1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: Cable news is ripping us apart, dividing the nation, making 2 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:06,640 Speaker 1: it impossible to function as a society and to know 3 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:09,440 Speaker 1: what is true and what is false. The good news 4 00:00:09,520 --> 00:00:11,560 Speaker 1: is that they're failing and they know it. That is 5 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:15,600 Speaker 1: why we're building something new. Be part of creating a new, better, healthier, 6 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: and more trustworthy mainstream by becoming a Breaking Points Premium 7 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 1: member today at breakingpoints dot com. Your hard earned money 8 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,119 Speaker 1: is going to help us build for the midterms and 9 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:28,080 Speaker 1: the upcoming presidential election so we can provide unparalleled coverage 10 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:29,320 Speaker 1: of what is sure to be one of the most 11 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 1: pivotal moments in American history. So what are you waiting for? 12 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: Go to Breakingpoints dot com to help us out. Good morning, everybody, 13 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: Happy Monday. We have an amazing show for everybody today. 14 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: What do we have, Crystal? Indeed, we do lots of 15 00:00:59,040 --> 00:01:00,880 Speaker 1: big news breaking this morning. First of all, we have 16 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: some brand new details about that horrific hammer attack on 17 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: Paul Pelosi. Will break all of that down for you. 18 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: We also have some new numbers about the midterm election, 19 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:12,399 Speaker 1: showing that Republican messaging does seem to be taking a 20 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:14,960 Speaker 1: toll landing a little bit more effectively with voters than 21 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:19,480 Speaker 1: democratic messaging or lack thereof perhaps is really landing. We 22 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:22,320 Speaker 1: also have new developments out of Ukraine, especially with regards 23 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:25,040 Speaker 1: to that grain deal that Russia and Ukraine had struck 24 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: that was allowing at least some grain to be exported 25 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: out of the country. That has changed. We also have 26 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:31,920 Speaker 1: new reports of attacks throughout the country this morning, so 27 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:34,639 Speaker 1: we'll break all of that down for you. Big moves 28 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: with regards to Elon Musk and Twitter, even some new 29 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:40,720 Speaker 1: developments this morning about what some of US first moves 30 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:43,039 Speaker 1: might be. And we have the results out of that 31 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:47,080 Speaker 1: big presidential election down in Brazil. Lula will be the 32 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,040 Speaker 1: next president. What does that mean? How close was it, 33 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: What are the polls right or wrong? What does it 34 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: all mean? We'll get into all of that. And plus 35 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: very excited to have Ken Klippenstein here in the studio. 36 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 1: Due just has gotten some crazy scoops lately, So this 37 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: one I think you all are going to be very 38 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: very interested in. You remember that whole Misinformation Governance Board 39 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: thing that supposedly was dismantled, Well they still decided to 40 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:13,360 Speaker 1: do the same thing. They're just not calling it that. 41 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: And the details of exactly what they are working with 42 00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: tech companies to censor are quite chilling. So he will 43 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 1: break all of that down for you in an exclusive 44 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: for us. But we wanted to start with the new 45 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: details of that attack on Paul Pelosi. That's right, So 46 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:29,359 Speaker 1: lots of questions around that attack. Emily and Ryan did 47 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:31,800 Speaker 1: a great job and a snap reaction on Friday, So 48 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: let's start with the details. We want to start at 49 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 1: the very beginning because I know there's still quite a 50 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 1: bit of speculation, questions about details are erroneously reported and such, 51 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: and we'll start at the very beginning with the San 52 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:45,080 Speaker 1: Francisco Police Department. Here was their initial response as to 53 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:47,760 Speaker 1: what happened in that attack on Paul Pelosi. Let's take 54 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: a listen. At approximately two twenty seven this morning, San 55 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:55,799 Speaker 1: Francisco Police officers were dispatched to the residents of speaker 56 00:02:56,120 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: Nancy Pelosi regarding an a priority wellbeing check. When the 57 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: officers arrived on scene, they encountered an adult male and 58 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: mister Pelosi's husband, Paul. Our officers observed mister Pelosi in 59 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:14,239 Speaker 1: the suspect, both holding a hammer. The suspect pulled the 60 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: hammer away from Miss Pelosi and violently assaulted him with it. 61 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:22,800 Speaker 1: Our officers immediately tackled the suspect, disarmed him, took him 62 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: into custody, requested emergency backup, and rendered medical aid. The 63 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 1: suspect has been identified as forty two year old David 64 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:36,080 Speaker 1: de Peppi. The motive for this attack is still being determined. 65 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:39,240 Speaker 1: Mister de Peppy will be booked at the San Francisco 66 00:03:39,320 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 1: County Jail on the following charges. Attempted homicide, assault with 67 00:03:43,680 --> 00:03:49,360 Speaker 1: the daily weapon, elder abuse, burgley, and several other additional felonies. 68 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: So important stuff A getting charged with at time for burglary, 69 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 1: attempted homicide, B that there was a phone call in 70 00:03:57,400 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 1: a wellness check. There were a lot of questions as 71 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: to why exactly this was a response as a wellness check. 72 00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: And then the suspect's name David depop. Now, in terms 73 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 1: of how Paul Pelosi is right now, let's put this 74 00:04:07,480 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: up there on the screen. This was a dear colleague 75 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:12,920 Speaker 1: letter sent by a speaker Pelosi to all of her 76 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: house colleagues yesterday. I'll read it in full, she says, 77 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:17,599 Speaker 1: dear colleague, yesterday morning, a violent man broke into our 78 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,680 Speaker 1: family home, demand to confront me and brutally attacked my husband, Paul, 79 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 1: our children, grandfather, our grandchildren, and I are heartbroken and 80 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: traumatized by the life threatening attack on our pop. We 81 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:28,159 Speaker 1: are grateful for the quick response of law enforcement. Please 82 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:30,359 Speaker 1: know the outpouring of prayers. We are comforted by the 83 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:32,280 Speaker 1: Book of Isaiah. Do not fear. I am with you. 84 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 1: Do not be dismayed or I am your God. I 85 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:36,039 Speaker 1: will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you 86 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:38,159 Speaker 1: with my righteous hand. We thank you and pray for 87 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 1: the continued safety and well being of our family. Now. 88 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:44,160 Speaker 1: The Pelosi family also previously had said that Paul Pelosi 89 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:47,440 Speaker 1: had undergone brain surgery. However, his doctors and others saying 90 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 1: that he's expected to make a full recovery eighty one 91 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: years old. Now to question of the attack itself, let's 92 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:54,040 Speaker 1: put this up there. This was one of the major 93 00:04:54,279 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: details with a lot of questions. Politico erroneously reported and 94 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:00,599 Speaker 1: said quote. Officers arrived at the house, knocked on the 95 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:03,560 Speaker 1: front door and were let inside by an unknown person, 96 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,080 Speaker 1: where they discovered to Pap and Pelosi struggling for the hammer, 97 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: and after they instructed them to drop the weapon to 98 00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 1: Pap took the hammer and quote violently attacked Pelosi. So 99 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:15,160 Speaker 1: there were a lot of questions there as to who 100 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 1: is this son named third person? Why was the third 101 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:21,039 Speaker 1: person also in the house. However, now in an interview, 102 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: let's put this up there on the screen. Details getting clarified. 103 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:27,359 Speaker 1: Quote San Francisco PD telling NBC that they were just 104 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:29,640 Speaker 1: two people in the Pelosi home at the time of 105 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:32,720 Speaker 1: the attack, not three as had previously been reported, and 106 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 1: that neither the suspect nor Paul Pelosi knew each other 107 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:38,400 Speaker 1: prior to the attack. NBC also said that they had 108 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:42,080 Speaker 1: confirmed quote zip ties were found on this scene. So 109 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: that was a follow up on a report about the 110 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:48,200 Speaker 1: zip ties, as well as to how exactly and why 111 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: this was dispatched as a quote wellness check. There were 112 00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:52,719 Speaker 1: a lot of questions as so why with this was 113 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 1: a wellness check and why didn't Paul Pelosi call nine 114 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:57,120 Speaker 1: one one. Let's pull the next one up there. Essentially, 115 00:05:57,200 --> 00:05:59,040 Speaker 1: what happened and according to that, this is again according 116 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:01,360 Speaker 1: to Pelosi and some of the initial details and all 117 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:03,599 Speaker 1: that were a little bit unclear. What happened is is 118 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:05,800 Speaker 1: that Pelosi told this guy that he wanted to go 119 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 1: David to pav that he wanted to go and to 120 00:06:07,560 --> 00:06:09,239 Speaker 1: use the bathroom, So while I was in the bathroom, 121 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:11,680 Speaker 1: secretly called nine to one one, and then he left 122 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:15,240 Speaker 1: nine one one on speaker essentially, and while he put 123 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:17,960 Speaker 1: the phone in his pocket and then went back and 124 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:19,640 Speaker 1: was like, Hey, what are you trying to do to me? 125 00:06:19,960 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 1: What are you doing? Why are you here? The nine 126 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:25,680 Speaker 1: to one one call operator listens to this and it 127 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:28,640 Speaker 1: was like, something fishy and weird is going on here 128 00:06:28,720 --> 00:06:31,640 Speaker 1: right now in Crystal and she then dispatches it as 129 00:06:31,640 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 1: a quote high priority wellness check. That's why it was 130 00:06:34,279 --> 00:06:36,680 Speaker 1: called in as a wellness check and not necessarily as 131 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:39,640 Speaker 1: a confirmed attack. So it seems like a lot of details, right, 132 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:42,359 Speaker 1: And it seems like this is also the reason why 133 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:45,480 Speaker 1: in the nine to one one call there was a 134 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:47,359 Speaker 1: report that this was someone he knew, that it was 135 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:49,960 Speaker 1: a friend, and it was also sort of contradictory because 136 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 1: it was like they don't know each other, but he 137 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:54,719 Speaker 1: says he's a friend. It seems like that confusion may 138 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:57,719 Speaker 1: also have come from the fact that essentially what they're 139 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,359 Speaker 1: saying happened with Paul Pelosi is he was able to 140 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:03,120 Speaker 1: dial nine to one one and but wasn't able to 141 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:04,880 Speaker 1: say to them like, oh my god, I'm under attack. 142 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:07,320 Speaker 1: Help me. He's just able to put it on speakerphone 143 00:07:07,520 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: so that they can hear the events unfolding, and he's 144 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:14,200 Speaker 1: trying to communicate with his attacker in a way where 145 00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: the nine to one to one dispatcher understands like, oh shit, 146 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:19,160 Speaker 1: there's something going on. We got to go help this guy. 147 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:25,720 Speaker 1: So originally, for those who have a healthy skepticism official narratives, yes, 148 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 1: including me, I would say that the questioned big question 149 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: marks were this report that there was another person at 150 00:07:33,960 --> 00:07:37,280 Speaker 1: the house, was like why who? What's going on there? 151 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:41,720 Speaker 1: The nine one one call where the attacker was referred 152 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 1: to as a friend, the fact that it was dispatched 153 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:47,440 Speaker 1: as a wellness check. And then there was also another 154 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 1: erroneous report that the two men were in their underwear 155 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:54,040 Speaker 1: and there are all kinds of salacious conspiracies out there 156 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: that this was a gay lover that attacked him. There 157 00:07:57,320 --> 00:07:59,600 Speaker 1: was a report that Elon Musk will get to that 158 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:02,200 Speaker 1: share from this sort of like you know rag that 159 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: puts on all kinds of crazy stuff all the time, 160 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 1: that was to that effect. At this point, it seems 161 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: like those conspiracy theories are much more sort of like 162 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:13,120 Speaker 1: cope from conservatives who don't want to acknowledge that there 163 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:16,760 Speaker 1: was anything ideologically about this guy that may have, you know, 164 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: mixed with his mental illness to lead to this kind 165 00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:22,880 Speaker 1: of attack, because one by one, each of those pieces 166 00:08:23,200 --> 00:08:27,520 Speaker 1: is at least being debunked by the San Francisco Police Department. 167 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: And you know, it seems like I continue to look, 168 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:33,000 Speaker 1: I'm open to the idea that there was something else 169 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:35,319 Speaker 1: going on here that you know, is more than has 170 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:37,760 Speaker 1: been told or more than meet ci et cetera, et cetera. 171 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 1: But probably the most likely explanation is that you had 172 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 1: a guy who's a drug addict, who is mentally ill, 173 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:49,959 Speaker 1: who has fallen down a million different internet conspiracy theory 174 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: rabbit holes and ended up in this like deranged state. Now, 175 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:57,679 Speaker 1: the question I still have is like, where the hell 176 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:00,360 Speaker 1: was the security? I mean, that's what's most surprised to me, 177 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:03,600 Speaker 1: is like I can't. I am shocked that it would 178 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:06,840 Speaker 1: be this easy to gain entry to the Pelosi home. 179 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:10,280 Speaker 1: But that's basically, you know, that's what we know this morning. 180 00:09:10,360 --> 00:09:12,719 Speaker 1: I'm very open and asking questions, as everybody knows. That's 181 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:14,520 Speaker 1: why I've spent a lot of time actually putting all 182 00:09:14,559 --> 00:09:16,920 Speaker 1: these details together, Like here's the things that were reported 183 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:18,800 Speaker 1: that a lot of people were picking up on, including me. 184 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 1: I was like, Hey, this is very strange. This is 185 00:09:20,559 --> 00:09:22,640 Speaker 1: very odd, and I think it does stem from the 186 00:09:22,760 --> 00:09:25,720 Speaker 1: unbelievable nature of you know, the idea that you could 187 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 1: break into a person's home who's worth over one hundred 188 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:31,520 Speaker 1: million dollars, in a six million dollar house in a 189 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:34,839 Speaker 1: violent city where crime is way up, and that they 190 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:38,160 Speaker 1: don't have any security. I mean, listen, you know, any 191 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:42,199 Speaker 1: normal dad who has a ring alarm has better security 192 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:45,760 Speaker 1: apparently than these people. So that's a little odd. There's 193 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:49,920 Speaker 1: no security camera footage, you know, allegedly, you know, the 194 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:53,320 Speaker 1: sliding glass door was broken or at least at some part. Yeah, 195 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:55,679 Speaker 1: there were pictures of that, right, And it's like, well, 196 00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:57,720 Speaker 1: you know, if you break my door, same thing. Like 197 00:09:57,760 --> 00:09:59,880 Speaker 1: I'm just a guy who can order stuff on Amazon, 198 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:01,920 Speaker 1: Like that's going to dispatch a nine one one call? 199 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,200 Speaker 1: So how exactly does that work? So anyway, I remain 200 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:09,560 Speaker 1: incredulous and really like stunned that it's even possible for 201 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:11,960 Speaker 1: like a violent break in or something like this to 202 00:10:12,040 --> 00:10:15,480 Speaker 1: happen to people who have extraordinary high net worth and 203 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: third in line to the presidency, although I guess you 204 00:10:18,160 --> 00:10:21,479 Speaker 1: should generally always bet on incompetence in some of these situations. 205 00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 1: In terms of the reports, look again, I mean, I'm 206 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:26,760 Speaker 1: sympathetic and you know, and stuff coming out on this, 207 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:29,840 Speaker 1: I was like, this whole thing just doesn't add up. However, 208 00:10:30,440 --> 00:10:34,559 Speaker 1: according to the police, and that's a very strong caveat. 209 00:10:34,679 --> 00:10:36,880 Speaker 1: You know, many of these things are no longer there, 210 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:38,960 Speaker 1: I think, And you brought this up this morning. At 211 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: the end of the day, the body camera footage actually 212 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:43,439 Speaker 1: will tell us a lot. It'll tell us everything, you know, exactly, 213 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:45,520 Speaker 1: whether that details true. Did he start attacking when they 214 00:10:45,559 --> 00:10:47,960 Speaker 1: got there, do you attack him before? What the position 215 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,160 Speaker 1: they found themselves in? Who broke the door? Some people 216 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:52,079 Speaker 1: said the police broke the door. Some people said that 217 00:10:52,120 --> 00:10:54,840 Speaker 1: it was David Depop that broke the door. Also, questions 218 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:57,040 Speaker 1: remain about mister Tipop himself we're about to get to 219 00:10:57,559 --> 00:11:01,520 Speaker 1: as well as his own like craziness and mental conspiracy 220 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:06,160 Speaker 1: combined with obviously a pension for going down internet rabbit holes. 