WEBVTT - A Commitment To America:  Sarah Westwood Talks to A&G

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<v Speaker 1>First before we get to our guests, Sarah Westwood, a

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<v Speaker 1>little history lesson for those of you are too young

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<v Speaker 1>or were too stoned at the time to understand what

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<v Speaker 1>was going on. Back during Bill Clinton's first term, the

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<v Speaker 1>Democrats had controlled the house. See, if you're younger, the

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<v Speaker 1>House has been going back and forth now in recent

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<v Speaker 1>years and you kind of feel like it's been that way.

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<v Speaker 1>Back in Bill Clinton's first term in when the Republicans

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<v Speaker 1>were running to try to take the house, the Democrats

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<v Speaker 1>had controlled the House of Representatives for forty years. Forty

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<v Speaker 1>years the demos controlled the house. There was just some

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<v Speaker 1>belief that it just always will be, you know, institution

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<v Speaker 1>run by Democrats. Nuke Gingrich, who wanted to be speaker

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<v Speaker 1>of the House, came up with this contract for America,

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<v Speaker 1>partially based off a Ronald Reagan speech and some stuff

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<v Speaker 1>from the Heritage Foundation, and I had a bunch of

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<v Speaker 1>things in it that things that we promised to do

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<v Speaker 1>if you elect us to run the House of Representatives,

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<v Speaker 1>and it was a pretty good, uh, political I'm wanna

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<v Speaker 1>call it. It's definitely not a stunt in any way whatsoever,

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<v Speaker 1>but maneuver tactic whatever to like really focus people on

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<v Speaker 1>what they would get out of having Republicans Control Congress. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>it looks like the current guy who would like to

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<v Speaker 1>be speaker of the House with the Democrats in charge,

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<v Speaker 1>speaking of the House for the Republicans with Democrats in charge,

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<v Speaker 1>Kevin McCarthy, has put out a piece of paper of

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<v Speaker 1>his own and we're gonna discuss that with Sarah Westwood,

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<v Speaker 1>investigative reporter of The Washington examiner. Uh, Sarah, welcome to

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<v Speaker 1>the Armstrong Gutti show. How are you? I'm good. Thanks

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<v Speaker 1>for having me. I hope the little history lesson wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>too boring for you. Um, how how? What is Kevin

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<v Speaker 1>McCarthy calling his thing? This is called the commitment to America,

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<v Speaker 1>and you're right, it's sort of modeled after this contract

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<v Speaker 1>for America that New Gingrich unveiled, and I think it's

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<v Speaker 1>it's an effort by McCarthy to have a more proactive

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<v Speaker 1>message heading into the bid terms. Right. I mean, I

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<v Speaker 1>think a criticism that you've heard people like Senator Rick

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<v Speaker 1>Scott over on the Senate side level of Republican leadership

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<v Speaker 1>is that we are, you know, against all of these

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<v Speaker 1>things that Democrats are doing. We're running a really oppositional campaign,

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<v Speaker 1>but we don't really have a clear sense of what

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<v Speaker 1>we're for these days, and so this, I think, is

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<v Speaker 1>to give a sharper, clearer direction for voters as to

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<v Speaker 1>what they can expect if they elect Republicans. And you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I think there's there's the potential for it to be

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<v Speaker 1>really smart politics, because you are sort of defining the

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<v Speaker 1>Republican agenda in the in the sharpest way that they

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<v Speaker 1>have so far this election, and that could be helpful

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<v Speaker 1>to some Republicans out there who are still sort of

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<v Speaker 1>struggling to find that message to run on. Sure, you'd say,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, it's like a power point presentation in a

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<v Speaker 1>in a conference room or something. So what is he promising?

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<v Speaker 1>Chicken every pot? What? What? What? What? What are some

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<v Speaker 1>of the whatever you called it, the good things for

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<v Speaker 1>America contract? What's in it? Sure, so one of the

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<v Speaker 1>big ones obviously fighting inflation, UH, public safety. These are

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<v Speaker 1>all sort of organized under like you side, different different

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<v Speaker 1>slide decks, if you will, and economy that's strong is

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<v Speaker 1>one category. A nation that saves, a government that's accountable.

