1 00:00:01,440 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Should Know, a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:13,640 Speaker 2: Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh, and there's 3 00:00:13,720 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 2: Chuck and Jerry's here too, and this is Stuff you 4 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 2: Should Know. Another timely topical edition of Stuff you Should Know. 5 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:24,320 Speaker 1: Like I just said, that's right, as it turns out, 6 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: weirdly super timely because as of this recording date yesterday, 7 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:35,920 Speaker 1: this is July first, Yesterday, June thirtieth, will have been 8 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:40,160 Speaker 1: the kind of the final day for most us AID employees. 9 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: I saw a headline yesterday in the New York Times 10 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:48,000 Speaker 1: where Bono cries. Yeah, Bono kind probably did cry, But 11 00:00:48,000 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 1: people like President George W. Bush and President Obama and 12 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: Bono all got together and said, hey, you know, USA 13 00:00:57,040 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: did so much good work. We're very proud of the 14 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: work we did. George W. Bush in particular, was proud 15 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:06,800 Speaker 1: of the program that started under his watch, the President's 16 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:10,400 Speaker 1: Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief that he initiated that saved 17 00:01:10,400 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 1: twenty five million people's lives. President Obama said, I wish 18 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 1: I could do a good Obama, he said, ending USAID 19 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: would go down as a colossal mistake. Ending your presence 20 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:25,120 Speaker 1: in your programs out in the world, and this was 21 00:01:25,160 --> 00:01:27,679 Speaker 1: directly to employees. They did like video messages. That's why 22 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:28,920 Speaker 1: it's in that person. 23 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 2: Yeah. I think they actually had a video call too 24 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:31,600 Speaker 2: for them. 25 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, ending your presence in your programs out in the 26 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 1: world hurts the most vulnerable, and it hurts the United States. 27 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: To many people around the world, USAID is the United States. 28 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:44,320 Speaker 1: And then I got to read Bono's quote, because you know, 29 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:44,920 Speaker 1: why not. 30 00:01:45,080 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 2: Before you do, I just want to say, like you 31 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:49,920 Speaker 2: nailed the Obama with the in the middle. 32 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: Of it, Bono said, it's not left wing rhetoric to 33 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: feel hungry, heal the sick. If this isn't murder, I 34 00:01:58,280 --> 00:01:58,960 Speaker 1: don't know what is. 35 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:00,600 Speaker 2: That was a prety to get bona. 36 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, it was more of a Larry Mullen junior. But 37 00:02:03,880 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 1: we say all that because I'm not really sure whether 38 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:08,240 Speaker 1: or not we should speak in the past tense on 39 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 1: this with a lot of the stuff. 40 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:12,359 Speaker 2: Well, today's the day. So, like you said, yesterday, it 41 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 2: was the last day that USAD existed as an independent 42 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:19,840 Speaker 2: agency in the US federal government. Today's the day that 43 00:02:19,880 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 2: it got absorbed into the State Department. And I believe 44 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:28,800 Speaker 2: also today the State Department Secretary of State. Marco Rubio, 45 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 2: the former senator from Florida, announced that there is going 46 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 2: to be some sort of new foreign aid agency called 47 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 2: America First, which is a mind bender. Is it really yes? 48 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 2: So that it's not fully going away, it's just going 49 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 2: to be restructured. They're going to be doing it differently. 50 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:52,799 Speaker 2: And it's really hard to say. It's really hard to 51 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 2: get across how big of a deal it is that 52 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:59,680 Speaker 2: something like USAID specifically is being done away with wholesale. 53 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 2: The mothball done really abruptly, really quickly. It's not being 54 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 2: kind of slowly rolled back or anything like that. It 55 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 2: just got its head cut off right right within six 56 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:15,600 Speaker 2: months after being announced. It was just done. And it's, 57 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 2: of course, because we're talking about the United States, it's 58 00:03:19,240 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 2: a political hot button issue. Everything is a political hot 59 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 2: button issue, but this one should not be divided between 60 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 2: the left and the right. Like this is how America 61 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:35,240 Speaker 2: influenced the entire world for decades. Some of it was 62 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 2: really bad, some of it was really good. But I 63 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 2: feel like me personally, it needed a lot of restructuring. 64 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:46,119 Speaker 2: But I think it was a good infrastructure, a good 65 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 2: apparatus that just needed to be retooled. I think it 66 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 2: was a little ham fisted, to say the least, to 67 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 2: just stop it immediately. That's my take on it. 68 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 1: Yeah, I agree. And for a second there a few 69 00:03:57,440 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: minutes ago, I thought you were going to say Marco 70 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 1: Ruby said it was now called America. 71 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, is that a Team America reference? 72 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 1: I think yeah? That was from that movie, right. 73 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 2: I think so? I hope, yeah, I think it was too. 74 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:14,320 Speaker 1: I saw that that was a who was it? There 75 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:17,839 Speaker 1: was a Democratic House member senator the other day that 76 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: was as far as what you were talking about, and 77 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:21,160 Speaker 1: we're going to get into the numbers here and the 78 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 1: history of everything, but he was talking about kind of 79 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: what you were saying was like just kind of shuddering 80 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 1: this guys. If the budget of the United States is 81 00:04:30,440 --> 00:04:32,960 Speaker 1: the height of the ceiling of this room, and it 82 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 1: was a big room. He said, the budget for USAID 83 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: is these two credit cards stacked on each other. 84 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:38,760 Speaker 2: Wow. 85 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:42,920 Speaker 1: And he said, you know, to there has been waste 86 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: in there, and there has been some fraud, and we're 87 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: going to cover that stuff because we like to be 88 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 1: even handed. Sure, he said, and that's it at its worst, 89 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: but at its best, you're shuddering something that costs so 90 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:56,480 Speaker 1: little money for us that has saved tens of dozens 91 00:04:56,520 --> 00:04:59,839 Speaker 1: of millions of lives of people, and not only just 92 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:02,599 Speaker 1: like life saving, but as you'll see, just influence for 93 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:05,359 Speaker 1: people around the world to like Bono said, like to 94 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 1: some people around the world, US eight is America, and 95 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: that's like they're the people that came in and helped 96 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:12,560 Speaker 1: us when we were at our most dire. That's the 97 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 1: United States. 