1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Molly John Fast and this is Fast Politics, 2 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:07,120 Speaker 1: where we discussed the top political headlines with some of 3 00:00:07,160 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: today's best minds. And on Monday night, Donald Trump shared 4 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: over one hundred and fifty brain rot posts on truth 5 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:17,600 Speaker 1: social We have such a great show for you today, 6 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:22,279 Speaker 1: The Majority Report Sam Cedar stops by to talk about 7 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:25,840 Speaker 1: Donald Trump's North Korean style press conference. Then we'll talk 8 00:00:25,880 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 1: to The New York Times his own Ryan Mack about 9 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 1: David Sachs and his double dealing in the Trump white House. 10 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:33,840 Speaker 1: But first the news. 11 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 2: My the Republicans are in disarray. Elise Stefanic, whose aspirations 12 00:00:39,479 --> 00:00:42,239 Speaker 2: are very large, about as large as her mouth when 13 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 2: she's saying really racist and as long as public things. 14 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:47,919 Speaker 2: I was very very mad at the speaker today. How 15 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:48,720 Speaker 2: are you feeling about this? 16 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,519 Speaker 1: It's been a tough road for at least Stephonic and 17 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: I don't hate it. You'll remember that last week Democratic 18 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: Mayor elect Zori and mom Donnie went to the White 19 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,440 Speaker 1: House and Donald Trump threw a last Dephonic right under 20 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:06,280 Speaker 1: the bus, saying that she had called him a geh 21 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: hottist because that's what you do in a campaign, and 22 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:12,639 Speaker 1: not because she's legitimately racist, which I guess is better. 23 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 1: I don't know anyway, at least demonic. She's posting through it, 24 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:20,039 Speaker 1: and she's posting through it against the Speaker of the House, 25 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 1: Mike Johnson, a lawyer who is known best for holding 26 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:27,200 Speaker 1: the phone when Donald Trump doesn't tell a rally. I 27 00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 1: don't know what's going to happen here. Look, he's got 28 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: a very small majority. He is trying to do everything 29 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 1: he can to keep control of the House. You know, 30 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:43,120 Speaker 1: you really see how having Donald Trump pick leadership and 31 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: just picking the people who will suck up to him 32 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: the best is really not working out so great. And 33 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: so here we have it. Chip Roy argued that Congress 34 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:59,000 Speaker 1: should fully intervene a wide swath of issues in college athletics. 35 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: Maybe we should fix the mess. I mean, again, these 36 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:04,240 Speaker 1: guys can't fucking do anything, so why are they going 37 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:07,000 Speaker 1: to get involved with college sports? It doesn't even make 38 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:11,440 Speaker 1: any sense. It's just very, very stupid. I think that 39 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: we're going to see a lot more of these kind 40 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:17,639 Speaker 1: of problems that are you don't even think that can 41 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: go wrong when you have someone like Nancy Pelosi in 42 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: the job, and now we have Stephonic blaming Johnson for 43 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:28,960 Speaker 1: delaying and ultimately killing her nomination to keep the House 44 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:33,200 Speaker 1: GOP majority from further dwindling. You'll remember Marjorie Taylor Green 45 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: is resigning in January. They're just in every point different 46 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 1: sort of stupid things happening here that have gotten us here, 47 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 1: and Stephonic has more bills she wants to pass. On Monday, 48 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 1: Stefanic accuse Johnson of getting rolled by Democrats after Jamie 49 00:02:51,320 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: Raskin succeeded in stripping this provision she wants. I mean, 50 00:02:54,880 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 1: this is just like little backbiting in fighting, but it 51 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: wouldn't be coming out on Twitter were these guys not 52 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 1: in real trouble keeping the majority trying to pass stuff, 53 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,560 Speaker 1: and I, for one love to see it. By the way, 54 00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:14,920 Speaker 1: this is Johnson said to a journalist. I don't know 55 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: why at least won't just call me. I do. I 56 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:20,800 Speaker 1: texted her last night and said I would help figure 57 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:25,200 Speaker 1: out what happened. Again, Stavonik, being you know, the ultimate 58 00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 1: Trumpian move, she quickly shot back, posting on X just 59 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: more lies from the speaker. This is his preferred tactic 60 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: to tell members when he gets caught torpedoing The Republican agenda. 61 00:03:36,640 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: I mean, just wild way to behave and pretty unusual. 62 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 1: It's trump Ism has got to Congress. 63 00:03:44,400 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 2: Yep. So this is a really interesting one. Costco is 64 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 2: suing the Trump administration for a full refund of the 65 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:55,240 Speaker 2: tariffs incurred at their stores, which is quite a hefty 66 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 2: penny considering how much inventory Costco moves. 67 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, this is pretty nuts. There are a couple of 68 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: other companies that have lined up for refunds that are 69 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 1: suing the Trump administration. Trump unilaterally put together these tariffs. 70 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:14,080 Speaker 1: He did it as an emergency order, whatever that means. 71 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 1: The Supreme Court may say he has no right to 72 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:22,359 Speaker 1: do any of this. That is very possible, slash likely. Yeah, 73 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 1: this is such a good example of how these private 74 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 1: companies can in fact push back. They just have so 75 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:33,200 Speaker 1: far chosen not to. And here we have a really 76 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:38,479 Speaker 1: good example of a private company that is a huge retailer. 77 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:40,840 Speaker 1: And you know, we're still waiting. There's going to be 78 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 1: a Supreme Court decision on this emergency powers law and 79 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,080 Speaker 1: we'll see, and you know, it may be that this 80 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: gets repealed, that he has to pay back all the tariffs. 81 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: The problem with having a president who does lots of 82 00:04:53,880 --> 00:04:57,680 Speaker 1: illegal stuff is that you really don't know what's going 83 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 1: to get ruled illegal by this court, and that's where 84 00:05:02,160 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: Costco finds itself. But it's good to see that they're 85 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:07,760 Speaker 1: doing this, and probably this is the only way to 86 00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: push back. 87 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, and it's interesting too because Costco is one of 88 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 2: the most different business models when it comes to employees, 89 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:16,840 Speaker 2: is that they pay their employees much better than their 90 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 2: competitors at a bit of very lefty organization, as lefty 91 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:23,480 Speaker 2: as corporations get. So this is a very interesting way 92 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 2: of fighting back against trump Ism. 93 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, and look, it's probably the best way to do it. 94 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:32,719 Speaker 2: Agreed. So another interesting move that could really really change 95 00:05:32,720 --> 00:05:35,919 Speaker 2: our politics. One hundred former wallmakers have called on the 96 00:05:35,960 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 2: House to band stock trading by members of Congress. 