1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:03,840 Speaker 1: Cable news is ripping us apart, dividing the nation, making 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:06,320 Speaker 1: it impossible to function as a society and to know 3 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:09,120 Speaker 1: what is true and what is false. The good news 4 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:11,240 Speaker 1: is that they're failing and they know it. That is 5 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: why we're building something new. Be part of creating a new, better, healthier, 6 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:18,320 Speaker 1: and more trustworthy mainstream by becoming a Breaking Points Premium 7 00:00:18,360 --> 00:00:21,919 Speaker 1: member today at breakingpoints dot com. Your hard earned money 8 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:23,799 Speaker 1: is going to help us build for the midterms and 9 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: the upcoming presidential election so we can provide unparalleled coverage 10 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:29,040 Speaker 1: of what is sure to be one of the most 11 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 1: pivotal moments in American history. So what are you waiting for? 12 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:39,040 Speaker 1: Go to Breakingpoints dot com to help us out. Good morning, everybody, 13 00:00:39,040 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 1: Happy Monday. We have an amazing show for everybody today. 14 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: What do we have, Crystal? Indeed, we do lots of 15 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:45,199 Speaker 1: big news breaking this morning. First of all, we have 16 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:48,839 Speaker 1: some brand new details about that horrific hammer attack on 17 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 1: Paul Pelosi. Will break all of that down for you. 18 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:53,560 Speaker 1: We also have some new numbers about the midterm election, 19 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: showing that Republican messaging does seem to be taking a 20 00:00:56,760 --> 00:00:59,279 Speaker 1: toll landing a little bit more effectively with voters than 21 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: Democratic man messaging or lack thereof perhaps is really landing. 22 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: We also have new developments out of Ukraine, especially with 23 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 1: regards to that grain deal that Russia and Ukraine had 24 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:11,399 Speaker 1: struck that was allowing at least some grain to be 25 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:13,559 Speaker 1: exported out of the country. That has changed. We also 26 00:01:13,560 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: have new reports of attacks throughout the country this morning, 27 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:18,600 Speaker 1: so we'll break all of that down for you. Big 28 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:21,679 Speaker 1: moves with regards to Elon Musk and Twitter, even some 29 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: new developments this morning about what some of US first 30 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: moves might be. And we have the results out of 31 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,959 Speaker 1: that big presidential election down in Brazil. Lula will be 32 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:34,360 Speaker 1: the next president. What does that mean? How close was it, 33 00:01:34,400 --> 00:01:36,120 Speaker 1: Why are the polls right or wrong? What does it 34 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:38,040 Speaker 1: all mean? We'll get into all of that. And plus 35 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 1: very excited to have Ken Klippenstein here in the studio. 36 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 1: Dude just has gotten some crazy scoops lately, and this 37 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:46,839 Speaker 1: one I think you all are going to be very 38 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:51,280 Speaker 1: very interested in. You remember that whole Misinformation Governance Board 39 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: thing that supposedly was dismantled, Well, they still decided to 40 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: do the same thing. They're just not calling it that. 41 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: And the details of exactly what they are working with 42 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: tech companies to censor are quite chilling. So he will 43 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 1: break all of that down for you in an exclusive 44 00:02:06,880 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 1: for us. But we wanted to start with the new 45 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: details of that attack on Paul Pelosi. That's right, So 46 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 1: lots of questions around that attack. Emily and Ryan did 47 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: a great job and a snap reaction on Friday, So 48 00:02:16,200 --> 00:02:18,320 Speaker 1: let's start with the details. We want to start at 49 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 1: the very beginning because I know there's still quite a 50 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: bit of speculation, questions about details are erroneously reported and such, 51 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:25,800 Speaker 1: and will start at the very beginning with the San 52 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:29,400 Speaker 1: Francisco Police Department. Here was their initial response as to 53 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:32,079 Speaker 1: what happened in that attack on Paul Pelosi. Let's take 54 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 1: a listen. At approximately two twenty seven this morning, San 55 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:40,119 Speaker 1: Francisco Police officers were dispatched to the residents of Speaker 56 00:02:40,440 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: Nancy Pelosi regarding an a priority well being check. When 57 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: the officers arrived on seeing they encountered an adult male 58 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 1: and mister Pelosi's husband, Paul. Our officers observed Miss Pelosi 59 00:02:54,720 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 1: and the suspect both holding a hammer. The suspect pulled 60 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 1: the hammer away from Miss Pelosi and violently assaulted him 61 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 1: with it. Our officers immediately tackled the suspect, disarmed him, 62 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 1: took him into custody, requested emergency backup, and rendered medical aid. 63 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:15,239 Speaker 1: The suspect has been identified as forty two year old 64 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: David de Peppi. The motive for this attack is still 65 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:22,880 Speaker 1: being determined. Mister de Peppy will be booked at the 66 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: San Francisco County Jail on the following charges Attempted homicide, 67 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: assault with the daily weapon, elder abuse, burgley, and several 68 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 1: other additional felonies. So important stuff A getting charged with 69 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: attempted burglary, attempted homicide, B that there was a phone 70 00:03:41,200 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 1: call in a wellness check. There were a lot of 71 00:03:43,120 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: questions as to why exactly this was her response as 72 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 1: a wellness check, and then the suspect's named David depop. Now, 73 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: in terms of how Paul Pelosi is right now, let's 74 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 1: pull this up there on the screen. This was a 75 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: dear colleague letter sent by a speaker Pelosi to all 76 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: of her house colleagues yesterday. I'll read it in full, 77 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 1: She says, Dear, yesterday morning, a violent man broke into 78 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:04,400 Speaker 1: our family home, demand to confront me and brutally attacked 79 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 1: my husband, Paul, our children, grandfather, our grandchildren, and I 80 00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 1: are heartbroken and traumatized by the life threatening attack on 81 00:04:09,440 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 1: our pop. We are grateful for the quick response of 82 00:04:11,320 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 1: law enforcement. Please know the outpouring of prayers. We are 83 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 1: comforted by the Book of Isaiah. Do not fear. I 84 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:17,640 Speaker 1: am with you. Do not be dismayed or I am 85 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:19,600 Speaker 1: your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I 86 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: will uphold you with my righteous hand. We thank you 87 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,479 Speaker 1: and pray for the continued safety and well being of 88 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 1: our family. Now, the Pelosi family also previously had said 89 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:31,240 Speaker 1: that Paul Pelosi had undergone brain surgery. However, his doctors 90 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:32,880 Speaker 1: and others saying that he's expected to make a full 91 00:04:32,920 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 1: recovery eighty one years old. Now to the question of 92 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:37,640 Speaker 1: the attack itself, let's put this up there. This was 93 00:04:37,680 --> 00:04:40,040 Speaker 1: one of the major details with a lot of questions. 94 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 1: Politico erroneously reported and said, quote officers arrived at the house, 95 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:46,720 Speaker 1: knocked on the front door and were let inside by 96 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:50,360 Speaker 1: an unknown person, where they discovered to Pap and Pelosi 97 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: struggling for the hammer, and after they instructed them to 98 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 1: drop the weapon, to Pap took the hammer and quote 99 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:58,119 Speaker 1: violently attacked Pelosi. So there were a lot of questions 100 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 1: there as to who is this son third person? Why 101 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:04,240 Speaker 1: was the third person also in the house. However, now 102 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 1: in an interview, let's put this up there on the screen. 103 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:11,120 Speaker 1: Details getting clarified. Quote San Francisco PD telling NBC that 104 00:05:11,160 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: they were just two people in the Pelosi home at 105 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: the time of the attack, not three as had previously 106 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:18,880 Speaker 1: been reported, and that neither the suspect nor Paul Pelosi 107 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:22,279 Speaker 1: knew each other prior to the attack. NBC also said 108 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:25,159 Speaker 1: that they had confirmed quote zip ties were found on 109 00:05:25,640 --> 00:05:28,359 Speaker 1: this scene. So that was a follow up on a 110 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,400 Speaker 1: report about the zip ties, as well as to how 111 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 1: exactly and why this was dispatched as a quote wellness check. 112 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:36,760 Speaker 1: There were a lot of questions as so why with 113 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:38,679 Speaker 1: this was a wellness check and why didn't Paul Pelosi 114 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 1: call nine one one. Let's pull the next one up there. 115 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:43,000 Speaker 1: Essentially what happened and according to that, this is again 116 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: according to Pelosi and some of the initial details and 117 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:47,840 Speaker 1: all that were a little bit unclear. What happened is 118 00:05:47,839 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 1: is that Pelosi told this guy that he wanted to 119 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:51,719 Speaker 1: go David to pav that he wanted to go and 120 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 1: to use the bathroom. So while I was in the bathroom, 121 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 1: secretly called nine to one one and then left nine 122 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: one one on speaker essentially, and while he put the 123 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:02,880 Speaker 1: phone in his pocket and then went back and was like, Hey, 124 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 1: what are you trying to do to me? What are 125 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,040 Speaker 1: you doing? Why are you here? The nine to one 126 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:10,240 Speaker 1: one call operator listens to this and it was like 127 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:13,360 Speaker 1: something fishy and weird is going on here right now 128 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:16,359 Speaker 1: in Crystal and she then dispatches it as a quote 129 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:18,919 Speaker 1: high priority wellness check. That's why it was called in 130 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:22,120 Speaker 1: as a wellness check and not necessarily as a confirmed attack. 131 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:24,039 Speaker 1: So it seems like a lot of details, right, And 132 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: it seems like this is also the reason why in 133 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:30,200 Speaker 1: the nine to one one call there was a report 134 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: that this was someone he knew, that it was a friend, 135 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:34,479 Speaker 1: and it was also sort of contradictory because it was 136 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 1: like they don't know each other, but he says he's 137 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 1: a friend. It seems like that confusion may also have 138 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: come from the fact that essentially what they're saying happened 139 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 1: with Paul Pelosi is he was able to dial nine 140 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:47,640 Speaker 1: to one one and but wasn't able to say to 141 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:49,600 Speaker 1: them like, oh my god, I'm under attack. Help me. 142 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: He's just able to put it on speakerphone so that 143 00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:55,479 Speaker 1: they can hear the events unfolding, and he's trying to 144 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:58,839 Speaker 1: communicate with his attacker in a way where the nine 145 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:02,360 Speaker 1: one one dispatch understands like, oh shit, there's something going on. 146 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 1: We got to go help this guy. So originally, for 147 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:10,600 Speaker 1: those who have a healthy skepticism official narratives, yes, including me, 148 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:15,360 Speaker 1: I would say that the questioned big question marks were 149 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:18,679 Speaker 1: this report that there was another person at the house, 150 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:23,360 Speaker 1: was like why, who? What's going on there? The nine 151 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 1: to one one call where the attacker was referred to 152 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:29,000 Speaker 1: as a friend, the fact that it was dispatched as 153 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: a wellness check. And then there was also another erroneous 154 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 1: report that the two men were in their underwear, and 155 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:38,560 Speaker 1: there are all kinds of salacious conspiracies out there that 156 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:41,720 Speaker 1: this was a gay lover that attacked him. There was 157 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:44,440 Speaker 1: a report that Elon Musk will get to that shared 158 00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:46,800 Speaker 1: from this sort of like you know rag that puts 159 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 1: on all kinds of crazy stuff all the time, that 160 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 1: was to that effect. At this point, it seems like 161 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: those conspiracy theories are much more sort of like cope 162 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 1: from conservatives who don't want to acknowledge that there was 163 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: anything ideologically about this guy that may have, you know, 164 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: mixed with his mental illness to lead to this kind 165 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 1: of attack. Because one by one, each of those pieces 166 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:11,840 Speaker 1: is at least being debunked by the San Francisco Police Department, 167 00:08:12,360 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 1: And you know, it seems like I continue, Look, I'm 168 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 1: open to the idea that there was something else going 169 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:19,840 Speaker 1: on here that you know, is more than has been 170 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 1: told or more than meet ci et cetera, et cetera. 171 00:08:22,560 --> 00:08:26,440 Speaker 1: But probably the most likely explanation is that you had 172 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:30,480 Speaker 1: a guy who's a drug addict, who is mentally ill, 173 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:34,280 Speaker 1: who has fallen down a million different Internet conspiracy theory 174 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:38,959 Speaker 1: rabbit holes and ended up in this like deranged state. Now, 175 00:08:38,960 --> 00:08:42,000 Speaker 1: the question I still have is like, where the hell 176 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:44,680 Speaker 1: was the security? I mean, that's what's most surprising to me, 177 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 1: is like I can't. I am shocked that it would 178 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:51,160 Speaker 1: be this easy to gain entry to the Pelosi home. 179 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 1: But that's basically, you know, that's what we know this morning. 