98 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:16,799 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, So hopefully we'll kind of get it across. 99 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:21,200 Speaker 2: If you're already mad, you know, politically speaking, just settle 100 00:05:21,240 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 2: down and listen, because we're not. We're not approaching this 101 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 2: from like a no Obama's right kind of thing. It's like, like, 102 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 2: just listen to this and make up your own mind. 103 00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 2: We're not going to try to steer you. We were 104 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 2: just sharing our own opinions on it. We're allowed to 105 00:05:34,120 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 2: have those because we're thinking feeling human beings. 106 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: That's right, all right. So the US historically is the 107 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 1: single humanitarian the largest single humanitarian aid donor in the world. 108 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:49,919 Speaker 1: We supplied about forty percent of humanitarian aid in twenty 109 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,359 Speaker 1: twenty four. As either the wealthiest or one of the 110 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:57,159 Speaker 1: wealthiest countries in the world, foreign assistance falls into these 111 00:05:57,200 --> 00:06:00,919 Speaker 1: broad categories when it and again this is all foreign assistance. 112 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:04,840 Speaker 1: US eight is within that, as we'll see, but humanitarian 113 00:06:04,880 --> 00:06:07,719 Speaker 1: assistance is about twenty five percent of it. And this 114 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:12,200 Speaker 1: is like you know, medicine, food, and shelter to save 115 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:16,919 Speaker 1: people after epidemics and disasters and famine. Development and assistance 116 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:22,760 Speaker 1: is sixty percent. Those are programs installed to develop democratic 117 00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: nations economically, politically, socially. And then the last smaller piece, 118 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:30,680 Speaker 1: smallest piece is security funding fifteen percent. It's not a 119 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 1: part of the US military. Their programs to help strengthen 120 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:38,159 Speaker 1: foreign militaries and foreign police to you know, get their 121 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:40,320 Speaker 1: act together and instill some sort of rule of law 122 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:41,720 Speaker 1: where there might not be any. 123 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, and we don't want to be polyannis about this. 124 00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 2: Like USA, it identified the police and training and outfitting 125 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 2: and helping financially the police in different countries is like 126 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:57,960 Speaker 2: the best way to tap into that local that nations 127 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:02,680 Speaker 2: like the pol keeping your pulse on that nation's local stuff, 128 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:05,400 Speaker 2: right to because the police are the ones who like 129 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 2: suppress riots and suppress demonstrations. They're the ones who arrest people. 130 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:13,840 Speaker 2: Like bringing in the military is way too big of 131 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:17,960 Speaker 2: a deal. The police can do it, so USA definitely 132 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 2: focused on training police. That was a big one too, 133 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 2: and that just kind of peels back the layer because 134 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:25,280 Speaker 2: right now, Chuck, let me just say this and I'll stop. 135 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:31,720 Speaker 2: There's a lot of really like sunny, glowing, like really 136 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 2: fairly not fully realistic talk about USAID and what it does. 137 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,040 Speaker 2: It does a lot of this stuff, but it leaves 138 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:42,600 Speaker 2: out a lot of the darker side. And I think 139 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:44,640 Speaker 2: you have to take it as the whole thing to 140 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 2: fully understand its value in the world. 141 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, and that's our aim here. But if you're 142 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,600 Speaker 1: talking about since World War Two, we've distributed about four 143 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:58,400 Speaker 1: trillion dollars and today dollars to foreign assistance, which is 144 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:00,760 Speaker 1: a lot of money. But like I mentioned earlier, with 145 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:04,800 Speaker 1: a little credit card metaphor that I ganked from that senator, 146 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:09,840 Speaker 1: as a percentage of our federal budget, foreign aid accounts 147 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:12,120 Speaker 1: for one percent of our total government spending. 148 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:16,920 Speaker 2: And that's all foreign aid. The USAID's portion is zero 149 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:22,160 Speaker 2: point five percent. So just us AID has less than 150 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 2: a percent of the federal budget. 151 00:08:23,760 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 1: Just two credit cards laying on the floor, right, Maybe 152 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 1: credit card wasn't the best thing to use, like insurance 153 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:35,200 Speaker 1: card or something, or that probably wouldn't have been good either. 154 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:36,680 Speaker 1: Library card, how about that? 155 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, don't talk about insurance. 156 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:40,679 Speaker 1: Yeah, library cards are not controversial, right. 157 00:08:41,679 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, A little bit controversial, sure, all right, especially school libraries. 158 00:08:45,800 --> 00:08:49,400 Speaker 1: Since nineteen sixty one, most of this foreign aid has 159 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:53,000 Speaker 1: come through the US Aid Office because that's when it 160 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:56,800 Speaker 1: was established, the US Agency for International Development, created by 161 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:01,040 Speaker 1: John F. Kennedy, and the idea was, as we'll see, 162 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:04,000 Speaker 1: was to create what he called or what everybody calls 163 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 1: soft power around the world because it was a time 164 00:09:07,640 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: during you know, as you'll see, during the Cold War 165 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:15,239 Speaker 1: when the influences of the Soviet Union in China were worrisome, 166 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:19,640 Speaker 1: and Kennedy saw the writing on the wall and was like, hey, 167 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:22,320 Speaker 1: I think, like we need to get in there before 168 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:26,920 Speaker 1: other countries get in there with their communism and spread 169 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:30,439 Speaker 1: our message of democracy by helping assist them. 170 00:09:30,920 --> 00:09:33,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, which was like totally in step with the containment 171 00:09:33,840 --> 00:09:37,679 Speaker 2: policy of keeping communism and checking keeping it from spreading, 172 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:41,319 Speaker 2: rather than using the military every time. You could also basically, 173 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:44,200 Speaker 2: you know, grease some palms around the world, and these 174 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:47,080 Speaker 2: countries that were hanging in the balance in the Third World, 175 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,400 Speaker 2: you could sway them over the democracy side. And they 176 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:53,199 Speaker 2: could become an ally and trading partner of the US. 177 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:53,640 Speaker 2: Why not. 