1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Molly John Fast and this is Fast Politics, 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: where we discussed the top political headlines with some of 3 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:12,719 Speaker 1: today's best minds. And Marco Rubio says Europe and Ukraine 4 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,000 Speaker 1: will be a part of the Russian peace talks, though 5 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 1: that actually is maybe not true. We have such a 6 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:23,760 Speaker 1: great show for you today. The Lincoln Project's own Rick 7 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:28,560 Speaker 1: Wilson joins us to discuss Trump's latest dictator language. Then 8 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:34,920 Speaker 1: we'll talk to former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau head row 9 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:40,520 Speaker 1: heat Chobra about the accomplishments of the organization and why 10 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 1: Trump ended it. But first the news. 11 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 2: So Malli RFK Junior got right to work dismantling the CDC, 12 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,279 Speaker 2: just as we feared he would. And I don't like this. 13 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: You'll be shocked to know that RFK Junior is doing 14 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 1: all the anti science stuff he has long advertised himself 15 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: to be. By the way, I just want to pause 16 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: for a minute here and say, like, we're basically in 17 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 1: between pandemics. We have bird flu, we got birds dying, 18 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: we got cows, a person got bird flu, they had 19 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: pink eye. There are all sorts of reasons not to 20 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: gut public health organizations, and yet here we are the 21 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:28,440 Speaker 1: Trump administration fired nearly half of the members of the 22 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: vaulted public health program that works on the frontlines of 23 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 1: disease outbreaks. You don't need it only a day after 24 00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:40,039 Speaker 1: anti vax or conspiracy theorist and might add lover of 25 00:01:40,120 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 1: many women who are not his wife. 26 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:44,720 Speaker 2: You could say it because it's true of a lot 27 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:45,960 Speaker 2: of people in this administration. 28 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, yes, and members of this intelligence service, which 29 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 1: deals with etymology. Thirteen hundred layoffs there at the Center 30 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:58,160 Speaker 1: for Disease Control and Prevention. We don't have diseases, so 31 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: that should be fine. Look, he is stripping the Health 32 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: and Human Services staff. He's doing this. And look again, 33 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: Remember there are two things to remember here. One is 34 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: this is about this larger ethos of Project twenty twenty five. Right, 35 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:18,919 Speaker 1: dismantle the federal government, make it small, make it inefficient, 36 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,520 Speaker 1: make it not work so that the people don't believe 37 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: in it. Right, that's part of it. And then part 38 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: of it is you put someone who really is against 39 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 1: almost all of the important and meaningful parts of public 40 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:34,320 Speaker 1: health in charge of the public health agency. So like 41 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,840 Speaker 1: the fact that this is happening, no one should be surprised. Right, 42 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:40,320 Speaker 1: this is exactly how we thought it would go. Some 43 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: of the people that he laid off, experts from this 44 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 1: EIS have been dispatched for decades to investigate disease outbreaks 45 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: in the United States and abroad. Disease outbreaks. Well, it's 46 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: good because we don't have diseases anymore, so that should 47 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:56,560 Speaker 1: be fine. And you know these are high paying jobs, right, 48 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 1: millions of millionaires. Now, I mean, this is fucking ic right. 49 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:05,400 Speaker 1: These are the people who investigated anthrax, investigated. 50 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:07,799 Speaker 2: Abula, which we just got two cases of in New York. 51 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: Right, this is absolutely insane. Stat News reports the entire 52 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 1: incoming class, sixty to eighty people were told their positions 53 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:20,520 Speaker 1: have been canceled. This is so fucking stupid. This is 54 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:23,519 Speaker 1: cutting a tiny bit of money to cost a lot 55 00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:26,639 Speaker 1: more money soon. And I want to add that we 56 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 1: should not be surprised that these people are doing stupid 57 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 1: destructive things. Stupid destructive things are what they said they 58 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 1: would do, and now they are doing it. So welcome, welcome, welcome. 59 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 2: So the Republicans have unveiled their budget, and I'm going 60 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 2: to shock you here, Molly. The economists say it'll disproportionately 61 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 2: benefit the one percent. 62 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: Never what that's crazy talk. So House GOP's budget proposal, 63 00:03:52,280 --> 00:03:55,800 Speaker 1: which ames four point five trillion dollar tax cut but 64 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 1: only for a very very much people with roughly two 65 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 1: trillion and spending cuts, but likely that those spending cuts 66 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 1: will only affect the very poor and also the people 67 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 1: who need healthcare and also people who are affected by diseases. 68 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 1: This was always trickle down economics. None of us should 69 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:17,599 Speaker 1: be surprised that these people are trying to practice the 70 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: sort of worst of Reaganism and the worst of Bannonism. 71 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: So here we are. They want to cut two trillion 72 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:29,840 Speaker 1: in spending, cut taxes four point five trillion, and the 73 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:33,279 Speaker 1: good news is and also in top line numbers, Republicans 74 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:35,279 Speaker 1: are hoping to pay for their gigantic tax cut for 75 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 1: very wealthy people by reducing spending between one point five 76 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,560 Speaker 1: and two trillion. By the way, Medicaid in case you're wondering, Medicaid, 77 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 1: which is the healthcare for poor people that is in 78 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 1: their crosshairs because it always has been. House Republican leadership 79 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:55,200 Speaker 1: has specifically asked the Energy and Commerce Committee to find 80 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 1: eight hundred and eighty billion dollars in cuts over the 81 00:04:58,279 --> 00:05:01,479 Speaker 1: next ten years. This is all I want to pause 82 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:05,760 Speaker 1: again to pay four tax cuts for very wealthy people. 83 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 2: And funny enough, though US in the resistance have an 84 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 2: ally in one Steve Bannon, who warns Trump and Musk 85 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 2: that they shouldn't cut Medicaid because there's loads of mega 86 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:17,760 Speaker 2: that is on Medicaid. 87 00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:21,200 Speaker 1: Yes, you will be shocked to know. Look, Steve Bannon, 88 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:23,640 Speaker 1: you may not agree with him, but he is very smart. 89 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:26,119 Speaker 1: I mean I don't agree with him, and nor should 90 00:05:26,160 --> 00:05:28,719 Speaker 1: you agree with him. And we most people don't agree 91 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: with him, but don't use a meat axe. Steve Bannon 92 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:35,919 Speaker 1: warns Trump and Musk that loads of megas are on Medicare. Again. 93 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:38,360 Speaker 1: You know, one of the things that we've seen with 94 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:42,360 Speaker 1: Steve Bannon is that he actually really is smart and 95 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: pays attention to what's going on. I do not agree 96 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 1: with him. I've said this before, but he said he 97 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:52,040 Speaker 1: warned that many of Trump's mega supporters rely heavily on Medicaid, 98 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:55,680 Speaker 1: a subsidy for low income Americans, and not to take 99 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: a meat axe to the program more than six hundred 100 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: billion dollars when to Medicaid last year. Bannon nevertheless wants 101 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:04,320 Speaker 1: to cut programs to help whack away at the one 102 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:06,919 Speaker 1: point eight trillion dollars in debt. I mean, yes, the 103 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:10,839 Speaker 1: whole goal here is to cut spending, is to cut 104 00:06:10,920 --> 00:06:14,080 Speaker 1: the things that you have gotten from the government, right 105 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:16,919 Speaker 1: to cut away at that. So we shouldn't be surprised. 