1 00:00:01,720 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: Cool media. 2 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 2: This is it could happen here? Executive that Disorder. Our 3 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 2: weekly newscast covering what's happening in the White House, Yes, 4 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 2: the crumbling world and what it means for me and you. 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:21,440 Speaker 2: I'm Garrison Davis today. I'm joined by James Stout and 6 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 2: Robert Evans. Yes, this week we're covering the week of 7 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:27,479 Speaker 2: February nineteen to February twenty sixth. 8 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 3: Boy, if you thought we had ed before, do we 9 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:32,640 Speaker 3: have ed now? 10 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 4: We still haven't got that HYM sponsorship, but will yeah crying. 11 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 3: We're gonna keep working at it. I'm also looking to 12 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 3: get us a penis pump sponsorship. Speaking of penis pumps, 13 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 3: let's talk about the Germans. So, Germany had its election 14 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 3: very recently after their most recent coalition collapsed. The way 15 00:00:53,280 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 3: their government works is that periodically governments can't continue being governments, 16 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 3: and so they have to have a very sudden election. 17 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:04,840 Speaker 3: I'm not going to explain it much more than that, 18 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 3: but the actual results of the election were pretty interesting, right. 19 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 3: The primary winner was off Day AfD Alternative for Germany 20 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 3: would be kind of the closest English translation of the 21 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 3: name of the party. This is a far right party. 22 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 3: It is primarily popular in East Germany now, but it 23 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 3: has surged massively after years and years of being decidedly 24 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:33,040 Speaker 3: on the political fringe. One of the reasons it has 25 00:01:33,080 --> 00:01:36,479 Speaker 3: always been on the political fringe is that German parties, 26 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 3: both centrists, Conservatives and the left, have had a tacit 27 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 3: agreement since the end of World War Two called the 28 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:49,560 Speaker 3: Court on Santaire. It's not just Germany, this is the 29 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 3: thing that used to be present in all of Europe. 30 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:54,160 Speaker 3: And basically the gist of the Court in Sanitaire is 31 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 3: you don't form a coalition because these are parliamentary democracies, right, 32 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 3: so usually no one party has fifty percent or more 33 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 3: of the vote. So you know, a party with twenty 34 00:02:04,120 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 3: and a party with fifteen and a party with eight 35 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:09,800 Speaker 3: and they form a coalition government. And the norm for 36 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 3: up until now, and thankfully is still the normal we'll 37 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:17,080 Speaker 3: talk about that is that you don't coalition with AfD, 38 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:19,280 Speaker 3: which is a part of why that and kind of 39 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 3: lingering stigma about the Nazis kept them from being a 40 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 3: major force in German politics until you know, over the 41 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 3: last eight or so years they have grown substantially to 42 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:34,520 Speaker 3: the point where in this recent election they doubled their 43 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:37,440 Speaker 3: support from around ten percent to a little over twenty percent. 44 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 3: This makes them they're not the largest single block in 45 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 3: the German in the Reichstag. 46 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,639 Speaker 2: They're number two though, right they are number two, I believe, 47 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 2: which sucks. 48 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:51,200 Speaker 4: Yeah, it's not great. 49 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 3: Yeah, the CDU is still significantly larger, although not like 50 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:03,560 Speaker 3: overwhelmingly larger to be clear. So basically right now, the CDU, 51 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 3: which is the centrist party and it's kind of like 52 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:09,400 Speaker 3: center right, a little center right, has two hundred and 53 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 3: eight seats in the Reichstag. AfD has one hundred and 54 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:15,959 Speaker 3: fifty two, the Social Democrats have one hundred and twenty, 55 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,119 Speaker 3: the Greens have eighty five, and the Left Party has 56 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:24,600 Speaker 3: sixty four. So AfD is a minority in the government 57 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,560 Speaker 3: compared to all of the people who didn't vote for AfD, 58 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 3: but the rate at which they're increasing is a serious problem, 59 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 3: especially since most Germans list immigration as their primary voting 60 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:40,040 Speaker 3: concern right now, this most recent election had unusually high 61 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 3: voter turnout. Twenty twenty one election, seventy six percent of 62 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:46,640 Speaker 3: the country or so voted. More than eighty two percent 63 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 3: of the country voted in this most recent election, so 64 00:03:50,240 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 3: the fact that like you have record high turnout and 65 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 3: AfD doubling its support is deeply chilling. Now it's not 66 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:02,640 Speaker 3: one hundred percent bad news because one of the other 67 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:06,360 Speaker 3: stories here is the new Left Party, well not super new, 68 00:04:06,400 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 3: but the Left Party, which is kind of came out 69 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 3: of East Germany's Communist Party, massively increased their support too. 70 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:18,040 Speaker 3: And they actually for the first time, like very significantly 71 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 3: increased their share of the vote, which had been under 72 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:24,599 Speaker 3: this kind of five percent threshold before and is now 73 00:04:24,600 --> 00:04:28,279 Speaker 3: at about eight point eight percent. So they went up 74 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:31,840 Speaker 3: by an amount. Actually it's not like as much as 75 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:34,440 Speaker 3: AfD went up, but like in terms of a percentage 76 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:38,920 Speaker 3: of their prior vote, it's a similar increase. So there's 77 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 3: another party that had significant gains in this and it's 78 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 3: it's kind of a newer party called the BSW, which 79 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 3: is you could say they do a little bit of 80 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 3: like a Red Brown Alliance kind of thing, where there's 81 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:54,520 Speaker 3: some left wing messaging in what they're saying with they're 82 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 3: also like super anti immigrant and they're not, you know, 83 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:01,479 Speaker 3: it's not kind of like to the extent that the 84 00:05:01,520 --> 00:05:05,720 Speaker 3: AfD is. But when they came on to the scene, 85 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 3: they were expected by some people to pull votes away 86 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 3: from the AfD this election, and that's really not what happened. 