WEBVTT - A Siege Mentality.  Debra J. Saunders talks to Armstrong & Getty

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<v Speaker 1>So the stay of the unions back on yippy pointless

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<v Speaker 1>exercise than monarchy. It's back. Okay, that's one take. Always

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<v Speaker 1>a joy to welcome Deborah Saunders, White House correspondent for

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<v Speaker 1>the Las Vegas Review Journal, to the Armstrong and Getty Show. Deborah,

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<v Speaker 1>thank you for honoring with us with your presence once again.

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<v Speaker 1>Good morning, gentlemen. There was a huge controversy last time

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<v Speaker 1>you're on. I'm not sure you're aware of this. Did

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<v Speaker 1>it reach your ears? I Joe Getty stumblingly and rushingly

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<v Speaker 1>introduced you as white Horse white Horse, white House correspondent.

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<v Speaker 1>I said, I've been accused of accusing you of prostitution,

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<v Speaker 1>which was obviously spread to the tongue merely my own,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, mush mouthed slip of the tongue. So in

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<v Speaker 1>case that comes up on Twitter or something like that,

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<v Speaker 1>I wanted you to hear it from me. It's incompetence,

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<v Speaker 1>which should not be a surprise. And competence, isn't it

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<v Speaker 1>lack of annunciation? Or here it is? So was the

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<v Speaker 1>White House happy to hear or scared to hear that

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<v Speaker 1>the story that Mueller might be wrapping up as an

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<v Speaker 1>investigation zone you have any idea. I'm sure they were

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<v Speaker 1>happy to hear it, but you know, I don't know

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<v Speaker 1>how true it is. I just I mean, we know

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<v Speaker 1>that that that's um what Whittaker said, the Acting Attorney General.

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<v Speaker 1>But uh, there are reasons to think that things are

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<v Speaker 1>going to keep going on for a while. The fact

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<v Speaker 1>that he just indicted Roger Stone, that case is going

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<v Speaker 1>to continue. Now it's possible that that the d o

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<v Speaker 1>J will take over that case. Um, So I don't

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<v Speaker 1>you know. I think I think that the White House

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<v Speaker 1>has always believed that the investigation will not find Russian

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<v Speaker 1>collusion with the campaign, and if it does end soon, um,

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<v Speaker 1>that may well be the case. I'm astounded at how

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<v Speaker 1>long I have to be reminded at how long the

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<v Speaker 1>Muller investigation has been going on. It's really been dragged on.

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<v Speaker 1>What is it? Is it two years? It's well it started,

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<v Speaker 1>Uh the four Mula of course headed it, and it

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<v Speaker 1>started in right, Yeah, that's right. All the congressional committees

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<v Speaker 1>were going over and I heard Devin Nunia's point out

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<v Speaker 1>the other day that they said Roger Stone did not collude.

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<v Speaker 1>They've already figured that out. So's he's thinking the trial

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<v Speaker 1>should be really really interesting, but so deb you hang

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<v Speaker 1>around and talk to people and everything like that. If

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<v Speaker 1>if I read the Washington Post or various other publications,

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<v Speaker 1>they have a story, it would seem weakly of how

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<v Speaker 1>the president's in the worst spot of his presidency and

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<v Speaker 1>now he's hunkered down in a room yelling at you know,

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<v Speaker 1>the gold fishing a bowl. I mean, he's just really

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<v Speaker 1>lost it, feeling the pressure. No friends, um, and there

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<v Speaker 1>were stories like that last week. What's the mood there?

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<v Speaker 1>You have any idea? Well, I mean it is as

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<v Speaker 1>as I said the last time, it's been weird to

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<v Speaker 1>go over there. During the shutdown. The door to get

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<v Speaker 1>into lower press is often locked. Uh, it was locked.

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<v Speaker 1>I did pull this weekend. It was locked the whole

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<v Speaker 1>time I was there. You just don't have any the

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<v Speaker 1>openness that one once saw is not there the way

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<v Speaker 1>it was before. And I'm sorry comes back or not,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm sorry to jump in, but for those of us

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<v Speaker 1>who are not hip to it, is that like I'd

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<v Speaker 1>watched the West Wing and the reporters had wandered down

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<v Speaker 1>and talk to the press people and just have informal

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<v Speaker 1>chats and ask him a question, and that sort of thing.