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<v Speaker 1>But also he's waiting into some of the culture war

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<v Speaker 1>issues with this plan that I think Republicans have found

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<v Speaker 1>might be in political circles defined as sort of a

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<v Speaker 1>right wing causes, but are actually really popular with both Americans, like, uh,

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<v Speaker 1>having girls sports be the domain of only girls. I

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<v Speaker 1>didn't know that. I didn't know he's going to go there.

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<v Speaker 1>He is, and so so you know, I think that

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<v Speaker 1>while some of those issues are kind of controversial, they

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<v Speaker 1>are leaning into the most popular of the culture war

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<v Speaker 1>ideas and a lot of that is centered around schools

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<v Speaker 1>and you know, again, I think getting all Republicans on

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<v Speaker 1>the same page, growing the same direction on some of

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<v Speaker 1>these issues where Democrats have been defining the converse station,

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<v Speaker 1>is a really good thing for the party. However, he's

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<v Speaker 1>rolling it out on the same day the early voting

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<v Speaker 1>is already starting in about five or six states today.

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<v Speaker 1>It's the final quarter of the election, and so one

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<v Speaker 1>does have to wonder if this could have been a

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<v Speaker 1>more helpful two Republicans if you'd rolled it out. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>that's that's a real that is a real tough one

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<v Speaker 1>with the modern politics and I'm sure both parties are

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<v Speaker 1>trying to figure it out because I mentioned the other day,

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<v Speaker 1>this past Tuesday we're seven weeks from the election seems

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<v Speaker 1>like a long time and Joe pointed out that. Well,

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<v Speaker 1>for some people they're like, you know, they're not even

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<v Speaker 1>seven days from the election. So yeah, well, when do

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<v Speaker 1>you focus your message? Message, when do you make your

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<v Speaker 1>your your final argument? Uh, do you wait for the

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<v Speaker 1>massive people in most places we're going to vote that

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<v Speaker 1>day or yeah, I don't know, that's a tough one. Traditionally,

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<v Speaker 1>right campaigns would wait until after Labor Day to really

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<v Speaker 1>ramp up because that's when voters started paying attention. But now,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, some of these mid touring campaigns started last year.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean this campaign it drags on for a long time.

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<v Speaker 1>People are engaged a lot earlier and uh, and some,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, there's a lot of new rances and some

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<v Speaker 1>of the key races, the primaries were much earlier, and

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<v Speaker 1>so the general election campaigns have been going on for

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<v Speaker 1>months and then in both candidates have had more of

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<v Speaker 1>a chance to define each other. In other ones we

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<v Speaker 1>just got the nominee, you know, in August and so

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<v Speaker 1>like in New Hampshire, for example, and the general election

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<v Speaker 1>is so much more truncated. So one does have to

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<v Speaker 1>wonder if to count for all of those nuances and

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<v Speaker 1>for the states where candidates were chosen in primaries a

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<v Speaker 1>lot earlier. A plan like this might have been more

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<v Speaker 1>helpful a lot earlier. That's the Senator Rick Scott did

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<v Speaker 1>with his plan. That angered a lot of Senate Republicans,

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<v Speaker 1>but he released it much earlier so it would have

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<v Speaker 1>more of an impact and sort of failed in getting

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<v Speaker 1>Republicans to line up behind the agenda. But I think

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<v Speaker 1>the idea was the same. We should enter this mentoral

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<v Speaker 1>election contest now. Well, I understand, I definitely understand the

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<v Speaker 1>argument on the other side because most people don't pay attention.

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<v Speaker 1>The people who don't vote early don't pay attention until it's,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, gets closer to election day, so you can

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<v Speaker 1>roll out your big contract with America's sort of thing.

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<v Speaker 1>But if nobody's paying attention, it's not doing any good.

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<v Speaker 1>So I'm sure over time both parties are going to

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<v Speaker 1>have to figure this out. Of when you when you

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<v Speaker 1>land with your big messages. Sarah Westwood of the Washington Examiner,

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<v Speaker 1>we're talking to her. I gotta jump into the Immigration Story.