87 00:05:14,320 --> 00:05:16,599 Speaker 3: And in fact, a lot of the votes they pulled 88 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 3: were from Social Democrats and the left parties, so that 89 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:23,800 Speaker 3: was one of the you know, it's because the way 90 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 3: the parliamentary system works, which is more rational than our system. 91 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:31,279 Speaker 3: This didn't like hand the whole election to off day. Again. 92 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:34,360 Speaker 3: This is the benefit of a system like the Germans had, 93 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:37,120 Speaker 3: which is pretty explicitly set up to make it a 94 00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:40,440 Speaker 3: lot harder for a right wing dictator to get in again. 95 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:43,880 Speaker 3: But it is interesting to me that that kind of messaging, 96 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:47,160 Speaker 3: I mean, it's further kind of evidence of what's been 97 00:05:47,200 --> 00:05:51,719 Speaker 3: happening everywhere, which is when your party positions itself to 98 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:55,560 Speaker 3: try to win over far right votes by kind of 99 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 3: mixing in Well, okay, what if we did some sort 100 00:05:57,760 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 3: of you know, liberal lefty policies, but we also got 101 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 3: really racist. You don't take votes from the far right, 102 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 3: but you do wind up pulling the worst people from 103 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 3: the left. Yeah, and yeah, I guess that's kind of 104 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 3: like the broad strokes. Now, like this is bad, although 105 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:21,240 Speaker 3: it's also not comprehensively a nightmare. One of the things 106 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 3: that's kind of hot. I don't know, positive may not 107 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:26,000 Speaker 3: be the right. Wait, but interesting to me is if 108 00:06:26,040 --> 00:06:30,039 Speaker 3: you looked at the twenty twenty one election maps of 109 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:34,000 Speaker 3: the strongest party by constituency in the twenty twenty one election, 110 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,440 Speaker 3: and I found a good article German election results explaining 111 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:40,159 Speaker 3: graphics on DW dot com. If you just google that, 112 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:44,320 Speaker 3: you'll find it. In twenty twenty one, off Day obviously, 113 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:49,279 Speaker 3: like the whole northeast was you know, their territory, but 114 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 3: they also had strong inroads into the northwest parts of 115 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:56,120 Speaker 3: the country, right, you know, primarily like rural areas and 116 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:58,000 Speaker 3: the like. But like there was a there was a 117 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:02,160 Speaker 3: lot of red on that map orthwest portion of Germany. 118 00:07:02,200 --> 00:07:06,040 Speaker 3: In the new election that's all black, which is the 119 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 3: CDU right, Which means while off Day's representation of the 120 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 3: Reichstag and like number of voters increased substantially, their geographical 121 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 3: reach has been kind of cauterized, would be, in a 122 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:22,920 Speaker 3: fair way of saying it is, which is interesting to 123 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:25,440 Speaker 3: me hard to say too much, like does that mean, 124 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 3: you know, I think some of what has happened here, 125 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:31,200 Speaker 3: Because it's important both to note that this is bad, 126 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 3: it's bad that the Nazis got doubled their share of 127 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,040 Speaker 3: the vote, but also it was expected to be a 128 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 3: little worse than it was. You know, there's some evidence 129 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 3: that after JD Vance made his speech introducing AfD, their 130 00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 3: pollings started to like freeze a little bit. And it 131 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:52,040 Speaker 3: may be the fact because a lot of older voters 132 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,240 Speaker 3: came in and they they seem to have primarily gone 133 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 3: with the CDU, with this sort of center right party. 134 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:01,720 Speaker 3: So the story here is you can maybe look at 135 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:05,360 Speaker 3: it as a lot of older, more conservative Germans who 136 00:08:06,160 --> 00:08:08,680 Speaker 3: are also old enough to really not like the idea 137 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 3: of the AfD came out and voted for, you know, 138 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:15,720 Speaker 3: the center right party in order to kind of cut 139 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 3: off their power. The other thing, though, that's kind of 140 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 3: a lot less optimistic, is that AfD is most popular 141 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:26,960 Speaker 3: among people under thirty, who widely don't view it as 142 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 3: an extremist party, which is deeply, deeply concerning. 143 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 2: And AfD won the majority of like working class, unemployed 144 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:38,079 Speaker 2: and male votes. Yes, yes, pretty substantially. 