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 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 1: the show notes. Enjoy the show, guys, Good morning, everybody, 18 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,320 Speaker 1: Happy Wednesday. We have an amazing show for everybody today. 19 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 1: I haven't said that in a while. I know. Weird 20 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: to be here, Yeah, I know. It's a strange it's okay, 21 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 1: throwing week up anyway, we have a great show for you. 22 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:22,800 Speaker 1: Lots going on. Some interesting revelations from some of our 23 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:26,959 Speaker 1: top military brass yesterday that we will get into. Also, 24 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 1: this story has flown under the radar, but it's a 25 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:35,319 Speaker 1: gigantic deal to presidents within the Federal Reserve Board system 26 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 1: have resigned early because of reporting that came out about 27 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: their essentially financial impropriety, i mean, benefiting from some of 28 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: the very policy that they themselves influence. So will get 29 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 1: into the details there, new interesting moves at Harvard, and 30 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 1: new interesting data about the students the incoming class of Harvard. 31 00:01:56,800 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: Of course, look, this is the elite university in the country, 32 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:02,280 Speaker 1: so what's going on there obviously matters a lot for 33 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: all of us. Are Kelly found guilty on all charges, 34 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 1: We'll bring you all of the details there of what 35 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 1: was alleged, what was proven, and what's going to happen next, 36 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 1: But we wanted to start with everything that is going 37 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: on here in Washington and where we stand as of today. 38 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:21,520 Speaker 1: Of course, we've been telling you guys that all of 39 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 1: these different issues are coming to a head. You've got 40 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:27,720 Speaker 1: potential government shutdown. That piece seems actually like it's set 41 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: to be resolved. They're going to pass a continuing resolution 42 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 1: kick that one down the road, so that one seems 43 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 1: to be off the table. Debt ceiling coming to a head. 44 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: Government's going to run out of a room under the 45 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 1: debt ceiling on October eighteenth, according and Janet Yell And 46 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:41,919 Speaker 1: I'm going to talk about that in my monologue and 47 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: a potential solution there. But of course, the other two 48 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:47,840 Speaker 1: pieces that we want to focus on first are the 49 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: Infrastructure Bill and the Reconciliation Package. So the deal has 50 00:02:53,440 --> 00:02:56,800 Speaker 1: always been we're going to link these two things together. 51 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 1: The corporatists want the Infrastructure package, the progressives want the 52 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 1: Reconciliation bill. If everybody sort of joins hands and votes 53 00:03:04,200 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 1: for each other's things, then we can get both of 54 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:09,200 Speaker 1: these things through. That has been the deal that when 55 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 1: I spoke to Centator Sanders that he had struck with Pelosi. 56 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: Everybody's on the same page right Well, as of this week, 57 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:20,320 Speaker 1: Nancy Pelosi has now broken that promise and that deal 58 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:24,080 Speaker 1: and is tearing those two things, de linking the Infrastructure 59 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:28,240 Speaker 1: Package and that Reconciliation bill. She is pushing forward with 60 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:32,239 Speaker 1: a vote on the Infrastructure package on Thursday, again effectively 61 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: delinking those two things. So that's the state of play. 62 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 1: You can throw this first tweet up on the screen. 63 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:40,240 Speaker 1: That just lays out that element of what is going on. 64 00:03:40,600 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: This is from Heather Cable, she says, so to recap, 65 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:46,680 Speaker 1: Pelosi is delinking the two major bills here, infrastructure and 66 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: the Reconciliation Package that effectively reverses months long vow to 67 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: only pass them in tandem. Progressives, a lot of them outraged. 68 00:03:57,480 --> 00:03:59,960 Speaker 1: You had Rashida Talab tweeting that this was a betray 69 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 1: before she deleted that tweet. I guess she got some 70 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: pressure there, a call from the office. H right, Yeah, 71 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 1: a little call from somebody who wasn't happy about that one. 72 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: But this is a huge deal that effectively Pelosi has 73 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 1: broken with the promise she made to progressives. Reportedly, even 74 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: Schumer is pissed off, yes, and wasn't consulted about this move. Now, 75 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 1: I will say Pelosi's language around this when she was 76 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,040 Speaker 1: asked about like, well, these progressives are still saying they're 77 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: going to vote down the infrastructure package since the reconciliation 78 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:33,359 Speaker 1: bill hasn't been voted on in the Senate, and she 79 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 1: effectively said, well, people will do what they have to do, 80 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,280 Speaker 1: So it doesn't sound like she's kind of pulling out 81 00:04:38,279 --> 00:04:40,599 Speaker 1: the knives and threatening people that you must vote for 82 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: the infrastructure package and really whipping hard within the Progressive 83 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:47,159 Speaker 1: Caucus to get them to fall in line. But still 84 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 1: a very significant break and what she has been saying 85 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:53,440 Speaker 1: all along, No, this is one of the biggest failures 86 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:57,520 Speaker 1: in Washington in modern memory. It's a bigger failure than Obamacare. Look, 87 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: we don't know the final results, but I have spoken 88 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:01,880 Speaker 1: too many people who are in the know, and not 89 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 1: a single person actually expects this thing to pass. Both 90 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:09,479 Speaker 1: the Infrastructure Bill and the Reconciliation Package effectively both appear dead. 91 00:05:09,560 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: Kirsten Cinema was at the White House like three times yesterday, 92 00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:14,679 Speaker 1: all the reporting comes out that her and Mansion still 93 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,560 Speaker 1: not budging. So I would put the group of bad 94 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: actors into three categories. Who basically killed this Number One 95 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: is Pelosi both by delinking in and effectively giving in 96 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 1: to her. You know, Josh Gottheimer people, she set a 97 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 1: hard date. Two obviously Cinema and Mansion, who increasingly it's 98 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,280 Speaker 1: becoming clear they straight up just never wanted to pass 99 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:36,160 Speaker 1: this thing. And they are also willing to lose the 100 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:38,360 Speaker 1: bipartisan bill if it means not voting for it. Let 101 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:40,720 Speaker 1: me pause you there. The one of the weird things 102 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 1: here is that reportedly it meetings with the White House 103 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:46,560 Speaker 1: and everybody, they're like, okay, and Kirsten Cinema apparently is 104 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:48,280 Speaker 1: the worst actor. Yeah, the two of them, if you 105 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 1: had to pick the worst actor in all of this, 106 00:05:50,480 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 1: And they're like, okay, well, you know, give us a number. 107 00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: What's the top line and what programs do you want 108 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:56,600 Speaker 1: to strip out? Like what are you actually for here? 109 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:00,159 Speaker 1: And she just won't say, Like, you can't work with 110 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 1: someone who won't even tell you what they might support. 111 00:06:03,720 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 1: They'll tell you, Okay, I don't want corporate tax increased. 112 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:08,400 Speaker 1: I don't want these taxes increases, this bill is too high, 113 00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 1: et cetera, et cetera. But the next phase is to say, okay, 114 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:14,160 Speaker 1: well what could you get behind? What could you support? 115 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: And she's just playing games. I mean, as you said, 116 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:19,919 Speaker 1: it just becomes clear that she is way more interested. 117 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 1: We're going to get to this in a moment, in 118 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:23,800 Speaker 1: whatever her post senate career is going to be and 119 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:25,800 Speaker 1: how she's going to cash in in the private sector 120 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,239 Speaker 1: than she is in getting anything passed through this process. 121 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:31,799 Speaker 1: That's right. And so the other person, though, is Biden, 122 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:34,880 Speaker 1: and I will never forgive him. I mean, I mean 123 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:37,160 Speaker 1: really in terms of whether I like the bill or not, 124 00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:39,479 Speaker 1: it doesn't even matter, I'm saying in terms of being 125 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: a president, this is your job. His whole pitch to 126 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:46,000 Speaker 1: the American people. I've been there forty years, I know 127 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:48,920 Speaker 1: the Senate in and out. He critiqued Obama. Well, Obama 128 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:51,360 Speaker 1: did a better job i'm Obamacare than he's currently doing 129 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:54,159 Speaker 1: right now. And that's saying something. So this isn't just 130 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:55,840 Speaker 1: me saying this. Put this up there on the screen. 131 00:06:56,200 --> 00:06:59,880 Speaker 1: Several senior Democrats are hoping Biden will more forcefully weigh 132 00:06:59,920 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 1: in on the infrastructure vote Thursday, publicly declaring that the 133 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:05,640 Speaker 1: bill needs to be passed now. They want him to 134 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:08,760 Speaker 1: just come out in terms of the biparison infrastructure package. 135 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:11,960 Speaker 1: But look at the very beginning of the process, he 136 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: kicked it to Congress. Who does that? Did we learn 137 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:19,000 Speaker 1: nothing once again from Obamacare? Allowing all of this nonsense 138 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: to the committees, and they're trying to get the different 139 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:25,520 Speaker 1: coalitions to try together. He actually trusted that Nancy Pelosi 140 00:07:25,560 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 1: and Chuck Schumer knew how to do their jobs. Bro, 141 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:30,920 Speaker 1: I don't know what exactly you were thinking. Whenever it 142 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: came to that, he did not marshal the resources of 143 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:35,760 Speaker 1: the White House behind it. He let them try and 144 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 1: figure out their strategy. And now they're screwed on multiple fronts. 145 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:41,720 Speaker 1: Default on the debt ceiling looks like a very very 146 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 1: real possibility. Chuck Schumer says, there's no way we can 147 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:49,160 Speaker 1: do this thing through reconciliation. If there even is a reconciliation. 148 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 1: October eighteenth, ain't that far away, they say, Procedurally, it's 149 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:56,040 Speaker 1: not going to work. McConnell says, screw you. I'm not 150 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:58,720 Speaker 1: going to vote for it. So we've got that full 151 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: faith and credit of the US debt and whenever it 152 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:04,840 Speaker 1: comes to extending the debt ceiling. But more importantly, these 153 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:08,080 Speaker 1: were his biggest legs, like these were the legacy items. 154 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:11,400 Speaker 1: These were whatever you think of Obamacare or not. Obama 155 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: ran on Obamacare in twenty twelve, and by that time 156 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 1: a lot of the anger against it had kind of dissipated, 157 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:19,920 Speaker 1: and people said, now, you know what this preconditions thing, 158 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:22,720 Speaker 1: at least that part that's pretty nice, and he was 159 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:25,680 Speaker 1: rewarded at least somewhat for it in the presidential election. 160 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:28,680 Speaker 1: What has Biden got behind his belt? The country is 161 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 1: at a fifty five percent disapproval whenever it comes to COVID, 162 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:35,360 Speaker 1: which you know, the only thing that actually matters right now. 163 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 1: The country does not trust him. On the economy, people 164 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: kind of remember the American Rescue Plan. They're not happy 165 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:44,120 Speaker 1: with the way Delta is being handled. I mean, you 166 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:47,680 Speaker 1: put it all together, it's a total disaster his entire presidency. 167 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:49,839 Speaker 1: The American Rescue Plan. Is that what that thing was got? 168 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:52,520 Speaker 1: I think you began the originally the relief built at 169 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:56,520 Speaker 1: the beginning of this administration. Essentially all of those provisions 170 00:08:56,520 --> 00:08:59,680 Speaker 1: have expired or are set to expire. So yeah, people 171 00:08:59,679 --> 00:09:01,360 Speaker 1: are like, what have you done for me lately? I mean, 172 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:06,400 Speaker 1: that's not a legacy a short term like cash stimulus infusion, 173 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:10,000 Speaker 1: that's not a legacy that doesn't change people's lives over 174 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:13,079 Speaker 1: the long term. It was really important band aid at 175 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:15,560 Speaker 1: the time, but now, I mean we're still in not 176 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:18,800 Speaker 1: great situation here with the pandemic, and all of those 177 00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 1: provisions are either gone or set to expire in the 178 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:26,440 Speaker 1: very near term. These are the legacy pieces. This is 179 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:28,800 Speaker 1: the part that and more important. I don't really care 180 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:30,800 Speaker 1: about whether Joe Biden has a great presidency or not. 181 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 1: I care about delivering for people. These are the areas 182 00:09:34,679 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: where you actually can have an impact on people's lives. 183 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:42,280 Speaker 1: This week is the whole ballgame, and Biden is nowhere 184 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: to be found. The strategy and the tactics here from 185 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:49,720 Speaker 1: the beginning were idiotic. Did not take a genius to 186 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 1: see that. Listen, you get a honeymoon period at the 187 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:55,400 Speaker 1: beginning of your presidency. He proved himself to be more 188 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:58,840 Speaker 1: popular than any other Democrat in the country really and 189 00:09:59,480 --> 00:10:02,280 Speaker 1: had this kind of halo at the beginning, especially vaccines 190 00:10:02,320 --> 00:10:03,840 Speaker 1: we're starting to roll out, and you do get that 191 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:08,240 Speaker 1: cash stimulus infusion into the economy. And when you didn't 192 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 1: seize that momentum and do anything with it, the whole 193 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:16,120 Speaker 1: thing fell apart not to mention that he wanted this 194 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 1: freaking bipartisan deal, and they wasted all kinds of time 195 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:23,440 Speaker 1: wrangling with people to get a few Republicans on board, 196 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:25,120 Speaker 1: and they did have a good margin in the sense 197 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:27,960 Speaker 1: of course, now all the Republicans have basically run away 198 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:30,840 Speaker 1: from this thing. If you're thinking that Republicans are going 199 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:33,960 Speaker 1: to help the corporatists in the House rescue the infrastructure package, 200 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:36,240 Speaker 1: You're wrong about that. They're whipping against it. Very few 201 00:10:36,240 --> 00:10:38,200 Speaker 1: of them are going to join with the Democrats in 202 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: voting for that. So you wasted all this time. You 203 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:49,319 Speaker 1: backed this incredibly confusing process that makes no sense and 204 00:10:49,559 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 1: has created this situation that we find ourselves in now, 205 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:57,240 Speaker 1: and you're nowhere to be found in terms of pressing 206 00:10:57,320 --> 00:10:59,640 Speaker 1: the case of the American people, or at least publicly 207 00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:03,160 Speaker 1: putting pressure on the players that you need to fall 208 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:05,439 Speaker 1: in line. Now, I will say he was supposed to 209 00:11:05,520 --> 00:11:09,000 Speaker 1: go to Chicago. He canceled his trip in a sign 210 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:12,720 Speaker 1: that he recognizes that there's a lot at stake this week. 211 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:17,040 Speaker 1: But you know, so far he's been having meetings, having meetings, 212 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: having meetings, literally nothing, no progress seems to be made. Now, 213 00:11:21,559 --> 00:11:22,959 Speaker 1: I mean, I want to throw in the caveat. We've 214 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:25,200 Speaker 1: seen this many times before in Washington, where it seems 215 00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 1: like there's no way these two sides come together, and 216 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 1: how could it ever happen to keep the government going, 217 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:33,840 Speaker 1: or avoid the debt ceiling, or actually get something through. 