178 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:55,679 Speaker 1: Yeah, And you can trace the roots of this back 179 00:09:55,679 --> 00:09:58,520 Speaker 1: to the Marshall Plan when in nineteen forty seven, post 180 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:01,440 Speaker 1: World War Two, Secretary State George Marshall said, Hey, we 181 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:04,120 Speaker 1: got to rebuild Europe and put a lot of money 182 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:05,800 Speaker 1: into that. I think it was about one hundred and 183 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:09,000 Speaker 1: seventy five billion and today dollars. And he claimed at 184 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:11,280 Speaker 1: the time that it was a quote not directed against 185 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:14,480 Speaker 1: any country or doctrine, but against hunger, poverty, desperation and chaos, 186 00:10:14,559 --> 00:10:17,560 Speaker 1: which is partly true. But what was also true was 187 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:20,640 Speaker 1: the Marshall Plan was to stop the Soviets and stop 188 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 1: Stalin from going in further to Europe, and like we said, 189 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:26,480 Speaker 1: sort of plant the American flag over there in a way. 190 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 1: And this was one of the tools usaid was one 191 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:32,880 Speaker 1: of the tools, one of the bigger tools during the 192 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:36,079 Speaker 1: Cold War to establish our influences like a country that's 193 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:36,840 Speaker 1: trying to do good. 194 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, this was helped along. I think the Marshall Plan 195 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:44,040 Speaker 2: was nineteen forty seven, did you say that. Yeah, Like 196 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:46,360 Speaker 2: later on in the fifties, it was helped along by 197 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:50,880 Speaker 2: a couple of MIT economists Walt Rostaw and Max Milliken, 198 00:10:51,679 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 2: and they basically said, this Marshall plan that we used 199 00:10:54,760 --> 00:10:58,320 Speaker 2: to rebuild Europe and keep countries from falling into the 200 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:01,720 Speaker 2: hands of the Soviets and Communists, this is a good idea, 201 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 2: even outside of the context of rebuilding after a World war. 202 00:11:05,559 --> 00:11:08,040 Speaker 2: This should just be part of American policy. 203 00:11:08,640 --> 00:11:12,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, and Kennedy liked this idea eventually so much. Senator 204 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:15,720 Speaker 1: Kennedy at the time would hire Walt Rostau as a 205 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:19,240 Speaker 1: policy advisor on his staff, and when he was elected president, 206 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:22,640 Speaker 1: he appointed him as his deputy national security advisor. And 207 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:25,199 Speaker 1: Kennedy before, you know, when he was a young congressman, 208 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:28,400 Speaker 1: he was not into foreign assistants. He was like, America first, 209 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 1: we got to help ourselves first. But then he went 210 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:33,760 Speaker 1: on a seven week congressional trip in nineteen fifty one 211 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 1: to Pakistan, Israel, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, Japan, and what 212 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 1: is now Vietnam, French Indo, China at the time, and 213 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:47,200 Speaker 1: he was like, you know what, it's I'm all for 214 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:49,960 Speaker 1: the military, but it can't just be a military exercise. 215 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,679 Speaker 1: We got to have an economic stake in this, and 216 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:55,199 Speaker 1: we got to do that through foreign aid. 217 00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:58,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, there was also a book that helped change his 218 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:01,640 Speaker 2: mind a few years later, The Ugly American. It was 219 00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:05,080 Speaker 2: published in nineteen fifty eight. It was a bestseller, and 220 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:09,080 Speaker 2: essentially it was a fictionalized version of the experiences of 221 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:15,240 Speaker 2: the authors as diplomats in pre war Vietnam, and it 222 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:19,920 Speaker 2: almost satirizes American diplomacy at the time, which was you 223 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:23,200 Speaker 2: had diplomats who were at parties with other diplomats in 224 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:26,840 Speaker 2: gated communities, way far away from the people of the 225 00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:29,760 Speaker 2: country they were trying to serve. And these guys argued, no, 226 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:31,720 Speaker 2: you need to immerse yourself in it. You need to 227 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:36,040 Speaker 2: learn the language, like you have to find out what 228 00:12:36,080 --> 00:12:38,440 Speaker 2: these people really need or else all you're doing is 229 00:12:38,480 --> 00:12:41,920 Speaker 2: patronizing them and wasting money. And it had a huge 230 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 2: impact on America in general. But also Kennedy, who is like, 231 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:50,760 Speaker 2: this is my north star here in guiding how foreign 232 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:53,680 Speaker 2: policy in America should go, and even took out a 233 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:55,760 Speaker 2: page in The New York Times, a full page ad 234 00:12:55,800 --> 00:13:02,800 Speaker 2: saying this is a great book. How was that? 235 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 1: It was pretty good? This, you know. Shortly thereafter, in 236 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:10,360 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty nine, when Cuba falls to Castro, all of 237 00:13:10,400 --> 00:13:12,760 Speaker 1: a sudden, it's like, hey, this is literally happening right 238 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:16,840 Speaker 1: out our outside our back door. So the time is now. 239 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:21,040 Speaker 1: He didn't create the idea for foreign aid. We had 240 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:25,640 Speaker 1: programs at the time, Food for Peace, the Development Loan Fund, 241 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:28,400 Speaker 1: and others. But Kennedy was the one in March of 242 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:31,760 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty one to wrap that all up, tie a 243 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 1: bow on it, and say here, Congress, this is USAID 244 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:38,640 Speaker 1: and this is this is a new program along with 245 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:42,079 Speaker 1: the Peace Corps that we're creating that like the great 246 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:45,959 Speaker 1: ambitions that America should pursue. And Congress got on board. 247 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:48,520 Speaker 2: Yeah. And one of the big things that he pushed 248 00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 2: for with the creation of USAID in particular was five 249 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:53,720 Speaker 2: year budgets. 250 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:54,720 Speaker 1: Ah good luck. 251 00:13:55,320 --> 00:13:58,199 Speaker 2: Yeah, so foreign aid up to that point and then 252 00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:00,079 Speaker 2: after that point, because he didn't get the five of 253 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:04,640 Speaker 2: your budgets he was looking for. The USA budget was 254 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:09,080 Speaker 2: tied to annual federal budgets and so it was you know, 255 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 2: it suffered the vaggarees of congressional fights over budgets that 256 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 2: happened every year. But the point was the reason Kennedy 257 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:20,440 Speaker 2: wanted a five year budget was because if his USA 258 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:23,320 Speaker 2: people were going to these countries that were like should 259 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:28,760 Speaker 2: we go communists or democratic? They needed to come to 260 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:33,080 Speaker 2: them and say, hey, your sympathetic, sympathetic to democracy, you're 261 00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:36,920 Speaker 2: running for president. Here's what we can do for you 262 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:40,440 Speaker 2: that you can actually build a platform around, because we're 263 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:42,960 Speaker 2: going to guarantee that you're going to get this funding 264 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:45,680 Speaker 2: X number of dollars for five years because we want 265 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:48,160 Speaker 2: this country to be a democracy, and we want to 266 00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:51,440 Speaker 2: make you the leader of the democracy any way we can. 267 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:54,080 Speaker 2: And Congress was still like, no, we're not going to 268 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:54,400 Speaker 2: do that. 269 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:57,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, I feel like that's a good time for a break, 270 00:14:57,360 --> 00:15:00,320 Speaker 1: and we'll come back and talk about some successes of 271 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:25,920 Speaker 1: USAID over the years right after this. All right, so 272 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:27,800 Speaker 1: we're back in this promise, we're going to talk about 273 00:15:27,800 --> 00:15:30,600 Speaker 1: some of the success stories of USAID over the years. 