97 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:41,599 Speaker 1: Don't get my hopes up. I love those dock trading bans. 98 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 1: That's like my favorite. You know, we were talking about 99 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:47,920 Speaker 1: it earlier, Like I love a stock trading ban. So 100 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:53,240 Speaker 1: let's hope it happens again. It's wildly popular. There's no 101 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:56,120 Speaker 1: reason not to do it. It's called the Restore Trust 102 00:05:56,120 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 1: in Congress Act. I have a lot of trouble imagining 103 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 1: that Republicans will passet, but you know, the former lawmakers 104 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,039 Speaker 1: to sign the letter. By the way, Tom Dashell, did 105 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:12,360 Speaker 1: gepart Olivia Snow, Fred Upton, sixty Democrats, twenty eight Republicans, 106 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 1: two independents. Yeah, and look at the polling on it 107 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: is wildly popular. There had been some machinations to pass 108 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:22,799 Speaker 1: something like this, and Donald Trump had said he wanted 109 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:25,560 Speaker 1: to cut out for the president. I mean, we have 110 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 1: a president and executive branch that is doing corrupt things 111 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:32,719 Speaker 1: at a scale we've probably never seen before. Makes Tibat 112 00:06:32,839 --> 00:06:36,839 Speaker 1: Dome look like Lincoln. So I do think it makes 113 00:06:36,880 --> 00:06:40,240 Speaker 1: sense that you would want to have broad, sweeping reforms. 114 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:43,320 Speaker 1: But I also think that you're going to have a 115 00:06:43,360 --> 00:06:46,040 Speaker 1: lot of trouble passing that in Trump world right now 116 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:48,279 Speaker 1: because for obvious reasons. 117 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:53,960 Speaker 2: So the entire chain of command under Pete's hexas Department 118 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:56,480 Speaker 2: of Work could be held liable for the boat strikes. 119 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 2: I think this is pretty interesting. It seemed like in 120 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 2: that press conference to a whiskey, Pete was trying to 121 00:07:02,560 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 2: put on a smiley face as much as he could, 122 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 2: but really wasn't giving a good acting job. To me. 123 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I don't know. Donald Trump hates firing 124 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 1: people at least in two point zero. He hates firing people. 125 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 2: I must say, very ironic for the year fire. Yess. 126 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, he does seem to not want to fire. Hegseet 127 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 1: though ultimately, sooner or later, this whole thing is going to, 128 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:26,800 Speaker 1: you know, killing the fishermen. You know, there's only so 129 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 1: many Laura Lumer Pedagon press conferences. There's only so many 130 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:35,360 Speaker 1: times you could have Matt Gates in there asking fake 131 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:41,640 Speaker 1: questions and pizza Jack. I'm talking about that incredible, incredible 132 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:45,840 Speaker 1: Pentagon press conference today where they called on an entire 133 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:49,600 Speaker 1: media made up of MAGA to tell them how great 134 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 1: they are. But I think eventually the bill will come 135 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:55,640 Speaker 1: due on this, and it's hard for me to imagine 136 00:07:55,640 --> 00:08:01,920 Speaker 1: that it's not going to end pretty terrible. Sam Cedar 137 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:05,880 Speaker 1: is the host of The Majority Report. Sam Cedar, Molly 138 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 1: John Fast Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome, Welcome. 139 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:13,480 Speaker 3: I just figured out what fast politics meant. 140 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:14,320 Speaker 1: What does it mean? 141 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:19,520 Speaker 3: It's your last name? Yes, I had not put that together. 142 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 3: I was like, why fast politics? And then I realized, like, oh, okay, 143 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:25,400 Speaker 3: oh got it. 144 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:27,920 Speaker 1: When I start my own school of political theory, it'll 145 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:30,560 Speaker 1: be called FasTIS Oh? 146 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:31,120 Speaker 3: I like that? 147 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:35,800 Speaker 1: Yes, just like Trump's razor is that the stupidest explanation 148 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:37,440 Speaker 1: is always the right one. 149 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:39,600 Speaker 3: It's also the easiest one for him to reach for. 150 00:08:41,600 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: So I actually believe that his North Korean style cabinet 151 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 1: meetings where every member of the cabinet goes around and 152 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 1: praises him are appalling, hilarious and also actually quite smart, 153 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 1: and the Democrats should do them. 154 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:01,199 Speaker 3: I mean, it creates the mess of He's it's sort 155 00:09:01,200 --> 00:09:04,319 Speaker 3: of like, you know, what it does is it reprises 156 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:09,160 Speaker 3: his role in The Apprentice, where everybody goes around and 157 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:13,920 Speaker 3: sort of placates him and looks like they're supplicating themselves 158 00:09:14,520 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 3: to him. And in The Apprentice, to be fair, he 159 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 3: never fell asleep, and this time around he did on 160 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:21,199 Speaker 3: multiple occasions. 161 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:25,480 Speaker 1: You know, I was reading this book. It's a very 162 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 1: smart book of political profiles by someone whose name I 163 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:32,640 Speaker 1: will not mention because they are a serial fabulous and 164 00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:35,200 Speaker 1: I do not want to give them any attention. But 165 00:09:35,559 --> 00:09:37,560 Speaker 1: the writing is very, very good, and that's why I 166 00:09:37,600 --> 00:09:42,240 Speaker 1: was reading it. And what I found so interesting about 167 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:46,319 Speaker 1: it is that it talked about Donald Trump as a 168 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:50,160 Speaker 1: seventy year old, and it made me remember that we 169 00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:53,200 Speaker 1: have been doing this for an entire decade. 170 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 3: Oh, I mean sort of more when it comes to Trump. 171 00:09:58,280 --> 00:10:00,760 Speaker 3: But I mean, yes, we've been doing for a decade. 172 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:03,240 Speaker 3: It is exhausting. But you know, we had a problem 173 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:05,520 Speaker 3: with politics before and we were just saying, you know, 174 00:10:05,559 --> 00:10:09,240 Speaker 3: before the show, like people forget that Mitt Romney made 175 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:12,520 Speaker 3: a big, big production of coming to New York to 176 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:18,280 Speaker 3: kiss Donald Trump's ring and get his permission in his impromatur. 177 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:20,680 Speaker 3: I mean then that was in twenty twelve, and so 178 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:24,199 Speaker 3: you know, Donald Trump was one of the intellectual pillars 179 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:28,200 Speaker 3: of the Republican Party. All of the birth certificate stuff, 180 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:32,360 Speaker 3: the brother stuff was he was the main tent pole 181 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:35,720 Speaker 3: for that, and people forget John Bayner wouldn't push back 182 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:37,760 Speaker 3: against it. This is well, you know what this is. 183 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:41,400 Speaker 3: This is a Republicanism that has been around, I would 184 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:43,600 Speaker 3: argue for close to two decades plus. 185 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:45,280 Speaker 1: And you know, if you want to go down that 186 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:48,680 Speaker 1: rabbit hole of the America First Movement, I mean you 187 00:10:48,720 --> 00:10:54,080 Speaker 1: can you can parse it back Pat Nickson, Pat Buchan, Yeah, 188 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:56,559 Speaker 1: I mean, but even Nixon, I mean even you can 189 00:10:56,600 --> 00:11:00,000 Speaker 1: go further and further back. I mean, you have Republicans 190 00:11:00,559 --> 00:11:05,320 Speaker 1: supporting horrible dictators for you know, the. 191 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:08,040 Speaker 3: Last Democrats, Democrats too. 192 00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:11,959 Speaker 1: I mean, look, you're talking to someone who's the granddaughter 193 00:11:12,240 --> 00:11:15,600 Speaker 1: of the last living recipient of the Stalin Peace Prize. 