56,040 Speaker 1: to get some more clarity on that, like at some 1494 01:20:56,120 --> 01:21:01,639 Speaker 1: point today. There's a lot of like delays and moving parts, 1495 01:21:01,680 --> 01:21:04,360 Speaker 1: and we were hoping to have an election date by now. 1496 01:21:05,439 --> 01:21:07,360 Speaker 1: If I can make my best prediction, I would say 1497 01:21:07,760 --> 01:21:10,280 Speaker 1: any time starting like by the end of the month. 1498 01:21:10,320 --> 01:21:14,400 Speaker 1: I'm hoping, but I don't have any specific information on 1499 01:21:14,479 --> 01:21:21,640 Speaker 1: the date. Got it? Well, how can people support you? Guys? 1500 01:21:21,800 --> 01:21:25,360 Speaker 1: Jazz you can go first, Go ahead. We're asking that 1501 01:21:25,439 --> 01:21:30,000 Speaker 1: folks call on Starbucks to, you know, sign on to 1502 01:21:30,240 --> 01:21:34,559 Speaker 1: our agreement for equity and sustainability, actually recognize our right 1503 01:21:34,640 --> 01:21:39,960 Speaker 1: to organize and bargain a contract that partners and Starbucks 1504 01:21:40,000 --> 01:21:42,719 Speaker 1: Corporate can be proud of. Got it? What about you? Danny? 1505 01:21:44,360 --> 01:21:50,879 Speaker 1: I think the same sentiment that our customers can definitely 1506 01:21:50,880 --> 01:21:55,360 Speaker 1: hold Starbucks accountable. Reach out and express why you want 1507 01:21:55,400 --> 01:21:58,960 Speaker 1: to see your favorite braces be able to get the 1508 01:21:59,040 --> 01:22:02,639 Speaker 1: right to organize, and you think they could impact their 1509 01:22:02,680 --> 01:22:08,920 Speaker 1: livelihood And just like community support in Buffalo, we started 1510 01:22:09,360 --> 01:22:11,519 Speaker 1: handing out lawn signs. And I think that the more 1511 01:22:11,560 --> 01:22:15,320 Speaker 1: you can get your community involved in your unionizing efforts, 1512 01:22:15,360 --> 01:22:18,680 Speaker 1: you'll be able to see a larger payoff. And I 1513 01:22:18,680 --> 01:22:22,160 Speaker 1: think that resonates with Starbucks values as well, which will 1514 01:22:22,160 --> 01:22:27,439 Speaker 1: be really impactful. Yeah, well consider it called for. Yeah, absolutely, guys, 1515 01:22:27,439 --> 01:22:29,639 Speaker 1: We've been tracking this closely with a lot of excitement. 1516 01:22:29,640 --> 01:22:32,519 Speaker 1: Please keep us updated and happy New Year too, So 1517 01:22:32,600 --> 01:22:36,760 Speaker 1: you touch guys, Happy New Year, Thank you as absolutely, 1518 01:22:37,439 --> 01:22:40,040 Speaker 1: Thank you guys so much for watching. We really appreciate it. 1519 01:22:40,040 --> 01:22:42,200 Speaker 1: It was an amazing year for us. Last year we 1520 01:22:42,600 --> 01:22:45,880 Speaker 1: succeeded far beyond our wildest dreams. We've got big stuff 1521 01:22:45,880 --> 01:22:48,400 Speaker 1: in store, I mean that union segment and more. We 1522 01:22:48,560 --> 01:22:50,360 Speaker 1: talked about, you know, different ways that we could go 1523 01:22:50,400 --> 01:22:54,000 Speaker 1: out on the road. Things are percolating, hiring more people 1524 01:22:54,600 --> 01:22:56,960 Speaker 1: in order to cover both the labor organizing and look, 1525 01:22:56,960 --> 01:22:59,160 Speaker 1: we got to gear up. As Crystal's monologue was whole 1526 01:22:59,439 --> 01:23:04,160 Speaker 1: all about elections coming. It's an election, the midterms, presidential election, 1527 01:23:04,360 --> 01:23:07,200 Speaker 1: presidential are starting. We are going to have people all 1528 01:23:07,200 --> 01:23:09,960 Speaker 1: across this country. We're getting ready for how that all 1529 01:23:09,960 --> 01:23:12,000 Speaker 1: looks like. So we need your support. Link is down 1530 01:23:12,000 --> 01:23:13,840 Speaker 1: there in the description. We really appreciate it. We miss 1531 01:23:13,880 --> 01:23:15,519 Speaker 1: you guys so much. I'm so happy to be back here. 1532 01:23:15,560 --> 01:23:17,439 Speaker 1: It's nice to be back guys. We love you. Happy 1533 01:23:17,439 --> 01:23:18,960 Speaker 1: New Year, and we will see you back here tomorrow