274 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:35,480 Speaker 1: More than half of our funding for USAID in the 275 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:38,560 Speaker 1: nineteen sixties went towards something we talked about quite a 276 00:15:38,560 --> 00:15:40,520 Speaker 1: bit over the years here and there called the Green Revolution, 277 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:47,680 Speaker 1: which was a campaign led by doctor Norman Borlog. He 278 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 1: wrote too many in history to fight hunger and asia 279 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:54,560 Speaker 1: by saying, hey, let's modernize your agricultural practices. Let's bring 280 00:15:54,600 --> 00:16:00,320 Speaker 1: them into the new age with your irrigation techniques, fertilization technius, 281 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:04,520 Speaker 1: how to rotate crops, getting you better crop yields even 282 00:16:04,520 --> 00:16:07,640 Speaker 1: when it's a drought going on. And he was very, 283 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:10,640 Speaker 1: very successful at this and changed the world. And this 284 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 1: ran through USAID. 285 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, so today's estimates put the number of lives that 286 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:21,240 Speaker 2: Norman Borlog and the Green Revolution and USAID for overseeing 287 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:23,960 Speaker 2: this program saved was probably about a quarter of a 288 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:25,960 Speaker 2: billion people. So right out of the gate, one of 289 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:28,080 Speaker 2: the first things USA does is save a quarter of 290 00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 2: a billion lives from starvation. That's good enough. But at 291 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 2: the same time, Chairman Mao is pushing the Great Leap 292 00:16:36,680 --> 00:16:41,920 Speaker 2: forward in China where he's completely restructuring the agricultural industry, 293 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:45,360 Speaker 2: taking a ton of peasant farmers, putting them in iron 294 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:50,400 Speaker 2: and steel factories, and drastically limiting the food supply so 295 00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:57,400 Speaker 2: that forty five million Chinese citizens die in three years. 296 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:00,600 Speaker 2: So people were able to look around and like, wow, 297 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:04,920 Speaker 2: this communist idea really didn't work. This USAID idea worked 298 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:09,040 Speaker 2: really well. Tell me a little more about USAID, and Chuck, 299 00:17:09,119 --> 00:17:11,520 Speaker 2: I feel like I should also say it's just come 300 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:14,159 Speaker 2: to be. You used to work for Peace Corps, not 301 00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:16,680 Speaker 2: as a Peace Corps volunteer, but as like one of 302 00:17:16,720 --> 00:17:19,959 Speaker 2: the people in the Home office, and I told her 303 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:22,640 Speaker 2: we were recording on USAID, and she pointed out very quickly, 304 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:26,680 Speaker 2: it's USAID. Well, we've been saying USAID this whole time. 305 00:17:27,000 --> 00:17:29,960 Speaker 2: Apologies to everybody, I say, we just keep saying USAID. 306 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:33,040 Speaker 1: I think most people say USAID, and I identify it 307 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:34,679 Speaker 1: as USAID, So I think that's fine. 308 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:37,280 Speaker 2: Okay, kid, it's just you me who calls it USAID. 309 00:17:37,600 --> 00:17:40,520 Speaker 1: No, no, no, I'm just saying I think will be 310 00:17:40,520 --> 00:17:43,600 Speaker 1: forgiven because most people read that as USAID and they 311 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:44,480 Speaker 1: know what we're talking about. 312 00:17:44,760 --> 00:17:45,639 Speaker 2: Gotcha, Okay. 313 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:48,439 Speaker 1: One of the ones I want to mention, well, I 314 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:52,399 Speaker 1: mentioned earlier the initiative launch launched by President Bush in 315 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:55,879 Speaker 1: two thousand and three, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS relief, 316 00:17:55,880 --> 00:17:58,360 Speaker 1: and what a success that has been. But the one 317 00:17:58,359 --> 00:18:02,639 Speaker 1: that really gets me is smallpox. That this was a 318 00:18:02,680 --> 00:18:06,480 Speaker 1: deadly disease in the nineteen sixties that was killing kids 319 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:12,080 Speaker 1: all over the world, and we eradicated that thanks to USAID. 320 00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:16,320 Speaker 1: How's that very nice partnering with the CDC to establish 321 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 1: an anti smallpox campaign in each country? Or it was 322 00:18:18,760 --> 00:18:22,439 Speaker 1: a big, big problem, and they have saved over the 323 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:28,520 Speaker 1: past eleven years by completely eradicating smallpox basically millions of 324 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:29,760 Speaker 1: lies every single year. 325 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:32,240 Speaker 2: Yes, in the only two places in the world where 326 00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:34,600 Speaker 2: you can find smallpox on the planet today is in 327 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:40,399 Speaker 2: Siberia and Atlanta. Yeah, that's right, talking about saving lives, 328 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:44,840 Speaker 2: not just from like you said, pepfar and from smallpox, 329 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:50,680 Speaker 2: but the us AIDS taking on tuberculosis has saved an 330 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:55,399 Speaker 2: estimated fifty eight million lives since two thousand, and I 331 00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:59,000 Speaker 2: believe that estimate was either from twenty seventeen or twenty twenty, 332 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:02,800 Speaker 2: so it's probably higher than that by now. And then 333 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:06,200 Speaker 2: malaria too. I think they estimate that since two thousand, 334 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:11,080 Speaker 2: the President's Malaria Initiative under USAID has saved nearly twelve 335 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 2: million lives, and that in countries where the President's Malaria 336 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:20,320 Speaker 2: Initiative exists, there's been a forty eight percent decline in 337 00:19:20,359 --> 00:19:24,480 Speaker 2: malaria deaths on average. So like they're literally saving actual 338 00:19:24,600 --> 00:19:26,960 Speaker 2: lives by going in and being like, oh, this is 339 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,280 Speaker 2: a real problem. Let's fund the people who are working 340 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:32,920 Speaker 2: to combat this in the place where it's a problem, 341 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:38,520 Speaker 2: and it's having these demonstrable effects like positive effects like 342 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:39,800 Speaker 2: saving people's lives. 343 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, and they have their little American flag patch on 344 00:19:42,359 --> 00:19:44,439 Speaker 1: the whole time. People know exactly where it's coming from. 345 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:47,040 Speaker 2: That's right. They don't put that Canada flag on their 346 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 2: backpack and lie to everyone. 347 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:52,800 Speaker 1: And that was even a thing when I traveled Europe 348 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:56,639 Speaker 1: in the mid nineties. Yeah, for sure, was a Canadian 349 00:19:56,680 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 1: flag because they're like, we're not American. Please don't be 350 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:00,920 Speaker 1: fooled by my right. 