194 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:19,160 Speaker 1: So people make mistakes. That's all I'm saying. 195 00:11:19,559 --> 00:11:22,600 Speaker 3: It's true, people make mistakes. But also I mean I think, 196 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:25,280 Speaker 3: like you know, the we've had when it comes to 197 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:27,839 Speaker 3: foreign policy and being supportive of dictators, that has been 198 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:33,400 Speaker 3: largely a bipartisan project in many respects. 199 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:40,240 Speaker 1: But it stops today with Pete haig Seth bombing fishermen 200 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:41,600 Speaker 1: in the Caribbean. 201 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:44,760 Speaker 3: See here's what I find stunning about this story. This 202 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:48,440 Speaker 3: has been going on since September second, and we have 203 00:11:48,559 --> 00:11:52,800 Speaker 3: heard virtually nothing, and now you know the issue is 204 00:11:52,800 --> 00:11:55,120 Speaker 3: and I sort of, I mean, I sort of understand 205 00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:57,040 Speaker 3: this dynamic. I don't want to be sort of Pollyannish 206 00:11:57,080 --> 00:11:59,200 Speaker 3: about this, but the idea that it's only occurring to 207 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:02,680 Speaker 3: people now that this is a crime, like I don't 208 00:12:02,679 --> 00:12:04,959 Speaker 3: even know if it's a war crime. People want to 209 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:10,080 Speaker 3: argue it's a war crime because once you attack vessel 210 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:13,360 Speaker 3: or the enemy, and if they're in a boat, and 211 00:12:13,360 --> 00:12:15,920 Speaker 3: if there's any chance of them surviving, you're not supposed 212 00:12:15,920 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 3: to double tap. But we're not at war with these people. 213 00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:21,000 Speaker 3: We don't even know who they are, so it's not 214 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:24,840 Speaker 3: a war crime. It's a crime crime that is being 215 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:26,720 Speaker 3: committed on top of a crime. 216 00:12:26,840 --> 00:12:32,280 Speaker 1: I laugh, to keep from crime, and. 217 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:35,800 Speaker 3: With alute no substantiation as to who they are, no 218 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 3: authority even if they are who they say, who the 219 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,480 Speaker 3: administration says they are, and there's no reason to believe that. 220 00:12:41,559 --> 00:12:43,800 Speaker 3: I mean, we were told they were going into that 221 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:47,360 Speaker 3: building in Chicago with the Blackhawk helicopters and they were 222 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:52,600 Speaker 3: basically putting Latino people in one moving truck and black 223 00:12:52,600 --> 00:12:55,400 Speaker 3: people in another moving truck because that whole place was 224 00:12:55,440 --> 00:12:59,160 Speaker 3: full of trend to Agua and there was none. And 225 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:01,320 Speaker 3: so there's only for us to believe them about this. 226 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:03,520 Speaker 3: But even if we were to believe that they were 227 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:06,760 Speaker 3: trend to Agua in these boats that were incidentally both 228 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:10,120 Speaker 3: on the Pacific and the Caribbean, there's no authority to 229 00:13:10,240 --> 00:13:14,240 Speaker 3: you laterally bomb these people. Yet we haven't heard a 230 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:16,400 Speaker 3: word about it, and now it's just coming out as like, 231 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:19,280 Speaker 3: you know, because there are some Republicans who decide that 232 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 3: they see this as an opportunity to get rid of 233 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:23,680 Speaker 3: HEG Sith, and of course heg sys is throwing his 234 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,040 Speaker 3: uh you know, is admiral under the bus. This is 235 00:13:27,160 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 3: like three months overdue in my estimation. 236 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:34,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, oh yeah. And also I mean they very likely 237 00:13:34,559 --> 00:13:38,480 Speaker 1: are fishermen too. I mean there's there's the illegality of 238 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:41,560 Speaker 1: the war, which is maybe not a war because it 239 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: has in Congress hasn't said it's a war. And then 240 00:13:44,679 --> 00:13:46,760 Speaker 1: there's also just the fact that they're probably not even 241 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:48,400 Speaker 1: those people anyway, right. 242 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:50,559 Speaker 3: I mean, but who would you who would you declare 243 00:13:50,679 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 3: war against boats? Like well, honestly, like like these are 244 00:13:54,760 --> 00:13:57,720 Speaker 3: fish to not that there has any been any reporting 245 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:00,560 Speaker 3: on who they are, right, there's a lot of evidence 246 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:03,520 Speaker 3: that it was just uh, fisherman. But the United States 247 00:14:03,559 --> 00:14:08,079 Speaker 3: is going to go to war with a gang. I mean, 248 00:14:08,320 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 3: now there's no like, there's no authorization for this. It's absurd. 249 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:14,040 Speaker 1: You know what I think though, is the most interesting 250 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:17,240 Speaker 1: part of this is that in Trump one point, oh, 251 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:21,200 Speaker 1: we always see Trump is like a master of sequels, right, 252 00:14:21,280 --> 00:14:23,720 Speaker 1: he cares a lot about So in Trump one point, 253 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:25,080 Speaker 1: h he had this idea that he was going to 254 00:14:25,120 --> 00:14:28,360 Speaker 1: go to war with Mexico, remember that, And he wasn't 255 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:30,080 Speaker 1: going to go to war with Mexico. He's going to 256 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:32,960 Speaker 1: go to war with the cartels in Mexico. So I 257 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:36,360 Speaker 1: think this is a continuation of that. But it makes 258 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:41,880 Speaker 1: me wonder about the government in Mexico and how they 259 00:14:42,040 --> 00:14:46,200 Speaker 1: managed to distract Trump with a new government, because like, 260 00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:49,320 Speaker 1: do you remember all throughout one point, oh, he was 261 00:14:49,440 --> 00:14:51,360 Speaker 1: like going to go to war with Mexico, And now 262 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 1: Mexico has a woman president sort of she's kind of 263 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:59,200 Speaker 1: a cutout, but and she's sort of pretty, and now 264 00:14:59,240 --> 00:15:00,680 Speaker 1: he's not going to go to war with Mexican. 265 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:02,880 Speaker 3: I think it's frankly, it's because I think they have 266 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:07,680 Speaker 3: stopped immigrants from traversing through Mexico. This is my guest, 267 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:11,120 Speaker 3: and I I've seen some reporting of about this, but 268 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:15,479 Speaker 3: not much that they've you know, essentially shut their borders 269 00:15:15,800 --> 00:15:20,280 Speaker 3: to uh, Central America, at least for people, you know, 270 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:23,600 Speaker 3: for immigrants attempting to get to the US. And so 271 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:28,080 Speaker 3: I think he's happy with the amount of immigrants that 272 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:31,280 Speaker 3: are not coming into the border. And I think there's 273 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:35,040 Speaker 3: also like a I don't know who's driving this compulsion, 274 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:38,720 Speaker 3: if it's Rubio or what, but there's a serious compulsion 275 00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:44,080 Speaker 3: within his administration to overthrow a Maduro in Venezuela. And 276 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:46,720 Speaker 3: I think there's probably you know, two projects, you know, 277 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 3: only one project at a time in that region that 278 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:51,280 Speaker 3: he wants to pursue. I mean, that's why there, that's 279 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 3: why he's bombing these boats. It has nothing to do 280 00:15:53,560 --> 00:15:58,360 Speaker 3: with with drugs. And not even ten percent of drugs 281 00:15:58,360 --> 00:16:01,280 Speaker 3: that enter into the United States are coming from Venezuela. 