1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,360 Speaker 1: Hey, guys, thanks for listening to Breaking Points with Crystal 2 00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:04,280 Speaker 1: and Sager. We're going to be totally upfront with you. 3 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: We took a big risk going independent to make this work. 4 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: We need your support to beat the corporate media CNN, Fox, MSNBC. 5 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: They are ripping this country apart. They are making millions 6 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 1: of dollars doing it to help support our mission of 7 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: making all of us hate each other, less hate the 8 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: corrupt ruling class more support the show. Become a Breaking 9 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: Points Premium Member today, where you get to watch and 10 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:29,640 Speaker 1: listen to the entire show ad free and uncut, an 11 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:32,479 Speaker 1: hour early before everyone else. You get to hear our 12 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: reactions to each other's monologues. You get to participate and 13 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:37,960 Speaker 1: weekly ask me any things, and you don't need to 14 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,080 Speaker 1: hear our annoying voices pitching you like I am right now? 15 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 1: So what are you waiting for? Go to Breakingpoints dot 16 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: com become a Premium member today, which is available in 17 00:00:46,159 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: the show notes. Enjoy the show, guys, Good morning, everybody, 18 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: Happy Tuesday. We have an amazing show for everybody today. 19 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:10,560 Speaker 1: What do we have our sult Indeed, we do, as 20 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: you guys know, major breaking stories this morning, of course, 21 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 1: We're going to bring you up to speed on exactly 22 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 1: what is going on visa the Ukraine and Russia. But 23 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:19,440 Speaker 1: there's a lot else that we want to cover, including 24 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:22,839 Speaker 1: how the media has covered this whole conflict, not sending 25 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: their best as per usual. Also another incredible media story, 26 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: they keep going with the Havana syndrome thing, even after 27 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:34,480 Speaker 1: even the CIA is like, y'all, this is fake and 28 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:36,960 Speaker 1: it's been proven that the sound that they play is 29 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: crickets sixty minutes. Still doing a whole deep dive. So 30 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: will tell you about that. Trump's big social media play 31 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: has officially launched True Social A great a plom Yeah, 32 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: not often till you start. I did a little of 33 00:01:50,840 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: my own journalistic digging here, so I'll tell you about that. Also, 34 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: there's a big fight within the Gulf world that I'm 35 00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 1: going to try to explain to the best of my understanding. 36 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: It has a great intersection with this show though, because 37 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 1: we've brought to you before stories of NBA players and 38 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: owners who are unwilling to be critical of China in 39 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 1: spite of their human rights abuse. Is now you have 40 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 1: the same dynamic with some in the Gulfing world. In 41 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: Saudi Arabia, so we want to break that all down 42 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: for you. You've also got Ross Barkin back on the 43 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:22,639 Speaker 1: show to tell us about exactly how Eric Adams mayoralty 44 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: is going at this point, but we wanted to start Sager. 45 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: Oh and one other thing we announced yesterday. Let me 46 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:32,359 Speaker 1: remind you again we are doing State of the Union coverage. 47 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 1: I always forget to say it, but March first State 48 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: of the Union coverage. It's going to be crossover with US. 49 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:41,359 Speaker 1: Kyle Kolinsky Marshall is also going to be joining us. 50 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 1: Pre show is at eight PM. The speech is supposed 51 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 1: to be at nine. We'll stream it on this channel 52 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 1: and then we'll have post show analysis as well, and 53 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:51,280 Speaker 1: some other good announcements coming your way too. That's right, 54 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:53,400 Speaker 1: we got big stuff coming down the pipeline. Thank you 55 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: for the premium subscribers for enabling all of that. But 56 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:59,200 Speaker 1: let us start with what's happening with Ukraine. So a 57 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 1: lot of big breaking news, so you know, it's always 58 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: fun and whenever somebody reveals the way he truly thinks 59 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:09,320 Speaker 1: to the whole world. And President Vladimir Putin of Russia 60 00:03:09,360 --> 00:03:14,079 Speaker 1: held an office hours of sort yesterday expounding upon history, NATO, 61 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:18,480 Speaker 1: the West and ultimately culminated in his recognition of two 62 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: breakaway eastern republics in eastern Ukraine, where there has been 63 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: a civil war going on for eight years. We cut 64 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: up some of the most insane and ultimately important parts 65 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: there for you. So it's a little bit long, but 66 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 1: we have the English translation here. Let's take a listen. 67 00:03:32,720 --> 00:03:36,480 Speaker 1: Ukraine itself is now being controlled from the outside. It 68 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: is portrayed not only by the instructions from the West, 69 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:45,320 Speaker 1: but also locally via a network of foreign consultants and 70 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: NGO's and other institutions deployed in Ukraine. They have direct 71 00:03:50,880 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: influence on all the important decisions at all the levels 72 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 1: of government, from the central down to the municippode. It 73 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: fluence since the main state corporations, Ukrainian Railways, Energy Complex, 74 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:11,400 Speaker 1: Ukrainian Post administration of the seaports of Ukraine and Ukraine 75 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:18,479 Speaker 1: doesn't have independent court system anymore, the key authorities gave 76 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 1: the preferential right to choose the members of the Supreme 77 00:04:23,120 --> 00:04:29,599 Speaker 1: legislation court bodies and y its embassy in the US. 78 00:04:29,960 --> 00:04:33,880 Speaker 1: The Embassy of the US directly controls the National Agency 79 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 1: on Preventing Corruption, National Anti Corruption Bureau specialized anti corruption 80 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:45,839 Speaker 1: District Attorney office and Anti Corruption Court. It's all done 81 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 1: under the pretense to increase the efficiency of fighting corruption. 82 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:54,080 Speaker 1: Well okay, then, but where are the results? Because corruption 83 00:04:54,279 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: is still there. It's even worse than it was. Russia 84 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 1: did everything it could to keep the territorial integrity of Ukraine. 85 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 1: We tried hard to implement the resolution of the Security 86 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:15,480 Speaker 1: Council of UN twenty two two that endorsed the Minsk 87 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:19,480 Speaker 1: Agreements on resolving the situation in the NBAST, but everything 88 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:23,160 Speaker 1: was done in vain. The presidents are changing, the parliament 89 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 1: members are changing, but the idea of the aggressive regime 90 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:31,040 Speaker 1: is still the same regime that seized the power in Kiev. 91 00:05:32,800 --> 00:05:36,559 Speaker 1: It was created by the Kudutav twenty fourteen, and those 92 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:44,919 Speaker 1: who chose the way of violence, they admit they see 93 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 1: no other weight resolve the Dundas crisis other than the 94 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: military way. In this regard, I deem it necessary to 95 00:05:52,520 --> 00:05:55,840 Speaker 1: make a decision that should have been made long time ago, 96 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:00,360 Speaker 1: to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of Dunne's People's 97 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 1: Republic and Lugansk People's Republic. And I would like to 98 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:10,600 Speaker 1: request Federal Assembly to support to bank this decision and 99 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:15,359 Speaker 1: ratify the agreement of friendship and mutual help with the 100 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:18,920 Speaker 1: both republics. We will draft this document and sign these 101 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:23,120 Speaker 1: documents in the near future. A little glimpse there into 102 00:06:23,120 --> 00:06:25,880 Speaker 1: the mindset of Putin, if you want the full rundown 103 00:06:25,920 --> 00:06:29,120 Speaker 1: of the speech, we have a little compilation here of 104 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:33,480 Speaker 1: russia today's chirons. It's starting with some of the most ridiculous, 105 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: wide ranging the books ranging. Indeed, for mister Putin, let's 106 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:41,240 Speaker 1: put it up there on the screen. Lenin made some 107 00:06:41,480 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: erroneous decisions about our territory. He's saying there that it 108 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: was madness actually in order to give up the former 109 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:49,359 Speaker 1: Russian Empire. If you've ever had any doubts as to 110 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,960 Speaker 1: what Putin thinks in his mind to Ukraine's trade, which 111 00:06:52,080 --> 00:06:55,760 Speaker 1: Russia is bigger than the European Union, Ukraine has been blackmailed. 112 00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 1: He called Ukraine a colony and a puppet state. He 113 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:03,360 Speaker 1: actually even hold in Iraq WMD crystal. He says Ukraine 114 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 1: will be developing its own weapons of mass destruction. So 115 00:07:07,400 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 1: I think here's the thing. Oh, also, I should be remiss. 116 00:07:10,160 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 1: This was an important piece of news and kind of 117 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 1: clarifies what some of the US was accusing Russia of 118 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:19,680 Speaker 1: yesterday they said, we know who you are who participated 119 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:24,720 Speaker 1: in the twenty fourteen Ukraine the Midon Revolution, and he's like, 120 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: we know. Basically it's an implied threat as to whether 121 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 1: you know they would actually do anything or not about it. 122 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:32,640 Speaker 1: We will continue to talking about the kills kills US government. 123 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: So again, yes, obviously he didn't say kill us, but 124 00:07:35,600 --> 00:07:37,280 Speaker 1: it's not like he hasn't killed people in the past. 125 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:40,000 Speaker 1: So I think really what it comes down to ultimately 126 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:42,760 Speaker 1: is that the major news is that he recognized those 127 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:46,400 Speaker 1: breakaway Eastern republics. That is the number one most important 128 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: thing that you need to know. But two is this, 129 00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:51,880 Speaker 1: which is it is extraordinarily clear here that while yes, 130 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: NATO and many other Western provocations is I think very 131 00:07:55,360 --> 00:07:58,560 Speaker 1: responsible for putting us in this situation, it takes two 132 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,679 Speaker 1: to tango, and it's very clear or Putin truly believes 133 00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:03,440 Speaker 1: in his mind that not only the follow of the 134 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 1: Soviet Empire was one of the worst things that have 135 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:06,920 Speaker 1: ever happened. He said it was one of the most 136 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:10,360 Speaker 1: tragic events in human history, but he wants very clearly 137 00:08:10,400 --> 00:08:13,480 Speaker 1: to restore the Russian Empire to its former glory. So 138 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 1: let's go ahead and throw the next element up there 139 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:18,280 Speaker 1: on the screen just so you can understand exactly what 140 00:08:18,280 --> 00:08:20,680 Speaker 1: we're talking about. For those just listening, this is the 141 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 1: map of the Dnetz People's Republic of so called and 142 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:27,680 Speaker 1: the Lahans People's Republic so called that has been recognized 143 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: by Russia. That's the gray area. Now. The reason that 144 00:08:30,480 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 1: this matters is that the red line that is front 145 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 1: of you for those just listening, is basically half of 146 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:39,200 Speaker 1: the so called recognized territory is where the current Ukrainian 147 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:42,200 Speaker 1: front line is. So on the right, that's the Russian 148 00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:44,920 Speaker 1: front line. On the left is the Ukrainian front line. 149 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:48,440 Speaker 1: So just this morning, Crystal, in Russia, the Duma actually 150 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:51,920 Speaker 1: met in order to ratify Putin's decision. Now, in ratifying 151 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:55,199 Speaker 1: that decision, it's actually unclear right now as to whether 152 00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:59,040 Speaker 1: they ratified the decision to recognize the territory that is 153 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:03,079 Speaker 1: under the direct control of the so called Russian separatists 154 00:09:03,160 --> 00:09:06,839 Speaker 1: aka the Russian troops themselves, or all the way up 155 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:10,240 Speaker 1: into that gray area where there are currently Ukrainian soldiers. 156 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:13,880 Speaker 1: And the reason that matters is because shortly after the speech, 157 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:15,480 Speaker 1: let's go ahead and put this next one up there. 158 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 1: Putin had gone ahead and issued a military decree ordering 159 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:25,280 Speaker 1: the Russian military to pursue quote, peacekeeping operations in these territories. 160 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 1: And there are reports now of troops crossing the Ukrainian border, 161 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:32,800 Speaker 1: eastern Ukrainian border, the former border. However, we have not 162 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 1: yet had a report as of right now we're recording 163 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:38,720 Speaker 1: this early in the morning on Tuesday, as to any 164 00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:43,959 Speaker 1: direct military confrontation between actual Ukrainian military and the Russian 165 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:47,800 Speaker 1: military themselves. So there are a couple of possibilities here. 166 00:09:48,400 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 1: Yesterday I predicted that I thought that the Russians would 167 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:55,880 Speaker 1: annex the Ukrainian breakaway republics. They actually didn't do that. 168 00:09:55,920 --> 00:09:58,400 Speaker 1: They just recognized the independence and all but name only, 169 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:02,120 Speaker 1: essentially guaranteeing their security. The reason that that matters is 170 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:04,839 Speaker 1: actually gives them a legal pretext to pursue war if 171 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:07,680 Speaker 1: they want to. They can say, well, the Ukrainians have 172 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 1: you gone and had atrocities, are committed a military offensive 173 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 1: against our allies, which we now have defensive Cooperation Security Agreement. 174 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:18,679 Speaker 1: Think of it like their own NATO type thing, a 175 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 1: Warsaw pact in the mini that we have out there. 176 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:25,000 Speaker 1: So This is where the situation is complicated. What will 177 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 1: the Ukrainian military decide to do. Will they decide to 178 00:10:28,640 --> 00:10:31,840 Speaker 1: contest the front line there, or they retreat to the 179 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 1: gray area, or will the Russians stop simply at the 180 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:38,480 Speaker 1: front line. All of this remains to be seen as 181 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:40,920 Speaker 1: things are very much up in the air here Crystal 182 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:44,040 Speaker 1: in Washington, whenever it comes to sanctions indeed, and we'll 183 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:46,199 Speaker 1: get to the specifics of what we know from US 184 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,560 Speaker 1: and our allies at this point, with news continuing to 185 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:51,520 Speaker 1: break on that front this morning, but just to get 186 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:54,880 Speaker 1: up to where we are effectively, he gives this long speech. 