145 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:42,840 Speaker 3: Yes, they did extremely well with young men and unemployed 146 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:47,240 Speaker 3: young men in particular, and that's all deeply concerning. So 147 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 3: you know, there's a few things going on here. All 148 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:53,280 Speaker 3: of which are very interesting to me, but the power 149 00:08:53,559 --> 00:08:57,200 Speaker 3: often they continues to have with younger, really young Germans, 150 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:02,440 Speaker 3: is frightening. That said, there's allso some evidence here that 151 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:07,160 Speaker 3: the situation in the United States has galvanized a chunk 152 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:11,480 Speaker 3: of the German voting populace to attempt to stop off 153 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:13,400 Speaker 3: day and kind of one of the positive things that 154 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:15,280 Speaker 3: came out is prior to this election, there was a 155 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:19,120 Speaker 3: lot of talk about whether or not the CDU would 156 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:22,960 Speaker 3: choose to coalition with the AfD and thus into the 157 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:26,720 Speaker 3: Cordon sanitaire. And to make a long story short, they're 158 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 3: not going to do that. They're looking to coalition with 159 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:33,200 Speaker 3: the Social Democrats, which is a good thing. You know, 160 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:35,160 Speaker 3: it doesn't mean no one will do that in the future. 161 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:39,959 Speaker 3: And unfortunately, a majority of German voters suspect AfD will 162 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:43,720 Speaker 3: be in a coalition by twenty thirty, but it hasn't 163 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:47,040 Speaker 3: happened yet. And that's as good as things get right now. 164 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:49,120 Speaker 3: And that's what I got to say about Germany. 165 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, and people frame these results is like 166 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:56,560 Speaker 2: slightly better than expected, slightly Previous pulling showed AfD being 167 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:01,040 Speaker 2: being slightly better in results, and that dip for Vance 168 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:05,720 Speaker 2: and Musk started started really trying to push AfD both 169 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:09,480 Speaker 2: in person and digitally, So you saw a slight dip there. 170 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:12,400 Speaker 3: Yes, And this is the other thing that's kind of 171 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:16,400 Speaker 3: worth noting that kind of like red Brown Party, in 172 00:10:16,440 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 3: addition to being kind of pro social programs, anti immigration, 173 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:23,439 Speaker 3: they're also very anti United States. 174 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:25,440 Speaker 4: Okay, so. 175 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 3: That may explain some of that too. 176 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:32,079 Speaker 4: Yeah, it does seem like things are changing a lot. 177 00:10:32,120 --> 00:10:33,920 Speaker 4: And one of the things that we've seen, like as 178 00:10:33,960 --> 00:10:36,320 Speaker 4: we've spoken before, like not just in Germany, being Canada, 179 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:40,720 Speaker 4: was that like people hate Musk and Trump so much 180 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:43,360 Speaker 4: in the rest of the world that like their endorsement 181 00:10:43,400 --> 00:10:45,719 Speaker 4: could be something of a kiss of death electorally. 182 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:46,240 Speaker 3: Yeah. 183 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, Like the Conservative Party in Canada has been growing 184 00:10:48,760 --> 00:10:51,840 Speaker 2: pretty exponentially in terms of like popular support the past 185 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:54,720 Speaker 2: few years as the Liberals have like tanked, and now 186 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 2: those trends actually started to reverse. The Canadian like liberal 187 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:00,560 Speaker 2: pulling is up ten points that can sort of pulling 188 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:03,520 Speaker 2: us down. Conservatives might not even be able to control 189 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:06,760 Speaker 2: Parliament in the next election, as they were like expected to. 190 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:09,319 Speaker 2: And it'll be interesting to see like if this if 191 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:13,120 Speaker 2: this anti like far right United States trend continues to 192 00:11:13,160 --> 00:11:16,520 Speaker 2: more countries beyond, like Germany in Canada, but I'm still 193 00:11:16,559 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 2: I'm still eagerly, eagerly waiting for the next Canadian election. 194 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:22,360 Speaker 3: And this is part of the story that is really 195 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 3: interesting right now, where we've talked a lot about the 196 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:29,360 Speaker 3: transnational fascist coalition. You know, the fact that Trump and 197 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:33,040 Speaker 3: his people have had the quasi dictator of Hungary, you know, 198 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:35,679 Speaker 3: over at mar A Lago, and have repeatedly cited him 199 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 3: as an inspiration for how to take and centralized power. 200 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:42,840 Speaker 3: You know how close Bolsonaro was in the last Trump administration, 201 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:47,560 Speaker 3: Like you know, obviously the Republican parties increasing closeness and 202 00:11:47,679 --> 00:11:52,040 Speaker 3: embrace of Putin's Russia. But what also is happening right 203 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 3: now is people like countries that had been heading at 204 00:11:56,880 --> 00:12:01,720 Speaker 3: a very a more authoritarian right wing direction and turning 205 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 3: around in part due to the war in Ukraine and 206 00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:09,960 Speaker 3: turning away from kind of the international right wing movement, 207 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 3: as Poland being the best example right where had Polish 208 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 3: politics have changed substantially in the last several years, and 209 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:20,280 Speaker 3: a big part of that is the war in Ukraine. 210 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:22,680 Speaker 3: And there are a lot of Poles who I think 211 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:24,959 Speaker 3: otherwise would have been more on board for a lot 212 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,800 Speaker 3: of the socially conservative shit who are like, well, but 213 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:33,360 Speaker 3: all these fuckers are pro Russia and we're Poland, Like, no, 214 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:39,200 Speaker 3: all right, let's go on a break and return to 215 00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 3: talk more about the crumbling world. And you said, yeah, 216 00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:59,559 Speaker 3: all right, we are back. I'm gonna ther to James 217 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:03,960 Speaker 3: to to do a segment on usaid. 218 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 4: Yeah, we are back. And before I talk about USAD, 219 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:07,559 Speaker 4: I do want to talk about something else that has 220 00:13:07,559 --> 00:13:10,959 Speaker 4: been advertised along with whatever products and services support this show. 221 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:14,720 Speaker 4: That is the Gold Card. So the Gold Card, if 222 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:17,000 Speaker 4: you're not familiar, is something that Trump floated this week 223 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:21,280 Speaker 4: to replace the EB five investor visa. Trump suggested that 224 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:25,440 Speaker 4: the Gold Card it would require a five million dollar investment. 