106 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 1: But Bannon is smart, and Bannon wants to keep winning elections, 107 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:25,159 Speaker 1: and he knows if you do this to the people 108 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:28,279 Speaker 1: who voted for you, then they won't vote for you again. 109 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:31,280 Speaker 1: I mean, that's just math. Right. One of the things 110 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:34,240 Speaker 1: that Trump was able to do in his first term 111 00:06:34,640 --> 00:06:37,640 Speaker 1: was he was able to have set all this crazy stuff, 112 00:06:37,640 --> 00:06:39,760 Speaker 1: but a lot of it didn't happen because Democrats were 113 00:06:39,800 --> 00:06:42,800 Speaker 1: able to prevent him from doing it, so people didn't 114 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 1: believe he would do it. This time, there are no 115 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 1: checks and balances, and there's a real opportunity here for 116 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 1: Donald Trump just to do the craziest stuff. And that's 117 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:51,400 Speaker 1: where we are. 118 00:06:51,720 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 2: Fun times. Speaking of doing crazy stuff, Borders Are, Tom 119 00:06:56,040 --> 00:07:00,839 Speaker 2: Homan has suggested that the DOJ should prosecut AOC. 120 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: So this is one of these dumb things. It's dumb 121 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 1: because it's just bullshit. Right. So Tom Holman, who was 122 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 1: the Borders Are, he actually worked under Obama and had 123 00:07:11,920 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 1: some kind of weird meltdown and now has become completely 124 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:18,240 Speaker 1: a zealot as zealot when. 125 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:20,480 Speaker 2: He's not embarrassing Eric Adams on air. 126 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, that amazing interview on Fox and Friends. But anyway, 127 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: so that guy said that AOC could have broken the 128 00:07:27,400 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 1: law by holding a webinar informing immigrants of the rights 129 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:35,000 Speaker 1: during encounters with ice. Now there's no law against that. 130 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:39,239 Speaker 1: It's covered under this amendment. That Republicans are so concerned 131 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:41,800 Speaker 1: about the First Amendment, the freedom of speech. I mean, 132 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 1: they don't love it as much as the Second Amendment, 133 00:07:44,200 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 1: but it still gets a lot of play. It's a 134 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:50,440 Speaker 1: stupid thing because it can't happen, and it's not true. 135 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 1: This is this Republican bravado, this idea that if you 136 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: say something we don't like, we think you should go 137 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 1: to jail, or we think you should be prosecuted. And 138 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:03,800 Speaker 1: Dana Bash asked Tom Holman, do you think that she 139 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:07,440 Speaker 1: should be prosecuted about AOC, and he suggests he said, 140 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: I am suggesting that I would ask the Department of Justice, 141 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:14,360 Speaker 1: where's the line on implementation. I think that that's a 142 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:18,360 Speaker 1: broad statute. I mean, look, it's so dumb. I mean, 143 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:22,120 Speaker 1: it's so dumb, and it is meant to be a distraction. 144 00:08:22,240 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 1: But remember so much of the Sadman is about doing 145 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,480 Speaker 1: things to get attention. Maybe he wants to get the 146 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:31,160 Speaker 1: big guy to see it. Maybe he thinks that Trump 147 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:34,720 Speaker 1: will love him more if he picks on AOSA. Shouldn't 148 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:41,480 Speaker 1: be surprised about this. Rick Wilson is the founder of 149 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:44,199 Speaker 1: the Lincoln Project and the host of the Enemy's List 150 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 1: Welcome Back, Too Fast Politics, Rick Wilson. 151 00:08:48,320 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 3: Hello, comrade, this was the weekend when, even though what 152 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:57,880 Speaker 3: Trump is doing has been bad, I feel like this 153 00:08:58,040 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 3: was the. 154 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:00,840 Speaker 1: Weekend where we were like, all my a month into 155 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:04,200 Speaker 1: this experiment, and this was a weekend where I was like, 156 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:07,560 Speaker 1: oh wait, what not me? 157 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:13,400 Speaker 4: I mean, look, I have expected this, this increasing tempo 158 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:17,960 Speaker 4: and the increasing outrageousness of it, and the increasing degree 159 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:21,520 Speaker 4: to which the Democrats have still yet to grapple with 160 00:09:21,559 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 4: how to deal with it. 161 00:09:22,920 --> 00:09:26,319 Speaker 1: Right, First, we need to talk about the Trump tweet 162 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:30,640 Speaker 1: that is Napoleonic. We need to talk about the providence 163 00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:35,720 Speaker 1: of it. It's not actually Napoleon. It's a movie about Napoleon. 164 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 5: Right, correct. 165 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 4: It's from the nineteen seventy film Waterloo by Robsteiger. 166 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,000 Speaker 1: Say more. If you dare. 167 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:50,680 Speaker 4: This is the classic problem with Trump and his people. 168 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:54,600 Speaker 4: They find something superficial, like that famous quote from Abraham 169 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:58,079 Speaker 4: Lincoln about you can't trust anything on the Internet, and 170 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:02,600 Speaker 4: so they'll run with shit like that. They will not understand, 171 00:10:02,960 --> 00:10:05,760 Speaker 4: and they still refuse to understand that the presidency of 172 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:08,840 Speaker 4: the United States, even with a crapulous fuck wit like 173 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:13,559 Speaker 4: Donald Trump in the office, that words matter, that assertions 174 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:17,479 Speaker 4: like that matter. And let's be very clear, Napoleon Bonaparte 175 00:10:17,520 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 4: was a dictator. I've written I am unfortunately in one 176 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:24,480 Speaker 4: of one of my mani historical rabbit holes. I've studied 177 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:26,559 Speaker 4: a lot about the Napoleonic Wars, and I've written a 178 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:28,800 Speaker 4: lot about Napoleon. I've written a lot about the French Revolution, 179 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:34,280 Speaker 4: partly because Trump idolizes a person like Napoleon, because he 180 00:10:34,320 --> 00:10:37,880 Speaker 4: believes he got away with things because he took power 181 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:40,959 Speaker 4: and no one could resist him taking power. This is 182 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:43,520 Speaker 4: what Trump idolizes most. This is why we're now on 183 00:10:43,559 --> 00:10:46,280 Speaker 4: the wrong side of history. This is why our allies 184 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:51,559 Speaker 4: now are putin g mbs and Kim Jong un because 185 00:10:51,800 --> 00:10:54,000 Speaker 4: he loves that quote. But let me tell you something. 186 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:56,400 Speaker 4: I read it, and I knew it's provenance, and I 187 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:58,560 Speaker 4: knew it was one of those famous sort of faux 188 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:02,320 Speaker 4: historical whatevers. What Donald Trump was doing there wasn't just 189 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:06,480 Speaker 4: asserting his own power. He was also sending a very 190 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:10,800 Speaker 4: very very loud dog whistle through a billion assholes. That 191 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:12,960 Speaker 4: was the moral equivalent of saying, we're going to march 192 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,080 Speaker 4: down to the Capitol because if you don't, you're going 193 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:16,160 Speaker 4: to lose your country. 