180 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: I'm very open and asking questions, as everybody knows. That's 181 00:08:57,040 --> 00:08:58,840 Speaker 1: why I've spent a lot of time actually putting all 182 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:01,320 Speaker 1: these details together. Here's the things that were reported that 183 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:03,120 Speaker 1: a lot of people were picking up on, including me. 184 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 1: I was like, hey, this is very strange. This is 185 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:06,960 Speaker 1: very odd, and I think it does stem from the 186 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: unbelievable nature of you know, the idea that you could 187 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:13,120 Speaker 1: break into a person's home who's worth over one hundred 188 00:09:13,200 --> 00:09:15,840 Speaker 1: million dollars, in a six million dollar house in a 189 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:19,160 Speaker 1: violent city where crime is way up, and that they 190 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 1: don't have any security. I mean, listen, you know, any 191 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:26,520 Speaker 1: normal dad who has a ring alarm has better security 192 00:09:26,559 --> 00:09:30,080 Speaker 1: apparently than these people. So that's a little odd. There's 193 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 1: no security camera footage, you know, allegedly, you know, the 194 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:37,640 Speaker 1: sliding glass door was broken or at least at some part. Yeah, 195 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:40,000 Speaker 1: there were pictures of that, right, And it's like, well, 196 00:09:40,040 --> 00:09:42,040 Speaker 1: you know, if you break my door, same thing. Like 197 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:44,200 Speaker 1: I'm just a guy who can order stuff on Amazon, 198 00:09:44,400 --> 00:09:46,240 Speaker 1: Like that's going to dispatch a nine one one call, 199 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:49,520 Speaker 1: So how exactly does that work? So anyway, I remain 200 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: incredulous and really like stunned that it's even possible for 201 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:56,280 Speaker 1: like a violent break in or something like this to 202 00:09:56,360 --> 00:09:59,800 Speaker 1: happen to people who have extraordinary high net worth and 203 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:02,720 Speaker 1: in line to the presidency, although I guess you should 204 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 1: generally always bet on incompetence in some of these situations. 205 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,120 Speaker 1: In terms of the reports, look again, I mean I'm 206 00:10:08,160 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 1: sympathetic and you know, and stuff coming out on this, 207 00:10:11,120 --> 00:10:14,160 Speaker 1: I was like, this whole thing just doesn't add up. However, 208 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:18,880 Speaker 1: according to the police, and that's a very strong caveat. 209 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:21,200 Speaker 1: You know, many of these things are no longer there, 210 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:23,280 Speaker 1: I think, And you brought this up this morning. At 211 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:25,160 Speaker 1: the end of the day, the body camera footage actually 212 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:27,120 Speaker 1: will tell us a lot. It'll tell us everything, you know, 213 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 1: exactly whether that details true. Did he start attacking when 214 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:31,920 Speaker 1: they got there, do you attack him before? What the 215 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:34,240 Speaker 1: position they found themselves in? Who broke the door? Some 216 00:10:34,240 --> 00:10:36,320 Speaker 1: people said the police broke the door. Some people said 217 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:38,720 Speaker 1: that it was David Depopp that broke the door. Also, 218 00:10:38,840 --> 00:10:41,360 Speaker 1: questions remain about mister Tipop himself we're about to get to, 219 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:45,800 Speaker 1: as well as his own like craziness and mental conspiracy 220 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 1: combined with obviously a pension for going down internet rabbit holes. 221 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:53,040 Speaker 1: Put that together, I think it's a sad attack. I mean, 222 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:54,520 Speaker 1: at the end of the day, look, I don't wish 223 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:56,800 Speaker 1: the man ill. He's eighty one years old. That's a 224 00:10:56,840 --> 00:10:59,040 Speaker 1: tough time to get attacked with the hammer and have 225 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:01,800 Speaker 1: to recover the hospital, I would say, so, I would say, 226 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:07,000 Speaker 1: I mean, the just derangement of attacking an eighty year 227 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 1: old man with a hammer is I mean it really, 228 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:14,319 Speaker 1: it really is. And you know, it's not uncommon for 229 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:16,760 Speaker 1: in the wake of any of these sorts of events, 230 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:19,840 Speaker 1: whether it's a shooting or a crime or an attack 231 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:21,959 Speaker 1: like this, for some of the details to be a 232 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 1: little garbled in the beginning, right, And so probably the 233 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 1: most likely explanation for why some of these pieces were 234 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:31,559 Speaker 1: kind of head scratching is that Listen again, I remain 235 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:33,920 Speaker 1: open to the idea if the body camera footage comes 236 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 1: out and it shows some other things were going on, 237 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:38,719 Speaker 1: I wouldn't be shocked by that. But to me at 238 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:42,720 Speaker 1: this point, Okham's raiser of what likely happened is that they, 239 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:45,560 Speaker 1: you know, let their guard down with security, which is 240 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 1: hard to hard to wrap your head around, but certainly possible. Nancy, 241 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:53,400 Speaker 1: I guess, was out of town, so the secret service 242 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:57,079 Speaker 1: detail that normally accompanies her wouldn't have been present, and 243 00:11:57,400 --> 00:12:00,680 Speaker 1: that this dude, you know, was the toxic comedy of 244 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:04,800 Speaker 1: like derangementally ill and then fueled by these right wing 245 00:12:04,880 --> 00:12:08,199 Speaker 1: conspiracy theories. And we also should say, like there's an 246 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:11,960 Speaker 1: incentive part of the people who were propagating these conspiracy 247 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:14,200 Speaker 1: theories and really latched onto them, Well, it's because they 248 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:17,720 Speaker 1: don't want to acknowledge that any of the ideological parts 249 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:20,800 Speaker 1: that came from the right may have had anything to 250 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:23,200 Speaker 1: do with this attack. The thing that always drives me 251 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:26,480 Speaker 1: crazy about these incidents and we have just like you know, 252 00:12:26,559 --> 00:12:28,600 Speaker 1: every time, it's the same thing, everybody goes to the 253 00:12:28,600 --> 00:12:32,360 Speaker 1: internet looks at what their social media history is. This 254 00:12:32,400 --> 00:12:35,719 Speaker 1: guy was a prolific writer. He previously had been more 255 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:39,000 Speaker 1: of like you know, sort of left wing fringe lunatics. 256 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:42,080 Speaker 1: Seems to have made a change. Apparently reportedly gamer Gate 257 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:44,720 Speaker 1: shifted him to the right. Now. He was all in 258 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:48,040 Speaker 1: on QAnon. He wanted Trump to pick Tulci Gabbard as 259 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:52,040 Speaker 1: his vice presidential nominee. He was into, you know, the 260 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:55,680 Speaker 1: obsession with like the pedophilia that comes out of q 261 00:12:55,800 --> 00:12:58,200 Speaker 1: and on the Epstein' stuff certainly is true, but there 262 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:00,800 Speaker 1: are parts of that they think that politicians or like 263 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:02,920 Speaker 1: eating babies and all this sort of stuff. He went 264 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:06,360 Speaker 1: down every internet rabbit hole. You combined that with the 265 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:08,840 Speaker 1: mental illness, and I think that seems like the most 266 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:11,280 Speaker 1: likely explanation for what ultimately happened here. I mean, we 267 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:15,040 Speaker 1: have some of the details about what exactly he was writing. 268 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:17,320 Speaker 1: Let's go and put this next up on the screen. 269 00:13:18,240 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 1: They haven't been able to totally verify that these writings 270 00:13:21,480 --> 00:13:23,439 Speaker 1: were him, but he seems to be the only person 271 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:26,360 Speaker 1: by this name living in California. It seems like it 272 00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:29,760 Speaker 1: goes back to him. You know, he was in on 273 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:32,760 Speaker 1: like anti Semitic conspiracy theories suggesting there had been no 274 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:36,800 Speaker 1: mass gassing of prisoners at Auschwitz. He reposted a video 275 00:13:36,880 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 1: lecture defending Adolf Hitler. Like I said before, he was 276 00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 1: you know, picking vice presidential candidates for Donald Trump. He 277 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:48,079 Speaker 1: also had those things that weren't political at all. Things, 278 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:50,680 Speaker 1: you know, he was like imagining there were fairies that 279 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:55,200 Speaker 1: he had produced using an artificial intelligence imaging system. He 280 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:59,920 Speaker 1: was tracking culture war issues, talking about Alex Jones's one 281 00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:04,800 Speaker 1: million dollar defamation judgments. So those are the sorts of 282 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:08,320 Speaker 1: you know, political content that he was apparently interested in. 283 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: And then of course the report from the scene is 284 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:12,520 Speaker 1: that he was saying, where's Nancy, and that's why people 285 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:19,160 Speaker 1: are drawing this conclusion that his ideology connected to the attack, 286 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 1: although we should be clear the police haven't said that 287 00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:24,080 Speaker 1: they have They have not asserted a motive yet, so 288 00:14:24,120 --> 00:14:25,560 Speaker 1: I think that's important to well. I mean, look, I 289 00:14:25,600 --> 00:14:28,400 Speaker 1: mean does it is the motive belied by the fact 290 00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:30,680 Speaker 1: that she's a speaker. Of course, it has to be 291 00:14:30,760 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 1: part of the reason from what we've seen right now. 292 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:34,280 Speaker 1: I mean, look, it's also San Francisco. It's not a 293 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:36,280 Speaker 1: crazy idea to have a crazy person breaking your house 294 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: as almost drug. Yeah, but when you're running around with 295 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:39,920 Speaker 1: a hammer and these kind of post things and you're saying, 296 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:42,120 Speaker 1: where's Nancy, I mean, there's pretty logical and you put 297 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 1: it together. Yeah, I think so. I mean, just in general, 298 00:14:44,920 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: this like disgusting dash by everybody to go and see 299 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:49,840 Speaker 1: like what somebody used to watch and blame it on 300 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:51,920 Speaker 1: that person as to their motive for the attack. I 301 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:55,440 Speaker 1: generally think is insane. Like, you know, look, people are 302 00:14:55,440 --> 00:14:57,240 Speaker 1: crazy in this country. There's like three hundred and thirty 303 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:00,200 Speaker 1: million people. Like it's not always about ideology. It's Noternie 304 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:02,560 Speaker 1: Sanders fault that James Hodgkinson like shot up a bunch 305 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 1: of congressman just because he happens like Bernie, Like it 306 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:07,560 Speaker 1: reminds us, it reminds me, it reminds me of the 307 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:10,520 Speaker 1: Gabby Giffords, Yeah, shooting, where this guy there was an 308 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:14,960 Speaker 1: ideological component combined with mental illness, and you know, all 309 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:17,760 Speaker 1: of these things, like there's there's a real human desire 310 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:21,200 Speaker 1: to understand how someone could do this thing. And the 311 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:24,800 Speaker 1: truth of the matter is, you're never really gonna get 312 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 1: what leads a person to attack an eighty year old 313 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:31,040 Speaker 1: man with a hammer, Like you're never really going to 314 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:33,120 Speaker 1: be able to wrap your head around it. Now, some 315 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:36,480 Speaker 1: of these attacks that we've seen were much work, like 316 00:15:36,560 --> 00:15:39,480 Speaker 1: clearly ideolized. They write a whole manifesto and they lay 317 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:42,240 Speaker 1: out like I'm a white supremacist and I want to 318 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:46,120 Speaker 1: start a race war, and mental illness may be a 319 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:49,120 Speaker 1: factor there, but it's actually less of a factor than 320 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:52,240 Speaker 1: they've convinced themselves that there are some like warrior for 321 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:56,320 Speaker 1: their race or whatever ideological nonsense that they've fed themselves on. 322 00:15:56,760 --> 00:15:59,600 Speaker 1: And then there's instances like this where you know, the 323 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:04,680 Speaker 1: mental illness combines with the ideological inclination to lead to 324 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:07,360 Speaker 1: this like hate fueled attack and that you really can't 325 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:10,480 Speaker 1: separate the two, and it sort of irritates me when 326 00:16:10,800 --> 00:16:14,880 Speaker 1: people want to latch onto just exclusively one explanation or 327 00:16:14,920 --> 00:16:18,160 Speaker 1: the other because it's convenient for whatever their particular hobbyhorse 328 00:16:18,200 --> 00:16:21,880 Speaker 1: or narrative. Ultimately is Elon Musk taking control of Twitter. 329 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 1: Let's put this up there on the screen. Lots of 330 00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:26,440 Speaker 1: questions originally about content moderation. I thought it was kind 331 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:28,520 Speaker 1: of hilarious that one of the very first things that 332 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:30,880 Speaker 1: he announces is that Twitter will be forming a content 333 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:34,640 Speaker 1: moderation council with widely diverse viewpoints. No major content decisions 334 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:38,600 Speaker 1: or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes, So 335 00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:41,640 Speaker 1: essentially Elon takes control of Twitter and then institutes Crystal, 336 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:45,480 Speaker 1: the exact same policy that Mark Zuckerberg has over at 337 00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:49,400 Speaker 1: Facebook by picking it to some fake oversight board. I 338 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 1: guess the only redeeming thing that you could say is 339 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 1: that this oversight board might actually have ideological diversity. But 340 00:16:56,920 --> 00:16:59,880 Speaker 1: even then, you know, trying to create quasi governmental institutions 341 00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:02,840 Speaker 1: and essentially what are private companies just always seems ridiculous. 342 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:04,280 Speaker 1: At the end of the day, it's up to suck 343 00:17:04,320 --> 00:17:06,640 Speaker 1: whether Trump gets banned or not. I think you know, look, 344 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:08,159 Speaker 1: I'm not saying it should be this way, but I 345 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:10,560 Speaker 1: was saying, under current law and all this, stop trying 346 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:13,359 Speaker 1: to insulate yourself. You bought the platform, you own it. 347 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:15,760 Speaker 1: Now you have to own all the problems. You know. 348 00:17:15,800 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 1: There's an interesting story Bob Iger, who is a chairman 349 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:22,240 Speaker 1: of Disney. Back in like twenty seventeen, Disney almost bought Twitter. 