218 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:36,520 Speaker 1: And at the last minute when you think it's all over. 219 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: Somehow they managed to work it out. That's a possibility here, 220 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:44,200 Speaker 1: but it's pretty unclear how this is all ultimately going 221 00:11:44,240 --> 00:11:46,199 Speaker 1: to work out. And I think the problem with Cinema is, 222 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:50,760 Speaker 1: on the one hand, she's vulnerable to a primary challenge 223 00:11:50,760 --> 00:11:53,520 Speaker 1: in Arizona. I mean, the Democrats in Arizona are furious 224 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 1: with her. They keep it passing. That's the problem is 225 00:11:57,240 --> 00:12:00,800 Speaker 1: it looks like she doesn't even really care to run again. 226 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:02,360 Speaker 1: And one of the signs that we have of that 227 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:04,960 Speaker 1: is this is reporting from the New York Times. While 228 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:09,559 Speaker 1: all of this is going on, she's just shamelessly brazenly 229 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 1: raising money from the very business groups that oppose the 230 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 1: reconciliation bill. So she's raking in cash a forty five 231 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 1: minute speech to a fundraiser from the very worst actors 232 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:23,720 Speaker 1: in all of this who have an interest in killing it. 233 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:28,880 Speaker 1: This is really shameless stuff. Normally politicians at least try 234 00:12:28,920 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 1: to appear like they're acting in the interests of their 235 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 1: constituents or whatever. Like she's not even pretending that she 236 00:12:35,240 --> 00:12:38,760 Speaker 1: cares about the impact that this would have on her constituents. 237 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:41,360 Speaker 1: A lot of these provisions of this bill at least 238 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:43,840 Speaker 1: like the prescription drug thing that she's now said she's against, 239 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:46,679 Speaker 1: Like she ran on that thing. She told her constituents 240 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:49,840 Speaker 1: that she backed this, but now she's more interested in 241 00:12:49,840 --> 00:12:52,200 Speaker 1: whatever the corporate players have to say about it, which 242 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 1: is why. Look, I don't know that she cares about 243 00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:56,360 Speaker 1: staying in the Senate. I don't know she cares about 244 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:58,600 Speaker 1: a primary challenge. I think she seems to have been 245 00:12:58,679 --> 00:13:01,240 Speaker 1: much more clearly focused on how much money she can 246 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:04,560 Speaker 1: make in the private sector afterwards, So we've got a 247 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:08,320 Speaker 1: little summary tweet of where things stand as of now 248 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:13,040 Speaker 1: to kind of recap. So Rachel Bates says, look, Mansion 249 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 1: is still refusing to commit, even after he meets with Biden, 250 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:18,520 Speaker 1: and he gave him no top line number, and apparently 251 00:13:18,559 --> 00:13:20,600 Speaker 1: Biden didn't force him to give a top line number. 252 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:23,520 Speaker 1: Bernie is issuing a battle cry, which we're going to 253 00:13:23,559 --> 00:13:25,440 Speaker 1: play for you in just a moment, to progressives to 254 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:29,280 Speaker 1: kill the bipartisan infrastructure deal. And it seems like the 255 00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:33,120 Speaker 1: Progressives are serious about doing that. They've been very clear 256 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:35,240 Speaker 1: and very vocal, and have it back down at all. 257 00:13:35,640 --> 00:13:38,720 Speaker 1: Schumer has turned on Pelosi, showing he does not agree 258 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:42,520 Speaker 1: with her strategy. Delinking these bills and having the Thursday 259 00:13:42,600 --> 00:13:46,560 Speaker 1: vote and President of the United States is mia and 260 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:50,520 Speaker 1: not whipping in either direction. And her final comment is 261 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: Dems are in. Yeah, Dems are in. That's all right. 262 00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:58,840 Speaker 1: Progressives again, they seem like they're serious about not voting 263 00:13:58,840 --> 00:14:02,439 Speaker 1: for the infrastructure deal on Thursday. That means one percent 264 00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:05,000 Speaker 1: it will fail if Pelosi does in fact bring it 265 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:07,520 Speaker 1: to the floor. Let's take a listen to a very 266 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: frustrated Bernie Sanders and what he has to say about 267 00:14:10,520 --> 00:14:13,280 Speaker 1: all of this. Are you making any progress there? I'm 268 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:15,280 Speaker 1: not doing, you know. I think the answer is that 269 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:19,560 Speaker 1: is very troubling to me. The answer, I think I'm 270 00:14:19,680 --> 00:14:23,240 Speaker 1: in the middle of all those negotiations. But Senators Cinema 271 00:14:23,280 --> 00:14:25,000 Speaker 1: and Mansion, as I understand it, But in the White 272 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:28,240 Speaker 1: House toll from what I can hear from the reports, 273 00:14:28,280 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 1: as though it goes on and on and on, we're 274 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 1: talking and we're talking to nothing is happening. And I 275 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:38,239 Speaker 1: think that's why it's important that we defeat the infrastructure 276 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:41,240 Speaker 1: bill in the House, and that if these guys want 277 00:14:41,240 --> 00:14:43,280 Speaker 1: to see the infrastructure bill pass, then have to deal 278 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 1: with us and recons And is that part of you 279 00:14:45,120 --> 00:14:48,200 Speaker 1: your worry if the talks aren't really not progressing with 280 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: the infrastructure bill still in limbo. Once the infrastructure bills passed, 281 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:54,200 Speaker 1: then there'll be no motivation for them to talk. That's 282 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:58,160 Speaker 1: I guess a couple of things. Do you hear there? 283 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:01,200 Speaker 1: Number One, he's not in these negotiations and he's been sidelined. 284 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 1: And number two very clear there that he believes Progressive 285 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:07,840 Speaker 1: should kill the infrastructure package. He issued a tweet that 286 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:09,680 Speaker 1: was also very clear, saying, you got to vote this 287 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:13,120 Speaker 1: thing down. From what Rocana and others have told me, 288 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:16,200 Speaker 1: Bernie really is sort of driving the ship in terms 289 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:18,800 Speaker 1: of setting the tone and the pace and the strategy 290 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 1: for Progressive. So I think they are actually if it 291 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:24,000 Speaker 1: comes to the floor, I think they will actually vote 292 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,160 Speaker 1: it down. I think, yeah, look, this is why I'm 293 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:29,320 Speaker 1: convinced that it's irreconcilable. And I keep looking at it because, 294 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:32,080 Speaker 1: as you point to, there is no evidence that Joe 295 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: Mansion and Kirson Cinema want anything. Cinema has already said 296 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:38,480 Speaker 1: what I'm against all tax increases. It's like, okay, well, 297 00:15:38,520 --> 00:15:42,040 Speaker 1: then what does that mean. Biden said he won't deficits 298 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:45,240 Speaker 1: finance the bill. So if you're against tax increase, then 299 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:48,080 Speaker 1: it's not going to happen. Mansion. He's like, parts of 300 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:50,360 Speaker 1: the bill are troubling to me, but I'm just not 301 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:52,520 Speaker 1: there yet. What does that mean? Right? He wants to 302 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:54,160 Speaker 1: mean test to Chile task part. He wants to mean 303 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 1: test several other areas that actually is basically a non 304 00:15:57,440 --> 00:15:59,600 Speaker 1: starter with the rest of the coalition the more you 305 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:02,200 Speaker 1: start to about it. There is no top line figure 306 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:05,240 Speaker 1: which they could agree with because all of them would 307 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:08,200 Speaker 1: take months of extra negotiation, and then all of it's 308 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:11,840 Speaker 1: supposed to get done before Thursday tomorrow. Give me a break, 309 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: It's just not gonna happen. Tremendous failure of leadership by 310 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:18,680 Speaker 1: Biden Pelosi also, I mean Pelosi really is by delinking 311 00:16:18,760 --> 00:16:22,320 Speaker 1: the bill effectively absolutely gutting it. They're probably but in 312 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:24,680 Speaker 1: a way in order to push it. But Schumer also 313 00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:27,920 Speaker 1: dramatically miscalculating whenever it comes to the debt ceiling, putting 314 00:16:27,920 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: the Dems in this situation, creating the crunch. And here's 315 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 1: the thing, most people at home, even post people listening 316 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:36,360 Speaker 1: to the segment, most people don't even know what reconciliation is. 317 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:38,720 Speaker 1: They have no idea. They don't even know what's in 318 00:16:38,720 --> 00:16:41,600 Speaker 1: the damn bill. The DAMS have done a terrible job 319 00:16:41,640 --> 00:16:43,760 Speaker 1: of actually telling people what they're trying to do, and 320 00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 1: we can debate the merits of that, plus or minus you, 321 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:48,880 Speaker 1: Ryan Grimm. I don't know anybody else, the only people 322 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:51,040 Speaker 1: even talking about what's actually in the damn thing, So 323 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:54,520 Speaker 1: most people are tuned out. I've actually noticed this. Do 324 00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:57,720 Speaker 1: you see any real civilian anger or you know, even 325 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:01,520 Speaker 1: being excited about what's happening. It's sad because really people 326 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 1: just assume that nothing's possible, because in a way, look 327 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:06,920 Speaker 1: at the incompetence of these fools, and these are the 328 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:09,600 Speaker 1: people who around the country. I relate to it because 329 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 1: I feel like, I mean, we've followed this process really 330 00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:15,040 Speaker 1: closely from the beginning. We follow the ins and the outs, 331 00:17:15,240 --> 00:17:17,640 Speaker 1: you know, we've done interviews about it. We've really tried 332 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:20,280 Speaker 1: to highlight for people what is actually in this so 333 00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:22,400 Speaker 1: we don't just get lost in the process, like why 334 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:25,720 Speaker 1: does this matter? What are the important provisions? And if 335 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:28,640 Speaker 1: ultimately it all just comes to not I mean, it's 336 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:31,600 Speaker 1: it's hard not to feel pretty nihilistic about all of that, 337 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:35,040 Speaker 1: especially the one, the one that really gets me is 338 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:39,920 Speaker 1: the prescription drug thing, because it's so popular, it's so obvious. 339 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:43,240 Speaker 1: I mean we're talking about in these districts of these 340 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:47,280 Speaker 1: freaking corporate Democrats, ninety percent of their constituents support it. 341 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:51,720 Speaker 1: It's an absolute no brainer to negotiate prescription drug prices. 342 00:17:52,240 --> 00:17:54,439 Speaker 1: And Democrats have been running on this for more than 343 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:57,640 Speaker 1: a decade and it might not happen. I mean, if 344 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:00,320 Speaker 1: you can't get that done, what are you? What are 345 00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:03,720 Speaker 1: you doing? Why bother with any of this? So that's 346 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:05,600 Speaker 1: the sort of that's the macro is I think a 347 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:08,000 Speaker 1: lot of people are tuned out because they just have 348 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:11,480 Speaker 1: so little faith that any of it will come to anything. Now, 349 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:13,200 Speaker 1: I do want to say, look, this is far from 350 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:16,880 Speaker 1: over before I you know, totally take like the Black 351 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:21,400 Speaker 1: Bill here, because even if the let's say that Pelosi 352 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:23,240 Speaker 1: does bring their instructure package of the floor, I think 353 00:18:23,240 --> 00:18:25,840 Speaker 1: it will get voted down. Well, then you kind of 354 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:29,399 Speaker 1: have a reset of do these moderates actually care about 355 00:18:29,400 --> 00:18:31,679 Speaker 1: getting this thing through? Then they've got to negotiate. Then 356 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:33,960 Speaker 1: you don't have this like September twenty seventh, which of 357 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:36,639 Speaker 1: course we are passed out this hard deadline as to 358 00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:40,240 Speaker 1: that having to get done so then do you get 359 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:45,119 Speaker 1: some negotiations. And from what they're saying in Washington, you know, 360 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:47,840 Speaker 1: mansion is I don't want to underestimate what a stumbling 361 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:50,760 Speaker 1: block Key is, especially on climate change provisions. But he 362 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:53,400 Speaker 1: also has a pattern of like kicking up a fuss 363 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 1: and doing a theatrical display of being really at odds 364 00:18:56,600 --> 00:18:59,240 Speaker 1: with the Democrats, and then ultimately, ultimately, I mean, he'll 365 00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:01,560 Speaker 1: negotiate and he'll take his pound of flesh, but ultimately 366 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:03,560 Speaker 1: he sort of falls in line and votes along with them. 367 00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:07,800 Speaker 1: What people in on the Insider saying is that Cinema 368 00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:10,320 Speaker 1: is the real problem, and she seems like she's the 369 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:14,520 Speaker 1: real problem because there was a there was a tactical 370 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:20,000 Speaker 1: calculation that cinema and others actually really cared about getting 371 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,800 Speaker 1: this bipartisan infrastructure thing done. And I'm just not sure 372 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:25,080 Speaker 1: that it's the leverage that threatening that thing is the 373 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:27,760 Speaker 1: leverage that they really thought it was. I completely and 374 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:30,600 Speaker 1: so if she's just concerned about like how much money 375 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:33,359 Speaker 1: can I make when I'm done here, then what are 376 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:35,520 Speaker 1: you going to do? She alse lex optics. She loves 377 00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:38,800 Speaker 1: being seen as the opposition. She likes she She's actually 378 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 1: got a very high Republican approval rating in the state 379 00:19:41,359 --> 00:19:44,520 Speaker 1: of Arizona. So if she does run, maybe she has 380 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:46,399 Speaker 1: what she's banking on. She would have to win a 381 00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:51,000 Speaker 1: primary first. Now, speaking of disarray, lies, betrayals, and more 382 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:55,400 Speaker 1: in Congress, the generals got in the hot seat yesterday 383 00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:58,200 Speaker 1: in the in front of Congress on the Afghanistan hearings. 384 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:01,400 Speaker 1: The media focusing in on a couple of things. Now, 385 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:04,240 Speaker 1: I want to play spot the lie and spot the 386 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,600 Speaker 1: malfeasance here General McKenzie, he was a US Central Command 387 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:12,080 Speaker 1: commander speaking before Congress about his recommendations to the President. 388 00:20:12,320 --> 00:20:14,600 Speaker 1: Let's take a listen to that. But I will give 389 00:20:14,600 --> 00:20:17,200 Speaker 1: you my honest opinion and my honest opinion and in in 390 00:20:17,359 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: view shaped my recommendation, I recommended that we maintain twenty 391 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:24,879 Speaker 1: five hundred troops in Afghanistan. And I also recommended earlier 392 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:27,960 Speaker 1: in the fall of twenty twenty that we maintained four thousand, 393 00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:30,560 Speaker 1: five hundred at that time. Those are my personal views. 