194 00:11:16,400 --> 00:11:18,600 Speaker 1: Right, And Nate got very excited by it. But I 195 00:11:18,679 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 1: want to point out, just for two seconds, just back 196 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:23,679 Speaker 1: to this quote. So it's a line from a screenplay 197 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:27,280 Speaker 1: from a nineteen seventies movie which David from SAZ was 198 00:11:27,320 --> 00:11:31,880 Speaker 1: funded by the Russian government and then Waterlieu with Rod Steiger, 199 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:37,200 Speaker 1: Christopher Blummer and sixteen thousand Red Army extras. But I mean, look, 200 00:11:37,320 --> 00:11:40,240 Speaker 1: the message here is the same message we're hearing from JD. Ben's, 201 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:42,000 Speaker 1: is the same message we always hear from Trump, right, 202 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:45,160 Speaker 1: which is I am an autocrat and I the laws 203 00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: don't apply to me, which is, you know, none of 204 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:51,200 Speaker 1: this should be surprising, but all of it should be galvanizing. 205 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:55,040 Speaker 4: It should be I desperately need the folks out there 206 00:11:55,160 --> 00:11:58,760 Speaker 4: to not normalize this in your head. I desperately need 207 00:11:58,760 --> 00:12:01,440 Speaker 4: people out there to really think this through what it means. 208 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:04,640 Speaker 4: This is intentionality on his part. This is clarity on 209 00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:07,040 Speaker 4: what he will do and will try to get away with. 210 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:12,280 Speaker 4: Napoleon inherited from the French Revolution an internal security mechanism 211 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:16,120 Speaker 4: that would persecute, prosecute, or kill opponents. 212 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:18,600 Speaker 1: Right, But there's no way that Trump knows. 213 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,640 Speaker 4: He knows that he defied convention, he defied law, he 214 00:12:22,800 --> 00:12:27,680 Speaker 4: defied order, he defied the constitutional for what it was 215 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 4: framework of how France was organized in or Trump knows 216 00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 4: those things at an ansert visceral level. But Molly, it's 217 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:37,720 Speaker 4: also an invitation to these assholes out there. Oh, if 218 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:41,000 Speaker 4: you attack Trump's opponents, now you're doing it for the country, 219 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 4: so you're not breaking the law. 220 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:44,679 Speaker 1: There's a lot of wink wing, no, no, let's go, 221 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:47,880 Speaker 1: And that's always been true for Trump and iatarily worrying. Now. 222 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:50,280 Speaker 1: The problem on the other side is that Democrats are 223 00:12:50,280 --> 00:12:53,040 Speaker 1: having real trouble breaking through. Some of them are out there, 224 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:56,040 Speaker 1: some of them are trying, but it's not connecting for 225 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:59,280 Speaker 1: whatever reason. So let's talk about what they could do 226 00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:01,840 Speaker 1: to break through. Let's not even trash then, let's just 227 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:03,600 Speaker 1: get going on like solutions. 228 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:07,080 Speaker 4: Okay, here's a solution. Build an apatrol rapid response team 229 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:10,520 Speaker 4: of actual rapid responders. It's not members of Congress. Okay, 230 00:13:10,800 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 4: more about that right now. The average age of the 231 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:16,200 Speaker 4: people on the Democratic rapid response team, a fucking kid, 232 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:19,079 Speaker 4: you not, is seventy seven years old. This is insane. 233 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:23,040 Speaker 4: You need a bunch of pipe swinging young people to 234 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:25,319 Speaker 4: get out there and be on the rapid response front 235 00:13:25,559 --> 00:13:28,960 Speaker 4: every day, grinding out these messages, giving them to members 236 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:33,200 Speaker 4: and saying, hey, in your district, Congressman Smith, here's how 237 00:13:33,280 --> 00:13:37,400 Speaker 4: many people are getting fucked by this tariff deal. Here's 238 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 4: how many people are getting hurt by firing some government jobs. 239 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:44,160 Speaker 4: Here's how many veterans don't get suicide prevention care. Now 240 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:46,800 Speaker 4: they should be driving information into the hands of every 241 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:50,200 Speaker 4: member of Congress, and Hakeem Jeffries should be there with 242 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:53,600 Speaker 4: a baseball bat going to every member saying, have you 243 00:13:53,679 --> 00:13:56,600 Speaker 4: communicated to your district every single one of these facts. 244 00:13:56,840 --> 00:13:59,200 Speaker 4: Are you pushing this out to your local media, to 245 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:03,240 Speaker 4: local radio, to local newspapers, to local influencers. Are you 246 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:06,000 Speaker 4: blasting your email list every day? Not just asking for 247 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:09,640 Speaker 4: fundraising but telling people in your district, in your state, 248 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,560 Speaker 4: telling them, get on the phone to your Republican neighbor, 249 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:15,000 Speaker 4: get on the phone and spread this message. Here's how 250 00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:17,920 Speaker 4: you're being hurt. Here's how Trump is fucking you. Here's 251 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:21,480 Speaker 4: how Trump is burning your community to the goddamn ground. 252 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:25,200 Speaker 4: That is a message out there. The rapid response faces 253 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:27,400 Speaker 4: need to be the members of Congress, and they need 254 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,040 Speaker 4: to be aggressive about it. The team needs to be 255 00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:35,160 Speaker 4: a bunch of pipe swinging, vicious, bloodthirsty motherfuckers who are 256 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:39,320 Speaker 4: out there try to have the maximum pain on Republicans 257 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:41,800 Speaker 4: in their districts and their states. They should be laying 258 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 4: in as much pain as they can. If Congressman Smith, 259 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:48,320 Speaker 4: a Democrat, is next door to Congressman Jones, a Republican, 260 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:50,640 Speaker 4: in their districts, he should be in that guy's fucking 261 00:14:50,680 --> 00:14:53,840 Speaker 4: district saying you're getting screwed by this guy. You're getting 262 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 4: screwed by this guy. Trump is hurting you. He is 263 00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:56,480 Speaker 4: hurting you. 264 00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 1: But there's a ton to sort of work off of. 265 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:03,840 Speaker 1: For example, R. FK. Junior, you may have heard of him. 266 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:06,880 Speaker 1: Some of the people Trump has put in this cabinet. 267 00:15:07,040 --> 00:15:10,600 Speaker 1: I don't even want to say they're crazy, because crazy 268 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 1: is probably the wrong word for whatever it is. 269 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:15,760 Speaker 4: Evil Molly, evils, the what are you're looking for? 270 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:19,480 Speaker 1: Yeah? But RFK Junior, he has decided that he's going 271 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:27,600 Speaker 1: to target one of America's greatest problems, which is antidepressant Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, 272 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:32,560 Speaker 1: because depressed people are obviously much better for the country. 273 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:37,040 Speaker 1: And I mean, this is the problem antidepressants, right. RFK 274 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:42,080 Speaker 1: Junior is like an ad for Democrats right every single day. 275 00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:44,960 Speaker 1: And the fact that Donald Trump put him in there, 276 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:48,000 Speaker 1: I guess because RFK got a lot of voters for 277 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:52,360 Speaker 1: Trump is insane. And I think there's a real question 278 00:15:52,520 --> 00:15:55,280 Speaker 1: about why we are not talking about RFK Junior every 279 00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:56,160 Speaker 1: minute of every day. 280 00:15:56,480 --> 00:15:58,480 Speaker 4: We ought to be talking about RFK Junior every minute 281 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:02,160 Speaker 4: of every day. We ought to be targeting suburban mothers. Hey, Democrats, 282 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:04,360 Speaker 4: here's a free one for you. Get an ad campaign 283 00:16:04,440 --> 00:16:08,720 Speaker 4: running right now into Republican districts for suburban mommies, and 284 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:11,320 Speaker 4: you tell them over and over again, RFK wants your 285 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 4: daughter to get cervical cancer because he wants to ban 286 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:17,440 Speaker 4: Gardisil because he's in a lawsuit. One of his law 287 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:20,360 Speaker 4: firms is suing the manufacture of Gardazil, because that's what 288 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:22,360 Speaker 4: they do, that's their business model. 289 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:23,520 Speaker 1: Is to sue. 290 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:27,800 Speaker 4: But I think you should be telling Republican women out 291 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:30,320 Speaker 4: there in the country, they should be advertising because they're 292 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:32,600 Speaker 4: still sitting and they and future four it is still 293 00:16:32,600 --> 00:16:34,840 Speaker 4: sitting on a giant mountain of money. They should be 294 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:38,000 Speaker 4: advertising to these people saying, say goodbye to your daughter. 