282 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:02,400 Speaker 3: I mean, there's just. 283 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:04,680 Speaker 1: Now that's just coming from China. 284 00:16:04,760 --> 00:16:09,360 Speaker 3: It's a complete pretense. And when he brought Juan Guido 285 00:16:09,760 --> 00:16:14,400 Speaker 3: to Congress, I can't remember what year it was, Guido 286 00:16:14,520 --> 00:16:16,880 Speaker 3: got a standing ovation for both sides of the aisle 287 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:20,960 Speaker 3: and he clearly he was not the president of Venezuela 288 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:25,520 Speaker 3: and he's never has been since. So you know, Trump, 289 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:29,280 Speaker 3: I think has they want Venezuela and oil, and that's 290 00:16:29,320 --> 00:16:31,120 Speaker 3: what I think a lot of this is all about. 291 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:32,760 Speaker 3: At the end of the day, I think he says 292 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:34,040 Speaker 3: as much, almost. 293 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:38,480 Speaker 1: Let's talk about the Congress because Mike Johnson, I am 294 00:16:38,520 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: really enjoying this, the misery that is Mike Johnson's life 295 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:47,920 Speaker 1: right now. He had he's fighting with a least aphonic 296 00:16:48,520 --> 00:16:53,040 Speaker 1: on Twitter. He has got this special election in Tennessee. 297 00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:56,440 Speaker 1: It's in R plus twenty two, it's happening. So when 298 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:59,040 Speaker 1: people listen to this tomorrow, they will be they will 299 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:02,640 Speaker 1: know if it Democrats probably will overperform. How much we 300 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:06,120 Speaker 1: don't know enough to make Donald Trump tweet about it 301 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:09,400 Speaker 1: and call in on the phone. And it just seems 302 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:12,880 Speaker 1: to me, you know, he has a four or five 303 00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:17,520 Speaker 1: seat majority, he has all these specials coming up, he 304 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:21,280 Speaker 1: still has another year before the midterms. 305 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:24,919 Speaker 3: I think this race is going to have a lot 306 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:31,480 Speaker 3: more relevance as a special election than most because putting 307 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:34,119 Speaker 3: aside the first order issue of like this would flip 308 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:37,520 Speaker 3: another seat, and he has a dwindling majority in the 309 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:40,280 Speaker 3: in the House, and put aside you know, the sort 310 00:17:40,320 --> 00:17:43,080 Speaker 3: of like the tea leaves that people read from a 311 00:17:43,119 --> 00:17:46,639 Speaker 3: special election, it's a you know, it's a Trump plus 312 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:50,920 Speaker 3: twenty two district. You know, you account for some Democrats 313 00:17:50,960 --> 00:17:52,680 Speaker 3: are going to be more motivated in a special election 314 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:55,760 Speaker 3: than Republicans. But that's also case on the on the midterm. 315 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:58,840 Speaker 3: But I'm convinced that if ban gets in there, like 316 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:02,200 Speaker 3: within like let's say four or five points, or wins 317 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:04,440 Speaker 3: for that matter. But if she gets within four or 318 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:07,879 Speaker 3: five points, I think you're gonna see another two or 319 00:18:07,880 --> 00:18:11,600 Speaker 3: three resignations or retirements, I should say, maybe even a 320 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:18,280 Speaker 3: resignation of House members, because if she's gonna overperform by 321 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:22,080 Speaker 3: seventeen points, again Trump, this with with with all the 322 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:25,359 Speaker 3: deployment of all the money, all the Trump I mean, 323 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:28,760 Speaker 3: most Congress people are not gonna get that much attention 324 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:35,480 Speaker 3: in their midterm races, and from the national Party and 325 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:37,479 Speaker 3: from Donald Trump. You've got a lot of people who 326 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:39,159 Speaker 3: are gonna be like, I don't want to spend the 327 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:43,560 Speaker 3: next year fundraising or running against somebody in the primary 328 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:46,520 Speaker 3: who's gonna be a pain, then running in the general election. 329 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:49,280 Speaker 3: And even if I win, which means I have to 330 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,879 Speaker 3: overperform what I did in the twenty twenty four election 331 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:57,160 Speaker 3: by ten fifteen points, I'm gonna be in the minority. 332 00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:00,919 Speaker 3: And so I think there's gonna be if this is 333 00:19:01,119 --> 00:19:03,320 Speaker 3: even remotely close, I think they we're going to see 334 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:04,520 Speaker 3: more resignations. 335 00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:07,600 Speaker 1: Frankly, yeah, And I mean we already saw Marjorie Taylor 336 00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:11,000 Speaker 1: Green is out in January, which is like a huge 337 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:13,520 Speaker 1: fuck you when you have such a small majority, and 338 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:18,280 Speaker 1: then you have members of Congress using discharge petitions. 339 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:18,960 Speaker 4: Yep. 340 00:19:19,119 --> 00:19:24,000 Speaker 1: And so let's talk about Jeffries has actually put together 341 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:29,399 Speaker 1: a discharge petition. I'm not sure about the Obamacare premiums, 342 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:32,960 Speaker 1: trying to sort of get that together. I mean, it 343 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:37,400 Speaker 1: seems unlikely that goes. But Republicans don't have some other 344 00:19:38,280 --> 00:19:39,480 Speaker 1: healthcare idea. 345 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:42,879 Speaker 3: No, and you have you know, some Republicans like you 346 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:47,200 Speaker 3: know Lawler, and you know, like New York Republicans, probably 347 00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:49,600 Speaker 3: some California Republicans to the extent that they're going to 348 00:19:49,640 --> 00:19:53,640 Speaker 3: exist as exist the redistricting. 349 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:56,560 Speaker 1: Who darryl Isa, darryl. 350 00:19:56,320 --> 00:19:58,960 Speaker 3: Isa suppose're gonna run in Texas. You know, it's possible 351 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:01,520 Speaker 3: you get a couple of Republicans to sign on to 352 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:05,959 Speaker 3: something like that because they know they're going to get destroyed, 353 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:10,520 Speaker 3: you know, as these healthcare premiums go through the roof. 354 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:13,640 Speaker 3: I mean, it's going to be really debilitating for millions 355 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:17,000 Speaker 3: of people. But it also speaks to, I think, in 356 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:22,640 Speaker 3: many respects, the failure of parts of the Affordable Care 357 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:24,840 Speaker 3: part of the Affordable Care Act, right, it was the 358 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:29,879 Speaker 3: Patient Patient Protection Affordable Care Act is what the official 359 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:33,080 Speaker 3: name was. And the patient protection's pretty good. You know, 360 00:20:33,119 --> 00:20:36,280 Speaker 3: you have, health insurance is a better product now than 361 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:42,200 Speaker 3: it was in twenty thirteen. But the affordable part. No, 362 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:47,119 Speaker 3: not so much, and hopefully slowly the Democrats will get 363 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:49,760 Speaker 3: to the point where they realize, like, we need to 364 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:55,680 Speaker 3: have a fundamental shift in the way that we pay 365 00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:58,320 Speaker 3: for health insurance in this country, and that it'll be 366 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:00,760 Speaker 3: a single payer system. It's just more efficient. 367 00:21:01,880 --> 00:21:05,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm wondering if you think that, like there's any 368 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:09,880 Speaker 1: way in which like Trump clearly sees this coming. Members 369 00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:13,560 Speaker 1: of the House understand, I mean, people see you know 370 00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:16,640 Speaker 1: that we so Trump said We're gonna like, let's extend 371 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:20,119 Speaker 1: the premiums and basically let's do what Democrats wanted. That 372 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 1: was last week's drama, and then members of the House 373 00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:26,639 Speaker 1: were like, fuck, no, we're not doing that. But the 374 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:30,080 Speaker 1: but it is, if you wanted to not get completely 375 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:34,040 Speaker 1: creamed in the midterms, that would be really the only 376 00:21:34,119 --> 00:21:35,120 Speaker 1: way to do it. Right. 