394 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:33,200 Speaker 1: I also have a view that the withdrawal of those 395 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:36,160 Speaker 1: forces would lead inevitably to the collapse of the Afghan 396 00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:40,320 Speaker 1: military forces and eventually the Afghan government. Yeah, I understand that, 397 00:20:40,440 --> 00:20:42,879 Speaker 1: and General Millie, I assume you agree with that in 398 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:46,720 Speaker 1: terms of the recommendation of twenty five hundred, what I 399 00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:50,359 Speaker 1: said on my opening statement and the memoranda that I 400 00:20:50,359 --> 00:20:53,280 Speaker 1: wrote back in the fall of twenty twenty remained consistent, 401 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:55,920 Speaker 1: and I do agree with that. This committee is unsure 402 00:20:55,920 --> 00:21:00,440 Speaker 1: as whether General Miller's recommendation ever got to the president. 403 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: You know, obviously there are conversations with the President, but 404 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:09,119 Speaker 1: I would like to ask, even though General Mackenzie, I 405 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:11,520 Speaker 1: think you've all made this statement, did you talk to 406 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:15,840 Speaker 1: the President about General Miller's recommendation. So I was present 407 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:19,600 Speaker 1: when that discussion occurred, and I'm confident that the President 408 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:22,800 Speaker 1: heard all the recommendations and listened to him very thoughtfully. 409 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:26,360 Speaker 1: There's a lot going on there. Crystal Number one is this. 410 00:21:26,560 --> 00:21:29,240 Speaker 1: Whenever the general says we knew that the withdrawal of 411 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:31,639 Speaker 1: any forces would lead to the inevitable collapse of the 412 00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:34,879 Speaker 1: Afghan forces, they are acknowledging that they have been lying 413 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:39,280 Speaker 1: to us for twenty years because the entire plan was, oh, well, 414 00:21:39,320 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: we're just going to keep them there so they can 415 00:21:41,359 --> 00:21:44,440 Speaker 1: become self sufficient and train them up. We're gonna and 416 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:47,920 Speaker 1: by the way, how many people made millions of dollars 417 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:51,159 Speaker 1: training these people. Oh billions, actually one hundred billion, to 418 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 1: for the record in terms of how much we spent 419 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 1: trying to train these folks. So Number one, the general 420 00:21:56,359 --> 00:21:59,080 Speaker 1: is acknowledging that he and all of his colleagues there 421 00:21:59,119 --> 00:22:02,680 Speaker 1: are complete liars. Number two, I have covered this town 422 00:22:02,920 --> 00:22:06,680 Speaker 1: for a long time. Generals almost in every single case, 423 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:09,960 Speaker 1: whenever they say what conversations have you had with the president, 424 00:22:10,119 --> 00:22:12,719 Speaker 1: they say, I reserve the right, you know, the president 425 00:22:12,760 --> 00:22:16,240 Speaker 1: and I prevalent chain of command, executive privilege, privilege. But 426 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:19,680 Speaker 1: when they want to screw the president over, then they'll 427 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:23,399 Speaker 1: talk all they want about what's going on before Congress. Now, look, 428 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:25,359 Speaker 1: maybe you're one of those people's pissed off about the 429 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:28,440 Speaker 1: Afghan withdrawal. Okay, you and I will disagree a little bit. 430 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:32,320 Speaker 1: That's fine. You should still be outraged that the generals 431 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:36,040 Speaker 1: are coming out here undermining the current commander in chief, 432 00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 1: because guess what, this is how they roll every president, 433 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,679 Speaker 1: all the way back to Barack Obama. I was reading 434 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:48,440 Speaker 1: Obama's book recently, and especially that part about the Afghan withdrawal, 435 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:52,080 Speaker 1: and he talks specifically about how during a period in 436 00:22:52,119 --> 00:22:55,760 Speaker 1: which he ordered in Afghan review, as in what are 437 00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:59,000 Speaker 1: we going to do in Afghanistan? That his top Central 438 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:02,000 Speaker 1: Command commander gave a speech in London in which he 439 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:05,440 Speaker 1: said that the only option was to send more troops 440 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: to Afghanistan. And then his Chairman of the Joint chiefs 441 00:23:08,560 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 1: of Staff at the time, Admiral Mike Mullen, in a 442 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:15,000 Speaker 1: very similar testimony, testified that there again was only one 443 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:17,600 Speaker 1: option and going forward. And he called him into the 444 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:20,800 Speaker 1: Oval office and he was basically like, hey, h who 445 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:23,920 Speaker 1: works for who here? Right? What's going on? Why are 446 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:26,520 Speaker 1: you speaking out of turn when I'm talking? And they're like, 447 00:23:26,560 --> 00:23:29,720 Speaker 1: oh yeah, mister President, Sure, mister President. The moment he leaves, 448 00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:33,840 Speaker 1: what happened, the leaks continue from the Defense Department. They 449 00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:38,320 Speaker 1: act as if they're completely autonomous, and not one member 450 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:40,800 Speaker 1: of Congress is willing to sit there and say, well, 451 00:23:40,800 --> 00:23:43,920 Speaker 1: hold on a second, General, you knew that the Afghan 452 00:23:43,960 --> 00:23:47,480 Speaker 1: forces would collapse if we withdrew our troops. Why did 453 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:50,880 Speaker 1: you not tell us that five years ago, five months ago, 454 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:54,720 Speaker 1: six months ago? Lie? I mean, these are the biggest 455 00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:58,840 Speaker 1: most conniving liars I have ever seen. And the worst 456 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:01,800 Speaker 1: part is is the media has taken him at face value. 457 00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:04,640 Speaker 1: Now look, did Biden do himself any favors? No, because 458 00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:06,919 Speaker 1: it appears that he lied whenever it comes in a 459 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:09,439 Speaker 1: recent interview. So let's put that up there. This was 460 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:13,360 Speaker 1: very quickly spotted. Which is the reason General Mackenzie hit 461 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:16,680 Speaker 1: Congress with that twenty five hundred recommendation is because the 462 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:20,359 Speaker 1: Pentagon knows that the President had previously said that he 463 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:23,320 Speaker 1: had never been told to keep twenty five hundred troops 464 00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:27,760 Speaker 1: specifically in Afghanistan. This was a planted hit job. Now, 465 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:31,119 Speaker 1: like I said, Biden himself gotten him into trouble, but 466 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:35,760 Speaker 1: me personally, I mean having a general like this sandbag 467 00:24:35,960 --> 00:24:39,680 Speaker 1: the president and also basically admitting lies in the process, 468 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:41,840 Speaker 1: I am just one of those like a pox on 469 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:44,840 Speaker 1: both your houses. Yeah. Well, and look at the setup here, 470 00:24:44,880 --> 00:24:49,200 Speaker 1: because why does Stephanopolis ask that question? Because leaked, They 471 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:53,879 Speaker 1: leave that to the press. They create the story Stepanopolis 472 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:57,320 Speaker 1: asks Biden. Nevada gets this response, and then he gets 473 00:24:57,359 --> 00:25:00,920 Speaker 1: to go under oath and fit is the job here? 474 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:04,480 Speaker 1: I mean it's a total setup. And they, like they 475 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:07,080 Speaker 1: may not have been very good at training the Afghan 476 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:12,000 Speaker 1: Army playing these sort of games, this they're excellent act. 477 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:14,800 Speaker 1: Now this is this is their real job. That's right. 478 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:17,600 Speaker 1: This There are absolutely world class at And here's the 479 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:20,879 Speaker 1: other thing. On the substance of the question of whether 480 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:23,480 Speaker 1: this is even the case that keeping a force of 481 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:25,919 Speaker 1: twenty five hundred people there would have led to, you know, 482 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:31,639 Speaker 1: an endlist stability in Afghanistan, that is pure freakin' fantasy. 483 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:36,240 Speaker 1: Why because a deadline had been put in place. The 484 00:25:36,440 --> 00:25:39,480 Speaker 1: reason that things had been kind of quiet as far 485 00:25:39,520 --> 00:25:42,240 Speaker 1: as we were concerned in Afghanistan here for a little 486 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:45,040 Speaker 1: while is because we had agreed with the Taliban that 487 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:48,920 Speaker 1: we were going to leave. If we didn't leave, then 488 00:25:49,119 --> 00:25:52,119 Speaker 1: it's open season again. Then you're in the middle of 489 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: a civil war. Then you're taking on more casualties. Then 490 00:25:55,840 --> 00:25:59,080 Speaker 1: you're having liars like this dude coming out and saying, oh, well, 491 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:01,560 Speaker 1: now we need a new sir. Now we can't take 492 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:04,159 Speaker 1: these losses. And just you know, this isn't sufficient. We 493 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:06,600 Speaker 1: got to go all the way back in and then 494 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:10,920 Speaker 1: what so this idea that there was a costless way 495 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:15,680 Speaker 1: to continue, first of all, is oblivious to the cost 496 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:18,320 Speaker 1: to those twenty five hundred people who were putting their 497 00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:21,199 Speaker 1: lives at risk, putting their lives on hold, to be 498 00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:23,640 Speaker 1: there in Afghanistan so that you don't have a bad 499 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:27,440 Speaker 1: news cycle, and so that you know, people can profit 500 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:30,239 Speaker 1: off of this war, which is the only thing that 501 00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:35,360 Speaker 1: this war accomplished. Those were the winners. Not the Afghan people, certainly, 502 00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:38,399 Speaker 1: not our servicemen and women, certainly not the United States 503 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:41,879 Speaker 1: of America. The winners of this war were the military 504 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:46,800 Speaker 1: industrial complex millionaires who cashed in on this thing. And yes, 505 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 1: I have no doubt that they made the case to 506 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:52,919 Speaker 1: the President as aggressively as they possibly could that we 507 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:55,200 Speaker 1: needed to stay in Afghanistan for they did the same 508 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,840 Speaker 1: thing to Obama, they did it to Trump. What happened. 509 00:26:57,880 --> 00:27:01,240 Speaker 1: I remember Trump in seventeen whenever he calls in these 510 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:03,960 Speaker 1: enlisted guys, because he told the generals, he said, I 511 00:27:04,000 --> 00:27:05,280 Speaker 1: don't want to hear from you, I want to hear 512 00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:07,359 Speaker 1: from the guys who actually fought the war. So he 513 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:09,439 Speaker 1: bought in these sergeants. And what do you think they 514 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:11,239 Speaker 1: told him to a t, every single one of them. 515 00:27:11,280 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 1: They're like, sir, there is no way in hell that 516 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:15,000 Speaker 1: we can win this war. I've been on the ground there. 517 00:27:15,160 --> 00:27:18,359 Speaker 1: These people are hopeless, They're useless. They're taking our money. 518 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:20,919 Speaker 1: This is not working for anybody. So Trump goes and 519 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:22,720 Speaker 1: he tells that to the generals, like, oh, well, they 520 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:26,640 Speaker 1: don't understand the strategy and the big war and all 521 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:30,160 Speaker 1: this stupid they're too strue. In fact, they're the smartest ones. 522 00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:34,719 Speaker 1: They knew. The guys who actually served in country, especially 523 00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:38,760 Speaker 1: at the captain in below level, who were actually implemented 524 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:41,520 Speaker 1: having to implement this nonsense, every single one of them 525 00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:43,720 Speaker 1: knew this thing was doomed since like two thousand and three. 526 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:46,720 Speaker 1: They didn't have the luxury of the fantasy exactly, they're 527 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:49,040 Speaker 1: the luxury of any distance from this thing, where they 528 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:51,920 Speaker 1: could pretend that some sort of illusory progress was being 529 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:55,119 Speaker 1: made when the fact of the matter was the exact opposite. No, 530 00:27:55,240 --> 00:27:57,720 Speaker 1: and this is the problem that we have, which is 531 00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:00,320 Speaker 1: that we are allowing ourselves, all of us, to be 532 00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:03,320 Speaker 1: played by these fools. The Republicans now are like, oh well, 533 00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:05,960 Speaker 1: the general said, Oh so we're supposed to believe the general. 534 00:28:06,680 --> 00:28:09,600 Speaker 1: Now we love the generals. No, we hate the generals, 535 00:28:09,640 --> 00:28:12,800 Speaker 1: all of them all the time. Not all of them. Okay, 536 00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:16,880 Speaker 1: I'm sure there's some good Yeah, some I assume are 537 00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:21,560 Speaker 1: good people. But speaking of lying generals, and one who 538 00:28:21,560 --> 00:28:24,160 Speaker 1: the Republican this is the best part. Republicans are willing 539 00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:26,720 Speaker 1: to take at face value what General Millie says about 540 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:30,040 Speaker 1: his recommendation in Afghanistan, But then whenever it comes to 541 00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:32,120 Speaker 1: his call with China, we know he's a bold faced 542 00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:35,119 Speaker 1: liar because here's what he has to say. My loyalty 543 00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:39,000 Speaker 1: is absolute and I will not turn my back on 544 00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:43,840 Speaker 1: the fallen. With respect to the Chinese calls, I routinely 545 00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:48,720 Speaker 1: communicated with my counterpart, generally with the knowledge and coordination 546 00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:54,240 Speaker 1: of civilian oversight. I am specifically directed to communicate with 547 00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:59,240 Speaker 1: the Chinese by Department of Defense guidance the policy dialogue system. 548 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:03,240 Speaker 1: The military to military communications at the highest level are 549 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:05,840 Speaker 1: critical to the security of the United States in order 550 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:10,840 Speaker 1: to deconflict military actions, manage crisis, and present prevent war 551 00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:14,120 Speaker 1: between great powers that are armed with the world's most 552 00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:18,440 Speaker 1: deadliest weapons. The calls on thirty October and eighth January 553 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:23,920 Speaker 1: were coordinated before and after with Secretary Esper and Acting 554 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:29,040 Speaker 1: Secretary Miller's staffs, and the Interagency. The specific purpose of 555 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:32,600 Speaker 1: the October and January calls were to generate or we're 556 00:29:32,680 --> 00:29:36,720 Speaker 1: generated by concerning intelligence which caused us to believe the 557 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:40,400 Speaker 1: Chinese were worried about an attack on them by the 558 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:45,480 Speaker 1: United States. Yeah, this is complete lies you think he's portraying. 559 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:48,400 Speaker 1: It is a standard deconfliction call. Let me explain to 560 00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:52,280 Speaker 1: people what deconfliction is. Deconfliction is whenever like one general 561 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:54,560 Speaker 1: calls a Russian general and it's like, hey, we've got 562 00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:57,120 Speaker 1: some planes over Syria. You just should know that so 563 00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:01,160 Speaker 1: we don't collide. That's normal deconfliction. Saying we are not 564 00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:04,080 Speaker 1: going to attack you, going outside of the chain of 565 00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:07,880 Speaker 1: command and basically practicing foreign policy, which is the job 566 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:11,080 Speaker 1: of the Secretary of State. That's not standard de confliction. 