350 00:17:22,240 --> 00:17:24,480 Speaker 1: They were at like near the closing oh final yeah, 351 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:27,440 Speaker 1: and at the last minute Iiger just called him Jack Dors. 352 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:28,879 Speaker 1: He's like, you know what, I just don't want to 353 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 1: deal with this because what he realized is that this 354 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:35,640 Speaker 1: one billion dollar business would become a massive headache for him, 355 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:38,679 Speaker 1: that he would have to litigate what gets banned and 356 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:41,560 Speaker 1: what doesn't, and content moderation, which would then go on 357 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:43,639 Speaker 1: to effect the overall you know, that could then have 358 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 1: spillover effects on people boycotting the Lion King. And he 359 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:48,919 Speaker 1: was like, you know what, and he was right. I 360 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:51,160 Speaker 1: thought he made the right call. So anyway, the point 361 00:17:51,200 --> 00:17:53,000 Speaker 1: is is that at the end of the day, this 362 00:17:53,119 --> 00:17:56,479 Speaker 1: is always going to remain complicated. Now news out of 363 00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:59,680 Speaker 1: the actual newsroom itself, let's put this up there, which 364 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:01,879 Speaker 1: is that Elon has said to have ordered job cuts 365 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:05,200 Speaker 1: across Twitter. It's actually unclear the level. You know, Originally 366 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 1: some had said there were going to be seventy five 367 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:09,920 Speaker 1: percent layoffs are going to be beginning pretty much as 368 00:18:09,920 --> 00:18:13,800 Speaker 1: soon as possible, rumors obviously going around. The fact of 369 00:18:13,800 --> 00:18:15,919 Speaker 1: the matter was whether Elon took it over or not. 370 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:18,679 Speaker 1: A lot of people were getting fired at Twitter, regardless, 371 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:20,880 Speaker 1: that was based on that leaked document that came out. 372 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:24,119 Speaker 1: Paragagawall essentially had no choice either, given the state of 373 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:28,320 Speaker 1: their business. Advertising rates are going to record lows. It 374 00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:30,840 Speaker 1: was funny, you know, whenever he went ahead and fired 375 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:33,960 Speaker 1: the CEO, Agar Walla and Vijaiyagade, who you know, I've 376 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:37,720 Speaker 1: had my own issues and troubles with here on the show. Well, 377 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:40,640 Speaker 1: it turns out that originally they were set to have 378 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:44,280 Speaker 1: these massive severance packages to the tune of over one 379 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:47,800 Speaker 1: hundred million dollars total. However, let's put this up there. 380 00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:52,240 Speaker 1: Apparently Elon fired them, not just not he didn't fire 381 00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:53,960 Speaker 1: them in the way that they would have had to 382 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:56,480 Speaker 1: to get their pay their severance packages. He fired them 383 00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:01,080 Speaker 1: quote for cause, which legally gives him some ground to 384 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:03,520 Speaker 1: argue that he doesn't then need to pay them out 385 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:06,199 Speaker 1: nearly one hundred million dollars in severance get to the 386 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:08,760 Speaker 1: total group. They don't get their little golden parachutes. But 387 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:10,920 Speaker 1: don't worry everyone, It's not like they hadn't been getting 388 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:15,040 Speaker 1: paid fantastically well. Va Jayagade, the chief censor, who you 389 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:17,760 Speaker 1: know everyone can remember from the Joe Rogan podcast. She 390 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:20,760 Speaker 1: was getting paid like seventeen million dollars a year. Agarwalla 391 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:24,240 Speaker 1: himself also multimillionaire many times over. So all these people 392 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:25,919 Speaker 1: are fine. I do not cry for them. For the 393 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:29,680 Speaker 1: lowly engineers, I feel somewhat bad. However, really what we're 394 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:31,640 Speaker 1: seeing is that a they were probably going to lose 395 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:34,240 Speaker 1: their job anyway, but this morning really only in the 396 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:36,320 Speaker 1: last twenty four hours, some interesting news is broken and 397 00:19:36,359 --> 00:19:38,560 Speaker 1: we don't have an element for And I'm curious your 398 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:41,320 Speaker 1: thoughts on this, which is that at the very least, 399 00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:46,480 Speaker 1: they are considering charging verified users for ninety nine a 400 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:51,080 Speaker 1: month basically to keep access to their verified badge. One 401 00:19:51,359 --> 00:19:54,160 Speaker 1: report from the Verge this morning is they are considering 402 00:19:54,440 --> 00:19:57,600 Speaker 1: twenty dollars a month to charge It is a lot. 403 00:19:57,720 --> 00:20:01,800 Speaker 1: What four hundred thousand users something like that. Oh, I 404 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:03,320 Speaker 1: think it's more than that. It's a lot more than 405 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:06,440 Speaker 1: four hundred thousand verified days. I think it might even 406 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:09,040 Speaker 1: honestly be like over a million. Anyway. So the point 407 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:11,280 Speaker 1: is is that why why would they consider that? I 408 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:13,960 Speaker 1: actually think it's a very elegant solution which gets at 409 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:17,359 Speaker 1: what is the actual value of Twitter. On many other 410 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: social media platforms, Instagram, others, there is I think a 411 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:23,440 Speaker 1: decent case for somebody who doesn't have a real following 412 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:25,400 Speaker 1: to make them you know, I had an Instagram account 413 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:27,720 Speaker 1: far before or whatever in this job, you know, in 414 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:30,520 Speaker 1: order to keep up with friends. Same with Facebook, same 415 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:34,240 Speaker 1: with even TikTok. To a certain extent, On Twitter, the 416 00:20:34,359 --> 00:20:37,919 Speaker 1: value creation is amongst those like one percent of users 417 00:20:37,960 --> 00:20:40,760 Speaker 1: who tweet all the time, right, and then everybody follows 418 00:20:40,960 --> 00:20:44,400 Speaker 1: those people for information. Well, then the value to accounts 419 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:46,800 Speaker 1: like your mind, which has hundreds of thousands of followers, 420 00:20:47,040 --> 00:20:50,640 Speaker 1: would be the access to this audience. You know, at 421 00:20:50,640 --> 00:20:52,880 Speaker 1: this point, what do we really use Twitter? What real 422 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:55,440 Speaker 1: value does Twitter have for us? Frankly, not that much 423 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:59,560 Speaker 1: beyond you know, getting myself in trouble, but at best, 424 00:20:59,680 --> 00:21:03,199 Speaker 1: what is an efficient way for me or you to 425 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:07,879 Speaker 1: promote breaking points, our live shows and announcement. Right, So 426 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:10,960 Speaker 1: the value creation there is like we use their platform 427 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:12,639 Speaker 1: to have accessed all these people. It used to be 428 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:15,400 Speaker 1: they would place ads, but now really what it would 429 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:16,919 Speaker 1: be is like, no, we're going to have to charge you. 430 00:21:16,960 --> 00:21:19,879 Speaker 1: Like any enterprise software, essentially you had a need to 431 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:22,960 Speaker 1: pay us to have that priority access to your people. 432 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:24,680 Speaker 1: First of all, it is actually only three hundred and 433 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:28,160 Speaker 1: sixty thousand. Oh they're verified. Only about zero point two 434 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:32,640 Speaker 1: percent they say, of Twitter's monetizable daily active users are verified. 435 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:35,160 Speaker 1: So at least in terms of active users, only three 436 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:37,840 Speaker 1: innerd sixty thousand accounts are verified. This is according to 437 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:40,399 Speaker 1: c net is where I'm getting this information, so it's 438 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:44,520 Speaker 1: a smaller number than I would have expected as well, millions. 439 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:46,640 Speaker 1: There's a lot to say about this. First of all, 440 00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:50,480 Speaker 1: at this point, my main value that I get on 441 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:53,640 Speaker 1: a Twitter isn't even from my own tweeting or promotion 442 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:57,600 Speaker 1: of what we do. It's more from just being able 443 00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:02,960 Speaker 1: to source stories. Yeah, and take a pulse of what 444 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:07,000 Speaker 1: at least the super online people are obsessing over. You know, 445 00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:09,560 Speaker 1: it can be useful to see, like what the topics 446 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:12,960 Speaker 1: of conversation are see what other smart people are saying 447 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:16,800 Speaker 1: about various issues. It's actually very helpful with breaking news 448 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:19,560 Speaker 1: because you get information faster on Twitter than you do 449 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:22,159 Speaker 1: on other platforms. None of that actually has to do 450 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:24,480 Speaker 1: with me having a blue check by my name, like 451 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:26,760 Speaker 1: that I can all get access to without having the 452 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:31,000 Speaker 1: blue check mark. So that's one piece. Bigger picture. What 453 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 1: I've been thinking about is the fact that you know, 454 00:22:32,840 --> 00:22:36,720 Speaker 1: last weekend, I think Ryan and Emily covered this. Immediately 455 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:39,560 Speaker 1: after Elon buys Twitter and he's had all this rhetoric 456 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 1: about free speech, et cetera, he immediately puts out this 457 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:44,359 Speaker 1: like letter to advertisers is basically like, no, no, no, 458 00:22:44,400 --> 00:22:46,040 Speaker 1: I'm really not going to change. It's going to be fine. 459 00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:47,800 Speaker 1: You can still advertise here. It's still going to be 460 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:51,480 Speaker 1: all good. Which was a reminder to me that you know, ultimately, 461 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:54,600 Speaker 1: if you're trying to turn a profit, the business is 462 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:57,159 Speaker 1: structured in a certain way, has certain incentives, like the 463 00:22:57,240 --> 00:23:00,480 Speaker 1: content moderation policy that comes out of these plays platforms. 464 00:23:00,520 --> 00:23:02,960 Speaker 1: It doesn't just like fall from the ether or even 465 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:05,840 Speaker 1: from the whims of these individual billionaires who you know, 466 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:09,080 Speaker 1: ultimately they have the decision making power, but it comes 467 00:23:09,119 --> 00:23:12,000 Speaker 1: out of the business model and the incentives that are 468 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:16,760 Speaker 1: inherent to that business model. Advertisers are worried about, just 469 00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:19,280 Speaker 1: like on YouTube when they had apocalypse, about like having 470 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:24,360 Speaker 1: their add place next to some crazy like conspiracy theorists 471 00:23:24,440 --> 00:23:28,240 Speaker 1: or white nationalist or whatever. And so that leads these 472 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:33,280 Speaker 1: platforms to be more cautious and more censorious than they 473 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:36,959 Speaker 1: should be if your real concern wasn't profit, but it 474 00:23:37,119 --> 00:23:41,920 Speaker 1: was the functioning of a healthy and vibrant society and democracy, 475 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:44,280 Speaker 1: those two things are sort of always going to be 476 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:46,320 Speaker 1: at odds and attention, and so to me, when I 477 00:23:46,359 --> 00:23:49,560 Speaker 1: saw Elon immediately put out this like letter to advertisers, 478 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:51,959 Speaker 1: it was just a reminder of the fact that like, 479 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:55,040 Speaker 1: the business model is what it is, and as long 480 00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:56,720 Speaker 1: as it's in the business of being you know, a 481 00:23:56,760 --> 00:24:00,199 Speaker 1: public company and caring first and foremost about profit, you 482 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: probably only expect so much of a change to what 483 00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:06,639 Speaker 1: the content moderation policies are, which is why you know, 484 00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:09,119 Speaker 1: the model of having all of our are sort of 485 00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:11,040 Speaker 1: like he calls it, the digital town square. I think 486 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:14,040 Speaker 1: it's absolutely right about that, subject to the whims of 487 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:17,080 Speaker 1: profit versus making decisions about what would be best for 488 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:19,480 Speaker 1: the country. Why that is always going to lead to 489 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:21,600 Speaker 1: an inferior outcome no matter who is in charge. I 490 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:23,720 Speaker 1: totally agree, which is part of why I would want 491 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:26,160 Speaker 1: some sort of recurring revenue. That being said, right, still 492 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:28,480 Speaker 1: not that hard. So I just went ahead and did 493 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:30,560 Speaker 1: you know some like back of the napkin math, like 494 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,400 Speaker 1: even three hundred and sixty thou at twenty you're only 495 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:35,840 Speaker 1: talking about and I know this sounds silly, hundreds of millions, 496 00:24:35,840 --> 00:24:38,199 Speaker 1: but like that's not enough in order to right just 497 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:41,679 Speaker 1: by a forty four billion dollar purchase. And you're right 498 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:44,800 Speaker 1: that the way. So if you wanted to have different 499 00:24:44,840 --> 00:24:48,119 Speaker 1: incentives and not end up with basically the same content 500 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:50,680 Speaker 1: moderation policy with maybe a few tweaks around the edges 501 00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:52,760 Speaker 1: you let Trump back on or you let Kanye back 502 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:56,160 Speaker 1: on or whatever, you would have to change the business model. 503 00:24:56,359 --> 00:24:57,840 Speaker 1: You would have to make it. I mean, these are 504 00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:00,320 Speaker 1: things we thought about a lot when we set up this, 505 00:25:00,720 --> 00:25:03,560 Speaker 1: and it is analogous in a lot of ways. You 506 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:07,119 Speaker 1: have to have it your revenue dependent on something else, 507 00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:10,120 Speaker 1: Like if you had people who were willing to pay 508 00:25:10,119 --> 00:25:12,159 Speaker 1: for the service and they're more interested in the quality 509 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:14,399 Speaker 1: of the service than like whether advertisers are going to 510 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:17,159 Speaker 1: be comfortable. Well, that changes the incentives, and it might 511 00:25:17,280 --> 00:25:21,359 Speaker 1: ultimately change what the content moderation policy is. That makes sense, 512 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:24,600 Speaker 1: So I don't think that, you know, charging people for 513 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:27,080 Speaker 1: the blue check mark is probably sufficient to really change 514 00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:30,399 Speaker 1: what the ultimate incentives are. But moving in that direction, 515 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:33,600 Speaker 1: it would also really change if you leaned into it 516 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:36,600 Speaker 1: being a like paid subscription service. I mean, that would 517 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:38,879 Speaker 1: really change what Twitter ultimately. I think it would have 518 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:41,240 Speaker 1: to be enterprise change. So it's free for most people, 519 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:42,840 Speaker 1: but you charge. Here's the other thing. It'd be a 520 00:25:42,880 --> 00:25:45,640 Speaker 1: very elegant solution. Ap and Reuter's all right, you guys 521 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:47,080 Speaker 1: need to pay. You need to pay a hell of 522 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:49,400 Speaker 1: a lot of money now in order to distribute guess 523 00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:51,480 Speaker 1: what I think they would pay it. I really knew. 524 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:53,560 Speaker 1: I mean, at the end of the day, that's where 525 00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:55,560 Speaker 1: the people are, that's where people go for news. It's 526 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:58,639 Speaker 1: basically the best news platform that has ever existed on 527 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:01,280 Speaker 1: planet Earth. Charge them the hell of a lot of money, yeah, 528 00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 1: to do it? Dare them? I mean, honestly, I think 529 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,800 Speaker 1: they fold and they pay. They could pay frankly millions 530 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:10,360 Speaker 1: of dollars in order to do so. Just because they understand. However, 531 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:14,240 Speaker 1: some of the value is based on everybody being there. 