377 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:37,760 Speaker 3: Well, I mean, I think the problem is is that 378 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:42,320 Speaker 3: you have so many of the Republican lawmakers who are 379 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:47,640 Speaker 3: in such polarized and safe Republican seats. You know, we forget, 380 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:51,440 Speaker 3: this entire movement was built, you know, at least part 381 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:55,520 Speaker 3: of it on voting to repeal Obamacare, and the idea 382 00:21:55,560 --> 00:21:58,359 Speaker 3: for them to like do a full one eighty one. 383 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:02,359 Speaker 3: I think it opens them up to primary challenges in 384 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:06,399 Speaker 3: their districts. And two it I think it you know, 385 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:10,920 Speaker 3: opens them up to charges of being you know, rhinos 386 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:14,800 Speaker 3: and the margins are so thin. I think it's wrong 387 00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:19,119 Speaker 3: these days to look at at least the Republican Party 388 00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:23,359 Speaker 3: and frankly on some level of the Democratic Party, to 389 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:28,400 Speaker 3: look at them as the first lens being their party 390 00:22:28,600 --> 00:22:31,439 Speaker 3: affiliation on things like this, because I don't think there 391 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:34,800 Speaker 3: is a if they wanted to do something. I think 392 00:22:34,800 --> 00:22:38,200 Speaker 3: it's a bunch of individuals who are making the assessment 393 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 3: as to what helps them in their district first, and 394 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:45,720 Speaker 3: what their brand is, and you know, what their relationship 395 00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:48,639 Speaker 3: with their voters are. So I think it's hard to 396 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:51,479 Speaker 3: you know, assess like if the Republicans were smart, they 397 00:22:51,480 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 3: would have done that. If the Republicans were smart, they 398 00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:55,600 Speaker 3: would have done this, they would have just brought it 399 00:22:55,640 --> 00:22:59,080 Speaker 3: to open up the government. But you know, in those things, 400 00:22:59,160 --> 00:23:02,920 Speaker 3: they don't function as a hive mind. They all, all 401 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:05,480 Speaker 3: of them as individuals know that. Like I made my 402 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:09,440 Speaker 3: bones on arguing against Obamacare, I can't fine off on 403 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:12,639 Speaker 3: Obamacare on anything. I can't validate it in that way. 404 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:15,119 Speaker 3: If the members of the Democratic Party were more aggressive, 405 00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:18,440 Speaker 3: they would take any capitulation by Republicans on this and 406 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:21,639 Speaker 3: walk the other distance, you know, the other direction like 407 00:23:21,680 --> 00:23:22,680 Speaker 3: the Republicans would. 408 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:25,640 Speaker 1: They don't do that, though, Yeah, if only they were 409 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:26,439 Speaker 1: more aggressive. 410 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:29,840 Speaker 3: I mean, just think there has been a significant portion 411 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:34,880 Speaker 3: of the Democratic Party which is vehemently against any type 412 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:38,800 Speaker 3: of expansion of Medicare. We could have done that during COVID, 413 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,720 Speaker 3: could have said, if you've lost your job and you 414 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:46,000 Speaker 3: need health insurance, we're going to expand Medicare temporarily. Nancy 415 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:52,440 Speaker 3: Pelosi fought that tooth and nail, and instead we subsidize Cobra, 416 00:23:53,119 --> 00:23:58,480 Speaker 3: which possible efficient for a dollar for a dollar a 417 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:02,960 Speaker 3: way of providing health insurance to people. I mean, just incredibly, 418 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:06,320 Speaker 3: it's the most expensive way. But I think that was 419 00:24:06,359 --> 00:24:09,840 Speaker 3: done as a way of maintaining the sort of fiction 420 00:24:09,920 --> 00:24:13,560 Speaker 3: that we can't expand Medicare for people under the age 421 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 3: of sixty five. I mean, that's absurd. It's the more 422 00:24:17,359 --> 00:24:20,360 Speaker 3: you expand it going down in age. 423 00:24:21,119 --> 00:24:24,560 Speaker 1: The cheaper against because those people don't need. 424 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:29,479 Speaker 3: Yes, and so, I mean everybody knows this, and but 425 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,080 Speaker 3: there's just too much. I don't know if it's there's 426 00:24:33,119 --> 00:24:35,400 Speaker 3: a reason for ideological stuff. It's both. 427 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:40,480 Speaker 1: Probably there's a reason that Canada doesn't want old people 428 00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 1: coming there. It's because it's very expensive the healthcare, whereas 429 00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:47,480 Speaker 1: if you're younger, it's cheaper because you don't have to 430 00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:50,360 Speaker 1: And I think that's a really good point. And also 431 00:24:50,800 --> 00:24:53,080 Speaker 1: I just want to add, if you were going to 432 00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:57,960 Speaker 1: bring up Nancy Pelosi, who was in many ways a 433 00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:01,840 Speaker 1: great fighter for the cause, the most important thing now 434 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:06,720 Speaker 1: is to ban congressional stock trading, because that is something 435 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:10,040 Speaker 1: that we opens the door to trump ism. Right, it's 436 00:25:10,080 --> 00:25:13,520 Speaker 1: not as bad, but you get when you have members, 437 00:25:13,840 --> 00:25:17,880 Speaker 1: you know, but when you have members of members trading stock, yeah. 438 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:21,600 Speaker 3: I mean, you know, the only downside is is that, 439 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:24,760 Speaker 3: you know, those people who use an app to shadow 440 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:30,920 Speaker 3: Nancy Pelosi's stock trading and have made a killing off 441 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:34,639 Speaker 3: of it will feel bad. But yes, of course, I 442 00:25:34,680 --> 00:25:40,440 Speaker 3: mean we're just watching the complete like sort of monetization 443 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:44,679 Speaker 3: of of our government. And you know, this is the 444 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:47,120 Speaker 3: thing if like you've ever been involved in like small 445 00:25:47,160 --> 00:25:52,119 Speaker 3: town governance, it's it's the same dynamic. You know, people 446 00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:57,800 Speaker 3: people become the city councilman or all the people or whatever, 447 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:01,640 Speaker 3: or sit on boards because it's an extension of their business. 448 00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:03,800 Speaker 3: This is the way I network. I'm going to throw 449 00:26:04,040 --> 00:26:08,159 Speaker 3: this county grant to my friend who does food distribution, 450 00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:11,199 Speaker 3: and they're gonna give me a deal on this. And 451 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:13,560 Speaker 3: that's what Trump is doing, you know, but doing it 452 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:18,639 Speaker 3: on a national level. And the inside insider trading that 453 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:23,600 Speaker 3: takes place with congress people's is a perfect example of this. Yeah, 454 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:26,160 Speaker 3: it seems to be to be a no brainer, and 455 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:28,080 Speaker 3: I think when she's gone, it's going to happen. 456 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:32,720 Speaker 1: Sam Cedar, will you come back, of course anytime. Ryan 457 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:35,320 Speaker 1: Mack is a journalist at the New York Times and 458 00:26:35,359 --> 00:26:39,920 Speaker 1: the co author of Character Limit, How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter. 459 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:42,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to Fast Politics. 