567 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:15,280 Speaker 1: And guess what, press just eats it up. Nobody's pressing him. 568 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:18,920 Speaker 1: Nobody is actually doing any investigation. Imagine if there is 569 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:21,960 Speaker 1: outrage about the Afghan thing as they were, what is 570 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:26,280 Speaker 1: basically amounting to And actually even he acknowledged, according to 571 00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:28,760 Speaker 1: Bob Woodward supporting which he has not denied, that he 572 00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:31,920 Speaker 1: said he was going quote full Slessinger with meaning that 573 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:35,400 Speaker 1: he was going outside the chain of command, emanating the 574 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:38,640 Speaker 1: Nixon administration in the waiting days of the presidency. It's 575 00:30:38,680 --> 00:30:42,000 Speaker 1: just amazing that these people you know, and you and 576 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:44,160 Speaker 1: I both know he's going to leave here. He's going 577 00:30:44,240 --> 00:30:46,200 Speaker 1: to get the job just like John Allen over at 578 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:49,080 Speaker 1: the Brook Constitution or whatever, and serve as a consultant 579 00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:51,760 Speaker 1: to every defense company on Earth. And he will continue 580 00:30:51,760 --> 00:30:54,160 Speaker 1: to be quoted five years from now, I guarantee as 581 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:56,880 Speaker 1: some sort of expert person in the Washington Post about 582 00:30:56,920 --> 00:31:00,040 Speaker 1: what we should have done in Afghanistan. Next time I 583 00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:02,160 Speaker 1: want to get us into a new war, he'll be 584 00:31:02,280 --> 00:31:04,040 Speaker 1: on the TV. He'll be on the TV be like 585 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:07,200 Speaker 1: I was the former joint chairman. I, you know, support 586 00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:11,040 Speaker 1: this decision. It's just I can. I have watched this 587 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:15,160 Speaker 1: iteration play out so many times and they continue to 588 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:17,680 Speaker 1: believe them. It just I don't even know how to 589 00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:19,960 Speaker 1: describe it. And maybe people are like, why do you 590 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:21,800 Speaker 1: care so much? It's because I've met people who have 591 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 1: lost limbs in Afghanistan or Iraq, and they they will 592 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:29,080 Speaker 1: be the first people to tell you that it's their 593 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:31,360 Speaker 1: lies that are the ones that got them into this. 594 00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:35,920 Speaker 1: So I don't know. There really is something to the 595 00:31:35,920 --> 00:31:38,400 Speaker 1: fact too, that he admitted in this testimony that he 596 00:31:38,480 --> 00:31:42,000 Speaker 1: was talking to three different authors. That's how he's spending 597 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:44,640 Speaker 1: his time. It's talking what do you do three different authors. 598 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:46,920 Speaker 1: I mean, if you have something to say, come out 599 00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:49,320 Speaker 1: and say it. Don't do the leagues, don't do the 600 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:53,720 Speaker 1: deep on deep background all of that. Reportedly, even some 601 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:57,560 Speaker 1: of his close friends were pretty shocked by how much 602 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:02,840 Speaker 1: he is a central character in each of these narratives, 603 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:06,520 Speaker 1: the Woodward and Costa book being primary among them. But 604 00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:09,160 Speaker 1: you know, I mean that again shows you this is 605 00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:12,200 Speaker 1: a political player, right. The reason you talk to these 606 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:15,120 Speaker 1: guys is because you want to have the portrait of 607 00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:18,120 Speaker 1: history that is friendly to you. And sometimes it's also 608 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:20,040 Speaker 1: because you want to settle different scores, you want to 609 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:22,880 Speaker 1: paint someone else in a negative light. This is why 610 00:32:22,920 --> 00:32:27,040 Speaker 1: the like helperd and Hilman, That's why they were able 611 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:28,840 Speaker 1: to get That's their whole thing is to get all 612 00:32:28,880 --> 00:32:31,360 Speaker 1: this dirt because you have the people who have an 613 00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:34,120 Speaker 1: interest in setting the narrative about what the administration was 614 00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 1: like or what the campaign was like, so that they 615 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:37,640 Speaker 1: can look like the good guy. I was the one 616 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:39,320 Speaker 1: who was telling him the right thing to do, and 617 00:32:39,320 --> 00:32:43,400 Speaker 1: they were the bad guys over there. So he's shamelessly 618 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:47,800 Speaker 1: engaging in the same tactics as like, you know, a sleazy, 619 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:50,480 Speaker 1: low level political operative. That's really what's going on here? 620 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:53,600 Speaker 1: Yeah he is, And congratulations Chairman, because look, here's the 621 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:55,360 Speaker 1: deal for all of this that you're going to hear here, 622 00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:58,560 Speaker 1: all media giving these people a total free pass. Hey, 623 00:32:58,600 --> 00:33:02,120 Speaker 1: so remember how we told you how awesome premium membership was, Well, 624 00:33:02,160 --> 00:33:04,320 Speaker 1: here we are again to remind you that becoming a 625 00:33:04,360 --> 00:33:07,000 Speaker 1: premium member means you don't have to listen to our 626 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:09,920 Speaker 1: constant fleas for you to subscribe. So what are you 627 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:12,520 Speaker 1: waiting for? Become a premium member today by going to 628 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:14,920 Speaker 1: Breakingpoints dot com, which you can click on in the 629 00:33:14,960 --> 00:33:19,320 Speaker 1: show notes. Speaking of free pass, Actually, this is a 630 00:33:19,360 --> 00:33:21,640 Speaker 1: stunning Thank you Wise. We neither of us can really 631 00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:24,880 Speaker 1: believe that this flew so under the radar. So let's 632 00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:27,920 Speaker 1: put this up there on the screen. You know, no 633 00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:30,400 Speaker 1: matter how you feel about the Federal Reserve, the sanctity 634 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:33,560 Speaker 1: of the Federal Reserve is probably pretty important to the 635 00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:40,040 Speaker 1: world's most important economy, capital markets investors all across the world. Well, recently, 636 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:45,120 Speaker 1: two Federal Reserve leaders quote retired early, and that is 637 00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:49,239 Speaker 1: because Wall Street Journal investigations found that one of them, 638 00:33:49,280 --> 00:33:53,600 Speaker 1: in particular, Robert Kaplan, was an active buyer and seller 639 00:33:53,680 --> 00:33:56,880 Speaker 1: of stocks last year and the other one also violated 640 00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:01,920 Speaker 1: basically the strictures through which you're supposed to conduct yourself. 641 00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:03,840 Speaker 1: Here's the deal. Let's go ahead and put the next 642 00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:07,280 Speaker 1: one up there, the actual Wall Street Journal investigation, because 643 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:13,240 Speaker 1: this is totally nuts. Robert Kaplan made quote multiple million 644 00:34:13,440 --> 00:34:17,520 Speaker 1: dollar plus stock trades in twenty twenty, according to his 645 00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:21,279 Speaker 1: financial disclosure provided by his bank, in contrast with the 646 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:24,360 Speaker 1: other regional FED leaders who you know, not really supposed 647 00:34:24,360 --> 00:34:27,480 Speaker 1: to do that. Now there, when you look at the 648 00:34:27,680 --> 00:34:31,800 Speaker 1: actual number of trades that his combination of sales or 649 00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:36,719 Speaker 1: purchases of over one million dollars in twenty two individual companies, 650 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:43,400 Speaker 1: and those transactions included Apple, Ali Baba aka this massive 651 00:34:43,480 --> 00:34:49,279 Speaker 1: Chinese conglomerate, Amazon, General Electric, and Chevron. He used to 652 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:51,600 Speaker 1: work in the financial sector. He literally used to go 653 00:34:51,640 --> 00:34:55,200 Speaker 1: work for golden Sacks. But here's part of the problem, 654 00:34:55,360 --> 00:34:58,520 Speaker 1: which is that in the forms most of the others 655 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:02,600 Speaker 1: didn't even report trades or whatever up even close to 656 00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:06,160 Speaker 1: like fifty thousand dollars or less. So why is this 657 00:35:06,239 --> 00:35:11,120 Speaker 1: person who helps set interest rates, guide monetary policy and 658 00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:15,720 Speaker 1: all this making multiple, not just one, multi million dollar 659 00:35:15,760 --> 00:35:20,879 Speaker 1: stock trades in companies, specifically Gas companies and more which 660 00:35:20,920 --> 00:35:25,239 Speaker 1: are directly impacted by the policy that he sets as 661 00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:28,080 Speaker 1: one of the twelve most powerful people in the United 662 00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:32,040 Speaker 1: States economy. It's stunning. And here's the thing. He thought 663 00:35:32,080 --> 00:35:33,680 Speaker 1: he was going to get away with it because he 664 00:35:33,719 --> 00:35:36,359 Speaker 1: put it in his financial transaction for him. And if 665 00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:39,520 Speaker 1: one reporter had not at least had the goal to 666 00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:43,360 Speaker 1: go through and dig what's happening here, we wouldn't have 667 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:46,560 Speaker 1: even known about it. How much of this is just 668 00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:50,600 Speaker 1: outright straight up corruption. You can say, tell me all 669 00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:54,400 Speaker 1: you want about how oh you know, he's already a multimillionaire. 670 00:35:54,600 --> 00:35:58,200 Speaker 1: Look the guys helping set the federal funds rate, you know, 671 00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:03,520 Speaker 1: interest rates, and Jerome Powell, these Fed Reserve, Federal Bank Chairman, 672 00:36:03,560 --> 00:36:07,239 Speaker 1: remember Tim Geithner. They're intimate players in the US. This 673 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:10,520 Speaker 1: is they're way more powerful than the politicians. And these 674 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:14,200 Speaker 1: are kings, they truly are. I mean, if you if 675 00:36:14,280 --> 00:36:17,080 Speaker 1: CEOs and Wall Street bankers are being honest with you, 676 00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:20,799 Speaker 1: they pay more attention to the Fed because they have 677 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:23,759 Speaker 1: so much impact on the stock market and ultimately what 678 00:36:23,800 --> 00:36:27,560 Speaker 1: their compensation is than anything else, including you know, customer 679 00:36:27,600 --> 00:36:29,759 Speaker 1: service or their product lines or whatever it is that 680 00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:33,200 Speaker 1: they're purported to be actually doing. This is the thing 681 00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:36,960 Speaker 1: that they focus on the absolute most. Kaplan was one 682 00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:39,799 Speaker 1: of the most hawkish voices. I love this warning that 683 00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:43,279 Speaker 1: high levels of monetary stimulus are boosting risk levels in 684 00:36:43,320 --> 00:36:46,440 Speaker 1: the financial sector. And of course, again he has a 685 00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:50,239 Speaker 1: direct financial interest in all of this and is an 686 00:36:50,239 --> 00:36:54,160 Speaker 1: incredibly powerful player in setting the direction of the economy 687 00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:56,799 Speaker 1: and how everything is going to play out. Now his 688 00:36:56,960 --> 00:37:00,719 Speaker 1: statement actually directly acknowledged this contravert receive per the New 689 00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:04,400 Speaker 1: York Times as the reason for his departure. The other guy, 690 00:37:04,440 --> 00:37:07,560 Speaker 1: his name is Eric Rosngrad. He's the president of the 691 00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:11,440 Speaker 1: Boston FED. His what he did, and this again I'm 692 00:37:11,480 --> 00:37:14,719 Speaker 1: reading for the New York Times. He came under criticism 693 00:37:14,800 --> 00:37:18,120 Speaker 1: because he held stakes in real estate investment trust, which 694 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:21,440 Speaker 1: invested in sometimes managed properties and listed purchases and sales 695 00:37:21,480 --> 00:37:24,200 Speaker 1: of those in twenty twenty, and he happened to spend 696 00:37:24,280 --> 00:37:27,000 Speaker 1: last year warning publicly about risks in the commercial real 697 00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:30,000 Speaker 1: estate market and was helping to set FED policy on 698 00:37:30,520 --> 00:37:33,520 Speaker 1: mortgage backed security purchases, which can help the housing market 699 00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:37,160 Speaker 1: by improving financing conditions. So again he's playing in the 700 00:37:37,200 --> 00:37:41,040 Speaker 1: sandbox of housing and he's also setting the policy up 701 00:37:41,120 --> 00:37:44,640 Speaker 1: it direct financial intersts. Now he says he is retiring 702 00:37:44,680 --> 00:37:47,600 Speaker 1: for health. Reaser has nothing to do with it. Ok. 703 00:37:47,840 --> 00:37:51,440 Speaker 1: But this is pretty wild and has gotten next to 704 00:37:51,520 --> 00:37:54,880 Speaker 1: no attention. No, actually, in terms of impact on all 705 00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:56,560 Speaker 1: of our lives. I mean this one was up there, 706 00:37:56,600 --> 00:37:58,799 Speaker 1: and these were two of Also important to note these 707 00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:01,160 Speaker 1: were two of the more hawkish members of the FED. 708 00:38:01,560 --> 00:38:04,280 Speaker 1: So also in terms of the direction of the policy 709 00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:08,160 Speaker 1: the Fed is setting, this is significant. Yeah. And look, 710 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:11,040 Speaker 1: by the way, WSJA, you guys are killing it because 711 00:38:11,080 --> 00:38:14,600 Speaker 1: there's another investigation. Let's put this up there on the screen, 712 00:38:14,680 --> 00:38:17,720 Speaker 1: which is also just as important. One hundred and thirty 713 00:38:17,760 --> 00:38:22,319 Speaker 1: one federal judges broke the law by hearing cases where 714 00:38:22,360 --> 00:38:26,120 Speaker 1: they had a financial interest. The judges failed to recuse 715 00:38:26,160 --> 00:38:30,640 Speaker 1: themselves from six hundred and eighty five lawsuits from twenty 716 00:38:30,800 --> 00:38:34,640 Speaker 1: ten to twenty eighteen involving firms in which they or 717 00:38:34,680 --> 00:38:38,719 Speaker 1: their family held shares. Now here's the thing you go 718 00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:41,600 Speaker 1: and you look at this, which is that fifty six 719 00:38:41,719 --> 00:38:45,160 Speaker 1: of the judges have directed court clerks now to notify 720 00:38:45,239 --> 00:38:48,520 Speaker 1: parties that they should have refused themselves after the fact 721 00:38:48,560 --> 00:38:51,960 Speaker 1: of the investigation. But this taints all sort of civil 722 00:38:52,480 --> 00:38:58,000 Speaker 1: litigation and criminal cases and more. The important part is 723 00:38:58,040 --> 00:39:02,000 Speaker 1: that they held stocks in these companies, knew they were 724 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:06,520 Speaker 1: supposed to recuse themselves, didn't do so, and then issued 725 00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:10,399 Speaker 1: summary judgments in some cases put you know, ruling one 726 00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:14,440 Speaker 1: way or the other. They've actually first given the greatest 727 00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:18,160 Speaker 1: gift of all time to the actual companies themselves, because 728 00:39:18,200 --> 00:39:21,160 Speaker 1: now they can come and sue and change the judgments 729 00:39:21,400 --> 00:39:25,520 Speaker 1: or more. But this again just shows the rife level 730 00:39:25,880 --> 00:39:30,000 Speaker 1: of at least the appearance of corruption within our judicial system. 731 00:39:30,040 --> 00:39:33,239 Speaker 1: Whenever these companies come to the bench. And what if 732 00:39:33,239 --> 00:39:35,600 Speaker 1: the company knows, like, oh, yeah, this guy, he's holding 733 00:39:35,600 --> 00:39:37,960 Speaker 1: a million dollars with a stock on our company. Let's 734 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:39,680 Speaker 1: just nudge him a little bit in this direction. We'll 735 00:39:39,719 --> 00:39:41,239 Speaker 1: talk about how the stock is going to go down. 736 00:39:41,480 --> 00:39:44,400 Speaker 1: Can you prove definitively yes or no, that the judge 737 00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:47,800 Speaker 1: wasn't impacted? No, you can't, And that is the problem 738 00:39:47,920 --> 00:39:51,360 Speaker 1: because our judicial system is supposed to be above reproach, 739 00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:54,400 Speaker 1: especially whenever it comes to these corporations, and already have 740 00:39:54,719 --> 00:39:57,560 Speaker 1: the biggest leg up in this Indi judicial system. So 741 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:00,120 Speaker 1: this is just another thing themb on the scale that 742 00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:02,239 Speaker 1: you can see right here. Well, and we can't know 743 00:40:02,760 --> 00:40:05,560 Speaker 1: whether they were directly impacted in the judgments that they 744 00:40:05,640 --> 00:40:09,799 Speaker 1: ultimately issued, but we do know when judges participated in 745 00:40:09,880 --> 00:40:12,919 Speaker 1: these cases where they had a direct financial interest, about 746 00:40:12,960 --> 00:40:15,440 Speaker 1: two thirds of their rulings on motions that were contested 747 00:40:15,719 --> 00:40:19,759 Speaker 1: happened to come down in favor of their family's financial interests. Again, 748 00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:24,440 Speaker 1: according to the Wall Street Journal's fantastic reporting here, it's incredible. 749 00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:28,760 Speaker 1: And the standard that judges are supposed to hold themselves 750 00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:31,880 Speaker 1: to is supposed to be extraordinarily high for a reason. 751 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:36,560 Speaker 1: They are supposed to avoid even the possibility of a 752 00:40:36,640 --> 00:40:40,000 Speaker 1: perception of a conflict of interest. And here you are. 753 00:40:40,040 --> 00:40:42,800 Speaker 1: You've got an instance here where you know, the judges 754 00:40:42,880 --> 00:40:46,319 Speaker 1: holding stock and ex On Mobile and literally ruling on 755 00:40:46,360 --> 00:40:49,560 Speaker 1: a case where one of the participants is ex On Mobile. 756 00:40:49,640 --> 00:40:52,520 Speaker 1: There you go. This is as blatant as it comes. Now, 757 00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:54,400 Speaker 1: they of course all do, oh, we have no idea, 758 00:40:54,480 --> 00:40:56,440 Speaker 1: and oh it's just a mistake, and I'm sorry, and 759 00:40:56,480 --> 00:40:57,839 Speaker 1: I'm going to go back and see what i can 760 00:40:57,880 --> 00:41:02,000 Speaker 1: do or whatever. But when this is happening so routinely 761 00:41:02,440 --> 00:41:04,680 Speaker 1: and not in a partisan way either, they say nearly 762 00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:08,280 Speaker 1: these judges were appointed by nearly every president from Lyndon 763 00:41:08,360 --> 00:41:12,200 Speaker 1: Johnson to Donald Trump. So this isn't you know, it 764 00:41:12,280 --> 00:41:14,640 Speaker 1: was just the Trump judge, or is just DAMA judges 765 00:41:14,719 --> 00:41:19,880 Speaker 1: or whatever. There's a complete breakdown of this sort of accountability. 