221 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 1: Put that together, I think it's a sad attack. I mean, 222 00:11:08,679 --> 00:11:10,200 Speaker 1: at the end of the day, look, I don't wish 223 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:12,480 Speaker 1: the man il he's eighty one years old. That's a 224 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:14,480 Speaker 1: tough time to get attacked, I mean with the hammer 225 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:16,679 Speaker 1: and have to recover the hospital. I would say, so, 226 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:21,560 Speaker 1: I would say he, I mean, the just derangement of 227 00:11:21,679 --> 00:11:24,360 Speaker 1: attacking an eighty year old man with a hammer is 228 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:28,280 Speaker 1: that'st I mean it really, it really is. And you know, 229 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 1: it's not uncommon for in the wake of any of 230 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:34,319 Speaker 1: these sorts of events, whether it's a shooting or a 231 00:11:34,320 --> 00:11:36,960 Speaker 1: crime or an attack like this, for some of the 232 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,160 Speaker 1: details to be a little garbled in the beginning, right, 233 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:42,880 Speaker 1: And so probably the most likely explanation for why some 234 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 1: of these pieces were kind of head scratching is that 235 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:48,400 Speaker 1: Listen again, I remain open to the idea if the 236 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:50,800 Speaker 1: body camera footage comes out and it shows some other 237 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:53,120 Speaker 1: things were going on, I wouldn't be shocked by that. 238 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 1: But to me at this point, Okham's raiser of what 239 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:59,400 Speaker 1: likely happened is that they, you know, let their guard 240 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:02,280 Speaker 1: down with the purity, which is hard to hard to 241 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:06,080 Speaker 1: wrap your heat around, but certainly possible. Nancy, I guess, 242 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:09,560 Speaker 1: was out of town, so the secret service detail that 243 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:13,960 Speaker 1: normally accompanies her wouldn't have been present and that this dude, 244 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:18,080 Speaker 1: you know, was the toxic combination of like derangementally ill 245 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:22,120 Speaker 1: and then fueled by these right wing conspiracy theories. And 246 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:25,559 Speaker 1: we also should say, like there's an incentive part of 247 00:12:25,840 --> 00:12:28,120 Speaker 1: the people who were propagating these conspiracy theories and really 248 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:30,280 Speaker 1: latched onto them, Well, it's because they don't want to 249 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: acknowledge that any of the ideological parts that came from 250 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:37,400 Speaker 1: the right may have had anything to do with this attack. 251 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:40,839 Speaker 1: The thing that always drives me crazy about these incidents 252 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:42,800 Speaker 1: and we have just like you know, every time, it's 253 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:45,320 Speaker 1: the same thing. Everybody goes to the internet, looks at 254 00:12:45,320 --> 00:12:48,560 Speaker 1: what their social media history is. This guy was a 255 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:52,280 Speaker 1: prolific writer. He previously had been more of like, you know, 256 00:12:52,400 --> 00:12:55,560 Speaker 1: sort of left wing fringe lunatics. Seems to have made 257 00:12:55,559 --> 00:12:59,679 Speaker 1: a change, apparently reportedly gamer Gate shifted him to the right. Now. 258 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:02,520 Speaker 1: He was all in on QAnon. He wanted Trump to 259 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:06,120 Speaker 1: pick Tulci Gabbard as his vice presidential nominee. He was into, 260 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:10,960 Speaker 1: you know, the obsession with like the pedophilia that comes 261 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:13,760 Speaker 1: out of q Andon. Epstein stuff certainly is true, but 262 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:16,360 Speaker 1: there are parts of that they think that politicians are 263 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 1: like eating babies and all this sort of stuff. He 264 00:13:18,440 --> 00:13:21,920 Speaker 1: went down every internet rabbit hole. You combine that with 265 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:24,160 Speaker 1: the mental illness, and I think that seems like the 266 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 1: most likely explanation for what ultimately happened here. I mean, 267 00:13:26,880 --> 00:13:29,600 Speaker 1: we have some of the details about what exactly he 268 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:32,480 Speaker 1: was writing. Let's go and put this next up on 269 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:36,560 Speaker 1: the screen. They haven't been able to totally verify that 270 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:38,560 Speaker 1: these writings were him, but he seems to be the 271 00:13:38,559 --> 00:13:41,760 Speaker 1: only person by this name living in California. It seems 272 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 1: like it goes back to him. You know, he was 273 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:48,200 Speaker 1: in on like anti Semitic conspiracy theories suggesting there had 274 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:52,080 Speaker 1: been no mass gassing of prisoners at Auschwitz. He reposted 275 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:55,920 Speaker 1: a video lecture defending Adolf Hitler. Like I said before, 276 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:59,800 Speaker 1: he was you know, picking vice presidential candidates for Donald Trump. 277 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:03,760 Speaker 1: He also had those things that weren't political at all. Things, 278 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 1: you know, he was like imagining there were fairies that 279 00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:10,880 Speaker 1: he had produced using an artificial intelligence imaging system. He 280 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:15,600 Speaker 1: was tracking culture war issues, talking about Alex Jones's one 281 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:20,480 Speaker 1: billion dollar defamation judgments. So those are the sorts of 282 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:24,000 Speaker 1: you know, political content that he was apparently interested in. 283 00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:25,920 Speaker 1: And then of course, the report from the scene is 284 00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:28,280 Speaker 1: that he was saying, where's Nancy, and that's why people 285 00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:34,840 Speaker 1: are drawing this conclusion that his ideology connected to the attack, 286 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:37,000 Speaker 1: although we should be clear the police haven't said that 287 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:39,760 Speaker 1: they have They have not asserted a motive yet, so 288 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:41,400 Speaker 1: I think that's important to well. I mean, look, I mean, 289 00:14:41,520 --> 00:14:44,200 Speaker 1: does it is the motive belied by the fact that 290 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:46,640 Speaker 1: she's a speaker. Of course, it has to be part 291 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:48,560 Speaker 1: of the reason from what we've seen right now. I mean, look, 292 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 1: it's also San Francisco. It's not a crazy idea to 293 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:53,000 Speaker 1: have a crazy person breaking your house as almost drug. Yeah, 294 00:14:53,000 --> 00:14:54,400 Speaker 1: but when you're running around with a hammer and these 295 00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:56,400 Speaker 1: kind of post things and you're saying where's Nancy, I 296 00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:59,160 Speaker 1: mean there's pretty logical and you come together. Yeah, I 297 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:01,600 Speaker 1: think so. I mean, just in general, this like disgusting 298 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:04,280 Speaker 1: dash by everybody to go and see like what somebody 299 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:06,360 Speaker 1: used to watch and blame it on that person as 300 00:15:06,360 --> 00:15:09,360 Speaker 1: to their motive for the attack, I generally think is insane. Like, 301 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:12,120 Speaker 1: you know, look, people are crazy in this country. There's 302 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:14,040 Speaker 1: like three hundred and thirty million people. Like it's not 303 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:16,840 Speaker 1: always about ideology. It's not Bernie Sanders fault that James 304 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 1: Hodgkinson like shot up a bunch of congressman just because 305 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:22,200 Speaker 1: he happens like Bernie Like, it reminds us, It reminds me. 306 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:24,760 Speaker 1: It reminds me of the Gabby Giffords, Yeah, shooting, where 307 00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:29,320 Speaker 1: this guy there was an ideological component combined with mental illness, 308 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:32,360 Speaker 1: and you know, all of these things like there's there's 309 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:35,440 Speaker 1: a real human desire to understand how someone could do 310 00:15:35,480 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: this thing, And the truth of the matter is, you're 311 00:15:38,280 --> 00:15:43,760 Speaker 1: never really gonna get what leads a person to attack 312 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:45,760 Speaker 1: an eighty year old man with a hammer, Like you're 313 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:47,720 Speaker 1: never really going to be able to wrap your head 314 00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:50,680 Speaker 1: around it. Now, some of these attacks that we've seen 315 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:53,800 Speaker 1: were much work, like clearly ideylized. They write a whole 316 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 1: manifesto and they lay out like I'm a white supremacist 317 00:15:57,160 --> 00:15:59,720 Speaker 1: and I want to start a race war, and mental 318 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:03,640 Speaker 1: ills may be a factor there, but it's actually less 319 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:06,480 Speaker 1: of a factor than they've convinced themselves that there are 320 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:10,280 Speaker 1: some like warrior for their race or whatever ideological nonsense 321 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:13,680 Speaker 1: that they've fed themselves on. And then there's instances like 322 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:18,040 Speaker 1: this where you know, the mental illness combines with the 323 00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:21,680 Speaker 1: ideological inclination to lead to this like hate fueled attack, 324 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:24,840 Speaker 1: and that you really can't separate the two, and it 325 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 1: sort of irritates me when people want to latch onto 326 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:32,200 Speaker 1: just exclusively one explanation or the other because it's convenient 327 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:35,120 Speaker 1: for whatever their particular hobbyhorse or narrative ultimately is. That's 328 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:37,840 Speaker 1: a good segue. Let's gohea and jump ahead to eight guys. 329 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 1: Let's put this up there on the screen. So Elon 330 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:42,800 Speaker 1: finding himself in a little trouble. He's actually deleted his 331 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:44,800 Speaker 1: tweet since then. Let's put this image up there, please, 332 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 1: Hillary Clinton tweeting out. The Republican Party its mouthpieces are 333 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:51,360 Speaker 1: not regularly spread hate and range conspiracy theories. It is shocking, 334 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 1: but not surprising that the violence is a result. As citizens, 335 00:16:53,880 --> 00:16:56,200 Speaker 1: we must hold them accountable for their words and the 336 00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:58,880 Speaker 1: actions that follow. With a link specifically to this, Mister 337 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: depep Elon replied with a link to smo observed dot com. 338 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:06,399 Speaker 1: I don't really know how to describe it, like a rumor, 339 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:09,880 Speaker 1: tabloid ish yeah out of San Francisco. The steel sense 340 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:13,160 Speaker 1: of their credibility. It apparently reported previously that Hillary Clinton 341 00:17:13,359 --> 00:17:15,960 Speaker 1: was really dead and her body double was debating Trump 342 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:18,520 Speaker 1: at So that's the type of content that they tried. 343 00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:20,240 Speaker 1: That's the type of content anyway, He says, quote there 344 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:22,119 Speaker 1: is a tiny possibility there might be more to the 345 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:24,280 Speaker 1: story than meets the eye, with a link to a 346 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:27,919 Speaker 1: now deleted tweet and to a website which has effectively 347 00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:31,639 Speaker 1: been nuked by all of the traffic. Now. The allegation 348 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:35,080 Speaker 1: essentially was that Pelosi was quote drunk, and that these 349 00:17:35,119 --> 00:17:37,399 Speaker 1: were two gay lovers in some sort of lover's quarrel 350 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:39,520 Speaker 1: that had gone back to a bar, knew each other, 351 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:43,160 Speaker 1: and that something went wrong unfortunately for them. They linked 352 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:46,120 Speaker 1: to many of the details which have now again according 353 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:48,639 Speaker 1: to the police. I've now come out and said to 354 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 1: be wrong. I think all of this does underscore a 355 00:17:52,119 --> 00:17:54,040 Speaker 1: discussion that we were just having now, Crystal, which is 356 00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:56,480 Speaker 1: that everybody isn't a mad dash to say no, the 357 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:58,560 Speaker 1: other side is wrong. It's like, yeah, man, I mean, 358 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:00,040 Speaker 1: I don't know why it is not just comfort and 359 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:02,320 Speaker 1: say like people are crazy. John Hinckley was just crazy. 360 00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:03,960 Speaker 1: I mean, is a Jodie Foster's fault that he had 361 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,760 Speaker 1: shot Ronald Reagan? No, I mean one of the Manson 362 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:08,720 Speaker 1: family or whatever. When they should take a shot at 363 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:11,119 Speaker 1: Gerald Ford that one. There might be somebody at fault, 364 00:18:11,160 --> 00:18:13,480 Speaker 1: but they happen to work over the CIA. But the 365 00:18:13,560 --> 00:18:16,240 Speaker 1: point is is that, and don't I'm not in the 366 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 1: business generally of blaming folks. And actually they may disagree. 367 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:23,960 Speaker 1: I actually thought that Michael Schellenberger did a decent job, 368 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:27,720 Speaker 1: aside from his own editorial musings of who exactly this 369 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:30,879 Speaker 1: gentleman is. It gives me a pretty good intent. But 370 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:32,680 Speaker 1: I do disagree with put it up there on the screen, 371 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 1: Michael Schellenberger says, the media portraying the suspect in the 372 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:38,320 Speaker 1: attack as a man fundamentally driven by right wing audiology. 373 00:18:38,359 --> 00:18:41,200 Speaker 1: It is obviously anyone who looks what drove to behave 374 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:44,680 Speaker 1: to Pep with violence was drug induced paranoid psychosis. Neighbors 375 00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:47,400 Speaker 1: described to Pop as a homeless drug addict with politics 376 00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:49,880 Speaker 1: that was until recently left wing, but of a secondary 377 00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:53,160 Speaker 1: of potens to his psychotic and paranoid behavior. To Pop 378 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:57,120 Speaker 1: lived with a notorious local nudist colony in Berkeley, complete 379 00:18:57,119 --> 00:19:00,480 Speaker 1: with a BLM sign in the window, LGBT flag emblazoned 380 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:03,680 Speaker 1: with a marijuana symbol hanging from a tree. He says, quote, 381 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:05,240 Speaker 1: what I know about the family is that they're very 382 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:08,560 Speaker 1: radical activists. He's quoting somebody who knows the family and 383 00:19:08,680 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 1: was friends with them. I mean, it comes away to 384 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:14,960 Speaker 1: me like he's like, he's crazy for a castro nudist. Ye. 385 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:16,800 Speaker 1: I don't think he's left or right wing. I think 386 00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:20,359 Speaker 1: he's just nuts. But here's the thing, Okay, Schellenberger is 387 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:22,879 Speaker 1: doing the exact same thing that everyone else is doing. 388 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:26,520 Speaker 1: He is a house that this dude lived in years ago. 389 00:19:26,920 --> 00:19:30,240 Speaker 1: I mean he hasn't even also hasn't even been there 390 00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:33,560 Speaker 1: in years. So he's drawing all these conclusions and oh 391 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:36,800 Speaker 1: lo and behold, he uses all of the pieces that 392 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:39,800 Speaker 1: he gathers to feed his own hobby horse of that's 393 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:41,960 Speaker 1: why we need to be tough on crime, That's why 394 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:44,080 Speaker 1: we need to lock up drug users. That's why this 395 00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:47,359 Speaker 1: has nothing to do with ideology. He does. His conclusion 396 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:50,840 Speaker 1: is we've got to restore consequences for crimes resulting from addiction, 397 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:53,440 Speaker 1: both of which can be viewed as christ for help. 398 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:56,120 Speaker 1: Had laws against both been in force, then we may 399 00:19:56,119 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 1: not have ended up in this situation. So he uses 400 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:01,520 Speaker 1: all of this to fuel his own hobby horse of 401 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:04,080 Speaker 1: it's the crime is the problem. California is out of 402 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:07,720 Speaker 1: control and completely ignores that. You can't ignore that there 403 00:20:07,800 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 1: is an ideological component here. I mean, you don't show 404 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:14,400 Speaker 1: up at the speaker of the House's mansion without having 405 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:18,200 Speaker 1: some sort of like political ideological agenda. So to say 406 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:22,080 Speaker 1: he's just crazy and there's no ideological piece, I think 407 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:24,880 Speaker 1: is also dishonest. Like, I think you have to acknowledge 408 00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:29,680 Speaker 1: that the prevalence of these conspiracy theories QAnon in particular, 409 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:31,760 Speaker 1: but a bunch of other ones that have become increasingly 410 00:20:31,840 --> 00:20:34,800 Speaker 1: mainstream on the right was a toxic combination with this 411 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:39,360 Speaker 1: dude's mental illness and helped to result in this attack. Ultimately, yeah, 412 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:41,399 Speaker 1: I think that's fair. I will look, I will defend 413 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:42,880 Speaker 1: the man. I know he does not believe in mass 414 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:45,360 Speaker 1: incars or any for drugs. You believe in quote consequences, 415 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:47,920 Speaker 1: as in getting people treatment. So I think that people 416 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:49,720 Speaker 1: should engage with his work and read his book because 417 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:51,359 Speaker 1: personally he's actually had a very big impact in the 418 00:20:51,359 --> 00:20:53,400 Speaker 1: way that I think about that. However, we can put 419 00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:56,359 Speaker 1: all of that aside, and I will say that you 420 00:20:56,400 --> 00:21:00,920 Speaker 1: cannot separate the two. It is clearly multifaceted. That being said, 421 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:03,960 Speaker 1: what I think and what annoys me is, let's put 422 00:21:03,960 --> 00:21:06,600 Speaker 1: this on the screen. Is the immediated attack by you know, 423 00:21:06,640 --> 00:21:08,480 Speaker 1: the Ben Collins of the world, who's like some quote 424 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:12,199 Speaker 1: disinformation specialists says, this is completely false. He was obsessed 425 00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:15,000 Speaker 1: with the cabal, had standard anti war lefty posts in 426 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:17,879 Speaker 1: seven and then insane screens about pedophiles. This is the 427 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:21,400 Speaker 1: picture of radicalization. I was, actually, what's wrong about there? 428 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:23,960 Speaker 1: Because I don't think that this is the picture of radicalization. 429 00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:26,959 Speaker 1: I think that crazy people are fueled and are attracted 430 00:21:26,960 --> 00:21:29,639 Speaker 1: to crazy theories, and that those abound happened to be 431 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:32,400 Speaker 1: on the internet. Are they being mainstreamed on the right? Like, No, 432 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:34,600 Speaker 1: I don't think QAnon is mainstream on the right. I 433 00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:37,239 Speaker 1: think that a portion of our public is nuts and 434 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:40,159 Speaker 1: that they like to believe. Then is like retweeting or 435 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:43,680 Speaker 1: retruthing q drops Now, yeah, I can stream on the right. 436 00:21:43,680 --> 00:21:46,000 Speaker 1: He's the leader of the Republican Party. That's mainstream. I 437 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 1: think that Trump being a moron and retweeting like is 438 00:21:49,119 --> 00:21:52,280 Speaker 1: the Republican Party. So you can't say like he I 439 00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:54,520 Speaker 1: mean he is. I mean we all responsible for things 440 00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,480 Speaker 1: that we really reposting q drops and flirting with the 441 00:21:57,560 --> 00:21:59,840 Speaker 1: siety and posts like videos and whatever. I mean, you 442 00:21:59,880 --> 00:22:02,159 Speaker 1: have to say that it is increasingly mainstream within the 443 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:04,239 Speaker 1: Republican Party, don't. I mean, look, we have reams of 444 00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:06,520 Speaker 1: polling data to tell us that at best fifteen percent 445 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:09,560 Speaker 1: or whatever of the Republican base even is interested in 446 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:11,720 Speaker 1: somewhat in QAnon. So I don't think it's mainstream. I 447 00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:14,200 Speaker 1: think that the fact that Trump moron retweets a bunch 448 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:15,840 Speaker 1: of stuff that people who say nice things about him, 449 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:18,640 Speaker 1: doesn't mean that it is mainstream. And again, like, I'm 450 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:20,120 Speaker 1: just going to come back and say that I don't 451 00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:23,680 Speaker 1: think James Hodgkinson Bernie Sanders should be responsible for James 452 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:26,359 Speaker 1: Hodgkinson for liking a few Bernie tweets, yeah, and then 453 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 1: shooting a bunch of Republican collecting liking a few Bernie tweets. 