187 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:56,840 Speaker 1: Parts of it crazy, parts of it. You're like, yeah, 188 00:10:56,840 --> 00:10:58,800 Speaker 1: you kind of got a point there about NATO and 189 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:02,079 Speaker 1: US Metal League, and you know, Ukrainian US influence in 190 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:05,000 Speaker 1: Ukraine and all of these things, the long term factors. 191 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:07,760 Speaker 1: There's no doubt that our posture and the West posture 192 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 1: and NATO expansion has exacerbated these tensions and helped to 193 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 1: create this standoff in the micro Obviously, Putin is the 194 00:11:14,559 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 1: aggressor here, and he's one hundred percent responsible for the 195 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:20,720 Speaker 1: fact that Europe is legitimately on the brink of a 196 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 1: war that could be absolutely devastating for lots and lots 197 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:27,840 Speaker 1: of people, and you know, biggest military engagement war since 198 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:31,000 Speaker 1: World War Two possibly on the table. So just to 199 00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:33,960 Speaker 1: make that clear. So what he does is he recognizes 200 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:38,120 Speaker 1: these separatists republics officially and then uses this as a 201 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:42,280 Speaker 1: pretext to send Russian troops into these areas on a 202 00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:46,640 Speaker 1: quote unquote peacekeeping mission. This is effectively, you guys, remember 203 00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:49,760 Speaker 1: the very beginning of this conflict. Biden gave that presser 204 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:51,960 Speaker 1: and he floated the sort of like the just the 205 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:55,560 Speaker 1: tip invasion scenario. This is what it is. And I 206 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:59,000 Speaker 1: think that those comments from Biden in that first presser 207 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:02,959 Speaker 1: were maybe most the most revealing of his actual thinking 208 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:05,640 Speaker 1: because he, in a very biden Ess way, strays off 209 00:12:05,640 --> 00:12:07,680 Speaker 1: the talking points and says, well, if they just go 210 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:11,320 Speaker 1: into these separatist areas, we'll have to see what we do. 211 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 1: And in fact, you see now that there is a 212 00:12:16,679 --> 00:12:20,160 Speaker 1: they are not levying the heaviest sanctions that they could 213 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:22,920 Speaker 1: against Russia, things that have been threatened at this point, 214 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:28,160 Speaker 1: they're just focused on sanctioning these particular regions. Some of 215 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:30,679 Speaker 1: our allies are going a bit further, but you can 216 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: see that at this point they're saying, Okay, well, if 217 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:37,400 Speaker 1: you stop here, there's going to be this level of consequence. 218 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:41,080 Speaker 1: But if you go through with the full Ukrainian invasion 219 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:45,680 Speaker 1: scenario that US intelligence is claiming has been planned, that's 220 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:49,160 Speaker 1: going to be a whole different ballgame. So that's where 221 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:51,080 Speaker 1: we are at this point. I do think, you know, 222 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:53,320 Speaker 1: Biden has been very clear, and I think this is 223 00:12:53,360 --> 00:12:56,840 Speaker 1: important because we know the way that you know, leaks 224 00:12:56,880 --> 00:12:59,720 Speaker 1: from the deep state can help to pressure commanders in chief. 225 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:03,280 Speaker 1: We've across multiple administrations, every single president subjected to this. 226 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:06,440 Speaker 1: He's been very clear from the beginning that he will not, 227 00:13:06,640 --> 00:13:10,520 Speaker 1: under any circumstances send US troops and have boots on 228 00:13:10,559 --> 00:13:15,520 Speaker 1: the ground in Ukraine. But what they are more likely 229 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:19,000 Speaker 1: to do is to ramp up what we've already been 230 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:21,680 Speaker 1: doing in Ukraine, which is flooding it with you know, 231 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:25,480 Speaker 1: our own weaponry. We sent them trace, something that Putin 232 00:13:25,559 --> 00:13:28,720 Speaker 1: brought up as an agitating factor for him in his 233 00:13:28,840 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 1: lengthy you know, diatribe here. So we will continue to 234 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:35,199 Speaker 1: flood them with weapons likely, and what has been floated 235 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,040 Speaker 1: and reported in the press is the sort of stance 236 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:42,640 Speaker 1: that we took in Afghanistan when the Soviets were there 237 00:13:42,679 --> 00:13:48,480 Speaker 1: where we're training and arming both you know, publicly but 238 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:52,000 Speaker 1: also covertly through the CIA, the moujah Hadeen and the 239 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: insurgency in Afghanistan. Very likely we'd be using you know, 240 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:59,520 Speaker 1: our NATO allies in the area as training bases for 241 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:03,160 Speaker 1: insurgency that would be then going back to Ukraine. So 242 00:14:03,760 --> 00:14:06,640 Speaker 1: unlikely that even in the worst case scenario we end 243 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:08,240 Speaker 1: up with our own boots on the ground. That doesn't 244 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:10,280 Speaker 1: mean that we wouldn't be involved in sort of propping 245 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:12,760 Speaker 1: up what's going on there. Oh. Absolutely, And I want 246 00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 1: to say I see a clamoring here in Washington in 247 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:18,760 Speaker 1: order to bring the full suite of sanctions that were 248 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:22,360 Speaker 1: reserved for a full military invasion of Ukraine. And I 249 00:14:22,360 --> 00:14:24,760 Speaker 1: couldn't agree more with the current policy, which is, let's 250 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:26,680 Speaker 1: go ahead and put this up there on the screen 251 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 1: from Jensaki saying that they will be putting sanctions both 252 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:33,000 Speaker 1: particularly on these breakaway republics. Now, let's be honest, there's 253 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:37,480 Speaker 1: not a lot of Yes, not much business between Danetsk 254 00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:41,000 Speaker 1: and Washington. That being said, here's the point, which is, 255 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:44,080 Speaker 1: it doesn't take a genius to know that these areas 256 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:46,800 Speaker 1: have been in civil war for eight years and have 257 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:51,520 Speaker 1: been under de facto military occupation by the Russians already, 258 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:55,800 Speaker 1: So under that circumstance, there is a substantive difference between 259 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:59,880 Speaker 1: crossing the Ukrainian front line and basically taking over new 260 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:04,240 Speaker 1: territory rather than old territory. That is what the escalation 261 00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:07,240 Speaker 1: ladder is supposed to look like, which is that punishments 262 00:15:07,240 --> 00:15:11,640 Speaker 1: are supposed to fit the general circumstances. Unfortunately, the Neo 263 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:14,640 Speaker 1: con brigade here in Washington is clamoring for the full 264 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:18,640 Speaker 1: suite of sanctions specifically against this act. I'm not whitewashing it. 265 00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:21,600 Speaker 1: I think Putin, frankly, sounded like a crazy person. His 266 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:24,040 Speaker 1: biggest problem, Crystal, is that he actually would have had 267 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:26,840 Speaker 1: more legitimacy in the eyes of the world if he 268 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:29,840 Speaker 1: had simply just said, look, they didn't give me what 269 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:33,320 Speaker 1: I wanted Ukrainian they said Ukraine, they would refuse to 270 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 1: tell me Ukraine would not be a part of NATO, 271 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:37,240 Speaker 1: and thus I am taking this action for the defense 272 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:39,880 Speaker 1: of Russia. A lot of people across the world, in 273 00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:44,040 Speaker 1: many different places, including inside of Europe, Eastern Europe, in China. 274 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:47,200 Speaker 1: Other words, they could support that. But now you have 275 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:50,440 Speaker 1: basically said, unless you are full bore on board with 276 00:15:50,520 --> 00:15:58,720 Speaker 1: this like absolutely rewritten Russian revenge history, restoration of Russian Empire, 277 00:16:00,120 --> 00:16:03,000 Speaker 1: you know, like some Treaty of Breslatovsku, you know, and 278 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:06,480 Speaker 1: all this other stuff, then then you're not on his side. 279 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:08,880 Speaker 1: And so he basically and this is always a problem 280 00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:11,720 Speaker 1: with authoritarians, They really just can't help telling you exactly 281 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:14,160 Speaker 1: what they believe because they're so arrogant and they just 282 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:16,560 Speaker 1: don't have any checks. You saw yesterday in that Russian 283 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 1: Security Council meeting that one of the one of the 284 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 1: officials slipped up and he's like, Putin was like, what 285 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:24,280 Speaker 1: should we do, mister minister, And it's all televised as 286 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:27,600 Speaker 1: some sort of weird Soviet show and the guy and 287 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:29,360 Speaker 1: he's like, well, we should annex them, and Putin's like, 288 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:31,760 Speaker 1: that's not on the table. We're talking about recognizing independent 289 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:38,400 Speaker 1: republics not and he gets all sweaty. He's gonna get 290 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:40,720 Speaker 1: beaten a little bit longer. I want to on that 291 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:47,560 Speaker 1: point about the Biden administration's relative restraint as compared to 292 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:50,520 Speaker 1: what you know. I saw new Gingridge out there saying, oh, 293 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:54,120 Speaker 1: it's Chamberlain all over thet is Hitler compared these people 294 00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:57,160 Speaker 1: go watch my Chamberlain monologue. Just please do it. Definitely 295 00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 1: do that. And here's what the Biden administration is a 296 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:02,480 Speaker 1: fish saying this is from a senior by non mine 297 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: official more sanctions coming tomorrow, but won't say if Russian 298 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:10,720 Speaker 1: peacekeeper quote unquote moves into Dawn bas count as an 299 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:14,200 Speaker 1: invasion that will trigger the massive sanctions promised, and notes 300 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:18,359 Speaker 1: that Russia has long had a military presence in that area, 301 00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:21,399 Speaker 1: exactly right, So they are preserving their ability to hold 302 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:24,160 Speaker 1: back the biggest sanctions. And also, I mean that creates 303 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:27,040 Speaker 1: some One of the things Putin said in this speech 304 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:29,679 Speaker 1: is hey, I think they're going to sanction as regardless. 305 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 1: So this is the Biden administration trying to signal no, 306 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:37,440 Speaker 1: actually there is a chain of escalation here. Our response 307 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:40,800 Speaker 1: will depend on your actions, whether or not they believe 308 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:44,240 Speaker 1: it or whether they intend to go further. And you know, 309 00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:47,520 Speaker 1: the full invasion scenario that's been painted by the US 310 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:50,399 Speaker 1: intelligence community, we have no idea. We simply have no clue. 311 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 1: And we should also say this, I am very happy 312 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:55,000 Speaker 1: to see Europe actually stepping up in this and taking 313 00:17:55,119 --> 00:17:57,920 Speaker 1: a stronger hand because it is their problem. There ain't 314 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:00,359 Speaker 1: going to be no iron curtain over here. Let's put 315 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:03,080 Speaker 1: this up there on the screen. Immediately after the Putin speech, 316 00:18:03,119 --> 00:18:05,720 Speaker 1: top EU leaders announced that there would be EU sanctions 317 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:08,960 Speaker 1: against those involved in the quote illegal Russian recognition of 318 00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:12,480 Speaker 1: the Ukrainian breakaway provinces. But the most significant news actually 319 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 1: came this morning, Crystal, when the German Chancellor announced that 320 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:20,320 Speaker 1: there will be a cancellation of the Nord Stream to pipeline. 321 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:23,000 Speaker 1: And what I mean by that is that the certification 322 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:26,119 Speaker 1: process which was underway, they went ahead and said that 323 00:18:26,119 --> 00:18:28,159 Speaker 1: that will have to be delayed. You were telling me 324 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:29,920 Speaker 1: this morning that that is now going to be kicked 325 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:32,479 Speaker 1: over to a member of the Green Party, which you know, 326 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:34,720 Speaker 1: you can go ahead and guess, yeah, exactly that's going 327 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:37,439 Speaker 1: to go. Previously, the pipeline had been sort of like 328 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:41,440 Speaker 1: okayed from an environmental perspective by the previous administration under 329 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:44,480 Speaker 1: Angela Marke Merkel. Now the person who's in charge of 330 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:48,560 Speaker 1: that process comes from the environmentalist Screen Party, and so 331 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:52,080 Speaker 1: it's not just only that hey, we're taking a pause 332 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 1: while you're doing what you're doing. We're actually throwing the 333 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:59,000 Speaker 1: inspection back to you know, this person who's in charge 334 00:18:59,119 --> 00:19:02,639 Speaker 1: of a sessing the environmental impact, who happens now to 335 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:06,240 Speaker 1: have more of an environmentalist stance, so puts the pipeline 336 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:09,760 Speaker 1: in jeopardy. And this is definitely the most sort of 337 00:19:09,840 --> 00:19:12,800 Speaker 1: bite that we've seen from any of the actions so far, 338 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:14,720 Speaker 1: no question. So just to give you guys an idea, 339 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:16,360 Speaker 1: the nord Stream two has been one of those things 340 00:19:16,359 --> 00:19:18,080 Speaker 1: that gets talked a lot about. It was a ten 341 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:22,960 Speaker 1: billion dollars pipeline between Germany and Russia. Now Germany has taken, 342 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:26,000 Speaker 1: in my view of very foolish decisions, is decommissioned a 343 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:28,359 Speaker 1: lot of their nuclear power plants and has actually gone 344 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:32,879 Speaker 1: even relying even more on natural gas. They have resisted 345 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:36,840 Speaker 1: many times over the years any call whatsoever to include 346 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:40,119 Speaker 1: Nordstream two in any sort of sanctions package. Now the 347 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:42,080 Speaker 1: reason that that matters, and actually as early as just 348 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:44,919 Speaker 1: yesterday Mario Draghi had gone ahead and said that there 349 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:47,720 Speaker 1: will be sanctions against Russia, but not whenever it pertains 350 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:51,680 Speaker 1: to energy. Germany, being the biggest powerhouse within the European Union, 351 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:53,639 Speaker 1: had made it known it does not want to risk 352 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:57,440 Speaker 1: any sort of energy problems, given that already European gas 353 00:19:57,520 --> 00:20:01,320 Speaker 1: prices and natural gas is sky high. What happened yesterday 354 00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:04,000 Speaker 1: with the Putin speech kicked them really into action, and 355 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:05,840 Speaker 1: they said, fine, you know what, We're gonna have to 356 00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:08,720 Speaker 1: go ahead and make sure that this pipeline doesn't happen. 357 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:11,800 Speaker 1: I cannot underscore this enough. That is an immense blow 358 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 1: to the domestic Russian economy. And that's really where some 359 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:17,919 Speaker 1: of this is being and kind of coming from. Not 360 00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:21,919 Speaker 1: the psychoanalyzed Putin. He's been what on the throne, so 361 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,359 Speaker 1: to speak, as he probably likes to see it, since 362 00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:28,960 Speaker 1: you know, nineteen ninety nine, he's sixty seven years old. 363 00:20:29,359 --> 00:20:31,720 Speaker 1: His life dream has been to restore the glory of 364 00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:35,600 Speaker 1: the former Soviet Empire. He seems to believe that he 365 00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:38,399 Speaker 1: can be able to act this way across Europe and 366 00:20:38,480 --> 00:20:43,199 Speaker 1: still maintain what fundamentally he knows is a weak and 367 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:47,680 Speaker 1: a dying country. I mean, you have demographic decline dramatically 368 00:20:47,720 --> 00:20:52,879 Speaker 1: over the last twenty five years, economic contraction, full blown oligarchy, 369 00:20:53,119 --> 00:20:57,280 Speaker 1: you know that has taken across the entire Russian economy. 