766 00:41:20,280 --> 00:41:23,319 Speaker 1: And you can see why because this has been going 767 00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:25,520 Speaker 1: on for years and no one noticed till now. Yeah, 768 00:41:25,560 --> 00:41:28,400 Speaker 1: it's amazed till now and all of the here's my 769 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:31,239 Speaker 1: favorite quote from a judge quote, I dropped the ball. 770 00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:33,480 Speaker 1: Thank you for helping me stay on my toes the 771 00:41:33,520 --> 00:41:36,480 Speaker 1: way I'm supposed to. This is the same judge who 772 00:41:36,600 --> 00:41:39,080 Speaker 1: ruled against a couple who said that they were being 773 00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:44,160 Speaker 1: bullied by Comcast and whose family, his family at the 774 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:47,760 Speaker 1: time of that ruling held between fifteen to fifty thousand 775 00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:52,080 Speaker 1: dollars in stock within that company, and then ruled exactly 776 00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:55,040 Speaker 1: the way that Comcasts wanted them to. That's just a 777 00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:57,960 Speaker 1: little example. And he's like, oh, thanks for stopping keeping 778 00:41:57,960 --> 00:42:00,640 Speaker 1: me on my toes. Yeah, say thanks too late. Another 779 00:42:00,760 --> 00:42:03,080 Speaker 1: judge goes, well, I didn't know I had to recuse 780 00:42:03,120 --> 00:42:06,799 Speaker 1: myself if my husband held us up. Oh yeah, it's 781 00:42:06,840 --> 00:42:10,319 Speaker 1: not like your husband's stock has any impact on your uh, 782 00:42:10,760 --> 00:42:15,640 Speaker 1: on your financial situation whatsoever. Quote. I regret my misunderstanding, 783 00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:18,160 Speaker 1: but I assure you it was an honest one. Let 784 00:42:18,200 --> 00:42:21,000 Speaker 1: me ask you, judge, you're gonna take that as gospel 785 00:42:21,040 --> 00:42:24,960 Speaker 1: in your courtroom, some defendant comes before you goes. I 786 00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:27,839 Speaker 1: assure you, Judge, it was an honest misunderstanding. Yeah, just 787 00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:30,600 Speaker 1: back up here. It's a great prosecution. Why are you 788 00:42:30,600 --> 00:42:33,120 Speaker 1: even coming after this fine young man you know, or 789 00:42:33,200 --> 00:42:36,719 Speaker 1: fine young woman for saying something like that. Again, they 790 00:42:36,800 --> 00:42:39,920 Speaker 1: want the benefit of the doubt when their whole job 791 00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:43,520 Speaker 1: is to investigate and rule out the benefit of the doubt. 792 00:42:43,600 --> 00:42:46,120 Speaker 1: So you put this all together, it just shows you 793 00:42:46,200 --> 00:42:49,239 Speaker 1: rank corruption in the federal reserve system. Again, at the 794 00:42:49,280 --> 00:42:52,080 Speaker 1: judiciary level, it's like, what can you trust? You know? 795 00:42:52,320 --> 00:42:53,839 Speaker 1: I mean, and if you're you know, if you're dealing 796 00:42:53,920 --> 00:42:55,840 Speaker 1: with these people, you better do your damn due diligence. 797 00:42:55,840 --> 00:42:58,240 Speaker 1: I don't know how exactly you can get into somebody's 798 00:42:58,239 --> 00:43:01,239 Speaker 1: stock portfolio or more, but maybe pressed for it or not, 799 00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:04,320 Speaker 1: because if you're starting to bring cases before these judges, 800 00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:07,360 Speaker 1: I really recommend this for anybody out there, do as 801 00:43:07,440 --> 00:43:09,560 Speaker 1: much due diligence as you can do. Not assume that 802 00:43:09,600 --> 00:43:11,640 Speaker 1: the deck is stacked in your favor, because it is not. 803 00:43:11,760 --> 00:43:17,160 Speaker 1: We're gonna have Steven Donziger on tomorrow who's facing his sentencing, 804 00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:21,840 Speaker 1: and of course he has been railroaded by biased judges. 805 00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:25,680 Speaker 1: I mean that's really where it started, and bias prosecution 806 00:43:26,760 --> 00:43:29,400 Speaker 1: in favor of an oil giant. And you look at 807 00:43:29,480 --> 00:43:32,880 Speaker 1: that and you're like, how can this happen in America? 808 00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:36,440 Speaker 1: And then you see the reporting here and you realize like, oh, 809 00:43:36,440 --> 00:43:39,840 Speaker 1: this isn't an outlier, this type of conflict of interest, 810 00:43:39,920 --> 00:43:43,160 Speaker 1: this type of corruption, It's rife without the system. And 811 00:43:43,280 --> 00:43:45,080 Speaker 1: I was just looking back at the topics that we've 812 00:43:45,120 --> 00:43:48,680 Speaker 1: covered so far today, like in the with reconciliation, you 813 00:43:48,680 --> 00:43:51,160 Speaker 1: look at Cinema, you look at the corruption with her. 814 00:43:51,520 --> 00:43:54,200 Speaker 1: Joe Manchin is a literal coal baron and he's the 815 00:43:54,239 --> 00:43:57,480 Speaker 1: one writing the rules on climate change, so you have 816 00:43:57,719 --> 00:44:02,560 Speaker 1: that process completely corrupted. With the Afghanistan hearings, we know 817 00:44:02,680 --> 00:44:05,960 Speaker 1: that these guys have massive financial interests after they finish 818 00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:09,960 Speaker 1: their quote unquote service, impacting the decisions and what they're 819 00:44:10,000 --> 00:44:12,600 Speaker 1: telling the press right now. And then you look here 820 00:44:12,760 --> 00:44:15,120 Speaker 1: at the FED and you look at the judiciary, and 821 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:19,280 Speaker 1: you just see the way that this corruption our elites 822 00:44:19,360 --> 00:44:22,799 Speaker 1: thinking that they can do anything that they want, that 823 00:44:22,840 --> 00:44:26,600 Speaker 1: they can profit directly, that no one's even gonna notice 824 00:44:26,960 --> 00:44:29,840 Speaker 1: or call them to account, and that is such standard 825 00:44:29,880 --> 00:44:32,680 Speaker 1: operating procedure that they just go Like Ted lu told 826 00:44:32,760 --> 00:44:34,880 Speaker 1: us about Hunter Biden, Oh well, people serve on board. 827 00:44:34,960 --> 00:44:36,840 Speaker 1: I forgot about. It's the what's the big deal so 828 00:44:36,960 --> 00:44:40,399 Speaker 1: Washington way? And that's what's so disgusting is the fact 829 00:44:40,400 --> 00:44:44,640 Speaker 1: that it is so commonplace that it does go unnoticed 830 00:44:44,680 --> 00:44:48,000 Speaker 1: so often because it's just the way that this town operates. 831 00:44:48,239 --> 00:44:51,640 Speaker 1: That is a disgraceful, disgraceful state of affairs, and it 832 00:44:51,760 --> 00:44:55,399 Speaker 1: is a big reason why people are so mistrustful, why 833 00:44:55,480 --> 00:44:58,960 Speaker 1: they're so frustrated, why they're so angry with everything that 834 00:44:59,040 --> 00:45:01,640 Speaker 1: is happening here in this country. Absolutely, okay, we have 835 00:45:01,719 --> 00:45:04,759 Speaker 1: to stick to the theme of elites being crazy. I'm 836 00:45:04,800 --> 00:45:09,000 Speaker 1: really on my transition game today. So Harvard, now before 837 00:45:09,040 --> 00:45:10,960 Speaker 1: we even began, why are we even covering this? The 838 00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:13,839 Speaker 1: reason why is look, obviously, Harvard, you know, the most 839 00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:17,200 Speaker 1: famous of the Ivy League institutions, the churning out of 840 00:45:17,320 --> 00:45:20,640 Speaker 1: the American elite. But in my opinion, and I'm curious 841 00:45:20,640 --> 00:45:23,000 Speaker 1: what you think, I think it's the taste maker for 842 00:45:23,320 --> 00:45:25,160 Speaker 1: a lot of the way that a lot of the 843 00:45:25,239 --> 00:45:27,759 Speaker 1: other elite class is going to conceive of itself. So 844 00:45:27,800 --> 00:45:30,640 Speaker 1: when the way they conduct themselves and who they're comprised 845 00:45:30,680 --> 00:45:33,120 Speaker 1: of kind of tells me like, oh, this is where 846 00:45:33,440 --> 00:45:35,720 Speaker 1: things are headed. And that's why I was very afraid 847 00:45:36,200 --> 00:45:38,040 Speaker 1: whenever I saw this news. Thank you, by the way, 848 00:45:38,080 --> 00:45:41,080 Speaker 1: Michael Tracy's been fantastic on this subject. Let's put this 849 00:45:41,200 --> 00:45:44,440 Speaker 1: up there on the screen. Harvard Business School has now 850 00:45:44,520 --> 00:45:49,200 Speaker 1: shuddered in person classes due to a quote distressing surge 851 00:45:49,280 --> 00:45:55,040 Speaker 1: in coronavirus cases amongst its overwhelming vaccinated student population. Now 852 00:45:55,080 --> 00:45:59,000 Speaker 1: consider this, Harvard Business School has just switched back to 853 00:45:59,520 --> 00:46:04,680 Speaker 1: online classes after they have already been subjected to testing 854 00:46:04,680 --> 00:46:06,759 Speaker 1: three times a week. They have a ninety five to 855 00:46:06,800 --> 00:46:11,040 Speaker 1: one hundred percent vaccination rate within their student body. They are, 856 00:46:11,360 --> 00:46:13,960 Speaker 1: like I said, you know overwhelmingly. I think they even 857 00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:17,600 Speaker 1: have a vaccine requirement for attending in person cases. Now, look, 858 00:46:17,640 --> 00:46:20,399 Speaker 1: people get COVID. I'm a living example of that. Even 859 00:46:20,440 --> 00:46:24,480 Speaker 1: after you get vaccinated, it's not like you, you know, 860 00:46:24,719 --> 00:46:27,160 Speaker 1: have to shut her in person for all time. You 861 00:46:27,280 --> 00:46:30,759 Speaker 1: just have to take some precaution. They have gone completely 862 00:46:31,040 --> 00:46:34,800 Speaker 1: and just gone to online classes. Now, this is the question, 863 00:46:35,040 --> 00:46:37,560 Speaker 1: is that going to happen if there is some sort 864 00:46:37,600 --> 00:46:40,600 Speaker 1: of spike within the fall or spring. Are we going 865 00:46:40,680 --> 00:46:43,279 Speaker 1: to see colleges who are looking at the liability and 866 00:46:43,320 --> 00:46:46,280 Speaker 1: looking at this example set now by Harvard and saying, Okay, 867 00:46:46,320 --> 00:46:48,440 Speaker 1: we're going to send these students home because there's almost 868 00:46:48,480 --> 00:46:51,120 Speaker 1: no guarantee that this isn't going to continue to spread 869 00:46:51,280 --> 00:46:54,000 Speaker 1: all across the country. At the same time, look, delta 870 00:46:54,000 --> 00:46:55,719 Speaker 1: does seem to be on the wane. I think we're 871 00:46:55,760 --> 00:46:58,520 Speaker 1: at a thirty three percent drop the last fourteen days. 872 00:46:58,840 --> 00:47:01,480 Speaker 1: That's good, but look it's getting cold, and I remember 873 00:47:01,520 --> 00:47:03,759 Speaker 1: what happened last time. Yeah, So I mean I look 874 00:47:03,760 --> 00:47:06,120 Speaker 1: at this and I just see a flashing red light 875 00:47:06,239 --> 00:47:08,239 Speaker 1: as to what exactly could be down the road for 876 00:47:08,239 --> 00:47:10,640 Speaker 1: the rest of the country. You know, I used to 877 00:47:10,840 --> 00:47:16,040 Speaker 1: really completely right off these like college campus freak out stories, right, 878 00:47:17,040 --> 00:47:21,319 Speaker 1: But I think the reason that they're relevant is because, look, 879 00:47:21,320 --> 00:47:23,400 Speaker 1: if you go to Harvard, and by the way, I 880 00:47:23,520 --> 00:47:26,360 Speaker 1: know people who went to Harvard. This is not to 881 00:47:26,480 --> 00:47:29,880 Speaker 1: like bash every individual person who's at Harvard, but if 882 00:47:29,920 --> 00:47:33,040 Speaker 1: you go to Harvard, you are set. You can walk 883 00:47:33,080 --> 00:47:35,840 Speaker 1: into any job interview. You can walk into any elite 884 00:47:35,840 --> 00:47:38,920 Speaker 1: circle and you're accepted the club. You know, it gives 885 00:47:38,960 --> 00:47:43,480 Speaker 1: you a huge leg up to fully inhabit that elite 886 00:47:44,160 --> 00:47:49,279 Speaker 1: circle of society and be that cultural tastemaker. So the 887 00:47:51,239 --> 00:47:55,319 Speaker 1: ways of being and the sort of cultural affectations that 888 00:47:55,400 --> 00:47:57,680 Speaker 1: you adopt while you're at Harvard or that you bring 889 00:47:57,760 --> 00:48:01,640 Speaker 1: into that space, they do ultimately end up mattering for 890 00:48:01,719 --> 00:48:04,439 Speaker 1: the rest of society because these are the people who 891 00:48:04,440 --> 00:48:06,799 Speaker 1: are going to go on to work at you know, 892 00:48:07,000 --> 00:48:09,600 Speaker 1: high levels in Wall Street, high levels in corporate America, 893 00:48:09,680 --> 00:48:13,000 Speaker 1: high levels in politics, high levels and media organizations, high 894 00:48:13,080 --> 00:48:15,759 Speaker 1: levels in Hollywood, any sort of elite sphere that you 895 00:48:15,800 --> 00:48:18,080 Speaker 1: can think of. These are the people who are going 896 00:48:18,160 --> 00:48:20,880 Speaker 1: to be well positioned to take their places, their rightful 897 00:48:20,920 --> 00:48:25,040 Speaker 1: places in our grand meritocracy. So that is why it 898 00:48:25,239 --> 00:48:28,360 Speaker 1: matters now on the specific issue of like they're shutting 899 00:48:28,400 --> 00:48:32,040 Speaker 1: down and is that gonna I don't know. I genuinely 900 00:48:32,080 --> 00:48:35,520 Speaker 1: don't know how much influence what Harvard does right now 901 00:48:36,000 --> 00:48:38,759 Speaker 1: has on where the rest of the country heads, because 902 00:48:38,800 --> 00:48:42,240 Speaker 1: I generally think the influence comes from after these students 903 00:48:42,360 --> 00:48:46,040 Speaker 1: leave and they occupy their places in society and the 904 00:48:46,120 --> 00:48:49,359 Speaker 1: sort of approach that they bring to wherever you know 905 00:48:49,480 --> 00:48:53,120 Speaker 1: their their leadership takes them. So in terms of setting 906 00:48:53,200 --> 00:48:55,280 Speaker 1: the trend of how we're going to deal with delta, 907 00:48:55,360 --> 00:48:58,040 Speaker 1: I'm not sure. Look, I feel bad for these students. 908 00:48:58,200 --> 00:48:59,840 Speaker 1: Oh terrible. By the way, why would you pay for 909 00:49:00,160 --> 00:49:01,840 Speaker 1: to school if you can't do in person class? The 910 00:49:01,880 --> 00:49:04,400 Speaker 1: whole point is meeting everything. Yeah, and I mean I 911 00:49:04,440 --> 00:49:07,880 Speaker 1: feel bad for people who are in high school have 912 00:49:08,040 --> 00:49:11,120 Speaker 1: like missed, you know, some of the most important sort 913 00:49:11,120 --> 00:49:16,000 Speaker 1: of formative years in terms of developing social experiences and 914 00:49:16,080 --> 00:49:19,760 Speaker 1: figuring out who they are as human beings. We already 915 00:49:19,800 --> 00:49:23,600 Speaker 1: had way too much sort of social media and technical 916 00:49:23,640 --> 00:49:28,320 Speaker 1: connection versus in real life connections that's been just fueled 917 00:49:28,320 --> 00:49:31,280 Speaker 1: and exacerbated by the pandemic. A lot of research shows 918 00:49:31,360 --> 00:49:34,480 Speaker 1: the way that that makes us miserable, depressed, and anxious. 919 00:49:34,600 --> 00:49:37,680 Speaker 1: So I have a lot of sympathy and compassion for 920 00:49:38,040 --> 00:49:40,759 Speaker 1: the kids who are going through all of this at 921 00:49:40,960 --> 00:49:45,239 Speaker 1: really critical junctures in their lives. No, and let's we'll 922 00:49:45,280 --> 00:49:46,799 Speaker 1: actually get to that because we have some of the 923 00:49:46,840 --> 00:49:49,840 Speaker 1: polling data. But speaking of I want to underscore a 924 00:49:49,840 --> 00:49:53,040 Speaker 1: point you made back in twenty thirteen, twenty fourteen. I 925 00:49:53,080 --> 00:49:55,200 Speaker 1: remember people going like, why do you care? Why are 926 00:49:55,239 --> 00:49:59,120 Speaker 1: you losers talking about what's happening on college campuses. Well, 927 00:49:59,239 --> 00:50:01,920 Speaker 1: what happened? Those people grew up. Now they work at 928 00:50:01,920 --> 00:50:04,000 Speaker 1: the New York Times, Now they work at Fox. Now 929 00:50:04,000 --> 00:50:06,960 Speaker 1: they work in the Biden administration. Now they work Some 930 00:50:07,000 --> 00:50:09,960 Speaker 1: of them are in Congress and cry whenever they make 931 00:50:10,000 --> 00:50:12,840 Speaker 1: a strange vote whenever it comes to voting. Present. Part 932 00:50:12,880 --> 00:50:16,279 Speaker 1: of the problem is that this ideology wins upward and 933 00:50:16,360 --> 00:50:20,399 Speaker 1: begins to go through all of our institutions. Now, let's 934 00:50:20,400 --> 00:50:23,000 Speaker 1: assume that that remains the case. I'm very willing to 935 00:50:23,040 --> 00:50:25,360 Speaker 1: bet that nothing is going to change that much about 936 00:50:25,480 --> 00:50:27,840 Speaker 1: the way that elite networks work in this country. So 937 00:50:27,960 --> 00:50:32,040 Speaker 1: let's look at this survey about the political leanings exactly 938 00:50:32,080 --> 00:50:34,960 Speaker 1: of what happened in the incoming Harvard freshman class of 939 00:50:35,000 --> 00:50:37,240 Speaker 1: twenty twenty five. Let's put this up there on the screen. 940 00:50:38,120 --> 00:50:40,640 Speaker 1: Eighty seven percent of the class voted for Joe Biden, 941 00:50:41,160 --> 00:50:44,800 Speaker 1: six point seven percent voted for Howie Hawkins, six point 942 00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:47,600 Speaker 1: three percent for Donald Trump. Now, as you point out, 943 00:50:47,920 --> 00:50:52,160 Speaker 1: more people in the Harvard freshman class voted Green than 944 00:50:52,200 --> 00:50:55,440 Speaker 1: they voted for Trump. I support that. Here's the thing 945 00:50:56,719 --> 00:51:00,279 Speaker 1: our elite networks supposed to be you know, fifty to fifty. No, 946 00:51:00,560 --> 00:51:03,600 Speaker 1: obviously not. I bet you that almost all the ways 947 00:51:03,920 --> 00:51:06,760 Speaker 1: Harvard has had probably what like an eighty twenty split, 948 00:51:07,040 --> 00:51:09,359 Speaker 1: maybe even in ninety ten, but we're starting to get 949 00:51:09,480 --> 00:51:11,640 Speaker 1: ninety five to five, you know, ninety four to six. 950 00:51:12,000 --> 00:51:14,759 Speaker 1: And you can tell me all you want that that's 951 00:51:14,880 --> 00:51:16,879 Speaker 1: you know, fine, or oh, that just shows that they're 952 00:51:16,920 --> 00:51:20,520 Speaker 1: smarter than everybody else. But all I see is when 953 00:51:20,560 --> 00:51:23,080 Speaker 1: you continue to see actually even more group think in 954 00:51:23,120 --> 00:51:26,400 Speaker 1: a place where there should be at least some intellectual diversity. 955 00:51:26,440 --> 00:51:28,920 Speaker 1: And I'm not calling, by the way, for any affirmative 956 00:51:28,920 --> 00:51:32,319 Speaker 1: action for Republicans or whatever. You know, is that, oh, 957 00:51:32,360 --> 00:51:35,440 Speaker 1: I trust me. There's an equally cringe people on the 958 00:51:35,520 --> 00:51:37,440 Speaker 1: right who are like, we need to hire more Republics, 959 00:51:37,440 --> 00:51:39,520 Speaker 1: Like yeah, well, you're just also probably a loser and 960 00:51:39,600 --> 00:51:41,600 Speaker 1: you just can't get a job. So more, what I'm 961 00:51:41,600 --> 00:51:44,960 Speaker 1: saying is I think Harvard many of these other places 962 00:51:45,239 --> 00:51:48,839 Speaker 1: need to think very carefully about what exactly they're inculcating 963 00:51:49,120 --> 00:51:51,080 Speaker 1: for the rest of the country, at least the elite 964 00:51:51,120 --> 00:51:54,160 Speaker 1: institutions in the country. And this is probably more of 965 00:51:54,200 --> 00:51:56,680 Speaker 1: a symptom than it is like a top down thing 966 00:51:56,760 --> 00:51:59,000 Speaker 1: as to who exactly are the people who even want 967 00:51:59,040 --> 00:52:01,239 Speaker 1: to go in the first All I'm saying is I 968 00:52:01,280 --> 00:52:02,479 Speaker 1: look at this and I'm like, this is not gonna 969 00:52:02,480 --> 00:52:05,080 Speaker 1: be good five years from now. Is not good. So 970 00:52:05,200 --> 00:52:10,279 Speaker 1: Matt Iglazius, who wrote up some of this data, he 971 00:52:10,360 --> 00:52:13,480 Speaker 1: made it some really interesting points here. First of all, 972 00:52:14,120 --> 00:52:17,120 Speaker 1: now there's just this assumption, and you can see it 973 00:52:17,160 --> 00:52:20,799 Speaker 1: in that data that elite institutions, their student body, and 974 00:52:20,840 --> 00:52:25,160 Speaker 1: their staff are going to be overwhelmingly democratic voters, overwhelmingly liberal, progressive, 975 00:52:25,160 --> 00:52:27,120 Speaker 1: et cetera. I love to see that Howie Hank can 976 00:52:27,160 --> 00:52:31,520 Speaker 1: support Howie a lovely guy. He's a really nice guy, 977 00:52:31,800 --> 00:52:34,239 Speaker 1: very you know, and obviously I support a lot of 978 00:52:34,239 --> 00:52:37,920 Speaker 1: what he believes in. But that is a pretty recent phenomenon. 979 00:52:38,200 --> 00:52:41,080 Speaker 1: It used to be that it was the exact opposite, 980 00:52:41,200 --> 00:52:45,640 Speaker 1: that these institutions were overwhelmingly conservative, were overwhelmingly Republican, and 981 00:52:45,680 --> 00:52:49,240 Speaker 1: that has shifted over time as this sort of education 982 00:52:49,360 --> 00:52:55,160 Speaker 1: polarization and you know, alignment around education status has changed. 983 00:52:55,520 --> 00:52:59,120 Speaker 1: Now what Iglesia says is and I think these are 984 00:52:59,160 --> 00:53:03,080 Speaker 1: really interesting point. So for Republicans, this gives them an 985 00:53:03,120 --> 00:53:05,759 Speaker 1: advantage just because of the way our political system is 986 00:53:05,760 --> 00:53:08,800 Speaker 1: set up, especially in the Senate, so you have still 987 00:53:08,840 --> 00:53:12,640 Speaker 1: a population that is largely not college educated. You know, 988 00:53:12,719 --> 00:53:15,200 Speaker 1: if you go to rural areas, you have a lower 989 00:53:15,200 --> 00:53:19,600 Speaker 1: proportion of people who are attending four year institutions and 990 00:53:19,760 --> 00:53:22,960 Speaker 1: elite institutions, and so it gives you a huge leg 991 00:53:23,040 --> 00:53:24,960 Speaker 1: up in the Senate, gives you leg up in the 992 00:53:26,000 --> 00:53:29,279 Speaker 1: electoral college as well. So, and you can see the 993 00:53:29,320 --> 00:53:31,920 Speaker 1: way that this plays out, Republicans have a big advantage 994 00:53:31,960 --> 00:53:34,160 Speaker 1: just because of the way that the system is set 995 00:53:34,239 --> 00:53:37,240 Speaker 1: up at all of these levels. At the federal government. 