225 00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:28,120 Speaker 4: Well investment, I think that it's just a charge, right, 226 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:31,400 Speaker 4: You're just giving the money to the United States government, 227 00:13:31,559 --> 00:13:35,679 Speaker 4: and in return you will receive a Green card plus privileges, 228 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:39,320 Speaker 4: and it will be not a Green but a Gold card. 229 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:42,720 Speaker 4: So that's great. That is the EB five visa if 230 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:45,480 Speaker 4: you're not familiar, required you since twenty twenty two, it's 231 00:13:45,559 --> 00:13:49,840 Speaker 4: been one million and fifty thousand dollar investment and the 232 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:52,400 Speaker 4: creation of ten jobs. So it had some kind of 233 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:56,120 Speaker 4: like it trickled down economics. It's not a real thing. 234 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:58,800 Speaker 4: It's a lie that they tell you. But it had 235 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:02,480 Speaker 4: some idea that these rich people would create jobs in 236 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 4: the US people who are less wealthy. The gold card 237 00:14:05,400 --> 00:14:08,000 Speaker 4: seems to not have that. You just have to be rich, right, 238 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:11,359 Speaker 4: So that's say, that's an interesting change to the immigration system. 239 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:14,000 Speaker 4: The other thing I want to talk about today is 240 00:14:14,040 --> 00:14:17,880 Speaker 4: a United States Agency for International Development, better known as USAID. 241 00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 4: It's been a target of like the anti woke right 242 00:14:21,960 --> 00:14:25,760 Speaker 4: for some time because they fundamentally don't understand what Joseph 243 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:28,840 Speaker 4: Nia would have called soft power, right, their power to persuade, 244 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:31,960 Speaker 4: the power to influence outcomes around the world with things 245 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:33,600 Speaker 4: other than tanks and bonds. 246 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:37,800 Speaker 3: Oh and again, if your power is soft right now, 247 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:42,280 Speaker 3: you might consider trying Hymns or one of our other sponsors. 248 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:43,720 Speaker 2: Gyms is not a sponsor. 249 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:46,720 Speaker 4: Sorry, James, we needed to do that, But I have 250 00:14:46,880 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 4: been diverted. But returning to my topic, Yeah, the agency 251 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:56,680 Speaker 4: has been massively impacted by DOGE and Trump administration cuts. Right. 252 00:14:57,200 --> 00:15:01,120 Speaker 4: The Trump administration suspended all foreign aid January via executive 253 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:03,440 Speaker 4: order on the twentieth of January in order to assess 254 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:07,440 Speaker 4: if it was quote serving US interests. The State Department 255 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:10,480 Speaker 4: then issued guidance that seemed to go beyond the executive 256 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 4: order and cut nearly basically all usaily expensive On the 257 00:15:14,880 --> 00:15:17,440 Speaker 4: thirteenth of this month, that's February if you're listening, later, 258 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:21,760 Speaker 4: a judges shued a temporary restraining order. This TIERRO didn't 259 00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:24,960 Speaker 4: really stop them from doing what they were doing, because 260 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,760 Speaker 4: it told them to continue with existing contracts. And what 261 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:32,520 Speaker 4: the State Department claims that it's doing is implementing clauses 262 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:35,080 Speaker 4: that are already in the contract, so the contracts will 263 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:37,400 Speaker 4: have some kind of kill clause, right, and that they 264 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:41,240 Speaker 4: claim that they're implementing that, so they think they've found 265 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:44,680 Speaker 4: a fun work around. Rather than talking extensively about court battles, 266 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:46,680 Speaker 4: I want to talk about what this means. These are 267 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:49,480 Speaker 4: cuts made by the richest man in the world that 268 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:52,320 Speaker 4: have had a direct, tangible, and devastating impact on the 269 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:56,240 Speaker 4: poorest people on the planet. In Sudan, eighty percent of 270 00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:59,600 Speaker 4: emergency kitchens have been closed. That means that close to 271 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:03,480 Speaker 4: two million people will go without food. Local groups who 272 00:16:03,520 --> 00:16:07,480 Speaker 4: organize the kitchens are running out of money. The way 273 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:12,840 Speaker 4: this works is that even when Rubio issued a communication 274 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:17,120 Speaker 4: talking about continuing food aid, it's unclear exactly what that means, 275 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:20,320 Speaker 4: because in this case and in other cases, USAID is 276 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:23,840 Speaker 4: sending them money in order to provision themselves locally, as 277 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:27,200 Speaker 4: opposed to sending them food as an inkind donation. 278 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:27,800 Speaker 3: Right. 279 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:32,600 Speaker 4: Whatever he communicated, these people are not getting food an 280 00:16:32,600 --> 00:16:34,920 Speaker 4: as a result. The people who run these mutual aid 281 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:39,480 Speaker 4: kitchens it's a mutual Aid coalition of Sudan are facing 282 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:41,640 Speaker 4: the horrible decision of having to turn people away it 283 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:45,280 Speaker 4: or deciding who to feed, which is pretty bad. On 284 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:48,080 Speaker 4: the border between Thailand and Myanmay, a place where Robert 285 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:50,320 Speaker 4: and I have been to report, I've heard that people 286 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:53,560 Speaker 4: are having babies right now outside lat of clinics and 287 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:55,880 Speaker 4: life support machines have been removed for it to people 288 00:16:55,920 --> 00:16:58,320 Speaker 4: who were relying on those life support machines obviously. 