351 00:20:01,040 --> 00:20:03,400 Speaker 2: Exactly. I have no love for Bill Clinton. I don't 352 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:05,200 Speaker 2: even even know who that is. Why would I even 353 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:06,200 Speaker 2: bring up Bill Clinton. 354 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:09,320 Speaker 1: We said we were going to cover this even handedly, 355 00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:11,680 Speaker 1: and we you know, there have been plenty of criticisms 356 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:17,920 Speaker 1: and controversies over the years with USAID. I guess which 357 00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:21,640 Speaker 1: one should I talk about? How about this one? It's 358 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 1: not a perfect program. There have been all kinds of 359 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:26,760 Speaker 1: what you call a devil's bargain over the years trying 360 00:20:26,800 --> 00:20:31,120 Speaker 1: to fight communism, one of which was, you know, we've 361 00:20:31,160 --> 00:20:35,080 Speaker 1: talked in the past about CIA engineered coups across the 362 00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:40,080 Speaker 1: world to topple dictatorial regimes. Foreign assistants provided by USAID 363 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:43,000 Speaker 1: was used a lot of times as a negotiating chip 364 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:47,439 Speaker 1: to basically win allies here and there. So that's you know, 365 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:50,680 Speaker 1: maybe not the purest use of what it was set 366 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:52,040 Speaker 1: out to be. No. 367 00:20:52,240 --> 00:20:57,200 Speaker 2: A good example of that is Afghanistan. Us aid's involvement 368 00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:03,240 Speaker 2: in Afghanistan after the US invaded is just widely considered 369 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:08,120 Speaker 2: a total disaster. Afghanistan received more than one hundred billion 370 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:11,720 Speaker 2: dollars in foreign aid from the United States and as 371 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:16,280 Speaker 2: something like forty percent of it went directly to government officials, warlords, 372 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:20,520 Speaker 2: drug lords, insurgents who bought weapons with it and then 373 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:23,000 Speaker 2: fought the United States with it. Yeah, not a good look. 374 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:27,520 Speaker 2: And I found a statistic too that over fifteen years, 375 00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:31,399 Speaker 2: usa'd spent almost one and a half billion dollars just 376 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:38,160 Speaker 2: on helping Afghan farmers transitioned from opium production to anything 377 00:21:38,280 --> 00:21:42,800 Speaker 2: but opium essentially, and the opium farmers in Afghanistan said, 378 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:44,919 Speaker 2: thanks a lot for the money. Where's going to use 379 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:48,880 Speaker 2: this instead to expand our opium production as it stands, 380 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:54,159 Speaker 2: And between twenty thirteen and twenty fifteen, in Kandahar Province alone, 381 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:57,920 Speaker 2: opium cultivation more than doubled like one hundred and nineteen 382 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:01,240 Speaker 2: percent in two years because of U USAID money which 383 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:04,919 Speaker 2: was now going not just to insurgents, but to create 384 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:06,960 Speaker 2: the heroin supply in the United States. 385 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:11,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, black eye on that one for sure. More recently, 386 00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:15,760 Speaker 1: there was a company called Chemonics that was awarded the 387 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:19,280 Speaker 1: single largest contract ever from USA. It was a nine 388 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:21,400 Speaker 1: and a half billion dollar contract and the goal there 389 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:25,800 Speaker 1: was to streamline delivery worldwide of medical supplies, you know, 390 00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:30,560 Speaker 1: mosquito nets, contraceptives, vaccine, stuff like that. And it was 391 00:22:30,920 --> 00:22:35,879 Speaker 1: very poorly managed by USAID and there was Chemonics was 392 00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:39,560 Speaker 1: involved with false reporting between them and their partners, and 393 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:43,200 Speaker 1: it was just a pretty big debacle, and you know, 394 00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:46,719 Speaker 1: USAID continued to pour money into it even as it 395 00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:50,960 Speaker 1: was floundering, which again another stain on their reputation, which 396 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:53,920 Speaker 1: you know, we say all this stuff to fairly report, 397 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:56,560 Speaker 1: but also to point out that, like it makes it 398 00:22:56,600 --> 00:22:59,000 Speaker 1: a really easy target when you can say, you know, 399 00:22:59,040 --> 00:23:00,840 Speaker 1: we spent nine and a half billion dollars on this 400 00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:04,119 Speaker 1: thing that was mismanaged, and you know, fraud like that 401 00:23:04,400 --> 00:23:07,199 Speaker 1: is definitely something to root out. You know, no one's 402 00:23:07,240 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 1: saying like that stuff's okay. 403 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:13,720 Speaker 2: And then, Chuck, there's one more terrible story of USAID 404 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:16,040 Speaker 2: dropping the ball that we just have to share. Can 405 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:20,440 Speaker 2: we take it away. Then, Well, there's a guy named 406 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:23,360 Speaker 2: Alan Gross, who I guess was an IT dude, who 407 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:27,080 Speaker 2: was hired as a subcontractor for USAID to go to 408 00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:30,600 Speaker 2: Cuba in two thousand and nine and set up alternate 409 00:23:30,640 --> 00:23:34,560 Speaker 2: access to the Internet for the small Jewish community in Cuba. 410 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:39,400 Speaker 2: There a few things USAID was illegal in Cuba at 411 00:23:39,440 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 2: the time, probably still is. The government controlled access to 412 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:46,800 Speaker 2: the Internet in Cuba, probably still does. And the Jewish 413 00:23:46,800 --> 00:23:50,520 Speaker 2: community in Cuba did not ask for alternate Internet access. 414 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:54,439 Speaker 2: It was just thrust upon them. So Alan Gross was 415 00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:59,639 Speaker 2: discovered and arrested as a spy because USAID sent him 416 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 2: in there. The guy barely even spoke Spanish from what 417 00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:05,360 Speaker 2: I read, and the United States had to trade three 418 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:08,560 Speaker 2: Cuban actual spies that they'd had since the nineties to 419 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:10,920 Speaker 2: get Alan Gross back from Cuba. 420 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:12,439 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I remember that. 421 00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:13,640 Speaker 2: Do you remember that? One? 422 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:14,080 Speaker 1: I do. 423 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:17,439 Speaker 2: It's just so nuts and just so misguided that I 424 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:18,960 Speaker 2: could not include it. 425 00:24:19,359 --> 00:24:20,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, agreed. 426 00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:23,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, let's talk about it being an easy target, because 427 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:27,840 Speaker 2: the thing is, they have so many different things going 428 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:30,440 Speaker 2: on in so many parts of the world that inevitably 429 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:31,840 Speaker 2: some of them are going to turn out to be 430 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:35,119 Speaker 2: crooked or rotten or poorly managed or a waste of money. 431 00:24:36,600 --> 00:24:40,160 Speaker 2: That's just that's a given. Nobody's I don't think debating that. 432 00:24:40,640 --> 00:24:45,560 Speaker 2: What I think is important as how the agency or 433 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:48,800 Speaker 2: an agency or anybody in that position responds to that 434 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:49,400 Speaker 2: kind of thing. 435 00:24:49,560 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 1: Right. 