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<v Speaker 1>Where are we on that? Is it? Is it continue

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<v Speaker 1>to have legs in Washington D C, or is it

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<v Speaker 1>petering out? Or are there going to be more bus

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<v Speaker 1>loads sent to more blue city and state that are

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<v Speaker 1>sanctuaries to keep it things riled up? What do you know?

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<v Speaker 1>I think so. I mean I think it's in so

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<v Speaker 1>incredibly effective. Uh, you know, I'm sure Greg Abbott is,

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<v Speaker 1>the governor of Texas, is not happy that run to

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<v Speaker 1>sansis since one planeload and gets all the attentions that

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<v Speaker 1>habits spend doing it for months to try to get

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<v Speaker 1>the same message across. Sending bust loads of immigrants Washington,

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<v Speaker 1>D C, in New York City like it the benefit

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<v Speaker 1>and why? This was sort of a gamble from the

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<v Speaker 1>santis because it was controversial. But why it's paying off?

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<v Speaker 1>Is it now? I don't. I don't really see a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of continuing debate about the ethics of sending those

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<v Speaker 1>specific migrants to Martha's vineyards, but the debate has moved

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<v Speaker 1>on and into even mainstream media realms about the word crisis.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, Democrats had been so resistant to having any

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<v Speaker 1>kind of rational conversation about what to do with all

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<v Speaker 1>the migrants coming over the border. It's sort of hid

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<v Speaker 1>behind this shield of moral superiority, like they appeared to

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<v Speaker 1>be the more welcoming people and that, you know, excluded

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<v Speaker 1>them from having to participate in a conversation about what

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<v Speaker 1>to do. And now that the migrants had actually arrived

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<v Speaker 1>on their doorstep in Washington, D C, in New York City,

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<v Speaker 1>in Martha's vineyards, and they've turned them away, that's sort

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<v Speaker 1>of invalidated the only tool they had in their arsenal

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<v Speaker 1>did not have to deal with this issue, and so

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<v Speaker 1>now they are Democrats facing harder questions. Okay, well, it's

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<v Speaker 1>you don't want them and the border towns can't handle them.

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<v Speaker 1>What should we do? And those conversations overwhelmingly favor Republicans

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<v Speaker 1>and in that way I think this is an enormously

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<v Speaker 1>helpful issue for Republicans in the mid terms. Before I

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<v Speaker 1>let you go, Sarah, I'm I got a bunch of

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<v Speaker 1>TVs on here in the studio. One of them CNN,

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<v Speaker 1>where you used to work, and they're running the video,

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<v Speaker 1>like everybody is, of the the unruly passenger who walks

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<v Speaker 1>up behind the flight attendant and punches him in the

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<v Speaker 1>back of the head. Have you seen that video? I haven't.

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<v Speaker 1>I thought that was a covid thing. Is it back

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<v Speaker 1>plain violence? Play? Yeah, no, this one. So that's the

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<v Speaker 1>reason I brought it up. It's it's pretty, it's pretty unge.

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<v Speaker 1>They'll run up and hit a guy in the back

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<v Speaker 1>of the head when I was facing away from you.

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<v Speaker 1>And come on, if you're gonna fight a flight attendant,

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<v Speaker 1>you gotta Square up. But anyway, do you know what

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<v Speaker 1>it was over? It was over. They didn't have any coffee.

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<v Speaker 1>So I gotta say I don't you know, I don't

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<v Speaker 1>approve of it, but I got out of southwest playing

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<v Speaker 1>the other day, flying out a burbank and so the

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<v Speaker 1>you know, I'm running late, I'm always running and I

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<v Speaker 1>the starbucks line was long and I thought, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not gonna I'll get coffee on the plane. I

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<v Speaker 1>got on the plane, they shut the doors, they announced

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<v Speaker 1>there's no coffee on this plane. Yeah, I kind of

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<v Speaker 1>want to put something in the back of my head.

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<v Speaker 1>Got To admit it. So many regrets. That was rough.

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<v Speaker 1>Sarah Westwood, thanks for joining us today. You always have

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<v Speaker 1>the information. Appreciate it. Thank you, BET