460 00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:43,840 Speaker 4: Ryan Mack, Thanks for having me. 461 00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:46,280 Speaker 1: We're going to talk about David sax in the micro 462 00:26:46,480 --> 00:26:49,520 Speaker 1: and the macro right, because like David Sachs is both 463 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:52,480 Speaker 1: a guy who found himself in the Trump administration, but 464 00:26:52,520 --> 00:26:56,600 Speaker 1: he's also like a larger example of things that the 465 00:26:56,640 --> 00:27:00,720 Speaker 1: Trump administration is doing that are not subject to the 466 00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:04,800 Speaker 1: normal ethical anything. So I want you to first talk 467 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:10,960 Speaker 1: about David Sachs, the investor Slash cryptos are slash ai. 468 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:14,600 Speaker 4: Zar, who is David Sachs. Basically, yeah, So David Sacks 469 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:18,879 Speaker 4: is a born in South Africa guy that came to 470 00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:22,680 Speaker 4: the US as a child, went to Sanford University, linked 471 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:25,800 Speaker 4: up with Peter Teel at Stanford, worked for The Stanford Review, 472 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:29,720 Speaker 4: the libertarian newspaper that Peter Teel founded, and then was 473 00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:32,600 Speaker 4: an early employee of what became PayPal. So he's part 474 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:36,480 Speaker 4: of the PayPal mafia, this famed group of entrepreneurs and 475 00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:39,520 Speaker 4: investors in Silicon Valley that have gone on to create, 476 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:43,040 Speaker 4: you know, other companies, and you know, over the years, 477 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:45,800 Speaker 4: has just become a fixture in Silicon Valley. He's you know, 478 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:48,960 Speaker 4: founded companies. He has a venture firm called Craft Ventures. 479 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:51,840 Speaker 4: He's established himself as a podcaster as one of the 480 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:55,119 Speaker 4: four members of All In this podcast about tech and 481 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:59,000 Speaker 4: politics and culture that is very popular with you know, 482 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:03,399 Speaker 4: the tech crowd, and recently became a kind of close 483 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:07,280 Speaker 4: associated the Trump family. A recent Trump supporter. Eventually was 484 00:28:07,359 --> 00:28:11,440 Speaker 4: named as the AI and cryptos are of the Trump administration. 485 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:16,080 Speaker 1: So historically in administrations you wouldn't have people like this 486 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:20,240 Speaker 1: because so David Zax besides being a podcaster, he's also 487 00:28:20,440 --> 00:28:26,400 Speaker 1: an investor in many, many, many companies that actually will 488 00:28:26,480 --> 00:28:30,920 Speaker 1: benefit from his job in the federal government. 489 00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:33,160 Speaker 4: When you first asked a question, I was like imagining 490 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:35,879 Speaker 4: like Woodrow Wilson having a cryptosar. 491 00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:40,200 Speaker 1: Right exactly, or even like having a railroad zar, right, 492 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:43,600 Speaker 1: or I mean who also was a Carnegie, which is 493 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:44,719 Speaker 1: basically what this is. 494 00:28:44,840 --> 00:28:45,120 Speaker 2: Right. 495 00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:48,560 Speaker 4: There certainly have been people from the private sector that 496 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:52,640 Speaker 4: have gone into government to advise or lead cabinet positions 497 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:55,840 Speaker 4: what have you, Rex Hillerson for example, in the last 498 00:28:55,840 --> 00:28:59,520 Speaker 4: Trump administration. But this is a very unique position for one. 499 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:03,440 Speaker 4: David's sex as a special government employee, which means he's 500 00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:05,800 Speaker 4: not a full time employee of the US government, and 501 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:08,080 Speaker 4: he's not sent and approved in any way. There's no 502 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:11,840 Speaker 4: congressional approval. And it's really a new position, this position 503 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:15,560 Speaker 4: that the White House created to essentially what they call, 504 00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:19,520 Speaker 4: you know, keep the US as the leader in AI 505 00:29:19,760 --> 00:29:23,640 Speaker 4: and crypto globally. And so his job is to facilitate 506 00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:27,680 Speaker 4: anything that will help, you know, the US artificial intelligence 507 00:29:27,840 --> 00:29:31,880 Speaker 4: industry or the US cryptocurrency industry, while at the same 508 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:35,560 Speaker 4: time he still maintains a position as a venture capitalist, 509 00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:39,080 Speaker 4: the leader of this venture fund that invests in crypto 510 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:42,400 Speaker 4: related companies, and invests in AI related companies and that 511 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:43,440 Speaker 4: is very unique. 512 00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:48,040 Speaker 1: So he's advising on something and also investing on something, 513 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:53,239 Speaker 1: and he has portfolio companies that could be pipped as 514 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:57,560 Speaker 1: winners or losers by his job in AI and crypto right. 515 00:29:58,160 --> 00:30:00,680 Speaker 4: I think he would argue he is not current investing, 516 00:30:00,920 --> 00:30:04,840 Speaker 4: but he certainly holds hundreds of stakes in AI related 517 00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:07,600 Speaker 4: companies and crypto companies. You know that we've gone through 518 00:30:07,800 --> 00:30:11,360 Speaker 4: with his financial disclosures, and yes, so as he is 519 00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:14,920 Speaker 4: helping to influence policy as it relates to AI in 520 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:18,080 Speaker 4: the White House or cryptocurrency, the very companies that could 521 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:21,840 Speaker 4: benefit from those policies are the ones in his portfolio 522 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:25,840 Speaker 4: or could you know? And that is typically been a 523 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:28,400 Speaker 4: no no in you precedented times. 524 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:31,520 Speaker 1: I guess it's technically an enormous conflict of interest to 525 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:34,760 Speaker 1: have somebody who's serving in the government while also owning 526 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:39,440 Speaker 1: parts of companies. He is perhaps dolling out, but I mean, again, 527 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:42,440 Speaker 1: nothing new for Trump world. We saw Trump the administration, 528 00:30:43,080 --> 00:30:46,440 Speaker 1: the federal government took a share of Intel, and then 529 00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:49,720 Speaker 1: right afterwards Donald Trump bought between one and three million 530 00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:53,440 Speaker 1: dollars of debt he personally bought it in Intel. So 531 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:56,640 Speaker 1: we are seeing conflicts of interest every which way in 532 00:30:56,640 --> 00:30:59,640 Speaker 1: this admin. But I'd love you to talk about what 533 00:30:59,680 --> 00:31:02,360 Speaker 1: we're you were surprised about when you were reporting the story. 534 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:04,760 Speaker 4: App What I was surprised about was this was kind 535 00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:07,840 Speaker 4: of all in plain sight. So basically, David Sachs received 536 00:31:07,880 --> 00:31:10,760 Speaker 4: these two waivers, an AI waiver and a crypto waiver 537 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:13,760 Speaker 4: in March. That said, it was the White House that 538 00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:16,880 Speaker 4: gave him these waivers and essentially acknowledge that there could 539 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:20,320 Speaker 4: be some conflict of interest, but his value as an 540 00:31:20,320 --> 00:31:24,680 Speaker 4: advisor outweighed those potential conflicts, or you know, the things 541 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:26,880 Speaker 4: that he held were so small he couldn't be conflicted 542 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:28,760 Speaker 4: by them. So, you know, all we did was kind 543 00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:31,680 Speaker 4: of go through these waivers and analyze what he continued 544 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:34,360 Speaker 4: to hold in terms of his his stockholdings and his 545 00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:36,120 Speaker 4: private holdings. You know, he has he has shares in 546 00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:39,800 Speaker 4: these private companies and some of these are clearly AI companies, 547 00:31:39,800 --> 00:31:42,760 Speaker 4: are clearly companies that incorporate AI into their everyday business. 