532 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:17,000 Speaker 1: But I think the flaw from the beginning was that 533 00:26:17,119 --> 00:26:18,440 Speaker 1: at the end of the day, you know, the vast 534 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:20,440 Speaker 1: majority people like us, you know, in the top one 535 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:23,040 Speaker 1: percent or whatever of Twitter users, both from a posting 536 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:25,640 Speaker 1: and a follower perspective, like we are creating the vast 537 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:29,080 Speaker 1: majority the quote value onset platform, even though whatever value 538 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:31,119 Speaker 1: is for us, clearly people don't follow us for no 539 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:33,960 Speaker 1: reason right for some reason that they're doing well that's 540 00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:36,520 Speaker 1: worth something to us. I think it's an elegant solution 541 00:26:36,760 --> 00:26:39,239 Speaker 1: to try and put a dollar amount on that. I 542 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:41,880 Speaker 1: like where their head is at at least from that example, 543 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,800 Speaker 1: because as you and I have found out, a subscription 544 00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: business is anti fragile in many ways. It doesn't matter, 545 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:50,440 Speaker 1: you know, as cancelations are what they are, but relative 546 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:53,520 Speaker 1: churn is not that out low, and you have money 547 00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:55,680 Speaker 1: coming in through the door. If you lock it into 548 00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:59,040 Speaker 1: a certain extent, it's much more reliable. Some of the 549 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:01,840 Speaker 1: most you know why you think software as a service 550 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:05,160 Speaker 1: businesses are worth many, many multiples over that. That's why 551 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:10,560 Speaker 1: advertising platforms really only work at a tremendous scale which 552 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:15,159 Speaker 1: is essentially monopoly Google, Facebook, you know, even Snapchat to 553 00:27:15,200 --> 00:27:18,240 Speaker 1: a certain extent. You can see like they may be booming, 554 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:20,399 Speaker 1: but if ad rates go down by forty percent, your 555 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,159 Speaker 1: stock goes off of a cliff. Anyway, I'm mostly just 556 00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:26,080 Speaker 1: musing here. I think it's interesting, you know, full disclover. 557 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:27,840 Speaker 1: I know some of the people who were involved in 558 00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:30,040 Speaker 1: making these decisions. I haven't spoken to them about it 559 00:27:30,119 --> 00:27:31,600 Speaker 1: or whatever, but I don't want anybody to think I'm 560 00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:34,120 Speaker 1: chilling on behalf of my friends. It does make sense though, 561 00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:37,040 Speaker 1: that we all kind of think about things similarly. So Yeah, 562 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:39,840 Speaker 1: and I guess it's also worth saying. Remember they tried 563 00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:42,119 Speaker 1: that thing of like what are they Twitter blue the 564 00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:46,399 Speaker 1: power user of the super follow like a tipping function. Yeah, 565 00:27:46,440 --> 00:27:48,560 Speaker 1: where it's like or you can pay to get like 566 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:51,440 Speaker 1: special tweets from the people you really care that didn't 567 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:53,800 Speaker 1: really that didn't panis not enough value. You got to 568 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:55,520 Speaker 1: get something real. I mean, you and I see this, 569 00:27:55,560 --> 00:27:57,679 Speaker 1: which is that like our premium subs in terms of 570 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:00,520 Speaker 1: the way that we charge, like a you're paying support 571 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:02,800 Speaker 1: our work. Number one at the court. You have to 572 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:04,680 Speaker 1: believe in the mission. That's what you're doing and we're 573 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 1: actually far more upfront than most people. We're like, here, 574 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:09,000 Speaker 1: here's what your money is getting spent on. You know, 575 00:28:09,040 --> 00:28:12,320 Speaker 1: we did our one year anniversary thing where we were like, hey, everybody, 576 00:28:12,359 --> 00:28:14,320 Speaker 1: here's what we say. Here's cameras that we bought. Here's 577 00:28:14,359 --> 00:28:16,520 Speaker 1: the people though, here's exactly how much money that we 578 00:28:16,560 --> 00:28:19,120 Speaker 1: doled out on X, Y and Z. Nice desk they're 579 00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:22,560 Speaker 1: sitting here. The point being that we had I think 580 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:25,119 Speaker 1: of much more explicit value. And then most people were like, hey, 581 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:27,080 Speaker 1: if you just like my work, throw us something in 582 00:28:27,119 --> 00:28:28,760 Speaker 1: our experience. You can't do that. You have to be 583 00:28:28,880 --> 00:28:31,399 Speaker 1: very upfront and really give people your reason as to 584 00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:33,440 Speaker 1: what they're doing and why and what they want to 585 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 1: buy into. Right and also you premium subscribers can tell 586 00:28:37,359 --> 00:28:39,760 Speaker 1: us that we're wrong, but you know, it seems like 587 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:42,719 Speaker 1: what people are really paying for is their belief in 588 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:45,240 Speaker 1: what you're doing. I mean, we do a lot to 589 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:49,920 Speaker 1: make sure the premium experience is you know, it's ad free, 590 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:52,240 Speaker 1: you get it early. We do the AMA like, we 591 00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:54,840 Speaker 1: do a lot to make it special and give you perks. 592 00:28:54,840 --> 00:28:57,840 Speaker 1: But I think at core people are just are paying 593 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,160 Speaker 1: for We support the project and we want to be 594 00:29:00,200 --> 00:29:02,840 Speaker 1: part of building it together, so there isn't quite an 595 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:05,800 Speaker 1: analogous thing going on on Twitter. And then there's the 596 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:09,920 Speaker 1: other piece of like you know, we get our content 597 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:13,360 Speaker 1: on YouTube is monetized through their ad revenn content on 598 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:18,280 Speaker 1: the podcasting platforms is monetized in a similar way through 599 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:21,960 Speaker 1: like arm's length ad revenue there as well. But we also, 600 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:25,880 Speaker 1: obviously our primary goal isn't can we how much profit 601 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:28,000 Speaker 1: can we stick out of our audience? Whereas if you're 602 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 1: a public company, that's definitely going to be your thing. 603 00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:33,640 Speaker 1: So even if you have enough subscription revenue where you 604 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:36,240 Speaker 1: don't you know, it's a good profitable business without even 605 00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:39,000 Speaker 1: really worrying about the advertisers, they're still going to worry 606 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:41,160 Speaker 1: about the advertisers because they want to be able to 607 00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:43,840 Speaker 1: juice it as much as possible. So anyway, I don't 608 00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:46,440 Speaker 1: an nv Elung's task at this point. I think he 609 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:49,880 Speaker 1: stepped into quite a complex and difficult situation, both from 610 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:53,680 Speaker 1: a business perspective and also trying to square his purported 611 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:57,120 Speaker 1: stated values with you know, the reality of what you 612 00:29:57,160 --> 00:29:59,240 Speaker 1: have to do when you run any of these platforms, 613 00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:01,080 Speaker 1: and you know, bottom line, I don't think we should 614 00:30:01,120 --> 00:30:04,240 Speaker 1: be counting on Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg or any 615 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:07,640 Speaker 1: other plutocrat for our quote unquote free speech, because as 616 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:09,760 Speaker 1: our friend Aggor told me, like, how free is your 617 00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:12,040 Speaker 1: speech when you're dependent on a billionaire for it? Not 618 00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:17,120 Speaker 1: very free? Ultimately, so joining us now in studio, we 619 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:19,720 Speaker 1: have our great friend Ken Klippenstein, who is an investigative 620 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:22,280 Speaker 1: reporter for the Intercept. Great to see in my friend. 621 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:24,560 Speaker 1: Great to be with you. Guys. You got a big 622 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:27,440 Speaker 1: old scoop this morning, a lot to unpack here, and 623 00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:30,040 Speaker 1: it's quite explosive. Actually, let's go ahead and put the 624 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:32,200 Speaker 1: element we have up on the screen. The article does 625 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:35,400 Speaker 1: out this morning is titled truth Cops Leaked documents outlined 626 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:38,560 Speaker 1: DHS's plans to police did some information. Some of the 627 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:41,560 Speaker 1: key takeaways here that you have Ken are that even 628 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:45,520 Speaker 1: though DHS said that they shuddered their quote unquote Disinformation 629 00:30:45,640 --> 00:30:49,680 Speaker 1: Governance Board, what you have found is that underlying work 630 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:52,600 Speaker 1: is still going on. You also found some of the 631 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:56,960 Speaker 1: specifics about what they're targeting here on the origins of 632 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:01,840 Speaker 1: COVID nineteen, efficacy of COVID nineteen, vaccine, racial justice, US 633 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:05,440 Speaker 1: withdrawal from Afghanistan, and also the nature of US support 634 00:31:05,760 --> 00:31:09,719 Speaker 1: to Ukraine. So just to start with, what are your 635 00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:12,520 Speaker 1: sources here? What's the information that you were able to 636 00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:15,320 Speaker 1: gather and give us the big picture of what the 637 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:17,120 Speaker 1: government is up to here. Yeah, so this came from 638 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:20,960 Speaker 1: sources that I have within DHS, FBI, and also court 639 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:24,200 Speaker 1: records that are coming out from an investigation by I 640 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:27,000 Speaker 1: think it was the Missouri Attorney General looking at these 641 00:31:27,000 --> 00:31:28,840 Speaker 1: things and under discovery they're able to release some of 642 00:31:28,920 --> 00:31:31,880 Speaker 1: the primary source documents that they're getting and then just 643 00:31:32,040 --> 00:31:35,480 Speaker 1: you know, the kind of big strategy assessments that they 644 00:31:35,480 --> 00:31:37,160 Speaker 1: tend to put out that nobody reads because so much 645 00:31:37,160 --> 00:31:39,160 Speaker 1: of it is so boring. But if you can, you know, 646 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:40,800 Speaker 1: stay awake for long enough, you can find some really 647 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:43,760 Speaker 1: interesting details in them. Interesting. Okay, So talk to us 648 00:31:43,760 --> 00:31:46,720 Speaker 1: about this portal. You said that Facebook has created a 649 00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:51,680 Speaker 1: special portal for DHS and government partners to report disinformation directly. 650 00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:55,400 Speaker 1: Do we have an indication that's still in existence? Like 651 00:31:55,480 --> 00:31:58,200 Speaker 1: the takeaway from me from the story was they fired 652 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:01,120 Speaker 1: you know, the Nina Jankow witch lady, but they essentially 653 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:03,560 Speaker 1: just renamed it and are keeping the entire project alive 654 00:32:03,600 --> 00:32:06,720 Speaker 1: and actually keeping it going even far past that Yeah, 655 00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:08,520 Speaker 1: that was essentially my interest in doing this story is 656 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:11,040 Speaker 1: I saw this huge end zone dance on the part 657 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:14,760 Speaker 1: of you know, civil libertarian types that the Disinformation Governance Board, 658 00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:16,600 Speaker 1: you know, very willing and title that people can get 659 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:19,360 Speaker 1: around and see how you know, crazy, this is celebrating 660 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:22,160 Speaker 1: that it was shut down, and I very quickly, almost instantly, 661 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:25,320 Speaker 1: was hearing from sources within DHS that that's not the case, 662 00:32:25,440 --> 00:32:28,760 Speaker 1: like that that Disinformation Government's Board was an attempt to 663 00:32:28,840 --> 00:32:32,520 Speaker 1: sort of centralize informalize at a leadership and headquarters level 664 00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:34,160 Speaker 1: what was going on, but that was still going on 665 00:32:34,240 --> 00:32:36,640 Speaker 1: at the component level of all of the different child 666 00:32:36,680 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 1: agencies that are within DHS. So this story is an 667 00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:41,520 Speaker 1: attempt to try to sketch out Okay, so what does 668 00:32:41,560 --> 00:32:43,120 Speaker 1: that mean? What does it look like? Because there's so 669 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:46,960 Speaker 1: much speculation and sort of guessing as to what it is, 670 00:32:47,000 --> 00:32:48,719 Speaker 1: and there's very little in the way of just what 671 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:50,520 Speaker 1: are the facts of what's happening, How are they doing 672 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:52,520 Speaker 1: this and what is their authority? So lay that out 673 00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:55,040 Speaker 1: for us. How does this actually like? What are the 674 00:32:55,120 --> 00:33:01,160 Speaker 1: interactions between DHS officials and these tech plots forms, what 675 00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:05,320 Speaker 1: sorts of content are they flagging? As potentially problematic because 676 00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:07,440 Speaker 1: they have these disclaimers in their emails like of course, 677 00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:09,160 Speaker 1: we're not telling you to sense or we're just saying 678 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:11,560 Speaker 1: you might want to look into this. Give me like 679 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:14,720 Speaker 1: a specific example of how this might all unfold. Yeah, 680 00:33:14,800 --> 00:33:18,479 Speaker 1: So they've been having bi weekly meetings as recently a summer. 681 00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:20,680 Speaker 1: That's as recently as they'm able to get proof. Doesn't 682 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:22,520 Speaker 1: mean that it's not still happening. I assume it still 683 00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:28,520 Speaker 1: is between these DHS sub agencies kind of take taking 684 00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:33,959 Speaker 1: point is SISA, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, but 685 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:40,720 Speaker 1: also FBI and other agencies are meeting with these social 686 00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:45,760 Speaker 1: media companies like Twitter and Facebook, YouTube. And it's what's 687 00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:47,920 Speaker 1: interesting about it is, just like you said, their rationale 688 00:33:47,920 --> 00:33:51,200 Speaker 1: for it is, you know, we're not actually telling them 689 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:54,680 Speaker 1: what to do, we're just recommending it and suggestions. Right, 690 00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:58,680 Speaker 1: And it's so disingenuous because it's like these companies are 691 00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:01,560 Speaker 1: lobbying the federal government on different things. You think they're 692 00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:03,240 Speaker 1: not going to you think they're gonna want to alienate 693 00:34:03,280 --> 00:34:05,880 Speaker 1: the guys that they're trying very hard to ingratiate themselves 694 00:34:05,920 --> 00:34:08,160 Speaker 1: to to get certain forms of treatment. And so that's 695 00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:10,600 Speaker 1: the kind of like hands length that they try to 696 00:34:10,680 --> 00:34:12,520 Speaker 1: pull themselves at. Is it we're not mandating it, We're 697 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:14,960 Speaker 1: just recommending it. But when you look at the documents 698 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:16,879 Speaker 1: that we found, there's no indication that the social media 699 00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:19,440 Speaker 1: companies are saying, WHOA, we're not doing this, we're putting 700 00:34:19,440 --> 00:34:22,120 Speaker 1: at redline here. They've gone ahead with it. I mean, 701 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:24,400 Speaker 1: the crazy one to me is Afghanistan. Right, you know 702 00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:28,920 Speaker 1: the fact that things that are outright just politically bad 703 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:33,720 Speaker 1: for the Biden administration are being included in terms of recommendations. 