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<v Speaker 1>Is that what happens down there? Well, okay, so you

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<v Speaker 1>you see Sarah Sanders when she comes out for the

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<v Speaker 1>the the monthly daily press briefing, right, and she comes

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<v Speaker 1>in through a door and that door leads to what

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<v Speaker 1>they call Lower Press, and that's where some of the

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<v Speaker 1>press people work. That's where the wranglers work. The wranglers

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<v Speaker 1>are the people who organize everything when the when the

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<v Speaker 1>press go somewhere, they take care of that. And then

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<v Speaker 1>you walk through some more stairs. There's a secret service

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<v Speaker 1>guy there, and then there's Upper Press. And that's where

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<v Speaker 1>Sarah Sanders office is. Um. She has a fireplace by

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<v Speaker 1>the way. Awesome. Nice yeah, nice and um and so

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<v Speaker 1>so you will see people lighting up there. Do we

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<v Speaker 1>just sort of chat? No, that the deal is that

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<v Speaker 1>you have to sort of They don't like you wandering

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<v Speaker 1>all over of the place, right, but you do. You

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<v Speaker 1>can go out there and ask questions, which we do.

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<v Speaker 1>So then what has changed that you say, is less

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<v Speaker 1>access than you had before? Well, locked doors. For a

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<v Speaker 1>large part of the shotdown, they just and there was

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<v Speaker 1>and the place was not fully staffed, so you just

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<v Speaker 1>didn't see people and there's just seemed to be and

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<v Speaker 1>you know I'd go in looking for someone, there'd be

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<v Speaker 1>no one in the lower press. You go up to

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<v Speaker 1>upper press and the doors are closed. Uh. There, you

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<v Speaker 1>know they were there. They were meeting me. Obviously. It's

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<v Speaker 1>sort of you get, I think, into a siege mentality

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<v Speaker 1>when when something like this happens, like a shutdown, and

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<v Speaker 1>everybody is wondering what's going to happen next. So your

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<v Speaker 1>question is does it come back the way it was before?

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<v Speaker 1>They in kind of a permanent siege mentality, it never

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<v Speaker 1>comes back to the way it was before. I mean

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<v Speaker 1>that that's the thing that that I've learned. For example, Um,

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<v Speaker 1>so everybody's what happened to the daily briefing, right, and

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<v Speaker 1>during the mid terms, the president would travel, which means

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<v Speaker 1>that there would be a gaggle with the president or

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<v Speaker 1>more likely press secretary deputy press secretary, and the White

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<v Speaker 1>House would say, well, we're not going to do a

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<v Speaker 1>briefing because we have a gaggle today, and that gets

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<v Speaker 1>expanded so that if Trump starts talking to the pool

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<v Speaker 1>when he goes on his way to Marine one, well

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<v Speaker 1>we don't have to do it that way. That everything else,

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<v Speaker 1>and then all of a sudden, they're just gone, and

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<v Speaker 1>we just don't have daily briefings anymore. Yesterday's was the

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<v Speaker 1>first nineteen. It was the first December eighteen, and I

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<v Speaker 1>just don't think we're ever going to get back to

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<v Speaker 1>the way the first daily briefing in a month. Do

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<v Speaker 1>you see the term daily's right there in the name. Wow.

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<v Speaker 1>So we're talking to Deborah Saunders, the White House correspondent

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<v Speaker 1>for the Las Vegas Review Journal. You know, it's it's

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<v Speaker 1>so troubling. It's well documented and off discussed that the

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<v Speaker 1>Bush administration became fairly closed compared to the Clinton administration.

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<v Speaker 1>Then Obama made the Bush administration look like you're great

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<v Speaker 1>aunt who won't shut up. And then now the Trump administration,

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<v Speaker 1>for various reasons, is more closed than than Obama's shop was. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>this is not good for America. Well, you know, I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>look at I know a lot of people listening. They

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<v Speaker 1>hate the media and they hate people like me. I

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<v Speaker 1>get that. Uh, And and I'm not gonna get on

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<v Speaker 1>my high horse about how everybody should communicate with us.

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<v Speaker 1>I'll just say I don't even I don't think it's

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<v Speaker 1>that great for this White House because there are a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of people who want to cover this White House

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<v Speaker 1>and tell the story about what's going on, and they're

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<v Speaker 1>not they're not being given the chance that they that

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<v Speaker 1>they would like to have to do that, So um

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<v Speaker 1>and and and it's just sort of it's sad to see.

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<v Speaker 1>Uh and you know, look at Trump does talk to

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<v Speaker 1>the press. You saw him in the Rose Garden on Friday,

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<v Speaker 1>and he talked extensively, rash. He didn't take questions city right,

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<v Speaker 1>that was another time, the time before. That was the

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<v Speaker 1>time before he did not take questions because of course

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<v Speaker 1>he just lost the shutdown. And I think that they're

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<v Speaker 1>you know, they're trying to regroup, and they're and they're

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<v Speaker 1>trying to see what happens next. Obviously the state of

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<v Speaker 1>the Union will give them a chance perhaps to reset

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<v Speaker 1>or not. Your point though, about how you don't think

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<v Speaker 1>it's good for the administration. It was funny as you

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<v Speaker 1>were saying that, my eyes were flicking down. A list

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<v Speaker 1>of headlines in the Huahwei story popped up, and I

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<v Speaker 1>pictured Sarah Sanders forcefully making the case that we're through

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<v Speaker 1>being abused by the Chinese Communist government and its Lackey corporations.