548 00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:46,000 Speaker 4: For example, he is a shareholder and Palanteer, which is 549 00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:49,680 Speaker 4: a major government contractor. He is Craft Ventures as an 550 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:53,840 Speaker 4: investor in and Erroll, one of the leading drone defense 551 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:58,400 Speaker 4: companies in AI companies led by Palmer Lucky that is, 552 00:31:58,480 --> 00:32:01,120 Speaker 4: you know, signing government contracts and right. You know, all 553 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:03,080 Speaker 4: this was kind of just there to see, and it 554 00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:06,040 Speaker 4: wasn't like he was necessarily hiding it. You know, It's 555 00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:08,040 Speaker 4: just that no one had ever taken the time to 556 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:11,120 Speaker 4: go through these disclosures and analyze what was going on here, 557 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:14,959 Speaker 4: and some of it was just so again, I wouldn't 558 00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:17,800 Speaker 4: say blatant, but like in his disclosures he designated somebody 559 00:32:17,800 --> 00:32:20,920 Speaker 4: these companies as software companies or hardware companies, you know, 560 00:32:21,040 --> 00:32:23,040 Speaker 4: in order to say, you know, these aren't AI companies, 561 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:24,800 Speaker 4: therefore I should be able to hold them. Some of 562 00:32:24,800 --> 00:32:27,880 Speaker 4: those very software companies had AI literally in their names, 563 00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:30,800 Speaker 4: like more than forty I think is the calculation we did. 564 00:32:30,960 --> 00:32:33,560 Speaker 4: Something like Tesla was designated as a hardware company in 565 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:36,880 Speaker 4: these waivers, and Tesla, you know, has a self driving 566 00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 4: car AI. You know, it's central to the business. Elon 567 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:43,080 Speaker 4: Musk has described the company as an AI robotics company, 568 00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:46,000 Speaker 4: and so in some ways it felt I don't know, 569 00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:48,479 Speaker 4: disingenuous might be too far, but you know, there was 570 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:51,480 Speaker 4: you know a certain kind of smoke and mirrors to 571 00:32:51,520 --> 00:32:52,000 Speaker 4: it in a way. 572 00:32:52,360 --> 00:32:55,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, and if you don't have journalism and you have 573 00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:59,480 Speaker 1: such a small world of journalism versus Trump. One point 574 00:32:59,520 --> 00:33:02,480 Speaker 1: out the world has gotten so small and there's so 575 00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:06,760 Speaker 1: few outlets. There aren't that many people who have them 576 00:33:07,040 --> 00:33:09,880 Speaker 1: wherewithal to be able to chase down just what the 577 00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:11,880 Speaker 1: disclosures mean and what they look like. 578 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:14,880 Speaker 4: Yeah, I think having worked at various other places than 579 00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:18,080 Speaker 4: The New York Times, it is discouraging to see, I guess, 580 00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:21,200 Speaker 4: the lack of options when it comes to well financed 581 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:24,680 Speaker 4: and well resourced newsrooms. You know, this story took months 582 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:26,520 Speaker 4: for us to do. It has five people on the 583 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:29,000 Speaker 4: byline as well as a number of people that contributed 584 00:33:29,040 --> 00:33:31,600 Speaker 4: reporting and research. You know, that's that's a big investment 585 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:34,400 Speaker 4: to do in a big investment by this newsroom to 586 00:33:34,920 --> 00:33:36,760 Speaker 4: examine something like that. And I think if you'd ask 587 00:33:36,800 --> 00:33:39,280 Speaker 4: anyone on the street, Democrat or Republican, you know, you 588 00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:42,920 Speaker 4: probably you'd want the press to, you know, scrutinize this 589 00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:45,200 Speaker 4: type of power, whether that you know who levers in 590 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:47,360 Speaker 4: the administration. So, you know, the New York Times has 591 00:33:47,400 --> 00:33:49,959 Speaker 4: the ability to do it. And it's sad as an 592 00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:52,440 Speaker 4: industry that we don't have other folks that have those 593 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:53,240 Speaker 4: kypts of resources. 594 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:56,960 Speaker 1: I guess one might argue that Bloomberg has the resources 595 00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:00,840 Speaker 1: and that the Washington Post may or may not have 596 00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:02,880 Speaker 1: the you know, there are a few other places, but 597 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:06,800 Speaker 1: not much. Right, Really, nobody has the kind of resources 598 00:34:06,800 --> 00:34:07,720 Speaker 1: at the Times has. 599 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:10,080 Speaker 4: Yeah, I guess, you know, and that's kind of the 600 00:34:10,080 --> 00:34:11,120 Speaker 4: stay of journalism today. 601 00:34:11,480 --> 00:34:14,800 Speaker 1: So I want to talk about what happened next, because 602 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:18,880 Speaker 1: David Sachs completely melted down and had all his friends 603 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:21,640 Speaker 1: circle the wagons talk to me about what happened next. 604 00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:25,840 Speaker 4: So we published our story on Sunday morning, And to 605 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:27,359 Speaker 4: be honest, I didn't know what to expect in terms 606 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:29,080 Speaker 4: of the reaction to the story. I mean, he's certainly 607 00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:30,799 Speaker 4: a big name in the White House, but he is 608 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:33,080 Speaker 4: not a household known by any means. But yeah, there's 609 00:34:33,080 --> 00:34:35,799 Speaker 4: been a big reaction to the story in large part 610 00:34:35,840 --> 00:34:40,440 Speaker 4: field by the reaction on X. And these tech folks 611 00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:42,919 Speaker 4: are pretty big on X now that Elon is taken over, 612 00:34:43,040 --> 00:34:46,760 Speaker 4: and they made their opinions very clear on the piece. 613 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:48,640 Speaker 4: You know, they've called this all sorts of names and 614 00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:53,560 Speaker 4: attacked a reputation, but haven't been really able to dispute 615 00:34:53,600 --> 00:34:55,719 Speaker 4: the merits of the story or the actual reporting in 616 00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:57,920 Speaker 4: the story. But that cycle has gone on for the 617 00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:00,319 Speaker 4: last couple of days, and it's I think draw more 618 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:03,680 Speaker 4: readers and attention to the story itself, which you know, 619 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:06,280 Speaker 4: something called the stress end effect. I guess. 620 00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:11,080 Speaker 1: Yeah. It's a great example of like the power of 621 00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:17,320 Speaker 1: not posting through things, right that if you really have power, 622 00:35:17,520 --> 00:35:22,160 Speaker 1: you probably want to not post. I just wonder his 623 00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:26,160 Speaker 1: crew said, it's a hippiece. But ultimately, what you did 624 00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:32,799 Speaker 1: was follow the disclosures, find the companies, match the companies. Obviously, 625 00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:37,840 Speaker 1: Tesla is a company that uses AI. Like there wasn't 626 00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:40,359 Speaker 1: like a huge amount of hiding going on here. 627 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:43,040 Speaker 4: That was certainly one part of the story, and it 628 00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:45,840 Speaker 4: relies on those wave reforms, which are public documents for 629 00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:48,319 Speaker 4: anyone to see. I think what's really interesting here that 630 00:35:48,360 --> 00:35:50,840 Speaker 4: we really didn't go over is, you know, David Sachs, 631 00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:54,799 Speaker 4: in taking this position, did somewhat say like, you know, look, 632 00:35:54,840 --> 00:35:58,759 Speaker 4: I'm actually potentially conflicted here, and he did divest from 633 00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:03,560 Speaker 4: certain shareholdings, divested from Meta Amazon, Taiwan Semiconductor, which is 634 00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:06,400 Speaker 4: a mixed chips for AI companies, and he said he 635 00:36:06,440 --> 00:36:08,799 Speaker 4: was going to divest from Xai Elon Musk Company. So 636 00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:11,759 Speaker 4: there was almost an acknowledgment here that you know, I 637 00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:15,319 Speaker 4: probably should do this because I'm taking this role. But 638 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:17,600 Speaker 4: he left hundreds of the other stakes on the table, 639 00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:19,839 Speaker 4: and it was just you know, took a bit of 640 00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:23,200 Speaker 4: organizing and spreadsheeting and going through that some of that 641 00:36:23,200 --> 00:36:25,359 Speaker 4: stuff to realize that, you know, that that was kind 642 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:27,800 Speaker 4: of an incomplete picture of what he divests or probably 643 00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:29,680 Speaker 4: you know, someone argues she should have divested. 644 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:32,040 Speaker 1: I'd love you to talk about sort of what you 645 00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:35,480 Speaker 1: think is happening right now with this White House and 646 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:36,480 Speaker 1: AI and Crypto. 