996 00:53:37,560 --> 00:53:40,880 Speaker 1: On the other hand, you obviously see a lot of 997 00:53:41,040 --> 00:53:45,480 Speaker 1: angst within Republican elites, but also within the conservative base 998 00:53:46,000 --> 00:53:49,920 Speaker 1: that they have zero influence in terms of culture, that 999 00:53:49,920 --> 00:53:53,319 Speaker 1: they're shut out of these elite positions of power in 1000 00:53:53,960 --> 00:53:57,640 Speaker 1: Hollywood or you know, increasingly even in the financial sector, 1001 00:53:58,560 --> 00:54:01,239 Speaker 1: the corporate sector, there's still plenty of you know, they 1002 00:54:01,280 --> 00:54:04,040 Speaker 1: have left as oil pretty much. Yeah, they've gotten oil, right, 1003 00:54:04,080 --> 00:54:05,640 Speaker 1: I mean, look, there's still a lot of rich people 1004 00:54:05,640 --> 00:54:10,200 Speaker 1: who've ever Republicans, but increasingly you have the cultural taste 1005 00:54:10,200 --> 00:54:14,799 Speaker 1: makers are uniformly democratic, and that is even though it's 1006 00:54:14,840 --> 00:54:18,160 Speaker 1: not an elected source of power. It also is an 1007 00:54:18,200 --> 00:54:23,920 Speaker 1: incredibly significant source of power. So it creates this really 1008 00:54:24,640 --> 00:54:30,360 Speaker 1: strange dynamic where official political power is increasingly vested in 1009 00:54:30,360 --> 00:54:34,680 Speaker 1: the hands of conservatives and Republicans, and sort of cultural 1010 00:54:34,760 --> 00:54:38,919 Speaker 1: societal power is vested in the hands of liberals and progressives. 1011 00:54:39,160 --> 00:54:43,320 Speaker 1: And it's part of what fuels this sense of sectarian 1012 00:54:43,440 --> 00:54:45,839 Speaker 1: culture war that we see playing out. It is because 1013 00:54:45,880 --> 00:54:48,440 Speaker 1: both sides feel a grief, both sides feel shut, like 1014 00:54:48,440 --> 00:54:50,680 Speaker 1: it's not fair to them, and like their view is 1015 00:54:50,719 --> 00:54:53,400 Speaker 1: not seen and their view is not represented well. And 1016 00:54:53,640 --> 00:54:56,000 Speaker 1: both sides are right right, you know, in a certain sense. 1017 00:54:56,040 --> 00:54:58,800 Speaker 1: And that's exactly the great battle of our time. Education 1018 00:54:58,880 --> 00:55:01,920 Speaker 1: polarization is one hundred percent the future. I've done so 1019 00:55:02,000 --> 00:55:04,120 Speaker 1: many things on that, and it's like I said, I 1020 00:55:04,120 --> 00:55:06,080 Speaker 1: have nothing against people who are going to college. More 1021 00:55:06,120 --> 00:55:08,440 Speaker 1: what I'm saying is that if you become a party 1022 00:55:08,480 --> 00:55:11,319 Speaker 1: which is inclasing the wisconsd in the cities and the 1023 00:55:11,320 --> 00:55:14,040 Speaker 1: city class, and then you know your base is just 1024 00:55:14,239 --> 00:55:17,880 Speaker 1: elderly black people, then and you have a large what 1025 00:55:17,960 --> 00:55:20,120 Speaker 1: fifty five percent of our country doesn't go to college 1026 00:55:20,360 --> 00:55:23,440 Speaker 1: even touch a four year college degree. Of that, the 1027 00:55:23,480 --> 00:55:26,520 Speaker 1: people who actually finish college I think is much lower, 1028 00:55:26,640 --> 00:55:28,680 Speaker 1: you know, in the twenties and the thirties. And then 1029 00:55:28,719 --> 00:55:31,120 Speaker 1: of that of the people who actually attend these elite institutions, 1030 00:55:31,320 --> 00:55:34,320 Speaker 1: that's like what ten percent maybe five percent. Those people 1031 00:55:34,400 --> 00:55:37,400 Speaker 1: they run everything, and you have all of the cultural 1032 00:55:37,400 --> 00:55:40,719 Speaker 1: taste making happening specifically within that. That's why we have 1033 00:55:40,800 --> 00:55:42,960 Speaker 1: to focus on Harvard and actually to get to some 1034 00:55:43,000 --> 00:55:45,359 Speaker 1: of the social stunting that we've seen here. So let's 1035 00:55:45,360 --> 00:55:47,439 Speaker 1: put this up there in terms of a review of 1036 00:55:47,480 --> 00:55:51,960 Speaker 1: what's actually going on Harvard freshman classy seven percent votered Biden, 1037 00:55:52,160 --> 00:55:56,120 Speaker 1: sixty two percent are virsins, forty percent have had alcohol, 1038 00:55:56,320 --> 00:55:59,439 Speaker 1: and twenty four percent are religious. Focus on the middle 1039 00:55:59,520 --> 00:56:02,399 Speaker 1: to there, and you can see actually a cost of 1040 00:56:02,800 --> 00:56:07,200 Speaker 1: a largely sexless and fundless generation of people who have 1041 00:56:07,480 --> 00:56:09,840 Speaker 1: had to sit in their house for the last two years. 1042 00:56:09,880 --> 00:56:12,360 Speaker 1: And I was thinking about that, I'm like, wow, for 1043 00:56:12,680 --> 00:56:16,120 Speaker 1: these eighteen year olds, their lives ended effectively when they 1044 00:56:16,160 --> 00:56:19,160 Speaker 1: were almost sixteen. I mean, they've had to sit in 1045 00:56:19,200 --> 00:56:23,120 Speaker 1: their house and lose the entire experience of like being 1046 00:56:23,160 --> 00:56:26,360 Speaker 1: a teenager. I have no idea what that does to people. 1047 00:56:26,680 --> 00:56:29,200 Speaker 1: I literally have no idea. Actually, you can tell us 1048 00:56:29,200 --> 00:56:31,680 Speaker 1: too for young kids. I don't know what it does 1049 00:56:31,760 --> 00:56:33,680 Speaker 1: to a young child to tell them that put a 1050 00:56:33,719 --> 00:56:36,520 Speaker 1: mask on for two years. I have no clue. I'm 1051 00:56:36,520 --> 00:56:38,960 Speaker 1: gonna bet that it's probably not good. You know. I 1052 00:56:39,160 --> 00:56:41,240 Speaker 1: kind of like things the way that they were before. 1053 00:56:41,360 --> 00:56:43,360 Speaker 1: So I just look at that, and I'm like, oh, 1054 00:56:43,600 --> 00:56:45,000 Speaker 1: five to ten years from now, it's going to be 1055 00:56:45,040 --> 00:56:46,640 Speaker 1: a fun time working in the New York Times or 1056 00:56:46,680 --> 00:56:49,279 Speaker 1: someone in one of their You were a social concerntive. 1057 00:56:49,280 --> 00:56:52,000 Speaker 1: Now you're cheering for underage drinking. What I am cheering 1058 00:56:52,040 --> 00:56:55,759 Speaker 1: for are a well adjusted population that can that can 1059 00:56:56,800 --> 00:56:59,000 Speaker 1: it relates to each other and so that we don't 1060 00:56:59,040 --> 00:57:02,120 Speaker 1: all go completely insane. So all right, sorry, you're bragging 1061 00:57:02,160 --> 00:57:07,239 Speaker 1: about your your transitioning. What do you got for our transitioning? 1062 00:57:07,239 --> 00:57:13,720 Speaker 1: To R Kelly speaking of underage sex. Yes, R Kelly, 1063 00:57:15,719 --> 00:57:20,959 Speaker 1: R and B Superstar found guilty on all charges. Let's 1064 00:57:20,960 --> 00:57:23,040 Speaker 1: put this tear sheet up on the screen. This has 1065 00:57:23,120 --> 00:57:27,439 Speaker 1: been a long time coming. R Kelly's convicted on all 1066 00:57:27,520 --> 00:57:33,600 Speaker 1: counts after decades of accusations of abuse. Jury in New 1067 00:57:33,680 --> 00:57:37,320 Speaker 1: York deliberated for about nine hours, which is really short 1068 00:57:37,440 --> 00:57:41,480 Speaker 1: given the length and breadth of this trial. Before convicting 1069 00:57:41,480 --> 00:57:44,720 Speaker 1: the singer of all nine counts against him, including racketeering 1070 00:57:45,240 --> 00:57:49,280 Speaker 1: and eight violations of an anti sex trafficking law known 1071 00:57:49,440 --> 00:57:52,240 Speaker 1: as the Man Act. You had nine women and two 1072 00:57:52,280 --> 00:57:58,120 Speaker 1: men who testified to being abused by Kelly in various ways. 1073 00:57:58,160 --> 00:58:01,680 Speaker 1: The prosecution called forty five witnesses during the trial. The 1074 00:58:01,720 --> 00:58:05,240 Speaker 1: criminal charges against the singer Hinge on accusations related specifically 1075 00:58:05,240 --> 00:58:09,040 Speaker 1: to six women, five of whom testified, and the sixth 1076 00:58:09,520 --> 00:58:11,760 Speaker 1: being the singer Aliah, who of course died in a 1077 00:58:11,800 --> 00:58:16,000 Speaker 1: plane crash back in two thousand and one. And you 1078 00:58:16,080 --> 00:58:19,480 Speaker 1: all know I mean this is significant on so many levels. 1079 00:58:19,800 --> 00:58:23,800 Speaker 1: First and foremost, what this man got away with for 1080 00:58:24,040 --> 00:58:28,240 Speaker 1: so many years because of his status as a wealthy 1081 00:58:28,320 --> 00:58:33,960 Speaker 1: celebrity is insane. How long have we known that he 1082 00:58:34,480 --> 00:58:39,000 Speaker 1: married Aliyah when she was fifteen years old? And part 1083 00:58:39,040 --> 00:58:42,360 Speaker 1: of what we learned through this case is that the 1084 00:58:42,400 --> 00:58:45,560 Speaker 1: reason that he did that in one of his groupies 1085 00:58:45,600 --> 00:58:49,600 Speaker 1: and enablers bribed a government official to forge the documents 1086 00:58:49,640 --> 00:58:52,720 Speaker 1: to allow this illegal marriage to happen when she's fifteen 1087 00:58:52,760 --> 00:58:55,800 Speaker 1: and he's twenty seven, is because he thought she was 1088 00:58:55,880 --> 00:58:59,560 Speaker 1: pregnant and if he was married to her, then he 1089 00:58:59,680 --> 00:59:03,120 Speaker 1: could consent, because at that time you needed don't consent 1090 00:59:03,160 --> 00:59:04,920 Speaker 1: for her to be able to get an abortion. So 1091 00:59:04,920 --> 00:59:06,760 Speaker 1: he thought, if they're married, then she can get the 1092 00:59:06,800 --> 00:59:09,840 Speaker 1: abortion and then he wouldn't go to prison. How long 1093 00:59:09,920 --> 00:59:13,720 Speaker 1: have we known about him marrying Aliyah who he met 1094 00:59:13,760 --> 00:59:17,200 Speaker 1: when she was even younger than that, and society just 1095 00:59:17,320 --> 00:59:20,600 Speaker 1: look the other way. I mean, these rumors and this 1096 00:59:20,800 --> 00:59:23,200 Speaker 1: knowledge of what this man was doing and the way 1097 00:59:23,240 --> 00:59:27,560 Speaker 1: he was abusing his power have been known for years, 1098 00:59:28,080 --> 00:59:31,720 Speaker 1: and it took until now for there to be any 1099 00:59:31,880 --> 00:59:36,000 Speaker 1: justice whatsoever. And when this really started to unravel for him, 1100 00:59:36,000 --> 00:59:38,240 Speaker 1: because remember he also had been brought up on charges 1101 00:59:38,280 --> 00:59:41,640 Speaker 1: before of child pornography, right, and then it looks like 1102 00:59:42,080 --> 00:59:46,920 Speaker 1: what may have happened is they pressured, bullied, intimidated, paid 1103 00:59:46,920 --> 00:59:50,600 Speaker 1: off something to keep the girl who was in this 1104 00:59:50,680 --> 00:59:54,600 Speaker 1: sex tape from testifying so that prosecution ultimately falls apart. 1105 00:59:54,640 --> 00:59:58,600 Speaker 1: And when this really starts to unravel. Is a documentary 1106 00:59:58,720 --> 01:00:01,720 Speaker 1: Surviving r Kelly that came out that just put it 1107 01:00:01,760 --> 01:00:06,000 Speaker 1: in everyone's faces, the years of routine abuse and saber. 1108 01:00:06,480 --> 01:00:08,560 Speaker 1: If you watch that documentary, and this is some of 1109 01:00:08,560 --> 01:00:11,640 Speaker 1: what's testified to in this trial as well. It paints 1110 01:00:11,640 --> 01:00:14,280 Speaker 1: a portrait of a man who would use the fact 1111 01:00:14,280 --> 01:00:16,920 Speaker 1: that he was famous. He would actively go to malls 1112 01:00:17,360 --> 01:00:20,560 Speaker 1: where young girls were hanging out, use the fact that 1113 01:00:20,600 --> 01:00:23,520 Speaker 1: he was a celebrity, tell these girls who are aspiring singers, 1114 01:00:23,560 --> 01:00:25,360 Speaker 1: like I'm going to make you huge, I'm going to 1115 01:00:25,400 --> 01:00:28,680 Speaker 1: make you famous, and then trap them in this world 1116 01:00:28,800 --> 01:00:32,680 Speaker 1: of abuse where he would control their every action. And 1117 01:00:32,720 --> 01:00:35,880 Speaker 1: again some of these girls underage, some of them of age, 1118 01:00:36,000 --> 01:00:39,240 Speaker 1: but control their every action, forced him to them to 1119 01:00:39,280 --> 01:00:43,680 Speaker 1: call him daddy, withhold food, withhold water, lock them in rooms, 1120 01:00:44,200 --> 01:00:47,880 Speaker 1: allegations that he drugged them as well if they didn't 1121 01:00:47,920 --> 01:00:49,920 Speaker 1: do what he said. This is one of the horrible 1122 01:00:49,960 --> 01:00:52,840 Speaker 1: details that came out in this trial. One of the 1123 01:00:52,840 --> 01:00:57,880 Speaker 1: punishments was to smear feces on a girl's face and 1124 01:00:57,920 --> 01:01:00,200 Speaker 1: require her to eat I mean, the most corren f 1125 01:01:00,400 --> 01:01:04,560 Speaker 1: things you can possibly imagine. And again, not once, not twice, 1126 01:01:05,000 --> 01:01:09,720 Speaker 1: routinely systematically over decades. Yeah, and this is again what 1127 01:01:09,760 --> 01:01:12,680 Speaker 1: we're talking about in terms of corruption within our elite systems. 1128 01:01:12,760 --> 01:01:15,880 Speaker 1: This is the perfect example. Put that BBC tear sheet 1129 01:01:15,920 --> 01:01:19,040 Speaker 1: up there on the screen. Since nineteen I was two 1130 01:01:19,120 --> 01:01:22,240 Speaker 1: years old. Whenever he married Aaliyah when she was fifteen 1131 01:01:22,320 --> 01:01:25,240 Speaker 1: years old, nineteen ninety four. We already knew it all 1132 01:01:25,280 --> 01:01:28,200 Speaker 1: the way there. He was sued in nineteen ninety six. 1133 01:01:28,480 --> 01:01:30,880 Speaker 1: In two thousand and one, he was sued by an intern. 1134 01:01:31,120 --> 01:01:34,400 Speaker 1: April two thousand and two. Two more court cases June 1135 01:01:34,480 --> 01:01:37,560 Speaker 1: two thousand and two, charged over child abuse videos. Two 1136 01:01:37,600 --> 01:01:40,240 Speaker 1: thousand and two to two thousand and four. Arrests prompt 1137 01:01:40,320 --> 01:01:45,120 Speaker 1: further charges twenty seventeen, allegations of a cult. After the 1138 01:01:45,120 --> 01:01:48,680 Speaker 1: BuzzFeed story comes out, even more people come forward in 1139 01:01:48,720 --> 01:01:53,360 Speaker 1: the press. Then we have a documentary. Then the documentary 1140 01:01:53,720 --> 01:01:57,440 Speaker 1: finally leads to charges. That famous moment whenever he's in 1141 01:01:57,480 --> 01:02:00,000 Speaker 1: the CBS interview and he's like, I'm fighting for my life, 1142 01:02:00,000 --> 01:02:04,720 Speaker 1: life out here. Then the breakdown, and finally now twenty 1143 01:02:04,800 --> 01:02:08,400 Speaker 1: twenty one, he gets convicted in court. You pointed me 1144 01:02:08,440 --> 01:02:11,040 Speaker 1: towards this clip. I had no idea this even exists. 1145 01:02:11,040 --> 01:02:12,960 Speaker 1: Oh my god, but this is the craziest thing. You 1146 01:02:13,040 --> 01:02:15,080 Speaker 1: want to know whether the dude is a pedophile or 1147 01:02:15,120 --> 01:02:20,080 Speaker 1: not a lleged pedophile for his lawyer's mouth and the well, yeah, 1148 01:02:20,200 --> 01:02:23,720 Speaker 1: in a court of law, you want to know his predilections. Well, 1149 01:02:23,760 --> 01:02:26,640 Speaker 1: he was asked whether he likes teenage girls several years ago. 1150 01:02:26,760 --> 01:02:31,200 Speaker 1: Here's what he had to say, do you like teenage girls? 1151 01:02:32,720 --> 01:02:37,800 Speaker 1: When you say teenage, how are we talking? So that's 1152 01:02:38,160 --> 01:02:41,400 Speaker 1: how we're talking. But that's my longtime friend Torre, who 1153 01:02:41,440 --> 01:02:44,480 Speaker 1: I've course worked with at MSNBC on the cycle and 1154 01:02:44,480 --> 01:02:46,560 Speaker 1: who I'm still close with, and I've talked to him 1155 01:02:46,560 --> 01:02:48,760 Speaker 1: about that interview. By the way, his faith after he 1156 01:02:48,840 --> 01:02:52,160 Speaker 1: says that, Tori's like, what do you mean to find teenage? 1157 01:02:52,320 --> 01:02:54,960 Speaker 1: Like we've got a pretty you know, clear understanding of 1158 01:02:55,120 --> 01:02:57,680 Speaker 1: what we're all talking about here thirteen eighteen. I mean, 1159 01:02:57,880 --> 01:03:00,560 Speaker 1: he gave him this question because he know we felt 1160 01:03:00,600 --> 01:03:03,240 Speaker 1: obviously an obligation wanted to ask the question, but he 1161 01:03:03,280 --> 01:03:07,439 Speaker 1: thought this is a softball, like obviously he's of course none. 1162 01:03:08,480 --> 01:03:11,960 Speaker 1: And then when he gives this response to find teenage, 1163 01:03:12,040 --> 01:03:15,680 Speaker 1: what are we talking about? What ages? His jaw hit 1164 01:03:16,000 --> 01:03:20,440 Speaker 1: the ground. And this was years ago that this interview happened. 1165 01:03:20,880 --> 01:03:24,040 Speaker 1: So we have known so much of this for so long, 1166 01:03:24,080 --> 01:03:27,280 Speaker 1: and that's part of why this trial is significant. I mean, 1167 01:03:27,360 --> 01:03:33,680 Speaker 1: number one, obviously it's horrific, it's salacious, it's outrageous, it's 1168 01:03:33,760 --> 01:03:37,480 Speaker 1: disgusting what he did to these women and also to 1169 01:03:37,600 --> 01:03:42,200 Speaker 1: these men over years and years and years, routinely enabled 1170 01:03:42,240 --> 01:03:45,479 Speaker 1: by his handlers, all the people around him knowing what's 1171 01:03:45,520 --> 01:03:48,560 Speaker 1: going on, and continuing to not just permit it, but 1172 01:03:48,640 --> 01:03:53,360 Speaker 1: to continue to help him and facilitate his absolutely outrageous 1173 01:03:53,520 --> 01:03:59,200 Speaker 1: abusive behavior here. But also it's about who actually gets 1174 01:03:59,280 --> 01:04:02,720 Speaker 1: heard by our judicial system and who actually is able 1175 01:04:02,760 --> 01:04:06,640 Speaker 1: to find justice here. And in this instance, you have 1176 01:04:07,000 --> 01:04:10,800 Speaker 1: women who are majority black, You have women who not 1177 01:04:10,840 --> 01:04:15,560 Speaker 1: all of them come from wealthy backgrounds. These are aspiring singers, 1178 01:04:15,600 --> 01:04:18,400 Speaker 1: people who really are desperate to try to be able 1179 01:04:18,440 --> 01:04:22,120 Speaker 1: to make it, and he's using that desperation to pull 1180 01:04:22,160 --> 01:04:25,560 Speaker 1: them into these abusive situations. So that's the other reason 1181 01:04:25,600 --> 01:04:30,000 Speaker 1: why it's significant. But it's insane. It is so insane 1182 01:04:30,040 --> 01:04:32,280 Speaker 1: that it took this long, and then you think about 1183 01:04:32,600 --> 01:04:35,040 Speaker 1: the number of women and girls who continue to be 1184 01:04:35,080 --> 01:04:40,200 Speaker 1: subjected to abuse because everybody decided that his fame was 1185 01:04:40,240 --> 01:04:43,600 Speaker 1: more important than the lives of these women. One other 1186 01:04:43,680 --> 01:04:46,600 Speaker 1: detail from this child that's also in the documentary is 1187 01:04:46,640 --> 01:04:51,160 Speaker 1: that he knew he had general herpes and would intentionally 1188 01:04:51,200 --> 01:04:54,480 Speaker 1: knowingly give it to these women and had a doctor 1189 01:04:54,560 --> 01:05:00,120 Speaker 1: testify to that fact as well. So just on every level. Well, 1190 01:05:00,320 --> 01:05:07,600 Speaker 1: I think the youngest his youngest survivor thirteen. I just 1191 01:05:07,760 --> 01:05:10,160 Speaker 1: there's no words for what he has done to so 1192 01:05:10,280 --> 01:05:12,600 Speaker 1: many women. And by the way, this isn't the end. 1193 01:05:12,600 --> 01:05:15,040 Speaker 1: In terms of his legal trouble. He also faces the 1194 01:05:15,080 --> 01:05:18,080 Speaker 1: federal child in Chicago and child pornography and obstruction charges. 1195 01:05:18,240 --> 01:05:23,000 Speaker 1: Additional state sex crime charges in Illinois and Minneapolis. So good, finally, 1196 01:05:23,360 --> 01:05:26,520 Speaker 1: long overdue monicum of justice here. Just in my opinion 1197 01:05:26,640 --> 01:05:28,560 Speaker 1: for the lawyers, he deserves to spend the rest of 1198 01:05:28,560 --> 01:05:30,800 Speaker 1: his life in jail. So there we go. Wow, you 1199 01:05:30,840 --> 01:05:32,840 Speaker 1: guys must really like listening to our voices. Well, I 1200 01:05:32,880 --> 01:05:34,840 Speaker 1: know this is annoying. Instead of making you listen to 1201 01:05:34,920 --> 01:05:37,560 Speaker 1: a Viagri commercial. When you're done, check out the other 1202 01:05:37,600 --> 01:05:40,240 Speaker 1: podcast I do with Marshall Kasoff called The Realignment. We 1203 01:05:40,280 --> 01:05:42,600 Speaker 1: talk a lot about the deeper issues that are changing 1204 01:05:42,680 --> 01:05:45,720 Speaker 1: realigning in American society. You always need more Crystal and 1205 01:05:45,800 --> 01:05:48,800 Speaker 1: Soagur in your daily lives. Take care, guys, Crystal, what 1206 01:05:48,840 --> 01:05:51,680 Speaker 1: are you taking a look at? Well, yesterday, Treasury Secretary 1207 01:05:51,760 --> 01:05:54,640 Speaker 1: Janet Yelling clarified exactly when our nation is likely to 1208 01:05:54,760 --> 01:05:58,840 Speaker 1: default without lifting or suspending the debt ceiling in a 1209 01:05:58,920 --> 01:06:01,400 Speaker 1: letter to Speaker Pelosi, Ellen wrote that the government will 1210 01:06:01,480 --> 01:06:04,360 Speaker 1: run out of money and what she describes as extraordinary 1211 01:06:04,400 --> 01:06:08,840 Speaker 1: measures on October eighteenth without action from Congress. If you're 1212 01:06:08,920 --> 01:06:12,160 Speaker 1: keeping track at home, October eighteenth is just mirror weeks 1213 01:06:12,160 --> 01:06:17,160 Speaker 1: away now. Of all these stupid, theatrical and pointless crises 1214 01:06:17,200 --> 01:06:20,960 Speaker 1: in Washington, the debt ceiling is by far the dumbest. 1215 01:06:21,160 --> 01:06:23,680 Speaker 1: It sounds like the debt ceilings meant to promote fiscal 1216 01:06:23,720 --> 01:06:26,720 Speaker 1: responsibility and contain runaway spending, if those are things that 1217 01:06:26,760 --> 01:06:29,240 Speaker 1: you happen to be into, But it really has nothing 1218 01:06:29,240 --> 01:06:31,959 Speaker 1: to do with that. The spending and the attendant debt 1219 01:06:32,200 --> 01:06:35,640 Speaker 1: that's already been authorized through the budgeting and appropriations process. 