454 00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 1: And I'm not saying, well, it's more than that. I'm actually, 455 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:36,000 Speaker 1: by the way, I do want to be clear. Okay, 456 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:39,199 Speaker 1: nothing that I'm saying here is like that's why we 457 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:41,320 Speaker 1: need to crack down on this speech and there is 458 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:44,639 Speaker 1: always a danger in this. All I'm saying is that 459 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:48,280 Speaker 1: people who are dabbling in this and fueling it, and 460 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:51,800 Speaker 1: who freaking know better need to have some thoughts about 461 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 1: their own personal responsibility like Elon Musk as people who 462 00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:58,720 Speaker 1: are powerful and have big platforms, Like, do I think 463 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:02,440 Speaker 1: Elon should be censor or banished or fined or put 464 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:07,080 Speaker 1: in prison or whatever for posting this like nonsense conspiracy article. No, 465 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:10,919 Speaker 1: do I think that he personally as someone who you know, 466 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:13,320 Speaker 1: he may not think of himself as a media figure, 467 00:23:13,400 --> 00:23:16,399 Speaker 1: but he really is one of the most influential media 468 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:19,919 Speaker 1: figures on the planet. Like you would have posted that nonsense. Oh, 469 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:22,200 Speaker 1: I want to posted that in nonsense, And we're much 470 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:25,560 Speaker 1: less power, we have much less influence. All I'm saying 471 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:29,240 Speaker 1: is that like to pretend like the ideology has nothing 472 00:23:29,280 --> 00:23:31,879 Speaker 1: to do with this, and that this is totally separate 473 00:23:31,920 --> 00:23:34,479 Speaker 1: from anything that's going on in the right, and you know, 474 00:23:34,520 --> 00:23:36,960 Speaker 1: it's just like this guy's just crazy, and that's that. 475 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:40,080 Speaker 1: I don't think that that's honest either, And I do 476 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:42,720 Speaker 1: think that, you know, people who have big platforms and 477 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:45,000 Speaker 1: have a lot of power should take that with a 478 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:48,040 Speaker 1: measure of responsibility that we try to do here at 479 00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:50,439 Speaker 1: breaking points. I think that's absolutely fair and you're correct, 480 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:52,240 Speaker 1: which is that really What it is is that for 481 00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:54,200 Speaker 1: people who know better, and we all know who we're 482 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:57,000 Speaker 1: talking about here, who traffic and who flirt with this, 483 00:23:57,320 --> 00:23:59,280 Speaker 1: it's a good reminder that, you know, people take some 484 00:23:59,359 --> 00:24:01,840 Speaker 1: of the things. We take it seriously because we look 485 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:03,760 Speaker 1: at it as a job in which we know that 486 00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:05,879 Speaker 1: people give in trust in us, and so we go 487 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:07,480 Speaker 1: out of our way to make sure, Like, look, even 488 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:09,480 Speaker 1: if I personally may believe something to be true, like 489 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:11,639 Speaker 1: I'm just not going to say it unless there is 490 00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:14,360 Speaker 1: at least decent evidence, or I'm not going to outrighte 491 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 1: traffic and speculation without at least laying out like here 492 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:19,240 Speaker 1: are the facts and the thought patterns that let me 493 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:20,760 Speaker 1: to get there. And I'm not going to just post 494 00:24:20,800 --> 00:24:24,160 Speaker 1: some random ass website right when I'm the richest person 495 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:26,000 Speaker 1: in the world. So I'm not defending the tweet. I'm 496 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:29,399 Speaker 1: glad he deleted it. That might I guess, Well, there 497 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:32,120 Speaker 1: are two different planes on which we're fighting. Yes, yeah, well, 498 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:33,840 Speaker 1: And I was going to say, I mean, with regards 499 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:36,920 Speaker 1: to that blog and the early questions about some of 500 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:39,360 Speaker 1: these weird details, like we were talking amongst each other 501 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:42,359 Speaker 1: about like, wow, it's weird. Maybe that's weird. Maybe what 502 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:45,040 Speaker 1: happened we didn't just like then take that and run 503 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:48,240 Speaker 1: with it and just like you know, without we waited. 504 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:50,639 Speaker 1: Just okay, what are the details? What is it starting 505 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:53,200 Speaker 1: to look like? And will continue to reassess. We're just 506 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:55,920 Speaker 1: trying to lay out for you, like the actual facts 507 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:57,879 Speaker 1: as we know them, based on the reports that we 508 00:24:57,960 --> 00:25:01,480 Speaker 1: have that are even remotely confirmed. So yeah, to just 509 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:05,720 Speaker 1: like run with some rumor mill it is a response. 510 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:08,800 Speaker 1: Do I think he deserves to be again like Pedala 511 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,760 Speaker 1: is for it or whatever? No, but you know, it'd 512 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:14,560 Speaker 1: be it'd be better if people were a little more 513 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:17,119 Speaker 1: responsible with their platform. That's all I'm saying. Let's go 514 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:20,520 Speaker 1: with that. I like it. Okay, let's talk about them 515 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:23,960 Speaker 1: in terms new CBS News Battleground Tracker. Let's put this 516 00:25:24,119 --> 00:25:27,280 Speaker 1: up on the screen. Their headline here is Republicans had 517 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:30,280 Speaker 1: into final week with lead in seats, voters feel things 518 00:25:30,320 --> 00:25:34,399 Speaker 1: are out of control. CBS News Battleground Tracker poll. They 519 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:37,480 Speaker 1: are looking specifically at house seats here, and the way 520 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 1: that they sketch this out is they have like a 521 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:44,280 Speaker 1: range of possibilities. The most likely possibility, according to their polling, 522 00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:48,960 Speaker 1: is that Republicans win a majority and do so relatively comfortably, 523 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:51,159 Speaker 1: but not with the like sort of massive landslide that 524 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:54,560 Speaker 1: we expected early on. Democrats narrowly holding onto the House 525 00:25:54,640 --> 00:25:57,720 Speaker 1: is still in the range of possibilities, but looking increasingly 526 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,199 Speaker 1: less likely. Let's go in and put some of the 527 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,359 Speaker 1: details here up on the screen. Let's go ahead and 528 00:26:02,359 --> 00:26:05,240 Speaker 1: put this next piece up, which is interesting. Nation is 529 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:08,439 Speaker 1: really divided about what is at stake, which is a 530 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:10,520 Speaker 1: bigger concern. To be honest with you, this surprised me 531 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:12,879 Speaker 1: a little bit. You have a majority fifty six percent 532 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:16,200 Speaker 1: saying that they are more worried about a functioning democracy, 533 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:18,680 Speaker 1: about the nation remaining and functioning democracy, than they are 534 00:26:18,720 --> 00:26:22,200 Speaker 1: a strong economy, So fifty six percent to forty four percent. 535 00:26:22,560 --> 00:26:26,800 Speaker 1: If you dig into those numbers, you find that Republicans 536 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:29,440 Speaker 1: are more likely to say they're interested in the strong economy, 537 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:31,840 Speaker 1: and they are more likely to support Republican candidates, and 538 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:35,160 Speaker 1: Democrats are more likely to say we're interested in functioning democracy, 539 00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:38,040 Speaker 1: and people who say that that is their primary concern 540 00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:42,120 Speaker 1: are more likely to support Democrats. Digging even further into 541 00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:45,600 Speaker 1: these numbers, there are additional troubling signs for the Democratic 542 00:26:45,640 --> 00:26:47,199 Speaker 1: Party let's go ahead and put this next piece up 543 00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:51,680 Speaker 1: on the screen. So they asked, Okay, depending on who 544 00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:54,560 Speaker 1: controls Congress, what do you think is going to happen 545 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:56,960 Speaker 1: with gas prices? Which was kind of a clever question. 546 00:26:57,040 --> 00:27:02,119 Speaker 1: Actual question. Fifty three percent majority of Americans believe that 547 00:27:02,200 --> 00:27:05,480 Speaker 1: if Democrats keep control of Congress, gas prices are going 548 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:09,399 Speaker 1: to go up, whereas only twenty one percent say the 549 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 1: same for Republicans. On do you think that they're going 550 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 1: to go down, only fifteen percent say that they think 551 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:19,320 Speaker 1: that Democrats will bring gas prices down, whereas forty five 552 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:23,760 Speaker 1: percent not a majority, but a healthy plurality, think that 553 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:27,280 Speaker 1: Republicans will bring down gas prices, and about a third 554 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:29,280 Speaker 1: say that neither one of these are going to have 555 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:32,560 Speaker 1: any kind of an impact, not a good sign for Democrats. 556 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:36,640 Speaker 1: You also have crime rising to be a top two 557 00:27:36,760 --> 00:27:38,640 Speaker 1: or three issue. Let's goud and put this next piece 558 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:42,120 Speaker 1: up on the screen. Republicans continue to have a significant 559 00:27:42,359 --> 00:27:45,760 Speaker 1: advantage on which party makes you feel safer with regards 560 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:50,640 Speaker 1: to violent crime and perhaps most damning of all, which 561 00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:54,040 Speaker 1: to me, saga really showed that the Republican messaging is landing. 562 00:27:54,200 --> 00:27:55,960 Speaker 1: Go ahead and put this last piece up on the screen. 563 00:27:56,359 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 1: When you ask voters what do you think Democrats will 564 00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:02,639 Speaker 1: actually do if they take control of Congress. Well, the 565 00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:05,479 Speaker 1: first one, okay, this one is what Democrats have been 566 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:08,439 Speaker 1: overwhelmingly messaging on. Eighty four percent say okay, they're going 567 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:10,960 Speaker 1: to pass a national right to abortion law. So the 568 00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:14,680 Speaker 1: Democratic messaging there is landing. Everything else not so great. 569 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:17,040 Speaker 1: Fifty nine percent say they're going to open the US 570 00:28:17,119 --> 00:28:19,880 Speaker 1: Mexico border, fifty three percent say they're going to cut 571 00:28:19,960 --> 00:28:23,920 Speaker 1: police funding, and only fifty one percent so a bear majority, 572 00:28:23,960 --> 00:28:26,480 Speaker 1: says they will increase social security benefits. And over on 573 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:28,920 Speaker 1: the other side, Democrats have started to message a little 574 00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:33,439 Speaker 1: bit about Republicans planning to cut social security. The numbers 575 00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:36,159 Speaker 1: bear out that that isn't really landing with people. There 576 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:38,520 Speaker 1: aren't huge majorities that believe that that is the case 577 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:41,040 Speaker 1: that Republicans take control. Now, the fascinating one is that 578 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:43,800 Speaker 1: voters do not feel like the Democrats have a clear 579 00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:46,240 Speaker 1: plan for what they're going to do if they maintain power. 580 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:48,640 Speaker 1: More voters actually believe that than what Republicans are going 581 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:51,760 Speaker 1: to do, So I guess it's interesting the Democratic messaging 582 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:53,880 Speaker 1: has worked. People are like, Okay, we know what they're 583 00:28:53,920 --> 00:28:56,400 Speaker 1: going to do abortion, got it? We care, yeah, but 584 00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:58,960 Speaker 1: we also care about a whole lot of other stuff, 585 00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:00,920 Speaker 1: and we don't know what you're going to do about it, 586 00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:03,960 Speaker 1: which makes sense whenever you've been the party in power 587 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:06,480 Speaker 1: for two years. I think this is a catastrophic poll. 588 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:08,880 Speaker 1: And actually, I just continue to come back to this one. 589 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:12,120 Speaker 1: Feel things in the US today are out of control. 590 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:16,080 Speaker 1: Seventy nine percent, twenty one percent under control. It's actually 591 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:18,640 Speaker 1: quite simple, like that is not good for the people 592 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:22,200 Speaker 1: who are uniformly in power everywhere. Their margin, you know, 593 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:24,640 Speaker 1: puts to the Republicans at a twelve seat advantaged. Look, 594 00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 1: there's a lot of noise in the polls coming out today. 595 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:28,040 Speaker 1: You and I were just talking. The New York Times 596 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:29,960 Speaker 1: had a slew of polls. Are actually quite good for 597 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:32,880 Speaker 1: all the Democratic candidates. I just have no idea, there's 598 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:35,520 Speaker 1: no way to know. On average, though the New York 599 00:29:35,560 --> 00:29:38,000 Speaker 1: Times missed was about five points. Given the fact that 600 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:40,040 Speaker 1: they have all the Democrats up by six, I'm like, wow, 601 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:42,320 Speaker 1: that seems like a basic fifty to fifty toss up 602 00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:44,800 Speaker 1: to me. I mean, I'm looking at this the whole 603 00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:48,920 Speaker 1: bigger concern a functioning democracy and a strong economy. On 604 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:51,200 Speaker 1: one hand, you could be somewhat heartened about that, But 605 00:29:51,240 --> 00:29:54,200 Speaker 1: people look at that very differently, Right, So if you 606 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,160 Speaker 1: were to ask a hardcore magup person about functioning democracy, 607 00:29:57,200 --> 00:29:59,400 Speaker 1: they'd be like, yeah, that means we need audits, you know, 608 00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:01,840 Speaker 1: the me election in Chekters, So people are going to 609 00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:04,080 Speaker 1: look at that in a very different way. Well, these 610 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:06,440 Speaker 1: questions don't strike at the heart of like what are 611 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:09,120 Speaker 1: people going to vote on from November. That is a 612 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:11,960 Speaker 1: good point too, because so Democrats and you might have 613 00:30:11,960 --> 00:30:14,120 Speaker 1: the numbers and what are you right there? Democrats had 614 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:16,400 Speaker 1: the edge with voters said who said their number one 615 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:19,560 Speaker 1: priorities of functioning democracy, and it was significant, it was 616 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:21,520 Speaker 1: like two thirds to one. Thirs it's sixty three twenty nine. 617 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:24,720 Speaker 1: Yea yeah. And then Republicans, though, had an even larger 618 00:30:24,920 --> 00:30:28,480 Speaker 1: edge among voters who said the economy's number one. So 619 00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:30,960 Speaker 1: even though you had more people saying actually I care 620 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:33,760 Speaker 1: most about a functioning democracy, the fact that you had 621 00:30:33,760 --> 00:30:36,880 Speaker 1: a larger proportion of the strong economy people going like 622 00:30:36,920 --> 00:30:40,080 Speaker 1: all in with Republicans ultimately the problem for Democrats. I mean, 623 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:42,400 Speaker 1: it all sort of underscores what we've been saying for 624 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:45,200 Speaker 1: a while that you know the issues that these parties 625 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:49,680 Speaker 1: decide to focus on, it does matter. Democrats have overwhelmingly 626 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:53,200 Speaker 1: been running ads on abortion, abortion, abortion, so much so 627 00:30:53,280 --> 00:30:55,800 Speaker 1: that Bernie sanders Is has been sounding the alarm bells 628 00:30:55,800 --> 00:30:59,120 Speaker 1: along with Stan Greenberg and others saying, guys, the economy 629 00:30:59,160 --> 00:31:01,240 Speaker 1: is really important. People are saying to the number one issue, 630 00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:04,200 Speaker 1: you have to have some message on that. I'm talking 631 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:06,720 Speaker 1: about President Obama on the campaign trail. He tried to 632 00:31:06,760 --> 00:31:08,080 Speaker 1: do a little bit of that. But you can't do 633 00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:11,280 Speaker 1: it if you don't have something affirmative and really concrete 634 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:13,720 Speaker 1: that you're like, if we get power, we are going 635 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:17,479 Speaker 1: to do X. They don't have that at all. And 636 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:19,640 Speaker 1: so what you can see here is if they had 637 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:24,720 Speaker 1: done sixty percent abortion ads rather than like ninety percent 638 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:28,400 Speaker 1: abortion ads and forty percent here's how we're going to 639 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:31,880 Speaker 1: deliver economically for you and your family, it would have 640 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:34,080 Speaker 1: made a difference. Because you can see the way the 641 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:36,720 Speaker 1: Republican ad messaging is working. You can see that the 642 00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:39,960 Speaker 1: Democratic ad messaging is working. The things they are talking 643 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:43,520 Speaker 1: about are landing with voters. It's just Democrats went all 644 00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:47,400 Speaker 1: in on one issue that is probably not going to 645 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:50,600 Speaker 1: be enough for people. Ultimately, when they're very concerned about 646 00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:52,479 Speaker 1: the economy and seventy nine percent say the country's out 647 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:54,880 Speaker 1: of control, I just have no idea. This truly is 648 00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:58,160 Speaker 1: one of those elections where everything is anything is possible. 649 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:00,920 Speaker 1: Is it possible? You know that those these New York 650 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:03,280 Speaker 1: Times polls, which will do a whole segment on tomorrow, 651 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:07,000 Speaker 1: are they like, is that the actual picture that really 652 00:32:07,320 --> 00:32:12,160 Speaker 1: Republican enthusiasm and Democratic voter malcontent is just completely underpriced? 653 00:32:12,520 --> 00:32:15,640 Speaker 1: Certainly possible if you were to bet on every fundamental though, 654 00:32:15,920 --> 00:32:18,400 Speaker 1: you would say, no way. And so I don't know, 655 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:21,479 Speaker 1: you know, do I believe in magic? Like? Not really? Well. 656 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:24,400 Speaker 1: The Times article, which we've really appreved, previewed heart almost 657 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:28,000 Speaker 1: too hard. One of the things they point out is 658 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:30,200 Speaker 1: that you have more voters who say they would like 659 00:32:30,240 --> 00:32:32,760 Speaker 1: Republicans to take control of the Senate, but they like 660 00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:36,640 Speaker 1: the Democratic candidate in their state better. And that gets 661 00:32:36,640 --> 00:32:39,640 Speaker 1: down to that question of like, does candidate quality really matter? 662 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:42,520 Speaker 1: Is it going to make a difference. I tend to 663 00:32:42,520 --> 00:32:45,040 Speaker 1: be skeptical that it. I think it makes a little 664 00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:47,080 Speaker 1: bit of a difference. I tend to be skeptical that 665 00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:50,360 Speaker 1: it is Oftentimes the determining factor, especially in an era 666 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:54,480 Speaker 1: of such hard partisanship. But ultimately, I mean, it really 667 00:32:54,560 --> 00:32:56,880 Speaker 1: is very hard to say how people are going to 668 00:32:57,080 --> 00:32:59,800 Speaker 1: process everything that's going on and what these you know, 669 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:03,120 Speaker 1: two very uninspiring parties are offering to the extent that 670 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:07,880 Speaker 1: they're offering anything. One thing that CBS News pointed out 671 00:33:08,440 --> 00:33:12,280 Speaker 1: is if in the most hopeful scenario for Democrats, so 672 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:15,480 Speaker 1: for Democrats to really defy the odds both historically and 673 00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:17,200 Speaker 1: in terms of what the polls say at this point 674 00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:20,160 Speaker 1: and hold on to the House, it would take a 675 00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:24,480 Speaker 1: huge search in young voters that is not being picked 676 00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:27,280 Speaker 1: up in the polls, that isn't at this point reflected 677 00:33:27,360 --> 00:33:31,080 Speaker 1: even the early turnout data. So that's what it would 678 00:33:31,080 --> 00:33:32,840 Speaker 1: really take. I mean, if you wanted to construct a 679 00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:35,200 Speaker 1: theory of the case, you could say, hey, student loan 680 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:40,360 Speaker 1: debt relief, you know, potentially descheduling marijuana and you know, 681 00:33:40,400 --> 00:33:44,440 Speaker 1: overturning the federal convictions for marijuana possession. Maybe that was 682 00:33:44,560 --> 00:33:48,080 Speaker 1: enough of an impetus to young voters. Maybe Roe versus Wade, 683 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:50,560 Speaker 1: which you know, young voters will looking this and going like, 684 00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:53,440 Speaker 1: oh my god, we're going Backwards's where is the country going. 