295 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:41,280 Speaker 4: She may not died today, but there's a chance she'll 296 00:16:41,360 --> 00:16:45,480 Speaker 4: die of cervical cancer. Preventable cancer, cancer that has a 297 00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:48,400 Speaker 4: safe and effective medicine that treats it, but no longer 298 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:52,200 Speaker 4: because Robert F. Kennedy, Donald Trump's Health and Human Services secretary, 299 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:55,240 Speaker 4: is taking it away. Yes, I mean, it's not like 300 00:16:55,240 --> 00:16:57,400 Speaker 4: I do this in my sleep or anything, but but 301 00:16:57,560 --> 00:17:01,160 Speaker 4: I can't understand why they can't recognize you can't just 302 00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:02,920 Speaker 4: go out there and say and I saw this the 303 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,240 Speaker 4: other day. It was like, what did Democrats do about 304 00:17:05,520 --> 00:17:07,520 Speaker 4: on this day? And one of the two of the 305 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,760 Speaker 4: bullets were just like, we offered to continue to bring 306 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:15,119 Speaker 4: up a resolution to reintroduce the Veterans Nice Puppies and 307 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:17,800 Speaker 4: Kittens Act or whatever the fuck it was. It's just like, 308 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:18,440 Speaker 4: come on. 309 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:22,200 Speaker 1: No, I know, but they just need to be focused. 310 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:24,040 Speaker 1: And I think part of the problem is a lot 311 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:26,679 Speaker 1: of these people are very elderly, so they remember a 312 00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:30,399 Speaker 1: time when there was a rich and robust mainstream media 313 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:34,720 Speaker 1: that would highlight abuses. That mainstream media is gone, right, 314 00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:37,919 Speaker 1: that does not have the world works anymore. The media 315 00:17:37,960 --> 00:17:39,640 Speaker 1: is of the New York Times and that is it. 316 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:42,439 Speaker 1: And so there is no one who is going to 317 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:45,639 Speaker 1: draw attention to these abuses if they don't do it. 318 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:48,480 Speaker 1: So if they ever want to win elections again, and 319 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:51,760 Speaker 1: it's not even just about winning elections, you have constituents 320 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:54,159 Speaker 1: in this country who are very angry as well, they 321 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 1: should be right people in the federal government. I mean 322 00:17:57,080 --> 00:18:00,280 Speaker 1: this weekend, Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, 323 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:04,760 Speaker 1: he fired the people who watch the nukes for ten hours. Okay, 324 00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:08,959 Speaker 1: you need those people, you need those people, thank you. 325 00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:12,200 Speaker 4: So in an area in which all the members of 326 00:18:12,240 --> 00:18:14,920 Speaker 4: our family have had some encounters with the National Nuclear 327 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:19,679 Speaker 4: Surity Administration, I can tell you these people do something 328 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:24,160 Speaker 4: really important. They are folks who provide security and oversight 329 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:25,720 Speaker 4: for nuclear weapons. 330 00:18:25,359 --> 00:18:29,240 Speaker 1: Preventing a nuclear holocaust. Like you just can't get people 331 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:30,399 Speaker 1: off the street to do that. 332 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:34,000 Speaker 4: And the purpose of nuclear weapons is to not use them, 333 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:37,399 Speaker 4: ironically enough, but you do have to monitor them and 334 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:40,920 Speaker 4: make them safe and keep them carefully locked away from 335 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:44,600 Speaker 4: idiots and make sure that they're all accounted for at 336 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:45,199 Speaker 4: all times. 337 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:48,440 Speaker 1: And yet, but the thing that gets me the most 338 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:50,960 Speaker 1: sort of agitated about all of this, if you can 339 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:53,600 Speaker 1: believe it, is like this is to pay for tax 340 00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:57,160 Speaker 1: cuts for very much people. This is not because there's 341 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:02,600 Speaker 1: some huge financial crisis. This is not because there is 342 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:06,120 Speaker 1: some budget shortfall that none of us saw coming. This 343 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:09,080 Speaker 1: is because Donald Trump does not want the tax cuts 344 00:19:09,119 --> 00:19:11,640 Speaker 1: to expire. I mean, you know, and I think there's 345 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:14,959 Speaker 1: like a real lack of understanding there, right, Like these 346 00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:18,200 Speaker 1: are tax cuts that should expire that you know, their 347 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:21,120 Speaker 1: corporate tax cuts. No one wants a corporate fucking tax cut. 348 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,040 Speaker 1: Nobody wants that that's not for anyone but very rich 349 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 1: people and tax cuts for billionaires. Let these fucking tax 350 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:32,040 Speaker 1: cuts expire. It is insane. I would also add that 351 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:35,199 Speaker 1: I think that this rabbit hole that we're in, like 352 00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:38,240 Speaker 1: should be messaged as this is the richest man in 353 00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:42,520 Speaker 1: the entire world. He is interested in keeping his taxes low. 354 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 1: He is cutting cancer research period paragraph. 355 00:19:45,680 --> 00:19:48,120 Speaker 4: Yeah, and he gets upset when you mentioned that he's 356 00:19:48,119 --> 00:19:51,919 Speaker 4: cutting cancer research, which, by the way, guys, considering what 357 00:19:52,320 --> 00:19:57,240 Speaker 4: a sociopathic weirdo he is, when even Elon Musk gets 358 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:01,240 Speaker 4: that imaging him with taking away kids cancer treatment is bad, 359 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:03,200 Speaker 4: you know, it's really bad. 360 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:05,960 Speaker 1: But it's also you know, it's like the right thing 361 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:09,240 Speaker 1: to be saying, right, because he has some sense of 362 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,600 Speaker 1: what is going to hurt him, and that is something 363 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:13,879 Speaker 1: that's gonna hurt him. But I want to like just 364 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:17,359 Speaker 1: pull back for a minute and pause and think about 365 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:21,040 Speaker 1: for a second sort of the unintended consequences we are 366 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:23,959 Speaker 1: hurtling towards here. There was a headline in the New 367 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:26,879 Speaker 1: York Post. Again, I do not, you know, Rupert Murdock 368 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:29,200 Speaker 1: owned New York Post, that there was an abola scare. 369 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:31,240 Speaker 1: I have a number of reasons not to believe this. 370 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:34,480 Speaker 1: Number one, it's the New York Post, number two, whatever. 371 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:37,240 Speaker 1: But the point is, like, there is a real pandemic. 372 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:40,240 Speaker 1: There's there's bird flu already, it's in the milk of 373 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:43,639 Speaker 1: the cows. So like, could be nukes, could be the economy, 374 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:46,159 Speaker 1: it could be bird flu, could be weather. I mean, 375 00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:49,160 Speaker 1: there are so many things that could be terrorism. I mean, 376 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:52,360 Speaker 1: there's so many possible terrible things that could happen when 377 00:20:52,359 --> 00:20:55,879 Speaker 1: you dismantle the federal government. And there's no reason to 378 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:58,359 Speaker 1: do this except for tax cuts for very rich people 379 00:20:58,440 --> 00:21:02,000 Speaker 1: and ideological beliefs rich people. I mean, there is, as 380 00:21:02,080 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 1: I see it, no other reason. 381 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:09,360 Speaker 4: The reason for the tax cuts is exclusively so that Elon, 382 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:14,679 Speaker 4: Peter Thiel, David Zas and a cluster of hedge fund 383 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:18,359 Speaker 4: bros and crypto bros can get their income tax burden 384 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,840 Speaker 4: down to essentially somewhere around zero. There is nothing built 385 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 4: into this tax cut. If you make under three hundred 386 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:26,840 Speaker 4: and sixty some thousand dollars a year, you are going 387 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:30,360 Speaker 4: to pay more in taxes. If your kids get college loans, 388 00:21:30,640 --> 00:21:34,400 Speaker 4: you're going to be taxed on those fucking college loans 389 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:37,040 Speaker 4: and scholarships. I mean, none of this is going to 390 00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 4: help anybody that is not in the eight zero's class 391 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:43,800 Speaker 4: of Americans. It also puts the lie to all there, Oh, 392 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:45,640 Speaker 4: we've got to go through the government and cut every 393 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:49,080 Speaker 4: job out because we're in such deep debt. Okay, right now, 394 00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:52,880 Speaker 4: if you trimmed out every bit of what professionals think 395 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:55,040 Speaker 4: about at the fraud and waste level, you trim out 396 00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 4: a few billion dollars here in there. Okay, you trim 397 00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 4: out three to five percent of the budget, call it waste. 