1220 01:06:35,760 --> 01:06:38,800 Speaker 1: So the relevant action now on that front is all 1221 01:06:38,840 --> 01:06:42,600 Speaker 1: with the budget Reconciliation package. The debt limit is literally 1222 01:06:42,880 --> 01:06:46,520 Speaker 1: just this arbitrary thing. It's a historical relic that must 1223 01:06:46,600 --> 01:06:49,360 Speaker 1: periodically be dealt with, and which Republicans of course enjoy 1224 01:06:49,480 --> 01:06:51,600 Speaker 1: using as a cudgel and using as a weapon of 1225 01:06:51,680 --> 01:06:54,240 Speaker 1: chaos as they pretend to not know that the whole 1226 01:06:54,240 --> 01:06:57,360 Speaker 1: thing is entirely a farce, And trust me, they definitely 1227 01:06:57,400 --> 01:07:00,000 Speaker 1: know it's a farce. They just completely suspended the day 1228 01:07:00,000 --> 01:07:02,920 Speaker 1: debt ceiling altogether during the Trump years. At least, it's 1229 01:07:02,920 --> 01:07:05,040 Speaker 1: a farce inasmuch as it has nothing to do with 1230 01:07:05,120 --> 01:07:10,120 Speaker 1: controlling spending. The consequences of actually defaulting and breaching the 1231 01:07:10,160 --> 01:07:15,240 Speaker 1: debt ceiling, those are real. Those are dead serious. An 1232 01:07:15,240 --> 01:07:18,640 Speaker 1: analysis by Moody's Analytics suggested that a default would cause 1233 01:07:18,840 --> 01:07:21,520 Speaker 1: long term consequences. We're talking about six million jobs that 1234 01:07:21,560 --> 01:07:24,000 Speaker 1: would be lost. We're talking about an unemployment rate that 1235 01:07:24,000 --> 01:07:27,320 Speaker 1: could jump up to nine percent. Stock market in free fall, 1236 01:07:27,360 --> 01:07:31,600 Speaker 1: potentially losing thirty percent of its value. Social Security payments 1237 01:07:31,640 --> 01:07:35,200 Speaker 1: not going out. Everyone who's employed by the government, servicemen 1238 01:07:35,240 --> 01:07:38,000 Speaker 1: and women, civil servants, all of them going without pay. 1239 01:07:38,280 --> 01:07:42,840 Speaker 1: Food stamps, other cash assistants also would cease. Now, Republicans 1240 01:07:42,840 --> 01:07:45,640 Speaker 1: have steadfastly refused to join with Democrats to raise or 1241 01:07:45,640 --> 01:07:48,280 Speaker 1: suspend the debt ceiling. With the filibuster in place, the 1242 01:07:48,280 --> 01:07:51,200 Speaker 1: only mechanism to lift the debt ceiling without Republican help 1243 01:07:51,240 --> 01:07:54,480 Speaker 1: is through reconciliation. Doesn't look like that's going to work 1244 01:07:54,520 --> 01:07:57,360 Speaker 1: out either, though Chuck Schumer has ruled it out as 1245 01:07:57,480 --> 01:08:00,720 Speaker 1: way too owners, way too time consuming, way too tricky. 1246 01:08:00,720 --> 01:08:03,800 Speaker 1: There is simply not time. John Yarmachair the House Budget Committee, 1247 01:08:03,840 --> 01:08:06,840 Speaker 1: has also said there is not time to restart the 1248 01:08:06,840 --> 01:08:09,360 Speaker 1: budgeting process and get the debt ceiling dealt with through 1249 01:08:09,440 --> 01:08:14,120 Speaker 1: reconciliation before the October eighteenth default. But ladies and gentlemen, 1250 01:08:14,480 --> 01:08:17,760 Speaker 1: there is another way, a way that sounds just as 1251 01:08:17,760 --> 01:08:20,759 Speaker 1: stupid as the debt ceiling is, but is an actual 1252 01:08:21,000 --> 01:08:24,760 Speaker 1: legitimate way out of this crisis and potentially to end 1253 01:08:24,760 --> 01:08:28,760 Speaker 1: the recurring cycle of debt sealing crises altogether. That is, 1254 01:08:29,080 --> 01:08:32,519 Speaker 1: to mint the coin. Now bear with me here for 1255 01:08:32,680 --> 01:08:36,479 Speaker 1: a moment, Treasury could on their own, with no vote 1256 01:08:36,479 --> 01:08:40,719 Speaker 1: in Congress, mint a trillion dollar platinum coin. That coin 1257 01:08:41,040 --> 01:08:42,800 Speaker 1: would then be used to buy debt from the Fed, 1258 01:08:43,040 --> 01:08:46,240 Speaker 1: that debt would be retired, and then whila, the debt 1259 01:08:46,240 --> 01:08:49,080 Speaker 1: sealing crisis would be over. Now, I'd have to expect 1260 01:08:49,120 --> 01:08:51,120 Speaker 1: that once the seal has been broken on using a 1261 01:08:51,160 --> 01:08:53,599 Speaker 1: platinum coin to deal with the debt ceiling, this would 1262 01:08:53,640 --> 01:08:56,080 Speaker 1: likely become a routine way of handling the issue, effectively 1263 01:08:56,080 --> 01:08:58,479 Speaker 1: rendering the debt ceiling as toothless and irrelevant as it 1264 01:08:58,520 --> 01:09:01,080 Speaker 1: should have been to start with. By the way, this 1265 01:09:01,160 --> 01:09:04,519 Speaker 1: isn't just some weird lefty fantasy either at least one 1266 01:09:04,720 --> 01:09:07,720 Speaker 1: influential member of Congress, Jerry Handler, has brought it up 1267 01:09:07,760 --> 01:09:10,280 Speaker 1: with Pelosi. You can see that here in this tweet 1268 01:09:10,320 --> 01:09:13,920 Speaker 1: that Permilagiaball and other progressives are behind the idea as well, 1269 01:09:14,439 --> 01:09:17,559 Speaker 1: and smart and serious people are writing about how it 1270 01:09:17,640 --> 01:09:21,040 Speaker 1: would work and what the consequences ultimately would be. Joe 1271 01:09:21,040 --> 01:09:23,439 Speaker 1: Wisenthal has a great write up in his Market's newsletter 1272 01:09:23,520 --> 01:09:26,439 Speaker 1: running down all the most commonly asked questions about minting 1273 01:09:26,520 --> 01:09:29,800 Speaker 1: the coin. Can see that here. First of all, the 1274 01:09:29,920 --> 01:09:32,120 Speaker 1: law does require that the coin be platinum for some 1275 01:09:32,320 --> 01:09:35,160 Speaker 1: unknown reason, that's just what the law says. Second of all, 1276 01:09:35,200 --> 01:09:37,599 Speaker 1: the coin would not have to actually contain a trillion 1277 01:09:37,640 --> 01:09:39,519 Speaker 1: dollars worth of platinum, so it does not have to 1278 01:09:39,520 --> 01:09:43,280 Speaker 1: be a giant coin. Finally, and most seriously, there's no 1279 01:09:43,360 --> 01:09:46,240 Speaker 1: reason to think that the coin would fuel inflation. Wisenthal 1280 01:09:46,280 --> 01:09:49,080 Speaker 1: describes it as essentially an accounting gimmick. You're swapping assets 1281 01:09:49,080 --> 01:09:51,720 Speaker 1: between two different parts of the federal government, so not 1282 01:09:51,880 --> 01:09:55,519 Speaker 1: actually be putting additional money into circulation that could potentially 1283 01:09:55,640 --> 01:09:59,360 Speaker 1: drive inflation. Mint the coin is also not without precedent. 1284 01:09:59,600 --> 01:10:01,640 Speaker 1: Back in nineteen fifty three, there was a bit of 1285 01:10:01,640 --> 01:10:04,920 Speaker 1: a debt sealing crisis and a standoff. Eisenhower dealt with 1286 01:10:04,920 --> 01:10:07,800 Speaker 1: it at that time by using gold to retire the debt. 1287 01:10:08,120 --> 01:10:11,920 Speaker 1: So basically another accounting gimmick, swapping one asset for another 1288 01:10:12,040 --> 01:10:14,200 Speaker 1: with the effect of decreasing the debt and avoiding the 1289 01:10:14,240 --> 01:10:17,080 Speaker 1: debt ceiling. Now, it's not exactly the same We're talking 1290 01:10:17,160 --> 01:10:20,439 Speaker 1: actual gold bullion in nineteen fifty three versus a platinum 1291 01:10:20,439 --> 01:10:24,120 Speaker 1: coin now, but it's basically the same mechanism. So are 1292 01:10:24,120 --> 01:10:26,160 Speaker 1: Democrats actually going to go for it and save us 1293 01:10:26,200 --> 01:10:28,519 Speaker 1: all the stress and tumult of this particular game of 1294 01:10:28,560 --> 01:10:31,759 Speaker 1: Beltway Chicken? Well, I should warn you that some federal 1295 01:10:31,760 --> 01:10:34,799 Speaker 1: government staffers said that minting the coin is illegal, and Democrats, 1296 01:10:34,840 --> 01:10:37,600 Speaker 1: being the wimpiest creatures on the planet, never wanting to 1297 01:10:37,640 --> 01:10:40,720 Speaker 1: bend the precious norms to do something actually good, they 1298 01:10:40,760 --> 01:10:43,720 Speaker 1: might take that guidance seriously and frankly. If they let 1299 01:10:43,760 --> 01:10:46,599 Speaker 1: the country default when such an obvious solution is available 1300 01:10:46,640 --> 01:10:49,080 Speaker 1: to them, they are every bit as culpable as the 1301 01:10:49,080 --> 01:10:51,799 Speaker 1: Republicans who have dug in their heels on this dumbest 1302 01:10:51,800 --> 01:10:55,679 Speaker 1: of all crises. And if you think that a single 1303 01:10:55,800 --> 01:10:58,519 Speaker 1: voter is going to change their mind. Based on all 1304 01:10:58,560 --> 01:11:01,280 Speaker 1: of this Beltway insider drama, you are the dumbest person 1305 01:11:01,320 --> 01:11:04,160 Speaker 1: of all. Now, obviously the best thing about minting the 1306 01:11:04,200 --> 01:11:05,800 Speaker 1: coin is that it gets us out of one more 1307 01:11:05,840 --> 01:11:10,120 Speaker 1: unnecessary but legitimately perilous crisis. I personally also like the 1308 01:11:10,160 --> 01:11:12,639 Speaker 1: fact that it very clearly demonstrates how the federal garments 1309 01:11:12,720 --> 01:11:16,040 Speaker 1: finances are in fact nothing at all like your household finances. 1310 01:11:16,439 --> 01:11:19,439 Speaker 1: Your household cannot issue bonds, you can't set interest rates, 1311 01:11:19,439 --> 01:11:22,400 Speaker 1: and you definitely cannot print a trillion dollar platinum coin. 1312 01:11:22,880 --> 01:11:25,320 Speaker 1: There is also something rather poetic about using a sort 1313 01:11:25,320 --> 01:11:28,200 Speaker 1: of Sillian absurd solution to solve an utterly absurd and 1314 01:11:28,200 --> 01:11:31,400 Speaker 1: fake problem. It speaks to the overall fakeness and rules 1315 01:11:31,520 --> 01:11:34,759 Speaker 1: of our entire economy. As one guy put it on Twitter, quote, 1316 01:11:34,840 --> 01:11:37,599 Speaker 1: a problem that can be solved in theory via magic 1317 01:11:37,640 --> 01:11:40,960 Speaker 1: coin is fictitious nonsense in the first place, just a 1318 01:11:40,960 --> 01:11:43,200 Speaker 1: bunch of adults off in the woods building stick for 1319 01:11:43,280 --> 01:11:45,960 Speaker 1: its and playing Harry Potter games and insisting it's all 1320 01:11:46,200 --> 01:11:50,200 Speaker 1: very serious stuff. Well said, use your magic ones deal 1321 01:11:50,240 --> 01:11:52,639 Speaker 1: with this issue, and let's get back to despairing about 1322 01:11:52,640 --> 01:11:55,920 Speaker 1: every other part of our broken system and Sager, I 1323 01:11:56,000 --> 01:11:58,240 Speaker 1: actually don't know how they resolve the debt ceialing issue 1324 01:11:58,240 --> 01:12:00,639 Speaker 1: at this point without minting the coin. One more thing, 1325 01:12:00,720 --> 01:12:03,160 Speaker 1: I promise. Just wanted to make sure you knew about 1326 01:12:03,160 --> 01:12:06,479 Speaker 1: my podcast with Kyle Kolinski. It's called Crystal, Kyle and Friends, 1327 01:12:06,479 --> 01:12:09,479 Speaker 1: where we do long form interviews with people like Noam Chomsky, 1328 01:12:09,560 --> 01:12:12,840 Speaker 1: Cornell West, and Glenn Greenwald. You can listen on any 1329 01:12:12,880 --> 01:12:16,280 Speaker 1: podcast platform, or you can subscribe over on substack to 1330 01:12:16,280 --> 01:12:18,639 Speaker 1: get the video a day early. We're gonna stop bugging 1331 01:12:18,640 --> 01:12:22,800 Speaker 1: you now, enjoy, all right, Tzager, what are you looking at? Well? 1332 01:12:22,920 --> 01:12:25,400 Speaker 1: Some of you might remember back in late January twenty 1333 01:12:25,439 --> 01:12:28,479 Speaker 1: twenty one, one of the craziest things that's ever occurred 1334 01:12:28,479 --> 01:12:31,000 Speaker 1: in the market took place the Wall Street Bets read 1335 01:12:31,040 --> 01:12:33,680 Speaker 1: it short squeeze of Game Stop. It only lasted a 1336 01:12:33,720 --> 01:12:36,519 Speaker 1: few days, but for a brief shining moment, it seemed 1337 01:12:36,520 --> 01:12:39,559 Speaker 1: the Internet had triumphed, that the billionaire investors who got 1338 01:12:39,560 --> 01:12:42,639 Speaker 1: greedy and bet big would suffer, and that just for once, 1339 01:12:42,880 --> 01:12:45,439 Speaker 1: the little guy would actually make some money. All of that, 1340 01:12:45,479 --> 01:12:48,000 Speaker 1: of course, was until Robin Hood halted trading on game 1341 01:12:48,040 --> 01:12:51,720 Speaker 1: Stop stock, along with many other brokerages, effectively killing the 1342 01:12:51,720 --> 01:12:54,880 Speaker 1: short squeeze and saving untold billions for hedge funds and 1343 01:12:54,920 --> 01:12:58,320 Speaker 1: for others. Recall too, it wasn't just Robin Hood. This 1344 01:12:58,479 --> 01:13:01,559 Speaker 1: scord actually took down the server that many Wall Street 1345 01:13:01,600 --> 01:13:04,960 Speaker 1: Bets redditors were using. The typical censorship regime that we 1346 01:13:05,000 --> 01:13:08,799 Speaker 1: see in politics was activated. Since that time, the powers 1347 01:13:08,800 --> 01:13:11,080 Speaker 1: involved in Game Stop have gone out of their way 1348 01:13:11,280 --> 01:13:14,799 Speaker 1: to paint a narrative of a confluence of extraordinary events. 1349 01:13:15,080 --> 01:13:19,120 Speaker 1: It goes like this. Robin Hood says they halted trading 1350 01:13:19,160 --> 01:13:22,439 Speaker 1: on game Stop stock because they had an extraordinary capital 1351 01:13:22,520 --> 01:13:26,599 Speaker 1: requirements given the insane volume of trading, and they simply 1352 01:13:26,640 --> 01:13:29,000 Speaker 1: would not be able to keep up, so they had 1353 01:13:29,000 --> 01:13:32,719 Speaker 1: to make that decision. Some preliminary review of that seems 1354 01:13:32,800 --> 01:13:36,479 Speaker 1: to be true. But all of the eyes also focused 1355 01:13:36,520 --> 01:13:40,720 Speaker 1: on Citadel Securities, which is headed by billionaire Ken Griffin. Now, 1356 01:13:40,760 --> 01:13:44,320 Speaker 1: Griffin's firm both processed many of Robinhood's trades on the 1357 01:13:44,360 --> 01:13:48,759 Speaker 1: actual stock market and had a sizable stake in Melvin Capital. 1358 01:13:49,080 --> 01:13:51,960 Speaker 1: Melvin Capitol, you guys need to remember, was the firm 1359 01:13:52,040 --> 01:13:54,479 Speaker 1: which went belly up as a result of the game 1360 01:13:54,479 --> 01:13:57,799 Speaker 1: Stop short squeeze. When its sizeable position in game Stop 1361 01:13:58,120 --> 01:14:01,400 Speaker 1: was screwed by Redditors and a cost them billions of dollars. 1362 01:14:01,680 --> 01:14:04,720 Speaker 1: As part of Griffin's investment in Melvin Capital, he was 1363 01:14:04,920 --> 01:14:08,519 Speaker 1: entitled to revenue from their gains. Hence he had a 1364 01:14:08,560 --> 01:14:12,120 Speaker 1: direct financial interest on both sides of the trade. Griffin 1365 01:14:12,200 --> 01:14:15,439 Speaker 1: and Citadel have maintained since the beginning that they learned 1366 01:14:15,520 --> 01:14:18,320 Speaker 1: of Robin Hood's decision to halt trading on Game Stop 1367 01:14:18,680 --> 01:14:22,759 Speaker 1: on January twenty seventh, only after the fact of the decision. 1368 01:14:23,040 --> 01:14:25,960 Speaker 1: Griffin has even testified to this effect before Congress Let's 1369 01:14:25,960 --> 01:14:28,880 Speaker 1: review exactly what he said. I have to ask this. 1370 01:14:30,520 --> 01:14:33,919 Speaker 1: You said that you didn't talk to anybody of Citadel 1371 01:14:34,000 --> 01:14:38,160 Speaker 1: Citadel Securities. Did anyone in your organization since January first 1372 01:14:38,200 --> 01:14:42,920 Speaker 1: contact Robin Hood? Are you asking if we've had contact 1373 01:14:44,000 --> 01:14:49,719 Speaker 1: with Robin with respect, with respect with respect to game 1374 01:14:49,800 --> 01:14:56,240 Speaker 1: Stop and what we're obviously talking about. So, Congressman, we 1375 01:14:56,400 --> 01:14:59,320 Speaker 1: offer to have my colleague who manages that relationship be 1376 01:14:59,439 --> 01:15:03,160 Speaker 1: here today instead. He has firsthand knowledge. We of course 1377 01:15:03,240 --> 01:15:06,519 Speaker 1: are talking to Robinhood routinely in the ordinary course of business. 1378 01:15:06,520 --> 01:15:10,559 Speaker 1: We manage a substantial portion of their order flow. Well, 1379 01:15:10,560 --> 01:15:13,080 Speaker 1: I understand that, but did you talk to them about 1380 01:15:14,400 --> 01:15:18,920 Speaker 1: restricting or doing anything to prevent people from buying not 1381 01:15:19,040 --> 01:15:22,960 Speaker 1: sound but buying in game stock. Let me be anybody 1382 01:15:22,960 --> 01:15:30,960 Speaker 1: in your organization be perfectly clear, absolutely not. Forgive the 1383 01:15:31,040 --> 01:15:33,640 Speaker 1: jumpy audio that was on the congressman's end, but you 1384 01:15:33,680 --> 01:15:36,960 Speaker 1: guys get the idea. Ken Griffin in February of twenty 1385 01:15:37,000 --> 01:15:41,240 Speaker 1: twenty one says absolutely not did anyone in his organization 1386 01:15:41,560 --> 01:15:44,360 Speaker 1: speak to anyone at robin Hood about the decision to 1387 01:15:44,400 --> 01:15:48,599 Speaker 1: halt trading on GameStop. So that is Griffin on the record. Well. 1388 01:15:48,960 --> 01:15:51,720 Speaker 1: Newly leaked court documents from the US District Court of 1389 01:15:51,800 --> 01:15:55,880 Speaker 1: Southern District of Florida, titled January twenty twenty one Short 1390 01:15:55,920 --> 01:15:59,840 Speaker 1: Squeeze Trading Litigation may spell some problems for Griffin. The 1391 01:16:00,120 --> 01:16:03,599 Speaker 1: documents include a transcript of Vlad Tenev, he's the CEO 1392 01:16:03,680 --> 01:16:06,760 Speaker 1: of robin Hood's chats on the day before trading was 1393 01:16:06,800 --> 01:16:11,400 Speaker 1: halted on GameStop. Vlad specifically says, quote, maybe this would 1394 01:16:11,439 --> 01:16:14,280 Speaker 1: be a good time for me to chat with Ken Griffin. 1395 01:16:14,720 --> 01:16:18,840 Speaker 1: That same day, Robinhood President and COO Jim swore Out 1396 01:16:19,040 --> 01:16:22,400 Speaker 1: is quoted as saying, quote, you wouldn't believe the conbo 1397 01:16:22,520 --> 01:16:26,920 Speaker 1: we had with Citadel total mess. Furthermore, within the transcript 1398 01:16:26,920 --> 01:16:30,760 Speaker 1: of the documents, an engineer whose name remains redacted is 1399 01:16:30,800 --> 01:16:35,919 Speaker 1: found saying, quote anecdotal evidence several quote very large firms 1400 01:16:36,000 --> 01:16:39,800 Speaker 1: are having really bad nights too. Now it's unclear who 1401 01:16:39,800 --> 01:16:42,559 Speaker 1: he's referring to, but it's possible he's referring to the 1402 01:16:42,640 --> 01:16:46,840 Speaker 1: you know, massive hedge funds taking billion dollar losses. So 1403 01:16:46,960 --> 01:16:49,840 Speaker 1: none of this proves anything, but it certainly bears investigation. 1404 01:16:50,200 --> 01:16:53,280 Speaker 1: Griffin has said under oath to Congress, nobody in his 1405 01:16:53,400 --> 01:16:57,639 Speaker 1: organization had any communication with Robinhood about halting the stock, 1406 01:16:58,000 --> 01:17:01,760 Speaker 1: and yet the day before the president of Robinhood specifically 1407 01:17:01,840 --> 01:17:04,439 Speaker 1: says he spoke with Citadel and that it was a 1408 01:17:04,520 --> 01:17:08,120 Speaker 1: quote total mess. Again, this is not a smoking gun. 1409 01:17:08,400 --> 01:17:12,000 Speaker 1: Let's just say it looks mighty suspicious, shall we. Well, 1410 01:17:12,120 --> 01:17:14,000 Speaker 1: the internet is going to do what it did, and 1411 01:17:14,080 --> 01:17:16,360 Speaker 1: given the fact that pretty much everybody was on the 1412 01:17:16,360 --> 01:17:19,599 Speaker 1: side of the screwed over redditors here, people began tweeting 1413 01:17:19,640 --> 01:17:22,640 Speaker 1: hashtag ken Griffin lied. It actually became one of the 1414 01:17:22,680 --> 01:17:27,160 Speaker 1: top trending Twitter topics on the entire website. Here's the proof. Well, 1415 01:17:27,720 --> 01:17:31,240 Speaker 1: that was until ken Griffin Lied was changed to just 1416 01:17:31,600 --> 01:17:34,680 Speaker 1: Ken Griffin. That's it. Twitter didn't even do that thing 1417 01:17:34,680 --> 01:17:37,519 Speaker 1: where they try and add weird fake contract context in 1418 01:17:37,600 --> 01:17:40,559 Speaker 1: the trending subject. It was just changed, And as my 1419 01:17:40,600 --> 01:17:43,679 Speaker 1: friend Unusual Whales was quick to point out, it probably 1420 01:17:43,720 --> 01:17:46,840 Speaker 1: doesn't hurt. Griffin holds about a three hundred million dollars 1421 01:17:46,880 --> 01:17:50,800 Speaker 1: a share three hundred million dollars worth of shares in Twitter. Now. 1422 01:17:50,800 --> 01:17:53,839 Speaker 1: I'm putting this all together because it's important to note 1423 01:17:53,880 --> 01:17:56,920 Speaker 1: that it's just always seems to break in the favor 1424 01:17:56,960 --> 01:17:58,960 Speaker 1: of the big guys. As I said at the time, 1425 01:17:59,080 --> 01:18:00,680 Speaker 1: if you're trying to make your iron and plan on 1426 01:18:00,720 --> 01:18:03,439 Speaker 1: game stop, you got much bigger problems. But for many 1427 01:18:03,479 --> 01:18:06,040 Speaker 1: people it was a shining moment of hope and just 1428 01:18:06,080 --> 01:18:09,080 Speaker 1: a matter of pure fun that was taken away from them. 1429 01:18:09,400 --> 01:18:12,280 Speaker 1: Some people actually did lose thousands or tens of thousands 1430 01:18:12,360 --> 01:18:15,160 Speaker 1: of dollars, but the principal people at the top involved 1431 01:18:15,400 --> 01:18:19,040 Speaker 1: halting the stock, like Robinhood. Well, look, they iPod. A 1432 01:18:19,040 --> 01:18:22,040 Speaker 1: lot of those guys are billionaires. Griffin himself is already 1433 01:18:22,040 --> 01:18:24,439 Speaker 1: a billionaire many times over, and he has an army 1434 01:18:24,439 --> 01:18:26,800 Speaker 1: of lawyers and I'm sure will protect him at all costs. 1435 01:18:26,960 --> 01:18:30,240 Speaker 1: But the broader point to me is this The appearance 1436 01:18:30,280 --> 01:18:33,840 Speaker 1: of corruption itself is often enough and just as poisonous 1437 01:18:33,920 --> 01:18:37,920 Speaker 1: as actual corruption. Robinhood purports to be free, but we 1438 01:18:38,000 --> 01:18:41,160 Speaker 1: all know that's a farce. Robinhood ipo to the tune 1439 01:18:41,200 --> 01:18:44,200 Speaker 1: of billions, specifically, because they have huge numbers of customers, 1440 01:18:44,240 --> 01:18:48,120 Speaker 1: they're called the banks and other hedge funds. Those institutions 1441 01:18:48,280 --> 01:18:51,479 Speaker 1: they buy your aggregated trading data. Then they use it 1442 01:18:51,520 --> 01:18:54,400 Speaker 1: to either front run your trades or to place bigger 1443 01:18:54,439 --> 01:18:58,000 Speaker 1: bets based upon consumer sentiment. As you see with Game Stop. 1444 01:18:58,320 --> 01:19:02,360 Speaker 1: When you lose, you actually lose. When they lose, they 1445 01:19:02,400 --> 01:19:05,080 Speaker 1: just keep making more money. The system is entirely stacked 1446 01:19:05,080 --> 01:19:07,360 Speaker 1: in their favor, while people won once when it came 1447 01:19:07,400 --> 01:19:09,880 Speaker 1: to GameStop. It's time to address some of the actual 1448 01:19:09,880 --> 01:19:13,679 Speaker 1: structural inequities within our markets here. People like Ken Griffin, 1449 01:19:13,840 --> 01:19:16,679 Speaker 1: who have made billions on the stock market to think 1450 01:19:16,680 --> 01:19:19,960 Speaker 1: of it as the ultimate testing ground, a true free 1451 01:19:20,000 --> 01:19:22,240 Speaker 1: market where the best man wins. That's what they think. 