370 00:20:57,600 --> 00:20:59,800 Speaker 1: And at the end of the day, the only valuable 371 00:20:59,840 --> 00:21:02,600 Speaker 1: thing that Russia has is oil and gas. Now, obviously 372 00:21:02,640 --> 00:21:04,880 Speaker 1: oil it's the third largest oil producer in the world. 373 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:07,960 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna lie, but they don't have very productive 374 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:10,719 Speaker 1: sectors of their economy. And the thing about oil is 375 00:21:10,720 --> 00:21:12,480 Speaker 1: is you got to sell it to somebody else. Yeah, 376 00:21:12,520 --> 00:21:14,680 Speaker 1: you can use some of it. But with the global 377 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:16,760 Speaker 1: markets at the way that they are, he has put 378 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:20,320 Speaker 1: himself in a very vulnerable situation. And what reminds me 379 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 1: of this is that the idea is that authoritarians and 380 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:28,160 Speaker 1: states are actually most dangerous on their decline rather than 381 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:31,639 Speaker 1: on their way up. Because think about this. Ukraine is 382 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:34,119 Speaker 1: a country of forty four million people. They actually are 383 00:21:34,359 --> 00:21:37,280 Speaker 1: fairly dynamic economy ish. I mean it's yes, it's very 384 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:39,399 Speaker 1: corrupt and all that, but they have a you know, 385 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:43,639 Speaker 1: a large youth population, more of a connection with the West, 386 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:46,960 Speaker 1: they're educated. It's actually would be a coup in order 387 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:50,080 Speaker 1: to add those forty something million people to the Russian 388 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:53,040 Speaker 1: you know, nation and the Russian Federation, I guess. And 389 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:55,160 Speaker 1: so the way he looks at it, it's a way 390 00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:58,360 Speaker 1: in order to lash out use in nuclear power, obviously 391 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:00,480 Speaker 1: with his ambitions at the end of his life, and 392 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:03,719 Speaker 1: try and restore some dignity. And I'm not saying it 393 00:22:03,800 --> 00:22:06,080 Speaker 1: as if I agree, but in his own eyes as 394 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:08,480 Speaker 1: to what is happening. So that's kind of my read 395 00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:10,639 Speaker 1: on the situation. But I think this is a woken 396 00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:13,280 Speaker 1: What was the phrase that Yamamoto said, It was like 397 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:16,800 Speaker 1: a woken a sleeping tiger or something after Pearl Harbor. 398 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 1: I think Europeans are really going to have to wake up. 399 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:21,639 Speaker 1: They have skated under the US nuclear umbrella for a 400 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:24,280 Speaker 1: long time. Their German defense spending and all that has 401 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:26,760 Speaker 1: been like one point six percent or whatever of GDP. 402 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:29,240 Speaker 1: We're entering a new era of geopolitics here, which is 403 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:32,440 Speaker 1: Worstream two pipeline that I think is really significant. I mean, 404 00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:34,719 Speaker 1: it does feel like we're at this kind of pivot 405 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:38,960 Speaker 1: point in terms of Europeans and in terms of the 406 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:42,440 Speaker 1: sort of global order. Just to underscore what you're saying 407 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:48,000 Speaker 1: about Germany and their reliance on Russian natural gas, these 408 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:49,880 Speaker 1: are the numbers. This is from the New York Times. 409 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:53,560 Speaker 1: So natural gas increasingly critical source of energy for Germany. 410 00:22:53,600 --> 00:22:56,080 Speaker 1: Last year accounted for nearly twenty seven percent of all 411 00:22:56,200 --> 00:23:01,080 Speaker 1: energy consumed, and two thirds of that natural gas from Russia. 412 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:05,040 Speaker 1: So this hurts the Russians. It's also going to definitely 413 00:23:05,119 --> 00:23:09,760 Speaker 1: German economy question going to hike energy prices definitely in 414 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:13,720 Speaker 1: Germany and across all of Europe that were already like us, 415 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:17,960 Speaker 1: facing elevated energy prices. So that's why this move is 416 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:21,600 Speaker 1: so significant, because they know that it is going to 417 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:24,719 Speaker 1: impact their own you know, the the pocketbooks of their 418 00:23:24,800 --> 00:23:28,280 Speaker 1: own consumers there in Germany. So that's really significant. The 419 00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:30,679 Speaker 1: other thing that I want to say about putin speech, 420 00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:32,320 Speaker 1: you made the point that it was sort of foolish 421 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 1: that he, you know, just had to tell you everything 422 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 1: he thinks about it instead of focusing on the issue 423 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:41,879 Speaker 1: at hand, and what even people like Bernie Sanders have 424 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:46,159 Speaker 1: to admit are some legitimate grievances about NATO expansion. I mean, 425 00:23:46,160 --> 00:23:49,960 Speaker 1: you've heard, you know, understandable concerns about those sorts of things. 426 00:23:50,359 --> 00:23:53,640 Speaker 1: But because he has to lay out the full breadth 427 00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:57,240 Speaker 1: of you know, Soviet history and all of this, it 428 00:23:57,320 --> 00:24:01,879 Speaker 1: expands the concerns beyond Ukraine, so that other areas that 429 00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:05,399 Speaker 1: were part of the Soviet Union, then you have to go, oh, 430 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:09,000 Speaker 1: so maybe this isn't just about Ukraine and their potential 431 00:24:09,040 --> 00:24:13,920 Speaker 1: membership to NATO. This feels more like you have those 432 00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:19,280 Speaker 1: reventious ambitions that go beyond anything that the West could 433 00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:23,440 Speaker 1: do at this point to satisfy you. And so that's 434 00:24:23,480 --> 00:24:27,280 Speaker 1: why the speech also was both foolish and I think dangerous, 435 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:29,159 Speaker 1: because at the end of the day, what are we 436 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:31,680 Speaker 1: talking about here? You know, I think you and I 437 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:34,680 Speaker 1: certainly you also, I have grown up in a time 438 00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:38,080 Speaker 1: when this sort of day to day concern of a 439 00:24:38,160 --> 00:24:42,760 Speaker 1: nuclear conflict with Russia was not really tangible or real. 440 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:48,120 Speaker 1: And now even though Russia, yes, is the economy, is warabun, Yes, 441 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:51,800 Speaker 1: the demographic decline, Yes, they're sort of reaching for this 442 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:57,840 Speaker 1: lost greatness, but they are still a nuclear power, and 443 00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:03,679 Speaker 1: so conflict with you know, a nuclear power spells potential 444 00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:08,760 Speaker 1: doom and devastation and is extraordinarily dangerous. Which is why 445 00:25:08,760 --> 00:25:12,119 Speaker 1: we've said from the beginning with regard to the specific 446 00:25:12,119 --> 00:25:15,879 Speaker 1: concern about NATO, just freaking give them what they want, 447 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:19,560 Speaker 1: you know, because and then holding on to like it 448 00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:22,000 Speaker 1: looks crazier whenever he says these yes, and even the 449 00:25:22,119 --> 00:25:24,639 Speaker 1: Ukrainian and then you would really see, Okay, is this 450 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:29,240 Speaker 1: really about just this, you know, one country potentially maybe 451 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:33,119 Speaker 1: in like down the road a decade, joining NATO, or 452 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:37,400 Speaker 1: is it about this larger Revanius program. And so the 453 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:40,720 Speaker 1: real irony here is that no one even really wants 454 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:43,919 Speaker 1: Ukraine and NATO. And I know this is all over 455 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:48,600 Speaker 1: the principle of in theory Ukraine becoming part of NATO, 456 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:51,080 Speaker 1: and that's that was part of Zelenski's frustration that we 457 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:54,320 Speaker 1: played on the show Yesterday's Like, they're not stupid. They 458 00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:56,440 Speaker 1: can see that there are a lot of NATO states 459 00:25:56,840 --> 00:26:00,439 Speaker 1: who don't want them in. And so he was saying, listen, 460 00:26:00,760 --> 00:26:03,639 Speaker 1: just tell us that, like, be honest about it, because 461 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:07,560 Speaker 1: that might help to de escalate the situation. It's just 462 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:10,720 Speaker 1: so silly to get so caught up on this principle 463 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:14,560 Speaker 1: of theoretically we could let Ukraine in, even as no 464 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,280 Speaker 1: one actually intends to let U create into data. I 465 00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:21,480 Speaker 1: couldn't agree more And like, I'm relatively certain after that 466 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:24,199 Speaker 1: speech that all of this would have happened regardless, but 467 00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:26,639 Speaker 1: that would have given us a lot more credibility in 468 00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:29,160 Speaker 1: the eyes of the world. We're like, look, we gave 469 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:31,360 Speaker 1: it to them, and then they still did it. So 470 00:26:31,880 --> 00:26:33,800 Speaker 1: if what they really mean is that they want the 471 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:37,040 Speaker 1: Baltics back in the Empire, sorry, Baltics are in NATO now, 472 00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:39,439 Speaker 1: Like there's a trip wire, and that's just how it is, 473 00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:41,960 Speaker 1: and they don't seem to like And if that's really 474 00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:44,840 Speaker 1: your beef, then say so and then we have more clarity, 475 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:47,800 Speaker 1: right right, then you know what you're dealing with. Whereas 476 00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:50,200 Speaker 1: now he can still have this big leaf of cover 477 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:53,040 Speaker 1: about oh, this is just about NATO's potential expansion. And 478 00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:54,760 Speaker 1: don't think that the Chinese are not going to be 479 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:56,639 Speaker 1: backing him up on this because they look at it. 480 00:26:56,720 --> 00:26:59,359 Speaker 1: They're watching very very closely as to how this call 481 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 1: all related in East Asia. My great fear is that 482 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:04,840 Speaker 1: this has a conflagration and that we have some grain 483 00:27:05,119 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: you know, great European war, and that it will tank 484 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:10,400 Speaker 1: the entire global economy. I mean, already we're seeing problems 485 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:13,280 Speaker 1: in the US market. Obviously, I have concern for the Ukrainians. 486 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:15,320 Speaker 1: I'm not saying this is the biggest problem, but I'm 487 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:17,440 Speaker 1: saying in the way that it pertains most to us 488 00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:19,760 Speaker 1: is that we're going to see huge spikes in oil. 489 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:22,480 Speaker 1: War is very bad for business, you know, except for 490 00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:26,359 Speaker 1: a few and in our case, in particular, energy and 491 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:29,800 Speaker 1: gas prices are already throwing domestic politics into turmoil. This 492 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:32,520 Speaker 1: could make the situation ten times worse, we do a 493 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:35,400 Speaker 1: ton of trade with Germany and with all these other 494 00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:39,480 Speaker 1: countries which are about to be majorly effective. A great 495 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,000 Speaker 1: European crisis, as we have found out in nineteen fourteen, 496 00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:45,560 Speaker 1: as we found out in nineteen forty, will have an 497 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:47,920 Speaker 1: impact whether you like it or not here at home. 498 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:50,720 Speaker 1: So unfortunately, there's a lot of you know, blame to 499 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:54,480 Speaker 1: go around. I think in this case, Putin obviously really 500 00:27:56,480 --> 00:27:59,280 Speaker 1: watching that. Yeah, his speech in a way too, he 501 00:27:59,440 --> 00:28:02,600 Speaker 1: just validated his worst critics, which, like I said, if 502 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:04,840 Speaker 1: he was smart, he would have said, look, we didn't 503 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:07,240 Speaker 1: give him what I wanted. Thus I'm taking these actions. 504 00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:09,520 Speaker 1: He had to put it all out there, and look, 505 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:11,000 Speaker 1: in a way, it's good. So now you know exactly 506 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:13,760 Speaker 1: who we're dealing with. Yeah, indeed, okay, let's go ahead 507 00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:15,760 Speaker 1: and move on to the media. I think we just 508 00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:18,120 Speaker 1: spent like half an hour dissecting all of that, which 509 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:20,320 Speaker 1: is kind of what you need. You need to go 510 00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:22,840 Speaker 1: into all of the nuance in the detail and listen 511 00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:25,639 Speaker 1: to the speech, and over on cable news you're not 512 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:29,320 Speaker 1: hearing any of that. You're hearing a constant drumbeat for war. 513 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:33,400 Speaker 1: Perhaps the single most insane piece that we want to draw. 514 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:38,800 Speaker 1: Is that an argument over on MSNBC's Meet the Press 515 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:42,640 Speaker 1: from your niche alsendor that the US should prepare to 516 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:45,760 Speaker 1: go to war for oil. This is not a joke. 517 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:48,320 Speaker 1: It feels like it's two thousand and two. Again, let's 518 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:50,720 Speaker 1: take a listen. But also the thing that you hear 519 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:54,680 Speaker 1: President Biden saying is Americans need prepare, be prepared for 520 00:28:54,920 --> 00:28:56,680 Speaker 1: if this comes to our schwarz and it comes to 521 00:28:57,280 --> 00:28:59,479 Speaker 1: our charge and the effect of higher gas prices when 522 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:01,360 Speaker 1: we already are seeing an eight year high, we're already 523 00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:04,360 Speaker 1: seeing inflation at forty year highs. So the President is 524 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:06,960 Speaker 1: also trying to tell Americans, if we have to get 525 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:09,440 Speaker 1: involved here, the cost of freedom may be in your 526 00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:13,360 Speaker 1: wallets at the gas tank. Oh my cost of freedom 527 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:15,800 Speaker 1: in the gas tank. I mean, this feels like Iraq. 528 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:18,880 Speaker 1: If you don't have to get involved here, the cost 529 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:21,760 Speaker 1: of freedom, what are you saying in our wallets at 530 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:24,840 Speaker 1: the gas tank? Like, legitimately, what are you saying? Are 531 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:27,480 Speaker 1: you saying we should go to war? And like I 532 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:30,160 Speaker 1: just did an entire thing where I was concerned about 533 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:32,080 Speaker 1: gas price, But that doesn't mean that you go and 534 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 1: invade another country. I think the biggest problem is that 535 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:37,320 Speaker 1: this is the type of analysis which people are getting 536 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:40,120 Speaker 1: bombarded with. You know, I was looking Andrea Mitchell, who 537 00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:42,280 Speaker 1: of course is like, I don't know, basically an ambassador 538 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:46,320 Speaker 1: for NATO over on her program she quoted, you know, 539 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:51,120 Speaker 1: two officials being like, this is an invasion. Former Ambassador 540 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:54,320 Speaker 1: McCall say that what happened today is an invasion. You 541 00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:57,880 Speaker 1: can't come into a country uninvited. Is the White House listening? 