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<v Speaker 1>And this is why we're in a wrestling match with

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<v Speaker 1>the Chinese. And and this is something the President is

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<v Speaker 1>doing that I happen to agree with completely. Um, it

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<v Speaker 1>seems like a great opportunity to hammer that point and

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<v Speaker 1>grab some headlines. But you know, like you say, they're

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<v Speaker 1>hunkered down for for better and worse. And I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>look at the stories that are happening right now. During

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<v Speaker 1>the briefing yesterday, they talked about Venezuela and the sanctions

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<v Speaker 1>against Medoro, right, and that's that's a big story. And

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<v Speaker 1>that's something that I think a lot of people from

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<v Speaker 1>the left and the right can hear. The White House sport. Right,

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<v Speaker 1>We've got these negotiations with Afghanistan, and uh, it's it's

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<v Speaker 1>amazing how posensible policy could seem. You know, we don't

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<v Speaker 1>know what's in it yet, we don't know how it's

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<v Speaker 1>going to work out, but how much they can seem

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<v Speaker 1>when it's not announced on a tweet. Right. And and

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<v Speaker 1>then you're right, this wild way story they're really getting

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<v Speaker 1>tough with with China in the middle of these trade talks,

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<v Speaker 1>and and and this these are all great stories. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>but there's all I mean. But the thing is, it's

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<v Speaker 1>hard to take your eyes off the Trump presidency or

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<v Speaker 1>the Trump Show, right, the Trump Show. If you're going

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<v Speaker 1>to cover one story in a day, it's hard to

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<v Speaker 1>get to the other stuff when you when you have this, uh,

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<v Speaker 1>when you have all these things happening before your eyes,

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<v Speaker 1>and and and and how Trump handles the shutdown, I

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<v Speaker 1>think is going to really give us an idea, some

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<v Speaker 1>insight into how the rest of the presidency will go. Well.

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<v Speaker 1>In a couple of weeks, we'll be talking about, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>the ultimate fruit of the shutdown, I guess, with the

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<v Speaker 1>immigration policy and in the fence barrier wall. Final question

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<v Speaker 1>from me, Uh, this is just a gut question, Debrah Saunders.

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<v Speaker 1>Your years of journalism very few years. You're very young. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>The the the John Bolton's pad with a five thousand

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<v Speaker 1>troops to Columbia, my, I say, clearly intended to be seen,

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<v Speaker 1>I should hope. So, Okay, So for if folks are

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<v Speaker 1>not familiar, you know, the big meaning at the White

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<v Speaker 1>House suppress was allowed cameras and stuff, and he's holding

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<v Speaker 1>quite openly a yellow legal pad with practically nothing written

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<v Speaker 1>on it. But one of the two lines was five

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<v Speaker 1>thousand troops to Columbia and initially have to write down

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<v Speaker 1>because you might forget if you didn't write that. I

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<v Speaker 1>just remembered it here and I'm asleep, deprived talk show host.

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<v Speaker 1>So yeah, that's it seemed pretty clear. Huh yeah. You know.

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<v Speaker 1>It's funny because there was during uh something in the

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<v Speaker 1>East wing of the White House where they were discussing

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<v Speaker 1>gun control. Trump had somebody give him a list of

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<v Speaker 1>things to do, like basically seeing sympathetic, and they're all

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<v Speaker 1>those things like that. That was not meant to be seen. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>I have to believe that this was meant to be seen.

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<v Speaker 1>Good one, fair enough. Deborah J. Saunders is the White

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<v Speaker 1>House correspondent for the Las Vegas Review Journal. Debora, great

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<v Speaker 1>to talk to you. Thank you, Thank you, Jack, thank you, Joe.

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<v Speaker 1>Go get them. So they figured out how to play

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<v Speaker 1>the game. They figured out that the press now reads

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<v Speaker 1>everybody's post it notes or whatever, and so you get

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<v Speaker 1>some messages out there that way. That's that's a good one.

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<v Speaker 1>That's funny, funny. Holding the paths quick and be ready.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm sorry. Did you see that you weren't supposed to?

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<v Speaker 1>Perhaps you want to write about that. Wolf Blitzer called

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<v Speaker 1>that very significant, very significant. Indeed, wolf Blitzer. Let me.

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<v Speaker 1>Here's Joe Getty Theater portraying a wolf Blitzter brainstell. Hello,

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<v Speaker 1>Is there anyone else here