704 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:37,080 Speaker 1: So do we know does anything happen as a result 705 00:34:37,080 --> 00:34:39,960 Speaker 1: of this, Like what does the data suggest did Facebook 706 00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:43,279 Speaker 1: ultimately take action? Like what do they describe the type 707 00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:45,439 Speaker 1: of aption, what is the what does the interplay look 708 00:34:45,480 --> 00:34:47,600 Speaker 1: like on behalf of the tech companies as to the 709 00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:50,439 Speaker 1: actual effect of these policies. Well, on the public side, 710 00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:52,239 Speaker 1: sometimes you're able to see when they literally just take 711 00:34:52,239 --> 00:34:54,440 Speaker 1: a post down, as they did with the under Biden 712 00:34:54,840 --> 00:34:56,719 Speaker 1: laptop story. It was some bizarre thing where it was 713 00:34:56,760 --> 00:34:58,560 Speaker 1: like they froze the posts. They didn't take it down. 714 00:34:58,760 --> 00:35:02,279 Speaker 1: It's all they're so about these things. They don't they 715 00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:04,640 Speaker 1: try to do things where they're not actually taking out. 716 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:06,000 Speaker 1: For example, I have a source in Google who is 717 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:08,080 Speaker 1: describing to me they didn't actually make it so you 718 00:35:08,120 --> 00:35:10,000 Speaker 1: can't find it. They just made it so that the 719 00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:12,680 Speaker 1: search results put it so far down out realistically you're 720 00:35:12,680 --> 00:35:14,040 Speaker 1: not going to see it. So then they say, well, 721 00:35:14,080 --> 00:35:15,960 Speaker 1: we're not actually censoring it. You can still go to it. 722 00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:18,080 Speaker 1: We're just in effect going to make it so no 723 00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:20,440 Speaker 1: one can find It's just crazier. It's just crazier than 724 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:22,520 Speaker 1: to deleting. Same with you know, same with Twitter and 725 00:35:22,560 --> 00:35:25,000 Speaker 1: these So there's always I think there is a lot 726 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:26,759 Speaker 1: of awareness on their part that we don't want to 727 00:35:26,760 --> 00:35:29,240 Speaker 1: go like so far that it's going to be completely 728 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:32,719 Speaker 1: naked and try to give ourselves some deniability in terms 729 00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:36,080 Speaker 1: of saying, you know, we're putting recommendations out there, we're 730 00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:38,320 Speaker 1: throttling traffic to it, we're not taking it down. So 731 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:41,160 Speaker 1: they really like to operate in the gray. I think well, 732 00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:44,480 Speaker 1: because honestly, if Twitter had taken that approach with the 733 00:35:44,560 --> 00:35:48,720 Speaker 1: Hunter Biden story, it probably wouldn't have blown up into 734 00:35:48,760 --> 00:35:53,160 Speaker 1: the big national example of censorship that it ended up being, 735 00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:56,400 Speaker 1: because they want much further than let's just suppress this 736 00:35:56,480 --> 00:35:58,680 Speaker 1: in the algorithm Let's make it so this isn't the 737 00:35:58,719 --> 00:36:01,080 Speaker 1: first thing that's showing up. You know, now people in 738 00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:03,040 Speaker 1: their Twitter feed, unless they select to have it just 739 00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:06,160 Speaker 1: by time, they're just getting the tweets that Twitter thinks 740 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:09,560 Speaker 1: that they will like or wants them to like and see. So, ultimately, 741 00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:11,560 Speaker 1: if they had gone about it in a savvier way, 742 00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:13,920 Speaker 1: I mean, that's what's so nefarious about this. People wouldn't 743 00:36:13,920 --> 00:36:17,200 Speaker 1: have even been able to really say exactly what was 744 00:36:17,239 --> 00:36:19,400 Speaker 1: going on here. One of the other things that you 745 00:36:19,520 --> 00:36:24,359 Speaker 1: uncover is the Hunter Biden censorship incident. As notorious as 746 00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:26,400 Speaker 1: it ultimately is here, the people who are involved in 747 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:29,200 Speaker 1: that are still involved in this project, right. And so 748 00:36:29,320 --> 00:36:32,839 Speaker 1: the FBI has something called the Foreign Influenced Task Force, 749 00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:34,880 Speaker 1: which the Department of Homeland Security does as well, and 750 00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:36,759 Speaker 1: it's almost exactly the same name. I think it's the 751 00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:40,120 Speaker 1: countering for an interference task Force. And so what that 752 00:36:40,160 --> 00:36:43,560 Speaker 1: gives you a sense of is the burgeoning nature of 753 00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:45,759 Speaker 1: these authorities. It just keeps growing, and if you look 754 00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:48,000 Speaker 1: at it, a lot of it starts in twenty eighteen 755 00:36:48,120 --> 00:36:50,239 Speaker 1: under the Trump administration, so a little more complicated than 756 00:36:50,239 --> 00:36:52,080 Speaker 1: people think. That's not to say that Trump liked it. 757 00:36:52,080 --> 00:36:56,040 Speaker 1: He actually fired his CECA director, I think Brian Krebs, 758 00:36:56,280 --> 00:36:57,640 Speaker 1: and so you know, he was against it, but he 759 00:36:57,680 --> 00:37:00,800 Speaker 1: didn't have the kind of bureaucratic let's just say, to 760 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:02,880 Speaker 1: be able to stop a lot of these things, and 761 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:05,920 Speaker 1: then it you know, continues to proliferate under the Biden administration. 762 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:08,719 Speaker 1: I think that the origin of this all is, you know, 763 00:37:08,760 --> 00:37:13,960 Speaker 1: the twenty sixteen election disinformation, Russian election disinformation, not that 764 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:16,319 Speaker 1: it starts in but that's sort of when the concerns begin, 765 00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:19,320 Speaker 1: and then by twenty eighteen come midterms. I think DHS 766 00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:21,120 Speaker 1: is trying to position itself as hey, you know that 767 00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:23,040 Speaker 1: problem you guys have, we can help with it. Let 768 00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:25,160 Speaker 1: us let us handle this. So then in twenty eighteen 769 00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:27,640 Speaker 1: it's the midterm elections. In by twenty twenty with coronavirus, 770 00:37:27,840 --> 00:37:29,600 Speaker 1: then they have a really strong case. And I've looked 771 00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:33,040 Speaker 1: at polling on this, it does suggest that they're surprisingly 772 00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:38,000 Speaker 1: large amounts of public support for frankly censorship of you know, 773 00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:41,799 Speaker 1: would they consider COVID disinformation. I think that they can 774 00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:44,160 Speaker 1: sense that there's an opening for them there to to 775 00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:47,200 Speaker 1: you know, take advantage of that and say, hey, let 776 00:37:47,280 --> 00:37:50,200 Speaker 1: us let us have a role in you know, communicating 777 00:37:50,239 --> 00:37:52,520 Speaker 1: with these social media platforms. I mean, it seems to me, 778 00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:56,040 Speaker 1: and you tell me if this timeline is inaccurate. But 779 00:37:56,160 --> 00:37:57,680 Speaker 1: you know, you first start in the early days of 780 00:37:57,719 --> 00:38:01,360 Speaker 1: social media, you've got like al Qaida and ISIS, and 781 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:04,120 Speaker 1: there's an effort to find people who are sympathizer or 782 00:38:04,160 --> 00:38:07,359 Speaker 1: spreading their propaganda or beheading videos or whatever. Like that's 783 00:38:07,640 --> 00:38:11,080 Speaker 1: the first step. Then you have the Russian efforts, whatever 784 00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:15,160 Speaker 1: they amounted to in the twenty sixteen election, and then 785 00:38:15,239 --> 00:38:17,160 Speaker 1: you know, that's a further step of Okay, we got 786 00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:19,960 Speaker 1: to see who's sharing this Russian content and what impact 787 00:38:20,080 --> 00:38:22,520 Speaker 1: is that having. Well, now this seems to have gone 788 00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:26,040 Speaker 1: even a further step where there's no even artifice of 789 00:38:26,080 --> 00:38:28,480 Speaker 1: this has to do with foreign actors, Like we're talking 790 00:38:28,520 --> 00:38:33,359 Speaker 1: about American citizens talking to other American citizens without even 791 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:37,040 Speaker 1: any sort of tie to potential international terrorism, which seems 792 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:41,280 Speaker 1: to be where these programs really originally had their origins exactly, 793 00:38:41,360 --> 00:38:43,359 Speaker 1: And that's where DHS had its origin. It's a you know, 794 00:38:43,440 --> 00:38:46,840 Speaker 1: counter terror post nine to eleven department. And if you 795 00:38:46,880 --> 00:38:49,759 Speaker 1: look at some of the documents that I referenced in 796 00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:52,480 Speaker 1: the story, I got the I was given the Quadrenial 797 00:38:52,920 --> 00:38:55,120 Speaker 1: Review for DHS that kind of sketches out the next 798 00:38:55,160 --> 00:38:56,680 Speaker 1: four years what the next four years are going to 799 00:38:56,680 --> 00:38:59,040 Speaker 1: look like, and with their kind of big picture strategy 800 00:38:59,080 --> 00:39:02,840 Speaker 1: is and they're perfectly open in this draft document about that, Okay, 801 00:39:02,840 --> 00:39:05,440 Speaker 1: we'll warrant terror is sort of ramping down. We're going 802 00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:09,640 Speaker 1: to change our focus essentially the domestic American affairs. And 803 00:39:09,680 --> 00:39:14,520 Speaker 1: what's interesting about that shift from foreign to domestic is 804 00:39:14,520 --> 00:39:16,960 Speaker 1: that I tried very hard to find anything in the 805 00:39:16,960 --> 00:39:19,880 Speaker 1: way of documentary or legal basis saying Okay, now we're 806 00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:22,319 Speaker 1: authorizing this. It doesn't exist as far as I can tell. 807 00:39:22,520 --> 00:39:24,839 Speaker 1: It was just a gradual shift that is happening at 808 00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:28,600 Speaker 1: the sub White House level, at the administrative level in 809 00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:32,279 Speaker 1: both the Trump and Biden administrations. And I wonder how 810 00:39:32,360 --> 00:39:35,200 Speaker 1: much people even know that that it's happening. It's like 811 00:39:35,239 --> 00:39:38,000 Speaker 1: they've taken advantage of this, and then, as I said before, 812 00:39:38,040 --> 00:39:40,759 Speaker 1: Trump tried to, you know, stop it. They disbanded the 813 00:39:40,760 --> 00:39:42,920 Speaker 1: Disinformation Board. But so much of this happens at the 814 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:45,120 Speaker 1: level that you know, people like me who have sources 815 00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:46,840 Speaker 1: and are talking to people can can find out that 816 00:39:46,840 --> 00:39:48,239 Speaker 1: it's happening. But there's no way for the public to 817 00:39:48,239 --> 00:39:50,960 Speaker 1: know these things are still going there. Yeah, I'm one 818 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:52,520 Speaker 1: of the ones that broke out to me at the 819 00:39:52,560 --> 00:39:54,520 Speaker 1: very end of the story is about a Twitter account 820 00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:57,520 Speaker 1: that has like fifty six followers and that they is 821 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:02,840 Speaker 1: specifically flagged by government affair sent to Twitter, and Twitter 822 00:40:02,920 --> 00:40:05,640 Speaker 1: is like, we will escalate this. Thank you. A guy 823 00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:08,880 Speaker 1: who's literally fifty six followers, Like, how is that? In 824 00:40:08,920 --> 00:40:11,799 Speaker 1: what way? Who says in his bio like this is 825 00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:15,200 Speaker 1: a parody account and buy something about like weed stores. 826 00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:19,960 Speaker 1: Those be mad, this is a parody account, And why 827 00:40:20,040 --> 00:40:24,840 Speaker 1: are they spending any time under a banner image of Blucifer, 828 00:40:25,239 --> 00:40:29,239 Speaker 1: a demonic horse featured at the entrance of Denver Airport. 829 00:40:30,120 --> 00:40:32,160 Speaker 1: You have to have something better to do than this. 830 00:40:32,320 --> 00:40:34,000 Speaker 1: You're not the only ones that think that this is 831 00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:37,520 Speaker 1: outraging y FBI agentsI I interviewed during when all that 832 00:40:37,640 --> 00:40:40,600 Speaker 1: was happening, who themselves were tasked with things like, you know, 833 00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:43,799 Speaker 1: tracking foreign spies. They were outraged that they were put 834 00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:47,880 Speaker 1: into these temporary units to monitor these social media accounts. 835 00:40:47,960 --> 00:40:49,560 Speaker 1: And they were telling me, yeah, it's clear my boss 836 00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:52,040 Speaker 1: doesn't have any idea like what irony is on the internet. 837 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:55,799 Speaker 1: Or like what sarcasm is because you know, my job 838 00:40:55,840 --> 00:40:58,840 Speaker 1: now is just tracking commedy kids six y nine posts 839 00:40:58,880 --> 00:41:02,239 Speaker 1: something to respond like it's some national security crisis. So 840 00:41:02,239 --> 00:41:04,239 Speaker 1: they were very irritated by it as well, and there 841 00:41:04,280 --> 00:41:06,799 Speaker 1: were minunderstandings. There were a lot of FBI agents that 842 00:41:06,840 --> 00:41:10,440 Speaker 1: were you know, taken from their normal responsibilities and assigned 843 00:41:10,880 --> 00:41:13,400 Speaker 1: to this kind of stuff. Well, I said to you, 844 00:41:13,480 --> 00:41:17,840 Speaker 1: it's like dystopian police state meets Keystone cops exactly. But 845 00:41:18,080 --> 00:41:20,719 Speaker 1: the fact that it in some ways is like absurd 846 00:41:21,200 --> 00:41:25,960 Speaker 1: doesn't take away from the fact that it's really really disturbing, 847 00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:28,160 Speaker 1: because effectively, what you have is a worst of all 848 00:41:28,200 --> 00:41:30,440 Speaker 1: worlds where you know, we covered extensively on this elon 849 00:41:30,520 --> 00:41:34,120 Speaker 1: Musk and Twitter and billionaires control these platforms that are 850 00:41:34,120 --> 00:41:37,000 Speaker 1: so essential to our speech. And then so not only 851 00:41:37,040 --> 00:41:39,080 Speaker 1: do you not have any democratic accountability there, but then 852 00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:43,440 Speaker 1: you also have the government directly interfacing with them and 853 00:41:43,520 --> 00:41:46,919 Speaker 1: shaping what type of speech is allowed and what type 854 00:41:46,960 --> 00:41:52,000 Speaker 1: of speech is not allowed, again with zero transparency, zero 855 00:41:52,160 --> 00:41:55,120 Speaker 1: ability to have democratic pushback. And so that's why you know, 856 00:41:55,160 --> 00:41:57,440 Speaker 1: reporting like yours at least gives us a little bit 857 00:41:57,680 --> 00:42:00,560 Speaker 1: of a window into what's happening here is oldtime so 858 00:42:00,719 --> 00:42:02,640 Speaker 1: essential Ken, Yeah, that's what I'm trying to do, just 859 00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:04,920 Speaker 1: give because I realized there was no attempt to sort 860 00:42:04,920 --> 00:42:06,960 Speaker 1: of give a comprehensive picture of like what's out there, 861 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:09,120 Speaker 1: what are we able to find, what the heck's going on? 862 00:42:09,440 --> 00:42:11,279 Speaker 1: And in the absence of that, people are going to just, 863 00:42:11,440 --> 00:42:13,239 Speaker 1: you know, guess And that's I mean, if you're really 864 00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:15,759 Speaker 1: worried about disinformation, I tend to think darkness is where 865 00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:18,279 Speaker 1: that stuff thrives, you know, when people are in candid 866 00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:19,719 Speaker 1: about what the heck is going on. I mean, my 867 00:42:19,840 --> 00:42:22,560 Speaker 1: view has always been like, if you are going to 868 00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:26,440 Speaker 1: accept the slings and throat and arrows of a democracy, 869 00:42:26,960 --> 00:42:29,040 Speaker 1: you have to accept that sometimes there's going to be 870 00:42:29,040 --> 00:42:31,600 Speaker 1: things that are crazy conspiracy theory, there's going to be 871 00:42:31,600 --> 00:42:33,640 Speaker 1: things that are inaccurate, and you have to have enough 872 00:42:33,680 --> 00:42:38,440 Speaker 1: faith in the citizenry that they can handle that, that 873 00:42:38,480 --> 00:42:40,719 Speaker 1: they can process, that that they can move forward, that 874 00:42:40,760 --> 00:42:44,440 Speaker 1: they can find accurate information. But you know, clearly, like 875 00:42:44,520 --> 00:42:48,360 Speaker 1: we've been under this attempts at censorship since basically twenty sixteen, 876 00:42:48,400 --> 00:42:50,080 Speaker 1: and I don't know if you guys know this, but 877 00:42:50,080 --> 00:42:51,759 Speaker 1: there are a lot of conspiracy theories that are out 878 00:42:51,760 --> 00:42:53,560 Speaker 1: there still thriving, so I'm not sure that this is 879 00:42:53,560 --> 00:42:56,919 Speaker 1: really worth it. Very very fortunate, Ken, thank you so much. Congratulations, 880 00:42:56,920 --> 00:42:58,640 Speaker 1: great reporting. All right, let's go and move on to 881 00:42:58,640 --> 00:43:03,000 Speaker 1: the next part. This is really and potentially earth shattering 882 00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:05,480 Speaker 1: in terms of its impact on American society. Let's put 883 00:43:05,480 --> 00:43:07,280 Speaker 1: this up there on the screen. So the Supreme Court, 884 00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:12,120 Speaker 1: the conservative majority there signaling major skepticism of race conscious 885 00:43:12,200 --> 00:43:16,000 Speaker 1: college admissions. So what happened yesterday, which is that at 886 00:43:16,040 --> 00:43:19,759 Speaker 1: issue are these two policies Harvard University and the University 887 00:43:19,800 --> 00:43:23,440 Speaker 1: of North Carolina that permit their admissions offices to weigh 888 00:43:23,480 --> 00:43:27,120 Speaker 1: the race of applicants as one of many factors that 889 00:43:27,200 --> 00:43:30,759 Speaker 1: will help decide who is being accepted. Depending on the 890 00:43:30,760 --> 00:43:32,920 Speaker 1: scope of the Court's ruling, and this is important, they 891 00:43:32,960 --> 00:43:35,920 Speaker 1: could rule in many different ways. The outcome could have 892 00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:42,239 Speaker 1: impact on workplace and other long standing quote anti discrimination law. 893 00:43:42,480 --> 00:43:44,319 Speaker 1: And I want to be very clear, which is that 894 00:43:44,480 --> 00:43:47,280 Speaker 1: how exactly they rule in the scope through which could 895 00:43:47,440 --> 00:43:50,560 Speaker 1: restrict it completely two admissions This is why we've been 896 00:43:50,560 --> 00:43:53,040 Speaker 1: spending any time covering it, or it could go all 897 00:43:53,080 --> 00:43:56,000 Speaker 1: the way out into the way that diversity practices work. 898 00:43:56,200 --> 00:43:59,400 Speaker 1: Even at a quote unquote private company anyway. So there 899 00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:01,800 Speaker 1: are over five hours of arguments. I was even considering 900 00:44:01,800 --> 00:44:04,120 Speaker 1: doing a monologue, but the arguments weren't wrapping up, and 901 00:44:04,120 --> 00:44:05,920 Speaker 1: I was like, I can't do it, you know. I 902 00:44:05,920 --> 00:44:07,520 Speaker 1: was like, I can't do a whole monologue on this 903 00:44:07,680 --> 00:44:11,719 Speaker 1: until it's actually done. Luckily it ended last night. What 904 00:44:11,760 --> 00:44:15,080 Speaker 1: we effectively noted is that the conservatives on the bench, 905 00:44:15,320 --> 00:44:17,560 Speaker 1: we're talking about the two thousand and three precedent that 906 00:44:17,680 --> 00:44:20,359 Speaker 1: does permit the use of race and college admissions that 907 00:44:20,400 --> 00:44:23,239 Speaker 1: had urged policies should not be in place indefinitely. So 908 00:44:23,280 --> 00:44:25,080 Speaker 1: what we should remember is that in that two thousand 909 00:44:25,120 --> 00:44:28,640 Speaker 1: and three case, effectively the court was like, Okay, you 910 00:44:28,719 --> 00:44:33,040 Speaker 1: can keep in mind race, you cannot use points based admissions. 