685 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:56,480 Speaker 1: This is an issue that is, you know, really important 686 00:33:56,480 --> 00:33:59,240 Speaker 1: and impactful for that generation. Maybe that's enough to sort 687 00:33:59,240 --> 00:34:00,440 Speaker 1: of spread them to the po was in a way 688 00:34:00,480 --> 00:34:03,240 Speaker 1: that polsters aren't ultimately expecting. That's a kind of theory 689 00:34:03,240 --> 00:34:06,160 Speaker 1: you would have to lean into if you expected Democrats 690 00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:08,319 Speaker 1: at this point to be able to maintain control. Yeah, 691 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:10,520 Speaker 1: I think that's correct. Look again, everything is up in 692 00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:13,719 Speaker 1: the air. I genuinely have no idea where things are going. 693 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:16,400 Speaker 1: The fundamentals all do look good for the Republican Party 694 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:19,480 Speaker 1: on all of these the issue by issue. I continue 695 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:22,680 Speaker 1: to remember that under the Trumpet, under Trump in twenty twenty, 696 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:24,759 Speaker 1: everybody was like, yeah, but look at the polls. Yeah, 697 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:27,959 Speaker 1: but look at the polls. The best, the best approximator 698 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:31,680 Speaker 1: for his eventual success or near success at the polls 699 00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:35,160 Speaker 1: coming only forty thousand votes, shy was I trust Trump 700 00:34:35,160 --> 00:34:36,800 Speaker 1: on the economy, of which he was at fifty to 701 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:39,279 Speaker 1: fifty here on the down ballot. You know, we're looking 702 00:34:39,320 --> 00:34:42,080 Speaker 1: at eighty twenty. So that's just such a plus a 703 00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:46,440 Speaker 1: strong reliable indicator over time that I'm like, cut out 704 00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:48,080 Speaker 1: much of the noise and you can bet on that 705 00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:50,840 Speaker 1: same look. High crime, high inflation, party in power. It's like, 706 00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:53,000 Speaker 1: I just can't get away from those three things. No, 707 00:34:53,080 --> 00:34:55,720 Speaker 1: I agree with you. I agree with you. We also 708 00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:58,319 Speaker 1: have now an update from Nate Silver's five three, eight 709 00:34:58,360 --> 00:35:01,879 Speaker 1: four pass which people watch very closely, and he did 710 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:04,719 Speaker 1: have the race for the Senate as high as Democrats 711 00:35:04,760 --> 00:35:07,480 Speaker 1: with like a seventy one percent chance of taking the Senate. 712 00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:11,480 Speaker 1: This is back when Fetterman had double digit leads and everything. 713 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:13,040 Speaker 1: You know, it was in the wake of Roe versus 714 00:35:13,160 --> 00:35:15,920 Speaker 1: Way being overturned, and there were a few special elections 715 00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:17,960 Speaker 1: that went Democrats' way, and it really you know, and 716 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:20,160 Speaker 1: Biden passed a couple of bills, and it felt like 717 00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:22,680 Speaker 1: there was some momentum. Gas prices were going down, Biden's 718 00:35:22,680 --> 00:35:26,560 Speaker 1: approval rating was going up. Well, now things have eroded 719 00:35:26,719 --> 00:35:28,840 Speaker 1: enough for Democrats. Let's put this up on the screen 720 00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:33,279 Speaker 1: that it is fifty fifty. To be precise, it is 721 00:35:33,360 --> 00:35:36,560 Speaker 1: forty nine instances out of one hundred Republicans win, in 722 00:35:36,680 --> 00:35:39,520 Speaker 1: fifty one out of one hundred Democrats win. So technically 723 00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:41,080 Speaker 1: it's forty nine to fifty one. But I think you 724 00:35:41,080 --> 00:35:44,720 Speaker 1: could pretty closely approximate that as a real coin flip, 725 00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:47,960 Speaker 1: And in a way it's even worse for Democrats than 726 00:35:47,960 --> 00:35:51,200 Speaker 1: a coin flip, because you see which direction the trend 727 00:35:51,239 --> 00:35:54,480 Speaker 1: line is in. They've only been sort of, you know, 728 00:35:54,520 --> 00:35:57,960 Speaker 1: Republicans have only been eating into their lead, eating into 729 00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:00,480 Speaker 1: their lead, eating into their lead. So it would not 730 00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:03,240 Speaker 1: be surprising at all if next week it says, actually 731 00:36:03,239 --> 00:36:06,319 Speaker 1: it's like fifty five percent in favor of the Republicans, 732 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:08,520 Speaker 1: or it's sixty percent in favor of the Republicans. That's 733 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:12,040 Speaker 1: the direction that they're haading. Betting market, same thing. Odds 734 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:13,759 Speaker 1: are now and betting markets put this up on the 735 00:36:13,800 --> 00:36:17,000 Speaker 1: screen that the GOP will take the Senate. They are 736 00:36:17,040 --> 00:36:20,480 Speaker 1: slightly favored for the first time in two months. So 737 00:36:20,680 --> 00:36:24,319 Speaker 1: that's kind of where the prognosticators, or the smart money, 738 00:36:24,400 --> 00:36:26,320 Speaker 1: or potentially the stupid money is at this point in 739 00:36:26,400 --> 00:36:29,560 Speaker 1: the cycle. Yeah, I mean again, you know, keep looking 740 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:32,600 Speaker 1: at everything. We look at the markets. Graduate betting markets 741 00:36:32,600 --> 00:36:34,920 Speaker 1: are not in any way indicative, but you know, there 742 00:36:34,960 --> 00:36:36,799 Speaker 1: at least something is on the line, and they can 743 00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:39,040 Speaker 1: tell us a little bit about what's going on. The 744 00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:41,680 Speaker 1: Nate Silver piece. It's interesting, you know, whenever you look 745 00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:44,840 Speaker 1: at exactly what's weighted and what's not the other point 746 00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:47,200 Speaker 1: that we should always remember Crystal, which is that if 747 00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:50,040 Speaker 1: the Republicans let's say some crazy stuff because this let's 748 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:53,640 Speaker 1: always remember, let's say Fetterman does win, very possible. Yeah, 749 00:36:53,640 --> 00:36:56,719 Speaker 1: but then what if Cortes Masto loses in Nevada? Right 750 00:36:56,760 --> 00:36:59,160 Speaker 1: now you're at a wash, and then what if you 751 00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:01,960 Speaker 1: have a pickup in just one other place that nobody 752 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:04,799 Speaker 1: is really paying attention to. Maybe herschel Walker does get 753 00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:06,879 Speaker 1: over fifty, right. I mean, it's one of those things 754 00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:10,040 Speaker 1: where you can get to Senate control and not necessarily 755 00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:12,200 Speaker 1: do it in a way that maybe we've been guilty 756 00:37:12,239 --> 00:37:15,239 Speaker 1: of covering by focusing only on Pennsylvania more, we could 757 00:37:15,239 --> 00:37:18,680 Speaker 1: have upsets far outside of that norm and not really 758 00:37:18,719 --> 00:37:23,160 Speaker 1: consider or no why frequent Usually what happens is when 759 00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:26,239 Speaker 1: you have races that are true toss ups and right 760 00:37:26,280 --> 00:37:28,799 Speaker 1: on the bubble, it's usually not the case that like 761 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:31,080 Speaker 1: some go for the Democrats and some go for the Republicans, 762 00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:34,759 Speaker 1: it's usually they all fall in one direction. Right, So 763 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:39,520 Speaker 1: you know, I think these are on such a knife's edge, 764 00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:46,480 Speaker 1: all of the Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona. I think Mark 765 00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:49,920 Speaker 1: Kelly has potentially a little bit more breathing room than 766 00:37:49,960 --> 00:37:53,640 Speaker 1: these other seats. But these are all so incredibly close. 767 00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:55,680 Speaker 1: I don't know. My expectation is they're all going to 768 00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:57,840 Speaker 1: either fall on one line, side of the line or 769 00:37:57,880 --> 00:37:59,960 Speaker 1: the other side of the line. It's unlikely that you're 770 00:38:00,040 --> 00:38:01,879 Speaker 1: going to have a real sort of like all over 771 00:38:01,920 --> 00:38:05,120 Speaker 1: the map kind of result, just because I don't think 772 00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:07,879 Speaker 1: that's the way our politics typically work. The national mood, 773 00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:10,800 Speaker 1: the national winds tends to drive everything across the country, 774 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:14,400 Speaker 1: and there aren't there's a little bit of candidate differentiation, 775 00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:17,239 Speaker 1: a little bit of whatever's going on locally, but it's 776 00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:19,320 Speaker 1: much more about whatever the national mood is. Yeah, I 777 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:21,480 Speaker 1: think you're probably correct. I mean, it's just you know, 778 00:38:21,640 --> 00:38:24,360 Speaker 1: I keep coming and I'm like pulling all the battleground 779 00:38:24,400 --> 00:38:27,080 Speaker 1: numbers from yeah elsewhere, and like, you know, many people 780 00:38:27,080 --> 00:38:29,800 Speaker 1: got it so wrong in twenty twenty and in twenty sixteen. 781 00:38:29,840 --> 00:38:31,880 Speaker 1: It's just very difficult to keep that out of your 782 00:38:31,880 --> 00:38:34,120 Speaker 1: mind and not brown things the way that they are. 783 00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:36,640 Speaker 1: But who knows, I don't know. Yeah, I mean, and 784 00:38:36,680 --> 00:38:38,800 Speaker 1: we'll get to this in the Brazil block. But ultimately 785 00:38:38,800 --> 00:38:41,840 Speaker 1: the polls there, which were wildly off in the first round, 786 00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:44,880 Speaker 1: they were pretty close. They were on this time. Yeah, 787 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:48,719 Speaker 1: very interesting. So again just another variable to throw in 788 00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:51,480 Speaker 1: to say, like everybody's guessing at this point, and there 789 00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:53,560 Speaker 1: truly is a lot of suspense about what the outcome 790 00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:58,640 Speaker 1: will be, especially in the Senate. Let's get to the 791 00:38:58,760 --> 00:39:01,160 Speaker 1: very latest on of Ukraine. A lot of eyes on 792 00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:03,759 Speaker 1: the fact that that grain deal which we covered, which 793 00:39:03,760 --> 00:39:07,880 Speaker 1: you know, Ukraine bread basket of the region, potentially the world. 794 00:39:08,239 --> 00:39:11,080 Speaker 1: Their grain shipments being shut down was devastation for their 795 00:39:11,120 --> 00:39:15,320 Speaker 1: economy but also real problem for food prices and for hunger, 796 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:21,000 Speaker 1: especially in developing nations. Well, that deal, which was already 797 00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:24,520 Speaker 1: sort of crumbling and a lot of the grain shipments 798 00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:28,560 Speaker 1: reportedly not being allowed through, has now officially been killed 799 00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:31,799 Speaker 1: by Russia. And this seems to be in retaliation for 800 00:39:31,960 --> 00:39:36,200 Speaker 1: a drone attack on their black sea flagship that was 801 00:39:36,280 --> 00:39:38,560 Speaker 1: damaged in CRIMEA. Let's go and put this Wall Street 802 00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:41,880 Speaker 1: Journal report up on the screen. So Russia blames Ukraine 803 00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:44,520 Speaker 1: UK for a collapse of grain deal. Of course, UK 804 00:39:44,680 --> 00:39:47,719 Speaker 1: denies Moscow's claim that British experts aided that attack that 805 00:39:47,719 --> 00:39:51,319 Speaker 1: I just referenced on Russian black sea fleet based at 806 00:39:51,400 --> 00:39:54,880 Speaker 1: port of Sevastopol. They say they announced Russia announced they 807 00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:59,400 Speaker 1: would suspend participation in the grain export agreement Saturday. In 808 00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:02,399 Speaker 1: response to that drone attack, Moscow said it damaged one 809 00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:04,839 Speaker 1: mind sweep or others say that it damaged much more 810 00:40:04,840 --> 00:40:08,000 Speaker 1: than that, including the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, 811 00:40:08,680 --> 00:40:12,760 Speaker 1: the Admiral Makarov. I'm going to go with. On Sunday, 812 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:16,120 Speaker 1: you know, they had some very over the top rhetoric, 813 00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:19,840 Speaker 1: as per usual, Russia's Foreign ministry spokeswoman wrote on her 814 00:40:19,920 --> 00:40:22,440 Speaker 1: telegram messaging channel that the grain deal was thwarted by 815 00:40:22,560 --> 00:40:25,759 Speaker 1: Zelenski and his terrorists, who are led by British specialists. 816 00:40:25,920 --> 00:40:28,560 Speaker 1: They need more deaths. The key regime rests on this 817 00:40:28,719 --> 00:40:32,800 Speaker 1: Hellish throne, money, weapons and death. The UK has denied 818 00:40:32,840 --> 00:40:35,600 Speaker 1: any cooperation in the attack. I mean it would not 819 00:40:35,640 --> 00:40:38,560 Speaker 1: be shocked whatsoever if the UK was involved in the attack. 820 00:40:38,640 --> 00:40:42,200 Speaker 1: So I have no idea either way, but underscores both. 821 00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:45,800 Speaker 1: You know, the fact that this war is really causing 822 00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:48,320 Speaker 1: a lot of problems for the world. Obviously the heaviest 823 00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:51,680 Speaker 1: toll overwhelmingly on the people of Ukraine, but there have 824 00:40:51,719 --> 00:40:56,000 Speaker 1: been tremendously devastating follow on consequences for people everywhere. This 825 00:40:56,120 --> 00:40:59,600 Speaker 1: is only going to exacerbate the rise in food prices. 826 00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:02,880 Speaker 1: And also the fact that you know, Russia really treats 827 00:41:02,920 --> 00:41:06,200 Speaker 1: Crimea as kind of a different deal than the rest 828 00:41:06,239 --> 00:41:10,680 Speaker 1: of Ukraine. This was territory that everyone had in all 829 00:41:10,719 --> 00:41:15,839 Speaker 1: but name essentially ceded to Russia years ago, and there 830 00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:19,160 Speaker 1: had been a lot of sensitivity about striking in Crimea 831 00:41:19,280 --> 00:41:22,080 Speaker 1: early on, and now there's sort of like an increasing 832 00:41:22,160 --> 00:41:25,239 Speaker 1: willingness to strike in Ukrainian I mean in Crimea. Last 833 00:41:25,239 --> 00:41:28,200 Speaker 1: week we played for Unancy Pelosi saying that the US 834 00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:32,680 Speaker 1: is committed to helping Ukraine militarily take back this territory 835 00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:34,400 Speaker 1: as well, right, and you know, you have to consider 836 00:41:34,440 --> 00:41:37,480 Speaker 1: also wheat. Wheat futures actually went up by eight percent 837 00:41:37,680 --> 00:41:39,880 Speaker 1: just this morning based on the news of the pullout. 838 00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:42,399 Speaker 1: Moscow is saying that shipments are going to become quote 839 00:41:42,520 --> 00:41:46,280 Speaker 1: much riskier without it. And that's a complicated one because 840 00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:48,799 Speaker 1: originally they had the port mind and their you know, 841 00:41:48,880 --> 00:41:51,640 Speaker 1: all of that right now, then they were guaranteeing safe passage. 842 00:41:51,680 --> 00:41:55,600 Speaker 1: Now they're claiming the Ukrainians, which you know, possibly did 843 00:41:55,200 --> 00:41:59,880 Speaker 1: used the grain deal to circumvent basically Russian export grist 844 00:42:00,360 --> 00:42:02,320 Speaker 1: and all that and get that bomb over to the 845 00:42:02,400 --> 00:42:04,799 Speaker 1: Russian side to bring it over to the bridge. That's 846 00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:07,520 Speaker 1: ultimately what they were claiming. Yeah, as to that they 847 00:42:07,600 --> 00:42:10,799 Speaker 1: used the grain deal to facilitate their attack on that 848 00:42:10,840 --> 00:42:13,560 Speaker 1: Crimean branch, which is again, if that's possible, you know, 849 00:42:13,760 --> 00:42:16,560 Speaker 1: a big problem on the Ukrainian front. It could even 850 00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:18,680 Speaker 1: be you know, elements of the Ukrainian intelligence as part 851 00:42:18,680 --> 00:42:21,319 Speaker 1: of the issue. Nobody really knows what exactly happened there. 852 00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:23,080 Speaker 1: The point is is that they have enough of a 853 00:42:23,080 --> 00:42:26,320 Speaker 1: pretext to pull out Turkey. The US, the UN and 854 00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:29,040 Speaker 1: Ukraine are quote moving ahead with it. But it does 855 00:42:29,360 --> 00:42:32,360 Speaker 1: have a lot of uncertainty for merchant shipping and for wheat, 856 00:42:32,520 --> 00:42:34,200 Speaker 1: and we should remember, you know, we're not the ones 857 00:42:34,200 --> 00:42:37,680 Speaker 1: who rely on this. It really is developing countries Africa, 858 00:42:38,160 --> 00:42:41,239 Speaker 1: India elsewhere that rely on so many of the grain 859 00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:44,719 Speaker 1: shipments that were coming in and with a subpar harvest 860 00:42:44,800 --> 00:42:48,440 Speaker 1: apparently over the year on top of the turmoil, it 861 00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:50,920 Speaker 1: actually just leads to an increase in price, which what 862 00:42:50,960 --> 00:42:53,880 Speaker 1: did we see with natural gas. Ultimately, the Europeans figured 863 00:42:53,880 --> 00:42:56,160 Speaker 1: it out, which is they had to sacrifice like ten 864 00:42:56,200 --> 00:42:59,480 Speaker 1: percent of their national GDP. But that's what rich countries 865 00:42:59,520 --> 00:43:01,520 Speaker 1: can do. Have a lot of reserve and they're like, Okay, 866 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:04,520 Speaker 1: we're going to take a haircut on the entire German economy, 867 00:43:04,520 --> 00:43:07,399 Speaker 1: but we''ll figure it out. Right. Bangladesh does not have 868 00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:10,640 Speaker 1: that luxury, which is why they have rolling blackouts. Thailand 869 00:43:10,680 --> 00:43:14,359 Speaker 1: does not have that luxury. Pakistan, India, many of these 870 00:43:14,400 --> 00:43:19,120 Speaker 1: other country Africa particularly right now is really undernoice actually 871 00:43:19,120 --> 00:43:22,720 Speaker 1: in terms of their relationship with Russia, with China and elsewhere. 872 00:43:22,760 --> 00:43:25,160 Speaker 1: It's the rest of the globe that rely very much 873 00:43:25,160 --> 00:43:28,080 Speaker 1: on these institutions. They don't have the ability to take 874 00:43:28,080 --> 00:43:31,000 Speaker 1: a ten percent haircut, and when they do well, that's 875 00:43:31,040 --> 00:43:36,640 Speaker 1: when you see like famine, starvation, total collapse, and that's 876 00:43:37,080 --> 00:43:40,200 Speaker 1: the issue chaos, right Yeah. And you add to that 877 00:43:40,400 --> 00:43:44,840 Speaker 1: another exacerbating factor, which is that with our federal Reserve 878 00:43:45,560 --> 00:43:50,520 Speaker 1: moves to increase interest rates, that's causing the dollar to strengthen, 879 00:43:50,600 --> 00:43:54,560 Speaker 1: and also countries that have dollar denominated debt, it's making 880 00:43:54,600 --> 00:43:57,160 Speaker 1: it much more difficult for them, So that's an additional 881 00:43:57,239 --> 00:43:59,920 Speaker 1: strain on their finances to be able to serve as 882 00:44:00,160 --> 00:44:02,480 Speaker 1: that debt, which is many of these countries are in 883 00:44:02,520 --> 00:44:04,239 Speaker 1: that situation, which is why a lot of people are 884 00:44:04,280 --> 00:44:08,320 Speaker 1: sounding are sounding the alarm about potential you know, defaults 885 00:44:08,480 --> 00:44:12,000 Speaker 1: and bankruptcies and all kinds of you know, currency collapse 886 00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:15,080 Speaker 1: and all kinds of potential issues in the developing world. 887 00:44:15,200 --> 00:44:18,680 Speaker 1: So they're really not in a healthy fiscal position to 888 00:44:18,719 --> 00:44:20,960 Speaker 1: be able to weather this kind of storm, which is 889 00:44:20,960 --> 00:44:23,840 Speaker 1: why this is ultimately so troubling. There are also reports 890 00:44:23,840 --> 00:44:27,440 Speaker 1: coming out this morning more you know, missiles striking across 891 00:44:27,600 --> 00:44:30,600 Speaker 1: Ukraine in the sort of continued attacks that we've seen 892 00:44:30,680 --> 00:44:35,760 Speaker 1: from Russia on Ukrainian infrastructure, causing problems for their ability 893 00:44:35,760 --> 00:44:39,600 Speaker 1: to provide electricity. You know, we already have blackouts, rolling 894 00:44:39,600 --> 00:44:41,960 Speaker 1: blackouts across Ukraine as well, and so they're sort of 895 00:44:42,120 --> 00:44:45,960 Speaker 1: continuing that direction of their attacks. Okay, let's move on 896 00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:47,840 Speaker 1: to the next part, which is really fascinating. Put this 897 00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:53,000 Speaker 1: on the screen. Liz Trusts apparently had her phone hacked 898 00:44:53,320 --> 00:44:57,919 Speaker 1: by the Russians throughout her short, very short tenure as 899 00:44:58,120 --> 00:45:02,879 Speaker 1: the PM, allegedly Chris So included text messages and discussions 900 00:45:03,120 --> 00:45:08,800 Speaker 1: between Trusts and foreign officials, including the most sensitive negotiations, 901 00:45:08,840 --> 00:45:13,640 Speaker 1: discussions and thoughts about the war in Ukraine. Apparently that 902 00:45:13,800 --> 00:45:18,640 Speaker 1: hack went ahead during the quote summer Tory leadership campaign. 903 00:45:18,800 --> 00:45:22,239 Speaker 1: So basically while she was pressing forward. Here's the crazy thing. 904 00:45:22,440 --> 00:45:24,879 Speaker 1: The news of the hack was discovered, but was then 905 00:45:25,000 --> 00:45:27,759 Speaker 1: covered up by some of the people in government. That's 906 00:45:27,760 --> 00:45:30,200 Speaker 1: why what we just showed you. There's now a call 907 00:45:30,560 --> 00:45:33,760 Speaker 1: in the government to open an investigation as to whether 908 00:45:33,960 --> 00:45:36,480 Speaker 1: her phone was hacked while she was the Foreign Secretary, 909 00:45:36,520 --> 00:45:39,200 Speaker 1: possibly while she was even the PM, and that whether 910 00:45:39,239 --> 00:45:42,680 Speaker 1: the details of that breach were then hid from the 911 00:45:42,719 --> 00:45:46,080 Speaker 1: public and worse from Parliament and the rest of the 912 00:45:46,080 --> 00:45:48,759 Speaker 1: people in her party. It really does remind me of 913 00:45:48,800 --> 00:45:51,759 Speaker 1: you know, the Wikileak's fallout scandal from nine when it 914 00:45:51,840 --> 00:45:54,680 Speaker 1: turned out like we were tapping Angela Merkel's phones. I mean, 915 00:45:54,760 --> 00:45:57,120 Speaker 1: all these foreign leaders should probably be under the impression 916 00:45:57,160 --> 00:45:59,560 Speaker 1: that they are hacked at this point from what i've 917 00:45:59,680 --> 00:46:03,480 Speaker 1: you know, read and understand about Pegasus Pegasus two in particular, like, 918 00:46:03,719 --> 00:46:05,680 Speaker 1: as long as they have your phone number, you're a Gonner. 919 00:46:05,760 --> 00:46:08,680 Speaker 1: There ain't a damn thing. Apparently Apple has lockdown mode 920 00:46:08,719 --> 00:46:10,319 Speaker 1: even that. I'm like, how much of this is all 921 00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:13,799 Speaker 1: just theater? Who knows but it's true or not. I mean, 922 00:46:14,280 --> 00:46:18,120 Speaker 1: yet another Conservative party scandaled basically in the making because 923 00:46:18,480 --> 00:46:22,240 Speaker 1: the allegation or the reporting is that this hack which 924 00:46:22,360 --> 00:46:26,440 Speaker 1: completely compromised her phone and potentially you know, allowed the 925 00:46:26,520 --> 00:46:29,279 Speaker 1: Russians tax as all kinds of sensitive conversations about what 926 00:46:29,320 --> 00:46:31,359 Speaker 1: their plans were with regard to the war, etcetera, et cetera. 927 00:46:31,560 --> 00:46:35,960 Speaker 1: That this actually happened under Worris Johnson's leadership when she 928 00:46:36,120 --> 00:46:39,800 Speaker 1: was Foreign Secretary. So it's taken all of this time 929 00:46:40,200 --> 00:46:43,680 Speaker 1: where they were hiding and suppressing this information for this 930 00:46:43,760 --> 00:46:48,960 Speaker 1: news ultimately to come out. So yeah, that's the very 931 00:46:49,040 --> 00:46:52,600 Speaker 1: latest in terms of the sort of like unfolding Tory 932 00:46:52,680 --> 00:46:55,439 Speaker 1: Party drama that is going on in the UK. Yeah. 933 00:46:55,480 --> 00:46:58,279 Speaker 1: I mean it also highlights too, just like there's a 934 00:46:58,320 --> 00:47:02,239 Speaker 1: lot of infrastructure that people in our government, you know, 935 00:47:02,280 --> 00:47:04,200 Speaker 1: having interacted with people at the highest level in the 936 00:47:04,200 --> 00:47:06,799 Speaker 1: Whitehouse and allmark, they don't take any real precautions. Like 937 00:47:06,920 --> 00:47:09,160 Speaker 1: here's the truth, they really don't. At best, they have 938 00:47:09,200 --> 00:47:11,400 Speaker 1: signal on their phones. The Boomers don't even have signal 939 00:47:11,440 --> 00:47:14,480 Speaker 1: on their phones. They're just using out straight up eye message. 