542 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:00,840 Speaker 1: This is my always question, what are you calling for? 543 00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:02,920 Speaker 1: What are you asking? You know, Go ahead and put 544 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:06,080 Speaker 1: the next up there on the screen, which is that 545 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:09,960 Speaker 1: we are seeing a full scale insanity amongst the kind 546 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:14,160 Speaker 1: of elite establishment left here. Lawrence Tribe, who himself was 547 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:17,720 Speaker 1: an advisor to Joe Biden's Supreme Court Council, says led 548 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:20,160 Speaker 1: by Fox News is Tucker Carlson, the GOP's Trump wing 549 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:22,640 Speaker 1: appears to be throwing his weight behind Putin. If Putin 550 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:25,160 Speaker 1: opts to wage war on our ally Ukraine, such aid 551 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:28,400 Speaker 1: and comfort to an enemy would appear to become treason 552 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:32,160 Speaker 1: as defined by the Article three of the US Constitution. 553 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:36,320 Speaker 1: This is just one of those things where this language 554 00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:39,280 Speaker 1: is dangerous by that standard. And I'm not saying I 555 00:30:39,320 --> 00:30:41,720 Speaker 1: even agree with all of Tucker's coverage on Ukraine, but 556 00:30:42,480 --> 00:30:45,440 Speaker 1: you know, Tonally, I would say there's probably some similarity 557 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:47,720 Speaker 1: between some of the things we've been saying here. Would 558 00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:50,360 Speaker 1: that qualify us as treason? Like this is not the 559 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:54,600 Speaker 1: Alien and Sedition acts of whatever, you know, seventeen ninety three, 560 00:30:54,720 --> 00:30:57,840 Speaker 1: And that's essentially the spirit under which mister Tribe is 561 00:30:57,880 --> 00:31:00,200 Speaker 1: go ahead and pushing for so as much as we 562 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:02,840 Speaker 1: can condemn Putin as we did in our coverage, as 563 00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:05,040 Speaker 1: much as we can show you the NUA and say, look, 564 00:31:05,160 --> 00:31:06,600 Speaker 1: if he had done this, he probably would have had 565 00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:09,760 Speaker 1: more legitimacy, and we can critique the US position. These 566 00:31:09,800 --> 00:31:13,440 Speaker 1: people are crazy, and we see this over and over again. 567 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:15,120 Speaker 1: I don't think we have it cut, but you know, 568 00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:17,600 Speaker 1: we were looking at CNN's Jim Shudo, who is the 569 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:21,800 Speaker 1: head national security reporter for CNN, who is based right 570 00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:24,680 Speaker 1: now in Kiev, and saying things like, is this it's 571 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:27,960 Speaker 1: sneering at the White House position? I see Jake Tapper 572 00:31:28,200 --> 00:31:31,520 Speaker 1: and other people at CNN constantly retweeting things calling for 573 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:35,720 Speaker 1: extremely harsh sanctions against the Russians. Now, look, maybe that's 574 00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:38,959 Speaker 1: the correct policy. If they cross the Ukrainian front line, 575 00:31:39,080 --> 00:31:43,040 Speaker 1: but right now they are currently occupying a place that 576 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:45,560 Speaker 1: has been in civil war for eight years. The White 577 00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:48,920 Speaker 1: House has the correct view, which is it is substantively 578 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:52,360 Speaker 1: different if you're here, then if you're here, and what 579 00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:54,480 Speaker 1: I mean by that is part of the formula of 580 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:57,560 Speaker 1: a currently occupied place or in a place where there's 581 00:31:57,680 --> 00:32:01,120 Speaker 1: literal Ukrainian troops and you're engaging in a new type 582 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:06,160 Speaker 1: of warfare. And yet Crystal the press is universal in 583 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:10,640 Speaker 1: calling for the most aggressive and hawkish posture possible from 584 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:14,560 Speaker 1: the United States. And it's the repeat of Afghanistan all 585 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:17,320 Speaker 1: over again, you know. And I gotta say too, like 586 00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:20,080 Speaker 1: you brought up Newt Gingrich and all these people crying 587 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:23,040 Speaker 1: Munich in nineteen thirty eight. You people look like fools. 588 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:25,000 Speaker 1: I can't wait to watch, By the way, Trump, who 589 00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:27,520 Speaker 1: wanted better relations with Putin, to come out with some 590 00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:30,240 Speaker 1: ridiculous statement and be like Biden is a weak man. 591 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:32,400 Speaker 1: You know, I would have stood up. It's like, okay, 592 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:33,640 Speaker 1: well what does that mean? What do you mean by 593 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:35,360 Speaker 1: standing up? You want to send troops over to the Ukraine, 594 00:32:35,360 --> 00:32:37,040 Speaker 1: Because I don't want to do that, and that's not 595 00:32:37,080 --> 00:32:40,360 Speaker 1: what America first meant whenever you're running in twenty sixteen, 596 00:32:40,520 --> 00:32:43,560 Speaker 1: the culture warification I'm watching over on the GOP side 597 00:32:43,720 --> 00:32:45,880 Speaker 1: is just disgusting to behold the same thing that happened 598 00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:48,280 Speaker 1: under Afghanistan. Yeah, there's a lot to say here. I 599 00:32:48,280 --> 00:32:50,479 Speaker 1: have the new Gingrich quote just to show you that 600 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:55,680 Speaker 1: there's truly bipartisan insanity, dangerous insanity around this, he says. 601 00:32:55,960 --> 00:32:59,320 Speaker 1: The Biden administration talks and Putin acts. This is such 602 00:32:59,320 --> 00:33:02,719 Speaker 1: a clear play of Chamberlain trying to deal with Hitler 603 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:05,640 Speaker 1: that is more than a little frightening. Putin is pushing 604 00:33:05,720 --> 00:33:07,560 Speaker 1: day by day and has no fear of NATO because 605 00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:09,800 Speaker 1: he has no fear of the United States or his president. 606 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:12,360 Speaker 1: So what are you talking about? Exactly? And okay, so 607 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:17,200 Speaker 1: what do you want? And the most important question is 608 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:22,360 Speaker 1: and then what? Yeah, and then what I think Russiagate 609 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:27,120 Speaker 1: has Obviously, the mass hysteria of Russiagate over four plus 610 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:33,760 Speaker 1: years has led to this total hysteria that prohibits the 611 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:37,160 Speaker 1: a significant chunk of the public from being able to 612 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:41,600 Speaker 1: analyze this in anything approaching an objective manner. And so 613 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:48,400 Speaker 1: what we've seen since Russia's so called peacekeeping operation into 614 00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:52,760 Speaker 1: the Eastern separatist areas, which is not acceptable or okay 615 00:33:52,800 --> 00:33:56,080 Speaker 1: in any way. But there's an immediate reaching for the 616 00:33:56,080 --> 00:34:00,320 Speaker 1: most inflammatory rhetoric about what this represents, and that puts 617 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:03,960 Speaker 1: a lot of pressure on the Biden administration because they're 618 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:07,400 Speaker 1: out there trying to say, listen, this is different than 619 00:34:07,520 --> 00:34:11,040 Speaker 1: a wholesale invasion of Ukraine. This is not the same. 620 00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:14,080 Speaker 1: Russian troops have been in this area for a long time, 621 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:17,040 Speaker 1: So we're going to react, but we're going to do 622 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:20,200 Speaker 1: it in a way that is commensurate with what they 623 00:34:20,280 --> 00:34:25,920 Speaker 1: have done so far. And because you have such media 624 00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:30,360 Speaker 1: consistent media pressure wanting them to call it an invasion, 625 00:34:30,560 --> 00:34:34,319 Speaker 1: wanting to levy more aggressive sanctions, wanting to take this 626 00:34:34,880 --> 00:34:39,080 Speaker 1: extremely hawkish sort of stance towards the situation, you know, 627 00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:42,960 Speaker 1: that makes it difficult for the administration to hold the 628 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:46,960 Speaker 1: more reasonable line that they have at this point because 629 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:49,879 Speaker 1: again going back to Biden's original comments, I mean, this 630 00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:51,680 Speaker 1: is what he said, and I think these were his 631 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:55,480 Speaker 1: most sort of like candid and truly what he thought comments. 632 00:34:55,680 --> 00:34:57,480 Speaker 1: When he lets it slip, yeah, if he does this, 633 00:34:57,640 --> 00:34:59,760 Speaker 1: you know, if he goes into the Eastern separatist regions 634 00:35:00,239 --> 00:35:03,480 Speaker 1: to see how we respond, and then the media attacks 635 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:07,840 Speaker 1: him relentlessly for the honesty of those comments and that 636 00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:11,200 Speaker 1: he's not just consistently hawkish. And then what we saw 637 00:35:11,280 --> 00:35:16,960 Speaker 1: from the administration after that was this more consistently hawkish tone, 638 00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:19,160 Speaker 1: which we don't know, We can't get into the mind 639 00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:22,360 Speaker 1: of Putin. But did that contribute to the escalation that 640 00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:25,319 Speaker 1: we see now, We don't know. So it is very 641 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:28,000 Speaker 1: It's not just that these people suck and they're wrong. 642 00:35:28,239 --> 00:35:31,840 Speaker 1: It's that their hysteria around this and their desire to 643 00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:35,719 Speaker 1: sort of call out anyone who doesn't stay right on 644 00:35:35,920 --> 00:35:41,279 Speaker 1: their you know, hawkish script is extremely dangerous. And it's 645 00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:44,400 Speaker 1: obviously not the first time we've seen this impulse in 646 00:35:44,840 --> 00:35:48,640 Speaker 1: recent American history. I think we talked yesterday about a 647 00:35:48,719 --> 00:35:52,560 Speaker 1: similar hysteria after nine to eleven, which, of course, you know, 648 00:35:52,680 --> 00:35:56,160 Speaker 1: is a direct attack on our soil. But you saw 649 00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:59,799 Speaker 1: this same you know, there was a whole movement on, 650 00:36:00,200 --> 00:36:03,279 Speaker 1: especially among Republicans, but some Democrats as well, to say, 651 00:36:03,280 --> 00:36:07,200 Speaker 1: you can't even question us policy. You can't question you 652 00:36:07,239 --> 00:36:09,319 Speaker 1: can't say we can't go to war, you can't you know, 653 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:12,359 Speaker 1: you can't question what we're doing now that we're over there. 654 00:36:12,719 --> 00:36:14,680 Speaker 1: You have to support the US, and if you don't, 655 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:18,239 Speaker 1: you're trader. The whole freedom fries all that nonsense and hysteria, 656 00:36:18,640 --> 00:36:21,840 Speaker 1: which some of these very same people were able to 657 00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:24,440 Speaker 1: see very clearly at the time. And now when it 658 00:36:24,440 --> 00:36:27,759 Speaker 1: comes to this situation, because we've had mass hysteria around 659 00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:31,480 Speaker 1: Russia and Putin for four years now, their thinking is 660 00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:34,360 Speaker 1: completely cloudy. And the last thing I'll say here, because 661 00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:38,279 Speaker 1: Glenn has been pointing this out consistently, is you can 662 00:36:38,360 --> 00:36:42,680 Speaker 1: tell what a dramatic shift there's been in the thinking 663 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:47,719 Speaker 1: among democratic elites and you know, liberal intelligentia. Is that 664 00:36:48,080 --> 00:36:52,480 Speaker 1: Obama's tone with regards to Russia was dramatically different. Yes, 665 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:55,000 Speaker 1: some of the very during the crime, some of the 666 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:59,560 Speaker 1: very same things that he said then, including acknowledging what 667 00:36:59,719 --> 00:37:04,200 Speaker 1: is fact that Russia has a lot greater a lot 668 00:37:04,239 --> 00:37:06,720 Speaker 1: greater interest and a lot more at stake in Ukraine 669 00:37:06,840 --> 00:37:11,680 Speaker 1: than we directly do. I guess that would be considered treason. Now, yeah, 670 00:37:11,719 --> 00:37:15,120 Speaker 1: let me read here from an Atlantic article with Obama 671 00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:19,160 Speaker 1: from twenty fifteen. Obama's theory here is simple. Ukraine is 672 00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:22,000 Speaker 1: a core Russian interest, but not an American one. So 673 00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:25,520 Speaker 1: Russia will always be able to maintain escalatory dominance there. 674 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:27,799 Speaker 1: The fact is is that Ukraine, which is not a 675 00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:30,920 Speaker 1: NATO country, is going to be vulnerable to military domination 676 00:37:31,239 --> 00:37:34,520 Speaker 1: by Russia no matter what we do. I asked Obama 677 00:37:34,560 --> 00:37:38,280 Speaker 1: whether his position on Ukraine was realistic or fatalistic. Quote. 678 00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:41,480 Speaker 1: It's realistic, Obama said, quote. This is an example of 679 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:43,520 Speaker 1: where we have to be very clear about what our 680 00:37:43,560 --> 00:37:46,279 Speaker 1: core interests are and what we are willing to go 681 00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:51,000 Speaker 1: to war. Four. In fact, he expounds even more. He says, 682 00:37:51,080 --> 00:37:53,359 Speaker 1: if there is somebody in this town that would claim 683 00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:56,000 Speaker 1: we would consider going to war with Russia over Crimea 684 00:37:56,080 --> 00:37:59,439 Speaker 1: and Eastern Ukraine, they should speak up and be very 685 00:37:59,680 --> 00:38:03,040 Speaker 1: clear about it. That is yeah, you know what, I agree, 686 00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:07,440 Speaker 1: mister president. And it's amazing that Democrats have shifted so 687 00:38:07,560 --> 00:38:10,000 Speaker 1: much on that. I sent you that polling data just 688 00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:14,919 Speaker 1: yesterday from a focused group in South Texas where Democratic 689 00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:18,560 Speaker 1: voters were actually more likely to say that the US 690 00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:22,840 Speaker 1: should send troops to Ukraine than the Republican group. I mean, personally, 691 00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:25,239 Speaker 1: I wish both groups would say that, no, that we 692 00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:28,600 Speaker 1: shouldn't be doing that. But there is of real cost 693 00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:33,280 Speaker 1: to years of you know, just Russia Gate, absolute madness 694 00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:35,760 Speaker 1: and you know, I've said this too. My great fear 695 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:38,400 Speaker 1: is that we will be distracted once again by the 696 00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:41,160 Speaker 1: problems of the old world while we continue to see 697 00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:45,040 Speaker 1: reshaping of the entire global order. I mean, the interests 698 00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:47,600 Speaker 1: of the United States do not lay in the long 699 00:38:47,680 --> 00:38:51,319 Speaker 1: term on the European continent. They lay in Asia. And 700 00:38:51,400 --> 00:38:55,320 Speaker 1: yet we continue to just be distracted by these internacing 701 00:38:55,520 --> 00:38:59,600 Speaker 1: ridiculous conflicts dating back to the sixteen and seventeen hundreds. 702 00:39:00,120 --> 00:39:02,480 Speaker 1: Not the powerhouse they once were. You know that Russia's 703 00:39:02,480 --> 00:39:06,560 Speaker 1: economy is the size of Spain. Spain, Okay, the Italians 704 00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:10,360 Speaker 1: are beating them like that takes skill in order to 705 00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:12,880 Speaker 1: lose to them economically, if you look at the grand 706 00:39:12,920 --> 00:39:16,200 Speaker 1: scheme of history, and yet we are continue to just 707 00:39:16,280 --> 00:39:20,080 Speaker 1: be so focused on them simply because they're closer and 708 00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:24,200 Speaker 1: we have more historical ties. We're missing the forest completely, wars, 709 00:39:24,239 --> 00:39:27,719 Speaker 1: culture war. I mean, listen, Russia is a proud nation 710 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:31,960 Speaker 1: and they feel like the justifiable part, the part that 711 00:39:32,040 --> 00:39:36,279 Speaker 1: you can understand is they just feel like they've been humiliated. Yeah, 712 00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:40,720 Speaker 1: I mean, I get it over and over again, and 713 00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:42,920 Speaker 1: you know that at some point they have to put 714 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:45,759 Speaker 1: their foot down. That does not excuse the aggression here, 715 00:39:45,840 --> 00:39:50,120 Speaker 1: which has led to an extraordinarily dangerous situation. But you 716 00:39:50,160 --> 00:39:53,480 Speaker 1: will certainly never hear that perspective on mainstream press. Yeah, 717 00:39:53,480 --> 00:39:55,839 Speaker 1: I mean you can. It's possible to say Putin is bad, 718 00:39:56,360 --> 00:40:00,440 Speaker 1: he has a fine point or he has you know, point, 719 00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:03,280 Speaker 1: whenever it comes to this particular angle. But now apparently 720 00:40:03,280 --> 00:40:05,080 Speaker 1: we got to go war because when you just treat 721 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:08,120 Speaker 1: someone as a caricature and you don't try to say, okay, 722 00:40:08,160 --> 00:40:10,439 Speaker 1: well here's a little bit of where they're coming from 723 00:40:10,480 --> 00:40:12,040 Speaker 1: and a little bit of where maybe we can see 724 00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:16,600 Speaker 1: their point, then you end up with hysterical overreactions because 725 00:40:16,640 --> 00:40:20,280 Speaker 1: how else do you deal with like an unmoored madman 726 00:40:20,440 --> 00:40:24,480 Speaker 1: who's just like acting in insane ways. Then, yeah, you 727 00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:26,440 Speaker 1: the only way you can deal with such a person 728 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:32,120 Speaker 1: is through potentially aggressive action. So by making this, creating 729 00:40:32,160 --> 00:40:36,840 Speaker 1: this caricaturish portrait of the Russian threat and of Putin 730 00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:40,359 Speaker 1: the mastermind and Putin the puppeteer, and Putin you know, 731 00:40:41,120 --> 00:40:45,720 Speaker 1: holding blackmail over Trump and basically de facto controlling our government, 732 00:40:46,320 --> 00:40:51,640 Speaker 1: that has created a significantly more more damaging and dangerous situation. 