289 00:16:58,200 --> 00:16:59,960 Speaker 3: And at least one person has died. 290 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 4: Yeah, and I'm sure many many more people than that 291 00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 4: have done. Yeah. 292 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:06,960 Speaker 3: I mean that's just what's reported, Like it's a lot 293 00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:09,040 Speaker 3: of most of what happens there does not get out. 294 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:13,040 Speaker 4: Yeah. I will try in not too long to be 295 00:17:13,080 --> 00:17:16,199 Speaker 4: there and report on that, but it's pretty devastating right 296 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:17,680 Speaker 4: now that Robert and I have met the people who 297 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:19,560 Speaker 4: run some of these clinics and they are some of 298 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:24,040 Speaker 4: the most incredible people doing amazing work. And yeah, they 299 00:17:24,040 --> 00:17:27,200 Speaker 4: relied on USAID funding. There's lots of other places do 300 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:31,919 Speaker 4: and that's not happening now. The State Department has exempted 301 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:36,919 Speaker 4: quote life saving humanitarian assistance programs from the cuts, but 302 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:40,040 Speaker 4: no one really knows what that means. Right. The order reads, 303 00:17:40,119 --> 00:17:44,560 Speaker 4: quote life saving humanitarian assistance applies to core life saving medicine, 304 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:49,239 Speaker 4: medical services, food, shelter and subsistence assistance, as well as 305 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:53,160 Speaker 4: supplies and reasonable administrative costs as necessary to deliver such assistance. 306 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:56,080 Speaker 4: As I mentioned before, the mutual AIDS who are in 307 00:17:56,119 --> 00:18:00,479 Speaker 4: coalition was receiving financial assistance to help it provision, right, 308 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 4: which is much better than the US going through all 309 00:18:03,359 --> 00:18:07,360 Speaker 4: the infrastructure spending of being able to deliver that aid 310 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:12,760 Speaker 4: itself or through USAID contractors. Other contractors implementing partners of 311 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:16,400 Speaker 4: USAID are still owed money for work that they completed 312 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:20,040 Speaker 4: before January, before the stop work orders stopped payment to them. 313 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:22,639 Speaker 4: For work to begin again on any of these contracts, 314 00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:26,080 Speaker 4: they need the contract officer to sign up on it, 315 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:28,280 Speaker 4: and it's at a lunclear exactly how many of these 316 00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 4: contract officers are still employed at USAID because of the 317 00:18:32,080 --> 00:18:38,160 Speaker 4: federal employment cuts. So essentially USAID has stopped all over 318 00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 4: the world. In addition to this, in this country, four 319 00:18:41,880 --> 00:18:46,399 Speaker 4: hundred and ninety million dollars worth of US grown food, 320 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:49,000 Speaker 4: which is in the USAID pipeline to go to people 321 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:51,719 Speaker 4: who very desperately needed food, is currently at risk of 322 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:55,400 Speaker 4: spoilage according to USAID. So it's not just that people 323 00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:58,919 Speaker 4: are starving, it's that we are allowing food to go 324 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:02,800 Speaker 4: bad here while people starve in other places, which is 325 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:06,080 Speaker 4: pretty bleak. I will just really briefly hear plug the 326 00:19:06,160 --> 00:19:08,280 Speaker 4: mutual aids who don't coalition. If you'd like to help, 327 00:19:08,359 --> 00:19:11,280 Speaker 4: you can direct to them directly, And it's mutual aids 328 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:13,879 Speaker 4: who donig If you'd like to do that, it'll be 329 00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:15,840 Speaker 4: into show, not to if you're driving or whatever. 330 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:20,920 Speaker 2: And there is like ongoing legal fights over this issue. 331 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:26,440 Speaker 2: On Tuesday, February twenty fifth, another judge ordered the Trump 332 00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 2: administration to resume hundreds of million dollars of funding towards USAID, 333 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:36,680 Speaker 2: and there's no indication Trump's going to follow that order. 334 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:43,040 Speaker 2: They're already planning to appeal again. They have already appealed before. 335 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:47,720 Speaker 2: And we've seen them continually deny court orders from judges, 336 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:51,800 Speaker 2: fine loopholes, fine workarounds, and Musk and Trump continue to 337 00:19:51,840 --> 00:19:54,480 Speaker 2: just openly float like defying the order of the court. 338 00:19:54,920 --> 00:20:00,600 Speaker 2: Representative Andy Ogeles introduced articles have appeachment against a specific 339 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:04,520 Speaker 2: quote unquote activist judge. This will go nowhere. They don't 340 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:07,320 Speaker 2: have nearly enough numbers to make anything like this happen. 341 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:11,119 Speaker 4: Yeah, it's a frontal assault on the separation of powers. 342 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:14,639 Speaker 4: It's what he's proposed, right, And like they don't have 343 00:20:14,680 --> 00:20:15,480 Speaker 4: their numbers. 344 00:20:15,240 --> 00:20:18,399 Speaker 2: Yet, yes, well, and then they have openly floated just 345 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:22,040 Speaker 2: like defying orders because they're interpreting the actions of the 346 00:20:22,119 --> 00:20:26,280 Speaker 2: judges as like themselves, unlawful. But Musk has himself called 347 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:30,200 Speaker 2: to impeach judges who violate the law, and I believe 348 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:36,639 Speaker 2: his most recent pinned pinned x posts ye reads quote 349 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 2: if any judge anywhere can block every presidential action everywhere, 350 00:20:41,119 --> 00:20:43,480 Speaker 2: we do not have a democracy. We have a tyranny 351 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:44,600 Speaker 2: of the judiciary. 352 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:47,760 Speaker 4: So what a great legal mind. 353 00:20:48,480 --> 00:20:53,440 Speaker 3: Shit we were saying and back in twenty twenty three. 354 00:20:52,880 --> 00:20:56,879 Speaker 2: So this will continue. I mean, I'm really really waiting 355 00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:00,600 Speaker 2: for a final showdown between Trump Elon and you know, 356 00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:04,520 Speaker 2: maybe the Supreme Court and seeing if they will actively 357 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:07,240 Speaker 2: defy a ruling from the Supreme Court, if they indeed 358 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:10,360 Speaker 2: rule against Trump and Musque. But until then, I feel 359 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:13,439 Speaker 2: like we're just kind of all chugging along as the 360 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:17,480 Speaker 2: Trump administration, you know, very very unconstitutionally defies the authority 361 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:21,720 Speaker 2: of the Court. In some related news, last week, President 362 00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:24,600 Speaker 2: Trump signed in executive order stating that the president can 363 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:29,720 Speaker 2: change laws erroneously, citing Article two, which only calls for 364 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:34,239 Speaker 2: the presidents to quote faithfully execute the law. I'm going 365 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:36,359 Speaker 2: to quote from the order the President to and the 366 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:40,040 Speaker 2: Attorney General, subject to the President's supervision and control, will 367 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:43,880 Speaker 2: interpret the law for the executive branch, instead of having 368 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:49,520 Speaker 2: separate agencies adopt conflicting interpretations. The next section is titled 369 00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:54,440 Speaker 2: reigning in independent Agencies. It reads the Federal Trade Commission, 370 00:21:54,440 --> 00:21:58,359 Speaker 2: the Federal Communications Commission, and Securities and Exchange Commission have 371 00:21:58,760 --> 00:22:02,720 Speaker 2: exercised enormous power over the American people without presidential oversight. 