911 00:44:33,040 --> 00:44:35,319 Speaker 1: That's just not on the table. But to say that 912 00:44:35,360 --> 00:44:37,360 Speaker 1: you can't keep it in mind at all is not 913 00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:40,759 Speaker 1: going to happen. That said, you do not. You need 914 00:44:40,800 --> 00:44:42,920 Speaker 1: to come up with a system so that you don't 915 00:44:42,960 --> 00:44:46,440 Speaker 1: rely on this indefinitely. And what I found really interesting 916 00:44:46,480 --> 00:44:48,440 Speaker 1: in the court and a lot of the arguments that 917 00:44:48,520 --> 00:44:51,479 Speaker 1: I was looking at, is that none of the none 918 00:44:51,520 --> 00:44:54,719 Speaker 1: of the universities, neither Harvard nor the University of North 919 00:44:54,719 --> 00:44:59,239 Speaker 1: Carolina could actually spell out a timeframe as to when 920 00:44:59,800 --> 00:45:01,719 Speaker 1: it was going to be appropriate or not. Yeah, but 921 00:45:01,800 --> 00:45:04,080 Speaker 1: I mean yeah, no, right, go ahead. Kind of fair. No, 922 00:45:04,680 --> 00:45:08,600 Speaker 1: that's like being like, on this state in twenty thirty two, 923 00:45:08,800 --> 00:45:12,480 Speaker 1: we will have total racial justice. We will have solved racism. 924 00:45:12,560 --> 00:45:14,680 Speaker 1: So I mean it would it's kind of fair to 925 00:45:14,719 --> 00:45:17,000 Speaker 1: be like, I don't know, We're not there yet, but 926 00:45:17,239 --> 00:45:18,960 Speaker 1: hopefully at some point in the future we get to that. 927 00:45:19,160 --> 00:45:20,920 Speaker 1: I don't even disagree, but I was looking at it 928 00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:22,560 Speaker 1: and I was like, you know, that just part to 929 00:45:22,680 --> 00:45:25,359 Speaker 1: me makes the whole idea of the three case, being 930 00:45:25,400 --> 00:45:27,399 Speaker 1: like yeah, but it eventually has to end just even 931 00:45:27,440 --> 00:45:30,040 Speaker 1: more patently ridiculous because you're probably always make an argument. 932 00:45:30,120 --> 00:45:32,520 Speaker 1: So like, okay, so then we should consider it on 933 00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:35,520 Speaker 1: what is the actual impact. This goes to the Harvard 934 00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:38,600 Speaker 1: University portion of which we've covered now for several years, 935 00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:42,520 Speaker 1: which is that Harvard by you know, from the lawsuit 936 00:45:42,640 --> 00:45:45,000 Speaker 1: and the court rulings and all that have come out, 937 00:45:45,360 --> 00:45:49,640 Speaker 1: it has been shown repeatedly that it is highly discriminatory 938 00:45:49,920 --> 00:45:53,600 Speaker 1: against Asian American students by giving them lower scores for 939 00:45:53,719 --> 00:45:57,239 Speaker 1: quote personal actes. I mean some of the stuff that 940 00:45:57,320 --> 00:46:00,480 Speaker 1: came out. Yeah, it's outrageous. I don't think there's any 941 00:46:00,560 --> 00:46:03,400 Speaker 1: denying that, whatever you think of affirmative action, that the 942 00:46:03,400 --> 00:46:07,040 Speaker 1: current system has discriminated against Asian Americans in a very 943 00:46:07,040 --> 00:46:09,880 Speaker 1: perverse way, right, And because they'll be like, well, so, 944 00:46:09,920 --> 00:46:11,560 Speaker 1: I mean, they literally can show that you can have 945 00:46:11,600 --> 00:46:13,600 Speaker 1: the same test scores, you can have the same basically 946 00:46:13,600 --> 00:46:16,000 Speaker 1: attributes on every single thing, and then on the personal 947 00:46:16,040 --> 00:46:20,120 Speaker 1: section they're getting rated dramatically lower. It's all these very 948 00:46:20,280 --> 00:46:25,359 Speaker 1: like racist tropes of like doesn't show leadership, not social Yeah, 949 00:46:25,440 --> 00:46:29,000 Speaker 1: it's like, oh, this is bad, this is really bad. Anyway. 950 00:46:29,080 --> 00:46:31,640 Speaker 1: So the point is is that in that two thousand 951 00:46:31,640 --> 00:46:33,520 Speaker 1: and three case, they set that twenty four to five 952 00:46:33,600 --> 00:46:37,440 Speaker 1: year timeline, but they didn't necessarily cap themselves on when 953 00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:40,080 Speaker 1: race conscious admissions were coming up. This of course would 954 00:46:40,080 --> 00:46:42,799 Speaker 1: take place twenty twenty two and is based really on 955 00:46:42,920 --> 00:46:46,040 Speaker 1: both anti discrimination practices, is in the way that affirmative 956 00:46:46,040 --> 00:46:50,040 Speaker 1: action is being used against Asian Americans, but also just 957 00:46:50,120 --> 00:46:53,200 Speaker 1: in general on the idea of race consciousness. And the 958 00:46:53,200 --> 00:46:55,319 Speaker 1: reason I thought it was important is not only in 959 00:46:55,400 --> 00:46:57,959 Speaker 1: terms of the scope of in terms of the scope 960 00:46:57,960 --> 00:47:01,360 Speaker 1: of American society, but really, this is one of the 961 00:47:01,480 --> 00:47:04,120 Speaker 1: big great disconnects, and Crystal, you did a fantastic monologue 962 00:47:04,120 --> 00:47:06,920 Speaker 1: on this a while back over at Rising between really 963 00:47:07,000 --> 00:47:10,200 Speaker 1: elites and the rest of the public. Affirmative action is 964 00:47:10,200 --> 00:47:13,640 Speaker 1: perhaps one of the most single unpopular positions that exists 965 00:47:13,800 --> 00:47:16,799 Speaker 1: in the United States. Was defeated in the state of 966 00:47:16,840 --> 00:47:20,640 Speaker 1: California on a ballot level in twenty twenty, and yet 967 00:47:20,800 --> 00:47:23,120 Speaker 1: you have the Biden administration that went to back for it, 968 00:47:23,239 --> 00:47:26,239 Speaker 1: actually at the court, the US Solicitor General saying that 969 00:47:26,280 --> 00:47:28,480 Speaker 1: it was a national security imperative to keep it. Let's 970 00:47:28,520 --> 00:47:32,120 Speaker 1: take a listen. That truth is vitally important to our 971 00:47:32,200 --> 00:47:36,799 Speaker 1: nation's military. Our armed forces know from heart experience that 972 00:47:36,880 --> 00:47:39,200 Speaker 1: when we do not have a diverse officer corp that 973 00:47:39,320 --> 00:47:43,120 Speaker 1: is broadly reflective of a diverse fighting force, our strength 974 00:47:43,480 --> 00:47:47,279 Speaker 1: and cohesion and military readiness suffer. So it is a 975 00:47:47,360 --> 00:47:52,319 Speaker 1: critical national security imperative to attain diversity within the officer core, 976 00:47:53,040 --> 00:47:56,040 Speaker 1: and at present, it's not possible to achieve that diversity 977 00:47:56,080 --> 00:48:00,200 Speaker 1: without race conscious admissions, including at the nation's service academies. 978 00:48:01,360 --> 00:48:04,880 Speaker 1: The military experience confirms, with this court recognized and Grouter 979 00:48:05,480 --> 00:48:09,319 Speaker 1: that in a society where race unfortunately still matters in 980 00:48:09,360 --> 00:48:14,200 Speaker 1: countless ways. Achieving diversity can sometimes require conscious acts by 981 00:48:14,239 --> 00:48:18,600 Speaker 1: our leading educational institutions. So that was the US listener general, 982 00:48:18,600 --> 00:48:21,520 Speaker 1: effectively like the chief litigator on behalf of the United States, 983 00:48:21,520 --> 00:48:23,920 Speaker 1: making it, of course in the purview of what they have, 984 00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:26,640 Speaker 1: which is the US Service Academies. Because as we said, 985 00:48:26,760 --> 00:48:29,000 Speaker 1: if it does impact higher education, even at a private 986 00:48:29,080 --> 00:48:31,799 Speaker 1: university like Harvard, it would of course also apply to 987 00:48:31,880 --> 00:48:35,200 Speaker 1: the Service Academies. Let's consider it though, in the public context. 988 00:48:35,239 --> 00:48:38,800 Speaker 1: Put this up there on the screen. Most Americans actually 989 00:48:38,880 --> 00:48:43,759 Speaker 1: say that colleges and universities should not consider applicants race 990 00:48:43,880 --> 00:48:47,319 Speaker 1: in order to further student body diversity in education. So 991 00:48:47,680 --> 00:48:51,760 Speaker 1: US adult citizens twenty three percent yes, twenty three percent 992 00:48:51,920 --> 00:48:56,239 Speaker 1: not sure, a majority fifty four percent say no. Even 993 00:48:56,239 --> 00:48:59,640 Speaker 1: amongst Democrats crystal only forty percent say yes, twenty six 994 00:48:59,719 --> 00:49:02,640 Speaker 1: percent say not sure, no, thirty four percent say no. 995 00:49:03,000 --> 00:49:06,720 Speaker 1: Independence seventeen percent yes, twenty eight percent not sure, fifty 996 00:49:06,719 --> 00:49:10,320 Speaker 1: five percent no. Republicans overwhelming majority say no. I also 997 00:49:10,320 --> 00:49:13,320 Speaker 1: think it's important to know. If you ask Black Americans, 998 00:49:13,360 --> 00:49:16,120 Speaker 1: only thirty six percent say yes, thirty three percent say 999 00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:18,760 Speaker 1: not sure, and thirty three percent say no, the same 1000 00:49:19,120 --> 00:49:22,360 Speaker 1: fits with quote unquote Hispanic whatever that means. And then 1001 00:49:22,400 --> 00:49:25,680 Speaker 1: amongst white Americans sixteen percent say yes and sixty four 1002 00:49:25,719 --> 00:49:28,200 Speaker 1: percent I would love to see the class breakdown. Of course, 1003 00:49:28,640 --> 00:49:31,239 Speaker 1: the policy, I would love to see the class breakdown. Yeah, 1004 00:49:31,440 --> 00:49:32,759 Speaker 1: I mean, I have a lot to say about this 1005 00:49:32,920 --> 00:49:36,480 Speaker 1: because I think the reason why it's so unpopular is 1006 00:49:36,520 --> 00:49:40,120 Speaker 1: because it really rubs up against the notion that Americans 1007 00:49:40,320 --> 00:49:42,920 Speaker 1: want to strive for a color blend society, and so 1008 00:49:43,400 --> 00:49:45,880 Speaker 1: there is this real rub there. I mean, the issue 1009 00:49:45,880 --> 00:49:48,879 Speaker 1: that I always have talking about affirmative action and why 1010 00:49:48,920 --> 00:49:52,200 Speaker 1: it's such sort of tricky ground for me personally is 1011 00:49:52,239 --> 00:49:54,560 Speaker 1: I sort of feel like I disagree with everyone on it. 1012 00:49:54,840 --> 00:49:58,000 Speaker 1: There's a lot of presumptions behind the policy and the 1013 00:49:58,040 --> 00:50:00,560 Speaker 1: debate on affirmative action that I just don't accept and 1014 00:50:00,600 --> 00:50:04,440 Speaker 1: don't agree with. The whole debate takes as fact the 1015 00:50:04,560 --> 00:50:08,080 Speaker 1: idea that we have a meritocracy, that the meritocracy is 1016 00:50:08,120 --> 00:50:11,200 Speaker 1: generally functioning, that the thing we should be striving for 1017 00:50:11,320 --> 00:50:14,840 Speaker 1: is to perfect that meritocracy, rather than know my goal 1018 00:50:14,960 --> 00:50:17,160 Speaker 1: as a leftist, which is to make sure that everyone 1019 00:50:17,239 --> 00:50:20,360 Speaker 1: is able to succeed. I also think, like I said, 1020 00:50:20,480 --> 00:50:22,560 Speaker 1: Asian Americans are getting screwed by this policy. There's just 1021 00:50:22,600 --> 00:50:25,040 Speaker 1: no denying that, and I think that's something that people 1022 00:50:25,040 --> 00:50:27,440 Speaker 1: who are big proponents of this policy really have to 1023 00:50:27,480 --> 00:50:30,040 Speaker 1: grapple with and really have struggled to gropple with. That's 1024 00:50:30,120 --> 00:50:33,880 Speaker 1: number one. Number two, I don't agree with the arguments 1025 00:50:33,880 --> 00:50:36,120 Speaker 1: that are being put forth by the conservatives on the Court, 1026 00:50:36,160 --> 00:50:40,040 Speaker 1: which is basically like mission accomplished. Colorblind Society done don't 1027 00:50:40,080 --> 00:50:43,239 Speaker 1: need this policy anymore, and we shouldn't pretend that the 1028 00:50:43,440 --> 00:50:45,480 Speaker 1: arguments that were being offered on the Court, which is 1029 00:50:45,480 --> 00:50:46,960 Speaker 1: why I don't even spend a lot of time, like 1030 00:50:47,000 --> 00:50:49,200 Speaker 1: I read through the gist of what they were saying. 1031 00:50:49,280 --> 00:50:51,960 Speaker 1: But ultimately, this is an ideological debate. It has very 1032 00:50:52,000 --> 00:50:54,239 Speaker 1: little to do with what their actual interpretation of the 1033 00:50:54,280 --> 00:50:57,080 Speaker 1: Constitution is. The six conservatives on the Court, they don't 1034 00:50:57,120 --> 00:50:59,000 Speaker 1: like affirmative action. They're going to find a way to 1035 00:50:59,040 --> 00:51:01,919 Speaker 1: strike it down, regardless of the arguments that are being 1036 00:51:01,960 --> 00:51:04,800 Speaker 1: made to them and whether they're persuaded on the constitutionality 1037 00:51:04,840 --> 00:51:06,480 Speaker 1: of it or whatever. And the liberals are, you know, 1038 00:51:06,520 --> 00:51:08,800 Speaker 1: on the other side. This is an ideological debate. Supreme 1039 00:51:08,800 --> 00:51:10,920 Speaker 1: Court as partisan, we should keep all of that in 1040 00:51:11,000 --> 00:51:14,040 Speaker 1: mind as well. So those are some of my thoughts. 1041 00:51:14,080 --> 00:51:15,600 Speaker 1: But the other thing that I always come back to 1042 00:51:15,760 --> 00:51:19,200 Speaker 1: is like, what is your goal? What is your goal 1043 00:51:19,239 --> 00:51:23,200 Speaker 1: with this policy. If the only option on the table 1044 00:51:23,280 --> 00:51:27,520 Speaker 1: for me is let's diversify the elite class, which is 1045 00:51:27,560 --> 00:51:30,200 Speaker 1: what this is, this policy is effective, and you know 1046 00:51:30,200 --> 00:51:32,960 Speaker 1: what I would rather if that is my only option 1047 00:51:33,360 --> 00:51:36,000 Speaker 1: is have a non diverse elite class and I'm just 1048 00:51:36,040 --> 00:51:39,720 Speaker 1: talking about racial diversity here, or have a diverse racially 1049 00:51:39,760 --> 00:51:43,439 Speaker 1: diverse elite class, then I will take the diverse elite class. Okay, 1050 00:51:43,480 --> 00:51:46,480 Speaker 1: if that's my only option on the table. However, if 1051 00:51:46,520 --> 00:51:50,280 Speaker 1: your goal is actually to reduce the racial wealth gap, 1052 00:51:50,760 --> 00:51:53,040 Speaker 1: we know from history, which is a goal that I 1053 00:51:53,080 --> 00:51:55,719 Speaker 1: care personally care a lot more about than I care 1054 00:51:55,760 --> 00:51:59,440 Speaker 1: about the you know, technical racial diversity of the elite class, 1055 00:52:00,120 --> 00:52:04,360 Speaker 1: we know from history that this policy does not do that. That. 1056 00:52:04,600 --> 00:52:07,520 Speaker 1: In fact, the policies that have been most effective throughout 1057 00:52:07,560 --> 00:52:10,839 Speaker 1: our history to help to close the racial wealth gap, 1058 00:52:10,880 --> 00:52:12,960 Speaker 1: which we still have a very long way to go 1059 00:52:13,040 --> 00:52:16,920 Speaker 1: on our universal policies that lift the floor for everyone, 1060 00:52:17,000 --> 00:52:20,440 Speaker 1: things like lifting the minimum wage, think things like making 1061 00:52:20,480 --> 00:52:24,799 Speaker 1: sure that social security and living wage benefits apply to 1062 00:52:24,920 --> 00:52:28,200 Speaker 1: across all job categories, and we don't carve out the 1063 00:52:28,280 --> 00:52:32,680 Speaker 1: job categories that are disproportionately filled by black and brown people. 1064 00:52:32,719 --> 00:52:36,000 Speaker 1: So if that's your goal, and when you layer on 1065 00:52:36,080 --> 00:52:38,960 Speaker 1: top of that, how much we know this policy is 1066 00:52:39,000 --> 00:52:43,040 Speaker 1: really unpopular. There's also a pragmatism here of like, we 1067 00:52:43,080 --> 00:52:45,759 Speaker 1: shouldn't assume that we can use our political capital to 1068 00:52:45,800 --> 00:52:49,200 Speaker 1: do absolutely everything. We should invest our political capital in 1069 00:52:49,239 --> 00:52:51,440 Speaker 1: the policies that are going to have the largest effect 1070 00:52:51,520 --> 00:52:54,040 Speaker 1: at achieving ultimately our goals. And I think we have 1071 00:52:54,080 --> 00:52:57,080 Speaker 1: one other piece on from David Shore on the last 1072 00:52:57,080 --> 00:53:01,160 Speaker 1: element here. If you track these are like all of 1073 00:53:01,200 --> 00:53:05,200 Speaker 1: the different sort of like democratic aligned policies. Affirmative action 1074 00:53:05,360 --> 00:53:08,960 Speaker 1: is one of the least popular. So again it has 1075 00:53:09,000 --> 00:53:13,879 Speaker 1: been beneficial primarily for middle and upper middle class minorities 1076 00:53:14,160 --> 00:53:17,440 Speaker 1: to get into college and to ascend into the elite class. 1077 00:53:17,440 --> 00:53:18,960 Speaker 1: I don't think that's a bad thing. I do think 1078 00:53:19,000 --> 00:53:22,239 Speaker 1: by diversity is an important value, but it goes back 1079 00:53:22,239 --> 00:53:24,400 Speaker 1: to the question of what are you really trying to 1080 00:53:24,440 --> 00:53:28,160 Speaker 1: accomplish and what are the policies that will most help 1081 00:53:28,200 --> 00:53:32,200 Speaker 1: you effectuate that goal that have broad public support. The 1082 00:53:32,280 --> 00:53:34,440 Speaker 1: last thing I will say on this because I cannot 1083 00:53:34,520 --> 00:53:37,120 Speaker 1: leave this out is that it is kind of a 1084 00:53:37,160 --> 00:53:40,560 Speaker 1: screwed up world where this gets struck down, but you 1085 00:53:40,600 --> 00:53:44,239 Speaker 1: still have legacy of admissions, oh yeah, which are affirmative 1086 00:53:44,239 --> 00:53:47,000 Speaker 1: action for rich white people actually, and it's like disgraceful 1087 00:53:47,040 --> 00:53:49,520 Speaker 1: that that is something that goes on and is so important, 1088 00:53:49,600 --> 00:53:52,120 Speaker 1: especially at our elite universities. It's actually interesting that this 1089 00:53:52,160 --> 00:53:55,000 Speaker 1: could have an impact on legacy admissions as well. Also, 1090 00:53:55,000 --> 00:53:57,360 Speaker 1: I want to concur with almost everything that you said, 1091 00:53:57,640 --> 00:54:00,080 Speaker 1: and I think one of the most impactful pieces that 1092 00:54:00,080 --> 00:54:02,360 Speaker 1: ever been had on me was written by the socialist 1093 00:54:02,560 --> 00:54:04,920 Speaker 1: Matt Brunig about the racial wealth gap, and I think 1094 00:54:04,960 --> 00:54:07,360 Speaker 1: people should know this. The vast majority of the racial 1095 00:54:07,360 --> 00:54:09,560 Speaker 1: wealth gap in the United States is about the top 1096 00:54:09,600 --> 00:54:12,480 Speaker 1: two death siles of blacks and whites, as in, you know, 1097 00:54:12,480 --> 00:54:15,359 Speaker 1: when everyone's like the black wealth and white wealth that's 1098 00:54:15,360 --> 00:54:18,480 Speaker 1: between the top twenty percent in both groups. As in 1099 00:54:18,520 --> 00:54:20,560 Speaker 1: the top twenty percent white people are much richer than 1100 00:54:20,560 --> 00:54:23,080 Speaker 1: the top twenty percent of rich black people. If you 1101 00:54:23,120 --> 00:54:27,120 Speaker 1: look at the median house the median income of white 1102 00:54:27,120 --> 00:54:29,600 Speaker 1: earners and black earners, there is a gap, but it's 1103 00:54:29,640 --> 00:54:31,839 Speaker 1: not even close to what the gap is of what 1104 00:54:32,040 --> 00:54:34,719 Speaker 1: you know we're looking at, which gets directly to your point, 1105 00:54:34,760 --> 00:54:37,040 Speaker 1: which is that do you want a society where the 1106 00:54:37,120 --> 00:54:39,840 Speaker 1: Nasdak remains the same but there is a black person's 1107 00:54:39,880 --> 00:54:42,000 Speaker 1: on the board of the directors, Or do you want 1108 00:54:42,000 --> 00:54:46,120 Speaker 1: a society where Nazdak companies chase policies which are better 1109 00:54:46,160 --> 00:54:50,480 Speaker 1: for their workers and for the Median American and in general. 