733 00:40:51,800 --> 00:40:56,319 Speaker 1: And unfortunately, democrats, I think especially, are more susceptible to 734 00:40:56,360 --> 00:41:03,960 Speaker 1: be cowed by liberal media in particular. Tell us more 735 00:41:03,960 --> 00:41:06,440 Speaker 1: about the media on this one. Let's talk about the media. Okay, 736 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:09,279 Speaker 1: So when last we brought you the latest updates about 737 00:41:09,320 --> 00:41:13,680 Speaker 1: the so called Havana syndrome. This is the allegation that 738 00:41:13,719 --> 00:41:19,520 Speaker 1: some nation, maybe Russia, probably Russia sager, has been running 739 00:41:19,520 --> 00:41:26,120 Speaker 1: around the globe with invisible microwave brain wave machines and 740 00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:32,760 Speaker 1: injuring random low level State Department people and other national 741 00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:36,840 Speaker 1: security state Americans. So it's named Havana syndrome because the 742 00:41:36,840 --> 00:41:39,920 Speaker 1: first allegations of this conduct came out of Havana, Cuba. 743 00:41:40,560 --> 00:41:44,640 Speaker 1: But now we have a new report from sixty minutes 744 00:41:44,760 --> 00:41:47,080 Speaker 1: that this is not just on foreign soil, it has 745 00:41:47,120 --> 00:41:50,160 Speaker 1: come here to the US. Let me start though, with 746 00:41:50,239 --> 00:41:55,000 Speaker 1: the fact that this has already been debunked, even by 747 00:41:55,080 --> 00:41:57,680 Speaker 1: the CIA. Let's throw this New York Times tear sheet 748 00:41:57,960 --> 00:42:03,720 Speaker 1: up on the screen. CIA says most Havana Syndrome cases 749 00:42:04,080 --> 00:42:07,440 Speaker 1: unlikely to have been caused by foreign power. A report 750 00:42:07,480 --> 00:42:11,000 Speaker 1: concluded most cases have environmental or medical causes, but the 751 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:15,840 Speaker 1: government Marines focused on investigating two dozen incidents that remain unexplained. 752 00:42:15,880 --> 00:42:20,000 Speaker 1: So even the CIA is saying, m I don't know 753 00:42:20,040 --> 00:42:22,880 Speaker 1: about this whole brainwave thing. This isn't really selling, so 754 00:42:23,239 --> 00:42:27,800 Speaker 1: we're gonna walk this back a little bit. Sixty minutes 755 00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:30,759 Speaker 1: was not deterred. However, are the world's most watched news 756 00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:33,520 Speaker 1: or sorry, America's most not watched news program I know 757 00:42:33,560 --> 00:42:35,799 Speaker 1: that may be surprising to some of you, but they're 758 00:42:35,840 --> 00:42:40,480 Speaker 1: still sticking with. They went deep on possible Havana syndrome cases. 759 00:42:40,520 --> 00:42:43,080 Speaker 1: We have a little bite of that, and they're going 760 00:42:43,160 --> 00:42:47,080 Speaker 1: to play for you the sound that they say is 761 00:42:47,120 --> 00:42:51,239 Speaker 1: associated with the brainwave machine. Let's take a listen to that. 762 00:42:51,840 --> 00:42:55,560 Speaker 1: This former official, who we agreed not to name, recorded 763 00:42:55,600 --> 00:42:59,879 Speaker 1: the sound at his home in Havana. Before we play it, 764 00:43:00,120 --> 00:43:04,719 Speaker 1: understand that the sound does not cause the injury. It 765 00:43:04,840 --> 00:43:08,080 Speaker 1: is a byproduct, like the sound of a gun, which 766 00:43:08,120 --> 00:43:12,080 Speaker 1: is not what does the harm. Here's what he recorded. 767 00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:23,480 Speaker 1: The injured officials we spoke with said the sound or 768 00:43:23,680 --> 00:43:27,880 Speaker 1: a feeling of pressure, came from one direction and focused 769 00:43:28,040 --> 00:43:33,080 Speaker 1: in one location. It was a continuous sound and one 770 00:43:33,120 --> 00:43:38,400 Speaker 1: that only changed based on my locations. They left it dissipated, 771 00:43:38,800 --> 00:43:42,600 Speaker 1: they returned it recurred that to us was something that 772 00:43:42,640 --> 00:43:45,839 Speaker 1: we had never heard of. We could not explain by 773 00:43:45,920 --> 00:43:50,719 Speaker 1: known medical or environmental conditions, and to us deserved our 774 00:43:50,800 --> 00:43:54,440 Speaker 1: special attention in an effort to understand what might be 775 00:43:54,480 --> 00:44:00,640 Speaker 1: the plausible mechanism. So let's talk about that sound. May 776 00:44:00,680 --> 00:44:04,239 Speaker 1: recall that I did a monologue previously about what this 777 00:44:04,520 --> 00:44:07,680 Speaker 1: sound was. This is not new information. If sixty minutes 778 00:44:07,680 --> 00:44:10,680 Speaker 1: had done like two minutes of googling, they might have 779 00:44:10,840 --> 00:44:16,200 Speaker 1: discovered that other analysts had already found. This sound is 780 00:44:16,640 --> 00:44:21,000 Speaker 1: literal crickets that are native to this area. We have 781 00:44:21,200 --> 00:44:24,719 Speaker 1: audio of those specific type of crickets and you can 782 00:44:24,719 --> 00:44:29,560 Speaker 1: compare for yourself how similar it is to their sound. 783 00:44:29,640 --> 00:44:32,000 Speaker 1: Havana syndrome sound that they played for sixty minutes. Let's 784 00:44:32,000 --> 00:44:43,760 Speaker 1: take a listen so that the ind these short tailed cricket. 785 00:44:43,880 --> 00:44:46,480 Speaker 1: I'm sorry if you now are stricken with Havana syndrome, 786 00:44:46,480 --> 00:44:48,439 Speaker 1: but the government will look out for you. You You can't 787 00:44:48,480 --> 00:44:51,280 Speaker 1: get medicare for all, but if you have been injured 788 00:44:51,320 --> 00:44:55,799 Speaker 1: by a fake CIA invented brain wave syndrome, they will 789 00:44:55,840 --> 00:44:58,759 Speaker 1: cover your medical expenses. So that's the upside there. And 790 00:44:58,800 --> 00:45:02,760 Speaker 1: this one portion I think just completely undermines the entire 791 00:45:03,239 --> 00:45:06,839 Speaker 1: report in the digging that they did here because How 792 00:45:06,880 --> 00:45:10,760 Speaker 1: can you have not done the googling to realize that 793 00:45:10,920 --> 00:45:15,160 Speaker 1: this sound has already been revealed to have been cricket. Yeah, 794 00:45:15,160 --> 00:45:17,840 Speaker 1: I just I can't imagine how they could run this story. 795 00:45:17,920 --> 00:45:20,480 Speaker 1: I mean, the CIA themselves. It's so those most of 796 00:45:20,520 --> 00:45:22,880 Speaker 1: the one thousand cases that have been reported to the 797 00:45:22,920 --> 00:45:28,480 Speaker 1: government itself are rather undiagnosed medical conditions or stress, and 798 00:45:29,040 --> 00:45:31,560 Speaker 1: I think that's what it comes down to. Clearly, our 799 00:45:31,600 --> 00:45:34,600 Speaker 1: diplomats are under some real pressure here because a lot 800 00:45:34,640 --> 00:45:38,040 Speaker 1: of them have undergone a true mass formation psychosis. To 801 00:45:38,120 --> 00:45:44,239 Speaker 1: think that they have had brain injuries demonetized. Yeah, sorry, yea, 802 00:45:44,360 --> 00:45:46,719 Speaker 1: having brain well it's not like our stuff doesn't get 803 00:45:46,760 --> 00:45:50,600 Speaker 1: demontized constantly anyway, but in order to have brainwave or 804 00:45:50,640 --> 00:45:53,560 Speaker 1: microwaves shot into their head in order to make them 805 00:45:53,880 --> 00:45:56,080 Speaker 1: you know, think this is stuff that even at the 806 00:45:56,120 --> 00:45:58,400 Speaker 1: height of the Cold War that we were probably most 807 00:45:58,800 --> 00:46:01,239 Speaker 1: paranoid about what was happening opening and even in those 808 00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:04,200 Speaker 1: cases it almost never turned out to be true. I 809 00:46:04,239 --> 00:46:07,040 Speaker 1: don't even know how it's possible to convince yourself that 810 00:46:07,080 --> 00:46:10,239 Speaker 1: you hear a cricket and then you've somehow undergone some 811 00:46:10,320 --> 00:46:13,520 Speaker 1: sort of episode and you're losing your mind. I think 812 00:46:13,560 --> 00:46:16,680 Speaker 1: all it can come down to is this, serving in 813 00:46:16,760 --> 00:46:20,719 Speaker 1: Russia or in Cuba or in elsewhere is probably stressful. 814 00:46:20,880 --> 00:46:22,920 Speaker 1: So I'm going to try and have some empathy. I've 815 00:46:22,960 --> 00:46:25,319 Speaker 1: read stories before about how the Russians will screw with 816 00:46:25,320 --> 00:46:27,839 Speaker 1: our diplomats, like apparently one guy took a dump on 817 00:46:27,840 --> 00:46:30,120 Speaker 1: the diplomat's floor and they're like, move your They'll move 818 00:46:30,120 --> 00:46:32,640 Speaker 1: your furniture around, and you think they killed somebody's dog 819 00:46:32,719 --> 00:46:35,520 Speaker 1: once to I'm not sugarcating it. I'm saying like, look, 820 00:46:35,560 --> 00:46:38,799 Speaker 1: they screw with our people pretty significantly. I don't know 821 00:46:38,880 --> 00:46:41,000 Speaker 1: if we do anything similar to them, you know, just 822 00:46:41,000 --> 00:46:43,480 Speaker 1: put it out there. Cuba, same thing, you know, you 823 00:46:43,520 --> 00:46:46,760 Speaker 1: get tailed around like wherever you're going, there are definitely 824 00:46:46,760 --> 00:46:49,960 Speaker 1: hardship posts. And so to those people, I sympathize. I 825 00:46:50,000 --> 00:46:52,480 Speaker 1: went to an international high school with some kids of 826 00:46:52,520 --> 00:46:54,440 Speaker 1: diplomats and they have, you know, weird lives. So like, 827 00:46:54,440 --> 00:46:56,759 Speaker 1: I don't want to sugarcoat that or yeah, I don't 828 00:46:56,760 --> 00:46:59,440 Speaker 1: want to say that what they're undergoing isn't stressful, but 829 00:46:59,600 --> 00:47:02,799 Speaker 1: that's SEMs to be the precondition through which you can 830 00:47:02,840 --> 00:47:05,880 Speaker 1: then convince yourself that a freaking cricket is like an 831 00:47:05,920 --> 00:47:09,479 Speaker 1: attack upon you when you're already in this heightened state 832 00:47:09,480 --> 00:47:12,560 Speaker 1: of alertness. The real criminals, Crystal are the media and 833 00:47:12,640 --> 00:47:15,600 Speaker 1: the CIA and the government for taking these people seriously 834 00:47:15,880 --> 00:47:17,680 Speaker 1: and being like, why I just come on home in 835 00:47:17,760 --> 00:47:19,879 Speaker 1: Washington for a couple of years, live in the note 836 00:47:19,920 --> 00:47:22,799 Speaker 1: with suburbs, just chill out a little while. Yeah. Well, 837 00:47:22,840 --> 00:47:25,880 Speaker 1: And the other thing is that, I mean, we see this. 838 00:47:25,960 --> 00:47:29,880 Speaker 1: We've talked about this with regards to vaccine side effects. 839 00:47:29,920 --> 00:47:32,440 Speaker 1: Just because someone gets a vaccine and then they have 840 00:47:32,480 --> 00:47:35,520 Speaker 1: some physical ailment, ye, does not mean the vaccine cause 841 00:47:35,600 --> 00:47:40,080 Speaker 1: the physical alan. Just like if you hear crickets and 842 00:47:40,120 --> 00:47:43,279 Speaker 1: then you have some true physical problem, it does not 843 00:47:43,480 --> 00:47:47,040 Speaker 1: mean that the crickets caused the problem. You know, you 844 00:47:47,120 --> 00:47:50,480 Speaker 1: have a lot of people who work in the US government, 845 00:47:50,680 --> 00:47:53,480 Speaker 1: in the State Department and in all of our natural 846 00:47:53,480 --> 00:47:57,080 Speaker 1: security agencies, and some of them are going to have 847 00:47:57,080 --> 00:47:59,920 Speaker 1: a situation where they hear a cricket and then un 848 00:48:00,200 --> 00:48:04,960 Speaker 1: related have a legitimate physical issue. And human beings are 849 00:48:04,960 --> 00:48:08,880 Speaker 1: pretty bad at sort of sussing out cause effect, right, 850 00:48:09,280 --> 00:48:12,240 Speaker 1: And this is I mean, this is just throughout human history, 851 00:48:12,560 --> 00:48:16,760 Speaker 1: something unusual happens and then you feel a physical ailment. 852 00:48:16,880 --> 00:48:20,239 Speaker 1: It's very natural to connect those two things, which is 853 00:48:20,320 --> 00:48:22,839 Speaker 1: why the report from the government that looked into these 854 00:48:22,960 --> 00:48:25,759 Speaker 1: define okay, is there's something really going on here is 855 00:48:25,800 --> 00:48:29,000 Speaker 1: so important because here's the other piece is if you're 856 00:48:29,040 --> 00:48:34,800 Speaker 1: going to allege something as extraordinary as these microwave brain 857 00:48:34,960 --> 00:48:42,640 Speaker 1: wave machines injuring routinely injuring State Department employees, you should 858 00:48:42,680 --> 00:48:46,399 Speaker 1: have some real significant evidence and active war. Actually it's 859 00:48:46,400 --> 00:48:50,120 Speaker 1: an active war. It's an extraordinary claim. What sixty minutes 860 00:48:50,160 --> 00:48:52,840 Speaker 1: talks about here is people who allege this happen to 861 00:48:52,880 --> 00:48:56,480 Speaker 1: them at the White House. So again that even ups it, 862 00:48:56,800 --> 00:48:59,319 Speaker 1: you know, considerably, where it's like, okay, well if they 863 00:48:59,360 --> 00:49:04,080 Speaker 1: can do that to you random national security official walking 864 00:49:04,080 --> 00:49:05,799 Speaker 1: out of the White House, like they could do that 865 00:49:05,840 --> 00:49:08,080 Speaker 1: to the president, they could do that to the vice president. 866 00:49:08,640 --> 00:49:10,880 Speaker 1: If you're going to levy that kind of a charge, 867 00:49:11,320 --> 00:49:14,839 Speaker 1: you got to have some actual evidence to back up that. 868 00:49:14,840 --> 00:49:19,200 Speaker 1: That is what is happening instead as their evidence. And 869 00:49:19,280 --> 00:49:22,040 Speaker 1: this was like the you know, dramatic moment I watched 870 00:49:22,080 --> 00:49:25,200 Speaker 1: this whole thing. You're welcome, This was like the dramatic 871 00:49:25,280 --> 00:49:29,560 Speaker 1: crescendo of this entire piece. Is them playing the cricket 872 00:49:29,600 --> 00:49:32,600 Speaker 1: noise as their evidence that this is you know that 873 00:49:32,680 --> 00:49:35,879 Speaker 1: this is a real phenomenon, and here's the proof. If 874 00:49:35,880 --> 00:49:38,719 Speaker 1: that's all you got, then you know it's not a 875 00:49:38,840 --> 00:49:40,440 Speaker 1: not a good sign and it should cause you to 876 00:49:40,520 --> 00:49:44,000 Speaker 1: question not only this particular report, but literally everything else 877 00:49:44,040 --> 00:49:47,880 Speaker 1: that they do. All right, we got to update you 878 00:49:48,080 --> 00:49:53,400 Speaker 1: on our former President Trump. It's big social media effort. 879 00:49:53,920 --> 00:49:58,480 Speaker 1: You know, he announces the thing truth social and some 880 00:49:58,520 --> 00:50:02,160 Speaker 1: of the first things we learn, Devin Newness is the 881 00:50:02,239 --> 00:50:07,359 Speaker 1: CEO hilarious. Another thing we learn is that I guess 882 00:50:07,400 --> 00:50:09,600 Speaker 1: the tech for it was basically just like ripped off 883 00:50:09,840 --> 00:50:16,120 Speaker 1: from another platform. It's basically Twitter only supposedly free speech, 884 00:50:17,080 --> 00:50:20,280 Speaker 1: except they also have I guess hired like an AI 885 00:50:20,360 --> 00:50:24,200 Speaker 1: company to you know, police some speech that's on the platform. 886 00:50:24,560 --> 00:50:30,400 Speaker 1: So this thing launches yesterday, yesterday, yes yesterday, and on 887 00:50:30,440 --> 00:50:34,040 Speaker 1: the app store, on the Apple App Store, and it 888 00:50:34,080 --> 00:50:36,239 Speaker 1: does not go well, go ahead and put the stair 889 00:50:36,320 --> 00:50:39,600 Speaker 1: sheet up on the screen. Something went wrong. Trum's Twitter 890 00:50:39,680 --> 00:50:45,360 Speaker 1: knockoff suffers bumpy launch. All kinds of people reported. First 891 00:50:45,360 --> 00:50:48,080 Speaker 1: of all, they couldn't sign up at all. It just 892 00:50:48,080 --> 00:50:52,200 Speaker 1: said something went wrong, please try again. Then if they persisted, 893 00:50:52,920 --> 00:50:56,640 Speaker 1: really determined to get on to truth Social. They keep trying. 894 00:50:56,800 --> 00:51:00,600 Speaker 1: Eventually they might create an account, they might be able 895 00:51:00,640 --> 00:51:04,160 Speaker 1: to enter a log in and password, but then they're 896 00:51:04,280 --> 00:51:09,040 Speaker 1: routed to like they get a screenshot on their phone 897 00:51:09,520 --> 00:51:12,960 Speaker 1: that says they're in a wait list. I tried this 898 00:51:13,080 --> 00:51:19,040 Speaker 1: yesterday and where so I here's my experience. First of all, 899 00:51:19,200 --> 00:51:21,799 Speaker 1: I got the something went wrong thing a couple times. 900 00:51:22,080 --> 00:51:24,759 Speaker 1: Then I get through the first step and it says 901 00:51:24,800 --> 00:51:26,120 Speaker 1: we're going to you know, We're going to send you 902 00:51:26,160 --> 00:51:29,160 Speaker 1: an email and verify your email. That email never comes. 903 00:51:30,080 --> 00:51:33,120 Speaker 1: I do it again and that one does go through, 904 00:51:33,320 --> 00:51:35,440 Speaker 1: and then eventually, like two hours later, I get the 905 00:51:35,440 --> 00:51:38,920 Speaker 1: original email. So I get the first verification email. I 906 00:51:38,960 --> 00:51:42,200 Speaker 1: click on it and it takes me to the screen 907 00:51:42,480 --> 00:51:46,600 Speaker 1: where it informs me, thank you for joining. Due to 908 00:51:46,760 --> 00:51:48,839 Speaker 1: massive demand, we have placed you on our weightlist. We 909 00:51:48,880 --> 00:51:51,480 Speaker 1: love you and you're not just another number to us. 910 00:51:53,680 --> 00:51:57,080 Speaker 1: But your weight list number is below two hundred and 911 00:51:57,200 --> 00:52:01,080 Speaker 1: forty five hundred and forty one. My favorite part of 912 00:52:01,120 --> 00:52:05,400 Speaker 1: this is it has a little like button that looks 913 00:52:05,400 --> 00:52:07,560 Speaker 1: like you can refresh where you are in the wait list, 914 00:52:07,640 --> 00:52:09,640 Speaker 1: but it doesn't actually do it. Oh, it doesn't work 915 00:52:09,680 --> 00:52:11,600 Speaker 1: it's just a photo. Yeah, it's just a photo of 916 00:52:11,640 --> 00:52:13,359 Speaker 1: a button that might make you think that they would 917 00:52:13,440 --> 00:52:17,680 Speaker 1: update you. And then the other part of this is 918 00:52:18,400 --> 00:52:24,080 Speaker 1: apparently so. When Devin Nunyez CEO was asked about how 919 00:52:24,120 --> 00:52:26,000 Speaker 1: this is all going and when the bugs might be 920 00:52:26,080 --> 00:52:29,400 Speaker 1: worked out, he said, they hope to have the bugs 921 00:52:29,440 --> 00:52:32,520 Speaker 1: worked out by the end of March. That's the time brain. 922 00:52:32,640 --> 00:52:34,440 Speaker 1: This is the part I don't understand. Why did they 923 00:52:34,520 --> 00:52:38,240 Speaker 1: launch this right now? There is no reason to lammoring 924 00:52:38,239 --> 00:52:39,759 Speaker 1: for this right now? Just like you know what I 925 00:52:39,840 --> 00:52:42,759 Speaker 1: need truth social in my life. That's exactly what I mean. 926 00:52:43,160 --> 00:52:46,080 Speaker 1: This is obviously a colossal failure. You're much more brave 927 00:52:46,160 --> 00:52:47,880 Speaker 1: than I am. I would never put that thing on 928 00:52:47,920 --> 00:52:50,600 Speaker 1: my phone. There's no way I would trust whatever idiots 929 00:52:50,640 --> 00:52:52,680 Speaker 1: are running this thing in order to say that the 930 00:52:52,760 --> 00:52:55,479 Speaker 1: security permissions or whatever. I don't think they're compident enough 931 00:52:55,520 --> 00:52:58,200 Speaker 1: to have, like, you know, any sort of security. Maybe 932 00:52:58,200 --> 00:53:00,359 Speaker 1: you're right, but then there's obviously going to be some 933 00:53:00,480 --> 00:53:03,200 Speaker 1: you know, massive gap or whatever for data that some 934 00:53:03,440 --> 00:53:06,680 Speaker 1: Chinese hacker will exploit. So great, I don't I don't 935 00:53:06,880 --> 00:53:09,680 Speaker 1: want to touch that thing on my phone. Look, I 936 00:53:09,800 --> 00:53:12,640 Speaker 1: just think this is emblematic of everything Trump touches. I mean, 937 00:53:12,719 --> 00:53:15,719 Speaker 1: everything the guy does is half asked, is you know, 938 00:53:15,800 --> 00:53:18,960 Speaker 1: done in a most ridiculous way possible. But at the 939 00:53:18,960 --> 00:53:22,040 Speaker 1: same time, you can never underestimate his power. Truth Social 940 00:53:22,160 --> 00:53:24,279 Speaker 1: was one of the top most downloaded apps in the 941 00:53:24,280 --> 00:53:27,759 Speaker 1: Free story yesterday, so it's not like people didn't use it. 942 00:53:27,800 --> 00:53:31,719 Speaker 1: I think it certainly will garner users. I mean, my 943 00:53:31,840 --> 00:53:34,240 Speaker 1: bigger problem with it is that the company is shady 944 00:53:34,239 --> 00:53:37,200 Speaker 1: as hell in terms of its actual financing. It's through 945 00:53:37,400 --> 00:53:40,040 Speaker 1: a s pack, so they don't have to disclose a 946 00:53:40,080 --> 00:53:42,440 Speaker 1: lot of this stuff. There's some questions around whether it's 947 00:53:42,440 --> 00:53:45,200 Speaker 1: even okay for the former president to even be involved 948 00:53:45,239 --> 00:53:48,600 Speaker 1: in this regarding sec and then also the company that's 949 00:53:48,640 --> 00:53:51,799 Speaker 1: taking it public has shares which are going up by 950 00:53:51,840 --> 00:53:54,560 Speaker 1: a lot, So there's lots of many billions of dollars 951 00:53:54,600 --> 00:53:58,399 Speaker 1: to be made from this company. So look all of it. 952 00:53:58,440 --> 00:54:00,799 Speaker 1: Is it a serious competitor Twitter? I don't think so. 953 00:54:01,160 --> 00:54:03,480 Speaker 1: I mean, all of these getters, Twitters, all of them 954 00:54:03,520 --> 00:54:06,760 Speaker 1: just copy the functionality of these websites, not actually adding 955 00:54:06,800 --> 00:54:10,040 Speaker 1: anything new as to what's happening. I mean, And at 956 00:54:10,040 --> 00:54:13,000 Speaker 1: the same time, didn't we already see that it's possible, well, 957 00:54:13,000 --> 00:54:16,320 Speaker 1: their terms of service have not yet been scrutinized or whatever. 