372 00:22:03,040 --> 00:22:06,560 Speaker 2: These agencies issue rules and regulations without the review of 373 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:10,400 Speaker 2: the democratically elected president. They also spend American tax dollars 374 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:13,600 Speaker 2: to set priorities without consulting the president, voters, and the 375 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:17,760 Speaker 2: president can now hold all federal agencies, not just cabinet departments, 376 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:24,240 Speaker 2: responsible for their decisions as the constitution demands. This is absurd. 377 00:22:24,480 --> 00:22:27,560 Speaker 2: This is like extremely dangerous, one of the most like 378 00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:31,800 Speaker 2: blatant like attempts at power that we've seen since Dick Nixon. 379 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,359 Speaker 2: Like this is gonna get litigated, but this is crazy. 380 00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:38,000 Speaker 2: The the fact that we have that we have a 381 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:40,840 Speaker 2: president saying that he has the ability to interpret the 382 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,760 Speaker 2: law something that specifically he cannot do. That's why, it's 383 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:47,040 Speaker 2: why we have three branches of government, just like openly 384 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:50,800 Speaker 2: openly claiming that power is like very worrying. Again, like 385 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:53,480 Speaker 2: I feel like I have every episode on Executive Disorder, 386 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:56,400 Speaker 2: I say that, you know, I'm very worried. I'm very concerned, 387 00:22:56,680 --> 00:22:58,359 Speaker 2: but that does continue to be the case. 388 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:01,720 Speaker 4: Yeah, it is very concerned. I don't know what more 389 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:05,080 Speaker 4: to say, because it's mad, like we're watching a coup 390 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:08,960 Speaker 4: happen on the timeline while everyone just continues to go 391 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:12,359 Speaker 4: shopping and stuff like it's it's it's pretty weird. 392 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:15,880 Speaker 2: Speaking speaking of shopping, I just got a fantastic Swedish 393 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:19,560 Speaker 2: M ninety feel jacket. It looks great, it fits tight. 394 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:21,040 Speaker 2: I'm very happy, incredible. 395 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:22,479 Speaker 4: Garrison's becoming a mills Up. 396 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:26,440 Speaker 2: We will go on break once again to come back 397 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:41,680 Speaker 2: to talk about the Navy and the FBI. All right, 398 00:23:41,920 --> 00:23:47,320 Speaker 2: we are back. Let's now talk about the Navy, arguably 399 00:23:47,359 --> 00:23:50,439 Speaker 2: one of the gayer branches of the military, besides the 400 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:52,520 Speaker 2: besides the drone operators. 401 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:55,760 Speaker 3: Oh you're you're really missing out on the marine career. 402 00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:01,000 Speaker 3: He has multiple Marine veterans have told the US Marine 403 00:24:01,040 --> 00:24:03,360 Speaker 3: Corps is the gayest place I've ever been. 404 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:06,199 Speaker 2: The Marines are like part of the Navy, right, come on, 405 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:08,919 Speaker 2: they are, they are, they are, and they hate it 406 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:12,560 Speaker 2: when you say, oh, well, wait, wait, go cry about 407 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:13,920 Speaker 2: Daddy Trump. I don't care. 408 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:17,680 Speaker 3: It's a lot of fun. It's a lot of fun. 409 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:21,960 Speaker 2: So meanwhile, there's a shakeups in the Navy and the 410 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:25,800 Speaker 2: Marines as relating to Trump's anti trans executive orders. And 411 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:28,359 Speaker 2: we have obtained an al Nave memo directed to all 412 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:32,399 Speaker 2: Navy units and Marine Corps from February twenty fifth that 413 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:35,719 Speaker 2: outlines the Department of Navy's guidance on how to implement 414 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:39,120 Speaker 2: the anti trans executive orders. Now, this includes ending programs 415 00:24:39,119 --> 00:24:42,200 Speaker 2: and policies related to quote unquote and gender ideology all 416 00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:45,560 Speaker 2: across the Navy, as well as only using assigned sex 417 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:51,240 Speaker 2: at birth on official documentation. I will quote from the 418 00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:55,919 Speaker 2: statement quote don entities will review policies for quote unquote 419 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:59,880 Speaker 2: intimate single sex spaces and take appropriate action to ensure 420 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,160 Speaker 2: such spaces are designated by sex and not gender identity 421 00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:07,159 Speaker 2: on installations, facilities, ships, and any other infrastructure under the 422 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:11,440 Speaker 2: jurisdiction of the Department of Navy unquote. So this will 423 00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:15,639 Speaker 2: force women into bathrooms and barracks with men. It's in 424 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:18,480 Speaker 2: line with the stuff that like Trump's been talking about 425 00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:21,119 Speaker 2: and the stuff that he's been signing. But we are 426 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:24,160 Speaker 2: still getting more and more of these implementation guides getting 427 00:25:24,200 --> 00:25:25,720 Speaker 2: sent around to various departments. 428 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:30,040 Speaker 4: James, Yeah, and like just to clarify that to people, 429 00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:33,560 Speaker 4: most of these spaces are pretty full, right, These are 430 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:37,439 Speaker 4: pretty crowded places. So this will mean women sharing rooms 431 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:41,560 Speaker 4: with young marines. Right. This will meet them sharing non 432 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 4: stalled bathrooms with young sailors and marines. 433 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:46,000 Speaker 2: Right. 434 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:48,879 Speaker 4: This will force them into very confined spaces together on 435 00:25:48,920 --> 00:25:50,200 Speaker 4: board ships. 