1110 00:54:50,800 --> 00:54:53,759 Speaker 1: My problem why my politics are the way they are 1111 00:54:54,080 --> 00:54:56,040 Speaker 1: was coming to the Northeast and seeing the way that 1112 00:54:56,080 --> 00:54:58,920 Speaker 1: elite liberals talk about so many of these issues and realize, 1113 00:54:58,960 --> 00:55:00,600 Speaker 1: like this is all just a game for all of you, 1114 00:55:01,080 --> 00:55:03,840 Speaker 1: as in, like you want to protect whatever this little 1115 00:55:03,840 --> 00:55:08,160 Speaker 1: slice is and diversify this very small slice of the economy, 1116 00:55:08,239 --> 00:55:11,319 Speaker 1: the elite, the electorate, and not talk about anything that 1117 00:55:11,400 --> 00:55:13,160 Speaker 1: impacts like any of the people I grew up with 1118 00:55:13,280 --> 00:55:16,360 Speaker 1: or even grew up around. It's like they're used as pawns. 1119 00:55:16,680 --> 00:55:18,719 Speaker 1: And I think that generally is why I get so 1120 00:55:18,760 --> 00:55:21,359 Speaker 1: annoyed by it and why I like pointing to the 1121 00:55:21,360 --> 00:55:24,480 Speaker 1: political popularity. As you said, if you can't get affirmative 1122 00:55:24,520 --> 00:55:27,480 Speaker 1: action pass on the ballot in California, how are you 1123 00:55:27,520 --> 00:55:30,240 Speaker 1: going to defend it as the national law of the land, 1124 00:55:31,080 --> 00:55:34,239 Speaker 1: or at very least as allowing it in. Some of 1125 00:55:34,239 --> 00:55:37,560 Speaker 1: them are not just major institutions in government, I mean 1126 00:55:37,880 --> 00:55:40,839 Speaker 1: military for me, all across the work. The polling is 1127 00:55:40,880 --> 00:55:44,879 Speaker 1: not in and of itself determinative. I support other policies 1128 00:55:45,000 --> 00:55:47,759 Speaker 1: that don't pull well because I think they're the right policy, 1129 00:55:47,880 --> 00:55:50,239 Speaker 1: and you should be willing to argue for that. But 1130 00:55:50,320 --> 00:55:53,160 Speaker 1: when you couple that with the fact that this really 1131 00:55:53,239 --> 00:55:57,520 Speaker 1: doesn't to me help to deal with what should be 1132 00:55:57,600 --> 00:55:59,839 Speaker 1: the core goal, which is closing the racial wealth gap, 1133 00:56:00,360 --> 00:56:04,719 Speaker 1: you're really antagonizing a majority of the public with this policy. 1134 00:56:05,040 --> 00:56:06,960 Speaker 1: Then it gets to the question of, Okay, is this 1135 00:56:07,239 --> 00:56:10,960 Speaker 1: really ultimately worth it? And I can imagine situations where 1136 00:56:11,320 --> 00:56:15,160 Speaker 1: you know, I'm generally a big supporter of universal policies, 1137 00:56:15,239 --> 00:56:18,240 Speaker 1: as you guys know, medicare for all, living wage, unions 1138 00:56:18,280 --> 00:56:20,440 Speaker 1: for all, like, I think those are the best ways. 1139 00:56:20,440 --> 00:56:23,799 Speaker 1: And again the track record bears it out to not 1140 00:56:23,880 --> 00:56:27,920 Speaker 1: only support the entire working class, but specifically those policies 1141 00:56:27,960 --> 00:56:30,680 Speaker 1: are most beneficial for black and brown people who are 1142 00:56:30,680 --> 00:56:33,880 Speaker 1: disproportionately impoverished and in low wage jobs and you know, 1143 00:56:33,920 --> 00:56:37,160 Speaker 1: struggling at that end of the economy. So in general, 1144 00:56:37,200 --> 00:56:39,040 Speaker 1: I think those are bus policies. Can I imagine a 1145 00:56:39,040 --> 00:56:41,719 Speaker 1: policy that would be sort of like specific to you know, 1146 00:56:41,840 --> 00:56:44,640 Speaker 1: to racial discriminate one hundred percent? Absolutely, I don't think 1147 00:56:44,680 --> 00:56:46,799 Speaker 1: we should put that off the table whatsoever. But I 1148 00:56:46,840 --> 00:56:49,640 Speaker 1: do want to emphasize again the part of this that 1149 00:56:50,040 --> 00:56:54,080 Speaker 1: you know, I really do chafe at from conservatives is 1150 00:56:54,560 --> 00:56:57,440 Speaker 1: their view is basically like meritocracy already good to go, 1151 00:56:57,760 --> 00:57:01,480 Speaker 1: no racial discrimination, everybody can everybody can make it, so 1152 00:57:01,520 --> 00:57:03,719 Speaker 1: we don't need to do anything about this, And I 1153 00:57:03,760 --> 00:57:06,360 Speaker 1: don't agree with that either. I just think that we 1154 00:57:06,400 --> 00:57:09,400 Speaker 1: can aspire to more than diversifying our elite class. And 1155 00:57:09,480 --> 00:57:12,400 Speaker 1: ultimately that's you know, the thrust of my politics and 1156 00:57:12,400 --> 00:57:17,720 Speaker 1: where I like to spend my time on. Let's break 1157 00:57:17,760 --> 00:57:23,520 Speaker 1: down state by state where we are and big picture. Basically, 1158 00:57:23,560 --> 00:57:26,560 Speaker 1: every one of these averages, even the ones where Democrats 1159 00:57:26,560 --> 00:57:30,280 Speaker 1: still hold on to uh slim or even significant lead, 1160 00:57:30,560 --> 00:57:33,800 Speaker 1: every one of them has been moving in favor of Republicans. 1161 00:57:33,840 --> 00:57:35,560 Speaker 1: And now you have you know, five point thirty eight 1162 00:57:35,600 --> 00:57:37,280 Speaker 1: and check it this morning. But for the first time 1163 00:57:37,320 --> 00:57:40,120 Speaker 1: they are giving Republicans a narrow edge in terms of 1164 00:57:40,120 --> 00:57:42,680 Speaker 1: wedding the Senate. So you can just see the way 1165 00:57:42,720 --> 00:57:46,040 Speaker 1: the momentum is going right now, even while saying listen, 1166 00:57:46,080 --> 00:57:48,360 Speaker 1: polls could be wrong in a variety of directions, even 1167 00:57:48,360 --> 00:57:51,440 Speaker 1: though it's mostly been wrong in recent history in favor 1168 00:57:51,480 --> 00:57:53,520 Speaker 1: of the Democrats rather than in favor of the Republicans. 1169 00:57:53,520 --> 00:57:55,240 Speaker 1: But who the hell knows what's going to happen. But 1170 00:57:55,280 --> 00:57:56,680 Speaker 1: I can just tell you the trend right now has 1171 00:57:56,680 --> 00:57:58,840 Speaker 1: been very much towards Republicans in every single one of 1172 00:57:58,880 --> 00:58:02,200 Speaker 1: these races. So let's look at Georgia first. We pulled 1173 00:58:02,200 --> 00:58:05,080 Speaker 1: the Real Clear Politics average for all of these. You 1174 00:58:05,080 --> 00:58:07,120 Speaker 1: can see the trend line at the bottom, which has 1175 00:58:07,160 --> 00:58:12,600 Speaker 1: Warnock falling off somewhat, Walker rising significantly. Walker is now 1176 00:58:12,640 --> 00:58:15,880 Speaker 1: favored in again the Real Clear Politics average by one 1177 00:58:16,000 --> 00:58:18,640 Speaker 1: point six percentage points. I went ahead and took a 1178 00:58:18,680 --> 00:58:22,440 Speaker 1: look at the last two polls in this race, and 1179 00:58:22,720 --> 00:58:24,920 Speaker 1: it's a split decision in terms of the last two polls. 1180 00:58:25,320 --> 00:58:28,200 Speaker 1: The Fox five Insider Advantage poll had Walker plus three 1181 00:58:28,240 --> 00:58:31,280 Speaker 1: the Republican. The New York Times Siena poll had Warnock 1182 00:58:31,440 --> 00:58:35,280 Speaker 1: plus three. We went through last time how New York 1183 00:58:35,320 --> 00:58:41,160 Speaker 1: Times Sienna has been in recent years more favorable towards Democrats. 1184 00:58:41,160 --> 00:58:43,400 Speaker 1: They've had a miss that, you know, So I would 1185 00:58:43,400 --> 00:58:45,560 Speaker 1: take anything that they have, and I think in Georgia 1186 00:58:45,640 --> 00:58:47,920 Speaker 1: the miss was about three points, so you would have 1187 00:58:48,000 --> 00:58:50,320 Speaker 1: this as basically a total toss. I believe the miss 1188 00:58:50,320 --> 00:58:53,960 Speaker 1: was poor, which is if anything, Yeah, Walker, it sounds 1189 00:58:54,040 --> 00:58:56,040 Speaker 1: right on the money, which is exactly what the real 1190 00:58:56,080 --> 00:58:58,960 Speaker 1: clear politics average average is one point five. That's where 1191 00:58:58,960 --> 00:59:00,560 Speaker 1: if you know, again, if I had but my money, 1192 00:59:00,600 --> 00:59:03,160 Speaker 1: that's probably where it would go. I think we're really 1193 00:59:03,200 --> 00:59:06,960 Speaker 1: just learning about structural advantages whenever you are the party 1194 00:59:06,960 --> 00:59:09,800 Speaker 1: in power in a national political environment. The days of 1195 00:59:09,880 --> 00:59:13,360 Speaker 1: local politics effectively died in twenty ten with the Tea 1196 00:59:13,440 --> 00:59:16,560 Speaker 1: Party wave and the referendum on Barack Obama, and from 1197 00:59:16,560 --> 00:59:22,120 Speaker 1: that year forward, every single election, downstream, upstream, primary, everything 1198 00:59:22,160 --> 00:59:25,720 Speaker 1: has been on the major national questions. There are some 1199 00:59:26,080 --> 00:59:28,800 Speaker 1: marginal cases where we can argue that that's not the case, 1200 00:59:28,840 --> 00:59:31,600 Speaker 1: but by and large that seems to be the overwhelming 1201 00:59:31,640 --> 00:59:35,880 Speaker 1: trend of politics and candidate quality. Increasingly, as we have seen, 1202 00:59:36,320 --> 00:59:38,560 Speaker 1: the data is bearing out that even if it's a 1203 00:59:38,560 --> 00:59:41,640 Speaker 1: really really bad candidate, at best you are talking about 1204 00:59:41,880 --> 00:59:44,800 Speaker 1: maybe a point or two, which is sad whenever you 1205 00:59:44,800 --> 00:59:47,520 Speaker 1: do think about it. But on the one hand, some 1206 00:59:47,720 --> 00:59:50,200 Speaker 1: localism does matter. Let's throw the next one up there, 1207 00:59:50,240 --> 00:59:52,560 Speaker 1: which is Arizona. This is where I think you could 1208 00:59:52,600 --> 00:59:55,680 Speaker 1: make a case where candidate quality has made it so 1209 00:59:55,680 --> 00:59:58,400 Speaker 1: that it is a much tighter race Crystal than arguably 1210 00:59:58,440 --> 01:00:01,400 Speaker 1: and structurally that it should be. The RCP average has 1211 01:00:01,480 --> 01:00:04,840 Speaker 1: Mark Kelly with a two point three percent advantage. Now 1212 01:00:04,960 --> 01:00:07,480 Speaker 1: that's even with a Fox poll that shows Mark Kelly 1213 01:00:07,760 --> 01:00:09,880 Speaker 1: up by one. As we have seen, he actually is 1214 01:00:09,920 --> 01:00:13,360 Speaker 1: out running Joe Biden in his approval rating in the state, 1215 01:00:13,440 --> 01:00:16,840 Speaker 1: He's far above fifty percent. He consistently hammers Biden on 1216 01:00:16,880 --> 01:00:20,080 Speaker 1: the border. He's you know, talking about inflation he has. 1217 01:00:20,240 --> 01:00:22,600 Speaker 1: It's a very strange situation because on the one hand 1218 01:00:22,640 --> 01:00:25,160 Speaker 1: he does vote with the National Democratic Party. Right. Look, 1219 01:00:25,160 --> 01:00:27,760 Speaker 1: he's never been the kissing cinema sticking the mud on 1220 01:00:27,800 --> 01:00:30,280 Speaker 1: any of that, and yet locally has been able to 1221 01:00:30,320 --> 01:00:33,280 Speaker 1: make the case he's like, no, I am an independent 1222 01:00:33,360 --> 01:00:36,520 Speaker 1: minded figure. I don't necessarily go along with the Biden consent. 1223 01:00:36,560 --> 01:00:39,000 Speaker 1: He's even running ads, you know, even saying talking about 1224 01:00:39,040 --> 01:00:41,439 Speaker 1: the president. I would have found it fascinating. Maggie Hassen 1225 01:00:41,560 --> 01:00:44,000 Speaker 1: is actually running Her latest ad is I'm standing up 1226 01:00:44,080 --> 01:00:46,400 Speaker 1: to President Biden, which anytime you have to do that, 1227 01:00:46,440 --> 01:00:49,080 Speaker 1: by the way, is not good and by the way, 1228 01:00:49,200 --> 01:00:51,160 Speaker 1: it rarely works. I was going to say, by the way, never, 1229 01:00:51,280 --> 01:00:53,800 Speaker 1: I'll never forget. You know, I've told the story Ched Edwards, 1230 01:00:53,800 --> 01:00:57,280 Speaker 1: my congressman, had lost by the largest margin in twenty 1231 01:00:57,440 --> 01:01:00,120 Speaker 1: ten and he'd represented a Democrat for R plus twenty 1232 01:01:00,120 --> 01:01:02,600 Speaker 1: five district. He ran. I remember one of his last ads, 1233 01:01:02,640 --> 01:01:05,600 Speaker 1: he was like, I'm standing up to Nancy Pelosi. And 1234 01:01:05,600 --> 01:01:08,440 Speaker 1: that's when I was like, yeah, he's gonna lose the 1235 01:01:08,520 --> 01:01:11,880 Speaker 1: last gasp as effort here. Yeah, yeah, I mean, I 1236 01:01:11,920 --> 01:01:14,680 Speaker 1: think the other thing that was really persuasive to me 1237 01:01:15,000 --> 01:01:18,120 Speaker 1: in the New York Times polling about this race is 1238 01:01:19,000 --> 01:01:22,160 Speaker 1: even putting the candidates aside, which I think Mark Kelly 1239 01:01:22,400 --> 01:01:25,600 Speaker 1: is a strong candidate for Democrats. I think Blake Masters 1240 01:01:25,640 --> 01:01:28,440 Speaker 1: has been a very weak candidate for Republicans, just because 1241 01:01:28,440 --> 01:01:31,560 Speaker 1: of some of the extreme views he's taken, both on 1242 01:01:31,600 --> 01:01:35,120 Speaker 1: abortion but also on economic issues. But they also found 1243 01:01:35,120 --> 01:01:39,640 Speaker 1: in Arizona that social cultural issues were weighing more heavily 1244 01:01:39,840 --> 01:01:42,120 Speaker 1: on the electorate than in other states. And they've had 1245 01:01:42,200 --> 01:01:45,960 Speaker 1: some sort of like fierce local state level battles around 1246 01:01:46,000 --> 01:01:48,200 Speaker 1: abortion rights and whether it's going to be completely banned 1247 01:01:48,200 --> 01:01:50,480 Speaker 1: in the state and those sorts of things. So it 1248 01:01:50,720 --> 01:01:53,040 Speaker 1: makes sense to me that in that way there's a 1249 01:01:53,080 --> 01:01:56,800 Speaker 1: little bit of localism there where abortion is weigh more 1250 01:01:56,840 --> 01:01:59,560 Speaker 1: heavily in voter's mind. So that would certainly give Mark 1251 01:01:59,600 --> 01:02:01,600 Speaker 1: Kelly bit more of an edge. I think, you know, 1252 01:02:01,640 --> 01:02:04,960 Speaker 1: this is the race where consistently Democrats have held the 1253 01:02:05,120 --> 01:02:09,880 Speaker 1: largest the largest margin. It too is closing, you know, 1254 01:02:10,120 --> 01:02:13,000 Speaker 1: the gap is closing there as well. So I certainly 1255 01:02:13,080 --> 01:02:15,240 Speaker 1: don't think that it's out of the realm of possibility 1256 01:02:15,280 --> 01:02:17,760 Speaker 1: that Masters would win. But I think as you look 1257 01:02:17,800 --> 01:02:21,040 Speaker 1: at these races, the Arizona one has to be the 1258 01:02:21,040 --> 01:02:25,440 Speaker 1: one where Democrats feel the most comfortable, have the best 1259 01:02:25,480 --> 01:02:28,400 Speaker 1: shot at being able to hold on ultimately. I think 1260 01:02:28,400 --> 01:02:30,880 Speaker 1: you're right, and let's throw it. And why it's fascinating too, 1261 01:02:31,200 --> 01:02:34,680 Speaker 1: is demographically Arizona should be much more in play for 1262 01:02:34,760 --> 01:02:39,040 Speaker 1: the Republicans or for the Democrats. Sorry, Nevada, which we're 1263 01:02:39,080 --> 01:02:40,320 Speaker 1: about to talk to you. Let's put that up there 1264 01:02:40,360 --> 01:02:44,560 Speaker 1: on the screen, which is that Nevada demographically, historically, electorally, 1265 01:02:44,640 --> 01:02:47,560 Speaker 1: all of that should be far more favorable to the 1266 01:02:47,560 --> 01:02:50,680 Speaker 1: Democrats here, given that you have an incumbent Democratic senator. 1267 01:02:50,960 --> 01:02:53,960 Speaker 1: You have the state having gone for Biden for Democrats, 1268 01:02:54,000 --> 01:02:57,080 Speaker 1: and the last two presidential elections it has been tight, 1269 01:02:57,320 --> 01:03:00,320 Speaker 1: and yet we have had Adam Laxalt. There up are 1270 01:03:00,320 --> 01:03:04,360 Speaker 1: more that over Catherine Cortez Mastow than Mark Kelly has 1271 01:03:04,520 --> 01:03:07,440 Speaker 1: or Blank Masters has over Mark Kelly, and I actually 1272 01:03:07,440 --> 01:03:09,720 Speaker 1: have been trying to figure out exactly why. You know, 1273 01:03:09,800 --> 01:03:12,600 Speaker 1: Cortes Masto is a very run of the mill, just 1274 01:03:12,640 --> 01:03:15,760 Speaker 1: like Median Democratic senator. That possibly could be why she 1275 01:03:15,840 --> 01:03:18,800 Speaker 1: just doesn't have as big of a statewide type profile, 1276 01:03:18,840 --> 01:03:21,200 Speaker 1: which means that the national wins would move more in 1277 01:03:21,240 --> 01:03:23,960 Speaker 1: the Republican direction. But it is really difficult one to 1278 01:03:24,000 --> 01:03:26,800 Speaker 1: square right Arizona. You know, Biden barely won the state 1279 01:03:27,120 --> 01:03:30,280 Speaker 1: in twenty twenty, and before that, obviously it was a 1280 01:03:30,400 --> 01:03:34,120 Speaker 1: solidly Republican state for decades. So to just look at 1281 01:03:34,280 --> 01:03:38,080 Speaker 1: Nevada trending so much right now in the GOP direction 1282 01:03:38,240 --> 01:03:40,280 Speaker 1: really does ask us a lot of questions about what 1283 01:03:40,320 --> 01:03:43,800 Speaker 1: that means. I'm fascinated by politics in Nevada because this 1284 01:03:43,880 --> 01:03:47,200 Speaker 1: is one of the few states where union support really 1285 01:03:47,240 --> 01:03:50,320 Speaker 1: really makes a difference, because you know, the culinary workers 1286 01:03:50,400 --> 01:03:52,600 Speaker 1: union is so powerful there. You have such a significant 1287 01:03:52,600 --> 01:03:55,840 Speaker 1: sizeable chunk of the workforce that is actually organized. And 1288 01:03:55,840 --> 01:04:00,280 Speaker 1: that's why in previous years, even as other places have 1289 01:04:00,360 --> 01:04:04,080 Speaker 1: swung to the right, especially places with large working class bases, 1290 01:04:04,560 --> 01:04:08,080 Speaker 1: Nevada has actually held pretty strong for Democrats. They've been 1291 01:04:08,120 --> 01:04:11,040 Speaker 1: able to hold onto that state even as large swaths 1292 01:04:11,080 --> 01:04:13,760 Speaker 1: of the working class start to move towards the Republican Party. 1293 01:04:13,960 --> 01:04:17,440 Speaker 1: That's all because of the union base of support there, 1294 01:04:17,640 --> 01:04:20,000 Speaker 1: which you know, we know that some union members, certainly 1295 01:04:20,160 --> 01:04:23,160 Speaker 1: a significant chunk at this point vote for Republicans, but 1296 01:04:23,360 --> 01:04:25,320 Speaker 1: being in a union is still one of the most 1297 01:04:25,320 --> 01:04:29,720 Speaker 1: significant indicators of voting Democratics. So it still really matters 1298 01:04:29,760 --> 01:04:32,160 Speaker 1: a lot that you have a strong union base of support. 1299 01:04:32,440 --> 01:04:34,960 Speaker 1: So that's one point in favor of the Democrats. On 1300 01:04:35,000 --> 01:04:37,720 Speaker 1: the other hand, no state was hit harder during the 1301 01:04:37,760 --> 01:04:42,240 Speaker 1: pandemic than Nevada. You do have, you know, a population 1302 01:04:42,400 --> 01:04:45,080 Speaker 1: that is heavily working class, working in the service sector, 1303 01:04:45,720 --> 01:04:49,880 Speaker 1: food prices, gas prices, all of these things weighing very, 1304 01:04:50,000 --> 01:04:54,200 Speaker 1: very heavily on this electorate. So whereas in Arizona you 1305 01:04:54,360 --> 01:04:58,000 Speaker 1: have more voters saying they're focused on the social cultural issues, 1306 01:04:58,080 --> 01:05:00,840 Speaker 1: in Nevada, it's the mirror image situation where you have 1307 01:05:01,040 --> 01:05:03,880 Speaker 1: more even more voters saying no, no, this is all 1308 01:05:03,880 --> 01:05:07,360 Speaker 1: about the economy, and that's just very difficult waters for 1309 01:05:07,640 --> 01:05:10,320 Speaker 1: Democrats at this point. Now, Nevada is one of the 1310 01:05:10,360 --> 01:05:14,440 Speaker 1: states where the polls have been the closest to accurate. 1311 01:05:14,880 --> 01:05:17,200 Speaker 1: So you've got the Republican with about a two point 1312 01:05:17,520 --> 01:05:19,600 Speaker 1: lead right now. I mean, this thing has been tight 1313 01:05:19,680 --> 01:05:22,520 Speaker 1: the whole way through. It's basically been a jump ball 1314 01:05:22,560 --> 01:05:24,840 Speaker 1: in terms of the pulling the whole way through. Where 1315 01:05:24,960 --> 01:05:26,400 Speaker 1: some of these other states you had, you know, at 1316 01:05:26,440 --> 01:05:29,720 Speaker 1: times Democrats with like a double digit lead, this one 1317 01:05:29,760 --> 01:05:33,000 Speaker 1: has always been extremely close. I pulled the last two 1318 01:05:33,040 --> 01:05:37,640 Speaker 1: polls here the Hill Emerson had the Republican Lasault up 1319 01:05:37,720 --> 01:05:42,840 Speaker 1: five USA today Suffolk had Catherine Cortez Masso up by one. 1320 01:05:43,240 --> 01:05:47,200 Speaker 1: But again the overall polling average has the Republican by 1321 01:05:47,320 --> 01:05:50,280 Speaker 1: almost two points. So yeah, I definitely think you would 1322 01:05:50,320 --> 01:05:54,080 Speaker 1: rather be the Republicans, just because again, economic concerns. Democratic 1323 01:05:54,080 --> 01:05:58,040 Speaker 1: failures to message on economic concerns probably going to override 1324 01:05:58,160 --> 01:06:00,800 Speaker 1: you know, the benefits that they have there in terms 1325 01:06:00,840 --> 01:06:03,840 Speaker 1: of unionization. If you didn't have that strong union presence there, 1326 01:06:04,000 --> 01:06:05,720 Speaker 1: this thing would be done and over and not even 1327 01:06:05,760 --> 01:06:07,800 Speaker 1: a question mark. That's a great point. Yeah. I mean, look, 1328 01:06:07,800 --> 01:06:10,920 Speaker 1: it's a crazy landscape and with every single one of 1329 01:06:10,960 --> 01:06:13,760 Speaker 1: these states, like some flavor of localism is coming out, 1330 01:06:13,760 --> 01:06:16,960 Speaker 1: but the national trends are just really bearing so strongly 1331 01:06:17,000 --> 01:06:20,120 Speaker 1: behind Yeah, the Republicans that in almost every case except 1332 01:06:20,160 --> 01:06:22,000 Speaker 1: maybe Arizona, you just have to look at it and 1333 01:06:22,080 --> 01:06:24,240 Speaker 1: be like, well, that seems to be where things are blowing. 