940 00:47:14,560 --> 00:47:17,359 Speaker 1: How secure is that? I don't know, there's no real bet. 941 00:47:17,520 --> 00:47:20,120 Speaker 1: You know, there were all those discussions right whether Trump's 942 00:47:20,160 --> 00:47:22,680 Speaker 1: phone was hacked. I wouldn't put it pass for a second. 943 00:47:22,680 --> 00:47:24,880 Speaker 1: You know, many people were saying at the White House 944 00:47:24,920 --> 00:47:28,080 Speaker 1: in particular, that they did a micro nave analysis or something, 945 00:47:28,120 --> 00:47:30,680 Speaker 1: and there were all these governments that has basically launched 946 00:47:30,760 --> 00:47:33,680 Speaker 1: right near the White House complex. Do we really have 947 00:47:33,760 --> 00:47:36,200 Speaker 1: trust that we have enough jamming equipment to make it 948 00:47:36,239 --> 00:47:39,400 Speaker 1: all happen? We like to think that all these technologies exist. 949 00:47:39,480 --> 00:47:42,120 Speaker 1: I'm just not so sure whenever I see things like this. 950 00:47:42,320 --> 00:47:44,279 Speaker 1: Why was it that easy to get into the hack 951 00:47:44,320 --> 00:47:46,960 Speaker 1: into the foreign secretary of the second most powerful nation 952 00:47:47,000 --> 00:47:49,080 Speaker 1: in the world. I mean, you know, why should we 953 00:47:49,320 --> 00:47:51,759 Speaker 1: be any different too here in the US? How many 954 00:47:51,800 --> 00:47:53,440 Speaker 1: are hacked and we don't even know about it? That's 955 00:47:53,440 --> 00:47:56,359 Speaker 1: the real question. Yeah right, I mean we've reported on 956 00:47:56,400 --> 00:47:59,239 Speaker 1: what is it called Pegasus, Yeah, Pegasus, that's the one 957 00:47:59,320 --> 00:48:02,080 Speaker 1: created by most but the Saudi's bought it all kinds 958 00:48:02,080 --> 00:48:04,719 Speaker 1: of different countries, but in Mexico, I think as well, 959 00:48:05,120 --> 00:48:08,800 Speaker 1: different nations and you know, other actors around the world. 960 00:48:09,000 --> 00:48:11,600 Speaker 1: And it doesn't even require you know, oftentimes to get 961 00:48:11,600 --> 00:48:14,360 Speaker 1: hat you have to like click on something one. Yeah, 962 00:48:14,400 --> 00:48:16,320 Speaker 1: this one doesn't even require that. They don't need it. 963 00:48:16,360 --> 00:48:18,359 Speaker 1: They just need your phone number and that's that you're done, right, 964 00:48:18,400 --> 00:48:20,080 Speaker 1: And so even if you change your phone number, Like 965 00:48:20,120 --> 00:48:22,360 Speaker 1: if you're a state actor, presumably you know at that 966 00:48:22,520 --> 00:48:25,200 Speaker 1: level getting somebody's phone number, especially if you have a 967 00:48:25,280 --> 00:48:28,200 Speaker 1: quasi legit reason, like you know, the Russian government has 968 00:48:28,239 --> 00:48:30,279 Speaker 1: a reason to have Liz Trust's phone number in case 969 00:48:30,280 --> 00:48:32,120 Speaker 1: they want to call her. Wealth that means they can 970 00:48:32,160 --> 00:48:34,840 Speaker 1: also hack her if they want to. So this is 971 00:48:34,840 --> 00:48:37,480 Speaker 1: the perils of our digital age here, people modern age. 972 00:48:37,480 --> 00:48:39,279 Speaker 1: Maybe they had it all figured out a long time. 973 00:48:39,360 --> 00:48:42,319 Speaker 1: Another another good segue here, speaking of our modern as 974 00:48:42,400 --> 00:48:45,200 Speaker 1: of our modern age problems that face it. Elon Musk 975 00:48:45,360 --> 00:48:48,239 Speaker 1: taking control of Twitter. Let's put this up there on 976 00:48:48,280 --> 00:48:50,840 Speaker 1: the screen. Lots of questions originally about content moderation. I 977 00:48:50,880 --> 00:48:52,279 Speaker 1: thought it was kind of hilarious that one of the 978 00:48:52,400 --> 00:48:54,879 Speaker 1: very first things that he announces is that Twitter will 979 00:48:54,920 --> 00:48:58,120 Speaker 1: be forming a content moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints. 980 00:48:58,320 --> 00:49:00,960 Speaker 1: No major content decisions or account and statements will happen 981 00:49:01,000 --> 00:49:05,080 Speaker 1: before that council convenes. So essentially Elon takes control of 982 00:49:05,080 --> 00:49:08,399 Speaker 1: Twitter and then institutes Crystal, the exact same policy that 983 00:49:09,000 --> 00:49:12,080 Speaker 1: Mark Zuckerberg has over a Facebook by picking it to 984 00:49:12,160 --> 00:49:15,839 Speaker 1: some fake oversight board. I guess the only redeeming thing 985 00:49:15,960 --> 00:49:19,560 Speaker 1: that you could say is that this oversight board might 986 00:49:19,640 --> 00:49:22,719 Speaker 1: actually have ideological diversity. But even then, you know, trying 987 00:49:22,760 --> 00:49:25,840 Speaker 1: to create quasi governmental institutions and essentially what are private 988 00:49:25,840 --> 00:49:28,440 Speaker 1: companies just always seems ridiculous. At the end of the day, 989 00:49:28,480 --> 00:49:30,520 Speaker 1: it's up to suck whether Trump gets banned or not. 990 00:49:30,760 --> 00:49:32,520 Speaker 1: I think, you know, look, I'm not saying it should 991 00:49:32,520 --> 00:49:34,359 Speaker 1: be this way, but I was saying, under current law 992 00:49:34,400 --> 00:49:36,919 Speaker 1: and all this, stop trying to insulate yourself. You bought 993 00:49:36,920 --> 00:49:39,319 Speaker 1: the platform, you own it. Now you have to own 994 00:49:39,400 --> 00:49:42,480 Speaker 1: all the problems. You know. There's an interesting story Bob Iger, 995 00:49:42,480 --> 00:49:45,640 Speaker 1: who is a chairman of Disney. Back in like twenty seventeen, 996 00:49:45,920 --> 00:49:48,040 Speaker 1: Disney almost bought Twitter. They were at like near the 997 00:49:48,040 --> 00:49:51,120 Speaker 1: closing oh final Yeah, and at the last minute Iiger 998 00:49:51,200 --> 00:49:53,000 Speaker 1: just called him Jack Dors. He's like, you know what, 999 00:49:53,160 --> 00:49:54,719 Speaker 1: I just don't want to deal with this because what 1000 00:49:54,800 --> 00:49:58,640 Speaker 1: he realized is that this one billion dollar business would 1001 00:49:58,680 --> 00:50:01,480 Speaker 1: become a massive headache for him, that he would have 1002 00:50:01,560 --> 00:50:05,240 Speaker 1: to litigate what gets banned and what doesn't, and content moderation, 1003 00:50:05,400 --> 00:50:07,680 Speaker 1: which would then go on to effect the overall you know, 1004 00:50:07,880 --> 00:50:11,000 Speaker 1: that could then have spillover effects on people boycotting the 1005 00:50:11,080 --> 00:50:13,160 Speaker 1: Lion King, and he was like, you know what, and 1006 00:50:13,200 --> 00:50:14,719 Speaker 1: he was right. I thought he made the right call. 1007 00:50:14,800 --> 00:50:17,279 Speaker 1: So anyway, the point is is that at the end 1008 00:50:17,280 --> 00:50:20,000 Speaker 1: of the day, this is always going to remain complicated. 1009 00:50:20,200 --> 00:50:23,600 Speaker 1: Now news out of the actual newsroom itself, let's put 1010 00:50:23,600 --> 00:50:25,640 Speaker 1: this up there, which is that Elon has said to 1011 00:50:25,680 --> 00:50:29,320 Speaker 1: have ordered job cuts across Twitter. It's actually unclear the level. 1012 00:50:29,360 --> 00:50:31,319 Speaker 1: You know, Originally some had said there were going to 1013 00:50:31,320 --> 00:50:33,840 Speaker 1: be seventy five percent layoffs are going to be beginning 1014 00:50:34,040 --> 00:50:37,960 Speaker 1: pretty much as soon as possible, rumors obviously going around. 1015 00:50:38,120 --> 00:50:40,279 Speaker 1: The fact of the matter was whether Elon took it 1016 00:50:40,320 --> 00:50:42,359 Speaker 1: over or not. A lot of people were getting fired 1017 00:50:42,360 --> 00:50:45,040 Speaker 1: at Twitter regardless. That was based on that leaked document 1018 00:50:45,200 --> 00:50:48,479 Speaker 1: that came out. Paragagawall essentially had no choice either given 1019 00:50:48,480 --> 00:50:51,600 Speaker 1: the state of their business. Advertising rates are going to 1020 00:50:51,719 --> 00:50:54,879 Speaker 1: record lows. It was funny, you know, whenever he went 1021 00:50:54,880 --> 00:50:58,399 Speaker 1: ahead and fired the CEO, Agar Walla and Vijaiyagade, who 1022 00:50:58,440 --> 00:51:00,719 Speaker 1: you know, I've had my own issue in troubles with 1023 00:51:00,800 --> 00:51:04,600 Speaker 1: here on the show. Well, it turns out that originally 1024 00:51:04,600 --> 00:51:08,000 Speaker 1: they were set to have these massive severance packages to 1025 00:51:08,040 --> 00:51:11,520 Speaker 1: the tune of over one hundred million dollars total. However, 1026 00:51:11,680 --> 00:51:15,120 Speaker 1: let's put this up there. Apparently Elon fired them, not 1027 00:51:15,239 --> 00:51:18,120 Speaker 1: just he didn't fire them in the way that they 1028 00:51:18,120 --> 00:51:20,280 Speaker 1: would have had to to get their pay their severance packages. 1029 00:51:20,600 --> 00:51:25,120 Speaker 1: He fired them quote for cause, which legally gives him 1030 00:51:25,120 --> 00:51:27,520 Speaker 1: some ground to argue that he doesn't then need to 1031 00:51:27,520 --> 00:51:30,400 Speaker 1: pay them out nearly one hundred million dollars in severance 1032 00:51:30,640 --> 00:51:32,879 Speaker 1: get to the total group, they don't get their little 1033 00:51:32,880 --> 00:51:34,880 Speaker 1: golden parachutes. But don't worry everyone, It's not like they 1034 00:51:34,880 --> 00:51:39,120 Speaker 1: hadn't been getting paid fantastically well. Va Jayagade, the chief censor, 1035 00:51:39,520 --> 00:51:42,520 Speaker 1: who you know everyone can remember from the Joe Rogan podcast. 1036 00:51:42,560 --> 00:51:45,040 Speaker 1: She was getting paid like seventeen million dollars a year. 1037 00:51:45,040 --> 00:51:48,880 Speaker 1: Agarwalla himself also multimillionaire many times over. So all these 1038 00:51:48,920 --> 00:51:50,680 Speaker 1: people are fine. I do not cry for them. For 1039 00:51:50,719 --> 00:51:54,360 Speaker 1: the lowly engineers, I feel somewhat bad. However, really what 1040 00:51:54,400 --> 00:51:56,320 Speaker 1: we're seeing is that a they were probably going to 1041 00:51:56,360 --> 00:51:59,040 Speaker 1: lose their job anyway, but this morning really only in 1042 00:51:59,080 --> 00:52:01,160 Speaker 1: the last twenty four hours, some interesting news is broken 1043 00:52:01,160 --> 00:52:03,160 Speaker 1: that we don't have an element for. And I'm curious 1044 00:52:03,280 --> 00:52:06,200 Speaker 1: your thoughts on this, which is that at the very least, 1045 00:52:06,360 --> 00:52:11,360 Speaker 1: they are considering charging verified users four ninety nine a 1046 00:52:11,440 --> 00:52:15,959 Speaker 1: month basically to keep access to their verified badge. One 1047 00:52:16,239 --> 00:52:19,040 Speaker 1: report from the Verge this morning is they are considering 1048 00:52:19,320 --> 00:52:22,479 Speaker 1: twenty dollars a month to charge it is a lot, 1049 00:52:22,560 --> 00:52:26,600 Speaker 1: what four hundred thousand verified users something like that. Oh, 1050 00:52:26,640 --> 00:52:28,040 Speaker 1: I think it's more than that. It's a lot more 1051 00:52:28,040 --> 00:52:31,319 Speaker 1: than four hundred thousand verified. I think it might even 1052 00:52:31,400 --> 00:52:33,920 Speaker 1: honestly be like over a million anyway. So the point 1053 00:52:34,000 --> 00:52:36,160 Speaker 1: is is that why why would they consider that? I 1054 00:52:36,200 --> 00:52:38,799 Speaker 1: actually think it's a very elegant solution which gets at 1055 00:52:38,880 --> 00:52:42,239 Speaker 1: what is the actual value of Twitter. On many other 1056 00:52:42,320 --> 00:52:45,880 Speaker 1: social media platforms, Instagram, others, there is I think a 1057 00:52:45,960 --> 00:52:48,320 Speaker 1: decent case for somebody who doesn't have a real following 1058 00:52:48,360 --> 00:52:50,320 Speaker 1: to make them you know, I had an Instagram account 1059 00:52:50,640 --> 00:52:52,600 Speaker 1: far before or whatever in this job, you know, in 1060 00:52:52,680 --> 00:52:55,399 Speaker 1: order to keep up with friends. Same with Facebook, same 1061 00:52:55,480 --> 00:52:59,120 Speaker 1: with even TikTok. To a certain extent, On Twitter, the 1062 00:52:59,239 --> 00:53:02,840 Speaker 1: value creation is amongst those like one percent of users 1063 00:53:02,840 --> 00:53:05,600 Speaker 1: who tweet all the time, right, and then everybody follows 1064 00:53:05,840 --> 00:53:09,280 Speaker 1: those people for information. Well, then the value two accounts 1065 00:53:09,320 --> 00:53:11,160 Speaker 1: like your mind, which has one hundreds of thousands of 1066 00:53:11,200 --> 00:53:15,080 Speaker 1: followers would be the access to this audience. You know, 1067 00:53:15,360 --> 00:53:17,480 Speaker 1: at this point, what do we really use Twitter? What 1068 00:53:17,560 --> 00:53:20,000 Speaker 1: real value does Twitter have for us? Frankly not that 1069 00:53:20,120 --> 00:53:24,440 Speaker 1: much beyond you know, getting myself in trouble. But at best, 1070 00:53:24,600 --> 00:53:27,759 Speaker 1: what is it an efficient way for me or you 1071 00:53:28,000 --> 00:53:32,600 Speaker 1: to promote breaking points, our live shows and announcement. Right, 1072 00:53:32,640 --> 00:53:35,440 Speaker 1: So the value creation there is like we use their 1073 00:53:35,440 --> 00:53:37,399 Speaker 1: platform to have access to all these people. It used 1074 00:53:37,440 --> 00:53:39,960 Speaker 1: to be they would place ads, but now really what 1075 00:53:40,000 --> 00:53:41,279 Speaker 1: it would be is like, no, we're gonna have to 1076 00:53:41,400 --> 00:53:44,320 Speaker 1: charge you, like any enterprise software. Essentially you had a 1077 00:53:44,400 --> 00:53:47,279 Speaker 1: need to pay us to have that priority access to 1078 00:53:47,360 --> 00:53:49,200 Speaker 1: your people. First of all, it is actually only three 1079 00:53:49,239 --> 00:53:52,800 Speaker 1: hundred and sixty thousand, oh verified, Only about zero point 1080 00:53:52,840 --> 00:53:56,680 Speaker 1: two percent they say, of Twitter's monetizable daily active users 1081 00:53:56,800 --> 00:53:59,560 Speaker 1: are verified. So at least in terms of active users, 1082 00:53:59,640 --> 00:54:02,200 Speaker 1: only in her sixty thousand accounts are verified. This is 1083 00:54:02,200 --> 00:54:05,000 Speaker 1: according to c net is where I'm getting this information, 1084 00:54:05,040 --> 00:54:07,000 Speaker 1: so it's a smaller number than I would have expected 1085 00:54:07,080 --> 00:54:10,759 Speaker 1: as well, millions. There's a lot to say about this. 1086 00:54:10,960 --> 00:54:14,640 Speaker 1: First of all, at this point, my main value that 1087 00:54:14,760 --> 00:54:17,359 Speaker 1: I get on a Twitter isn't even from my own 1088 00:54:17,560 --> 00:54:21,759 Speaker 1: tweeting or promotion of what we do. It's more from 1089 00:54:21,800 --> 00:54:27,440 Speaker 1: just being able to source stories and take a pulse 1090 00:54:27,520 --> 00:54:31,120 Speaker 1: of what at least the super online people are obsessing over. 1091 00:54:31,640 --> 00:54:33,719 Speaker 1: You know, it can be useful to see, like what 1092 00:54:33,760 --> 00:54:36,240 Speaker 1: the topics of conversation are. I see what other smart 1093 00:54:36,280 --> 00:54:40,720 Speaker 1: people are saying about various issues. It's actually very helpful 1094 00:54:40,760 --> 00:54:43,800 Speaker 1: with breaking news because you get information faster on Twitter 1095 00:54:44,080 --> 00:54:46,680 Speaker 1: than you do on other platforms. None of that actually 1096 00:54:46,719 --> 00:54:48,680 Speaker 1: has to do with me having a blue check by 1097 00:54:48,760 --> 00:54:50,640 Speaker 1: my name, like that I can all get access to 1098 00:54:50,719 --> 00:54:53,720 Speaker 1: without having the blue check mark. So that's one piece. 1099 00:54:54,480 --> 00:54:57,239 Speaker 1: Bigger picture. What I've been thinking about is the fact 1100 00:54:57,280 --> 00:54:59,160 Speaker 1: that you know, last weekend, I think Ryan and Emily 1101 00:54:59,360 --> 00:55:03,839 Speaker 1: covered this. Immediately after Elon buys Twitter and he's had 1102 00:55:03,840 --> 00:55:06,080 Speaker 1: all this rhetoric about free speech, et cetera, he immediately 1103 00:55:06,120 --> 00:55:09,239 Speaker 1: puts out this like letter to advertisers is basically like, no, no, no, 1104 00:55:09,280 --> 00:55:10,919 Speaker 1: I'm really not going to change. It's going to be fine. 1105 00:55:10,920 --> 00:55:13,160 Speaker 1: You can still advertise here. It's still gonna be all good. 1106 00:55:13,680 --> 00:55:16,360 Speaker 1: Which was a reminder to me that you know, ultimately, 1107 00:55:16,400 --> 00:55:19,480 Speaker 1: if you're trying to turn a profit, the business is 1108 00:55:19,560 --> 00:55:22,040 Speaker 1: structured in a certain way, has certain incentives, like the 1109 00:55:22,120 --> 00:55:25,480 Speaker 1: content moderation policy that comes out of these platforms. It 1110 00:55:25,520 --> 00:55:28,040 Speaker 1: doesn't just like fall from the ether or even from 1111 00:55:28,080 --> 00:55:31,280 Speaker 1: the whims of these individual billionaires who you know, ultimately 1112 00:55:31,320 --> 00:55:34,280 Speaker 1: they have the decision making power, but it comes out 1113 00:55:34,320 --> 00:55:37,280 Speaker 1: of the business model and the incentives that are inherent 1114 00:55:37,320 --> 00:55:41,799 Speaker 1: to that business model. Advertisers are worried about, just like 1115 00:55:41,840 --> 00:55:44,560 Speaker 1: on YouTube when they had apocalypse, about like having their 1116 00:55:45,160 --> 00:55:49,360 Speaker 1: add place next to some crazy like conspiracy theorists or 1117 00:55:49,520 --> 00:55:53,920 Speaker 1: white nationalist or whatever, and so that leads these platforms 1118 00:55:54,280 --> 00:55:58,759 Speaker 1: to be more cautious and more censorious than they should be. 1119 00:55:59,080 --> 00:56:02,279 Speaker 1: If you're real concern wasn't profit, but it was the 1120 00:56:02,760 --> 00:56:07,600 Speaker 1: functioning of a healthy and vibrant society and democracy. Those 1121 00:56:07,600 --> 00:56:09,239 Speaker 1: two things are sort of always going to be at 1122 00:56:09,239 --> 00:56:11,439 Speaker 1: odds and attention, and so to me, when I saw 1123 00:56:11,520 --> 00:56:14,920 Speaker 1: Elon immediately put out this like letter to advertisers, it 1124 00:56:15,000 --> 00:56:17,520 Speaker 1: was just a reminder of the fact that like, the 1125 00:56:17,560 --> 00:56:20,120 Speaker 1: business model is what it is, and as long as 1126 00:56:20,160 --> 00:56:21,960 Speaker 1: it's in the business of being you know, a public 1127 00:56:22,000 --> 00:56:25,480 Speaker 1: company and caring first and foremost about profit, you probably 1128 00:56:25,480 --> 00:56:28,359 Speaker 1: only expect so much of a change to what the 1129 00:56:28,360 --> 00:56:31,680 Speaker 1: content moderation policies are, which is why, you know, the 1130 00:56:31,680 --> 00:56:34,160 Speaker 1: model of having all of our are sort of like 1131 00:56:34,320 --> 00:56:36,080 Speaker 1: he calls it, the digital town square. I think it's 1132 00:56:36,120 --> 00:56:39,360 Speaker 1: absolutely right about that. Subject to the whims of profit 1133 00:56:39,719 --> 00:56:42,600 Speaker 1: versus making decisions about what would be best for the country, 1134 00:56:42,800 --> 00:56:44,960 Speaker 1: why that is always going to lead to an inferior 1135 00:56:44,960 --> 00:56:47,120 Speaker 1: outcome no matter who is in charge. I totally agree, 1136 00:56:47,160 --> 00:56:48,920 Speaker 1: which is part of why I would want some sort 1137 00:56:48,960 --> 00:56:51,720 Speaker 1: of occurring revenue. That being said, right, still not that hard. 1138 00:56:51,760 --> 00:56:53,839 Speaker 1: So I just went ahead and did you know some 1139 00:56:53,960 --> 00:56:56,240 Speaker 1: like back of the napkin math, like even three hundred 1140 00:56:56,239 --> 00:56:59,120 Speaker 1: and sixty at twenty, you're only talking about and I 1141 00:56:59,120 --> 00:57:01,160 Speaker 1: know this sounds silly, hundreds of millions, but like that's 1142 00:57:01,200 --> 00:57:04,279 Speaker 1: not enough in order, right, just by a forty four 1143 00:57:04,400 --> 00:57:08,120 Speaker 1: billion dollar purchase, And you're right that the way. So 1144 00:57:08,239 --> 00:57:11,120 Speaker 1: if you wanted to have different incentives and not end 1145 00:57:11,200 --> 00:57:14,399 Speaker 1: up with basically the same content moderation policy with maybe 1146 00:57:14,400 --> 00:57:16,480 Speaker 1: a few tweaks around the edges you let Trump back on, 1147 00:57:16,640 --> 00:57:19,400 Speaker 1: or you let Kanye back on or whatever, you would 1148 00:57:19,440 --> 00:57:21,880 Speaker 1: have to change the business model. You would have to 1149 00:57:21,920 --> 00:57:23,520 Speaker 1: make it. I mean, these are things we thought about 1150 00:57:23,560 --> 00:57:25,840 Speaker 1: a lot when we set up this piece, and it 1151 00:57:25,920 --> 00:57:28,880 Speaker 1: is analogous in a lot of ways. You have to 1152 00:57:28,960 --> 00:57:32,959 Speaker 1: have it your revenue dependent on something else. Like if 1153 00:57:33,000 --> 00:57:35,200 Speaker 1: you had people who were willing to pay for the 1154 00:57:35,240 --> 00:57:37,240 Speaker 1: service and they're more interested in the quality of the 1155 00:57:37,280 --> 00:57:40,520 Speaker 1: service than like whether advertisers are going to be comfortable, Well, 1156 00:57:40,560 --> 00:57:43,000 Speaker 1: that changes the incentives and it might ultimately change what 1157 00:57:43,040 --> 00:57:47,600 Speaker 1: the content moderation policy is. That makes sense, So I 1158 00:57:47,640 --> 00:57:49,800 Speaker 1: don't think that, you know, charging people for the blue 1159 00:57:49,880 --> 00:57:52,200 Speaker 1: check mark is probably sufficient to really change what the 1160 00:57:52,280 --> 00:57:55,600 Speaker 1: ultimate incentives are. But moving in that direction, it would 1161 00:57:55,600 --> 00:57:58,920 Speaker 1: also really change if you leaned into it being a 1162 00:57:59,080 --> 00:58:02,120 Speaker 1: like paid description service. I mean, that would really change 1163 00:58:02,160 --> 00:58:03,960 Speaker 1: what Twitter ultimately. I think it would have to be 1164 00:58:04,040 --> 00:58:06,680 Speaker 1: enterprise change. So it's free for most people, but each charge. 1165 00:58:06,800 --> 00:58:08,640 Speaker 1: Here's the other thing. It'd be a very elegant solution. 1166 00:58:08,720 --> 00:58:11,080 Speaker 1: Ap and Reuter's all right, you guys need to pay. 1167 00:58:11,160 --> 00:58:12,280 Speaker 1: You need to pay a hell of a lot of 1168 00:58:12,280 --> 00:58:14,920 Speaker 1: money now in order to distribute Guess what I think 1169 00:58:14,960 --> 00:58:17,280 Speaker 1: they would pay it. I really do. I mean, at 1170 00:58:17,280 --> 00:58:18,960 Speaker 1: the end of the day, that's where the people are, 1171 00:58:19,000 --> 00:58:21,360 Speaker 1: that's where people go for news. It's basically the best 1172 00:58:21,400 --> 00:58:24,920 Speaker 1: news platform that's ever existed on planet Earth. Charge them 1173 00:58:24,960 --> 00:58:26,560 Speaker 1: the hell of a lot of money, Yeah, to do it? 1174 00:58:26,720 --> 00:58:29,320 Speaker 1: Dare them? I mean, honestly, I think they fold and 1175 00:58:29,360 --> 00:58:32,160 Speaker 1: they pay. They could pay frankly millions of dollars in 1176 00:58:32,240 --> 00:58:35,680 Speaker 1: order to do so, just because they understand. However, some 1177 00:58:35,720 --> 00:58:39,400 Speaker 1: of the value is based on everybody being there. But 1178 00:58:39,480 --> 00:58:42,080 Speaker 1: I think the flaw from the beginning was that at 1179 00:58:42,080 --> 00:58:43,800 Speaker 1: the end of the day, you know, the vast majority 1180 00:58:43,880 --> 00:58:45,640 Speaker 1: people like us, you know, in the top one percent 1181 00:58:45,680 --> 00:58:48,040 Speaker 1: or whatever of Twitter users, both from a posting and 1182 00:58:48,080 --> 00:58:50,920 Speaker 1: a follower perspective, like we are creating the vast majority 1183 00:58:50,960 --> 00:58:54,280 Speaker 1: the quote value onset platform, even though whatever value is 1184 00:58:54,280 --> 00:58:56,360 Speaker 1: for us, clearly people don't follow us for no reason, 1185 00:58:56,440 --> 00:58:59,240 Speaker 1: right for some reason that they're doing well that's worth 1186 00:58:59,440 --> 00:59:01,960 Speaker 1: something to I think it's an elegant solution to try 1187 00:59:02,000 --> 00:59:04,840 Speaker 1: and put a dollar amount on that. I like where 1188 00:59:05,080 --> 00:59:07,080 Speaker 1: their head is at, at least from that example, because 1189 00:59:07,280 --> 00:59:10,040 Speaker 1: as you and I have found out, a subscription business 1190 00:59:10,120 --> 00:59:12,720 Speaker 1: is anti fragile in many ways. It doesn't matter, you know, 1191 00:59:12,800 --> 00:59:15,880 Speaker 1: as cancelations are what they are, but relative churn is 1192 00:59:15,920 --> 00:59:18,840 Speaker 1: not that out low and you have money coming in 1193 00:59:18,880 --> 00:59:20,960 Speaker 1: through the door. If you lock it, into a certain 1194 00:59:20,960 --> 00:59:24,480 Speaker 1: extent as much more reliable some of the most you 1195 00:59:24,480 --> 00:59:27,440 Speaker 1: know why you think software as a service businesses are 1196 00:59:27,440 --> 00:59:31,680 Speaker 1: worth many, many multiples over that. That's why advertising platforms 1197 00:59:32,000 --> 00:59:38,400 Speaker 1: really only work at a tremendous scale, which is essentially monopoly. Google, Facebook, 1198 00:59:38,680 --> 00:59:41,000 Speaker 1: you know, even Snapchat to a certain extent. You can 1199 00:59:41,040 --> 00:59:44,000 Speaker 1: see like they may be booming, but if ad rates 1200 00:59:44,000 --> 00:59:46,480 Speaker 1: go down by forty percent, your stock goes off of 1201 00:59:46,520 --> 00:59:49,120 Speaker 1: a cliff. Anyway, I'm mostly just musing here. I think 1202 00:59:49,320 --> 00:59:51,520 Speaker 1: it's interesting, you know, full disclover. I know some of 1203 00:59:51,520 --> 00:59:53,880 Speaker 1: the people who are involved in making these decisions. I 1204 00:59:53,920 --> 00:59:55,440 Speaker 1: haven't spoken to them about it or whatever, but I 1205 00:59:55,440 --> 00:59:57,360 Speaker 1: don't want anybody to think I'm chilling on behalf of 1206 00:59:57,400 --> 00:59:59,280 Speaker 1: my friends. It does make sense though, that we all 1207 00:59:59,320 --> 01:00:02,720 Speaker 1: kind of think about the similarly. So yeah, and I 1208 01:00:02,760 --> 01:00:05,280 Speaker 1: guess it's also we're saying, remember they tried that thing 1209 01:00:05,320 --> 01:00:07,800 Speaker 1: of like what are they Twitter Blue, the power user, 1210 01:00:08,000 --> 01:00:11,760 Speaker 1: the super follow like a tipping function. Yeah, where it's 1211 01:00:11,800 --> 01:00:14,160 Speaker 1: like or you can pay to get like special tweets 1212 01:00:14,200 --> 01:00:17,080 Speaker 1: from the people you really care. That didn't really that 1213 01:00:17,080 --> 01:00:19,360 Speaker 1: didn't panish, not enough value. You got to give something real, 1214 01:00:19,440 --> 01:00:20,840 Speaker 1: I mean you and I see this, which is that 1215 01:00:20,960 --> 01:00:22,920 Speaker 1: like our premium subs in terms of the way that 1216 01:00:22,960 --> 01:00:25,800 Speaker 1: we charge, like, hey, you're paying to support our work. 1217 01:00:25,920 --> 01:00:28,000 Speaker 1: Number one at the court, you have to believe in 1218 01:00:28,040 --> 01:00:30,120 Speaker 1: the mission. That's what you're doing. And we're actually far 1219 01:00:30,120 --> 01:00:32,160 Speaker 1: more upfront than most people. We're like, here, here's what 1220 01:00:32,160 --> 01:00:34,240 Speaker 1: your money is getting spent on. You know, we did 1221 01:00:34,240 --> 01:00:37,200 Speaker 1: our one year anniversary thing where we were like, hey, everybody, 1222 01:00:37,240 --> 01:00:39,200 Speaker 1: here's what we say. Here's cameras that we bought. Here's 1223 01:00:39,240 --> 01:00:41,400 Speaker 1: the people though, here's exactly how much money that we 1224 01:00:41,440 --> 01:00:44,000 Speaker 1: doled out on X, Y and Z. Nice desk they're 1225 01:00:44,000 --> 01:00:47,439 Speaker 1: sitting here. The point being that we had I think 1226 01:00:47,480 --> 01:00:50,040 Speaker 1: of much more explicit value then most people were like, hey, 1227 01:00:50,040 --> 01:00:51,960 Speaker 1: if you just like my work, throw us something in 1228 01:00:52,000 --> 01:00:53,640 Speaker 1: our experience. You can't do that. You have to be 1229 01:00:53,760 --> 01:00:56,280 Speaker 1: very upfront and really give people your reason as to 1230 01:00:56,280 --> 01:00:58,320 Speaker 1: what they're doing and why and what they want to 1231 01:00:58,320 --> 01:01:02,160 Speaker 1: buy into. Right and also you premum subscribers can tell 1232 01:01:02,240 --> 01:01:04,640 Speaker 1: us that we're wrong, but you know, it seems like 1233 01:01:04,720 --> 01:01:07,600 Speaker 1: what people are really paying for is their belief in 1234 01:01:08,080 --> 01:01:10,080 Speaker 1: what you're doing. I mean, we do a lot to 1235 01:01:10,200 --> 01:01:14,800 Speaker 1: make sure the premium experience is you know it's ad free, 1236 01:01:14,880 --> 01:01:17,160 Speaker 1: you get it early. We do the AMA like, we 1237 01:01:17,200 --> 01:01:19,720 Speaker 1: do a lot to make it special and give you perks. 