436 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:50,400 Speaker 2: Like. 437 00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:55,040 Speaker 4: This isn't like some kind of sort of minor inconvenience 438 00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:56,880 Speaker 4: or whatever like this, This will put these people at 439 00:25:57,200 --> 00:26:02,200 Speaker 4: a demonstrable risk for US so all for bullying, which 440 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:05,280 Speaker 4: is a serious thing and an issue in lots of militaries, 441 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:08,080 Speaker 4: including the US one. But like, and many of these 442 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:10,840 Speaker 4: people I should add, like have had that they're like 443 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:15,399 Speaker 4: post surgery right, and not that it matches hugely, but 444 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:18,040 Speaker 4: that people who might pass is as women or men 445 00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:21,119 Speaker 4: and they are now forced to live according to their 446 00:26:21,200 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 4: gender assigned at birth pretty fucked up. 447 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:28,000 Speaker 2: It's not great. I'm going to wait before I do 448 00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:33,520 Speaker 2: reporting on the implementation guides for visas. I know there's 449 00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:36,119 Speaker 2: been a lot of articles in the Guardian and a 450 00:26:36,119 --> 00:26:40,840 Speaker 2: few trans journalists have conflicting interpretations of a few Department 451 00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:46,359 Speaker 2: of State cables regarding the issuing of visas to people 452 00:26:46,359 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 2: who are trans Specifically, I think the main cable that 453 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:54,800 Speaker 2: we've seen allows the continued issuance of visas, but that 454 00:26:54,840 --> 00:26:59,440 Speaker 2: would only match what the case officer or like the 455 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:02,879 Speaker 2: whoever whoever is like handling the actual these information, whatever 456 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:05,119 Speaker 2: they determined to be the assigned gender at birth to be, 457 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:08,280 Speaker 2: That's that's how it would get issued. But I'm going 458 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:11,000 Speaker 2: to wait to report on kind of the rest of 459 00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:16,200 Speaker 2: the nitty gritty details, because there is conflicting information from 460 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:19,840 Speaker 2: like from like these like policy wonks, lawyers and journalists 461 00:27:19,840 --> 00:27:21,879 Speaker 2: themselves who are trying to figure out kind of what 462 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:25,520 Speaker 2: the full implications of those cables are. But we are 463 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:28,800 Speaker 2: aware of them, We've been talking about them in our chat. Yes, 464 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:31,479 Speaker 2: they are bad, but I don't necessarily want to like 465 00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:35,239 Speaker 2: overblow the scope of some of these things just to 466 00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:38,280 Speaker 2: like induce panic when when really this is all kind 467 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:41,520 Speaker 2: of vary in line with Trump's earlier orders to only 468 00:27:41,560 --> 00:27:46,399 Speaker 2: have male and female documentation that matches assigned gender at birth. 469 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:50,320 Speaker 4: Yeah, I would say. Also, like if you are soldier, 470 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:54,760 Speaker 4: sailor em and a person marine whatever, and like these 471 00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:58,160 Speaker 4: these gexy voters are affecting you, you can email us 472 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:01,399 Speaker 4: cool Zone tips at proton dot me. I know trans 473 00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:04,800 Speaker 4: folks tend to serve at a higher rate than cisgender folks, 474 00:28:05,280 --> 00:28:07,280 Speaker 4: so those a good number of people who will be 475 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:10,879 Speaker 4: affected by this, And like, for whatever it's worth, if 476 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:12,320 Speaker 4: you want to talk to us, you can reach out 477 00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:12,640 Speaker 4: to us. 478 00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:16,520 Speaker 2: I'm also going to note we obtain information on the 479 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:20,280 Speaker 2: Department of Defense for removing travel coverage for abortion. On 480 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:23,560 Speaker 2: January eighteenth, Department of Defense Travel Management Office Room of 481 00:28:23,560 --> 00:28:27,640 Speaker 2: Dissection from their joint travel regulations that outlined travel allowances 482 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:31,520 Speaker 2: for quote non covered reproductive health care quote meaning like 483 00:28:31,560 --> 00:28:37,159 Speaker 2: abortion and assisted reproductive technology like IVF. Now, this change 484 00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:40,360 Speaker 2: was directly in compliance with Trump's executive order to enforce 485 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:43,640 Speaker 2: the High Amendment, which Mia has talked about lots before 486 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:46,560 Speaker 2: on the show. And then on February fourth, they actually 487 00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:51,320 Speaker 2: re established coverage for assisted reproductive technology, so probably just IVF, 488 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:54,560 Speaker 2: but abortion was not re established, so. 489 00:28:54,560 --> 00:28:59,760 Speaker 4: That means travel cover for abortion related medical care reproduct 490 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:04,560 Speaker 4: fil Okay, it's no longer there. Correct. 491 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:08,160 Speaker 2: Correct. For our last main story, I like to talk 492 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:12,160 Speaker 2: a little bit about updates to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 493 00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:16,320 Speaker 2: Trump goon, rap producer and children's book author Cash Ptel 494 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:20,520 Speaker 2: has been confirmed as FBI director, and Patel is joined 495 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 2: by far right podcaster and conspiracy theorist Dan Gino, who 496 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:29,400 Speaker 2: has been appointed deputy director. 497 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:32,400 Speaker 3: A God, and I look, I gotta say it. I'm 498 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:33,960 Speaker 3: just glad there's an adult in the room. 499 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:36,920 Speaker 2: Now, you know, this is thank God again, Like I 500 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:39,400 Speaker 2: don't want to just be talking about how how you know, 501 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:43,120 Speaker 2: kooky everything is in this new administration. But this is wild. 502 00:29:43,320 --> 00:29:47,120 Speaker 3: Yes, this is no no, no Garrison. I disagree, and 503 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:51,520 Speaker 3: that's because I have professional solidarity. Anything that's good for 504 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:55,960 Speaker 3: podcasters in general, you know, is is good for the country. 505 00:29:57,400 --> 00:29:59,680 Speaker 2: So not not great. 506 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:01,200 Speaker 4: Right. 