958 00:54:16,440 --> 00:54:19,359 Speaker 1: But it's not like we all don't know that they're 959 00:54:19,400 --> 00:54:22,439 Speaker 1: going to have their own kind of probably ridiculous type 960 00:54:22,440 --> 00:54:25,280 Speaker 1: of censorship regime. All for the idea here of being 961 00:54:25,680 --> 00:54:29,600 Speaker 1: explicitly like pro truth, anti censorship, But then can you 962 00:54:29,640 --> 00:54:32,200 Speaker 1: go on, can you say anything bad about Trump himself, 963 00:54:32,200 --> 00:54:35,239 Speaker 1: who's literally the owner of the company. That's how I 964 00:54:35,280 --> 00:54:38,399 Speaker 1: always see these things playing out. We'll see. I mean, look, 965 00:54:38,440 --> 00:54:40,440 Speaker 1: I would love to see an alternative. I just don't 966 00:54:40,440 --> 00:54:43,120 Speaker 1: think it really exists in its current format. We talked 967 00:54:43,120 --> 00:54:45,440 Speaker 1: about this whenever it came to Rumble and to Joe Rogan, 968 00:54:45,560 --> 00:54:48,680 Speaker 1: So I think it plagues the same problem. And personally 969 00:54:48,719 --> 00:54:52,120 Speaker 1: I will never be downloading truth social I'll just lay 970 00:54:52,160 --> 00:54:55,799 Speaker 1: the marker out there. Yeah you should. Yeah, this is 971 00:54:55,840 --> 00:54:59,600 Speaker 1: the issue with any of these companies that are like, 972 00:54:59,719 --> 00:55:02,960 Speaker 1: we're to be like YouTube accept. Yes, we're you know, 973 00:55:03,080 --> 00:55:05,239 Speaker 1: going to have different terms of service. Basically we're gonna 974 00:55:05,239 --> 00:55:08,680 Speaker 1: be like Twitter accept, because what you end up doing 975 00:55:08,840 --> 00:55:11,000 Speaker 1: is people have a lot invested in Twitter. I mean, 976 00:55:11,000 --> 00:55:12,800 Speaker 1: if you've been on there a long time, the whole 977 00:55:12,840 --> 00:55:16,680 Speaker 1: benefit of a social media platform is your social connections, 978 00:55:16,719 --> 00:55:18,520 Speaker 1: and that the people you want to follow are also 979 00:55:18,560 --> 00:55:21,000 Speaker 1: on that platform. So the people who are going to 980 00:55:21,120 --> 00:55:24,440 Speaker 1: move to the new you know, whether it's Getter or 981 00:55:24,520 --> 00:55:27,279 Speaker 1: truth Social or whatever it is, outside of people like 982 00:55:27,320 --> 00:55:29,879 Speaker 1: me who are just curious about whether it actually works 983 00:55:30,000 --> 00:55:32,400 Speaker 1: or not, are going to be people who are like 984 00:55:32,640 --> 00:55:36,240 Speaker 1: the most die hard, and so you're going to get 985 00:55:36,320 --> 00:55:40,920 Speaker 1: a pretty like narrow breadth of conversation in a lot 986 00:55:40,960 --> 00:55:44,120 Speaker 1: of these places. The reason why somewhere like Substack has 987 00:55:44,120 --> 00:55:46,720 Speaker 1: been successful is because they weren't just like, oh, we're 988 00:55:46,760 --> 00:55:48,920 Speaker 1: just you know, we're about free speech. They are about that, 989 00:55:49,000 --> 00:55:52,200 Speaker 1: and they've been very consistent, very great props them. Absolutely, 990 00:55:52,239 --> 00:55:54,520 Speaker 1: I think they're you know, I think they've also created 991 00:55:54,560 --> 00:55:57,480 Speaker 1: a product that served a genuine need and they expanded 992 00:55:57,480 --> 00:55:59,759 Speaker 1: the market. They created something that's new, you know, So 993 00:55:59,800 --> 00:56:03,760 Speaker 1: that that's why they have As much as the content 994 00:56:03,840 --> 00:56:06,840 Speaker 1: on there they've tried to characterize it in the mainstream 995 00:56:06,880 --> 00:56:09,000 Speaker 1: press is like fringe and it's just full of anti 996 00:56:09,040 --> 00:56:11,560 Speaker 1: vaxxers and all this, that's not remotely the case. I mean, 997 00:56:11,600 --> 00:56:16,400 Speaker 1: the most popular politics newsletter on there is like a 998 00:56:16,400 --> 00:56:21,919 Speaker 1: liberal resistence cringe. Yeah, it's like historical whatever, and that's great. 999 00:56:22,000 --> 00:56:23,960 Speaker 1: There's a bunch of never trumpers on there who have 1000 00:56:24,120 --> 00:56:28,160 Speaker 1: gigantic platforms and are wildly successful. So it truly has 1001 00:56:28,840 --> 00:56:32,840 Speaker 1: a large ideological breadth because it served a general, genuine 1002 00:56:32,960 --> 00:56:36,319 Speaker 1: need and helped to expand the market. So those sorts 1003 00:56:36,360 --> 00:56:38,800 Speaker 1: of plays, to me, are a lot more interesting putting 1004 00:56:38,800 --> 00:56:41,480 Speaker 1: Trump aside of it. And I do think, you know, 1005 00:56:41,920 --> 00:56:45,799 Speaker 1: having a politician run a suppose with an interest in 1006 00:56:45,840 --> 00:56:50,520 Speaker 1: potentially getting elected president again, running a supposedly free speech site, 1007 00:56:50,920 --> 00:56:52,880 Speaker 1: that doesn't seem like something you should have a lot 1008 00:56:52,920 --> 00:56:56,400 Speaker 1: of confidence. Yeah, And also just the idea anything branded 1009 00:56:56,440 --> 00:56:59,160 Speaker 1: as truth is cringe. You know, somebody put this out there. 1010 00:56:59,160 --> 00:57:01,560 Speaker 1: It would have been funny to call it cafefe. That 1011 00:57:01,600 --> 00:57:05,160 Speaker 1: actually would have been funny. That's funny. You know, Trump 1012 00:57:05,200 --> 00:57:08,040 Speaker 1: famously tweeted this. It actually would have had it a 1013 00:57:08,040 --> 00:57:10,120 Speaker 1: little bit more of an oomph to the brand. This 1014 00:57:10,239 --> 00:57:13,520 Speaker 1: is just explicitly kind of like a boomer targeted app. 1015 00:57:13,560 --> 00:57:16,160 Speaker 1: And then anybody who is already aligned with Trump, so 1016 00:57:16,200 --> 00:57:18,160 Speaker 1: you're actually putting a ceiling on your market. When the 1017 00:57:18,160 --> 00:57:20,400 Speaker 1: whole point of social media is to have a network 1018 00:57:20,400 --> 00:57:23,720 Speaker 1: effect where the entire planet becomes and joins your platform. 1019 00:57:23,760 --> 00:57:26,160 Speaker 1: So yeah, look that's the business analysis of this thing. 1020 00:57:26,480 --> 00:57:28,760 Speaker 1: Non surprise in order to see it rolled out terribly, 1021 00:57:29,200 --> 00:57:33,000 Speaker 1: not unlike the Trump administration at all. So yeah, indeed 1022 00:57:33,280 --> 00:57:36,040 Speaker 1: funny to see. All right, guys, another story that I'm 1023 00:57:36,240 --> 00:57:40,040 Speaker 1: going to try to explain. So I'm not a golfer, 1024 00:57:40,400 --> 00:57:43,160 Speaker 1: and until like this year, I knew nothing about golf. 1025 00:57:43,480 --> 00:57:47,760 Speaker 1: Kyle though, has Golf Channel on in the background all 1026 00:57:47,800 --> 00:57:50,280 Speaker 1: the time, like he's an eighty two year old man. Okay, 1027 00:57:50,760 --> 00:57:53,480 Speaker 1: Golf Channel and Weather Channel. So I've learned a little bit, 1028 00:57:53,520 --> 00:57:55,400 Speaker 1: and so I knew a little bit of the backstory 1029 00:57:55,480 --> 00:57:59,160 Speaker 1: about this new super golf league that is trying to 1030 00:57:59,160 --> 00:58:03,680 Speaker 1: get off the ground with major backing from the Kingdom 1031 00:58:03,800 --> 00:58:06,040 Speaker 1: of Saudi Arabia. Main source of funding for this thing 1032 00:58:06,120 --> 00:58:09,360 Speaker 1: is the public Investment Fund of Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund 1033 00:58:09,360 --> 00:58:13,040 Speaker 1: that totals more than four hundred billion dollars. So there's 1034 00:58:13,080 --> 00:58:16,600 Speaker 1: been this divide in the golf community because this new 1035 00:58:16,800 --> 00:58:19,280 Speaker 1: upstart league is trying to throw a ton of cash 1036 00:58:19,320 --> 00:58:21,920 Speaker 1: at them and tell them, like, you know, try to 1037 00:58:22,000 --> 00:58:24,080 Speaker 1: lure the top players over, telling them you're going to 1038 00:58:24,120 --> 00:58:26,320 Speaker 1: get more money, you're gonna have more rights you're gonna 1039 00:58:26,360 --> 00:58:29,560 Speaker 1: have war, say, And so there's been a very interesting 1040 00:58:29,600 --> 00:58:31,960 Speaker 1: split in the golf community about who's willing to just 1041 00:58:32,040 --> 00:58:34,880 Speaker 1: like throw any principles to the side in pursuit of 1042 00:58:34,920 --> 00:58:38,680 Speaker 1: the cash, and who either because they're sort of invested 1043 00:58:38,720 --> 00:58:41,200 Speaker 1: in the PGA or because maybe they have a principle 1044 00:58:41,280 --> 00:58:43,680 Speaker 1: or two, is like, no, that's not for me. So 1045 00:58:44,000 --> 00:58:46,160 Speaker 1: the big story that is making waves here has to 1046 00:58:46,160 --> 00:58:48,160 Speaker 1: do with Phil Mickelson. Let's go ahead and put this 1047 00:58:48,200 --> 00:58:51,200 Speaker 1: New York Times story there up on the screen. He 1048 00:58:51,440 --> 00:58:56,040 Speaker 1: praises Saudi backed golf tour despite Koshogi killing. So a 1049 00:58:56,040 --> 00:59:00,920 Speaker 1: biographer had an interview with Mickelson and asked him, Michelson 1050 00:59:00,960 --> 00:59:03,320 Speaker 1: has been, you know, one of the top boosters of 1051 00:59:03,360 --> 00:59:05,480 Speaker 1: this Super Golf League and just sort of like, you know, 1052 00:59:05,520 --> 00:59:08,320 Speaker 1: shamelessly in it for the additional cash, even though he 1053 00:59:08,400 --> 00:59:12,080 Speaker 1: is already an extraordinarily wealthy person. And his comments were 1054 00:59:12,360 --> 00:59:17,120 Speaker 1: really quite something. This is from direct quote from the biographer. 1055 00:59:17,160 --> 00:59:19,800 Speaker 1: They say he didn't pretend to be excited about hitching 1056 00:59:19,840 --> 00:59:23,000 Speaker 1: his fortunes to Saudi Arabia, admitting that the Super Golf 1057 00:59:23,040 --> 00:59:25,840 Speaker 1: League was nothing more than what he called sportswashing by 1058 00:59:25,840 --> 00:59:30,400 Speaker 1: a brutally repressive regime quote their scary motherfuckers to get 1059 00:59:30,400 --> 00:59:34,280 Speaker 1: involved with. He said, we know they killed Kushogi and 1060 00:59:34,320 --> 00:59:37,480 Speaker 1: have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people 1061 00:59:37,560 --> 00:59:40,480 Speaker 1: over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why 1062 00:59:40,480 --> 00:59:43,280 Speaker 1: would I even consider it? Because this is a once 1063 00:59:43,320 --> 00:59:49,000 Speaker 1: in a lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates, 1064 00:59:49,320 --> 00:59:54,200 Speaker 1: so pretty remarkable, and in a way, I think it 1065 00:59:54,280 --> 00:59:56,840 Speaker 1: seems like this has sort of solidified most of the 1066 00:59:56,880 --> 01:00:00,480 Speaker 1: top golfers against the Super Golf League because then, of 1067 01:00:00,480 --> 01:00:02,440 Speaker 1: course there are all a lot of pressures put on 1068 01:00:02,480 --> 01:00:04,520 Speaker 1: all of them to basically take a stand on this thing, 1069 01:00:04,560 --> 01:00:07,520 Speaker 1: and so we've had more players come out and say no, 1070 01:00:07,720 --> 01:00:10,919 Speaker 1: I'm sticking with the PGA. Ultimately, I'm going to throw 1071 01:00:10,920 --> 01:00:13,240 Speaker 1: it to Kyle, though, who is the expert. He did 1072 01:00:13,280 --> 01:00:16,040 Speaker 1: a whole segment on his channel Secular Talk breaking down 1073 01:00:16,120 --> 01:00:19,160 Speaker 1: what Mickelson's actual thinking and complaints are here, which goes 1074 01:00:19,200 --> 01:00:21,240 Speaker 1: way into the war into the weeds than what I know. 1075 01:00:21,560 --> 01:00:23,960 Speaker 1: Let's take a listen to what Kyle had to say. So, 1076 01:00:24,280 --> 01:00:27,000 Speaker 1: what's his gripe with the tour? Well, he thinks the 1077 01:00:27,000 --> 01:00:30,000 Speaker 1: players are getting screwed because he says, well, the media 1078 01:00:30,040 --> 01:00:32,680 Speaker 1: rights of the tour are owned by the tour, and 1079 01:00:32,720 --> 01:00:36,880 Speaker 1: so basically we're underpaid for the value that we bring in. 1080 01:00:37,360 --> 01:00:41,200 Speaker 1: That's the argument that he makes. Now, the way it 1081 01:00:41,200 --> 01:00:43,959 Speaker 1: actually works is the PGA Tour works like virtually every 1082 01:00:44,000 --> 01:00:47,640 Speaker 1: other pro sports league with a minor difference. Now, this 1083 01:00:47,720 --> 01:00:50,560 Speaker 1: minor difference does make the tour worse in my opinion, 1084 01:00:50,680 --> 01:00:53,920 Speaker 1: but it is pretty much the only difference between the 1085 01:00:53,960 --> 01:00:57,520 Speaker 1: PGA Tour and other pro tours pro league sports leagues, 1086 01:00:58,120 --> 01:01:00,400 Speaker 1: about fifty five percent of the money of the media 1087 01:01:00,480 --> 01:01:04,240 Speaker 1: rights goes to the players, forty five percent goes to 1088 01:01:04,520 --> 01:01:07,440 Speaker 1: the tour. It's about the same for other leagues. The 1089 01:01:07,440 --> 01:01:10,080 Speaker 1: difference is on the PGA Tour you have independent contractors 1090 01:01:10,080 --> 01:01:13,640 Speaker 1: and not employees, so you know, they they make their 1091 01:01:13,680 --> 01:01:17,960 Speaker 1: own schedule and they're not technically employees, which, as you 1092 01:01:18,000 --> 01:01:19,840 Speaker 1: all know from previous segments we've covered that means you 1093 01:01:19,880 --> 01:01:22,680 Speaker 1: don't have certain labor protections that you would have if 1094 01:01:22,720 --> 01:01:24,840 Speaker 1: you were categorized as an employee. If your categorize is 1095 01:01:24,840 --> 01:01:27,120 Speaker 1: an employee, there are more perks and benefits that go 1096 01:01:27,160 --> 01:01:29,800 Speaker 1: along with that. I don't know what the situation is 1097 01:01:29,840 --> 01:01:31,920 Speaker 1: like on the PGA tour with who gets healthcare and 1098 01:01:31,920 --> 01:01:36,480 Speaker 1: who doesn't. But you know, Phil worth four hundred million dollars, 1099 01:01:36,520 --> 01:01:39,040 Speaker 1: makes about fifty million dollars a year, and he's complaining 1100 01:01:39,040 --> 01:01:43,400 Speaker 1: effectively that he's underpaid. Yeah, it looks very clear to 1101 01:01:43,440 --> 01:01:45,560 Speaker 1: me this is a money grab. I mean, Phil Mickelson 1102 01:01:45,600 --> 01:01:48,560 Speaker 1: is a one hundred millionaire many times. Now. What I 1103 01:01:48,560 --> 01:01:51,720 Speaker 1: did see is that apparently as a big gambling problem. 1104 01:01:51,840 --> 01:01:53,800 Speaker 1: And so if people are like, maybe he does actually 1105 01:01:53,880 --> 01:01:55,720 Speaker 1: mean the money. But if you've got that kind of 1106 01:01:55,760 --> 01:01:58,840 Speaker 1: a gambling problem of you know, ten or twenty or whatever, 1107 01:01:58,920 --> 01:02:02,640 Speaker 1: extra million is not the answer, you know, working on 1108 01:02:02,680 --> 01:02:07,520 Speaker 1: yourself as probably the answer here. Rory mceilroy is another 1109 01:02:07,560 --> 01:02:10,919 Speaker 1: top golfer, was asked about Michelson's comments, let's go ahead 1110 01:02:10,960 --> 01:02:13,240 Speaker 1: and put that up on the screen. He says, I 1111 01:02:13,320 --> 01:02:15,800 Speaker 1: don't want to kick someone while he's down, obviously, but 1112 01:02:16,440 --> 01:02:20,160 Speaker 1: I thought the comments were naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant. It 1113 01:02:20,240 --> 01:02:22,720 Speaker 1: was just very surprising and disappointing, sad. I'm sure he's 1114 01:02:22,720 --> 01:02:25,800 Speaker 1: sitting at home sort of rethinking his position and where 1115 01:02:26,000 --> 01:02:28,760 Speaker 1: he goes from here. And I thought it was important, 1116 01:02:28,840 --> 01:02:30,520 Speaker 1: and you thought it was important to cover this because 1117 01:02:30,520 --> 01:02:37,120 Speaker 1: we've talked about where companies and NBA players Ron James 1118 01:02:37,360 --> 01:02:41,440 Speaker 1: right have been unwilling to criticize China because of their paychecks, 1119 01:02:41,520 --> 01:02:44,840 Speaker 1: and now you have a similar phenomenon among some golfers. 1120 01:02:44,880 --> 01:02:48,120 Speaker 1: Although now the majority of top golfers have overwhelmingly come 1121 01:02:48,160 --> 01:02:49,920 Speaker 1: out and said, now we're not going in this direction. 1122 01:02:50,560 --> 01:02:53,440 Speaker 1: And then, of course the other piece of this is 1123 01:02:53,600 --> 01:02:56,880 Speaker 1: guess who is angling for a piece of the action? Yeah? Who? 1124 01:02:57,560 --> 01:03:01,800 Speaker 1: President Trump's put this up on the screen. Trump properties 1125 01:03:01,840 --> 01:03:06,960 Speaker 1: in talks to host lucrative Saudi golf events, and there 1126 01:03:07,080 --> 01:03:09,000 Speaker 1: it says they're angling to host these events at his 1127 01:03:09,120 --> 01:03:12,320 Speaker 1: golf courses, recording three people familiar with the matter, potentially 1128 01:03:12,360 --> 01:03:15,120 Speaker 1: handing Trump a lucrative business partnership with an oppressive regime 1129 01:03:15,160 --> 01:03:20,320 Speaker 1: that he consistently defended as president. I forgot they detailed 1130 01:03:20,360 --> 01:03:25,440 Speaker 1: in this article. I forgot that the PGA had pulled 1131 01:03:25,960 --> 01:03:29,640 Speaker 1: a couple events from his properties. That's right. So it's 1132 01:03:29,640 --> 01:03:32,400 Speaker 1: not just that he likes the Saudis. That was his 1133 01:03:32,440 --> 01:03:35,120 Speaker 1: first forward trip overseas. He was very cozy with them, 1134 01:03:35,840 --> 01:03:38,480 Speaker 1: very restrained when it came to the Kushoki killing, basically 1135 01:03:38,480 --> 01:03:40,640 Speaker 1: say we'll never know what really happened. We know exactly 1136 01:03:40,680 --> 01:03:44,760 Speaker 1: what happened. But also there's sort of like potential revenge 1137 01:03:45,040 --> 01:03:48,160 Speaker 1: in it for him against the PGA who had pulled 1138 01:03:48,840 --> 01:03:52,320 Speaker 1: two of their events from his properties. So pretty got 1139 01:03:52,360 --> 01:03:54,840 Speaker 1: to get into the grid. See your Trump business angle 1140 01:03:54,880 --> 01:03:57,480 Speaker 1: for the Saudi business, especially when Jared Kushner is out 1141 01:03:57,480 --> 01:04:00,000 Speaker 1: there shaking his hat out there for more Saudi money 1142 01:04:00,080 --> 01:04:03,720 Speaker 1: in his private investment group. Meanwhile, Trump's own Treasury Secretory, 1143 01:04:03,720 --> 01:04:07,840 Speaker 1: Steve Newstan, actually has received Saudi money. I cannot believe 1144 01:04:07,920 --> 01:04:11,880 Speaker 1: that we are even allowing this foreign regime of which 1145 01:04:12,040 --> 01:04:15,720 Speaker 1: you know, has exported terrorism here for many years, to 1146 01:04:15,960 --> 01:04:20,120 Speaker 1: then try and compete with the PGA by financing billions 1147 01:04:20,120 --> 01:04:24,000 Speaker 1: of dollars to take over this prestigious area of American 1148 01:04:24,040 --> 01:04:28,000 Speaker 1: sports American life. Also that they continue their cultural influence 1149 01:04:28,200 --> 01:04:32,200 Speaker 1: in our country. Shame on Phil Mickelson for doing what, 1150 01:04:32,440 --> 01:04:37,320 Speaker 1: for saying this and even playing foot see good for Rory, yeah, 1151 01:04:37,360 --> 01:04:39,840 Speaker 1: I mean even more so, and you know, good for 1152 01:04:39,880 --> 01:04:43,040 Speaker 1: the top golfers, including Rory for coming out and shouting 1153 01:04:43,080 --> 01:04:44,720 Speaker 1: him down. I will confess I did not know that 1154 01:04:44,840 --> 01:04:47,000 Speaker 1: much about golf and all that, and I have no 1155 01:04:47,160 --> 01:04:50,280 Speaker 1: doubt that the PGA certainly probably takes the line's share 1156 01:04:50,360 --> 01:04:53,160 Speaker 1: of the profits, and that it is extremely unfair for 1157 01:04:53,240 --> 01:04:55,280 Speaker 1: the up and comers who are on the tour and 1158 01:04:55,320 --> 01:04:58,000 Speaker 1: all of that that being said, doing business with the 1159 01:04:58,040 --> 01:05:01,080 Speaker 1: freaking Saudis is not the way go Well. It's also 1160 01:05:01,240 --> 01:05:04,600 Speaker 1: it's also funny because Michelson sort of postures like, oh, 1161 01:05:04,640 --> 01:05:07,479 Speaker 1: he's just doing it, stand up for the little guy, 1162 01:05:07,680 --> 01:05:11,120 Speaker 1: but you know, they're The PGA has actually instituted some 1163 01:05:11,360 --> 01:05:14,280 Speaker 1: reforms that I won't get into the technical specifics of, 1164 01:05:14,800 --> 01:05:17,560 Speaker 1: but in response to the threat of this league, they 1165 01:05:17,560 --> 01:05:20,840 Speaker 1: have actually changed some of their policies. But the impact 1166 01:05:20,840 --> 01:05:23,920 Speaker 1: of those policy changes has just been a funnel even 1167 01:05:23,960 --> 01:05:26,800 Speaker 1: more money to the top players in the league, where 1168 01:05:26,960 --> 01:05:29,280 Speaker 1: you know, the guys who are like barely making it 1169 01:05:29,320 --> 01:05:32,160 Speaker 1: are struggling there, sometimes going into debt. You know, it's 1170 01:05:32,200 --> 01:05:35,640 Speaker 1: it's much more difficult for them. So their response has 1171 01:05:35,720 --> 01:05:38,640 Speaker 1: been just to throw more cash at players like Michelson 1172 01:05:39,000 --> 01:05:42,040 Speaker 1: to try to keep them in the league, rather than 1173 01:05:42,120 --> 01:05:44,720 Speaker 1: ddressing what are some of the real you know issues 1174 01:05:44,760 --> 01:05:47,640 Speaker 1: here in terms of player rights and compensation and the 1175 01:05:47,760 --> 01:05:50,840 Speaker 1: and the volunteers who make these events go personally, I 1176 01:05:50,840 --> 01:05:52,720 Speaker 1: think Siphius, which is an arm of the US Treasury 1177 01:05:52,720 --> 01:05:54,560 Speaker 1: should ban this immediately and not allow any of this 1178 01:05:54,640 --> 01:05:56,880 Speaker 1: cash to even you know, come in here. It's ludicrous. 1179 01:05:57,200 --> 01:05:59,600 Speaker 1: It shows you how many of these people can be bought. 