436 00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:54,119 Speaker 2: So, there's been like a few examples of controversies that 437 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:57,359 Speaker 2: were non controversies because USA had handled it really well. 438 00:24:57,560 --> 00:25:02,280 Speaker 2: A big one was a USA charity of charity that 439 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:06,680 Speaker 2: the USAID funded in Kenya, The Children of God Relief Institute, 440 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:09,840 Speaker 2: ran an orphanage for children in Kenya who had been 441 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:14,040 Speaker 2: affected by AIDS, and in twenty twenty one, USAID was 442 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:17,160 Speaker 2: told by a whistleblower that this charity was covering up 443 00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:19,960 Speaker 2: rampant sex abuse of children and its orphanage. 444 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: Yeah. The USAID Inspector General said that the Children of 445 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:27,199 Speaker 1: God Relief Institute quote knew or should have known of 446 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:31,439 Speaker 1: multiple incidents of child sex abuse. And USAID found out 447 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:33,520 Speaker 1: about this, and they cut off funding in twenty twenty 448 00:25:33,520 --> 00:25:36,280 Speaker 1: three and told the Kenyan police like, here's everything we 449 00:25:36,359 --> 00:25:36,760 Speaker 1: have on this. 450 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:41,400 Speaker 2: Yeah. That's another kind of indirect service that USAID provides 451 00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:48,119 Speaker 2: is they do high quality international inspections of something like 452 00:25:48,560 --> 00:25:52,280 Speaker 2: a single charity in Kenya, and then they shared the 453 00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:57,280 Speaker 2: information the results of their inspections, their investigations, and sometimes 454 00:25:57,320 --> 00:26:00,720 Speaker 2: it can bring criminal charges against people who who were 455 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 2: doing wrong. But really USA idea is making sure that 456 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:06,520 Speaker 2: their money's not being spent or going to bad actors. 457 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:10,720 Speaker 2: But it has this other rippling effect that I think 458 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:14,919 Speaker 2: in some ways actually provides justice that otherwise might not 459 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:16,320 Speaker 2: have been provided. 460 00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:20,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, totally. You know, another sort of annoying way that 461 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:24,320 Speaker 1: modern politics works in this country is the you know, 462 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 1: sort of homing in on a single either SoundBite or 463 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:31,199 Speaker 1: just something that they know will be super gravvy. And 464 00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:34,160 Speaker 1: both sides do this. I'm not like picking on any 465 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:38,600 Speaker 1: particular side here of you know, of the way we 466 00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:41,640 Speaker 1: absorb our content these days, and like a big example 467 00:26:41,680 --> 00:26:46,000 Speaker 1: of this is, you know, we spent fifty million dollars 468 00:26:46,040 --> 00:26:50,120 Speaker 1: on condoms in Gaza, and that's just not true. That's 469 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:53,800 Speaker 1: not what happened, but no one cares to know the truth. 470 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:55,520 Speaker 1: It seems like as long as they can run that 471 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:57,800 Speaker 1: headline and tweet about it, you know. 472 00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:01,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just bad in fall around the fifty million 473 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:05,120 Speaker 2: dollars is so this group was actually getting an injection 474 00:27:05,160 --> 00:27:07,480 Speaker 2: of one hundred million dollars. They were getting it in 475 00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:10,360 Speaker 2: fifty and then another fifty later, so it wasn't even 476 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 2: just fifty million dollars. There was one hundred million dollars. 477 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:15,840 Speaker 2: It was going to a group called the International Medical 478 00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:20,639 Speaker 2: Corps working in Gaza. They provide emergency medical services and 479 00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:26,240 Speaker 2: they do have a there is some family planning that 480 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:29,080 Speaker 2: they provide. Services they provide, but that includes way more 481 00:27:29,119 --> 00:27:33,840 Speaker 2: than just contraception, and that's not anywhere near a focus 482 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:37,359 Speaker 2: of they what they do in Gaza anywhere else with 483 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:40,440 Speaker 2: their emergency medical services. And then to top it all off, 484 00:27:40,800 --> 00:27:44,200 Speaker 2: the director of the International Medical Corps said, the money 485 00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:46,280 Speaker 2: that we've already gotten out, a single dollar has been 486 00:27:46,320 --> 00:27:48,800 Speaker 2: spent on condoms anyway. So this whole thing is just 487 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:53,520 Speaker 2: totally not just blown out of proportion, it's wrong. And yet, 488 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:56,040 Speaker 2: like you said, that's the SoundBite that gets reported all 489 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:59,479 Speaker 2: throughout the news on any part of the spectrum. And 490 00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:03,480 Speaker 2: it's just like, it's just such a bad time to 491 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:06,720 Speaker 2: take in information right now. 492 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:09,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's pretty depressing. I totally agree. 493 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:10,479 Speaker 2: Thanks. 494 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:12,040 Speaker 1: Should we take another break? 495 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:14,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, but much more. 496 00:28:14,760 --> 00:28:16,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, Yeah, we talked about some highs and lows. We're 497 00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:17,879 Speaker 1: going to talk a little bit more about that and 498 00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:19,600 Speaker 1: whether or not the USA I D is a good 499 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:20,879 Speaker 1: investment for the United States. 500 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:46,680 Speaker 2: Right after this, so you said we were going to 501 00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:48,800 Speaker 2: talk a little bit about a few more highs and lows. 502 00:28:49,920 --> 00:28:53,640 Speaker 2: Just today, I would guess this was strategically released the 503 00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:57,280 Speaker 2: British Medical journal. Very respective, British Medical Journal of the 504 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:01,320 Speaker 2: Lancet released a report that said that since I think 505 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:06,240 Speaker 2: two thousand maybe two thousand and two, I can't remember, 506 00:29:07,280 --> 00:29:11,400 Speaker 2: an estimated ninety one million deaths preventable deaths have been 507 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:15,560 Speaker 2: prevented because of US AID funding. Pretty impressive. 508 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:17,880 Speaker 1: Ninety one million people, yes, all right. 