507 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:05,280 Speaker 2: Last week, Ptel tolds senior officials he wants to relocate 508 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:09,000 Speaker 2: upwards of fifteen hundred employees from DC to fuel offices 509 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:12,800 Speaker 2: around the country, and in a statement on last Friday, 510 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:18,080 Speaker 2: which is February twenty first, Patel said, quote, anyone that 511 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:20,040 Speaker 2: wishes to do harm to our way of life and 512 00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:22,960 Speaker 2: our citizens here and abroad will face the full wrath 513 00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:25,960 Speaker 2: of the DOJ and the FBI. If you seek to 514 00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:28,960 Speaker 2: hide in any corner of this country or planet, we 515 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:31,760 Speaker 2: will put on the world's largest man hunt, and we 516 00:30:31,800 --> 00:30:35,719 Speaker 2: will find you, and we will decide your end state unquote. 517 00:30:36,360 --> 00:30:39,360 Speaker 2: Agents and government employees have warned that under Patel, the 518 00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:42,240 Speaker 2: Bureau will be on course to refocus efforts away from 519 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:46,360 Speaker 2: far right street fighters and accelerationists and towards the nebulous 520 00:30:46,520 --> 00:30:51,840 Speaker 2: BLM Antifa. In related news, on Tuesday, a far right 521 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:56,400 Speaker 2: extremist named Joe Kent was confirmed as director of the 522 00:30:56,520 --> 00:31:00,440 Speaker 2: National counter Terrorism Center Kent is a former Special Forces 523 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:04,160 Speaker 2: and CIA operative. He's described himself as an American First 524 00:31:04,240 --> 00:31:07,640 Speaker 2: populist and has strong ties to the Proud Boys and 525 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:11,959 Speaker 2: Patriot Prayer. Kent has praised Joey Gibson for standing up 526 00:31:11,960 --> 00:31:15,680 Speaker 2: to Antifa, and Kent himself employed a Proud Boy to 527 00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:20,120 Speaker 2: consult on a failed congressional campaign in twenty twenty two. 528 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:23,920 Speaker 2: Kent has historically advocated that the FBI refocus their efforts 529 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:27,920 Speaker 2: to target Antifa. And this is like all amidst a 530 00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:31,480 Speaker 2: report from the Guardian suggesting that the Nazi cocelerationist group 531 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:35,360 Speaker 2: the Base, has had a decent resurgence in activity and 532 00:31:35,400 --> 00:31:37,880 Speaker 2: recruitment efforts inside the United States. 533 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:39,840 Speaker 4: That's good, so. 534 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:44,000 Speaker 2: Not cool stuff happening, read the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 535 00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:47,320 Speaker 2: I guess i'll close unless we have any other thoughts 536 00:31:47,360 --> 00:31:52,520 Speaker 2: on Kent or Patel or our podcaster deputy director, What 537 00:31:52,520 --> 00:31:53,440 Speaker 2: are you supposed to say? 538 00:31:54,280 --> 00:31:54,640 Speaker 4: All right? 539 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:57,960 Speaker 3: I mean, I do think it's funny that because of 540 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:01,080 Speaker 3: the number of podcasters that have been hired, there have 541 00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:03,920 Speaker 3: been statements by people in the administration that like, there 542 00:32:03,960 --> 00:32:07,440 Speaker 3: aren't going to be any more conservative podcasters because we're 543 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:08,959 Speaker 3: giving them all government jobs. 544 00:32:10,240 --> 00:32:14,440 Speaker 4: Well, that's more hymns advertising dollars for us. 545 00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:16,760 Speaker 3: That's right, that's right. I feel like this is going 546 00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:18,000 Speaker 3: to be huge for us. 547 00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:23,560 Speaker 2: I would like to close on three more funny news 548 00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:26,840 Speaker 2: moments from the past week. Elon Musk danced around with 549 00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:30,000 Speaker 2: a chainsaw at c Pack while multiple of his ex 550 00:32:30,040 --> 00:32:33,000 Speaker 2: wives and baby Mama's pleaded for him on Twitter to 551 00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:39,440 Speaker 2: respond to emergencies regarding his children, including that including that 552 00:32:39,520 --> 00:32:43,400 Speaker 2: weird far right journalist and Babylon Be contributor who's had 553 00:32:43,600 --> 00:32:45,640 Speaker 2: an increasing spat with Musk and I now I believe 554 00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:48,560 Speaker 2: has filed for complete custody of their child. 555 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:51,200 Speaker 4: Yeah, well, I mean that's good luck. 556 00:32:51,280 --> 00:32:53,440 Speaker 2: I guess, I guess good luck. 557 00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:56,520 Speaker 4: I can't think of a worse situation to be in 558 00:32:56,640 --> 00:33:00,280 Speaker 4: than Elon Musk being one of your legal parents for 559 00:33:00,280 --> 00:33:02,400 Speaker 4: the sake of that child. I hope that she succeeds. 560 00:33:03,160 --> 00:33:07,280 Speaker 2: Tesla stock is down nearly thirty percent this month. There's 561 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:09,520 Speaker 2: been a real pressure on him because people in Europe 562 00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:12,360 Speaker 2: are refusing to buy Tesla's in a boycott, you know, 563 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:14,840 Speaker 2: upset at him for doing the whole Nazi salute and 564 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:19,520 Speaker 2: being a Nazi thing. And finally, in some very sad news. 565 00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:25,080 Speaker 2: A crypto trader killed himself live on a Twitter space 566 00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:28,680 Speaker 2: in order to start a meme coin. Sorry sorry, on 567 00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:32,680 Speaker 2: an x space in order to start a meme coin. 568 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:35,080 Speaker 2: How do we feel about this, folks? I know it's 569 00:33:35,080 --> 00:33:36,360 Speaker 2: a dark time for our community. 570 00:33:37,360 --> 00:33:38,520 Speaker 4: They did start the meme coin. 571 00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:41,600 Speaker 2: Multiple meme coins actually were starting so well. 572 00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:44,280 Speaker 4: Well done for the people cashing in and the guy 573 00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:46,480 Speaker 4: shooting himself in the head and then bleeding out for 574 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:50,400 Speaker 4: thirty minutes on stream. You are vampires, I don't know, 575 00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:53,880 Speaker 4: not the cool kind. No, yeah, not the not the 576 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:58,560 Speaker 4: cool kind, the evil kind, vultures. Vultures can be cool 577 00:33:58,600 --> 00:33:58,880 Speaker 4: as well. 578 00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:02,160 Speaker 2: I guess it depends. Well. I think that's it for us. 579 00:34:02,920 --> 00:34:05,120 Speaker 2: We reported the news again. 580 00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:15,600 Speaker 3: We reported the news. 581 00:34:16,840 --> 00:34:19,360 Speaker 1: It could Happen Here is a production of cool Zone Media. 582 00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:22,600 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website 583 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:26,280 Speaker 1: coolzonmedia dot com, or check us out on the iHeartRadio app, 584 00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:28,400 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever. 585 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:29,319 Speaker 2: You listen to podcasts. 586 00:34:29,640 --> 00:34:31,600 Speaker 1: You can now find sources for It Could Happen here, 587 00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:34,600 Speaker 1: listed directly in episode descriptions. Thanks for listening.