1452 01:19:22,520 --> 01:19:25,040 Speaker 1: But we're learning time and time again that in reality, 1453 01:19:25,080 --> 01:19:26,720 Speaker 1: the markets work just like a lot of the rest 1454 01:19:26,720 --> 01:19:29,160 Speaker 1: of the US economy. If you're already lucky enough to 1455 01:19:29,160 --> 01:19:32,040 Speaker 1: be on top, you're pretty much set for everybody else, 1456 01:19:32,120 --> 01:19:34,800 Speaker 1: you're screwed, even when a grave injustice has been done 1457 01:19:34,800 --> 01:19:37,639 Speaker 1: to you. Hopefully something will come from this. To be honest, 1458 01:19:37,720 --> 01:19:40,040 Speaker 1: I'm not optimistic, but I'm always going to be looking 1459 01:19:40,040 --> 01:19:42,559 Speaker 1: out for the little guy here. And that's the thing, Christal. 1460 01:19:42,680 --> 01:19:46,519 Speaker 1: You look at those documents, there's mighty suspicious. Now joining 1461 01:19:46,600 --> 01:19:49,439 Speaker 1: us now we have Matt Brown and Cynthia Mendez. They 1462 01:19:49,479 --> 01:19:52,920 Speaker 1: are running for governor and Lieutenant governor of Rhode Island, 1463 01:19:53,040 --> 01:19:56,599 Speaker 1: along with a slate of fifty progressives who are looking 1464 01:19:56,640 --> 01:19:59,719 Speaker 1: to have a full scale revolution in that blue state. 1465 01:20:00,080 --> 01:20:01,960 Speaker 1: It's great to talk to both of you, guys. Welcome, 1466 01:20:03,040 --> 01:20:06,800 Speaker 1: Thank you for having us so. Cynthia, you recently ran 1467 01:20:06,840 --> 01:20:09,680 Speaker 1: and were elected as state senator. Now you're running as 1468 01:20:09,760 --> 01:20:12,280 Speaker 1: lieutenant governor. Can you just lay out for people the 1469 01:20:12,360 --> 01:20:16,519 Speaker 1: sort of unique political model that you all have crafted 1470 01:20:16,520 --> 01:20:18,640 Speaker 1: in the state of Rhode Island. Also just lay out 1471 01:20:18,640 --> 01:20:21,479 Speaker 1: for people a little bit of the political dynamics there 1472 01:20:21,520 --> 01:20:25,720 Speaker 1: for people who haven't been following this story. Absolutely, yeah. 1473 01:20:25,760 --> 01:20:29,479 Speaker 1: In Rhode Island for a really long time, you didn't 1474 01:20:29,560 --> 01:20:31,519 Speaker 1: run for office unless you've been tapped on the shoulder 1475 01:20:31,560 --> 01:20:35,719 Speaker 1: by the political establishment and given essentially a permission slip 1476 01:20:35,760 --> 01:20:37,720 Speaker 1: to run, and if you did run, you absolutely did 1477 01:20:37,760 --> 01:20:42,320 Speaker 1: not win. And so the Rhode Island political cooperative model 1478 01:20:42,600 --> 01:20:45,639 Speaker 1: is an incredible model that allows every day working class people, 1479 01:20:45,680 --> 01:20:49,000 Speaker 1: people that have been left out of the system and 1480 01:20:49,040 --> 01:20:52,720 Speaker 1: systems of decision making, a way to get the resources 1481 01:20:52,760 --> 01:20:57,160 Speaker 1: they need and more importantly, the support and community that 1482 01:20:57,200 --> 01:20:59,680 Speaker 1: they need. So I didn't run alone. I ran with 1483 01:20:59,680 --> 01:21:02,559 Speaker 1: a slight last time, I ran with an amazing slate 1484 01:21:02,600 --> 01:21:07,080 Speaker 1: of twenty three candidates for House and Senate. We won 1485 01:21:07,240 --> 01:21:10,519 Speaker 1: ten seats, and we were able to see a very 1486 01:21:10,640 --> 01:21:15,800 Speaker 1: conservative legislature move on legislation that they had previously not 1487 01:21:15,840 --> 01:21:20,280 Speaker 1: been interested in before. And so, for example, the General 1488 01:21:20,320 --> 01:21:24,080 Speaker 1: Assembly was not interested in talking or touching the fifteen 1489 01:21:24,080 --> 01:21:27,920 Speaker 1: dollars minimum wage, and within the first month of us 1490 01:21:27,960 --> 01:21:30,720 Speaker 1: being in session, they moved on that. Previously they were 1491 01:21:30,760 --> 01:21:33,400 Speaker 1: just not interested in that, and we saw gains like 1492 01:21:33,439 --> 01:21:36,960 Speaker 1: that through our work. So we've not only had the 1493 01:21:37,000 --> 01:21:40,240 Speaker 1: resources we needed to run a community to run, but 1494 01:21:40,320 --> 01:21:42,960 Speaker 1: we also had a deep sense of accountability once we 1495 01:21:42,960 --> 01:21:46,000 Speaker 1: were in there to move things that we had promised 1496 01:21:46,040 --> 01:21:49,080 Speaker 1: our constituents that we would fight for. Matt tell us 1497 01:21:49,080 --> 01:21:51,519 Speaker 1: a little bit about exactly what it was like to 1498 01:21:52,080 --> 01:21:56,599 Speaker 1: both see yourselves prevail actually once against the machine, because 1499 01:21:56,600 --> 01:21:58,840 Speaker 1: that's what I'm most fascinated by. And a lot of 1500 01:21:58,840 --> 01:22:00,960 Speaker 1: these you know, semi one part states like it's just 1501 01:22:01,040 --> 01:22:04,560 Speaker 1: so difficult in order to actually break through the establishment 1502 01:22:04,560 --> 01:22:06,680 Speaker 1: in the logjam. What did you guys do previously and 1503 01:22:06,720 --> 01:22:10,200 Speaker 1: then what do you plan on doing this time? Well, 1504 01:22:10,640 --> 01:22:14,880 Speaker 1: what it felt like really was giving people hope for 1505 01:22:14,920 --> 01:22:19,439 Speaker 1: the first time in our state. I've spent my whole 1506 01:22:19,479 --> 01:22:25,920 Speaker 1: life seeing the same corrupt, uncaring political machine that's been 1507 01:22:25,960 --> 01:22:29,120 Speaker 1: running things. And you know, they've looked out for themselves, 1508 01:22:29,160 --> 01:22:31,360 Speaker 1: and they've looked out for corporations and the wealthy, and 1509 01:22:31,360 --> 01:22:36,560 Speaker 1: they've ignored everybody else. And for the first time in decades, 1510 01:22:36,760 --> 01:22:40,200 Speaker 1: And I think in memory, people had hope that things 1511 01:22:40,240 --> 01:22:43,840 Speaker 1: could change because Cynthia won her race. But also, you know, 1512 01:22:44,160 --> 01:22:46,840 Speaker 1: there were ten races in total that the Rude Island 1513 01:22:46,880 --> 01:22:52,240 Speaker 1: political cooperative one candidates who care about their community, who 1514 01:22:52,280 --> 01:22:55,120 Speaker 1: are fighting for their community, aren't taking any corporate pack 1515 01:22:55,200 --> 01:22:59,080 Speaker 1: or corporate lobbyist or fossil fuel money. And now we're 1516 01:22:59,080 --> 01:23:02,200 Speaker 1: building on that. We're going to have fifty candidates five 1517 01:23:02,479 --> 01:23:05,519 Speaker 1: zero from all across the state. And they're extraordinary people. 1518 01:23:06,240 --> 01:23:10,080 Speaker 1: I mean as people like Michael Neemier, who's running for Senate, 1519 01:23:10,800 --> 01:23:15,360 Speaker 1: who's running because of his own life experience. His baby 1520 01:23:15,400 --> 01:23:22,160 Speaker 1: girl was born with a terrible brain disease. She won't 1521 01:23:22,240 --> 01:23:28,320 Speaker 1: learn to walk, she won't learn to talk, and they 1522 01:23:28,360 --> 01:23:33,600 Speaker 1: had health insurance. The family had health insurance, and immediately 1523 01:23:33,640 --> 01:23:37,240 Speaker 1: the health insurance company blocked them from getting a genetic test. 1524 01:23:37,320 --> 01:23:42,880 Speaker 1: They blocked their little girl from medicine that would help 1525 01:23:42,960 --> 01:23:47,439 Speaker 1: with potential bleeds. They blocked a chair that would help 1526 01:23:47,479 --> 01:23:54,320 Speaker 1: her swallow in the most extreme situation. The manufacturer of 1527 01:23:54,360 --> 01:23:57,280 Speaker 1: a medicine said they would provide it to the family, 1528 01:23:57,320 --> 01:24:01,799 Speaker 1: and the health insurance company blocked that these So Michael 1529 01:24:01,880 --> 01:24:05,240 Speaker 1: is running and he's not going to cave on Medicare 1530 01:24:05,280 --> 01:24:07,000 Speaker 1: for All health insurance. He's going to fight for it. 1531 01:24:07,040 --> 01:24:08,840 Speaker 1: And those are the kinds of candidates we have running 1532 01:24:08,880 --> 01:24:12,519 Speaker 1: and it's giving people hope. Cynthia, can you just talk 1533 01:24:12,560 --> 01:24:15,880 Speaker 1: to us in practical terms about how the co op 1534 01:24:16,400 --> 01:24:20,000 Speaker 1: works so that folks in other state who are activists 1535 01:24:20,040 --> 01:24:23,439 Speaker 1: who are interested can sort of build on this model. 1536 01:24:23,720 --> 01:24:25,519 Speaker 1: Or do you think it's possible for the co op 1537 01:24:25,600 --> 01:24:27,320 Speaker 1: model to work in other states or is it a 1538 01:24:27,320 --> 01:24:29,240 Speaker 1: function of the fact that Rhode Island is such a 1539 01:24:29,240 --> 01:24:34,000 Speaker 1: small place. It can absolutely work in other states. And 1540 01:24:35,040 --> 01:24:38,799 Speaker 1: the way that it works is that there's the candidates 1541 01:24:38,840 --> 01:24:42,880 Speaker 1: actually pay dues and so we're able to work and 1542 01:24:42,960 --> 01:24:45,200 Speaker 1: coordinate with the co op and we have full kind 1543 01:24:45,240 --> 01:24:49,840 Speaker 1: of coordination there and we get campaign manager, OPO research, 1544 01:24:51,120 --> 01:24:56,120 Speaker 1: you know, messaging policy, there's all sorts of literature, all 1545 01:24:56,160 --> 01:24:57,799 Speaker 1: the things that you would need to run a campaign, 1546 01:24:57,840 --> 01:25:00,679 Speaker 1: and essentially all the things that you would expect need 1547 01:25:00,800 --> 01:25:04,439 Speaker 1: from the Democratic Party that had left us out of 1548 01:25:05,080 --> 01:25:08,919 Speaker 1: the system. And so we are able to be supplied 1549 01:25:08,960 --> 01:25:11,800 Speaker 1: with those things and then be able to again run 1550 01:25:11,840 --> 01:25:16,840 Speaker 1: together on this shared platform with UH with our with 1551 01:25:16,920 --> 01:25:20,720 Speaker 1: our running mates, and we have also provide volunteers and 1552 01:25:20,960 --> 01:25:24,000 Speaker 1: well trained campaign managers. And as we know, progressives have 1553 01:25:24,040 --> 01:25:26,600 Speaker 1: been losing for a really long time due to the 1554 01:25:26,680 --> 01:25:29,639 Speaker 1: lack of infrastructure of support. There are camp there aren't 1555 01:25:30,120 --> 01:25:32,840 Speaker 1: campaign managers and the support that we need. And so 1556 01:25:33,160 --> 01:25:38,120 Speaker 1: it provides really strong infrastructural support as well as the 1557 01:25:38,120 --> 01:25:40,920 Speaker 1: community and it can and it absolutely can be replicated, 1558 01:25:41,800 --> 01:25:44,280 Speaker 1: and it needs to be because there is a you know, 1559 01:25:44,360 --> 01:25:49,000 Speaker 1: a deep power grab that that happens right now in 1560 01:25:49,040 --> 01:25:52,080 Speaker 1: a lot of states, and there are amazing people who 1561 01:25:52,439 --> 01:25:55,120 Speaker 1: want to represent their community that know what it means 1562 01:25:55,439 --> 01:25:57,320 Speaker 1: that there's a housing crisis, that we are in a 1563 01:25:57,320 --> 01:25:59,600 Speaker 1: climate crisis. The people that have been fighting for it 1564 01:25:59,640 --> 01:26:02,120 Speaker 1: for deck and yet left out of the seats of 1565 01:26:02,160 --> 01:26:04,640 Speaker 1: decision making in order to actually fight for their community 1566 01:26:04,840 --> 01:26:07,160 Speaker 1: in the Senate or the House. Yeah, I mean, Matt 1567 01:26:07,200 --> 01:26:09,439 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about more on the you know, 1568 01:26:09,600 --> 01:26:13,120 Speaker 1: mechanics and stuff, because how exactly can this small co 1569 01:26:13,160 --> 01:26:15,600 Speaker 1: op model compete on the establishment level. You guys have 1570 01:26:15,640 --> 01:26:18,040 Speaker 1: shown that it can be done, how could other people 1571 01:26:18,200 --> 01:26:20,840 Speaker 1: actually you know, the actual concrete nature where you put 1572 01:26:20,840 --> 01:26:23,920 Speaker 1: it together. I think there are two parts to it 1573 01:26:23,960 --> 01:26:27,640 Speaker 1: that are really powerful. One is that we build. We 1574 01:26:27,720 --> 01:26:31,439 Speaker 1: have an actual community among the candidates, meaning we spend 1575 01:26:31,439 --> 01:26:34,719 Speaker 1: a lot of time together, We form a policy platform together. 1576 01:26:35,360 --> 01:26:39,920 Speaker 1: It's a bold platform. And these are a group of 1577 01:26:39,960 --> 01:26:42,880 Speaker 1: candidates who fight for each other, who stand by each 1578 01:26:42,920 --> 01:26:47,520 Speaker 1: other throughout the campaign, and then, as Cynthia said importantly, 1579 01:26:47,680 --> 01:26:51,080 Speaker 1: after the campaign, in governing, they govern together. And so 1580 01:26:51,120 --> 01:26:55,439 Speaker 1: that that actual political community is something I've never seen 1581 01:26:55,640 --> 01:27:02,040 Speaker 1: in the country, and it's really powerful. Powerful in really 1582 01:27:02,080 --> 01:27:04,439 Speaker 1: practical ways for winning. They really show up for each 1583 01:27:04,520 --> 01:27:08,920 Speaker 1: other during the campaign. And then in terms of the mechanics, 1584 01:27:08,400 --> 01:27:13,840 Speaker 1: it's a really innovative organizing model because the candidates pay 1585 01:27:14,040 --> 01:27:17,960 Speaker 1: dues to cover the costs of all the services that 1586 01:27:18,160 --> 01:27:21,240 Speaker 1: they receive from the co op, which is a small staff, 1587 01:27:21,280 --> 01:27:26,160 Speaker 1: small organization that does all the things that's yeah from 1588 01:27:26,240 --> 01:27:29,439 Speaker 1: a disease, so candidate training, writing campaign plans and budgets, 1589 01:27:31,040 --> 01:27:37,920 Speaker 1: helping with communications, helping with fundraising, policy papers, everything, really 1590 01:27:38,040 --> 01:27:43,960 Speaker 1: running a coordinated statewide campaign and providing that support that 1591 01:27:44,479 --> 01:27:48,080 Speaker 1: our candidates need and our side needs to win governing power. 1592 01:27:48,600 --> 01:27:52,240 Speaker 1: So that's the model, and it's really powerful, it's really effective, 1593 01:27:52,439 --> 01:27:55,080 Speaker 1: and now we're going to finish the job here in 1594 01:27:55,120 --> 01:27:59,000 Speaker 1: Rhode Island and win a full out progressive governing governing majority. 1595 01:27:59,280 --> 01:28:01,760 Speaker 1: And we do think as a model that can work 1596 01:28:02,040 --> 01:28:03,920 Speaker 1: and is going to work in other states as well. 1597 01:28:04,520 --> 01:28:08,400 Speaker 1: And Matt, what's exciting is you've already demonstrated that you've 1598 01:28:08,400 --> 01:28:11,760 Speaker 1: been able to bring in people who don't traditionally even 1599 01:28:11,800 --> 01:28:14,160 Speaker 1: have a shot in the process. I mean, Cynthia might 1600 01:28:14,280 --> 01:28:16,760 Speaker 1: understands you were a first time candidate. We weren't really 1601 01:28:16,760 --> 01:28:18,800 Speaker 1: seeing yourself as someone who would run for office, and 1602 01:28:18,840 --> 01:28:20,760 Speaker 1: Matt came to you and said, listen, you can do this, 1603 01:28:20,840 --> 01:28:22,280 Speaker 1: and we're going to do this. And here's what it 1604 01:28:22,320 --> 01:28:26,200 Speaker 1: looks like, Matt. If you're able to prevail here and 1605 01:28:26,240 --> 01:28:28,880 Speaker 1: you're able to get the legislature that you want, what 1606 01:28:29,040 --> 01:28:34,360 Speaker 1: are your top priorities for Rhode Island? All right? And 1607 01:28:34,360 --> 01:28:36,559 Speaker 1: I'm sorry to cut out there for a second, maybe online, 1608 01:28:36,600 --> 01:28:39,160 Speaker 1: but I got the question at the end. I just said, 1609 01:28:39,160 --> 01:28:41,200 Speaker 1: what are your top priorities for the state if you 1610 01:28:41,240 --> 01:28:45,439 Speaker 1: do win and get the legislature that you want. Yeah, 1611 01:28:45,439 --> 01:28:49,720 Speaker 1: when we win, we'll win a governing majority in the 1612 01:28:49,760 --> 01:28:55,479 Speaker 1: House and Senate and obviously also in the executive branch. 1613 01:28:55,800 --> 01:28:58,599 Speaker 1: And we want to make sure people are a living 1614 01:28:58,640 --> 01:29:03,439 Speaker 1: wage nineteen dollars an hour living wage, which is just 1615 01:29:03,520 --> 01:29:10,360 Speaker 1: what it takes to raise a family. We're going to 1616 01:29:10,400 --> 01:29:13,240 Speaker 1: pass a Green New Deal and make Rhode Island the 1617 01:29:13,360 --> 01:29:16,160 Speaker 1: first state in the country that's one hundred percent run 1618 01:29:16,240 --> 01:29:18,320 Speaker 1: on clean energy, in the first state in the country 1619 01:29:18,320 --> 01:29:20,840 Speaker 1: that's net zero emissions. And we're going to shut down 1620 01:29:20,880 --> 01:29:25,320 Speaker 1: the polluting fossil fuel industry that has been dumped in 1621 01:29:25,439 --> 01:29:28,400 Speaker 1: a black and brown and low income neighborhood in our state, 1622 01:29:28,560 --> 01:29:33,960 Speaker 1: polluting the air and the water for decades. We're going 1623 01:29:34,000 --> 01:29:40,040 Speaker 1: to build ten thousand green affordable housing units to tackle 1624 01:29:40,240 --> 01:29:45,160 Speaker 1: the affordable housing crisis and also the climate crisis. We're 1625 01:29:45,160 --> 01:29:49,040 Speaker 1: going to get a Medicare for all style healthcare systems 1626 01:29:49,080 --> 01:29:53,600 Speaker 1: so everybody has the health care that they need for 1627 01:29:53,680 --> 01:29:56,640 Speaker 1: themselves and their families. So, you know, we're going to 1628 01:29:56,760 --> 01:29:59,760 Speaker 1: do the things that we know we should have done 1629 01:29:59,760 --> 01:30:02,680 Speaker 1: a lot long time ago. That we can do. Uh. 1630 01:30:02,880 --> 01:30:06,759 Speaker 1: The only thing that's in our way is this corrupt 1631 01:30:06,960 --> 01:30:10,679 Speaker 1: political machine that takes the corporate pack and corporate lobbyist 1632 01:30:10,680 --> 01:30:12,400 Speaker 1: money and works for them and not for the people 1633 01:30:12,479 --> 01:30:16,160 Speaker 1: to state. And so so you know, this is a 1634 01:30:16,280 --> 01:30:19,679 Speaker 1: very very hopeful thing for our state, the most hopeful 1635 01:30:19,720 --> 01:30:23,240 Speaker 1: thing that I've been a part of. And uh, we're 1636 01:30:23,280 --> 01:30:27,000 Speaker 1: ready to roll here, Cynthia, you've seen any dirty tricks 1637 01:30:27,040 --> 01:30:32,600 Speaker 1: from the establishment, yet it's all they know they have. 1638 01:30:32,920 --> 01:30:37,960 Speaker 1: They have a playbook that they continue to play. You know, 1639 01:30:38,040 --> 01:30:43,759 Speaker 1: they're the party you know, is known for just really 1640 01:30:45,600 --> 01:30:56,040 Speaker 1: being manipulative and obstructive. And they have given us access 1641 01:30:56,120 --> 01:31:01,920 Speaker 1: to uh VAN or withheld acts to VAN and manipulated 1642 01:31:01,960 --> 01:31:04,519 Speaker 1: that contract over and over again. Van is a voter 1643 01:31:04,640 --> 01:31:13,120 Speaker 1: access tool. They have really been really concerned actually now 1644 01:31:13,479 --> 01:31:15,800 Speaker 1: due to the wins that the gains that the co 1645 01:31:15,880 --> 01:31:20,040 Speaker 1: op made in twenty twenty and hired a high powered 1646 01:31:20,720 --> 01:31:24,479 Speaker 1: consultant to come in to help retain seats so that 1647 01:31:24,600 --> 01:31:29,280 Speaker 1: challenge incumbents don't lose they have. We also are going 1648 01:31:29,320 --> 01:31:33,200 Speaker 1: through a redistricting process now, and they hired Kimball Bryce 1649 01:31:33,240 --> 01:31:36,360 Speaker 1: whose license plate says Jerrymander on his license plate, and 1650 01:31:36,479 --> 01:31:38,960 Speaker 1: that's the person that they hired to help with the 1651 01:31:38,960 --> 01:31:42,880 Speaker 1: redistricting process. So there's really nothing that they won't you 1652 01:31:43,360 --> 01:31:48,160 Speaker 1: do in order to white knuckle grip hold the power 1653 01:31:48,200 --> 01:31:50,840 Speaker 1: that they have. But they can feel it slipping and 1654 01:31:51,439 --> 01:31:53,559 Speaker 1: they would be right to be worried. Well, as you 1655 01:31:53,560 --> 01:31:55,519 Speaker 1: guys know, I've been following this and once you're up 1656 01:31:55,560 --> 01:31:58,320 Speaker 1: to for a while, I think it's a fascinating model. 1657 01:31:58,479 --> 01:32:02,960 Speaker 1: I'm excited to see what happened center Mendez and former 1658 01:32:03,000 --> 01:32:05,760 Speaker 1: Secretary of State Brown. Great to talk with you guys 1659 01:32:05,800 --> 01:32:08,760 Speaker 1: this morning. Thank you, Thanks guys, thanks for having us 1660 01:32:09,280 --> 01:32:12,680 Speaker 1: our pleasure. Thank you guys so much for watching. We 1661 01:32:12,720 --> 01:32:16,599 Speaker 1: really appreciate it. We had multiple more demonetized YouTube segments here. 1662 01:32:16,720 --> 01:32:18,360 Speaker 1: It's just, you know, that's the way of life that 1663 01:32:18,400 --> 01:32:20,479 Speaker 1: we live now here at breaking points, despite the show 1664 01:32:20,520 --> 01:32:23,120 Speaker 1: actually doing better than ever. So there you go. That's 1665 01:32:23,120 --> 01:32:24,800 Speaker 1: what it's like for us, which is that even in 1666 01:32:24,840 --> 01:32:27,080 Speaker 1: those times when we want to cover the news the 1667 01:32:27,120 --> 01:32:29,639 Speaker 1: way that we want, it just you know, somehow runs 1668 01:32:29,640 --> 01:32:32,400 Speaker 1: a foul of what is suitable or not. So the 1669 01:32:32,439 --> 01:32:35,280 Speaker 1: only way that the show continues is through your guys' support. 1670 01:32:35,560 --> 01:32:37,680 Speaker 1: Premium link is down there in the subscription if you 1671 01:32:37,720 --> 01:32:40,040 Speaker 1: can support us. If you can, it means the world, 1672 01:32:40,040 --> 01:32:42,679 Speaker 1: and it means the ability for us to cover whatever 1673 01:32:42,720 --> 01:32:45,439 Speaker 1: we want, whenever we want, and whatever we have to. Yeah, 1674 01:32:45,479 --> 01:32:48,240 Speaker 1: we so appreciate you guys. You make this all possible 1675 01:32:49,080 --> 01:32:52,000 Speaker 1: and we will be back here tomorrow. So we'll be 1676 01:32:52,040 --> 01:32:54,960 Speaker 1: back on track tomorrow, regular schedule next week and all 1677 01:32:55,040 --> 01:32:56,920 Speaker 1: of that good stuff going forward. Love you guys, have 1678 01:32:56,960 --> 01:33:13,240 Speaker 1: a good one, see you tomorrow. Thanks for listening to 1679 01:33:13,240 --> 01:33:15,320 Speaker 1: the show, guys, we really appreciate it. To help other 1680 01:33:15,320 --> 01:33:17,320 Speaker 1: people find the show, go ahead and leave us a 1681 01:33:17,360 --> 01:33:20,439 Speaker 1: five star rating on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get 1682 01:33:20,479 --> 01:33:23,960 Speaker 1: your podcasts really helps other people find the show as 1683 01:33:24,000 --> 01:33:28,360 Speaker 1: always special. Thank you to supercast for powering our premium membership. 1684 01:33:28,479 --> 01:33:31,040 Speaker 1: If you want to find out more, go to crystalansager 1685 01:33:31,240 --> 01:33:31,920 Speaker 1: dot com.