1334 01:06:24,280 --> 01:06:25,880 Speaker 1: By the way, we did include New Hampshire, but as 1335 01:06:25,960 --> 01:06:28,920 Speaker 1: I as I alluded to earlier, actually this morning a 1336 01:06:28,960 --> 01:06:32,160 Speaker 1: new Trafalgar pole actually came out showing bull Duck up 1337 01:06:32,160 --> 01:06:34,680 Speaker 1: for the very first time by just one percentage point 1338 01:06:34,920 --> 01:06:37,360 Speaker 1: over Maggie Hassen there in New Hamon. That would be 1339 01:06:37,360 --> 01:06:41,200 Speaker 1: a major upset because we gain the for the Republican 1340 01:06:41,200 --> 01:06:45,080 Speaker 1: House over that seat. And it's not just Trafalgar. You 1341 01:06:45,120 --> 01:06:49,120 Speaker 1: also had a s Anselm pole was the other most 1342 01:06:49,120 --> 01:06:52,000 Speaker 1: recent pole that also had Ballduck with a one point lead. 1343 01:06:52,400 --> 01:06:56,400 Speaker 1: The overall average is now just point five in favor 1344 01:06:56,480 --> 01:07:00,000 Speaker 1: of Maggie Hassen. So yeah, this is this one is 1345 01:07:00,240 --> 01:07:03,800 Speaker 1: become a real toss up. You know, one thing on 1346 01:07:03,840 --> 01:07:06,080 Speaker 1: Georgia that I just want to make sure we note 1347 01:07:06,120 --> 01:07:08,240 Speaker 1: which is that if neither of these candidates get to 1348 01:07:08,280 --> 01:07:11,320 Speaker 1: fifty percent, which is entirely possible, then that goes to 1349 01:07:11,360 --> 01:07:13,920 Speaker 1: a runoff. And you know, that's a whole other situation. 1350 01:07:14,080 --> 01:07:16,720 Speaker 1: But in terms of who has the edge right now 1351 01:07:16,960 --> 01:07:20,160 Speaker 1: to win the most votes on election day looking like Walker, 1352 01:07:20,680 --> 01:07:22,840 Speaker 1: the last one is, you know, when we focused in 1353 01:07:22,880 --> 01:07:24,919 Speaker 1: the media has focused a lot of attention on, which 1354 01:07:24,960 --> 01:07:27,840 Speaker 1: is the Pennsylvania race between Fetterman and Oz. Let's go 1355 01:07:27,840 --> 01:07:30,360 Speaker 1: ahead and put those numbers up on the screen here 1356 01:07:30,720 --> 01:07:34,600 Speaker 1: and you can see Fetterman's still clinging to a small 1357 01:07:34,680 --> 01:07:38,040 Speaker 1: lead here in terms of the average. He's up by 1358 01:07:38,120 --> 01:07:41,240 Speaker 1: one point two in the Real Claire Politics average. And 1359 01:07:41,440 --> 01:07:45,080 Speaker 1: I pulled the last two polls. Monmouth has Fetterman plus 1360 01:07:45,120 --> 01:07:50,080 Speaker 1: four and Muhlenberg Muhlenberg College, Yes, Muhlenberg, I don't know 1361 01:07:50,200 --> 01:07:53,480 Speaker 1: whatever has it even has it as a jump ball. 1362 01:07:53,560 --> 01:07:57,600 Speaker 1: I mean, this one is again total jump ball. And 1363 01:07:57,720 --> 01:08:01,720 Speaker 1: Pennsylvania is one of those states where pollsters have been missing, 1364 01:08:01,800 --> 01:08:03,800 Speaker 1: and they've been missing big yes, because this is a 1365 01:08:03,840 --> 01:08:07,400 Speaker 1: state that has a significant white working class population, especially 1366 01:08:07,400 --> 01:08:09,320 Speaker 1: the western part of the state. They've been you know, 1367 01:08:10,040 --> 01:08:13,800 Speaker 1: sort of consistently under counting Republican support. And so the 1368 01:08:13,840 --> 01:08:17,439 Speaker 1: fact that Fetterman in average only with one point two 1369 01:08:18,000 --> 01:08:21,680 Speaker 1: of a lead Alex pretty Dice and two Poles came 1370 01:08:21,680 --> 01:08:24,280 Speaker 1: out this morning actually with Oz at point plus one 1371 01:08:24,439 --> 01:08:26,840 Speaker 1: at our point. So the hail Emerson, yeah, putting him 1372 01:08:26,880 --> 01:08:30,000 Speaker 1: up at OZ taking first time lead in that poll 1373 01:08:30,040 --> 01:08:32,599 Speaker 1: in a Sussequana I believe I said that correctly. It's 1374 01:08:32,680 --> 01:08:37,200 Speaker 1: Susquehannaskate whatever. All right, sorry, Pennsylvania has them up by 1375 01:08:37,400 --> 01:08:40,520 Speaker 1: one as well, so very interesting. I mean, you're effectively 1376 01:08:40,640 --> 01:08:43,519 Speaker 1: it's a total jump there, which again, you know, given 1377 01:08:43,560 --> 01:08:45,639 Speaker 1: the way that the polling misses have been in the past, 1378 01:08:46,160 --> 01:08:49,040 Speaker 1: just the wins at the backs of the Republican Yes. Indeed, 1379 01:08:49,479 --> 01:08:51,759 Speaker 1: once upon a time this would have been front page 1380 01:08:51,800 --> 01:08:54,720 Speaker 1: news because we are on the on the brink of 1381 01:08:54,760 --> 01:08:58,240 Speaker 1: a major war in East Asia, of which nobody apparently 1382 01:08:58,400 --> 01:09:01,040 Speaker 1: appears to be taking very seriously, because it would just 1383 01:09:01,040 --> 01:09:04,360 Speaker 1: be inconvenient for everybody's picture of the global narrative. So 1384 01:09:04,439 --> 01:09:06,240 Speaker 1: let's go ahead and put up the next one on 1385 01:09:06,320 --> 01:09:09,280 Speaker 1: the screen from part two, please, the Reuter's tearsheet about 1386 01:09:09,280 --> 01:09:12,519 Speaker 1: North Korea. This is very important. North Korea has fired 1387 01:09:12,560 --> 01:09:16,240 Speaker 1: twenty three missiles with one landing off the South Korean 1388 01:09:16,280 --> 01:09:20,360 Speaker 1: coast for the first time ever. This comes from a 1389 01:09:20,439 --> 01:09:24,559 Speaker 1: slew of different missile launches by the North Koreans, both 1390 01:09:24,640 --> 01:09:28,400 Speaker 1: towards the Japanese towards South Korean waters in a response 1391 01:09:28,439 --> 01:09:32,080 Speaker 1: to South Korean military drills with the United States and 1392 01:09:32,439 --> 01:09:37,600 Speaker 1: spawning major panic in Japan. Crystal they did overflies of 1393 01:09:37,720 --> 01:09:40,880 Speaker 1: Japan for the second time since twenty seventeen. Can you 1394 01:09:40,960 --> 01:09:44,920 Speaker 1: imagine watching television evening television and the emergency system, you know, 1395 01:09:44,960 --> 01:09:47,479 Speaker 1: whenever there's like a flood warning on your phone, imagine 1396 01:09:47,479 --> 01:09:51,360 Speaker 1: it says missile incoming, Take shelter, Take shelter. Now. That 1397 01:09:51,560 --> 01:09:54,320 Speaker 1: is what our Japanese allies are dealing with on a 1398 01:09:54,400 --> 01:09:58,040 Speaker 1: daily basis now. And this is a real bad situation 1399 01:09:58,400 --> 01:10:00,800 Speaker 1: because right now, the South Korean let's go and put 1400 01:10:00,800 --> 01:10:03,799 Speaker 1: this up there, have fired three air to ground missiles 1401 01:10:03,800 --> 01:10:08,040 Speaker 1: from warplanes into the sea north of the disputed border, 1402 01:10:08,760 --> 01:10:12,559 Speaker 1: on top of US military exercises which are happening. So 1403 01:10:12,680 --> 01:10:14,680 Speaker 1: why does this matter in the context of what we 1404 01:10:14,680 --> 01:10:18,040 Speaker 1: were just talking about in Ukraine at all? Well, Donald Trump, 1405 01:10:18,240 --> 01:10:22,400 Speaker 1: I believe made one of the most significant diplomatic breakthroughs 1406 01:10:22,520 --> 01:10:25,599 Speaker 1: of all time in modern US history. Whenever he said, 1407 01:10:25,800 --> 01:10:28,639 Speaker 1: screw it, I'm meeting with Kim Jong un with zero 1408 01:10:28,760 --> 01:10:32,599 Speaker 1: preconditions because the other option was war. That doesn't sound 1409 01:10:32,680 --> 01:10:35,439 Speaker 1: very good from everything I have read. The North Koreans 1410 01:10:35,479 --> 01:10:40,160 Speaker 1: have a major stockpile of horrific chemical weapons vx saren 1411 01:10:40,240 --> 01:10:44,080 Speaker 1: gas on top of massive ammunition stockpile. They could level 1412 01:10:44,080 --> 01:10:45,880 Speaker 1: a city of Soul in like forty five minutes, like 1413 01:10:45,920 --> 01:10:48,439 Speaker 1: it would be horrific. Tens of millions of people would 1414 01:10:48,479 --> 01:10:51,240 Speaker 1: die on top of tens of thousands of Americans of 1415 01:10:51,280 --> 01:10:55,360 Speaker 1: the South Korean population within forty five minutes of the DMC. 1416 01:10:55,840 --> 01:10:59,280 Speaker 1: We also have tens of thousands of troops, American soldiers 1417 01:10:59,360 --> 01:11:01,639 Speaker 1: who are on I think it's Osan Air Force Base, 1418 01:11:01,800 --> 01:11:04,120 Speaker 1: and others who's basically their job is to die in 1419 01:11:04,160 --> 01:11:07,200 Speaker 1: the middle of one of these conflicts. That's how grave 1420 01:11:07,320 --> 01:11:10,400 Speaker 1: the military plans for all of this looked like. Well, 1421 01:11:10,600 --> 01:11:13,200 Speaker 1: we had two options in twenty seventeen. Kim Jong un 1422 01:11:13,320 --> 01:11:14,880 Speaker 1: is not giving up his nuclear program and he's not 1423 01:11:14,880 --> 01:11:17,479 Speaker 1: gonna stop firing missiles because he wants entry into the 1424 01:11:17,479 --> 01:11:21,400 Speaker 1: global economy because his country is suffering mostly because of him. 1425 01:11:21,400 --> 01:11:24,360 Speaker 1: But he wants access to global markets and end of sanctions, 1426 01:11:24,479 --> 01:11:27,080 Speaker 1: so he's willing to go all in and risk war 1427 01:11:27,120 --> 01:11:30,160 Speaker 1: for that. We had to decide, well, do we want 1428 01:11:30,160 --> 01:11:32,120 Speaker 1: the Korean peninsula to be wiped off the face of 1429 01:11:32,120 --> 01:11:34,160 Speaker 1: the earth or should we just try and put an 1430 01:11:34,240 --> 01:11:36,640 Speaker 1: end to this thing, this madness. Trump went to go 1431 01:11:36,720 --> 01:11:41,400 Speaker 1: meet with him at the total like he was hailed 1432 01:11:41,479 --> 01:11:45,439 Speaker 1: as like legitimizing this dictator. He was said to be 1433 01:11:45,600 --> 01:11:49,800 Speaker 1: abandoning the long standing US position that we must have 1434 01:11:49,920 --> 01:11:52,600 Speaker 1: denuclearization as a pretext for talks. And he's like, no, 1435 01:11:52,680 --> 01:11:54,200 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna do that. I'm just gonna go and 1436 01:11:54,200 --> 01:11:56,320 Speaker 1: meet with the guy. And guess what, they didn't do 1437 01:11:56,360 --> 01:11:58,920 Speaker 1: anything for five years, and it was great. It was 1438 01:11:59,000 --> 01:12:02,840 Speaker 1: actually very nice to not have random ballistic missiles flying 1439 01:12:02,880 --> 01:12:05,960 Speaker 1: into the sea in East Asia, which could even you know. 1440 01:12:06,040 --> 01:12:08,400 Speaker 1: One issue is that they fire these missiles into the 1441 01:12:08,439 --> 01:12:11,439 Speaker 1: air and they don't give any heads up to like 1442 01:12:11,439 --> 01:12:14,280 Speaker 1: commercial airline pilot, so there's a real fear that they 1443 01:12:14,280 --> 01:12:16,880 Speaker 1: can just shoot a plane out of the sky accidentally, 1444 01:12:17,800 --> 01:12:21,200 Speaker 1: very real consequences. The point is is that Trump bucked 1445 01:12:21,200 --> 01:12:24,080 Speaker 1: the Washington establishment by saying, no, I'm just going to 1446 01:12:24,160 --> 01:12:26,320 Speaker 1: meet with them. And also even though he ended up 1447 01:12:26,360 --> 01:12:29,400 Speaker 1: also not dropping denuclearization from the demand of North Korea. 1448 01:12:29,680 --> 01:12:32,960 Speaker 1: We got them talking, they were exchanging letters. Mike Pompeo 1449 01:12:33,160 --> 01:12:35,759 Speaker 1: was over there all the time, and we were presenting 1450 01:12:35,760 --> 01:12:38,040 Speaker 1: the North Koreans. We're like, hey, look, you can have 1451 01:12:38,080 --> 01:12:41,040 Speaker 1: a great life if you guys give up your nukes. Now. Ultimately, 1452 01:12:41,320 --> 01:12:43,559 Speaker 1: I personally think that's just not on the table at all. 1453 01:12:43,680 --> 01:12:45,479 Speaker 1: They would personally like if I were them, I would 1454 01:12:45,520 --> 01:12:47,920 Speaker 1: never give it up. As they always say in their negotiations. 1455 01:12:48,040 --> 01:12:50,439 Speaker 1: Look what happened to Gavi. Yeah, they're like, you guys, 1456 01:12:50,640 --> 01:12:52,400 Speaker 1: you know he died get with a ram rod up 1457 01:12:52,439 --> 01:12:54,120 Speaker 1: his ass. He's like, that's not going to happen to me. 1458 01:12:54,479 --> 01:12:57,600 Speaker 1: So that's something that they are wholly wedded to. The 1459 01:12:57,640 --> 01:13:00,519 Speaker 1: point is is that this shows you because the Biden 1460 01:13:00,520 --> 01:13:03,720 Speaker 1: administration immediately reverted back to the Obama position, which is, no, 1461 01:13:03,840 --> 01:13:05,439 Speaker 1: we're not going to talk to them at all, and 1462 01:13:05,479 --> 01:13:06,960 Speaker 1: it's up to them whether they want to start a 1463 01:13:07,000 --> 01:13:10,719 Speaker 1: war or not. Yeah, this demonstrates the power and lasting 1464 01:13:11,080 --> 01:13:14,439 Speaker 1: legacy of diplomacy. We had five years of relative peace 1465 01:13:14,880 --> 01:13:18,759 Speaker 1: in East Asia, even though nothing happened and all talking 1466 01:13:18,920 --> 01:13:21,559 Speaker 1: was all that happened. It also shows you. I mean, 1467 01:13:21,840 --> 01:13:25,519 Speaker 1: you know, Americans have a finite ability to consume news. 1468 01:13:25,560 --> 01:13:28,680 Speaker 1: There's a finite ability of the news media to you know, 1469 01:13:28,880 --> 01:13:32,040 Speaker 1: focus in on any particular story. And you know, they're 1470 01:13:32,080 --> 01:13:34,400 Speaker 1: all consumed with the Ukraine War. It's a very important story. 1471 01:13:34,400 --> 01:13:37,040 Speaker 1: We're very consumed with that as well possibility of nuclear war. 1472 01:13:37,520 --> 01:13:42,200 Speaker 1: But you know, don't forget that we have other incredibly dangerous, 1473 01:13:42,400 --> 01:13:48,240 Speaker 1: volatile situations unfolding North Korea, Taiwan, other places, and you know, 1474 01:13:48,280 --> 01:13:49,719 Speaker 1: we don't want to let that fall off the table. 1475 01:13:49,720 --> 01:13:51,880 Speaker 1: And Obama handed off to Trump. That was the thing 1476 01:13:51,920 --> 01:13:55,799 Speaker 1: that he said he thought would be the biggest threat, 1477 01:13:55,920 --> 01:13:59,439 Speaker 1: the largest danger, the most sort of like consuming issue 1478 01:13:59,560 --> 01:14:03,559 Speaker 1: on the international stage. So you know, that has not 1479 01:14:03,640 --> 01:14:07,640 Speaker 1: gone away. And even after those first twenty three missiles 1480 01:14:07,720 --> 01:14:10,480 Speaker 1: and then South Korea does their you know, sort of retaliation, 1481 01:14:10,960 --> 01:14:15,880 Speaker 1: North Korea continued then afterwards and launched four more, including 1482 01:14:16,040 --> 01:14:19,880 Speaker 1: an ICBM which they say that test failed, but you know, 1483 01:14:20,160 --> 01:14:23,280 Speaker 1: further escalating even after the initial launch of those twenty 1484 01:14:23,280 --> 01:14:26,839 Speaker 1: three missiles. So is a very very very dangerous situation. 1485 01:14:26,960 --> 01:14:29,719 Speaker 1: And look, maybe I'll say something controversial which will piss 1486 01:14:29,760 --> 01:14:31,760 Speaker 1: off a lot of the Euros that watch our show. 1487 01:14:32,040 --> 01:14:36,000 Speaker 1: Japan and South Korea are fifteen thousand times more valuable 1488 01:14:36,000 --> 01:14:38,320 Speaker 1: to the US economy, to the US way of life, 1489 01:14:38,320 --> 01:14:41,479 Speaker 1: and as allies than any place in Eastern Europe. And 1490 01:14:41,800 --> 01:14:44,240 Speaker 1: I know it's difficult to talk that way, but just 1491 01:14:44,280 --> 01:14:46,640 Speaker 1: look at a chart of global GDP and look at 1492 01:14:46,680 --> 01:14:52,800 Speaker 1: trading relationships, longtime alliances, military spending, commitment actually to the 1493 01:14:52,920 --> 01:14:55,280 Speaker 1: US military alliance, to the US way of life, the 1494 01:14:55,400 --> 01:15:00,800 Speaker 1: US global order visa v. China, Asia is look percent 1495 01:15:00,800 --> 01:15:04,160 Speaker 1: of world GDP. And I think there's a real chauvinism 1496 01:15:04,240 --> 01:15:06,280 Speaker 1: the way that we talk about allies and the way 1497 01:15:06,400 --> 01:15:09,760 Speaker 1: that we look at the world considering how important this 1498 01:15:09,880 --> 01:15:12,400 Speaker 1: part of the world is. Maybe just because we don't 1499 01:15:12,400 --> 01:15:14,360 Speaker 1: have ancestry. Maybe I'm Indians, so I just don't have 1500 01:15:14,439 --> 01:15:16,840 Speaker 1: the European ancestry. So I'm willing to look at it 1501 01:15:17,080 --> 01:15:19,559 Speaker 1: go on a balance sheet that any war in East 1502 01:15:19,600 --> 01:15:23,200 Speaker 1: Asia would be ten to fifteen to twenty five times 1503 01:15:23,520 --> 01:15:27,760 Speaker 1: more impactful on US interests than anything that is going 1504 01:15:27,760 --> 01:15:30,240 Speaker 1: on right now in Ukraine. And part of the issue, 1505 01:15:30,280 --> 01:15:32,360 Speaker 1: as I always worried about, is that we are blowing 1506 01:15:32,400 --> 01:15:36,800 Speaker 1: our wad on terms of our military industrial complex, in 1507 01:15:36,920 --> 01:15:39,960 Speaker 1: terms of our supplies in terms of our just energy, 1508 01:15:40,040 --> 01:15:44,160 Speaker 1: our attention, while there is yeah public will, while there 1509 01:15:44,280 --> 01:15:47,680 Speaker 1: is a real possibility of a war which could end 1510 01:15:47,760 --> 01:15:50,320 Speaker 1: the American way of life as we know it. Already, 1511 01:15:50,560 --> 01:15:53,120 Speaker 1: China zero COVID lockdowns are making it so that the 1512 01:15:53,160 --> 01:15:55,760 Speaker 1: new iPhone fourteen is not going to get delivered, you know, 1513 01:15:55,880 --> 01:15:58,519 Speaker 1: on time. This is exact rageous. I really believe that 1514 01:15:58,560 --> 01:16:00,960 Speaker 1: people should people should underst like, if there's a war 1515 01:16:01,080 --> 01:16:03,600 Speaker 1: over Taiwan or in East Asia, this will be the 1516 01:16:03,640 --> 01:16:05,640 Speaker 1: last iPhone that you ever have, and you'll likely have 1517 01:16:05,680 --> 01:16:08,000 Speaker 1: to turn it into the government because they need the 1518 01:16:08,120 --> 01:16:11,120 Speaker 1: chips that are inside of it. So look, it's a 1519 01:16:11,160 --> 01:16:14,760 Speaker 1: serious situation. We can learn. We had a five year 1520 01:16:14,840 --> 01:16:19,200 Speaker 1: reprieve from over seventy years of war or tensions on 1521 01:16:19,200 --> 01:16:23,080 Speaker 1: the Korean peninsula, and it came from just talking between 1522 01:16:23,360 --> 01:16:26,840 Speaker 1: two leaders and having high level conversations, and it led 1523 01:16:26,880 --> 01:16:30,120 Speaker 1: to extraordinary results. The South Korean president goes to North 1524 01:16:30,200 --> 01:16:33,360 Speaker 1: Korea does the handshit, it's never happened before. It's like 1525 01:16:33,439 --> 01:16:37,160 Speaker 1: these were we were on the path to a good outcome, 1526 01:16:37,400 --> 01:16:40,800 Speaker 1: and instead the Biden administration reverted back to the brain 1527 01:16:40,880 --> 01:16:43,240 Speaker 1: dead policy of we're going to insist the country with 1528 01:16:43,280 --> 01:16:45,320 Speaker 1: the capability or we're going to insist that a country 1529 01:16:45,400 --> 01:16:48,200 Speaker 1: the capability to nuke US should give up their nukes? 1530 01:16:48,360 --> 01:16:50,559 Speaker 1: Why would they do that? These past several years, I've 1531 01:16:50,600 --> 01:16:53,240 Speaker 1: really exposed how so much of what is taken for 1532 01:16:53,320 --> 01:16:56,040 Speaker 1: granted as like foreign policy conventional wisdom in the BLOB 1533 01:16:56,200 --> 01:16:59,080 Speaker 1: was not just like it was just completely wrong. It 1534 01:16:59,120 --> 01:17:01,559 Speaker 1: was like total op of what you should be doing. 1535 01:17:01,600 --> 01:17:04,559 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, our sanctioned policy with regard to Russia, 1536 01:17:04,560 --> 01:17:06,599 Speaker 1: how is how is that? Where has that curbed their 1537 01:17:06,640 --> 01:17:11,000 Speaker 1: appetite for war? Has that even like? Yeah, exactly so, Yeah, 1538 01:17:11,080 --> 01:17:14,519 Speaker 1: there's been a lot of potential learning, but unfortunately the 1539 01:17:15,040 --> 01:17:18,000 Speaker 1: foreign policy establishment doesn't seem to want to learn those lessons. No, 1540 01:17:18,160 --> 01:17:19,320 Speaker 1: they don't want to learn it at all.