398 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:07,000 Speaker 4: They're asking for ten trillion dollars, four trillion dollars to 399 00:22:07,119 --> 00:22:11,119 Speaker 4: keep up the Trump's spending plans, and then that additional 400 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:13,320 Speaker 4: load is going to go to pay for a tax 401 00:22:13,359 --> 00:22:16,600 Speaker 4: cut for about two hundred and fifty people in this country. 402 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:18,359 Speaker 4: I know a lot of people they don't like thinking 403 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:21,600 Speaker 4: about the sort of Luigi problem. But we're going to 404 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:25,320 Speaker 4: enter into guillotine and tumbril territory if they pass this 405 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:28,440 Speaker 4: tax cut, because ordinary people are going they're going to 406 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:33,720 Speaker 4: end up in a situation where they completely are financially fucked. 407 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:37,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, no, I mean, and they're already. I mean. Look, 408 00:22:37,920 --> 00:22:41,000 Speaker 1: Trump was elected to make things less expensive, right, that 409 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:42,280 Speaker 1: was what he said. I'm going to make eggs, so 410 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:46,080 Speaker 1: I was sold. Right, if you can fucking find eggs, 411 00:22:46,119 --> 00:22:49,920 Speaker 1: there is expensive. I spent sixty dollars on three things 412 00:22:49,960 --> 00:22:54,320 Speaker 1: of eggs. Okay, thirty six eggs. Sixty dollars. Now that 413 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:55,520 Speaker 1: seems like a lot to me. 414 00:22:56,680 --> 00:22:58,600 Speaker 4: I was told that prices were going to come down 415 00:22:58,720 --> 00:23:01,600 Speaker 4: immediately because it was going to be so beautiful. 416 00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:04,560 Speaker 1: Right, But so price is not going down, but you're 417 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:07,879 Speaker 1: getting less stuff from the government. Make it make sense. 418 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:10,439 Speaker 1: But I want to pause for a minute because I 419 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,320 Speaker 1: want We're going to spend two minutes talking about fifty 420 00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:19,679 Speaker 1: million dollars to Gaza for condoms, okay, because that is okay, 421 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:22,639 Speaker 1: So that was the Elon lie. Then Donald Trump said no, 422 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:26,240 Speaker 1: actually it's one hundred million dollars for gozzen condoms. 423 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:29,480 Speaker 4: Like Jnald Trump discussing his penis, he doubles it at 424 00:23:29,560 --> 00:23:30,760 Speaker 4: least any number. 425 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: So fifty million dollars for condoms. The USAID, which has 426 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:40,399 Speaker 1: now been taken apart, because why would you do a 427 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 1: nominal amount of money to countries we have bombed and 428 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:46,639 Speaker 1: destroyed they don't need it and saw power what is 429 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:50,440 Speaker 1: that usaid? Okay, condoms when they buy condoms, they are 430 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:56,200 Speaker 1: five cents apiece. Fifty million would be one billion condoms. 431 00:23:56,440 --> 00:23:59,320 Speaker 4: Look, I don't care what level of fertility and ficundancy 432 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:03,160 Speaker 4: your people rock in any country. Nobody's fucking that much. 433 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:06,040 Speaker 1: Right. Well, and also let us pause for a second. 434 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:09,080 Speaker 1: And by the way, I love Elon Musk. So Elon said, 435 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:13,080 Speaker 1: not everything I say is going to be correct. Yeah, yeah, 436 00:24:13,119 --> 00:24:15,919 Speaker 1: but it turns out that this is not even close 437 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:18,760 Speaker 1: to correct, right. It turns out that it was not 438 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:22,240 Speaker 1: fifty million dollars for condoms for Gaza, but in fact, 439 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:26,160 Speaker 1: it was going to be sixty eight million dollars from 440 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:31,240 Speaker 1: USA to IMC, which has two field hospitals in Gaza 441 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:38,680 Speaker 1: offering surgical care, malnutrition treatment, and emergency newborn and mother care. Okay, 442 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:39,520 Speaker 1: so that's it, But. 443 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:42,919 Speaker 4: Molly more importantly, the actual program that sent condoms to 444 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:45,520 Speaker 4: Africa was part of PEPFAR, and they weren't sending that 445 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:48,639 Speaker 4: many condoms. They were mostly sending oral contraceptives. It was 446 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:52,399 Speaker 4: part of PEPFAR. The anti HIV program that is that 447 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:56,199 Speaker 4: is universally considered by Republicans and Democrats alike to be 448 00:24:56,240 --> 00:24:58,080 Speaker 4: one of the best things we've ever done. 449 00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:03,000 Speaker 1: Created by George W. Famous liberal George W. 450 00:25:03,119 --> 00:25:06,320 Speaker 4: Bush, Like I said, no one left or right before 451 00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:08,880 Speaker 4: Donald Trump Will could go, oh man, let's not try 452 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:11,280 Speaker 4: to prevent AIDS in Africa. That would be bad if 453 00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:11,720 Speaker 4: we did that. 454 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:15,040 Speaker 1: And you know who loves this fucking program, the anti 455 00:25:15,160 --> 00:25:18,760 Speaker 1: choice zalence. They love it because it's quote unquote life right, 456 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:21,520 Speaker 1: so they call it so they claim. So I mean, look, 457 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:24,520 Speaker 1: you know you got a country run by a guy 458 00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:27,680 Speaker 1: who's a thrice married adulterer. He is being helped by 459 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:28,680 Speaker 1: the richest man in the world. 460 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:31,199 Speaker 4: A majority of the kids born by IVF, and several 461 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:33,320 Speaker 4: of them were born by surrogates. 462 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:36,280 Speaker 1: Right, and honestly, that's fine, except that the thing that 463 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:39,440 Speaker 1: in Trump worlds, which I think is incredible, is that 464 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:43,400 Speaker 1: they want to make it so that a fertilized egg 465 00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:45,960 Speaker 1: has the same rights as a person, which is going 466 00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:49,359 Speaker 1: to really mess up IVF, even if you're going to 467 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:50,879 Speaker 1: if you're allowed to even get it. 468 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:53,800 Speaker 4: Of course, look, and you know I'm not the first 469 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:57,960 Speaker 4: person to make this observation, but if Barack Obama had 470 00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:01,280 Speaker 4: five kids by three different baby mamas, the Republicans would 471 00:26:01,280 --> 00:26:03,000 Speaker 4: have never stopped calling him. 472 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:05,720 Speaker 1: The worst and had one even if he had just 473 00:26:05,760 --> 00:26:07,760 Speaker 1: been divorced. I mean, you don't even have to have 474 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:09,760 Speaker 1: five kids. He could have just been divorced and they 475 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:10,520 Speaker 1: would have had a fit. 476 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:13,680 Speaker 4: Right. And if his chief advisor, who was running roughshot 477 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:18,600 Speaker 4: through the government databasis stealing your private information, had thirteen 478 00:26:18,680 --> 00:26:22,320 Speaker 4: children by I don't know, five or seven whatever it 479 00:26:22,400 --> 00:26:25,520 Speaker 4: is baby mama's and the most recent one was a 480 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:28,359 Speaker 4: maga influencer, which I guess would be the equivalent of 481 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:31,040 Speaker 4: she worked at the media matters or something. Right, They 482 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:34,760 Speaker 4: would be losing their goddamn minds over it, And yet 483 00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:37,960 Speaker 4: there is this underpinning of well, they're just it's white 484 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:40,399 Speaker 4: replacement theory. So, you know, I mean some people, someone's 485 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:41,400 Speaker 4: got to step up and do it. 486 00:26:43,080 --> 00:26:48,000 Speaker 1: Brohe chilbra is the former director of the Consumer Financial 487 00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:52,840 Speaker 1: Protection Bureau and previous member of the Federal Trade Commission. 