1180 01:05:59,640 --> 01:06:02,959 Speaker 1: There's no real heroes discussing and uh, hell no. Good 1181 01:06:02,960 --> 01:06:05,280 Speaker 1: to the golfers in the community who are are for 1182 01:06:05,320 --> 01:06:08,000 Speaker 1: the course in terms of Trump, Well that's good part 1183 01:06:08,000 --> 01:06:13,920 Speaker 1: for the course. And what are you taking a look at? Well, guys, 1184 01:06:13,920 --> 01:06:17,400 Speaker 1: we've been tragging the complete meltdown unfolding over at CNN, 1185 01:06:17,440 --> 01:06:20,520 Speaker 1: as their anchors more in the loss of their corrupt leader, 1186 01:06:20,640 --> 01:06:24,720 Speaker 1: holding wakes and detailing their mental anguish in leaked audio. 1187 01:06:25,360 --> 01:06:28,800 Speaker 1: New reportings suggests, though, that they might have every reason 1188 01:06:29,120 --> 01:06:31,240 Speaker 1: to be in full freak out mode. So in a 1189 01:06:31,280 --> 01:06:33,640 Speaker 1: new report for The New Yorker, media reporter Clare Malone 1190 01:06:33,680 --> 01:06:36,680 Speaker 1: paints a pretty dire portrait of the future for CNN's 1191 01:06:36,720 --> 01:06:39,800 Speaker 1: current business model. As you know, CNN is currently part 1192 01:06:39,840 --> 01:06:43,840 Speaker 1: of a massive merger, as Warner Media was acquired by Discovery. 1193 01:06:44,080 --> 01:06:46,400 Speaker 1: It can be easy to forget since we are personally 1194 01:06:46,400 --> 01:06:48,600 Speaker 1: so focused on the news business, but compared to the 1195 01:06:48,680 --> 01:06:54,080 Speaker 1: overall entity, CNN is actually relatively small potatoes. WarnerMedia alone 1196 01:06:54,120 --> 01:06:58,520 Speaker 1: includes HBO, Cinemax, HBO Max Cartoon Network. So you're talking 1197 01:06:58,600 --> 01:07:02,720 Speaker 1: Game Thrones, DC Comics University, Hart Universe, Harry Potter, and 1198 01:07:02,760 --> 01:07:05,560 Speaker 1: Lord of the Rings all under a single roof. And 1199 01:07:05,600 --> 01:07:07,960 Speaker 1: that is before you put it together with Discovery, which 1200 01:07:07,960 --> 01:07:11,400 Speaker 1: includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, the Cooking Channel, and a whole 1201 01:07:11,480 --> 01:07:15,520 Speaker 1: lot more. All in, you're talking about a media behemoth 1202 01:07:15,640 --> 01:07:19,280 Speaker 1: with about forty three billion dollars in annual revenue, of 1203 01:07:19,320 --> 01:07:24,080 Speaker 1: which CNN represents less than two billion. For comparison, in 1204 01:07:24,120 --> 01:07:27,440 Speaker 1: twenty twenty, CNN brought in one point seven billion in revenue, 1205 01:07:27,640 --> 01:07:31,000 Speaker 1: while its sister network HBO brought in four times as 1206 01:07:31,080 --> 01:07:34,040 Speaker 1: much revenue in the same year at six point eight billion. 1207 01:07:34,680 --> 01:07:38,000 Speaker 1: What's more, as The New Yorker points out, after the merger, 1208 01:07:38,120 --> 01:07:41,280 Speaker 1: Discovery will have more than fifty billion dollars in debt. 1209 01:07:41,880 --> 01:07:46,880 Speaker 1: That means that the overall joined company CEO, David Zaslof, 1210 01:07:47,040 --> 01:07:49,560 Speaker 1: he is going to be forced to make eye watering 1211 01:07:49,600 --> 01:07:52,640 Speaker 1: cuts to the tune of billions of dollars as soon 1212 01:07:52,720 --> 01:07:55,200 Speaker 1: as he steps in the door. According to an industry 1213 01:07:55,200 --> 01:07:58,560 Speaker 1: source quoted by The New Yorker, quote, there's going to 1214 01:07:58,640 --> 01:08:03,400 Speaker 1: be an enormous amount of pain in terms of firing people. Now, 1215 01:08:03,920 --> 01:08:07,200 Speaker 1: prior to Zucker's abrupt firing, hosts that CNN were feeling 1216 01:08:07,400 --> 01:08:09,280 Speaker 1: pretty good about how they were looking in the merger. 1217 01:08:09,320 --> 01:08:11,800 Speaker 1: They were hopeful that the enormous pain would be felt 1218 01:08:11,800 --> 01:08:14,120 Speaker 1: more heavily at other properties and maybe not so much 1219 01:08:14,160 --> 01:08:17,800 Speaker 1: there at CNN. After all, Zucker was their close friend. 1220 01:08:17,880 --> 01:08:20,200 Speaker 1: They'd invested years into sucking up to this guy. He 1221 01:08:20,240 --> 01:08:23,559 Speaker 1: had protected and enabled them during the Trump administration, and 1222 01:08:23,600 --> 01:08:27,519 Speaker 1: most crucially, Zucker was close friends with the guy who 1223 01:08:27,560 --> 01:08:30,679 Speaker 1: will be wielding the acts making those cuts. That new CEO, 1224 01:08:30,800 --> 01:08:34,280 Speaker 1: David Zaslov. Surely Zucker would say to it that the 1225 01:08:34,360 --> 01:08:38,280 Speaker 1: current CNN model, trajectory and talent would be preserved under 1226 01:08:38,280 --> 01:08:40,920 Speaker 1: the new regime. Plans had been announced for Zucker to 1227 01:08:40,960 --> 01:08:42,880 Speaker 1: retire once the merger was complete, but that was of 1228 01:08:42,920 --> 01:08:45,840 Speaker 1: little concern since his mistress, Ellison Gollis, was expected to 1229 01:08:45,840 --> 01:08:49,240 Speaker 1: step right into his shoes and effectively continue his reign. 1230 01:08:49,960 --> 01:08:53,000 Speaker 1: And then suddenly, in the blink of an eye, that 1231 01:08:53,200 --> 01:08:57,400 Speaker 1: whole succession plan completely collapsed. Now we know why Zucker 1232 01:08:57,439 --> 01:09:00,920 Speaker 1: was so reluctant to fire Chris Cuomoucker knew that he 1233 01:09:00,960 --> 01:09:03,920 Speaker 1: could also be implicated in the ensuing scandal, and that 1234 01:09:03,960 --> 01:09:07,280 Speaker 1: the Quobos are not shy about playing hardball, And sure enough, 1235 01:09:07,400 --> 01:09:11,519 Speaker 1: a scorned Quomo went for the jugular, giving Zucker's corporate rival, 1236 01:09:11,520 --> 01:09:14,679 Speaker 1: the head of WarnerMedia, Jason Kyler, the weapon he needed 1237 01:09:14,680 --> 01:09:19,320 Speaker 1: to depose the entire Zucker regime. So now, in the 1238 01:09:19,360 --> 01:09:21,880 Speaker 1: blink of an eye, the talent and the staff are 1239 01:09:21,920 --> 01:09:25,000 Speaker 1: all left completely exposed without their protector, facing a new 1240 01:09:25,200 --> 01:09:28,720 Speaker 1: order under a giant corporation that is under pressure to 1241 01:09:28,800 --> 01:09:32,320 Speaker 1: make billions of dollars in immediate cuts. As if that 1242 01:09:32,479 --> 01:09:35,439 Speaker 1: wasn't all bad enough, they already know that one of 1243 01:09:35,479 --> 01:09:38,320 Speaker 1: the masterminds behind that new entity really kind of has 1244 01:09:38,360 --> 01:09:41,200 Speaker 1: it out for them. Meet John Malone. We've talked about 1245 01:09:41,280 --> 01:09:44,599 Speaker 1: him before. He's the TV magnate and cable pioneers. Spent 1246 01:09:44,760 --> 01:09:47,680 Speaker 1: decades buying up cable companies across the country. According to 1247 01:09:47,800 --> 01:09:50,040 Speaker 1: New Yorker in ninety four, he owned one out of 1248 01:09:50,080 --> 01:09:53,080 Speaker 1: every four cable boxes in the country. He's also one 1249 01:09:53,080 --> 01:09:56,559 Speaker 1: of the largest private landowners in the nation, and at 1250 01:09:56,560 --> 01:09:58,240 Speaker 1: one point he had a large enough stake in the 1251 01:09:58,320 --> 01:10:01,599 Speaker 1: Murdox News Corp. To actually in that family's control. That's 1252 01:10:01,600 --> 01:10:05,000 Speaker 1: what a big fishy is. He's also an ideological libertarian 1253 01:10:05,040 --> 01:10:09,280 Speaker 1: and one of the largest shareholders in Discovery. Malone and 1254 01:10:09,360 --> 01:10:11,960 Speaker 1: Sasov that's the new CEO. They are said to be close, 1255 01:10:12,280 --> 01:10:14,919 Speaker 1: and insiders tell The New Yorker that he is the brains. 1256 01:10:15,000 --> 01:10:20,000 Speaker 1: Malone is behind the scenes putting together Discoveries, streaming bid Crucially, 1257 01:10:20,400 --> 01:10:22,800 Speaker 1: he has made it clear he's not too impress with 1258 01:10:22,880 --> 01:10:26,519 Speaker 1: CNN's programming as of late. In a recent interview, he 1259 01:10:26,600 --> 01:10:29,360 Speaker 1: seemed to indicate that CNN needed to pivot from its 1260 01:10:29,360 --> 01:10:33,479 Speaker 1: opinionated anti Trump coverage, saying quote, I would like to 1261 01:10:33,479 --> 01:10:36,760 Speaker 1: see CNN evolve back to the kind of journalism that 1262 01:10:36,800 --> 01:10:40,200 Speaker 1: it started with and actually have journalists, which would be 1263 01:10:40,320 --> 01:10:45,760 Speaker 1: unique and refreshing. So to recap, CNN was bought by 1264 01:10:45,760 --> 01:10:48,120 Speaker 1: a giant that is poised to fire a whole bunch 1265 01:10:48,160 --> 01:10:51,400 Speaker 1: of people. Their protector is suddenly gone, and the new 1266 01:10:51,439 --> 01:10:53,840 Speaker 1: guys may have it out for them. But there is 1267 01:10:53,880 --> 01:10:56,599 Speaker 1: one more piece of this ugly puzzle that should simply 1268 01:10:56,640 --> 01:10:59,720 Speaker 1: not be missed. CNN's big bet on the future their 1269 01:10:59,760 --> 01:11:04,040 Speaker 1: own CNN plus streaming effort is poised to be hilariously 1270 01:11:04,120 --> 01:11:08,200 Speaker 1: cringe and completely unwatchable. CNN plus is their big chance 1271 01:11:08,240 --> 01:11:10,960 Speaker 1: to maintain relevance to society and to provide their new 1272 01:11:10,960 --> 01:11:14,519 Speaker 1: owners with some real value. After all, Discovery's big play 1273 01:11:14,600 --> 01:11:17,400 Speaker 1: is their own streaming bundle. The Lone himself believes they 1274 01:11:17,400 --> 01:11:20,160 Speaker 1: could be number three in the streaming game, just behind 1275 01:11:20,320 --> 01:11:23,800 Speaker 1: Netflix and Disney. So CNN can deliver subscribers to the 1276 01:11:23,840 --> 01:11:26,040 Speaker 1: Discovery bundle, then they be able to prove their value 1277 01:11:26,080 --> 01:11:28,320 Speaker 1: to his as often to Malone. So part of this 1278 01:11:28,439 --> 01:11:32,960 Speaker 1: hugely consequential play, CNN's bet big on a streaming lineup 1279 01:11:32,960 --> 01:11:37,320 Speaker 1: that includes a parenting show with Anderson Cooper, a generic 1280 01:11:37,400 --> 01:11:40,679 Speaker 1: news show with Chris Wallace, and a book club show 1281 01:11:40,760 --> 01:11:44,160 Speaker 1: with Jake Tapper? Literally, who is the audience for any 1282 01:11:44,200 --> 01:11:47,639 Speaker 1: of this? Even if CNN employees are skeptical, they told 1283 01:11:47,640 --> 01:11:50,920 Speaker 1: The New Yorker, do people really love Jake Tapper enough 1284 01:11:50,960 --> 01:11:54,080 Speaker 1: to want to watch his book club? But of course 1285 01:11:54,120 --> 01:11:56,559 Speaker 1: there is danger here for us too. The worse the 1286 01:11:56,600 --> 01:11:59,960 Speaker 1: mainstream content, the less they could actually compete the more 1287 01:12:00,080 --> 01:12:02,519 Speaker 1: or they'll just try to eliminate the competition. Just take 1288 01:12:02,520 --> 01:12:04,080 Speaker 1: a look at what they tried to do to Rogan, 1289 01:12:04,200 --> 01:12:06,000 Speaker 1: or the way they come after podcasts in general, or 1290 01:12:06,040 --> 01:12:09,400 Speaker 1: substack or YouTube shows These anchors are addicted to their 1291 01:12:09,400 --> 01:12:12,880 Speaker 1: careers and the money and their imagined perceived status all 1292 01:12:12,960 --> 01:12:16,120 Speaker 1: that comes with this. Without their slots at CNN, no 1293 01:12:16,200 --> 01:12:18,880 Speaker 1: one would ever utter their names again, and they will 1294 01:12:18,920 --> 01:12:22,240 Speaker 1: fight like wild animals to try to maintain their perch. 1295 01:12:22,760 --> 01:12:26,200 Speaker 1: So this helps you understand what's going on just below 1296 01:12:26,240 --> 01:12:29,280 Speaker 1: the surface, which is why we and if you want 1297 01:12:29,320 --> 01:12:32,240 Speaker 1: to hear my reaction to Crystal's monologue, become a premium 1298 01:12:32,240 --> 01:12:38,120 Speaker 1: subscriber today at Breakingpoints dot com. All right, Sager, what 1299 01:12:38,120 --> 01:12:41,439 Speaker 1: are you looking at? Well? Yesterday I spotlighted financial warfare 1300 01:12:41,479 --> 01:12:44,200 Speaker 1: that the Canadian government has declared on its protest movement. 1301 01:12:44,479 --> 01:12:47,200 Speaker 1: It amounts to a full scale unbanking of dissidents that 1302 01:12:47,240 --> 01:12:51,240 Speaker 1: are against the Canadian regime, including canceling mortgages, canceling insurance, 1303 01:12:51,320 --> 01:12:55,240 Speaker 1: canceling the very financial architecture that enables individual freedom and 1304 01:12:55,320 --> 01:12:58,240 Speaker 1: movement in the modern world. The move so close to 1305 01:12:58,240 --> 01:13:01,840 Speaker 1: the United States raises a troubling question, is it possible here? 1306 01:13:02,240 --> 01:13:05,120 Speaker 1: The answer to that question is complicated. On the one hand, 1307 01:13:05,120 --> 01:13:07,160 Speaker 1: we have a much more robust case law against the 1308 01:13:07,160 --> 01:13:09,679 Speaker 1: type of unilateral on banking that we saw in Canada. 1309 01:13:09,960 --> 01:13:12,040 Speaker 1: On the other it's not like, we haven't just watched 1310 01:13:12,040 --> 01:13:14,880 Speaker 1: the Department of Justice and the Biden administration use the 1311 01:13:14,880 --> 01:13:18,720 Speaker 1: war on terror machine against its own citizens. But fundamentally, 1312 01:13:18,920 --> 01:13:21,000 Speaker 1: the conclusion I've come to here is the one that 1313 01:13:21,040 --> 01:13:24,000 Speaker 1: mirrors the Patriot Act and War on Terror debates. There 1314 01:13:24,040 --> 01:13:29,760 Speaker 1: are always justifications for gathering data, safety, patriotism, stopping terrorism, 1315 01:13:30,200 --> 01:13:34,040 Speaker 1: but a more amassing of data, the more information that 1316 01:13:34,120 --> 01:13:38,120 Speaker 1: is collected, even if innocent at first, eventually can be 1317 01:13:38,240 --> 01:13:41,560 Speaker 1: utilized as a tool by the state for nefarious purposes. 1318 01:13:41,800 --> 01:13:45,360 Speaker 1: Canada claimed that it was only temporarily invoking the Emergencies 1319 01:13:45,400 --> 01:13:48,760 Speaker 1: Act that this financial warfare would be limited in scope. 1320 01:13:48,880 --> 01:13:51,800 Speaker 1: And yet here is the Deputy Prime Minister just two 1321 01:13:51,840 --> 01:13:54,840 Speaker 1: days ago saying that the new measures must be put 1322 01:13:54,880 --> 01:13:59,760 Speaker 1: into place permanently. I believe do need to be expanded 1323 01:13:59,760 --> 01:14:08,800 Speaker 1: to cover crowdsourcing platforms and payment platform and their payment providers. 1324 01:14:08,920 --> 01:14:12,639 Speaker 1: So that is something that we need to do and 1325 01:14:12,680 --> 01:14:17,320 Speaker 1: we will do, and that needs to be in place permanently, permanently. Huh. 1326 01:14:17,400 --> 01:14:19,400 Speaker 1: I already played for you all yesterday the clip of 1327 01:14:19,439 --> 01:14:22,479 Speaker 1: the Ottawa Police Chief saying that financial warfare will continue 1328 01:14:22,520 --> 01:14:25,559 Speaker 1: for quote months to come. In other words, now that 1329 01:14:25,600 --> 01:14:28,360 Speaker 1: this rubicon has been crossed. There is no turning back. 1330 01:14:28,560 --> 01:14:30,400 Speaker 1: They are not going to give this up. That is 1331 01:14:30,400 --> 01:14:32,880 Speaker 1: the story of data collection and use by high authorities. 1332 01:14:33,160 --> 01:14:35,800 Speaker 1: It doesn't look like a tool of oppression until it is, 1333 01:14:36,120 --> 01:14:38,679 Speaker 1: and so we all have to be careful to remove 1334 01:14:38,920 --> 01:14:42,000 Speaker 1: all tools. It's in that context I highlight a matter 1335 01:14:42,040 --> 01:14:45,160 Speaker 1: of grave importance right now after a little noticed IRS 1336 01:14:45,240 --> 01:14:48,400 Speaker 1: regulation back in November of twenty twenty one. It says 1337 01:14:48,439 --> 01:14:51,719 Speaker 1: that anyone who wants to use IRS services online, including 1338 01:14:51,880 --> 01:14:56,160 Speaker 1: quote viewing and making payments, updating mail addresses, would have 1339 01:14:56,240 --> 01:14:59,040 Speaker 1: to do so through a contractor called id dot me. 1340 01:14:59,640 --> 01:15:02,840 Speaker 1: All accounts would have to transition over to that contractor 1341 01:15:02,880 --> 01:15:08,240 Speaker 1: by twenty twenty two, which requires facial recognition technology done 1342 01:15:08,479 --> 01:15:12,320 Speaker 1: by that third party to validate your identity. Yes, you 1343 01:15:12,400 --> 01:15:15,879 Speaker 1: heard me correctly, the IRS through no Act of Congress 1344 01:15:15,880 --> 01:15:19,280 Speaker 1: and through an administrative change, so that facial recognition is 1345 01:15:19,320 --> 01:15:22,760 Speaker 1: required by the US government now to pay your taxes. Now, 1346 01:15:22,840 --> 01:15:26,360 Speaker 1: luckily that got enough attention that they backed down. In part, 1347 01:15:26,800 --> 01:15:30,080 Speaker 1: did they really? Because instead of facial recognition, you can 1348 01:15:30,120 --> 01:15:33,280 Speaker 1: now verify your identity through a live interview with the 1349 01:15:33,439 --> 01:15:37,719 Speaker 1: representative from that third party contracting service. IDT me so cool. 1350 01:15:37,880 --> 01:15:40,840 Speaker 1: Your only two options are this, give the government your 1351 01:15:40,840 --> 01:15:44,080 Speaker 1: face or do a live interview with a third party 1352 01:15:44,120 --> 01:15:48,000 Speaker 1: government contractor. Now, according to the IRS, taxpayers video selfies 1353 01:15:48,040 --> 01:15:52,240 Speaker 1: proving their identity will be quote permanently deleted. Yeah, forgive 1354 01:15:52,280 --> 01:15:54,640 Speaker 1: me if I don't trust them. But what alarms me 1355 01:15:54,840 --> 01:15:58,080 Speaker 1: is the rationale here, including support from elite media. The 1356 01:15:58,200 --> 01:16:00,479 Speaker 1: Washington Post is running an op ed from the former 1357 01:16:00,520 --> 01:16:03,840 Speaker 1: head of policy at the Department of Homeland Security. Guess 1358 01:16:03,840 --> 01:16:07,240 Speaker 1: what they say. IRS should not back down from using 1359 01:16:07,280 --> 01:16:11,040 Speaker 1: facial recognition. Why. Well, because there's tax fraud. And I'm 1360 01:16:11,040 --> 01:16:13,880 Speaker 1: going to go ahead and say this. It's maybe even controversial. 1361 01:16:14,280 --> 01:16:17,080 Speaker 1: The problems and cost of tax fraud, which amount to 1362 01:16:17,160 --> 01:16:20,400 Speaker 1: less than like one percent of all government spending, is 1363 01:16:20,479 --> 01:16:23,439 Speaker 1: worth the cost of living in a free society and 1364 01:16:23,520 --> 01:16:28,360 Speaker 1: not having the tax authorities have your literal biometric data. Already, 1365 01:16:28,520 --> 01:16:31,160 Speaker 1: we are seeing a full fledged federal takeover of the 1366 01:16:31,200 --> 01:16:34,080 Speaker 1: online financial system. You need a face scan or a 1367 01:16:34,120 --> 01:16:36,320 Speaker 1: live interview to pay your taxes. If you have a 1368 01:16:36,360 --> 01:16:38,960 Speaker 1: side hustle and you're accepting payments on Venmo or other 1369 01:16:39,000 --> 01:16:42,240 Speaker 1: apps like PayPal, and you made over just six hundred 1370 01:16:42,400 --> 01:16:46,480 Speaker 1: dollars in one year. Then those companies now are obligated 1371 01:16:46,520 --> 01:16:49,640 Speaker 1: to give that information to the IRS. Now, look, are 1372 01:16:49,640 --> 01:16:52,240 Speaker 1: a lot of these people not paying their taxes? Yeah, 1373 01:16:52,280 --> 01:16:55,600 Speaker 1: that's true, and that's wrong, I guess. But let me 1374 01:16:55,680 --> 01:16:59,599 Speaker 1: say this unequivocally. What's worse not paying your taxes when 1375 01:16:59,600 --> 01:17:01,960 Speaker 1: you're cut hair and waiting tables and being a mover 1376 01:17:02,080 --> 01:17:04,679 Speaker 1: and barely making your ends meet as gas prices destroy 1377 01:17:04,720 --> 01:17:07,640 Speaker 1: your daily ability to live your life, or being a 1378 01:17:07,720 --> 01:17:10,439 Speaker 1: multimillionaire hedge funder who gets to use financial fakery and 1379 01:17:10,479 --> 01:17:14,280 Speaker 1: tax loopholes legally to not pay any taxes. I'll declare 1380 01:17:14,320 --> 01:17:17,720 Speaker 1: this until their tax frids dealt with, when the IRS unit, 1381 01:17:17,720 --> 01:17:19,920 Speaker 1: which is responsible for going after the uber rich, has 1382 01:17:19,960 --> 01:17:23,000 Speaker 1: exhausted its role. Then okay, we can talk about people 1383 01:17:23,000 --> 01:17:25,600 Speaker 1: making a thousand dollars on Venmo or PayPal. But in 1384 01:17:25,680 --> 01:17:28,920 Speaker 1: our current system, where it is completely legal for most 1385 01:17:28,960 --> 01:17:31,400 Speaker 1: of the richest and most scummy members of our society 1386 01:17:31,400 --> 01:17:34,360 Speaker 1: to pay nearly nothing while people who are struggling and 1387 01:17:34,400 --> 01:17:37,800 Speaker 1: are getting hit for tax evasion, screw that. It's not 1388 01:17:37,840 --> 01:17:40,759 Speaker 1: only not fair, it's wrong. The architecture we are building 1389 01:17:40,760 --> 01:17:43,360 Speaker 1: today through the new IRS regulations in addition to these 1390 01:17:43,439 --> 01:17:46,599 Speaker 1: VENMO and PayPal requirements is the means through which similar 1391 01:17:46,680 --> 01:17:49,760 Speaker 1: financial warfare can be declared in the United States. If 1392 01:17:49,800 --> 01:17:52,599 Speaker 1: they can use it for tax purposes, they know your account, 1393 01:17:52,800 --> 01:17:55,720 Speaker 1: your username, everything, all of that can be weaponized in 1394 01:17:55,720 --> 01:17:58,439 Speaker 1: the future. If they need your face for tax purposes, well, 1395 01:17:58,560 --> 01:18:00,880 Speaker 1: they can use that in the future to match protesters 1396 01:18:00,960 --> 01:18:03,560 Speaker 1: using cameras to their IRS accounts, which is linked to 1397 01:18:03,560 --> 01:18:06,160 Speaker 1: your bank account information. I say, screw all of that. 1398 01:18:06,439 --> 01:18:09,120 Speaker 1: We need to reject all of these tools sold to 1399 01:18:09,240 --> 01:18:12,120 