1238 01:01:19,720 --> 01:01:22,720 Speaker 1: But I think at core people are just are paying 1239 01:01:22,800 --> 01:01:25,040 Speaker 1: for We support the project and we want to be 1240 01:01:25,080 --> 01:01:27,720 Speaker 1: part of building it together. So there isn't quite an 1241 01:01:27,760 --> 01:01:30,640 Speaker 1: analogous thing going on on Twitter. And then there's the 1242 01:01:30,720 --> 01:01:34,800 Speaker 1: other piece of like you know, we get our content 1243 01:01:34,840 --> 01:01:38,240 Speaker 1: on YouTube is monetized through their ad revenun content on 1244 01:01:39,600 --> 01:01:43,160 Speaker 1: the podcasting platforms is monetized in a similar way through 1245 01:01:43,240 --> 01:01:46,400 Speaker 1: like arms length ad revenue there as well. But we 1246 01:01:46,560 --> 01:01:50,400 Speaker 1: also obviously our primary goal isn't can we how much 1247 01:01:50,440 --> 01:01:52,720 Speaker 1: profit can we stick out of our audience? Whereas if 1248 01:01:52,760 --> 01:01:55,000 Speaker 1: you're a public company, that's definitely going to be your thing. 1249 01:01:55,280 --> 01:01:58,520 Speaker 1: So even if you have enough subscription revenue where you 1250 01:01:58,560 --> 01:02:01,120 Speaker 1: don't you know, it's a good profit business without even 1251 01:02:01,120 --> 01:02:03,880 Speaker 1: really worrying about the advertisers, They're still going to worry 1252 01:02:03,880 --> 01:02:06,000 Speaker 1: about the advertisers because they want to be able to 1253 01:02:06,080 --> 01:02:08,720 Speaker 1: juice it as much as possible. So anyway, I don't 1254 01:02:08,760 --> 01:02:11,760 Speaker 1: have Elon's task at this point. I think he stepped 1255 01:02:11,760 --> 01:02:14,840 Speaker 1: into quite a complex and difficult situation both from a 1256 01:02:14,880 --> 01:02:19,160 Speaker 1: business perspective and also trying to square his purported stated 1257 01:02:19,240 --> 01:02:22,400 Speaker 1: values with the reality of what you have to do 1258 01:02:22,440 --> 01:02:24,520 Speaker 1: when you run any of these platforms. And you know, 1259 01:02:24,600 --> 01:02:26,640 Speaker 1: bottom line, I don't think we should be counting on 1260 01:02:27,040 --> 01:02:30,439 Speaker 1: Elon Lusk or Mark Zuckerberg or any other plutocrat for 1261 01:02:30,600 --> 01:02:33,240 Speaker 1: our quote unquote free speech because, as our friend Aggor 1262 01:02:33,360 --> 01:02:35,240 Speaker 1: told me, like, how free is your speech when you're 1263 01:02:35,240 --> 01:02:37,920 Speaker 1: dependent on a billionaire for it? Not very free. Ultimately, 1264 01:02:38,000 --> 01:02:41,600 Speaker 1: let's move on. This is a hilarious reaction, which is 1265 01:02:41,600 --> 01:02:44,080 Speaker 1: that you're not going to find a nice discussion like 1266 01:02:44,160 --> 01:02:46,720 Speaker 1: we just had about incentives and what it all means. 1267 01:02:46,760 --> 01:02:50,800 Speaker 1: Over on Cable. They're losing their minds over at MSNBC 1268 01:02:51,040 --> 01:02:54,240 Speaker 1: at these prospects. Let's take a listen. The distinction that 1269 01:02:54,360 --> 01:02:56,440 Speaker 1: a lot of people miss and that I think sometimes 1270 01:02:56,480 --> 01:03:00,760 Speaker 1: Elon Musk himself misses, is that the First Amendment protects 1271 01:03:01,080 --> 01:03:05,640 Speaker 1: against government censorship. It does not mean that that private 1272 01:03:05,720 --> 01:03:09,720 Speaker 1: enterprises like Twitter cannot moderate, cannot have guardrails, as you say, 1273 01:03:09,800 --> 01:03:13,680 Speaker 1: cannot have safeguards. Now that's right. Look, the First Amendment 1274 01:03:13,760 --> 01:03:17,520 Speaker 1: safeguards us against government coming in to ban and punish 1275 01:03:17,520 --> 01:03:20,960 Speaker 1: our speech, particularly on ideological grounds. I think that's a 1276 01:03:21,040 --> 01:03:23,040 Speaker 1: very good thing. We could see how that power would 1277 01:03:23,040 --> 01:03:26,320 Speaker 1: be misused. If Donald Trump had had the power to 1278 01:03:26,400 --> 01:03:29,360 Speaker 1: punish and throw journalists in jail. I think there's every 1279 01:03:29,400 --> 01:03:31,880 Speaker 1: reason I believe he would have used it. He threatened people, 1280 01:03:32,560 --> 01:03:34,960 Speaker 1: he had them thrown out of rallies, and so we 1281 01:03:35,000 --> 01:03:37,560 Speaker 1: don't want to afford government with that power when it 1282 01:03:37,560 --> 01:03:40,480 Speaker 1: comes to a social media platform that, as Elon says, 1283 01:03:41,200 --> 01:03:43,800 Speaker 1: is trying to create an environment for public discourse, a 1284 01:03:43,840 --> 01:03:48,200 Speaker 1: place where people of different ideological persuasions can come together 1285 01:03:48,640 --> 01:03:51,720 Speaker 1: and can reason. In order to do that, you need 1286 01:03:51,760 --> 01:03:55,640 Speaker 1: to create some parameters. We've learned that speech in Twitter 1287 01:03:55,760 --> 01:03:59,440 Speaker 1: is not the same as a town square. It's algorithmically driven. 1288 01:03:59,560 --> 01:04:03,520 Speaker 1: We've seen that falsehoods travel faster than the truth on Twitter, 1289 01:04:03,640 --> 01:04:07,920 Speaker 1: that polarization can be stoked, that it's a weaponization of 1290 01:04:08,000 --> 01:04:12,480 Speaker 1: human nature, weaponization of human nature from so called you 1291 01:04:12,520 --> 01:04:16,400 Speaker 1: know weaponization. Why the first I just never understand how 1292 01:04:16,400 --> 01:04:19,520 Speaker 1: you can't square the idea that powerful entities in general 1293 01:04:19,520 --> 01:04:21,680 Speaker 1: should not be able to control your speech. Right. If 1294 01:04:21,680 --> 01:04:23,800 Speaker 1: you can recognize in the government, why would you want 1295 01:04:23,800 --> 01:04:26,240 Speaker 1: that in a corporation? Right? And it's not a plus 1296 01:04:26,280 --> 01:04:29,440 Speaker 1: to algorithm too, I mean everything. She's not wrong to 1297 01:04:29,480 --> 01:04:32,520 Speaker 1: point out that some of the most pernicious parts of 1298 01:04:32,520 --> 01:04:35,760 Speaker 1: these platforms is the way that the algorithm suppresses some 1299 01:04:36,040 --> 01:04:38,680 Speaker 1: elevates other there are active choices being made about who 1300 01:04:38,720 --> 01:04:40,360 Speaker 1: gets hurt and who doesn't get hurt like that is 1301 01:04:40,400 --> 01:04:43,960 Speaker 1: all extremely pernicious. But ultimately, I read her longer up ed. 1302 01:04:43,960 --> 01:04:46,520 Speaker 1: I don't know if you read it. She and many 1303 01:04:46,560 --> 01:04:51,600 Speaker 1: others like her who you know, want to justify more 1304 01:04:51,600 --> 01:04:54,800 Speaker 1: censorship on these platforms than you know would make them 1305 01:04:55,000 --> 01:04:57,880 Speaker 1: is permissible under the First Amendment. They reach for this 1306 01:04:58,040 --> 01:05:02,040 Speaker 1: very libertarian argument basically like there are companies, they can 1307 01:05:02,120 --> 01:05:04,280 Speaker 1: do what they want. It's totally different, and it's like, well, 1308 01:05:04,280 --> 01:05:06,560 Speaker 1: if you acknowledge that this is really important for speech 1309 01:05:06,560 --> 01:05:08,919 Speaker 1: and this is the digital town square, then of course 1310 01:05:08,920 --> 01:05:12,400 Speaker 1: you should have the same First Amendment Amendment principles ultimately 1311 01:05:12,760 --> 01:05:16,360 Speaker 1: apply here. Now it might not be like constitutionally mandated 1312 01:05:16,440 --> 01:05:19,240 Speaker 1: when you're talking about a public company, but that doesn't 1313 01:05:19,280 --> 01:05:21,680 Speaker 1: mean that the norms and what we should be striving 1314 01:05:21,680 --> 01:05:24,040 Speaker 1: for shouldn't be the same. I completely agree that is 1315 01:05:24,080 --> 01:05:25,800 Speaker 1: what we should be striving for. And at the end 1316 01:05:25,800 --> 01:05:27,760 Speaker 1: of the day, if Elon was actually able to accomplish that. 1317 01:05:27,760 --> 01:05:29,720 Speaker 1: I think it would be awesome. I just don't have 1318 01:05:29,720 --> 01:05:31,400 Speaker 1: a lot of faith. I just think it's going to 1319 01:05:31,440 --> 01:05:33,920 Speaker 1: be such a titanic task. So I always have to 1320 01:05:33,920 --> 01:05:36,160 Speaker 1: balance it on like, on the one hand, look, he 1321 01:05:36,240 --> 01:05:37,960 Speaker 1: tried to back out of this for a reason, which 1322 01:05:37,960 --> 01:05:42,080 Speaker 1: is it's not a good business decision. On the other 1323 01:05:42,360 --> 01:05:44,760 Speaker 1: maybe via that social good. And then I have to 1324 01:05:44,800 --> 01:05:48,240 Speaker 1: separate with my shot and freud of watching these folks, 1325 01:05:48,280 --> 01:05:51,160 Speaker 1: the Ben Collins and them of the world on television 1326 01:05:51,280 --> 01:05:54,280 Speaker 1: just losing it at this prospect. And I've seen so 1327 01:05:54,360 --> 01:05:57,480 Speaker 1: many funny you know, just up to like, oh my gosh, 1328 01:05:57,520 --> 01:06:02,000 Speaker 1: the idea misinformation propagating. I'm like, they're like, what the 1329 01:06:02,040 --> 01:06:04,840 Speaker 1: world's richest man propagating misinformation. I'm like, what if I 1330 01:06:04,960 --> 01:06:07,000 Speaker 1: told you that a lot of these billionaires are full 1331 01:06:07,000 --> 01:06:08,720 Speaker 1: of shit and are just like the rest of us. 1332 01:06:09,000 --> 01:06:11,200 Speaker 1: They're just as fallible. So it's like, oh, well, this 1333 01:06:11,280 --> 01:06:13,920 Speaker 1: one is bad. No, how about we just say in general, 1334 01:06:14,040 --> 01:06:16,880 Speaker 1: fallibility is part of the human condition. Let's just make 1335 01:06:16,920 --> 01:06:19,280 Speaker 1: it so that people have the ability to be fallible, 1336 01:06:19,520 --> 01:06:22,160 Speaker 1: whether you are the richest man or not. The richest 1337 01:06:22,160 --> 01:06:23,880 Speaker 1: man in the world. Well, that's a thing that's been 1338 01:06:23,920 --> 01:06:26,560 Speaker 1: funny to me. It's like, oh my god, now a 1339 01:06:26,720 --> 01:06:29,360 Speaker 1: billionaire controls are speech. It's like, what world do you 1340 01:06:29,360 --> 01:06:31,560 Speaker 1: think you're living in? Because that is the world we 1341 01:06:31,640 --> 01:06:34,240 Speaker 1: live in. Like I would like to change that. You 1342 01:06:34,280 --> 01:06:36,280 Speaker 1: would be great to have, you know, more partners in 1343 01:06:36,360 --> 01:06:39,120 Speaker 1: wanting to change that. But I guess that's why the 1344 01:06:39,440 --> 01:06:42,360 Speaker 1: Elon Twitter story, I just have never been as invested 1345 01:06:42,360 --> 01:06:44,560 Speaker 1: in it as a lot of other people because on 1346 01:06:44,560 --> 01:06:46,280 Speaker 1: one side, you have people who are having that free 1347 01:06:46,320 --> 01:06:48,200 Speaker 1: oh my god, a billionaire is going to control our 1348 01:06:48,160 --> 01:06:50,840 Speaker 1: speech when you're like they already do. On the other side, 1349 01:06:50,880 --> 01:06:52,880 Speaker 1: you have people who like you know, are big Elon 1350 01:06:52,960 --> 01:06:54,880 Speaker 1: stands and they think he's going to like ride to 1351 01:06:54,920 --> 01:06:58,520 Speaker 1: the rescue and provide this you know, private billionaire solution 1352 01:06:58,640 --> 01:07:02,640 Speaker 1: to what is ultimately a collective societal problem. And obviously 1353 01:07:02,680 --> 01:07:05,560 Speaker 1: I don't buy into that either. So I've always just 1354 01:07:05,600 --> 01:07:09,360 Speaker 1: sort of had a wait and see and skeptical approach 1355 01:07:09,400 --> 01:07:12,160 Speaker 1: to this because, as I said before, the incentives of 1356 01:07:12,200 --> 01:07:14,520 Speaker 1: the company are what they are, whether it's Elon or 1357 01:07:14,560 --> 01:07:17,640 Speaker 1: anybody else who is at the helm. That is the 1358 01:07:17,680 --> 01:07:19,960 Speaker 1: model that is it exists like that for a reason. 1359 01:07:20,040 --> 01:07:22,480 Speaker 1: Same reason, like cable news is the trash that it 1360 01:07:22,560 --> 01:07:25,080 Speaker 1: is because of its business model, Like those incentives are 1361 01:07:25,080 --> 01:07:29,480 Speaker 1: not really changing. So I'm skeptical that there's going to 1362 01:07:29,520 --> 01:07:34,120 Speaker 1: be massive transformational impacts. But I mostly have just a 1363 01:07:34,120 --> 01:07:36,600 Speaker 1: wait and see attitude. I think that's correct. Okay, big 1364 01:07:36,600 --> 01:07:38,680 Speaker 1: news coming out in Brazil. You remember we covered the 1365 01:07:38,680 --> 01:07:40,920 Speaker 1: first round of voting there in their presidential election. We 1366 01:07:40,960 --> 01:07:43,400 Speaker 1: had Glenn Greenwold on to break that down. Lula was 1367 01:07:43,440 --> 01:07:46,240 Speaker 1: the top vote getter but failed to avoid a runoff 1368 01:07:46,320 --> 01:07:50,400 Speaker 1: against current president jay Or Bolsonaro. So we now have 1369 01:07:50,440 --> 01:07:52,600 Speaker 1: the results. They do a much better job voting accounting 1370 01:07:52,640 --> 01:07:55,720 Speaker 1: than we do. Apparently got the results results so quickly, 1371 01:07:55,920 --> 01:08:00,560 Speaker 1: so fat, like in hours, ninety percent from like incredibly 1372 01:08:00,600 --> 01:08:06,440 Speaker 1: remote reaction every It's amazing. Anyway, Lula was victorious, so 1373 01:08:06,800 --> 01:08:09,240 Speaker 1: leftist leader. Let's go and put this up on the screen. 1374 01:08:09,280 --> 01:08:11,840 Speaker 1: He was the former president. Then there was this crazy 1375 01:08:12,000 --> 01:08:16,560 Speaker 1: corruption scandal. He's thrown into prison that is then overturned 1376 01:08:16,600 --> 01:08:19,439 Speaker 1: and he's allowed to run for president again and now 1377 01:08:19,560 --> 01:08:23,240 Speaker 1: he will be the next president. He won by about 1378 01:08:23,240 --> 01:08:26,719 Speaker 1: a point and a half. I looked sager at the 1379 01:08:26,840 --> 01:08:29,880 Speaker 1: average of polls as best I could find sorting through 1380 01:08:29,880 --> 01:08:32,720 Speaker 1: like Portuguese language websites. It looks like the poles were 1381 01:08:32,920 --> 01:08:35,880 Speaker 1: more or less accurate. They may have given Lula a 1382 01:08:35,880 --> 01:08:38,040 Speaker 1: bit more of an edge than he ultimately ended up with, 1383 01:08:38,360 --> 01:08:40,599 Speaker 1: but a point and a half. I think the final 1384 01:08:40,640 --> 01:08:43,240 Speaker 1: average that I saw had at about two points, although 1385 01:08:43,280 --> 01:08:45,840 Speaker 1: some of the last polls that came in had Lula 1386 01:08:45,960 --> 01:08:48,400 Speaker 1: with a larger margin of victory than he ultimately was 1387 01:08:48,479 --> 01:08:54,720 Speaker 1: able to obtain. When he was president previously he was 1388 01:08:54,760 --> 01:08:56,679 Speaker 1: really well known for. It was sort of boom times 1389 01:08:56,680 --> 01:08:59,760 Speaker 1: in Brazil. The country grew remarkably fast. There was a 1390 01:08:59,760 --> 01:09:04,080 Speaker 1: massive reduction in poverty. His signature program was called Bolts 1391 01:09:04,120 --> 01:09:08,880 Speaker 1: of Amilia, where people were given cash in exchange for 1392 01:09:08,960 --> 01:09:10,680 Speaker 1: making sure their kids were getting to school, and I 1393 01:09:10,720 --> 01:09:12,639 Speaker 1: think that also like getting them to the doctor. Public 1394 01:09:12,680 --> 01:09:15,360 Speaker 1: health clinics were built as well. But he had a 1395 01:09:15,400 --> 01:09:17,840 Speaker 1: bit of a pragmatic approach, So he's a leftist, but 1396 01:09:17,840 --> 01:09:20,559 Speaker 1: he had kind of a pragmatic approach. So capital didn't 1397 01:09:20,600 --> 01:09:23,120 Speaker 1: like totally freak out about him, and he had a 1398 01:09:23,160 --> 01:09:25,920 Speaker 1: decent working relationship with a lot of countries around the world. 1399 01:09:25,960 --> 01:09:28,360 Speaker 1: When he left office, his approval rating was like eighty 1400 01:09:28,360 --> 01:09:31,800 Speaker 1: three percent. Overwhelmingly popular and of course sort of laid 1401 01:09:31,840 --> 01:09:35,920 Speaker 1: low by this ginned up in some ways like manufactured 1402 01:09:36,040 --> 01:09:38,760 Speaker 1: corruption scandal that again was ultimately overturned through some of 1403 01:09:38,800 --> 01:09:42,200 Speaker 1: Glenn Greenwald's reporting, and he's allowed to run for president again. 1404 01:09:42,320 --> 01:09:47,320 Speaker 1: So quite a remarkable, remarkable turn here Bolsonaro. During his time, 1405 01:09:47,560 --> 01:09:50,360 Speaker 1: first of all, he really opened up the Amazon rainforest 1406 01:09:50,479 --> 01:09:53,799 Speaker 1: to logging and you know, really had a negative impact 1407 01:09:53,880 --> 01:09:57,040 Speaker 1: in terms of the climate. But I think probably the 1408 01:09:57,320 --> 01:09:59,559 Speaker 1: biggest thing he became known for was his very I 1409 01:09:59,560 --> 01:10:02,400 Speaker 1: guess as a fair approach to the coronavirus crisis, very 1410 01:10:02,400 --> 01:10:05,400 Speaker 1: skeptical of the vaccines in the early days. It was weird. 1411 01:10:05,720 --> 01:10:08,200 Speaker 1: All of this I will never understand. And looking at 1412 01:10:08,240 --> 01:10:10,960 Speaker 1: how close the result is, it's pretty clear. It's kind 1413 01:10:10,960 --> 01:10:12,760 Speaker 1: of like Trump. It's like he just did a little bit. 1414 01:10:12,800 --> 01:10:15,280 Speaker 1: You could have won the election easily. I could have 1415 01:10:15,400 --> 01:10:18,160 Speaker 1: just semi competence. It's like the cultural backlash was so 1416 01:10:18,400 --> 01:10:21,160 Speaker 1: strong that he still almost got fifty percent of the book. 1417 01:10:21,520 --> 01:10:25,519 Speaker 1: So well Bolsonnaro. I mean they had in Brazil, they 1418 01:10:25,520 --> 01:10:30,680 Speaker 1: had really horrific COVID because of his mismanagement, absolutely I 1419 01:10:30,760 --> 01:10:33,160 Speaker 1: remember remember, and also he was taking it wouldn't take 1420 01:10:33,200 --> 01:10:35,559 Speaker 1: it seriously so much anyway. I mean, I think the 1421 01:10:35,600 --> 01:10:37,880 Speaker 1: point is obvious, which is that he literally all he 1422 01:10:37,960 --> 01:10:40,600 Speaker 1: had to do was be even somewhat more competent slightly 1423 01:10:41,200 --> 01:10:44,480 Speaker 1: by not minimum even not even minimizing the virus necessarily, 1424 01:10:44,520 --> 01:10:47,280 Speaker 1: but just trying to show leadership at that time, and 1425 01:10:47,320 --> 01:10:49,599 Speaker 1: he probably would have been fine, could have easily won 1426 01:10:49,640 --> 01:10:51,400 Speaker 1: the elections. So there's a couple of other things to 1427 01:10:51,439 --> 01:10:54,479 Speaker 1: say here. First of all, in the run up to 1428 01:10:54,520 --> 01:10:57,439 Speaker 1: the election, there were a lot of similar rhetoric from 1429 01:10:57,479 --> 01:10:59,280 Speaker 1: Bolsonnaro that we heard from Trump in the run up 1430 01:10:59,320 --> 01:11:02,439 Speaker 1: to our election, casting doubt on whether the votes would 1431 01:11:02,439 --> 01:11:05,240 Speaker 1: be free and fair on election day yesterday. Go ahead 1432 01:11:05,240 --> 01:11:08,439 Speaker 1: and put this next piece up. There reports of Federal 1433 01:11:08,520 --> 01:11:12,240 Speaker 1: highway police blocking roads and keeping voters from getting to 1434 01:11:12,280 --> 01:11:14,600 Speaker 1: the polls. Ultimately, you know, I think some of this 1435 01:11:14,840 --> 01:11:16,400 Speaker 1: was going on in fact, and there's a lot of 1436 01:11:16,400 --> 01:11:19,599 Speaker 1: reporting about how this plan was hatched in October nineteenth 1437 01:11:19,640 --> 01:11:22,840 Speaker 1: meeting involving the Bolsnaro presidential campaign. Clearly was not enough 1438 01:11:23,080 --> 01:11:26,720 Speaker 1: to keep Lula from being victorious. Here, there's a big 1439 01:11:26,840 --> 01:11:31,479 Speaker 1: question over whether Bolsonaro would accept these results. Last I 1440 01:11:31,600 --> 01:11:36,040 Speaker 1: checked this morning, He has not officially conceded, but a 1441 01:11:36,080 --> 01:11:39,800 Speaker 1: lot of his allies and people around him have acknowledged 1442 01:11:39,920 --> 01:11:43,760 Speaker 1: Lula as the rightful victor. We haven't seen We've seen 1443 01:11:43,880 --> 01:11:47,479 Speaker 1: some fringe voices, but mostly the people who are allowed 1444 01:11:47,560 --> 01:11:49,840 Speaker 1: allied with him are accepting the results. It might partly 1445 01:11:49,880 --> 01:11:53,439 Speaker 1: be because, other than at the presidential level, the results 1446 01:11:53,439 --> 01:11:56,720 Speaker 1: were actually quite good for Bolsonaro's party. They're going to 1447 01:11:56,800 --> 01:12:00,000 Speaker 1: have majorities in you know, both of the legislative chain. 1448 01:12:00,640 --> 01:12:05,040 Speaker 1: Some key governorships were also one, so they might have 1449 01:12:05,120 --> 01:12:07,320 Speaker 1: been like, you know, what this was good for may 1450 01:12:07,320 --> 01:12:09,000 Speaker 1: not have been good for you, dude, but it was 1451 01:12:09,040 --> 01:12:10,719 Speaker 1: good for us, So we're going to accept the results 1452 01:12:10,880 --> 01:12:14,760 Speaker 1: wells had our President Biden put out a statement extremely 1453 01:12:14,840 --> 01:12:20,360 Speaker 1: quickly after the results were called, congratulating Lula. Our college 1454 01:12:20,360 --> 01:12:22,200 Speaker 1: grind Grimm says, you know, this is a signal to 1455 01:12:22,240 --> 01:12:25,080 Speaker 1: Brazilian elite not to try anything funny, a truly strange moment, 1456 01:12:25,160 --> 01:12:27,479 Speaker 1: the US working against a the national right wing coup 1457 01:12:27,560 --> 01:12:30,880 Speaker 1: in South America, and you had other world leaders quickly 1458 01:12:30,880 --> 01:12:32,960 Speaker 1: follow suit and try to make sure you know, it's 1459 01:12:33,040 --> 01:12:35,519 Speaker 1: clear we think Lulu wan this was free and fair. 1460 01:12:35,800 --> 01:12:38,840 Speaker 1: We're backing him and you know, see him as the 1461 01:12:38,840 --> 01:12:42,439 Speaker 1: next rightful president of Brazil. The other thing saga that 1462 01:12:42,479 --> 01:12:44,439 Speaker 1: I wanted to point out, which is, you know, in 1463 01:12:44,520 --> 01:12:46,519 Speaker 1: terms of what this is going to mean for the 1464 01:12:46,520 --> 01:12:48,559 Speaker 1: future of Brazil, the future of the world, he is 1465 01:12:48,600 --> 01:12:50,759 Speaker 1: going to be constrained by the fact that he doesn't 1466 01:12:50,800 --> 01:12:53,720 Speaker 1: have you know, majorities to back him up in the legislature. 1467 01:12:53,800 --> 01:12:56,439 Speaker 1: So the sort of sweeping programs he was able to 1468 01:12:56,439 --> 01:12:59,320 Speaker 1: institute the first time around may not be possible, and 1469 01:12:59,360 --> 01:13:01,800 Speaker 1: he was kind of about exactly what his economic plans 1470 01:13:01,800 --> 01:13:04,559 Speaker 1: were this time around to start with. The other piece 1471 01:13:04,640 --> 01:13:07,599 Speaker 1: is this will be interesting for the Ukraine War because 1472 01:13:07,760 --> 01:13:09,880 Speaker 1: Lula has been seen in the past as kind of, 1473 01:13:10,160 --> 01:13:14,280 Speaker 1: you know, someone who was a good in diplomacy, good 1474 01:13:14,320 --> 01:13:17,040 Speaker 1: at making deals between countries that had some sticking points 1475 01:13:17,040 --> 01:13:20,559 Speaker 1: and had some issues. He has been a critic of 1476 01:13:21,000 --> 01:13:23,640 Speaker 1: US and NATO policy with regards to Ukraine. He's been 1477 01:13:23,640 --> 01:13:26,519 Speaker 1: a critic of Zelenski himself. Let's go and put this 1478 01:13:26,560 --> 01:13:29,880 Speaker 1: next piece up on the screen. So he's been advocating 1479 01:13:30,000 --> 01:13:32,880 Speaker 1: for Biden to push more aggressively for talks and negotiations. 