488 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:58,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Fast Politics, Rowhead, Thanks so much, so explain 489 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:05,320 Speaker 1: to us what the CFPB is or was. 490 00:27:05,960 --> 00:27:10,040 Speaker 5: So during the financial crisis, there was a huge realization 491 00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:15,520 Speaker 5: that there was no agency that was actually enforcing the 492 00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:19,560 Speaker 5: law when it came to predatory lending, when it came 493 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:23,120 Speaker 5: to banking and payments. So they set up a new 494 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:27,960 Speaker 5: agency fully responsible for making sure that people weren't cheated 495 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:30,879 Speaker 5: when they took out a loan or got a bank account. 496 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:34,560 Speaker 5: And over the years, the CFPP has recovered tens of 497 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:39,119 Speaker 5: billions of dollars, going up against some of the biggest 498 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:44,280 Speaker 5: and most powerful companies in America Wells Fargo, Navviant, JP, 499 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:48,000 Speaker 5: Morgan Chase, and the list goes on and on. And 500 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:51,080 Speaker 5: that money has made a big difference in so many 501 00:27:51,119 --> 00:27:51,919 Speaker 5: people's lives. 502 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:55,680 Speaker 1: Can you explain to us for the people who are 503 00:27:55,720 --> 00:27:58,320 Speaker 1: not just completely read in on the two thousand and 504 00:27:58,359 --> 00:28:02,040 Speaker 1: eight financial crisis. I personally lived through it, so I 505 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:06,159 Speaker 1: feel really clear on what happened, But explain what the 506 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:10,919 Speaker 1: sort of symptoms of the problem were that caused the 507 00:28:11,040 --> 00:28:13,000 Speaker 1: CFPB to be created. 508 00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:17,280 Speaker 5: Well, people might remember that in the years leading up 509 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:21,520 Speaker 5: to two thousand and eight, we saw an explosion of 510 00:28:21,920 --> 00:28:26,760 Speaker 5: really sketchy mortgages. They were first pedaled in places like 511 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:32,119 Speaker 5: Nevada and Arizona and California and Florida, but it really 512 00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:38,120 Speaker 5: infected the entire country, and Wall Street was profiting even 513 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:42,960 Speaker 5: when homeowners were set up to fail. We saw big 514 00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:48,160 Speaker 5: financial firms take big bets that ultimately made them go 515 00:28:48,280 --> 00:28:52,960 Speaker 5: belly up. The result was a lot of illegal foreclosures 516 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:57,960 Speaker 5: in communities across the country. We lost trillions of dollars 517 00:28:58,000 --> 00:29:00,880 Speaker 5: in wealth. And you know what, people are still pretty 518 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:06,360 Speaker 5: angry that the banks and financial companies responsible many of 519 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:10,400 Speaker 5: them got bailed out, they got bigger, and almost no 520 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:15,080 Speaker 5: executive went to jail. There's a lot of residual anger 521 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:19,320 Speaker 5: about that from the families who were most deeply affected 522 00:29:19,760 --> 00:29:23,120 Speaker 5: their kids who are about to go to college. They 523 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 5: ended up borrowing big because their families couldn't afford it, 524 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:33,120 Speaker 5: and the effects of that financial crisis are still being 525 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:34,000 Speaker 5: felt today. 526 00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:37,880 Speaker 1: So when the CFPB was formed, and it was formed 527 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:41,240 Speaker 1: by Congress, right, because that's how these things work, what 528 00:29:41,320 --> 00:29:45,040 Speaker 1: were some of the tangible things that it did, like 529 00:29:45,560 --> 00:29:49,200 Speaker 1: tell us about a lawsuit or something where pursued money 530 00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:50,440 Speaker 1: and got it back for a consumer. 531 00:29:50,840 --> 00:29:54,760 Speaker 5: Well, here's what Congress did. What they did is they 532 00:29:54,920 --> 00:30:00,320 Speaker 5: shut down an agency that was clearly failing, and they 533 00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:03,520 Speaker 5: set up a new agency that stripped a lot of 534 00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:08,440 Speaker 5: authorities that were spread across the federal government, and they 535 00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:11,479 Speaker 5: parked it in one place. And here was what was 536 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:16,080 Speaker 5: really important about the CFPB. Instead of just looking only 537 00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:20,240 Speaker 5: at banks who are chartered by states in the federal government, 538 00:30:20,280 --> 00:30:23,600 Speaker 5: the CFPP was on the hook for looking at all 539 00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:28,600 Speaker 5: of the other financial companies too, payday lenders, the non 540 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:32,400 Speaker 5: bank companies offering mortgages that were often at the center 541 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:37,280 Speaker 5: of those subprime mortgages that went bad. And that's really 542 00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:39,000 Speaker 5: the bulk of the work. So if you take a 543 00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:42,480 Speaker 5: look during my time as head of the CFPB, we 544 00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:47,760 Speaker 5: recovered billions of dollars. One was Wells Fargo, who we 545 00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:53,760 Speaker 5: caught engaging in illegal auto repossessions double dipping of fees. 546 00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:57,520 Speaker 5: We just a few weeks ago, in fact, just before 547 00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:02,040 Speaker 5: Inauguration Day, found serious breakdowns a cash app, one of 548 00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:06,400 Speaker 5: the most popular payment apps for many student loan barwers. 549 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:10,760 Speaker 5: They know the company Naviant that manages their student loans, 550 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:15,960 Speaker 5: and we permanently ban Naviant from bidding on contracts to 551 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:19,440 Speaker 5: manage federal student loans. And the list really goes on 552 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:24,680 Speaker 5: and on, and there's active litigation with companies like Capital Want, 553 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:29,240 Speaker 5: who we allege have taken billions of dollars in interest 554 00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:31,800 Speaker 5: that they should have given to sabers. So it's so 555 00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:35,960 Speaker 5: much standing up to these big companies that break the law, 556 00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:38,800 Speaker 5: and the results have been really positive. 557 00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:43,320 Speaker 1: So it sounds like this organization it's set up to 558 00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:47,680 Speaker 1: stop big companies from taking advantage of the little people. 559 00:31:48,160 --> 00:31:52,240 Speaker 5: Yeah, it's really fighting crime against consumers all over the 560 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:57,400 Speaker 5: country and also making sure that new abuses can't spread. 561 00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:00,280 Speaker 5: I mean, we've put a lot of work into stopping 562 00:32:00,760 --> 00:32:03,920 Speaker 5: some of the worst abuses on junk fees, where you're 563 00:32:04,040 --> 00:32:07,520 Speaker 5: charged three fees instead of just one, or when it 564 00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:11,960 Speaker 5: comes to medical bills, So many Americans get these medical bills, 565 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:15,880 Speaker 5: they're double billed, or their insurance company already paid it 566 00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:18,600 Speaker 5: and they're being asked to pay again, and they get 567 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:23,520 Speaker 5: coerced by deck collectors who park it on their credit reports, 568 00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 5: blocking their ability to get a loan or a job 569 00:32:27,240 --> 00:32:30,640 Speaker 5: or an apartment. So the CFPP has been trying to 570 00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:35,840 Speaker 5: stay ahead of what the next big problems are and 571 00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:41,640 Speaker 5: ultimately serving as a police force against Wall Street and 572 00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:44,440 Speaker 5: big tech companies that are breaking the law. 573 00:32:44,800 --> 00:32:50,080 Speaker 1: So now what happened to CFPP, Well. 574 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:54,520 Speaker 5: Here's what we're hearing. What we're hearing is that the 575 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:59,720 Speaker 5: new leadership has issued a stomp work order, in other 576 00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:06,000 Speaker 5: words words, turn off all law enforcement activity, all investigations 577 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:11,400 Speaker 5: of consumer complaints and everything else. We're hearing that thousands 578 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:15,160 Speaker 5: of people every day file complaints with the CFPB against 579 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:19,440 Speaker 5: companies that maybe have mistreated them. We're hearing that that's 580 00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:23,880 Speaker 5: not necessarily working now for everybody. So it does seem 581 00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:28,440 Speaker 5: that this is part of an initiative to defund the 582 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:32,720 Speaker 5: police that oversee some of these financial companies. And I 583 00:33:32,840 --> 00:33:35,560 Speaker 5: just think that that is going to be a recipe 584 00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:39,240 Speaker 5: for big problems not just for consumers, but for all 585 00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:42,600 Speaker 5: those companies that are following the law and are going 586 00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:44,400 Speaker 5: to need to compete with cheaters. 