509 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:22,200 Speaker 2: But and this in like a twenty twenty five years 510 00:29:22,280 --> 00:29:26,000 Speaker 2: something like that, it's not since they started. But they 511 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:29,840 Speaker 2: also estimate that within the next five years, by twenty thirty, 512 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:33,960 Speaker 2: about fourteen million preventable deaths won't have been prevented because 513 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:38,720 Speaker 2: of the cuts to US AID funding, right, which is 514 00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:39,400 Speaker 2: not good. 515 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:43,000 Speaker 1: Now, it's not. And you know that that's like that 516 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:44,440 Speaker 1: kind of brings us to whether or not it's a 517 00:29:44,440 --> 00:29:48,400 Speaker 1: good investment for the US. You know, we've kind of 518 00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:50,280 Speaker 1: mentioned some of the highs and lows, and at its 519 00:29:50,320 --> 00:29:52,959 Speaker 1: best you are saving, you know, hundreds of millions of 520 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:58,040 Speaker 1: lives since its inception at US worse cost billions of 521 00:29:58,080 --> 00:30:02,240 Speaker 1: dollars for you know, know, dictators to line their pockets 522 00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:06,080 Speaker 1: sometimes or criminals to get funded, and arms get funded 523 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:09,480 Speaker 1: and drugs get funded. So it's it's a reasonable thing 524 00:30:09,520 --> 00:30:14,360 Speaker 1: to put it under a microscope for sure. A little 525 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:16,680 Speaker 1: bit more about the budget, you know, twenty twenty four, 526 00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:19,800 Speaker 1: the budget was twenty one point seven billion dollars, which 527 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:22,920 Speaker 1: is point three of the total federal spending, which is 528 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:27,760 Speaker 1: six point eight trillion dollars point three percent compared to 529 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:31,000 Speaker 1: four percent for the Department of Education also going away, 530 00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:35,240 Speaker 1: and the Department of Defense at thirteen percent compared to 531 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:40,480 Speaker 1: point three percent. Since nineteen eighty, USAID spending has increased 532 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:44,320 Speaker 1: one hundred and six percent, while overall government spending has 533 00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:47,920 Speaker 1: increased close to two hundred percent. So it's not like 534 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:50,840 Speaker 1: it's even kept pace with our spending as a government 535 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:52,480 Speaker 1: overall since nineteen eighty. 536 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:55,959 Speaker 2: Right, Right, So that's the best you can do essentially, 537 00:30:56,040 --> 00:30:58,240 Speaker 2: when you try to talk about whether it's a good investment, 538 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:02,680 Speaker 2: is point out how lit we actually spend on it? Right, Yeah, 539 00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:07,240 Speaker 2: you know, because the it's so it's basically impossible to 540 00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:11,000 Speaker 2: calculate the return on investment because the return on investment 541 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:15,959 Speaker 2: is worldwide goodwill toward the United States, and the United 542 00:31:15,960 --> 00:31:18,640 Speaker 2: States can be like, hey, you know that favor you 543 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:21,560 Speaker 2: owe me, I'm calling it in because we're putting a 544 00:31:21,720 --> 00:31:25,720 Speaker 2: military alliance together, or this giant American business wants to 545 00:31:25,720 --> 00:31:29,200 Speaker 2: start doing business in your country, whatever it is. And 546 00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:33,960 Speaker 2: that is actually something that made me curious about why 547 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:39,000 Speaker 2: Trump was so hell bent on shutting down USAID, because 548 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:42,320 Speaker 2: it's not like he's not into people owing him favors. 549 00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:47,120 Speaker 2: With USAID, it's an unwritten thing like you owe America 550 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:50,640 Speaker 2: favors now, like you're our friend, but it's not like 551 00:31:50,680 --> 00:31:53,440 Speaker 2: we're just giving you money, and it's just strictly goodwill, 552 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:56,640 Speaker 2: just strictly life saving. That's the state of goal. But 553 00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:59,800 Speaker 2: there's also an undercurrent there where like if we call 554 00:31:59,880 --> 00:32:02,560 Speaker 2: it favor you better, you better come to our help. 555 00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:06,440 Speaker 1: Yeah that, yeah, that is fairly perplexing. I never really 556 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:10,040 Speaker 1: thought about like that because I don't know, kind of 557 00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:11,840 Speaker 1: one of his things is leverage. 558 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:13,280 Speaker 2: And right, yeah, that's a better way to put it. 559 00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:17,720 Speaker 1: That keeps that leverage in place. So yeah, it's very 560 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:20,239 Speaker 1: interesting as far as what Americans think about this. This 561 00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:22,520 Speaker 1: is a poll from Pew Research in twenty nineteen, so 562 00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:25,200 Speaker 1: it's a little bit old. It might be skewed a 563 00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:27,760 Speaker 1: little bit differently now, but they thought it was kind 564 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:32,120 Speaker 1: of split. You know, thirty thirty thirty thirty percent or 565 00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 1: thirty three ish percent thought that we should increase foreign 566 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:39,360 Speaker 1: aid spending, about thirty three percent said we should reduce it, 567 00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:41,240 Speaker 1: and about a third said we should keep it about 568 00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:45,360 Speaker 1: the same. Yeah, So take that for what it's worth. 569 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:49,520 Speaker 2: Yeah. Also, it's speaking of polls, Apparently, polls consistently show 570 00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:53,880 Speaker 2: that Americans grossly overestimate how much the US spends on 571 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:58,320 Speaker 2: foreign aid. Typically, Americans think we spend about twenty five 572 00:32:58,360 --> 00:33:03,040 Speaker 2: percent or a quarter of our national budget on foreign aid. 573 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 1: That's staggering that. 574 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:09,000 Speaker 2: People think that. Again, remember we spend roughly one percent. 575 00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:10,880 Speaker 2: I think it was one point two percent back in 576 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:14,680 Speaker 2: twenty twenty three. So, like, just the difference from perception 577 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:16,800 Speaker 2: is not so. I wonder how many people out there 578 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:19,400 Speaker 2: are like, wait, it's that and we're not doing that anymore. 579 00:33:19,760 --> 00:33:21,600 Speaker 2: I wonder if that's going to be an outcome of 580 00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:24,080 Speaker 2: it or not. I also feel like, you know, we 581 00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:27,280 Speaker 2: should wait and see what this America First Agency's policies 582 00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:31,240 Speaker 2: and things are, if they reactivate some of these existing 583 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:34,600 Speaker 2: networks or infrastructure that USA had already had, or if 584 00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:38,320 Speaker 2: they're just starting over from scratch. So I'm curious about that. 585 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:41,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, to insert my 586 00:33:41,520 --> 00:33:44,160 Speaker 1: opinion here, because we are real humans and we have them. 587 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:48,760 Speaker 1: What frustrates me the most, I think is that this idea, 588 00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:50,320 Speaker 1: like you just said, like there are people out there 589 00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:52,240 Speaker 1: that think we spend twenty five percent of our money 590 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:55,880 Speaker 1: on other countries, which is a joke, that they will 591 00:33:55,920 --> 00:33:57,560 Speaker 1: be like, you know, how much better my life is 592 00:33:57,600 --> 00:34:00,560 Speaker 1: going to be when we cut off funding to help 593 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:04,560 Speaker 1: these people around the world and help us instead. When 594 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:05,520 Speaker 1: that doesn't. 595 00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:07,360 Speaker 2: Happen, Yeah, that's a good point, and. 596 00:34:07,280 --> 00:34:10,200 Speaker 1: When their lives don't change at all in any way. 597 00:34:11,760 --> 00:34:14,120 Speaker 1: I just wonder if anyone's going to look back and say, yeah, 598 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:16,560 Speaker 1: what a I mean, it might be fifty years from 599 00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:18,799 Speaker 1: now they're like, what a horrible thing that we did 600 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:22,480 Speaker 1: to not help the most vulnerable people of the world. 601 00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:25,760 Speaker 1: When people thought that all of a sudden their life 602 00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,280 Speaker 1: was going to look better in the United States because 603 00:34:28,320 --> 00:34:30,279 Speaker 1: we stopped saving the lives of others. 604 00:34:31,200 --> 00:34:34,920 Speaker 2: I don't know. I feel like we as Americas have 605 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:37,240 Speaker 2: really demonstrated the ability to do all sorts of mental 606 00:34:37,239 --> 00:34:40,480 Speaker 2: gymnastics to support our points, So who knows. 