1480 01:13:32,960 --> 01:13:34,840 Speaker 1: He says the US has a lot of political clout 1481 01:13:35,040 --> 01:13:38,599 Speaker 1: Biden could have avoided the Russia war, not incided it. 1482 01:13:38,800 --> 01:13:41,000 Speaker 1: He could have participated more. Biden could have taken a 1483 01:13:41,000 --> 01:13:42,640 Speaker 1: plane to Moscow to talk to Putin. This is the 1484 01:13:42,720 --> 01:13:45,360 Speaker 1: kind of attitude you expect from a leader. He also 1485 01:13:45,560 --> 01:13:50,599 Speaker 1: said about Zelenski. He was critical of the international community 1486 01:13:50,640 --> 01:13:54,280 Speaker 1: celebration of Zelensky since the war began, saying, you are 1487 01:13:54,400 --> 01:13:56,680 Speaker 1: encouraging this guy and then he thinks he is the 1488 01:13:56,800 --> 01:14:00,800 Speaker 1: cherry on your cake. We should be having a serious comment. Okay, 1489 01:14:00,840 --> 01:14:02,720 Speaker 1: you were a nice comedian, but let us not make 1490 01:14:02,800 --> 01:14:05,559 Speaker 1: war for you to show up on TV. And interestingly enough, 1491 01:14:05,600 --> 01:14:07,679 Speaker 1: this morning there are reports that Biden lost his temp 1492 01:14:07,680 --> 01:14:10,920 Speaker 1: were with Zelenski in a phone call because we just 1493 01:14:10,960 --> 01:14:13,280 Speaker 1: approved more aids. Zelenski's already like, all right, here's what 1494 01:14:13,360 --> 01:14:15,640 Speaker 1: else I need? And apparently there's a little bit of 1495 01:14:15,640 --> 01:14:17,800 Speaker 1: patience wearing thin there. Oh it's interesting. I mean, I 1496 01:14:17,800 --> 01:14:20,679 Speaker 1: think Brazil is one of the largest economies in the world, 1497 01:14:21,120 --> 01:14:23,639 Speaker 1: eleventh largest. It looks like slightly less in the Russia, 1498 01:14:23,720 --> 01:14:26,720 Speaker 1: and given the sanctions against Russia, probably going to be 1499 01:14:26,800 --> 01:14:28,600 Speaker 1: up there. But I mean that puts up there with 1500 01:14:28,720 --> 01:14:32,600 Speaker 1: South Korea in terms of its standing. It's possible. I 1501 01:14:32,640 --> 01:14:35,160 Speaker 1: mean it's changed a lot. I think that's really what 1502 01:14:35,280 --> 01:14:37,439 Speaker 1: it could. By take away from Glenn. I'm leaning on 1503 01:14:37,439 --> 01:14:39,840 Speaker 1: Glenn's analysis as he lives there is He was like, look, 1504 01:14:39,840 --> 01:14:44,120 Speaker 1: the country's totally different. Bolsonarismo controls some of the top 1505 01:14:44,240 --> 01:14:47,360 Speaker 1: levels of government up and down, House and Senate. Lula 1506 01:14:47,439 --> 01:14:49,360 Speaker 1: may be in charge, but he's much more beholden to 1507 01:14:49,400 --> 01:14:52,559 Speaker 1: the corrupt centrisfaction given who he ran with his vice 1508 01:14:52,600 --> 01:14:56,600 Speaker 1: presidential candidate and the original like promises of Lula and 1509 01:14:56,640 --> 01:14:59,160 Speaker 1: control of brazil A. The world has changed, the economic 1510 01:14:59,200 --> 01:15:01,519 Speaker 1: opportunity has changed a lot, so it could be a 1511 01:15:01,600 --> 01:15:04,200 Speaker 1: very different Lula that leads this country. I don't know. Look, 1512 01:15:04,200 --> 01:15:06,559 Speaker 1: I'm not from Brazil. I barely know, you know, from 1513 01:15:06,600 --> 01:15:09,800 Speaker 1: a cursory level. But what it means for us and 1514 01:15:09,880 --> 01:15:12,560 Speaker 1: its ability to broker all of that, I'm relatively skeptical, 1515 01:15:12,680 --> 01:15:14,160 Speaker 1: to be honest, I just don't think that they have 1516 01:15:14,520 --> 01:15:17,280 Speaker 1: the power. The whole bricks, identity and nation and all 1517 01:15:17,280 --> 01:15:19,640 Speaker 1: that doesn't exist anymore for people wh don't know what 1518 01:15:19,640 --> 01:15:23,479 Speaker 1: I'm talking about. It was like Brazil, what was it, Brazil, Russia, Brazil, Russia, 1519 01:15:23,600 --> 01:15:26,040 Speaker 1: India and China. It was called the brick countries. It 1520 01:15:26,080 --> 01:15:29,880 Speaker 1: was a completely ridiculous misno March. Yeah, power O seven. 1521 01:15:29,920 --> 01:15:32,320 Speaker 1: Everybody was like bit on the bricks index, and we 1522 01:15:32,600 --> 01:15:34,920 Speaker 1: found out how that worked out. I think the point 1523 01:15:34,920 --> 01:15:38,000 Speaker 1: being that in terms of their ability to any broker, 1524 01:15:38,040 --> 01:15:40,479 Speaker 1: any real change to the global consensus, I just don't 1525 01:15:40,479 --> 01:15:43,160 Speaker 1: see it right now. It's possible. But they have their 1526 01:15:43,160 --> 01:15:46,080 Speaker 1: own problems too. You know, that historic drought, from what 1527 01:15:46,160 --> 01:15:49,800 Speaker 1: I read, it really crippled their economy. The gd coronavirus 1528 01:15:49,800 --> 01:15:52,120 Speaker 1: has smacked them hard. There's a lot of there's a 1529 01:15:52,160 --> 01:15:53,880 Speaker 1: lot of things trending in the opposite direction in the 1530 01:15:53,920 --> 01:15:56,240 Speaker 1: last time. I mean, the whole world isn't a difficult 1531 01:15:56,280 --> 01:15:59,320 Speaker 1: more difficult place economically, and Brazil is certainly suffering from 1532 01:15:59,360 --> 01:16:01,400 Speaker 1: that as well. I mean, this is a part of 1533 01:16:01,520 --> 01:16:06,920 Speaker 1: a larger trend of South Americans electing leftist leaders. You 1534 01:16:07,040 --> 01:16:10,280 Speaker 1: had Bloomberg pointing out leftist governments in Latin America quickly 1535 01:16:10,280 --> 01:16:16,639 Speaker 1: congratulating Lula. Brazil now joins Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, 1536 01:16:16,800 --> 01:16:21,080 Speaker 1: and Venezuela in electing a leftist leader. So there is 1537 01:16:21,120 --> 01:16:23,160 Speaker 1: a I mean, this is part of a larger trend 1538 01:16:23,520 --> 01:16:25,880 Speaker 1: that is going on in South America, which is also 1539 01:16:26,000 --> 01:16:32,040 Speaker 1: always interesting to note as well. Yeah, all right, Chrystal, 1540 01:16:32,080 --> 01:16:34,439 Speaker 1: what are you taking a look at? Well? Former President 1541 01:16:34,520 --> 01:16:37,200 Speaker 1: Obama is back. He is out on the campaign trail 1542 01:16:37,240 --> 01:16:40,040 Speaker 1: trying to help Democrats as their midterm hopes seem to 1543 01:16:40,080 --> 01:16:41,840 Speaker 1: be fading. He's on a five state tour in the 1544 01:16:41,840 --> 01:16:45,679 Speaker 1: swing states of Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada. Now 1545 01:16:45,760 --> 01:16:47,960 Speaker 1: I watched some of this over the weekend and there 1546 01:16:48,040 --> 01:16:51,520 Speaker 1: is just no denying it. Putting aside partisanship and ideology, 1547 01:16:51,760 --> 01:16:54,519 Speaker 1: Obama is an extraordinary political talent. Just take a listen 1548 01:16:54,560 --> 01:16:56,400 Speaker 1: to a bit of a speech in Milwaukee going after 1549 01:16:56,479 --> 01:17:02,360 Speaker 1: Senator Ron Johnson. Some of you here are on social scurity. 1550 01:17:02,439 --> 01:17:05,439 Speaker 1: Some of your parents are on Social Security, some of 1551 01:17:05,479 --> 01:17:08,559 Speaker 1: your grandparents are on Social Security. You know why they 1552 01:17:08,560 --> 01:17:12,639 Speaker 1: have soci Security because they worked for it. They worked 1553 01:17:12,680 --> 01:17:18,320 Speaker 1: hard jobs for it. They had chapped hands for it. 1554 01:17:21,120 --> 01:17:25,559 Speaker 1: They had long hours and sore backs and bad knees 1555 01:17:25,720 --> 01:17:28,720 Speaker 1: to get that social security. And if Ron Johnson does 1556 01:17:28,760 --> 01:17:34,000 Speaker 1: not understand that, if he understands given tax breaks for 1557 01:17:34,080 --> 01:17:38,040 Speaker 1: private planes more than he understands making sure that seniors 1558 01:17:38,080 --> 01:17:41,439 Speaker 1: who worked all their lives are able to retire with 1559 01:17:41,600 --> 01:17:45,920 Speaker 1: dignity and respect. He's not the president who's thinking about 1560 01:17:45,920 --> 01:17:48,799 Speaker 1: you and knows you and sees you, and he should 1561 01:17:48,800 --> 01:18:09,960 Speaker 1: not be your senator from Wisconsin. I mean, the message 1562 01:18:09,960 --> 01:18:12,280 Speaker 1: he's sending us pretty clear. If you're related to him, 1563 01:18:12,560 --> 01:18:14,599 Speaker 1: if you donate to his campaign, you get a deal. 1564 01:18:15,000 --> 01:18:16,760 Speaker 1: If you're not, you're out of luck and you're on 1565 01:18:16,800 --> 01:18:19,080 Speaker 1: your own. Now, there's a lot to say about this speech, 1566 01:18:19,160 --> 01:18:22,320 Speaker 1: and not just the oratory talent of former President Obama, 1567 01:18:22,400 --> 01:18:25,080 Speaker 1: but also the messaging was a lot better than what 1568 01:18:25,160 --> 01:18:27,439 Speaker 1: Democrats have mostly been running with. For one, he leaned 1569 01:18:27,479 --> 01:18:30,080 Speaker 1: into the economy. He spent most of his speech on 1570 01:18:30,120 --> 01:18:33,840 Speaker 1: the topic. He started with the economic news, acknowledging how 1571 01:18:33,880 --> 01:18:37,439 Speaker 1: hard inflation has been on working families, eviscerating Republicans for 1572 01:18:37,479 --> 01:18:39,839 Speaker 1: the obsession with cutting taxes on the rich and destroying 1573 01:18:39,840 --> 01:18:42,800 Speaker 1: social security. When he did get to abortion, he was 1574 01:18:42,840 --> 01:18:45,519 Speaker 1: also way more effective than what I've frankly been hearing 1575 01:18:45,520 --> 01:18:48,960 Speaker 1: from Democrats lately. Reminded voters that Justice Thomas also put 1576 01:18:48,960 --> 01:18:53,120 Speaker 1: gay marriage, contraception, even interracial marriage on the table. Now 1577 01:18:53,360 --> 01:18:56,479 Speaker 1: Obama's not offering anything different, of course, just a lot 1578 01:18:56,520 --> 01:18:58,719 Speaker 1: better packaging. But that was a real truck and talent 1579 01:18:58,720 --> 01:19:01,160 Speaker 1: of Obama to start with ability to paper, or the 1580 01:19:01,160 --> 01:19:04,160 Speaker 1: fact that his politics were the same dead end ideology 1581 01:19:04,240 --> 01:19:07,400 Speaker 1: of Reagan and Clinton. He wrapped up the dying carcass 1582 01:19:07,439 --> 01:19:10,800 Speaker 1: of neoliberalism in a glorious new package and somehow managed 1583 01:19:10,800 --> 01:19:13,519 Speaker 1: to make people feel inspired by it right up until 1584 01:19:13,520 --> 01:19:15,840 Speaker 1: the point where they unwrapped that package and found it 1585 01:19:15,880 --> 01:19:19,560 Speaker 1: was the same old, bankrupt ideology inside. Now Democrats have 1586 01:19:19,600 --> 01:19:22,240 Speaker 1: been trying to pull off that same trick ever since. Then. 1587 01:19:22,560 --> 01:19:25,559 Speaker 1: Think of all the pale Obama imitators, people like Pete 1588 01:19:25,600 --> 01:19:29,479 Speaker 1: Footage is Better or Kamala Harris Cory Booker, all propped 1589 01:19:29,520 --> 01:19:31,360 Speaker 1: up by the media, and not because of their ideas 1590 01:19:31,600 --> 01:19:34,360 Speaker 1: or because they represented anything new and different, but because 1591 01:19:34,360 --> 01:19:38,080 Speaker 1: they thought that with enough hype, maybe, just maybe they 1592 01:19:38,120 --> 01:19:41,280 Speaker 1: could pull off that trick of Obama again, wrapping the 1593 01:19:41,360 --> 01:19:43,599 Speaker 1: husk of neoliberalism in a pretty new bow that could 1594 01:19:43,600 --> 01:19:46,599 Speaker 1: be sold to the American people once again. At this point, though, 1595 01:19:46,800 --> 01:19:50,240 Speaker 1: after the financial crist, the bailouds, the gilded age, and equality, 1596 01:19:50,280 --> 01:19:53,519 Speaker 1: the destruction of our industrial cores, I'm not sure even 1597 01:19:53,560 --> 01:19:56,960 Speaker 1: a once in a generation political talent like Obama could 1598 01:19:57,120 --> 01:20:00,240 Speaker 1: pull this off, let alone the talentless pretender hack who 1599 01:20:00,240 --> 01:20:03,680 Speaker 1: have come after him. Then there's our current president. So 1600 01:20:03,720 --> 01:20:06,120 Speaker 1: for the midterms, Biden is basically going back to the 1601 01:20:06,160 --> 01:20:08,639 Speaker 1: basement strategy which won him the presidency. To start with. 1602 01:20:08,960 --> 01:20:11,320 Speaker 1: The thought is, I guess, make the election about anything 1603 01:20:11,360 --> 01:20:13,599 Speaker 1: other than yourself, and maybe you will stand a chance. 1604 01:20:13,880 --> 01:20:17,000 Speaker 1: While Obama is out Barnstorm and key swing states, Biden 1605 01:20:17,080 --> 01:20:20,240 Speaker 1: is going to Florida to provide Charlie christ with some 1606 01:20:20,360 --> 01:20:23,800 Speaker 1: backup in his doomed run against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. 1607 01:20:24,080 --> 01:20:26,719 Speaker 1: He's also doing some low key zoom events that don't 1608 01:20:26,720 --> 01:20:29,439 Speaker 1: generate much attention and don't require him to miss naptime, 1609 01:20:29,479 --> 01:20:32,240 Speaker 1: I guess. But one exception is Pennsylvania, where Biden believes 1610 01:20:32,280 --> 01:20:34,920 Speaker 1: he still has the Scranton Joe touch. Now it's no 1611 01:20:35,040 --> 01:20:37,559 Speaker 1: accident than in picking Biden, the American people actually reach 1612 01:20:37,600 --> 01:20:41,280 Speaker 1: for someone who predates the Reagan, Clinton, Bush Obama era. 1613 01:20:41,680 --> 01:20:44,760 Speaker 1: Biden still does have some of the muscle memory of 1614 01:20:44,800 --> 01:20:47,599 Speaker 1: the New Deal era, when Democrats were closely tied to unions, 1615 01:20:47,720 --> 01:20:51,839 Speaker 1: had a more collective social democratic impulse, and given the options, frankly, 1616 01:20:51,880 --> 01:20:54,160 Speaker 1: the American people could have made a much worse choice. 1617 01:20:54,280 --> 01:20:56,800 Speaker 1: Biden might lack the rhetorical skills, but he's actually a 1618 01:20:56,800 --> 01:20:59,760 Speaker 1: better president than Obama on policy, way better on anti 1619 01:20:59,800 --> 01:21:02,200 Speaker 1: trie US, way better on China and trade, way better 1620 01:21:02,240 --> 01:21:04,799 Speaker 1: on unions. And he's actually taken a few tentative steps 1621 01:21:04,920 --> 01:21:08,120 Speaker 1: towards rebuilding an American industrial policy. But it all has 1622 01:21:08,160 --> 01:21:10,720 Speaker 1: the feel of too little, too late. Maybe back in 1623 01:21:10,760 --> 01:21:14,520 Speaker 1: the Obama era, a starter industrial policy and an incremental 1624 01:21:14,560 --> 01:21:17,920 Speaker 1: shift away from neoliberalism, maybe that would have sufficed. Or 1625 01:21:17,960 --> 01:21:20,840 Speaker 1: perhaps if Biden had the talent of Obama, he could 1626 01:21:20,840 --> 01:21:24,120 Speaker 1: be selling his modestly better economic policy as some grand 1627 01:21:24,200 --> 01:21:27,639 Speaker 1: new vision. The policy isn't bold enough or material enough, 1628 01:21:27,800 --> 01:21:30,280 Speaker 1: and the messenger is getting less persuasive by the day, 1629 01:21:30,600 --> 01:21:32,760 Speaker 1: And the one remaining feather in Biden's cap that he 1630 01:21:32,840 --> 01:21:36,120 Speaker 1: beat Trump and is therefore in effective bulwark against Republican governance, 1631 01:21:36,560 --> 01:21:39,880 Speaker 1: is in danger of collapsing, with the midterm shellaking, leaving 1632 01:21:39,960 --> 01:21:43,320 Speaker 1: not just the party's prospects but Biden's own position as 1633 01:21:43,439 --> 01:21:46,720 Speaker 1: head of that party in severe jeopardy. As a former 1634 01:21:46,800 --> 01:21:49,240 Speaker 1: senior adviser to Harry Reid told the Financial Times, quote, 1635 01:21:49,640 --> 01:21:52,240 Speaker 1: if it's as bad as some people expect there's going 1636 01:21:52,320 --> 01:21:55,040 Speaker 1: to be a lot of chaos in the party. They're 1637 01:21:55,080 --> 01:21:57,280 Speaker 1: going to be demands from many different quarters for a 1638 01:21:57,320 --> 01:22:00,360 Speaker 1: complete change in the leadership, citing the jar and topocricy 1639 01:22:00,520 --> 01:22:03,160 Speaker 1: that we currently have. And the really sad thing is 1640 01:22:03,640 --> 01:22:07,040 Speaker 1: Biden's garontocracy has a lot more to recommend it than 1641 01:22:07,080 --> 01:22:10,280 Speaker 1: the Obama pretenders that are what counts as a Democratic bench. 1642 01:22:10,800 --> 01:22:14,360 Speaker 1: Obama famously implores people don't move. Vote well, Americans have 1643 01:22:14,439 --> 01:22:16,880 Speaker 1: been voting. They've been voting in record numbers. They've made 1644 01:22:16,920 --> 01:22:19,120 Speaker 1: it as clear as they possibly can that with their 1645 01:22:19,200 --> 01:22:22,720 Speaker 1: votes they would like to repudiate the ideology which both 1646 01:22:22,840 --> 01:22:26,679 Speaker 1: major parties continue to represent even during the Obama era. Yes, 1647 01:22:27,000 --> 01:22:30,080 Speaker 1: they re elected the president over cartoon plutocrat and met Romney, 1648 01:22:30,320 --> 01:22:33,000 Speaker 1: but dem suffered massive losses across the country in state 1649 01:22:33,080 --> 01:22:36,519 Speaker 1: houses and governor's mansions. They lost the House, they lost 1650 01:22:36,560 --> 01:22:39,120 Speaker 1: the Senate, and they helped to usher in ultimately the 1651 01:22:39,200 --> 01:22:42,519 Speaker 1: Trump era. Obama couldn't rescue Democrats while he was president. 1652 01:22:42,680 --> 01:22:46,000 Speaker 1: He couldn't rescue Hillary Clinton, and he can't rescue Joe Biden. 1653 01:22:46,360 --> 01:22:49,200 Speaker 1: These days, Obama's talents just serve as a reminder of 1654 01:22:49,320 --> 01:22:52,280 Speaker 1: what might have been if the pretty rhetoric had been 1655 01:22:52,360 --> 01:22:54,920 Speaker 1: matched with the commitment to the people rather than to 1656 01:22:55,040 --> 01:23:00,800 Speaker 1: building his own brand and mostly going down the And 1657 01:23:00,880 --> 01:23:03,559 Speaker 1: if you want to hear my reaction to Crystal's monologue, 1658 01:23:03,560 --> 01:23:09,960 Speaker 1: become a premium subscriber today at Breakingpoints dot com. All right, saga, 1659 01:23:09,960 --> 01:23:12,040 Speaker 1: we're looking at well, it's been a while since I've 1660 01:23:12,080 --> 01:23:14,439 Speaker 1: done a monologue here on Breaking Points about UFOs. Some 1661 01:23:14,560 --> 01:23:18,000 Speaker 1: have mistaken that for me losing interest, which is absolutely 1662 01:23:18,280 --> 01:23:21,040 Speaker 1: not the case. More, I try to jump in until 1663 01:23:21,080 --> 01:23:23,559 Speaker 1: it's an area where I'm not just a casual observer, 1664 01:23:23,760 --> 01:23:26,320 Speaker 1: but I can actually add some real value something we 1665 01:23:26,439 --> 01:23:28,479 Speaker 1: know quite well on this show. How does the mainstream 1666 01:23:28,560 --> 01:23:31,320 Speaker 1: media spin things on behalf of powerful people inside of 1667 01:23:31,360 --> 01:23:34,160 Speaker 1: the Pentagon? How does real power in Washington work? And 1668 01:23:34,240 --> 01:23:37,519 Speaker 1: for what purpose? So, for the completely new to the subject, 1669 01:23:37,720 --> 01:23:40,600 Speaker 1: let's go back to the beginning. In twenty seventeen, The 1670 01:23:40,640 --> 01:23:44,040 Speaker 1: New York Times published an Extraordinary story featuring three videos 1671 01:23:44,120 --> 01:23:47,640 Speaker 1: were purport to show objects observed by US aircraft in 1672 01:23:47,760 --> 01:23:50,599 Speaker 1: the previous decade or so in a manner that moving 1673 01:23:50,680 --> 01:23:52,439 Speaker 1: in such a manner that the laws of physics do 1674 01:23:52,560 --> 01:23:55,759 Speaker 1: not explain those objects were moving extraordinary rates of speed 1675 01:23:55,880 --> 01:23:58,400 Speaker 1: with no visible means of propulsion. Since that time, an 1676 01:23:58,439 --> 01:24:01,080 Speaker 1: intense debate has erupted it as to whether these videos 1677 01:24:01,120 --> 01:24:03,839 Speaker 1: are real and show either some error on the aircraft 1678 01:24:03,920 --> 01:24:07,439 Speaker 1: observational systems mistaken views by the pilots. Perhaps is just 1679 01:24:07,520 --> 01:24:10,519 Speaker 1: a mystery in general, is it an alien space object? 1680 01:24:10,800 --> 01:24:13,479 Speaker 1: Public pressure since twenty seventeen built up as more and 1681 01:24:13,600 --> 01:24:16,639 Speaker 1: more pilots like Commander David Fraber and Ryan Graves came 1682 01:24:16,720 --> 01:24:19,760 Speaker 1: forward to describe their experiences in the air viewing these 1683 01:24:19,800 --> 01:24:22,760 Speaker 1: extraordinary objects, and more videos began to leak out from 1684 01:24:22,760 --> 01:24:27,000 Speaker 1: the Pentagon to journalists like Jeremy Corbell. Eventually, public pressure 1685 01:24:27,080 --> 01:24:30,320 Speaker 1: crested enough for Congress to require the Pentagon to deliver 1686 01:24:30,400 --> 01:24:32,640 Speaker 1: them the first report of its kind in June of 1687 01:24:32,680 --> 01:24:35,439 Speaker 1: twenty twenty one, and that report was actually shocking on 1688 01:24:35,560 --> 01:24:38,360 Speaker 1: multiple levels. The report was scant and only nine pages, 1689 01:24:38,560 --> 01:24:40,559 Speaker 1: but if you read carefully, you found that the US 1690 01:24:40,640 --> 01:24:43,439 Speaker 1: government had to admit that in at least eighteen known instances, 1691 01:24:43,840 --> 01:24:47,200 Speaker 1: UFOs demonstrated advanced technology for which they ruled out conventional 1692 01:24:47,280 --> 01:24:50,880 Speaker 1: explanations or equipment failure. They had zero information to indicate 1693 01:24:50,960 --> 01:24:53,559 Speaker 1: that these objects were human technology, and at least, they 1694 01:24:53,640 --> 01:24:56,160 Speaker 1: say that a review of internal intelligence found that these 1695 01:24:56,160 --> 01:24:58,639 Speaker 1: objects were not part of a secret US government program. 1696 01:24:59,000 --> 01:25:01,320 Speaker 1: Now pay attention to how I phrase that, because at 1697 01:25:01,360 --> 01:25:04,280 Speaker 1: the time, despite having their hands forced by Congress to 1698 01:25:04,360 --> 01:25:06,800 Speaker 1: report to the public what was known about UFOs, the 1699 01:25:06,920 --> 01:25:09,240 Speaker 1: media and the Pentagon actually tried their best to spend 1700 01:25:09,280 --> 01:25:13,160 Speaker 1: that report. The Times, Washington Post, and CNN all said 1701 01:25:13,439 --> 01:25:17,519 Speaker 1: report quote found no evidence of alien space technology, but 1702 01:25:17,600 --> 01:25:20,280 Speaker 1: they also didn't find any evidence that it wasn't either. 1703 01:25:20,640 --> 01:25:23,519 Speaker 1: And they didn't find any evidence or some secret spy program. 1704 01:25:23,880 --> 01:25:27,120 Speaker 1: Of course, this result of one of the most pernicious 1705 01:25:27,160 --> 01:25:31,200 Speaker 1: relationship that exists in Washington, journalists CosIng up to power. 1706 01:25:31,520 --> 01:25:33,400 Speaker 1: I'm not even saying the media is biased against the 1707 01:25:33,479 --> 01:25:35,679 Speaker 1: UFO topic any more so than on any other topic. 1708 01:25:35,960 --> 01:25:37,880 Speaker 1: More so, it's the Pentagon that has a very vested 1709 01:25:37,920 --> 01:25:40,080 Speaker 1: interest in not telling the public everything that they know 1710 01:25:40,160 --> 01:25:43,160 Speaker 1: about UFOs, and journalists want to keep their coziness to power. 1711 01:25:43,439 --> 01:25:46,000 Speaker 1: So when the Pentagon says jump, they say, how I 1712 01:25:46,479 --> 01:25:49,320 Speaker 1: that's how you end up with that coverage. Lucky for us, 1713 01:25:49,680 --> 01:25:52,360 Speaker 1: some members of Congress were not fooled. After reams of 1714 01:25:52,439 --> 01:25:55,519 Speaker 1: video and observational evidence by credible pilots who have observed 1715 01:25:55,560 --> 01:25:59,200 Speaker 1: extraordinary phenomena. Several members wrote a specific provision of the 1716 01:25:59,240 --> 01:26:02,080 Speaker 1: new Defense Bill which actually requires a Pentagon to compile 1717 01:26:02,160 --> 01:26:06,360 Speaker 1: the following number one all reported UFOs related events that 1718 01:26:06,439 --> 01:26:09,200 Speaker 1: occurred in a one year period. Number two all reported 1719 01:26:09,240 --> 01:26:11,679 Speaker 1: events that were not reported in the previous June twenty 1720 01:26:11,760 --> 01:26:14,880 Speaker 1: twenty one report, and an analysis of data and intel 1721 01:26:15,080 --> 01:26:17,960 Speaker 1: through each reported event. They also require the Pentagon to 1722 01:26:18,040 --> 01:26:21,360 Speaker 1: identify any incidents that may indicate foreign technology and update 1723 01:26:21,400 --> 01:26:23,760 Speaker 1: Congress on what exactly the military is going to get 1724 01:26:23,840 --> 01:26:27,519 Speaker 1: up to date data on any future events. In short, 1725 01:26:27,920 --> 01:26:31,160 Speaker 1: Congress is demanding a lot more. The deadline for that 1726 01:26:31,280 --> 01:26:34,400 Speaker 1: report actually is today, and they had until today to 1727 01:26:34,479 --> 01:26:36,479 Speaker 1: give it to them. Whether or not they even did 1728 01:26:36,760 --> 01:26:39,320 Speaker 1: remains an open question. As of this writing, we have 1729 01:26:39,520 --> 01:26:41,400 Speaker 1: not yet been able to read it, as some of 1730 01:26:41,439 --> 01:26:43,240 Speaker 1: it is classified, and we still don't even know if 1731 01:26:43,240 --> 01:26:46,599 Speaker 1: an unclassified version is coming. And yet, eighteen months after 1732 01:26:46,640 --> 01:26:48,559 Speaker 1: the spin job on the original report for The New 1733 01:26:48,640 --> 01:26:50,880 Speaker 1: York Times, they have jumped right back into action and 1734 01:26:50,960 --> 01:26:53,679 Speaker 1: clearly planted leak by the Pentagon to shape the public's 1735 01:26:53,680 --> 01:26:56,080 Speaker 1: perception of the report before it has even made public. 1736 01:26:56,320 --> 01:26:59,560 Speaker 1: Headline many military UFO reports are just foreign spying or 1737 01:26:59,640 --> 01:27:03,479 Speaker 1: airport own trash. Oh do tell well. According to the 1738 01:27:03,560 --> 01:27:07,120 Speaker 1: Times quote, government officials believe that surveillance operations by foreign 1739 01:27:07,160 --> 01:27:10,040 Speaker 1: powers and weather balloons or other airborne clatter explain most 1740 01:27:10,080 --> 01:27:14,080 Speaker 1: recent incidents of unidentified aerial phenomena. Governments speak for UFOs 1741 01:27:14,320 --> 01:27:18,000 Speaker 1: as well as many episodes in the past years. If 1742 01:27:18,040 --> 01:27:20,800 Speaker 1: you keep reading, you actually learn something quite alarming. One 1743 01:27:21,080 --> 01:27:23,360 Speaker 1: some of the UFO sidings in recent years are actually 1744 01:27:23,479 --> 01:27:27,280 Speaker 1: Chinese spy drones, which aren't that advanced, but nonetheless are 1745 01:27:27,320 --> 01:27:31,360 Speaker 1: spying on sensitive US military technology and installations. And two 1746 01:27:31,680 --> 01:27:34,679 Speaker 1: that in some cases military analysts are claiming airborne trash 1747 01:27:34,800 --> 01:27:38,680 Speaker 1: or weather balloons explain some incidents. Yet, once again, what 1748 01:27:38,840 --> 01:27:42,360 Speaker 1: does the headline say many reports are just foreign spying 1749 01:27:42,400 --> 01:27:45,280 Speaker 1: are trash. But what about the ones that aren't explained 1750 01:27:45,320 --> 01:27:48,040 Speaker 1: by that and continue to not be This is part 1751 01:27:48,120 --> 01:27:51,280 Speaker 1: of the problem with discussing the subject. People look at 1752 01:27:51,320 --> 01:27:54,679 Speaker 1: you like a whack job for taking it seriously. Of course, 1753 01:27:54,880 --> 01:27:58,040 Speaker 1: most sightings are going to have conventional explanations. Most people 1754 01:27:58,320 --> 01:28:01,479 Speaker 1: do not dispute that slies in the ones that seem 1755 01:28:01,520 --> 01:28:05,720 Speaker 1: extraordinary and todate have no explanation. Conventionally, those are the 1756 01:28:05,800 --> 01:28:08,920 Speaker 1: ones that we are all interested in. Yet The Times, 1757 01:28:09,080 --> 01:28:12,880 Speaker 1: basically publishing Pentagon propaganda, says again, well, we don't have 1758 01:28:13,000 --> 01:28:15,639 Speaker 1: the data to say for sure, but the default assumption 1759 01:28:15,840 --> 01:28:17,920 Speaker 1: should be that if we did, could it even be 1760 01:28:18,000 --> 01:28:21,000 Speaker 1: easily explained? All of this was done ahead of the 1761 01:28:21,080 --> 01:28:24,439 Speaker 1: report's actual release. What does it actually say. We don't know. 1762 01:28:24,800 --> 01:28:27,080 Speaker 1: We only know what The Times has told us, which 1763 01:28:27,160 --> 01:28:30,080 Speaker 1: is clearly based on a planted leak, including quotes from 1764 01:28:30,120 --> 01:28:33,400 Speaker 1: Pentagon officials. We can really only come away with one conclusion. 1765 01:28:33,680 --> 01:28:35,960 Speaker 1: The Pentagon is doing its best to make sure that 1766 01:28:36,040 --> 01:28:39,200 Speaker 1: we lose interest in this subject and we stop asking questions. 1767 01:28:39,560 --> 01:28:42,680 Speaker 1: Why can we only speculate? Perhaps it is mundane, as 1768 01:28:42,720 --> 01:28:44,760 Speaker 1: they just simply don't want to do the extra work. 1769 01:28:45,080 --> 01:28:47,600 Speaker 1: Perhaps they don't want to admit that they're so incompetent 1770 01:28:47,760 --> 01:28:49,920 Speaker 1: they're unable to keep the Chinese from spying us on 1771 01:28:50,000 --> 01:28:53,600 Speaker 1: our own soil. Perhaps it is literally aliens. There is 1772 01:28:53,800 --> 01:28:56,839 Speaker 1: literally only one way to know. Keep pressing for information 1773 01:28:57,160 --> 01:28:59,560 Speaker 1: until they tell us it's our government and it's not 1774 01:28:59,600 --> 01:29:02,120 Speaker 1: the other way around. For too long they have continued 1775 01:29:02,120 --> 01:29:03,880 Speaker 1: to try and keep us in the dark, and I 1776 01:29:03,920 --> 01:29:07,600 Speaker 1: think it's an amazing story. Actually you read it and 1777 01:29:07,640 --> 01:29:09,559 Speaker 1: you're like many objects. And if you want to hear 1778 01:29:09,840 --> 01:29:13,320 Speaker 1: my reaction to Sager's monologue, become a premium subscriber today 1779 01:29:13,400 --> 01:29:18,759 Speaker 1: at breakingpoints dot com. So joining us now in studio, 1780 01:29:18,800 --> 01:29:20,800 Speaker 1: we have our great friend Ken Klippenstein, who is an 1781 01:29:20,800 --> 01:29:24,080 Speaker 1: investigative reporter for the Intercept. Great to see in, my friend. 1782 01:29:24,200 --> 01:29:26,280 Speaker 1: Great to be with you. Guys. You got a big 1783 01:29:26,360 --> 01:29:29,160 Speaker 1: old scoop this morning, a lot to unpack here, and 1784 01:29:29,640 --> 01:29:31,720 Speaker 1: it's quite explosive. Actually, let's go ahead and put the 1785 01:29:31,840 --> 01:29:33,960 Speaker 1: element we have up on the screen. The article that's 1786 01:29:34,000 --> 01:29:37,160 Speaker 1: out this morning is titled truth Cops Leaked documents outlined 1787 01:29:37,240 --> 01:29:40,320 Speaker 1: DHS's plans to police did some information. Some of the 1788 01:29:40,439 --> 01:29:43,320 Speaker 1: key takeaways here that you have Ken are that even 1789 01:29:43,400 --> 01:29:47,280 Speaker 1: though DHS said that they shuddered their quote unquote Disinformation 1790 01:29:47,400 --> 01:29:51,400 Speaker 1: Governance Board, what you have found is that underlying work 1791 01:29:51,680 --> 01:29:54,320 Speaker 1: is still going on. You also found some of the 1792 01:29:54,400 --> 01:29:58,680 Speaker 1: specifics about what they're targeting here on the origins of 1793 01:29:58,760 --> 01:30:03,559 Speaker 1: COVID nineteen, efficacy of COVID nineteen vaccines, racial justice, US 1794 01:30:03,640 --> 01:30:07,200 Speaker 1: withdrawal from Afghanistan, and also the nature of US support 1795 01:30:07,520 --> 01:30:11,479 Speaker 1: to Ukraine. So just to start with, what are your 1796 01:30:11,520 --> 01:30:14,240 Speaker 1: sources here? What's the information that you were able to 1797 01:30:14,439 --> 01:30:17,080 Speaker 1: gather and give us the big picture of what the 1798 01:30:17,120 --> 01:30:18,920 Speaker 1: government is up to here. Yeah, so this came from 1799 01:30:18,960 --> 01:30:22,719 Speaker 1: sources that I have within DHS, FBI, and also court 1800 01:30:22,760 --> 01:30:25,960 Speaker 1: records that are coming out from an investigation by I 1801 01:30:26,000 --> 01:30:28,960 Speaker 1: think it was the Missouri Attorney General looking at these things, 1802 01:30:29,040 --> 01:30:30,720 Speaker 1: and under discovery they're able to release some of the 1803 01:30:30,840 --> 01:30:33,960 Speaker 1: primary source documents that they're getting and then just you know, 1804 01:30:34,600 --> 01:30:37,479 Speaker 1: the kind of big strategy assessments that they tend to 1805 01:30:37,520 --> 01:30:39,080 Speaker 1: put out that nobody reads because so much of it 1806 01:30:39,160 --> 01:30:41,200 Speaker 1: is so boring, But if you can, you know, stay 1807 01:30:41,200 --> 01:30:42,920 Speaker 1: awake for long enough, you can find some really interesting 1808 01:30:42,960 --> 01:30:45,800 Speaker 1: details in them. Interesting. Okay, So talk to us about 1809 01:30:45,840 --> 01:30:48,880 Speaker 1: this portal. You said that Facebook has created a special 1810 01:30:48,960 --> 01:30:53,400 Speaker 1: portal for DHS and government partners to report disinformation directly. 1811 01:30:53,920 --> 01:30:57,120 Speaker 1: Do we have an indication that's still in existence? Like 1812 01:30:57,280 --> 01:30:59,880 Speaker 1: the takeaway from me from the story was they fired 1813 01:31:00,040 --> 01:31:02,799 Speaker 1: do you know the Nina Jankowitz lady, But they essentially 1814 01:31:02,920 --> 01:31:05,320 Speaker 1: just renamed it and are keeping the entire project alive 1815 01:31:05,400 --> 01:31:08,439 Speaker 1: and actually keeping it going even far past that. Yeah, 1816 01:31:08,520 --> 01:31:10,280 Speaker 1: that was Essentially my interest in doing this story is 1817 01:31:10,360 --> 01:31:12,760 Speaker 1: I saw this huge end zone dance on the part 1818 01:31:12,800 --> 01:31:16,519 Speaker 1: of you know, civil libertarian types that the Disinformation Governance Board, 1819 01:31:16,560 --> 01:31:18,599 Speaker 1: you know, very orwellian title that people can get around 1820 01:31:18,640 --> 01:31:21,200 Speaker 1: and see, how you know, crazy, this is celebrating that 1821 01:31:21,240 --> 01:31:23,920 Speaker 1: it was shut down, and I very quickly, almost instantly, 1822 01:31:24,000 --> 01:31:27,080 Speaker 1: was hearing from sources within DHS that that's not the case, 1823 01:31:27,200 --> 01:31:30,519 Speaker 1: like that that Disinformation Government's Board was an attempt to 1824 01:31:30,600 --> 01:31:34,240 Speaker 1: sort of centralize informalize at a leadership and headquarters level 1825 01:31:34,520 --> 01:31:35,960 Speaker 1: what was going on, but that was still going on 1826 01:31:36,000 --> 01:31:38,360 Speaker 1: at the component level of all of the different child 1827 01:31:38,439 --> 01:31:41,599 Speaker 1: agencies that are within DHS. So this story is an 1828 01:31:41,600 --> 01:31:43,280 Speaker 1: attempt to try to sketch out, Okay, so what does 1829 01:31:43,320 --> 01:31:44,840 Speaker 1: that mean? What does it look like? Because there's so 1830 01:31:45,000 --> 01:31:48,720 Speaker 1: much speculation and sort of guessing as to what it is, 1831 01:31:48,800 --> 01:31:50,439 Speaker 1: and there's very little in the way of just what 1832 01:31:50,520 --> 01:31:52,240 Speaker 1: are the facts of what's happening, how are they doing 1833 01:31:52,320 --> 01:31:54,240 Speaker 1: this and what is their authority? So lay that out 1834 01:31:54,360 --> 01:31:56,760 Speaker 1: for us, how does this actually like? What are the 1835 01:31:56,880 --> 01:32:02,800 Speaker 1: interactions between DHS officials and and these tech platforms, what 1836 01:32:03,000 --> 01:32:07,120 Speaker 1: sources of content are they flagging as potentially problematic because 1837 01:32:07,120 --> 01:32:09,400 Speaker 1: they have these disclaimers their emails like of course, we're 1838 01:32:09,439 --> 01:32:11,000 Speaker 1: not telling you to sense or we're just saying you 1839 01:32:11,040 --> 01:32:13,439 Speaker 1: might want to look into this. Give me like a 1840 01:32:13,479 --> 01:32:16,600 Speaker 1: specific example of how this might all unfold. Yeah, So 1841 01:32:17,240 --> 01:32:20,200 Speaker 1: they've been having bi weekly meetings as recently a summer. 1842 01:32:20,600 --> 01:32:22,200 Speaker 1: That's as recently as the I'm able to get proof. 1843 01:32:22,200 --> 01:32:24,000 Speaker 1: Doesn't mean that it's not still happening. I assume it 1844 01:32:24,040 --> 01:32:30,280 Speaker 1: still is between these DHS subagencies kind of take taking 1845 01:32:30,360 --> 01:32:35,680 Speaker 1: point is SISA, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, but 1846 01:32:35,800 --> 01:32:42,439 Speaker 1: also FBI and other agencies are meeting with these social 1847 01:32:42,479 --> 01:32:47,519 Speaker 1: media companies like Twitter and Facebook, YouTube. And it's what's 1848 01:32:47,560 --> 01:32:49,639 Speaker 1: interesting about it is, just like you said, their rationale 1849 01:32:49,680 --> 01:32:52,960 Speaker 1: for it is, you know, we're not actually telling them 1850 01:32:53,000 --> 01:32:56,360 Speaker 1: what to do, We're just recommending it and suggestions. Right, 1851 01:32:56,560 --> 01:33:01,000 Speaker 1: And it's so disingenuous because it's like theseanies aren't lobbying 1852 01:33:01,040 --> 01:33:03,400 Speaker 1: the federal government on different things. You think they're not 1853 01:33:03,439 --> 01:33:04,960 Speaker 1: going to You think they're going to want to alienate 1854 01:33:05,040 --> 01:33:07,639 Speaker 1: the guys that they're trying very hard to ingratiate themselves 1855 01:33:07,680 --> 01:33:09,920 Speaker 1: to to get certain forms of treatment. And so that's 1856 01:33:09,960 --> 01:33:12,280 Speaker 1: the kind of like hands length that they try to 1857 01:33:12,439 --> 01:33:14,280 Speaker 1: pull themselves out. Is it We're not mandating it, we're 1858 01:33:14,360 --> 01:33:16,719 Speaker 1: just recommending it. But when you look at the documents 1859 01:33:16,760 --> 01:33:18,639 Speaker 1: that we found, there's no indication that the social media 1860 01:33:18,640 --> 01:33:21,200 Speaker 1: companies are saying, who, we're not doing this, we're putting 1861 01:33:21,200 --> 01:33:23,840 Speaker 1: at redline here. They've gone ahead with it. I mean, 1862 01:33:23,920 --> 01:33:26,120 Speaker 1: the crazy one to me is Afghanistan. Right, you know 1863 01:33:26,920 --> 01:33:30,639 Speaker 1: the fact that things that are outright just politically bad 1864 01:33:30,760 --> 01:33:35,440 Speaker 1: for the Biden administration are being included in terms of recommendations. 1865 01:33:35,560 --> 01:33:38,800 Speaker 1: So do we know does anything happen as a result 1866 01:33:38,880 --> 01:33:41,719 Speaker 1: of this, Like what does the data suggest did Facebook 1867 01:33:41,800 --> 01:33:45,040 Speaker 1: ultimately take action? Like what do they describe the type 1868 01:33:45,040 --> 01:33:47,160 Speaker 1: of aption, what is the what does the interplay look 1869 01:33:47,240 --> 01:33:49,320 Speaker 1: like on behalf of the tech companies as to the 1870 01:33:49,400 --> 01:33:52,200 Speaker 1: actual effect of these policies. Well, on the public side, 1871 01:33:52,240 --> 01:33:54,000 Speaker 1: sometimes you're able to see when they literally just take 1872 01:33:54,000 --> 01:33:56,200 Speaker 1: a post down, as they did with the unter Biden 1873 01:33:56,640 --> 01:33:58,479 Speaker 1: laptop story. It was some bizarre thing where it was 1874 01:33:58,520 --> 01:34:00,720 Speaker 1: like they froze the post, they didn't take it. It's 1875 01:34:00,720 --> 01:34:04,000 Speaker 1: all they're so clever about these things. They don't they 1876 01:34:04,120 --> 01:34:06,400 Speaker 1: try to do things where they're not actually taking down. 1877 01:34:06,439 --> 01:34:07,760 Speaker 1: For example, I have a source in Google who is 1878 01:34:07,800 --> 01:34:09,800 Speaker 1: describing to me they didn't actually make it so you 1879 01:34:09,920 --> 01:34:11,680 Speaker 1: can't find it. They just made it so that the 1880 01:34:11,840 --> 01:34:14,479 Speaker 1: search results put it so far down realistically you're not 1881 01:34:14,520 --> 01:34:16,000 Speaker 1: going to see it. So then they say, well, we're 1882 01:34:16,000 --> 01:34:17,600 Speaker 1: not actually censoring it. You can still go to it. 1883 01:34:18,160 --> 01:34:19,840 Speaker 1: We're just in efect going to make it so no 1884 01:34:19,880 --> 01:34:22,920 Speaker 1: one can find. It's just crazier. It's just crazier than deleting. 1885 01:34:23,040 --> 01:34:25,080 Speaker 1: Same with you know, same with Twitter and these So 1886 01:34:25,160 --> 01:34:27,479 Speaker 1: there's always I think there is a lot of awareness 1887 01:34:27,520 --> 01:34:29,080 Speaker 1: on their part that we don't want to go like 1888 01:34:29,479 --> 01:34:31,479 Speaker 1: so far that it's going to be completely naked and 1889 01:34:31,520 --> 01:34:34,880 Speaker 1: try to give ourselves some deniability in terms of saying, 1890 01:34:34,920 --> 01:34:38,679 Speaker 1: you know, we're putting recommendations out there, we're throttling traffic 1891 01:34:38,720 --> 01:34:41,160 Speaker 1: to it, we're not taking it down. So they really 1892 01:34:41,280 --> 01:34:43,679 Speaker 1: like to operate in the gray. I think well, because honestly, 1893 01:34:43,920 --> 01:34:47,599 Speaker 1: if Twitter had taken that approach with the Hunter Biden story, 1894 01:34:47,920 --> 01:34:51,679 Speaker 1: it probably wouldn't have blown up into the big national 1895 01:34:51,840 --> 01:34:56,000 Speaker 1: example of censorship that it ended up being, because they 1896 01:34:56,080 --> 01:34:59,040 Speaker 1: want much further than let's just suppress this in the algorithm. 1897 01:34:59,320 --> 01:35:01,000 Speaker 1: Let's make it so this isn't the first thing that's 1898 01:35:01,000 --> 01:35:03,280 Speaker 1: showing up, like you know, now people in their Twitter 1899 01:35:03,320 --> 01:35:05,320 Speaker 1: feed unless they select to have it just by time, 1900 01:35:05,680 --> 01:35:08,200 Speaker 1: they're just getting the tweets that Twitter thinks that they 1901 01:35:08,240 --> 01:35:11,280 Speaker 1: will like or wants them to like and see. So ultimately, 1902 01:35:11,400 --> 01:35:13,360 Speaker 1: if they had gone about it in a savvier way, 1903 01:35:13,360 --> 01:35:15,679 Speaker 1: I mean, that's what's so nefarious about this. People wouldn't 1904 01:35:15,680 --> 01:35:18,960 Speaker 1: have even been able to really say exactly what was 1905 01:35:19,040 --> 01:35:21,120 Speaker 1: going on here. One of the other things that you 1906 01:35:21,280 --> 01:35:26,080 Speaker 1: uncover is the Hunter Biden censorship incident. As notorious as 1907 01:35:26,120 --> 01:35:28,120 Speaker 1: it ultimately is here, the people who are involved in 1908 01:35:28,200 --> 01:35:30,960 Speaker 1: that are still involved in this project, right. And so 1909 01:35:31,080 --> 01:35:34,559 Speaker 1: the FBI has something called the Foreign Influenced Task Force, 1910 01:35:34,600 --> 01:35:36,640 Speaker 1: which the Department of Homeland Security does as well, and 1911 01:35:36,720 --> 01:35:38,479 Speaker 1: it's almost exactly the same name. I think it's the 1912 01:35:38,560 --> 01:35:41,840 Speaker 1: countering for an interference task Force. And so what that 1913 01:35:41,920 --> 01:35:45,320 Speaker 1: gives you a sense of is the burgeoning nature of 1914 01:35:45,360 --> 01:35:47,519 Speaker 1: these authorities. It just keeps growing, and if you look 1915 01:35:47,520 --> 01:35:49,759 Speaker 1: at it, a lot of it starts in twenty eighteen 1916 01:35:49,880 --> 01:35:52,000 Speaker 1: under the Trump adminstration, so a little more complicated than 1917 01:35:52,000 --> 01:35:53,760 Speaker 1: people think. That's not to say that Trump liked it 1918 01:35:53,840 --> 01:35:57,799 Speaker 1: he actually fired his CSI director, I think Brian Krebs, 1919 01:35:58,040 --> 01:35:59,360 Speaker 1: and so you know, he was against it, but he 1920 01:35:59,439 --> 01:36:02,560 Speaker 1: didn't have the kind of bureaucratic acknowledge that's say to 1921 01:36:03,160 --> 01:36:04,640 Speaker 1: be able to stop a lot of these things, and 1922 01:36:04,720 --> 01:36:07,680 Speaker 1: then it you know, continues to proliferate under the Biden administration. 1923 01:36:07,760 --> 01:36:10,479 Speaker 1: I think that the origin of this all is, you know, 1924 01:36:10,520 --> 01:36:15,680 Speaker 1: the twenty sixteen election disinformation, Russian election disinformation. Not that 1925 01:36:15,760 --> 01:36:18,080 Speaker 1: it starts on, but that's sort of when the concerns begin, 1926 01:36:18,400 --> 01:36:21,080 Speaker 1: and then by twenty eighteen come midterms. I think DHS 1927 01:36:21,160 --> 01:36:22,840 Speaker 1: is trying to position itself as hey, you know that 1928 01:36:22,920 --> 01:36:24,800 Speaker 1: problem you guys have, we can help with it. Let 1929 01:36:24,920 --> 01:36:26,960 Speaker 1: us let us handle this. So then in twenty eighteen 1930 01:36:26,960 --> 01:36:29,360 Speaker 1: it's the midterm elections, and by twenty twenty with coronavirus, 1931 01:36:29,640 --> 01:36:31,360 Speaker 1: then they have a really strong case. And I've looked 1932 01:36:31,360 --> 01:36:34,760 Speaker 1: at polling on this it does suggest that they're surprisingly 1933 01:36:35,240 --> 01:36:39,640 Speaker 1: large amounts of public support for frankly censorship of you know, 1934 01:36:40,160 --> 01:36:43,559 Speaker 1: would they consider COVID disinformation. I think that they can 1935 01:36:43,640 --> 01:36:45,920 Speaker 1: sense that there's an opening for them there to to 1936 01:36:47,040 --> 01:36:48,920 Speaker 1: you know, take advantage of that and say, hey, let 1937 01:36:49,040 --> 01:36:51,960 Speaker 1: us let us have a role in you know, communicating 1938 01:36:52,000 --> 01:36:54,240 Speaker 1: with these social media platforms. I mean, it seems to me, 1939 01:36:54,320 --> 01:36:57,760 Speaker 1: and you tell me if this timeline is inaccurate. But 1940 01:36:57,920 --> 01:36:59,400 Speaker 1: you know, you first start in the early days of 1941 01:36:59,439 --> 01:37:03,120 Speaker 1: social media, you've got like al Qaeda and ISIS, and 1942 01:37:03,200 --> 01:37:05,880 Speaker 1: there's an effort to find people who are sympathizer or 1943 01:37:05,920 --> 01:37:09,080 Speaker 1: spreading their propaganda or beheading videos or whatever. Like that's 1944 01:37:09,400 --> 01:37:12,800 Speaker 1: the first step. Then you have the Russian efforts, whatever 1945 01:37:12,880 --> 01:37:16,920 Speaker 1: they amounted to in the twenty sixteen election, and then 1946 01:37:17,000 --> 01:37:18,880 Speaker 1: you know, that's a further step of Okay, we got 1947 01:37:18,960 --> 01:37:21,759 Speaker 1: to see who's sharing this Russian content and what impact 1948 01:37:21,880 --> 01:37:24,240 Speaker 1: is that having. Well, now this seems to have gone 1949 01:37:24,320 --> 01:37:27,760 Speaker 1: even a further step where there's no even artifice of 1950 01:37:27,880 --> 01:37:30,200 Speaker 1: this has to do with foreign actors, Like we're talking 1951 01:37:30,280 --> 01:37:35,120 Speaker 1: about American citizens talking to other American citizens without even 1952 01:37:35,200 --> 01:37:38,719 Speaker 1: any sort of tie to potential international terrorism, which seems 1953 01:37:38,960 --> 01:37:43,040 Speaker 1: to be where these programs really originally had their origins exactly, 1954 01:37:43,120 --> 01:37:45,040 Speaker 1: And that's where DHS had its origin. It's a you know, 1955 01:37:45,200 --> 01:37:48,560 Speaker 1: counter terror Post nine to eleven department. And if you 1956 01:37:48,640 --> 01:37:51,519 Speaker 1: look at some of the documents that I referenced in 1957 01:37:51,560 --> 01:37:54,200 Speaker 1: the story, I got the I was given the Quadrennial 1958 01:37:54,720 --> 01:37:56,880 Speaker 1: Review for DHS that kind of sketches out the next 1959 01:37:56,920 --> 01:37:58,400 Speaker 1: four years, what the next four years are going to 1960 01:37:58,439 --> 01:38:00,880 Speaker 1: look like, and what they're kind of big picture strategy is. 1961 01:38:00,920 --> 01:38:04,559 Speaker 1: And they're perfectly open in this draft document about that, Okay, 1962 01:38:04,600 --> 01:38:07,360 Speaker 1: we'll warrant terror is sort of ramping down, We're gonna 1963 01:38:07,400 --> 01:38:11,599 Speaker 1: change our focus essentially the domestic American affairs. And what's 1964 01:38:11,640 --> 01:38:16,320 Speaker 1: interesting about that shift from foreign to domestic is that 1965 01:38:16,479 --> 01:38:18,920 Speaker 1: I tried very hard to find anything in the way 1966 01:38:18,960 --> 01:38:22,280 Speaker 1: of documentary or legal basis saying Okay, now we're authorizing this. 1967 01:38:22,400 --> 01:38:24,360 Speaker 1: It doesn't exist as far as I can tell. It 1968 01:38:24,479 --> 01:38:26,760 Speaker 1: was just a gradual shift that is happening at these 1969 01:38:26,840 --> 01:38:30,599 Speaker 1: sub White House level, at the administrative level in both 1970 01:38:30,680 --> 01:38:34,280 Speaker 1: the Trump and Biden administrations. And I wonder how much 1971 01:38:34,439 --> 01:38:37,200 Speaker 1: people even know that that it's happening. It's like they've 1972 01:38:37,200 --> 01:38:39,760 Speaker 1: taken advantage of this, and then, as I said before, 1973 01:38:39,800 --> 01:38:42,519 Speaker 1: Trump tried to, you know, stop it. They disbanded the 1974 01:38:42,520 --> 01:38:44,680 Speaker 1: Disinformation Board. But so much of this happens at the 1975 01:38:44,720 --> 01:38:46,880 Speaker 1: level that you know, people like me who have sources 1976 01:38:46,920 --> 01:38:48,600 Speaker 1: and are talking to people can can find out that 1977 01:38:48,600 --> 01:38:49,960 Speaker 1: it's happening, but there's no way for the public to 1978 01:38:50,000 --> 01:38:52,800 Speaker 1: know these things are still going. Yeah, I'm one of 1979 01:38:52,840 --> 01:38:54,479 Speaker 1: the ones that broke out to me at the very 1980 01:38:54,560 --> 01:38:56,320 Speaker 1: end of the story is about a Twitter account that 1981 01:38:56,400 --> 01:39:00,559 Speaker 1: has like fifty six followers and that they specifically flagged 1982 01:39:00,840 --> 01:39:04,800 Speaker 1: by government official sent to Twitter, and Twitter is like, 1983 01:39:04,880 --> 01:39:07,960 Speaker 1: we will escalate this. Thank you. A guy who's literally 1984 01:39:08,080 --> 01:39:11,080 Speaker 1: fifty six followers, Like how is that? In what way? 1985 01:39:11,240 --> 01:39:14,200 Speaker 1: Who says in his bio like this is a parody 1986 01:39:14,280 --> 01:39:19,040 Speaker 1: account and buy something about like weed stores. Those be mad, 1987 01:39:19,280 --> 01:39:22,599 Speaker 1: this is a parody account. And why are they spending 1988 01:39:22,880 --> 01:39:27,720 Speaker 1: any time under a banner image of Blucifer, a demonic 1989 01:39:27,840 --> 01:39:32,200 Speaker 1: horse featured at the entrance of Denver Airport. You have 1990 01:39:32,439 --> 01:39:34,360 Speaker 1: to have something better to do than this. You're not 1991 01:39:34,479 --> 01:39:37,120 Speaker 1: the only ones that think that this is outraging. FBI 1992 01:39:37,280 --> 01:39:39,799 Speaker 1: agents sid I interviewed during when all that was happening, 1993 01:39:40,400 --> 01:39:42,719 Speaker 1: who themselves were tasked with things like, you know, tracking 1994 01:39:42,800 --> 01:39:45,840 Speaker 1: foreign spies. They were outraged that they were put into 1995 01:39:45,880 --> 01:39:49,760 Speaker 1: these temporary units to monitor these social media accounts. And 1996 01:39:49,800 --> 01:39:51,599 Speaker 1: they were telling me, yeah, it's clear my boss doesn't 1997 01:39:51,600 --> 01:39:53,719 Speaker 1: have any idea like what irony is on the internet. 1998 01:39:54,080 --> 01:39:57,720 Speaker 1: Like what sarcasm is because you know, my job now 1999 01:39:57,840 --> 01:40:01,000 Speaker 1: is just tracking commedi kids six ' nine post something 2000 01:40:01,400 --> 01:40:03,639 Speaker 1: we're supposed to respond like it's some national security crisis. 2001 01:40:03,920 --> 01:40:05,840 Speaker 1: So they were very irritated by it as well, and 2002 01:40:05,920 --> 01:40:08,080 Speaker 1: there were mi understandings there were a lot of FBI 2003 01:40:08,120 --> 01:40:11,320 Speaker 1: agents that were you know, taken from their normal responsibilities 2004 01:40:11,360 --> 01:40:14,920 Speaker 1: and assigned to this kind of stuff. Well, I said 2005 01:40:14,960 --> 01:40:19,320 Speaker 1: to you, it's like dystopian police state meets Keystone Cops exactly. 2006 01:40:19,520 --> 01:40:21,760 Speaker 1: But the fact that it in some ways is like 2007 01:40:21,960 --> 01:40:25,519 Speaker 1: absurd doesn't take away from the fact that it's really 2008 01:40:26,160 --> 01:40:29,719 Speaker 1: really disturbing, because effectively, what you have is a worst 2009 01:40:29,720 --> 01:40:31,720 Speaker 1: of all worlds where you know, we covered extensively on 2010 01:40:31,760 --> 01:40:35,639 Speaker 1: this elon Musk and Twitter and billionaires control these platforms 2011 01:40:35,680 --> 01:40:38,280 Speaker 1: that are so essential to our speech. And then so 2012 01:40:38,439 --> 01:40:40,640 Speaker 1: not only do you not have any democratic accountability there, 2013 01:40:40,640 --> 01:40:44,600 Speaker 1: but then you also have the government directly interfacing with 2014 01:40:44,720 --> 01:40:47,880 Speaker 1: them and shaping what type of speech is allowed and 2015 01:40:48,000 --> 01:40:52,920 Speaker 1: what type of speech is not allowed, again with zero transparency, 2016 01:40:53,560 --> 01:40:56,559 Speaker 1: zero ability to have democratic pushback. And so that's why 2017 01:40:56,720 --> 01:40:58,600 Speaker 1: you know, reporting like yours that at least gives us 2018 01:40:58,640 --> 01:41:01,360 Speaker 1: a little bit of a window into what's happening here 2019 01:41:01,479 --> 01:41:04,040 Speaker 1: is ultimately so essential Ken, Yeah, that's what I'm trying 2020 01:41:04,040 --> 01:41:05,720 Speaker 1: to do, just give because I realized there was no 2021 01:41:06,040 --> 01:41:08,040 Speaker 1: attempt to sort of give a comprehensive picture of like 2022 01:41:08,120 --> 01:41:09,840 Speaker 1: what's out there, what are we able to find, what 2023 01:41:10,160 --> 01:41:12,080 Speaker 1: the heck's going on? And in the absence of that, 2024 01:41:12,200 --> 01:41:14,200 Speaker 1: people are going to just, you know, guess. And that's 2025 01:41:14,360 --> 01:41:16,559 Speaker 1: I mean, if you're really worried about disinformation, I tend 2026 01:41:16,600 --> 01:41:19,000 Speaker 1: to think darkness is where that stuff thrives, you know, 2027 01:41:19,080 --> 01:41:20,640 Speaker 1: when people are in candid about what the heck is 2028 01:41:20,680 --> 01:41:23,040 Speaker 1: going on. I mean, my view has always been like, 2029 01:41:23,320 --> 01:41:26,320 Speaker 1: if you are going to accept the slings and throat 2030 01:41:26,640 --> 01:41:29,720 Speaker 1: and arrows of a democracy, you have to accept that 2031 01:41:29,840 --> 01:41:32,720 Speaker 1: sometimes there's going to be things that are crazy conspiracy theory, 2032 01:41:32,760 --> 01:41:34,680 Speaker 1: there's going to be things that are inaccurate, and you 2033 01:41:34,800 --> 01:41:39,280 Speaker 1: have to have enough faith in the citizenry that they 2034 01:41:39,320 --> 01:41:41,559 Speaker 1: can handle, that that they can process, that that they 2035 01:41:41,600 --> 01:41:44,840 Speaker 1: can move forward, that they can find accurate information. But 2036 01:41:45,120 --> 01:41:48,200 Speaker 1: you know, clearly, like we've been under the attempts at 2037 01:41:48,240 --> 01:41:51,080 Speaker 1: censorship since basically twenty sixteen, and I don't know if 2038 01:41:51,080 --> 01:41:52,280 Speaker 1: you guys know this, but there are a lot of 2039 01:41:52,320 --> 01:41:54,639 Speaker 1: conspiracy theories that are out there still thriving, so I'm 2040 01:41:54,680 --> 01:41:57,280 Speaker 1: not sure that this is really worth it. Very originate, Ken, 2041 01:41:57,400 --> 01:41:59,599 Speaker 1: thank you so much. Congratulations, great reporting, Thank you great 2042 01:41:59,640 --> 01:42:03,479 Speaker 1: nis Ken. I really appreciate you guys watching seriously, it 2043 01:42:03,560 --> 01:42:05,479 Speaker 1: means a lot. Thank you for all Premium subscribers. You 2044 01:42:05,520 --> 01:42:08,080 Speaker 1: help us support people like Ken in order to bring 2045 01:42:08,160 --> 01:42:10,479 Speaker 1: it to all of you with his extraordinary reporting and 2046 01:42:10,560 --> 01:42:13,240 Speaker 1: doing awesome segments for us with the Intercept and many 2047 01:42:13,320 --> 01:42:15,200 Speaker 1: of the other partners. So thank you all so much. 2048 01:42:15,240 --> 01:42:16,519 Speaker 1: We will see you all tomorrow. We're gonna have a 2049 01:42:16,560 --> 01:42:16,920 Speaker 1: great show.