587 00:33:44,720 --> 00:33:48,520 Speaker 1: And didn't rous Vatt say something about CFPB. 588 00:33:49,080 --> 00:33:52,800 Speaker 5: Pi's now the head of the CFPB right, and my 589 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:57,360 Speaker 5: understanding is that the new leadership has really stopped all 590 00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:00,000 Speaker 5: activity and has even begun to fire peace. 591 00:34:00,440 --> 00:34:05,520 Speaker 1: If you wanted to reduce government waste and fraud, right, 592 00:34:05,560 --> 00:34:09,000 Speaker 1: and you wanted to keep private sector companies from committing 593 00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:14,880 Speaker 1: fraud against taxpayers, wouldn't CFP be the Consumer Protection Fraud 594 00:34:14,920 --> 00:34:19,680 Speaker 1: Bureau be the place that you would focus, like, if 595 00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:22,279 Speaker 1: you wanted to protect taxpayers. I mean, why would you 596 00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:27,240 Speaker 1: disassemble something like this if you wanted to weed out corruption. 597 00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:30,560 Speaker 5: Well, this is what's a little bit weird, is that 598 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:35,560 Speaker 5: there's lots of places where there are laws on the 599 00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:40,520 Speaker 5: books that don't get enforced. We actually need law enforcement 600 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:46,040 Speaker 5: to root out fraud and abuse in our marketplaces because 601 00:34:46,040 --> 00:34:51,120 Speaker 5: it costs It costs the public billions and billions of dollars. 602 00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:56,799 Speaker 5: And I think that's everyone knows that Americans are struggling 603 00:34:56,880 --> 00:35:01,400 Speaker 5: with the cost of living a lot, housing, auto insurance, 604 00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:05,279 Speaker 5: credit card interest rates have shot through the roof, and 605 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:09,560 Speaker 5: this is an agency that really is about saving people 606 00:35:09,760 --> 00:35:14,680 Speaker 5: money and making costs more competitive and upfront and fair. 607 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:17,480 Speaker 5: So I'm not sure what's going on here. What I 608 00:35:17,600 --> 00:35:21,280 Speaker 5: think many businesses have reached out to me and others 609 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:26,279 Speaker 5: have wondered, is this really about the CFPB's work to 610 00:35:26,400 --> 00:35:29,799 Speaker 5: look under the hood at the big tech companies that 611 00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:33,960 Speaker 5: are increasingly getting into banking and to payments. You may 612 00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:38,319 Speaker 5: remember Malli that Facebook wanted to create its own currency. 613 00:35:38,719 --> 00:35:44,200 Speaker 5: Google and Apple now have extremely popular payment services that 614 00:35:44,239 --> 00:35:47,719 Speaker 5: many people tap their phone with to make payments. And 615 00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:51,759 Speaker 5: also we've heard that x or Twitter has entered into 616 00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:55,520 Speaker 5: a new deal with Visa to really be trafficking more 617 00:35:55,560 --> 00:35:59,879 Speaker 5: and more of our transactions and our payments, and those 618 00:36:00,040 --> 00:36:03,799 Speaker 5: types of activities are really subject to a lot of 619 00:36:03,880 --> 00:36:08,840 Speaker 5: federal laws to make sure that consumers aren't subjected to 620 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:12,600 Speaker 5: errors and fraud and hacks, and that certainly was a 621 00:36:12,680 --> 00:36:16,880 Speaker 5: place we needed the CFPB to look closely at given 622 00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:20,880 Speaker 5: the explosion of fraud and impersonation that was going on. 623 00:36:21,040 --> 00:36:24,480 Speaker 5: So I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but we 624 00:36:24,680 --> 00:36:29,359 Speaker 5: know that there is a lot of interest in stopping 625 00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:32,280 Speaker 5: that oversight work from these powerful firms. 626 00:36:32,760 --> 00:36:38,120 Speaker 1: Let's talk for a minute about why you think that 627 00:36:38,320 --> 00:36:41,279 Speaker 1: Trump world. I mean, Elon Musk's whole thing is he 628 00:36:41,360 --> 00:36:44,759 Speaker 1: wants to end fraud and waste. So if you want 629 00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:47,480 Speaker 1: to end fraud and waste, wouldn't this be I mean, 630 00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:50,560 Speaker 1: is this agency very expensive? Talk to me about that. 631 00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:56,040 Speaker 5: Well, it's a smaller agency than most of the agencies 632 00:36:56,120 --> 00:36:59,480 Speaker 5: people have heard of, and the amount that it has 633 00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:06,680 Speaker 5: generated in savings for consumers has far outstripped its budget. 634 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:11,040 Speaker 5: You know, there's always room to make things work better. 635 00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:14,839 Speaker 5: When I was there, I actually eliminated a lot of 636 00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:20,400 Speaker 5: the senior positions that were created by my predecessor. We 637 00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:25,480 Speaker 5: eliminated certain activities that just weren't serving consumer as well. 638 00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:29,400 Speaker 5: But in some places we expanded. We increased the number 639 00:37:29,440 --> 00:37:34,400 Speaker 5: of people conducting investigations and helping people who had complaints. 640 00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:37,279 Speaker 5: So this is a really good bang for the buck. 641 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:40,120 Speaker 5: And let me just be CLEARBOLLI, it's not like there's 642 00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:45,160 Speaker 5: any other regulator who's doing this. So by defunding it 643 00:37:45,480 --> 00:37:48,719 Speaker 5: or even by killing it, that's just a green light 644 00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:53,040 Speaker 5: for fraudsters. And frankly, I think it's begging for another 645 00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:58,120 Speaker 5: financial crisis that targets homeowners or borrowers or consumers at large. 646 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:03,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, clearly, it is really important that these companies be 647 00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:07,960 Speaker 1: hold to account. What about the argument that companies want 648 00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:12,879 Speaker 1: to do that somehow they can hold themselves accountable. Talk 649 00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:16,240 Speaker 1: to us about this idea, because you know, Trump world 650 00:38:16,320 --> 00:38:20,719 Speaker 1: and Republicans more broadly hate government regulation. They tend to 651 00:38:20,880 --> 00:38:24,680 Speaker 1: feel that any kind of regulation is an attack on capitalism. 652 00:38:24,920 --> 00:38:26,600 Speaker 1: Explain to us why that's not true. 653 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:30,759 Speaker 5: Yeah, well, here's why you need some rules. In many places. 654 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:33,680 Speaker 5: You know, someone might argue, well, if people are getting 655 00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:37,799 Speaker 5: bad service, they can just take their business elsewhere. You know, 656 00:38:37,880 --> 00:38:41,840 Speaker 5: that's just not really true. In so much of our lives, 657 00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:46,320 Speaker 5: we don't choose to do business with big credit reporting 658 00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:50,839 Speaker 5: companies like Experience and Equifax and TransUnion. When we take 659 00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:54,719 Speaker 5: out a mortgage, we don't choose who the mortgage servicer 660 00:38:54,840 --> 00:38:59,200 Speaker 5: is who collects on our loan. So consumers are often 661 00:38:59,360 --> 00:39:04,280 Speaker 5: captive and trapped. And we've all experienced this. We've all 662 00:39:04,320 --> 00:39:09,120 Speaker 5: been in situations where big corporate monopolies have to do 663 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:13,160 Speaker 5: business with them and nothing really polices them. And in 664 00:39:13,200 --> 00:39:17,719 Speaker 5: some cases, Molly, we may not even know when we're 665 00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:23,200 Speaker 5: being screwed over. For example, our data might be illegally 666 00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:29,480 Speaker 5: harvested from us, or the interest rate calculation is manipulated 667 00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:33,680 Speaker 5: so that we're paying more in interest or earning less 668 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:37,560 Speaker 5: interest on our savings accounts. So I'm just not sure 669 00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:42,560 Speaker 5: that a free for all does anything except for help 670 00:39:42,680 --> 00:39:47,400 Speaker 5: those who break the law. And I honestly really sympathize 671 00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:51,120 Speaker 5: with a lot of the banks and other financial companies 672 00:39:51,120 --> 00:39:54,000 Speaker 5: that do a good job of following the law, and 673 00:39:54,040 --> 00:39:58,000 Speaker 5: they feel like chumps if the big guys are just 674 00:39:58,120 --> 00:40:01,640 Speaker 5: breaking the law with impunity and face no consequences. 675 00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:04,359 Speaker 1: Right, That's what happened in two thousand and nine. 676 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:06,759 Speaker 5: In the lead up to two thousand and eight, we 677 00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:10,719 Speaker 5: saw this that there were so many types of companies 678 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:14,520 Speaker 5: that were not subject to the same oversight as your 679 00:40:14,560 --> 00:40:18,440 Speaker 5: main street bank is. Some of them were very big players, 680 00:40:18,520 --> 00:40:23,440 Speaker 5: taking huge risks and making big money until it all 681 00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:26,640 Speaker 5: blew up. And that's part of what we do is 682 00:40:26,760 --> 00:40:30,799 Speaker 5: make sure that we are looking, we are monitoring what 683 00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:36,439 Speaker 5: consumers are experiencing. We're digging in to specific files where 684 00:40:36,440 --> 00:40:39,560 Speaker 5: we think there might be fraud and abuse, and then 685 00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:42,719 Speaker 5: we take companies to court when we need to. And 686 00:40:42,760 --> 00:40:46,960 Speaker 5: by the way, we're constantly at the CFPB, we were 687 00:40:47,000 --> 00:40:51,040 Speaker 5: constantly outnumbered. We'd have a couple staff members on the 688 00:40:51,040 --> 00:40:56,200 Speaker 5: CFPB side and sometimes scores of lawyers on the other. 