647 00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:40,359 Speaker 4: At this point, it's I view it as in some 648 00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:45,239 Speaker 4: ways a reaction to the Biden administration. And you know, 649 00:36:45,440 --> 00:36:49,680 Speaker 4: the tech industry viewing the Biden administration is so antagonistic 650 00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:54,000 Speaker 4: and so over regulatory to the point where they'd support 651 00:36:54,040 --> 00:36:57,239 Speaker 4: anyone that had a lighter touch. And so when the 652 00:36:57,239 --> 00:37:00,279 Speaker 4: Trump administration came in with David Sachs, the idea is, 653 00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:02,800 Speaker 4: you know, we need someone who can remove the red tape, 654 00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:06,120 Speaker 4: who can get out of the way, who can you know, 655 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:10,680 Speaker 4: create policies that encourage the A industry and help us 656 00:37:10,719 --> 00:37:13,440 Speaker 4: build and help us grow, that can encourage things like 657 00:37:13,480 --> 00:37:16,360 Speaker 4: the Genius Act, which you know, allow for stable coins 658 00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:18,040 Speaker 4: to be sold in the crypt industry, that allow for 659 00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:21,480 Speaker 4: easier trading of crypto assets, and so that's what they're 660 00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:25,160 Speaker 4: essentially getting someone that is, you know, rubber stamping everything 661 00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:30,400 Speaker 4: that these companies want. David Sachs's feelings on AIRE are 662 00:37:30,440 --> 00:37:32,280 Speaker 4: pretty widely known. If you look at his x account, 663 00:37:32,320 --> 00:37:34,960 Speaker 4: he's calling it, you know, the driver of the American economy. 664 00:37:35,239 --> 00:37:37,400 Speaker 4: We can't you know, he said, like, we can't have 665 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:40,640 Speaker 4: the a industry fail. And his policies and his actions 666 00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:42,960 Speaker 4: and his speech reflect that very much. 667 00:37:43,000 --> 00:37:45,439 Speaker 1: So can we just have a real conversation about AI 668 00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:48,440 Speaker 1: for two seconds? Can you explain to me just as 669 00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:51,520 Speaker 1: someone who maybe I'm stupid, but AI has yet to 670 00:37:51,560 --> 00:37:52,719 Speaker 1: do anything good for me. 671 00:37:54,520 --> 00:37:56,200 Speaker 4: There's two camps I think on this. You know, some 672 00:37:56,239 --> 00:37:58,399 Speaker 4: people that don't use AI at all in their daily lives, 673 00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:00,120 Speaker 4: and millions of people around the world that do you 674 00:38:00,239 --> 00:38:03,520 Speaker 4: use chat, GPT, or do use Claude or Gemini for 675 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:06,040 Speaker 4: drafting of emails or writing speeches or what have you. 676 00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:10,040 Speaker 4: So there are seemingly real world applications for these things, 677 00:38:10,080 --> 00:38:12,400 Speaker 4: and they help people in their everyday lives, whether or 678 00:38:12,440 --> 00:38:15,120 Speaker 4: not they're these like insane valuations that we're seeing. They 679 00:38:15,280 --> 00:38:18,040 Speaker 4: justify that is, you know, remains to be seen. But yeah, 680 00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:20,759 Speaker 4: you don't use opening eye, or you don't use chat, 681 00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:23,839 Speaker 4: GPT or anything, or you're not making memes or no 682 00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:24,720 Speaker 4: fake images. 683 00:38:25,200 --> 00:38:28,839 Speaker 1: I'm not making slop that I can you know, kill 684 00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:32,000 Speaker 1: the planet with. And I mean I just I spend 685 00:38:32,040 --> 00:38:35,319 Speaker 1: so much time trying to read out crap that wasn't 686 00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:39,319 Speaker 1: written or drawn by a human that I've become very 687 00:38:39,360 --> 00:38:40,160 Speaker 1: anti AI. 688 00:38:40,560 --> 00:38:42,759 Speaker 4: Have you had AI slop made about you or like 689 00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:46,080 Speaker 4: shay I trained against your voice or anything like that. 690 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:46,759 Speaker 1: I hope not. 691 00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:48,959 Speaker 4: It's probably out there. 692 00:38:49,120 --> 00:38:51,880 Speaker 1: I try very much to like keep my blinders on 693 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:55,440 Speaker 1: and not like Google myself and not I just because 694 00:38:55,480 --> 00:38:58,720 Speaker 1: I don't think it does me any good. Elon Musk 695 00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:02,239 Speaker 1: also took an interest in this story. He also was 696 00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:06,160 Speaker 1: a special government employee who managed to do as much 697 00:39:06,239 --> 00:39:09,200 Speaker 1: as it install. His people in the government do a 698 00:39:09,239 --> 00:39:14,799 Speaker 1: lot of stuff that certainly seems on the boundaries of legality. 699 00:39:15,040 --> 00:39:15,719 Speaker 1: What do you think of. 700 00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:18,400 Speaker 4: That, Elon? So I'm going to cover regularly. You know, 701 00:39:18,480 --> 00:39:20,799 Speaker 4: David Sachs is a close friend and associate of his 702 00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:24,680 Speaker 4: who worked on the Twitter takeover with him, and so 703 00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:26,719 Speaker 4: I felt like it was natural for him to weigh 704 00:39:26,760 --> 00:39:30,040 Speaker 4: in and then defend his friend. He doesn't like critical 705 00:39:30,080 --> 00:39:33,239 Speaker 4: reporting or pretty much any reporting at this point, so 706 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:36,879 Speaker 4: it's not surprising for him to join in the name 707 00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:39,280 Speaker 4: calling and the mud slinging. I think it's very interesting 708 00:39:39,320 --> 00:39:41,480 Speaker 4: to distinguish between the two of them, though, you know, 709 00:39:41,560 --> 00:39:45,120 Speaker 4: you mentioned they're both special government employees. But Elon went 710 00:39:45,200 --> 00:39:48,439 Speaker 4: in flamed out, really hard fought with Donald Trump, and 711 00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:50,520 Speaker 4: he's sort of on the outs in some ways. You know, 712 00:39:50,719 --> 00:39:54,000 Speaker 4: at least he's at arms distance now from the Trump administration. 713 00:39:54,239 --> 00:39:56,879 Speaker 4: With David Sachs, he's been able to play in both worlds. 714 00:39:56,880 --> 00:39:59,440 Speaker 4: You know, he's very close with Elon. He's obviously very 715 00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:01,719 Speaker 4: close to Trump and Trump administration still in the administration, 716 00:40:01,880 --> 00:40:03,560 Speaker 4: and he's been able to kind of play this very 717 00:40:03,719 --> 00:40:07,359 Speaker 4: political role and please everyone in a way, and that 718 00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:09,880 Speaker 4: may be you know, his best quality in some ways. 719 00:40:10,200 --> 00:40:19,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, so interesting. Brian Mack please come back of course anytime. No, normlutely, 720 00:40:19,719 --> 00:40:21,879 Speaker 1: Jesse Cannon my junk fast. 721 00:40:22,000 --> 00:40:24,000 Speaker 2: So it seems we're going to go to war with 722 00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:28,640 Speaker 2: Venezuela for oil, but in the meantime, we're gonna pardon 723 00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:32,920 Speaker 2: former Honduran President Jan Orlando or Hernandez, who did a 724 00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:35,080 Speaker 2: lot of the things that they're accusing Maduro of. What 725 00:40:35,160 --> 00:40:36,200 Speaker 2: the hell's uppling here? 726 00:40:36,480 --> 00:40:40,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's hard to keep consistent when you have no ideology. 727 00:40:40,560 --> 00:40:44,439 Speaker 1: But Donald Trump is doing it. Yeah. So here's the thing. 728 00:40:44,680 --> 00:40:47,520 Speaker 1: He wants to stop drugs, but he also wants to 729 00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:51,160 Speaker 1: pardon drug dealers. Make it makes sense, it doesn't. He 730 00:40:51,440 --> 00:40:56,040 Speaker 1: formally pardoned former Honduran president. He did it. It's a 731 00:40:56,080 --> 00:41:00,560 Speaker 1: full and complete pardon. This is a guy who is 732 00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:04,439 Speaker 1: raising a major US drug trafficking conviction for a one 733 00:41:04,480 --> 00:41:07,919 Speaker 1: time US ally. He was sentenced to forty five years 734 00:41:07,920 --> 00:41:10,840 Speaker 1: in prison. I think that Trump is going a little 735 00:41:10,960 --> 00:41:14,440 Speaker 1: pardon crazy. But you know, it's amazing any Republicans are 736 00:41:14,480 --> 00:41:17,920 Speaker 1: still in jail at this point. I like that. Carolyn Levitt, 737 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:21,560 Speaker 1: whose job is basically to defend the Indiventivill said, it's 738 00:41:21,600 --> 00:41:25,759 Speaker 1: a clear Biden over prosecution. I bet it's not. I'm 739 00:41:25,800 --> 00:41:30,480 Speaker 1: gonna say it's not. Yeah, So killing Fisherman okay, Pardoning 740 00:41:30,600 --> 00:41:35,280 Speaker 1: drug traffickers also, okay, make it make sense? It doesn't. 741 00:41:36,080 --> 00:41:40,600 Speaker 1: That's it for this episode of Fast Politics. Tune in 742 00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:46,200 Speaker 1: every Monday Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday to hear the best 743 00:41:46,280 --> 00:41:50,600 Speaker 1: minds and politics make sense of all this chaos. If 744 00:41:50,640 --> 00:41:53,680 Speaker 1: you enjoy this podcast, please send it to a friend 745 00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:57,360 Speaker 1: and keep the conversation going. Thanks for listening. 746 00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:00,680 Speaker 4: M