607 00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:41,719 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a good point. 608 00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:46,319 Speaker 2: One other thing that's a a big problem with just 609 00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:51,840 Speaker 2: rolling back USA, especially so abruptly, is US eight is 610 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:56,040 Speaker 2: a thorn in autocrat sides around the world. Like if USA, 611 00:34:56,120 --> 00:34:58,239 Speaker 2: if you allow USA to work in your country, you 612 00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:00,239 Speaker 2: got to take what you like and what you don't 613 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:03,520 Speaker 2: like you can't. It's not a buffet. So USAID supports 614 00:35:03,560 --> 00:35:06,680 Speaker 2: a lot of like pro democracy groups and organizations and 615 00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:10,839 Speaker 2: countries that are kind of short on democracy, and now 616 00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:14,200 Speaker 2: those groups are going to be left without funding, also 617 00:35:14,360 --> 00:35:20,200 Speaker 2: very importantly left without implicit American support for them and 618 00:35:20,400 --> 00:35:23,560 Speaker 2: them not being abused or their human rights being abused, 619 00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:26,640 Speaker 2: and they're basically just being left out to dry, and 620 00:35:26,719 --> 00:35:28,960 Speaker 2: autocrats are going to be able to do more of 621 00:35:29,000 --> 00:35:32,040 Speaker 2: what they do. So it is very much a blow 622 00:35:32,120 --> 00:35:35,440 Speaker 2: to global democracy as well to just lose USAID. And 623 00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:39,880 Speaker 2: there is one more thing that is causing concern among 624 00:35:39,960 --> 00:35:42,520 Speaker 2: people who are concerned about this, and that is that 625 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:45,360 Speaker 2: this is going to leave a vacuum around the world 626 00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:48,799 Speaker 2: in foreign aid that China in particular is going to 627 00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:52,319 Speaker 2: be happy to step in and fill. So they will 628 00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:55,360 Speaker 2: be the ones growing influence around the world. And they're 629 00:35:55,440 --> 00:35:59,160 Speaker 2: already at it. Actually, the US spent three point eight 630 00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:03,319 Speaker 2: trillion in foreign aid over the last eighty years since 631 00:36:03,360 --> 00:36:07,279 Speaker 2: World War Two. China has spent one trillion already just 632 00:36:07,320 --> 00:36:10,600 Speaker 2: in the last twelve years. So not only will we 633 00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:15,160 Speaker 2: be losing our ability to make and keep friends, we'll 634 00:36:15,160 --> 00:36:18,759 Speaker 2: be giving our biggest rival a chance to gain even more. 635 00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:23,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, for sure. And you know, if you're depending 636 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:25,160 Speaker 1: on what side of the fence you're on with this, 637 00:36:25,239 --> 00:36:27,920 Speaker 1: you might think, hey, guys, you didn't talk about this, this, 638 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:31,319 Speaker 1: and this and those were all bad programs. Are there 639 00:36:31,320 --> 00:36:33,040 Speaker 1: other people that might say, you didn't talk about this, 640 00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:36,160 Speaker 1: this is and those are all great programs distributed through 641 00:36:36,239 --> 00:36:38,680 Speaker 1: usaid and that you know, we just don't have hours 642 00:36:38,680 --> 00:36:41,759 Speaker 1: and hours to go over every single thing. We tried 643 00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:43,120 Speaker 1: to cover a little bit of both. 644 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:48,120 Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like it's worth saying then there are 645 00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:52,640 Speaker 2: like you, especially if you're critical of America's influence around 646 00:36:52,680 --> 00:36:56,800 Speaker 2: the world, and especially the underhanded version of it. USA 647 00:36:57,000 --> 00:36:59,360 Speaker 2: is very much involved in that. So if you're critical 648 00:36:59,520 --> 00:37:02,000 Speaker 2: of that, you were probably critical of USAID, and you're 649 00:37:02,040 --> 00:37:06,200 Speaker 2: probably not exactly shedding a tear for USAID being rolled back. 650 00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:10,439 Speaker 2: That's definitely one point of view out there. I think 651 00:37:10,480 --> 00:37:13,000 Speaker 2: if we're talking about trying to be fair here, that's 652 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:15,120 Speaker 2: I think that's an important thing to point out. 653 00:37:15,520 --> 00:37:17,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure, so USAID. 654 00:37:17,960 --> 00:37:21,080 Speaker 2: I think hopefully we've presented enough info that you can 655 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:24,000 Speaker 2: make up your own mind. We certainly respect you trying 656 00:37:24,040 --> 00:37:26,880 Speaker 2: to do that. Don't just listen to us, and of 657 00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:28,600 Speaker 2: course that means it's a listener mayw. 658 00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:33,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, since Josh just said don't listen to us. 659 00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:37,560 Speaker 2: I think that's a good rule of thumb, right. 660 00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:42,640 Speaker 1: Great advice from a podcaster. Hey guys, this is this 661 00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:45,480 Speaker 1: is another chuck correction. It was kind of on both 662 00:37:45,520 --> 00:37:48,160 Speaker 1: of us. I guess okay, Hey guys, longtime listener, really 663 00:37:48,239 --> 00:37:51,080 Speaker 1: enjoy the variety of topics. For the first time in 664 00:37:51,080 --> 00:37:53,000 Speaker 1: ten plus years, I feel compelled to write in and 665 00:37:53,040 --> 00:37:56,080 Speaker 1: ask for a correction. During the Sunset Boulevard episode Tangent, 666 00:37:56,960 --> 00:37:59,680 Speaker 1: you guys are talking about American graffiti and surmise that it 667 00:37:59,719 --> 00:38:04,520 Speaker 1: was based on the Sunset Boulevard like cruising zone that 668 00:38:04,640 --> 00:38:08,200 Speaker 1: is not correct, guys, I never do this. American Graffiti 669 00:38:08,239 --> 00:38:11,439 Speaker 1: is based on coming of age in Modesto, California. 670 00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:12,920 Speaker 2: That's what we said. 671 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:16,319 Speaker 1: This is where George Lucas grew up. Guys. The movie 672 00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:18,880 Speaker 1: references a number of local streets roads in nearby cities. 673 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:21,600 Speaker 1: It was not filmed here, but it was definitely based 674 00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:23,920 Speaker 1: on the car cruising culture of Modesto in the sixties. 675 00:38:24,719 --> 00:38:28,280 Speaker 1: And I didn't know that rich Olm from a Modesto native, 676 00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:31,359 Speaker 1: and I wish I had known that because I link 677 00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:35,160 Speaker 1: Modesto in my mind to one of my top three 678 00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:39,920 Speaker 1: modern bands of all time. Oh Granddaddy out of Modesto. 679 00:38:39,800 --> 00:38:44,239 Speaker 2: Oh Grandaddy? Yeah, they were great. Yes, I thought you 680 00:38:44,239 --> 00:38:47,120 Speaker 2: were going to talk about red tail or red Hawk beer. 681 00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:49,600 Speaker 1: Oh no, no, no, is that a Modesto beer. 682 00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:50,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's really good. 683 00:38:50,719 --> 00:38:52,799 Speaker 1: Help to try that, It's all we got. That was 684 00:38:52,880 --> 00:38:54,760 Speaker 1: rich That was rich Olm. 685 00:38:55,120 --> 00:38:57,080 Speaker 2: Well where were you when we needed you? Rich when 686 00:38:57,120 --> 00:38:59,759 Speaker 2: we were talking about it being set in LA that's 687 00:38:59,840 --> 00:39:00,520 Speaker 2: my question. 688 00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:03,480 Speaker 1: Not a Modesto because he's a Modesto native, so probably 689 00:39:03,520 --> 00:39:04,440 Speaker 1: not still a Modesto. 690 00:39:05,640 --> 00:39:07,080 Speaker 2: No, he could still be a Modesto. 691 00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:09,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, but I figured he would say current Modesto resident 692 00:39:10,040 --> 00:39:10,879 Speaker 1: and here's where I live. 693 00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:16,839 Speaker 2: Maybe maybe okay, Well either way, Rich, maybe you can 694 00:39:16,840 --> 00:39:19,000 Speaker 2: email back in and let us know which is the case. 695 00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:22,560 Speaker 2: And while we're waiting for an email from Rich, also 696 00:39:22,600 --> 00:39:25,040 Speaker 2: waiting for an email from you, you can send it 697 00:39:25,040 --> 00:39:31,320 Speaker 2: to us at stuff podcast at iHeartRadio dot com. 698 00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:34,319 Speaker 1: Stuff you Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. For 699 00:39:34,440 --> 00:39:38,600 Speaker 1: more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 700 00:39:38,719 --> 00:39:40,560 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.