Speaker 1: us to combat fraud when the real fraud is giving 1400 01:18:12,160 --> 01:18:14,320 Speaker 1: up so much of ourselves to them in the first place, 1401 01:18:14,600 --> 01:18:17,559 Speaker 1: only for them to misuse our trust again and again 1402 01:18:17,800 --> 01:18:21,679 Speaker 1: and again. I mean king believe that financial recognition facial 1403 01:18:21,680 --> 01:18:24,160 Speaker 1: recognition tools. They're like, yeah, don't worry, we'll never use 1404 01:18:24,200 --> 01:18:26,160 Speaker 1: it for it And if you want to hear my 1405 01:18:26,320 --> 01:18:29,840 Speaker 1: reaction to Sagre's monologue, become a premium subscriber today at 1406 01:18:29,840 --> 01:18:35,920 Speaker 1: breakingpoints dot com. In addition to writing for a number 1407 01:18:35,920 --> 01:18:39,200 Speaker 1: of publications, Ross Barkin also has his own substat called 1408 01:18:39,240 --> 01:18:42,439 Speaker 1: Political Currents, where he tracks lots of interesting things in 1409 01:18:42,520 --> 01:18:46,599 Speaker 1: politics and especially Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City, 1410 01:18:46,720 --> 01:18:48,679 Speaker 1: welcome Ross. Great to have you back. Good see Ross, 1411 01:18:49,080 --> 01:18:51,120 Speaker 1: thank thank you for having me on. Always great to 1412 01:18:51,160 --> 01:18:53,600 Speaker 1: be here. Yeah, our pleasure. Let's go and throw this 1413 01:18:53,640 --> 01:18:55,880 Speaker 1: first piece up on the screen that caught our I 1414 01:18:56,160 --> 01:19:00,400 Speaker 1: you said, Eric Adams wields his weapon of identity. It 1415 01:19:00,479 --> 01:19:04,439 Speaker 1: didn't take long, and Ross, of course you had tracked 1416 01:19:04,920 --> 01:19:08,679 Speaker 1: the way that sort of consistently through his career. Eric 1417 01:19:08,720 --> 01:19:13,280 Speaker 1: Adams uses a just very surface level identity politics to 1418 01:19:13,439 --> 01:19:16,120 Speaker 1: mask what a lot of times has been a you know, 1419 01:19:16,240 --> 01:19:20,040 Speaker 1: completely corporate agenda. And here's an instance, a very blatant 1420 01:19:20,080 --> 01:19:24,280 Speaker 1: instance of him using his identity to sort of try 1421 01:19:24,280 --> 01:19:27,920 Speaker 1: to cow journalists into stop, you know, stopping with any 1422 01:19:27,920 --> 01:19:30,640 Speaker 1: tough questions or critical coverage. Just break down for us 1423 01:19:30,680 --> 01:19:35,880 Speaker 1: what happened here. So what happened was rather fascinating. Eric Adams, 1424 01:19:35,880 --> 01:19:40,080 Speaker 1: who's in the recipient of largely positive press coverage it 1425 01:19:40,200 --> 01:19:43,560 Speaker 1: is mayoralty certainly compared to build a Blasio as predecessor, 1426 01:19:44,200 --> 01:19:46,920 Speaker 1: goes up to Albany, the state capital of New York, 1427 01:19:47,000 --> 01:19:51,600 Speaker 1: in an attempt to get the bail laws changed in 1428 01:19:52,120 --> 01:19:56,880 Speaker 1: order to reintroduce more cash bail make it easier to 1429 01:19:57,000 --> 01:20:00,600 Speaker 1: try minors as adults. An attempt to stem you know, 1430 01:20:00,760 --> 01:20:04,400 Speaker 1: rising crime and murder. Certainly, it's debatable whether that would 1431 01:20:04,439 --> 01:20:08,240 Speaker 1: actually work. And these reforms were passed in twenty nineteen 1432 01:20:08,600 --> 01:20:11,679 Speaker 1: during you know, a sort of swell of criminal justice 1433 01:20:11,720 --> 01:20:14,920 Speaker 1: reform measures, and Adams has been very intent and rolling 1434 01:20:14,920 --> 01:20:17,920 Speaker 1: them back since getting into office. He doesn't really have 1435 01:20:18,040 --> 01:20:20,240 Speaker 1: the power to do that because there's state laws, not 1436 01:20:20,360 --> 01:20:23,840 Speaker 1: city laws, and so he went to the state legislature. 1437 01:20:24,200 --> 01:20:27,920 Speaker 1: He asked them to do this. They said no. You know, 1438 01:20:27,920 --> 01:20:30,760 Speaker 1: they had a flight press conference about it, and the 1439 01:20:30,800 --> 01:20:33,680 Speaker 1: press covered it. It was rather unremarkable, to tell you 1440 01:20:33,720 --> 01:20:37,360 Speaker 1: the truth. And then Adams at a press conference goes 1441 01:20:37,439 --> 01:20:43,520 Speaker 1: on this rant about how there aren't enough black reporters 1442 01:20:43,520 --> 01:20:47,519 Speaker 1: and editors, which is true. But then, you know, in essence, 1443 01:20:47,560 --> 01:20:52,600 Speaker 1: describes the racism of the press as a reason for 1444 01:20:52,720 --> 01:20:57,040 Speaker 1: allegedly negative coverage of his trip to Albany, and it 1445 01:20:57,080 --> 01:21:00,320 Speaker 1: was just detached from reality in multiple levels. One bridge 1446 01:21:00,360 --> 01:21:05,679 Speaker 1: was no negative and two, you know, there's no element 1447 01:21:05,920 --> 01:21:09,519 Speaker 1: of race in terms of the way these reporters wrote 1448 01:21:09,640 --> 01:21:15,360 Speaker 1: about Adams at all, certainly in this juncture. But already 1449 01:21:15,439 --> 01:21:18,400 Speaker 1: in February, less than two months into his term, he's 1450 01:21:18,439 --> 01:21:23,000 Speaker 1: already invoking his identity in fights with the press, which 1451 01:21:23,040 --> 01:21:26,439 Speaker 1: is something I warned about last year. You did worried 1452 01:21:26,479 --> 01:21:30,040 Speaker 1: about because it's very convenient and easy and can shield 1453 01:21:30,120 --> 01:21:33,080 Speaker 1: him from a lot of serious scrutiny. Yeah, you know, 1454 01:21:33,120 --> 01:21:35,960 Speaker 1: it's interesting, Ron, you were very prescient in Eric Adams, 1455 01:21:35,960 --> 01:21:38,679 Speaker 1: and yet we were talking before the segment. He's pretty popular, 1456 01:21:39,360 --> 01:21:43,200 Speaker 1: he seems pretty good at politics. He's always like coming 1457 01:21:43,240 --> 01:21:47,000 Speaker 1: down firepolls, and he's got media ops and he's like 1458 01:21:47,080 --> 01:21:50,240 Speaker 1: trying to project vigor and energy, and yet he can 1459 01:21:50,280 --> 01:21:53,840 Speaker 1: shield himself from a lot of criticism with identity politics. 1460 01:21:54,080 --> 01:21:58,679 Speaker 1: Have you seen any actual coherent efforts yet to try 1461 01:21:58,720 --> 01:22:04,800 Speaker 1: and push back against Adam in the city politics? Not? 1462 01:22:04,560 --> 01:22:08,720 Speaker 1: Not a lot so far. One of my warnings for 1463 01:22:08,880 --> 01:22:11,799 Speaker 1: my friends on the left last year was that Adams 1464 01:22:11,920 --> 01:22:13,920 Speaker 1: is going to be a very difficult opponent for the 1465 01:22:13,960 --> 01:22:17,760 Speaker 1: reasons you describe. He is popular, he's good at politics. 1466 01:22:18,000 --> 01:22:20,640 Speaker 1: He's really good at like the aesthetics of politics. He 1467 01:22:20,760 --> 01:22:25,800 Speaker 1: has no I would argue, serious policy agenda yet in office. Again, 1468 01:22:25,840 --> 01:22:28,120 Speaker 1: when Bill Deblasio came into office, he had these very 1469 01:22:28,120 --> 01:22:31,240 Speaker 1: clear policy goals he wanted to achieve. With Eric Adams, 1470 01:22:31,280 --> 01:22:33,880 Speaker 1: it's really miss missmashed. There's not a whole lot, but 1471 01:22:33,920 --> 01:22:36,640 Speaker 1: there's a lot of performance, and there are a lot 1472 01:22:36,680 --> 01:22:39,000 Speaker 1: of these kind of you know, bellicost moments that he 1473 01:22:39,080 --> 01:22:42,719 Speaker 1: has and now the wielding of identity to kind of shield. 1474 01:22:42,960 --> 01:22:44,160 Speaker 1: You know, what I would say, is it sort of 1475 01:22:44,160 --> 01:22:48,320 Speaker 1: a centrist fiscal or conservative fiscal agenda, certainly around things 1476 01:22:48,360 --> 01:22:54,360 Speaker 1: like tenant laws and rent laws which are somewhat controlled 1477 01:22:54,360 --> 01:22:56,760 Speaker 1: by the mayor. That's something I'm watching. So, you know, 1478 01:22:56,840 --> 01:22:59,879 Speaker 1: the opposition to Adams, it's come up in different places. 1479 01:23:00,000 --> 01:23:02,800 Speaker 1: You know, right now he's embrailled in a controversy because 1480 01:23:02,800 --> 01:23:07,160 Speaker 1: he's trying to hire not one but two you know, 1481 01:23:07,320 --> 01:23:12,000 Speaker 1: former politicians and pastors who have very clear anti gay 1482 01:23:12,120 --> 01:23:14,120 Speaker 1: views and he's brought them both into government. And so 1483 01:23:14,160 --> 01:23:18,280 Speaker 1: there's been a little firestorm about that. But generally speaking, 1484 01:23:18,360 --> 01:23:22,080 Speaker 1: I think the left large is figuring out what to 1485 01:23:22,160 --> 01:23:25,640 Speaker 1: do about Adams. Do you ignore him? Where would you 1486 01:23:25,720 --> 01:23:29,080 Speaker 1: oppose him? Right? Because yes, he is a widely operator 1487 01:23:29,160 --> 01:23:34,040 Speaker 1: and he is very good at the substanceless part of politics, 1488 01:23:34,040 --> 01:23:36,640 Speaker 1: I would say, which does matter governing a lot? It 1489 01:23:36,680 --> 01:23:39,360 Speaker 1: matters a lot. Yeah. Well, and listen, no one wants 1490 01:23:39,400 --> 01:23:42,679 Speaker 1: to be called a racist it's a horrific charge to make, 1491 01:23:42,760 --> 01:23:44,439 Speaker 1: and I think some of the people who would be 1492 01:23:46,160 --> 01:23:49,439 Speaker 1: most concerned about being tagged as such or the type 1493 01:23:49,479 --> 01:23:54,320 Speaker 1: of you know, white liberal reporters who are covering Eric Adams. 1494 01:23:54,920 --> 01:23:58,760 Speaker 1: Have you seen that sort of weaponization of his identity 1495 01:23:58,920 --> 01:24:01,320 Speaker 1: work throughout his care and do you think it'll work 1496 01:24:01,360 --> 01:24:03,120 Speaker 1: for him with the process time and sort of push 1497 01:24:03,200 --> 01:24:06,080 Speaker 1: them off of some of their tougher coverage. It's a 1498 01:24:06,120 --> 01:24:09,599 Speaker 1: weaponization they certainly isn't employed before. So you know, obviously 1499 01:24:09,640 --> 01:24:12,400 Speaker 1: we're in this kind of moment where I'd say identity 1500 01:24:12,520 --> 01:24:17,479 Speaker 1: is being exploited to a unique and bad faith in 1501 01:24:17,520 --> 01:24:20,559 Speaker 1: a unique and bad faith way. Not that that didn't 1502 01:24:20,560 --> 01:24:23,120 Speaker 1: always happen, but it feels like, certainly in the last 1503 01:24:23,200 --> 01:24:26,360 Speaker 1: year or two, it is ramped up in certain political spaces. 1504 01:24:26,880 --> 01:24:30,080 Speaker 1: Spaces were educated to lead to travel. But when something 1505 01:24:30,120 --> 01:24:32,080 Speaker 1: Adams has done for a long time when he was 1506 01:24:32,120 --> 01:24:36,680 Speaker 1: Brooklyn Borough president, you know, he defended the illegal use 1507 01:24:36,720 --> 01:24:39,880 Speaker 1: of parking placards at Borough Hall by saying, his white 1508 01:24:39,920 --> 01:24:42,760 Speaker 1: predecessor did it, so I'll do it too. They're not 1509 01:24:42,760 --> 01:24:47,760 Speaker 1: going to be different laws or enforcement for the white politicians. 1510 01:24:48,800 --> 01:24:51,800 Speaker 1: And so it's sort of implying that as a black man, 1511 01:24:51,840 --> 01:24:54,640 Speaker 1: he could be corrupt too. So none of this is 1512 01:24:54,640 --> 01:24:57,000 Speaker 1: really new. The difference is the stage right Now he's 1513 01:24:57,000 --> 01:24:59,679 Speaker 1: mayor of New York City. Now he's at the center 1514 01:24:59,720 --> 01:25:02,960 Speaker 1: of everything, whereas before he was not. And to your 1515 01:25:03,000 --> 01:25:07,840 Speaker 1: point with reporters, that was a point I raised as well, 1516 01:25:07,880 --> 01:25:10,200 Speaker 1: And that was one of my fears. That you have 1517 01:25:10,439 --> 01:25:14,360 Speaker 1: a press that's largely left leaning, which is what it is, 1518 01:25:14,479 --> 01:25:18,800 Speaker 1: right tends to be white, and so I do think 1519 01:25:18,840 --> 01:25:22,280 Speaker 1: there is a certain amount of guilt in parts of 1520 01:25:22,320 --> 01:25:24,639 Speaker 1: the press score and I do think attacks like these 1521 01:25:24,680 --> 01:25:28,920 Speaker 1: can work where rather than hold their ground, reporters might go, well, no, no, 1522 01:25:28,960 --> 01:25:31,320 Speaker 1: I'm not racist. I will prove too, I am not 1523 01:25:31,479 --> 01:25:35,679 Speaker 1: racist right through X y Z. How will that manifests itself, 1524 01:25:35,720 --> 01:25:38,439 Speaker 1: I don't know, But that was always my fear about 1525 01:25:38,479 --> 01:25:42,919 Speaker 1: this road Adams walk down, because in the modern rules 1526 01:25:43,120 --> 01:25:47,439 Speaker 1: of bad faith identity politics, he will always trump the 1527 01:25:47,479 --> 01:25:50,719 Speaker 1: white reporter who went to the fancy college, right, because 1528 01:25:50,720 --> 01:25:52,200 Speaker 1: he's the black man and he grew up in a 1529 01:25:52,200 --> 01:25:56,200 Speaker 1: working class miliu and so he's really able to exploit 1530 01:25:56,240 --> 01:25:58,880 Speaker 1: that even though he himself is not working class anymore. 1531 01:25:58,920 --> 01:26:01,800 Speaker 1: He's a landlord. He has a lot of money, So 1532 01:26:01,840 --> 01:26:04,360 Speaker 1: we'll see kind of how it manifests itself. But it's 1533 01:26:04,400 --> 01:26:07,120 Speaker 1: a very real concern where you do have a press 1534 01:26:07,120 --> 01:26:11,360 Speaker 1: corps that is vulnerable to being called racist and may 1535 01:26:11,400 --> 01:26:15,439 Speaker 1: not know how exactly to respond or to process it. 1536 01:26:15,479 --> 01:26:18,200 Speaker 1: And maybe we'll try to cater to Adams more. We'll see. 1537 01:26:18,240 --> 01:26:20,240 Speaker 1: I don't know how that's going to shake out. What 1538 01:26:20,280 --> 01:26:22,599 Speaker 1: do you think are his ambitions? Like, do you think 1539 01:26:22,640 --> 01:26:25,240 Speaker 1: he's content being mayor of New York City? Do you 1540 01:26:25,280 --> 01:26:27,360 Speaker 1: think he has state wide ambitions? Do you think he 1541 01:26:27,400 --> 01:26:30,160 Speaker 1: has national ambitions? And do you think that he has 1542 01:26:30,280 --> 01:26:33,240 Speaker 1: the putting aside his agenda? I keep hitting this can 1543 01:26:33,280 --> 01:26:36,000 Speaker 1: of hair spread that's over here. Do you think that 1544 01:26:36,640 --> 01:26:39,360 Speaker 1: putting aside his agenda? He has the sort of political 1545 01:26:39,479 --> 01:26:43,599 Speaker 1: talent to be able to perform on a state wider 1546 01:26:43,760 --> 01:26:48,400 Speaker 1: national level. You know, he hasn't talked openly about his 1547 01:26:49,320 --> 01:26:52,439 Speaker 1: larger ambitions like Bill de Blasio did to kind of 1548 01:26:52,479 --> 01:26:55,679 Speaker 1: an awkward degree where immediately build a Blasio is floating 1549 01:26:55,760 --> 01:27:00,160 Speaker 1: himself for president for national office and of course or 1550 01:27:00,160 --> 01:27:03,439 Speaker 1: is he tried and failed? Adams has been cannier that way, 1551 01:27:03,479 --> 01:27:05,920 Speaker 1: where he doesn't talk about it so much. But you know, 1552 01:27:06,000 --> 01:27:09,719 Speaker 1: statewide is tough because we've a new governor now, Kathy Hochal, 1553 01:27:09,800 --> 01:27:12,599 Speaker 1: you know, who's quite strong politically. She's not going anywhere. 1554 01:27:13,200 --> 01:27:16,200 Speaker 1: I would say nationally is always the interesting one, right 1555 01:27:16,320 --> 01:27:19,960 Speaker 1: I think Adams certainly has already called himself the face 1556 01:27:19,960 --> 01:27:23,839 Speaker 1: of the Democratic Party. He's drawn close to Joe Biden. 1557 01:27:24,439 --> 01:27:27,040 Speaker 1: I think a lot of centris pundits like the idea 1558 01:27:27,040 --> 01:27:29,599 Speaker 1: of Eric Adams in the national scene, you know, black, 1559 01:27:29,680 --> 01:27:32,639 Speaker 1: tough on crime, mayor. It's kind of checking a lot 1560 01:27:32,640 --> 01:27:37,559 Speaker 1: of boxes. So I would not rule out a future 1561 01:27:37,680 --> 01:27:40,800 Speaker 1: Adam's bid for higher office, maybe who knows, one day 1562 01:27:40,840 --> 01:27:43,760 Speaker 1: for president. Again, it's not something he's talked about in 1563 01:27:43,800 --> 01:27:46,799 Speaker 1: the way Bill de Blasio did, or Bill a Blasio 1564 01:27:47,000 --> 01:27:49,600 Speaker 1: tried at least to push. But I do think he 1565 01:27:49,680 --> 01:27:54,280 Speaker 1: is very ambitious. Now that doesn't necessarily translate to getting 1566 01:27:54,760 --> 01:27:59,160 Speaker 1: particular policy goals accomplished in the city. It's a very 1567 01:27:59,160 --> 01:28:03,200 Speaker 1: interesting time right now because there's no overarching, big idea 1568 01:28:03,200 --> 01:28:05,559 Speaker 1: of this administration, and I think for Adams it's kind 1569 01:28:05,560 --> 01:28:08,000 Speaker 1: of more about playing a role, you know, being this 1570 01:28:08,080 --> 01:28:10,800 Speaker 1: sort of spokesman for I don't know, the center flank 1571 01:28:10,840 --> 01:28:14,280 Speaker 1: of the Democratic Party and kind of inserting himself into 1572 01:28:14,320 --> 01:28:17,880 Speaker 1: various places, hobnobbing with celebrities. What does that all add 1573 01:28:17,960 --> 01:28:21,120 Speaker 1: up to. I don't know, but certainly I think unlike 1574 01:28:21,160 --> 01:28:26,360 Speaker 1: the Blasio, the national pundit class likes Eric Adams a 1575 01:28:26,400 --> 01:28:29,439 Speaker 1: lot more. And he's the type you'd probably get a 1576 01:28:29,479 --> 01:28:32,960 Speaker 1: more serious reception if somehow he ends up making a 1577 01:28:32,960 --> 01:28:35,920 Speaker 1: trip to Iowa. I think the national press would be 1578 01:28:36,000 --> 01:28:41,120 Speaker 1: that's really interesting. Yeah, well, corporatists are very popular with 1579 01:28:41,200 --> 01:28:44,320 Speaker 1: the DC pundit class. I think he's going to run. 1580 01:28:44,520 --> 01:28:48,200 Speaker 1: I do, I could certainly see it. Ross. Your analysis 1581 01:28:48,200 --> 01:28:51,000 Speaker 1: here has been invaluable. I really recommend people go and 1582 01:28:51,000 --> 01:28:54,200 Speaker 1: subscribe to your sub stack. It is called Political Currents 1583 01:28:54,240 --> 01:28:56,320 Speaker 1: by Ross Barkin, and it's always great to see my 1584 01:28:56,360 --> 01:28:59,200 Speaker 1: friend linkedlin description. Thank you very much, Ross, thank you 1585 01:28:59,240 --> 01:29:03,120 Speaker 1: for having me great. Really appreciate it. Thank you guys 1586 01:29:03,160 --> 01:29:05,800 Speaker 1: so much for watching. We really appreciate it. We've spotlighted this, 1587 01:29:05,880 --> 01:29:08,920 Speaker 1: but man, we've been getting hammered on YouTube demonetization here 1588 01:29:08,920 --> 01:29:11,400 Speaker 1: a Crystal. I mean, it's like every day there's a 1589 01:29:11,479 --> 01:29:14,679 Speaker 1: new something Epstein segment. You know, something gets doesn't get 1590 01:29:14,720 --> 01:29:17,720 Speaker 1: monetized or whatever. Look, it just shows you. This is 1591 01:29:17,760 --> 01:29:20,720 Speaker 1: why we rely on you, guys. And look, we have 1592 01:29:20,800 --> 01:29:22,680 Speaker 1: this new live show that we're going to be doing 1593 01:29:22,680 --> 01:29:24,519 Speaker 1: for the State of the Union. We have some awesome 1594 01:29:24,560 --> 01:29:27,080 Speaker 1: new people. We're doing partnerships and hiring. You're going to 1595 01:29:27,120 --> 01:29:29,680 Speaker 1: be seeing a lot more content on the channel and 1596 01:29:29,720 --> 01:29:32,280 Speaker 1: it is all thanks to the premium members who enable 1597 01:29:32,320 --> 01:29:35,160 Speaker 1: all of the infrastructure that gives us the editing resources, 1598 01:29:35,160 --> 01:29:38,519 Speaker 1: posting resources, studio time, and all the other attendant costs. 1599 01:29:38,520 --> 01:29:40,240 Speaker 1: So thank you all so much of those. If you 1600 01:29:40,400 --> 01:29:42,680 Speaker 1: have supported us, we really appreciate it. Link is down 1601 01:29:42,720 --> 01:29:46,519 Speaker 1: there in description if you are able. Yep, we are expanding. Guys, 1602 01:29:46,760 --> 01:29:49,639 Speaker 1: super excited about our State of the Union live stream. 1603 01:29:49,920 --> 01:29:52,400 Speaker 1: That's gonna be fun. That's our sort of first like 1604 01:29:52,680 --> 01:29:54,840 Speaker 1: it's our first live live is scary. I don't know 1605 01:29:54,880 --> 01:29:56,680 Speaker 1: if people realize this yet. It is a difference. You 1606 01:29:56,720 --> 01:29:58,479 Speaker 1: stuff in, you have guys in your ear, you have 1607 01:29:58,520 --> 01:30:01,320 Speaker 1: things that are happening. It's a dynamic situation. Got moved 1608 01:30:01,320 --> 01:30:04,120 Speaker 1: people in and out mics. It's a lot. Yeah, we 1609 01:30:04,200 --> 01:30:06,120 Speaker 1: love doing but when we were back at the Hill 1610 01:30:06,240 --> 01:30:09,280 Speaker 1: on rising, we love doing like the debate coverage and 1611 01:30:10,240 --> 01:30:13,439 Speaker 1: like election night coverage. So I'm super excited about that, 1612 01:30:13,680 --> 01:30:15,760 Speaker 1: and like Zager was saying, we were expanding in terms 1613 01:30:15,840 --> 01:30:18,240 Speaker 1: of sort of the partnerships that we're striking to make 1614 01:30:18,280 --> 01:30:21,320 Speaker 1: sure that we have, you know, a really rich library 1615 01:30:21,360 --> 01:30:24,439 Speaker 1: of content for you guys, from people that we really 1616 01:30:24,560 --> 01:30:26,360 Speaker 1: like and trust. That doesn't even mean that we always 1617 01:30:26,360 --> 01:30:28,160 Speaker 1: agree with these people, but we think that they have 1618 01:30:28,280 --> 01:30:32,120 Speaker 1: interesting analyzes that are you know, relevant to you all, 1619 01:30:32,160 --> 01:30:34,799 Speaker 1: and a good eye for content and are honest brokers 1620 01:30:34,800 --> 01:30:37,920 Speaker 1: and honest actors, so we can do Yeah. So uh, 1621 01:30:38,160 --> 01:30:41,479 Speaker 1: stay tuned, as they say, more announcements coming very soon 1622 01:30:41,640 --> 01:30:44,000 Speaker 1: on that front. Guys, have a great day and we 1623 01:30:44,000 --> 01:31:00,400 Speaker 1: will see you back here on Thursday. Okay,