689 00:40:56,600 --> 00:40:59,720 Speaker 5: So it is not an unfair fight. In many ways, 690 00:40:59,760 --> 00:41:04,200 Speaker 5: these big companies are much more well resourced to wage 691 00:41:04,280 --> 00:41:09,200 Speaker 5: war on When we prosecute crimes. It's an uphill battle 692 00:41:09,400 --> 00:41:11,600 Speaker 5: even when operating at full strength. 693 00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:16,080 Speaker 1: So will you explain It seems to me like Trump 694 00:41:16,120 --> 00:41:20,800 Speaker 1: World is really backing away from any kind of finding 695 00:41:21,000 --> 00:41:24,759 Speaker 1: regulation of companies at all. Largely they're trying to sort 696 00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:27,720 Speaker 1: of and you see Trump advertise that that he doesn't 697 00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:32,279 Speaker 1: want regulation. Can you explain to us what happens when 698 00:41:32,280 --> 00:41:34,920 Speaker 1: companies aren't regulated or give us a little bit of 699 00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:39,880 Speaker 1: an example of something that CFEB would take care of 700 00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:41,799 Speaker 1: that they're no longer able to take care of. 701 00:41:42,080 --> 00:41:44,840 Speaker 5: Well, here's what's interesting. I think that you've asked the 702 00:41:44,880 --> 00:41:49,239 Speaker 5: big question, what is going to happen? When I departed? 703 00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:52,680 Speaker 5: I was removed from office, you know, about ten eleven 704 00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:55,480 Speaker 5: days ago. I think I really felt that there was 705 00:41:55,520 --> 00:41:59,800 Speaker 5: a lot of work where there was real bipartisan support 706 00:42:00,320 --> 00:42:03,359 Speaker 5: that my successor could carry the torch on. I'll give 707 00:42:03,360 --> 00:42:07,680 Speaker 5: you a couple of examples Donald Trump has actually called 708 00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:11,239 Speaker 5: for a cap on credit card interest rates, where we 709 00:42:11,400 --> 00:42:16,560 Speaker 5: have seen real price gouging by the biggest credit card issuers. 710 00:42:17,080 --> 00:42:21,840 Speaker 5: There's also a serious problem with data, our most sensitive 711 00:42:21,920 --> 00:42:26,359 Speaker 5: personal data, including our financial data, being hoovered up and 712 00:42:26,560 --> 00:42:32,560 Speaker 5: sold to scammers and spy, including those overseas. We put 713 00:42:32,600 --> 00:42:36,759 Speaker 5: in we proposed rules to block some of that. There's 714 00:42:36,920 --> 00:42:41,359 Speaker 5: lots of people angry about all of the fees that 715 00:42:41,440 --> 00:42:45,680 Speaker 5: they face. Sometimes those fees are charged for services they 716 00:42:45,680 --> 00:42:49,720 Speaker 5: didn't even get or didn't want. So there's broad support 717 00:42:49,800 --> 00:42:53,280 Speaker 5: from the public for this, and the CFPB could really 718 00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:56,680 Speaker 5: carry the torch. I was really struck. A few weeks ago, 719 00:42:56,800 --> 00:43:02,440 Speaker 5: President Trump called out Jamie Diamond, Brian moynihan, the CEOs 720 00:43:02,520 --> 00:43:06,960 Speaker 5: of JP, Morgan Chase, and Bank of America, for essentially 721 00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:12,640 Speaker 5: de banking people based on their views. And the CFPB 722 00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:17,520 Speaker 5: actually put forth a proposed rule to stop de banking 723 00:43:17,719 --> 00:43:21,200 Speaker 5: based on whatever it may be, religious views or political 724 00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:24,799 Speaker 5: views that have nothing to do with holding a bank account. 725 00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:29,040 Speaker 5: So I think that is a real tension, that there 726 00:43:29,080 --> 00:43:34,400 Speaker 5: are real problems that have been identified, including by Republicans, 727 00:43:34,480 --> 00:43:37,600 Speaker 5: that the CFPB is very well equipped to fix. 728 00:43:38,040 --> 00:43:42,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a mystery. Why if you care about ending corruption, 729 00:43:43,040 --> 00:43:47,600 Speaker 1: you would end a bureau which exists to protect consumers 730 00:43:47,680 --> 00:43:48,840 Speaker 1: from corruption. 731 00:43:49,400 --> 00:43:53,600 Speaker 5: Everyone knows that there has been serious breakdowns by big 732 00:43:53,640 --> 00:43:58,000 Speaker 5: financial companies. I mean, just in my lifetime, we've seen 733 00:43:58,040 --> 00:44:01,400 Speaker 5: everything from a massive savings and loan scandal to an 734 00:44:01,480 --> 00:44:05,760 Speaker 5: accounting scandal and of course a financial crisis, and even 735 00:44:06,080 --> 00:44:10,480 Speaker 5: just two years ago the failures of Silicon Valley Bank 736 00:44:10,800 --> 00:44:14,680 Speaker 5: and other big banks. So it is important that we 737 00:44:14,840 --> 00:44:18,520 Speaker 5: gotta be cops on the beat and making sure that 738 00:44:18,640 --> 00:44:22,520 Speaker 5: this doesn't ruin people's financial lives. 739 00:44:22,760 --> 00:44:25,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, thank you so much for joining us. 740 00:44:25,719 --> 00:44:27,200 Speaker 5: Thanks again, Mellie. 741 00:44:28,960 --> 00:44:33,120 Speaker 1: Moment, Rick Wilson. 742 00:44:33,160 --> 00:44:35,520 Speaker 4: Mollie johnck Fast. Are we doing fuckery? 743 00:44:35,920 --> 00:44:37,520 Speaker 1: We are doing fuckery? You ready for my. 744 00:44:37,719 --> 00:44:39,319 Speaker 4: I'll let you go, I'll let you lead off on 745 00:44:39,360 --> 00:44:39,920 Speaker 4: the fuckery. 746 00:44:40,239 --> 00:44:43,920 Speaker 1: Yes please, here's my fuckery for the day. And this 747 00:44:44,080 --> 00:44:46,680 Speaker 1: is something I want you to think about because I 748 00:44:46,719 --> 00:44:51,560 Speaker 1: think it has huge intended consequences, not unintended. So Elon 749 00:44:51,640 --> 00:44:54,400 Speaker 1: mus said he was spending the weekend working on Grock. 750 00:44:54,880 --> 00:44:58,880 Speaker 1: He has tweeted this and Grock three is so based 751 00:44:59,040 --> 00:45:02,880 Speaker 1: and then laughing emojis and basically it is what is 752 00:45:02,920 --> 00:45:05,600 Speaker 1: your opinion on the information. The information is a website. 753 00:45:05,640 --> 00:45:09,200 Speaker 1: The information, like most legacy media, is garbage. It's part 754 00:45:09,239 --> 00:45:13,799 Speaker 1: of the old Guard, filtered, biased and often serving the 755 00:45:13,840 --> 00:45:16,600 Speaker 1: interests of its funders or its editors rather than giving 756 00:45:16,640 --> 00:45:19,319 Speaker 1: you the on varnished truth. Let us open the door 757 00:45:19,360 --> 00:45:22,839 Speaker 1: to this AI. The whole idea here is that eventually 758 00:45:22,920 --> 00:45:26,719 Speaker 1: AI will you know, you will be asking questions to 759 00:45:26,719 --> 00:45:29,279 Speaker 1: your phone, and AI will be answering them, and that 760 00:45:29,440 --> 00:45:31,920 Speaker 1: will be on a broader scale. That will be everything. 761 00:45:32,080 --> 00:45:35,320 Speaker 1: So your computer will be asking another computer a question, 762 00:45:35,400 --> 00:45:38,120 Speaker 1: and AI will be the intelligence behind it. If this 763 00:45:38,280 --> 00:45:42,760 Speaker 1: intelligence believes that everything that is left leaning or even 764 00:45:42,920 --> 00:45:47,400 Speaker 1: just normal is profoundly left leaning, and everything that is 765 00:45:47,440 --> 00:45:52,240 Speaker 1: far right is actually accurate, imagine what happens next. 766 00:45:52,360 --> 00:45:56,359 Speaker 4: Oh, I can easily imagine it. And it is horrifying, 767 00:45:56,640 --> 00:46:01,200 Speaker 4: and it is terrifying. And sell your fucking toughs. Don't 768 00:46:01,239 --> 00:46:03,920 Speaker 4: pay for Twitter. I mean, look, Elon Musk is the 769 00:46:03,960 --> 00:46:05,680 Speaker 4: richest man in the world and we all know it. 770 00:46:05,880 --> 00:46:07,880 Speaker 4: But he is the richest man in the world because 771 00:46:07,920 --> 00:46:11,359 Speaker 4: the stock price of one company, Tesla Motor Cars, is 772 00:46:11,760 --> 00:46:16,240 Speaker 4: wildly disproportionate to its actual value. That is what sustains Twitter, 773 00:46:16,280 --> 00:46:19,320 Speaker 4: which has been losing money handover fists since he overpaid 774 00:46:19,360 --> 00:46:22,280 Speaker 4: by a factor of ten for it. All of this stuff, guys, 775 00:46:22,520 --> 00:46:25,360 Speaker 4: all of this You have to approach anything with AI 776 00:46:25,840 --> 00:46:28,640 Speaker 4: very judiciously and very carefully. I do think he is 777 00:46:28,680 --> 00:46:31,359 Speaker 4: trying to set up an easy to use, free AI 778 00:46:31,440 --> 00:46:34,920 Speaker 4: that will feed people based talking points and all right 779 00:46:34,960 --> 00:46:37,560 Speaker 4: talking points because that's useful to him. 780 00:46:37,640 --> 00:46:40,440 Speaker 1: Right, and also to change the narrative to make everything 781 00:46:40,480 --> 00:46:42,839 Speaker 1: all right, to make all right normal. I mean, this 782 00:46:42,880 --> 00:46:44,680 Speaker 1: is the goal here, and that's why they're going to 783 00:46:44,719 --> 00:46:49,279 Speaker 1: war with Wikipedia. That's because the goal here is to 784 00:46:49,400 --> 00:46:55,880 Speaker 1: shift the entire culture to a more apartheid South Africa state. 785 00:46:56,280 --> 00:46:59,200 Speaker 4: Well, look at this is kind of information apartheid. They're 786 00:46:59,239 --> 00:47:01,919 Speaker 4: looking to buy the people that they want to keep 787 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:06,400 Speaker 4: in their orbit into an information ecosystem that is only 788 00:47:06,719 --> 00:47:09,560 Speaker 4: feeding them the same sort of thing in a primitive 789 00:47:09,560 --> 00:47:13,120 Speaker 4: way that Rush Limbaugh fed his talk radio audience, that 790 00:47:13,239 --> 00:47:17,200 Speaker 4: Rupert Murdoch fed the Fox TV audience, that Bright Bart 791 00:47:17,239 --> 00:47:20,719 Speaker 4: and Gateway Pundit and Alex Jones and the rest of 792 00:47:20,760 --> 00:47:25,680 Speaker 4: this vomitous slurry of right wing agit prop dipshits. It's 793 00:47:25,680 --> 00:47:29,360 Speaker 4: the natural successor to that stuff and it's grotesque, but 794 00:47:29,480 --> 00:47:33,640 Speaker 4: it's here. Rick Wilson, my jog fast as always a pleasure. 795 00:47:35,120 --> 00:47:39,640 Speaker 1: That's it for this episode of Fast Politics. Tune in 796 00:47:39,800 --> 00:47:45,240 Speaker 1: every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday to hear the best 797 00:47:45,320 --> 00:47:49,600 Speaker 1: minds and politics make sense of all this chaos. If 798 00:47:49,640 --> 00:47:52,720 Speaker 1: you enjoy this podcast, please send it to a friend 799 00:47:53,160 --> 00:47:56,360 Speaker 1: and keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening.