1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Molly John Fast and this is Fast Politics, 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: where we discussed the top political headlines with some of 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,640 Speaker 1: today's best minds and fifteen votes later, we have a 4 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: Speaker of the House. It's a Wild show today with 5 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:18,800 Speaker 1: Cerese Castle, host to the podcast, A Tradition of Violence. 6 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:23,280 Speaker 1: We'll talk to us about the Los Angeles County Sheriff's 7 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: Gangs and the fucory surrounding them. Then we'll talk to 8 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:32,839 Speaker 1: director Blake Zef about his documentary Lone Wolves, which covers 9 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: the student deck crisis. But first we have the host 10 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: of the Enemy's List, the one the Only, Rick Wilson. 11 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:46,239 Speaker 1: Welcome too, Fast Politics. Rick Wilson, Molly John Fast, How 12 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:50,880 Speaker 1: are you goodad, How are you well. I'm here in 13 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: beautiful Florida. The sun is shining. The airplane is waiting 14 00:00:54,040 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: for you to go take it and push through the clear, 15 00:00:57,440 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 1: beautiful skies of the great state of Florida for a 16 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:04,680 Speaker 1: couple of hoursternoon. But first I'm here with you, Kevin McCarthy. 17 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:08,760 Speaker 1: You know what they say, when at first you don't succeed, 18 00:01:09,920 --> 00:01:14,280 Speaker 1: try sorrow yourself at the feet of horrible people. Humiliate 19 00:01:14,319 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: yourself over and over again. Give up all the key 20 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:19,640 Speaker 1: powers of your job in order to achieve the illusory 21 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: title of Speaker of the House while Matt Gates, Lauren Bobert, 22 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: Andy Biggs, Paul Gostar, Margie Taylor Green, and the rest 23 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: of the clown caucus take over. Yeah, that was what 24 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 1: I was thinking. Did you get it on the fifteenth 25 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 1: or the try day? And the Lord said, let me 26 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:41,320 Speaker 1: get the reason why this took so long and hurt 27 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 1: so much. Kevin McCarthy is a hollow man. There's no 28 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:48,320 Speaker 1: real there there. He's just a vuncular kind of backslapping, 29 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: you know, frat broke kind of guy who for years 30 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 1: has kind of failed up and is not. He's not, 31 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: as you may have picked up by now, he's not 32 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 1: an exactly an intellectual, high horsepower guy. But he's been 33 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: surrounded by a few people, including a guy that very 34 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: few people know about named Jeff Miller. Jeff Miller is 35 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: one of d cs like what they call a tollbooth 36 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:12,480 Speaker 1: lobbyist firm, where unless you hired Jeff's firm, you don't 37 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:14,560 Speaker 1: get a meeting with Kevin. They may not do any 38 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:16,360 Speaker 1: work for you, but you have to show that you're 39 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 1: hiring Kev's guy and Jeff Miller and this small cadre 40 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:25,000 Speaker 1: around Kevin have wanted this for twelve thirteen years now, 41 00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 1: and they were not going to give it up. So 42 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:31,239 Speaker 1: they decided they made a what would have looked like 43 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: a rational choice in Washington twenty years ago. They decided, Okay, 44 00:02:35,919 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 1: we're gonna bullshit these Freedom Caucus assholes. We're just gonna 45 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 1: tell them we're gonna do this stuff, and then later 46 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:43,120 Speaker 1: on we'll just jerk him off and we won't do it. 47 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:47,800 Speaker 1: This is, unfortunately for them, a category error right at 48 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:51,680 Speaker 1: the peak of dumb idea mountain, because those aren't the 49 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:54,679 Speaker 1: rules anymore. It's part of the clown car mountain range. 50 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: They don't understand that the world doesn't work that way anymore. 51 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: These people now have extracted concessions on the rules and 52 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:09,240 Speaker 1: on people on committees, and those concessions make Kevin a 53 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 1: speaker in name only. They have the ability now for 54 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,920 Speaker 1: one idiot, and believe me, the Republican Caucus, as you 55 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 1: may be surprised to know, has more than one idiot. 56 00:03:20,280 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: There's one idiot um for one idiot to call for 57 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:29,960 Speaker 1: no confidence voltus. Kevin was able to beat these people 58 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,679 Speaker 1: down by offering them everything under the sun. Okay, that 59 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: he offered them everything you want a foot massage, Yeah, okay, 60 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 1: you gotta foot missage. You want me to come over 61 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: and twork, I'll twork. Just imagine Kevin twets get Just 62 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 1: get it out, get it into your mind, and so 63 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: you can soon get it out of your mind. The 64 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 1: idea that all these crazies got everything they wanted is 65 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: the thing that will make the house ungovernable. And the 66 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: key element here, the key element here is that they 67 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 1: extracted a concession from him that they weren't going to 68 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:05,680 Speaker 1: do a debt ceiling. So okay, let's look back for 69 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: a second to Jeff Miller and to Kevin's real constituency, 70 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:13,120 Speaker 1: which is not the people of Fresno, California, God forbid? Right, 71 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: certainly not. Yeah, it's the American Bankers Association, It's the 72 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:20,520 Speaker 1: hedge fund Bros. It's a lot of Wall Street investment banks, 73 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: a lot of private equity people. How much do you 74 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: think they want to see the economy crash and burn 75 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:26,440 Speaker 1: when we decide we're not going to pay our debts, 76 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 1: when we decide that we're going to um not pay 77 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:33,000 Speaker 1: Social Security medicare, medicaid and military salaries. How do you 78 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:37,480 Speaker 1: think that's gonna work out? It's not. And they recognized 79 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 1: on the Freedom Caucus side, on the hyper Maga side, 80 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: that we were going to have a world in which 81 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:48,240 Speaker 1: Kevin McCarthy was their hostage and will be forever. The 82 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:50,919 Speaker 1: irony here is it's like, Okay, the terrorists have taken 83 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:53,200 Speaker 1: the plane, they've killed the hostages, and they've blown it up. 84 00:04:53,279 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 1: Now let's give them the money and the helicopter so 85 00:04:55,360 --> 00:05:00,240 Speaker 1: they can escape. The fuck. I mean, it's ninth seen 86 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 1: people right like you could find. I mean, if he 87 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: had just never gone Tomorrow Lago, he could have gotten 88 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: nineteen blue dogs. He could have made a deal with 89 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:13,480 Speaker 1: him and the American people like that kind of ship. 90 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,080 Speaker 1: If I had been Hackeim Jeffreys, I would have gone 91 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 1: into Kevin's caucus and found a dozen people who were 92 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:22,320 Speaker 1: in Biden districts, and I would have said to them, 93 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:25,320 Speaker 1: you're gonna get a chairmanship, you're gonna get this committee. 94 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:27,040 Speaker 1: You're gonna be on ways and Means, you're gonna be 95 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:29,960 Speaker 1: on Armed Services. I would have handed out a tier 96 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:34,040 Speaker 1: committee assignments like they were fucking candy on Halloween to 97 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,080 Speaker 1: get the majority, and I'm a little disappointed they didn't 98 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 1: take that seriously enough. And I was told by by 99 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 1: two separate Democratic members that they didn't want to do 100 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:46,600 Speaker 1: that because they thought that that would break up the 101 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 1: two twelve votes they were consistently getting. That there would 102 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 1: be people on the left would say, oh, no, you 103 00:05:51,720 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 1: can't do that. This is a Democratic caucus. That's better 104 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:56,520 Speaker 1: to be in the minority than the majority, which is 105 00:05:56,560 --> 00:06:01,119 Speaker 1: a logic that I find somewhat lacking. I do think 106 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:06,560 Speaker 1: that they came out of last week Democrats looking really good, right. 107 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:10,560 Speaker 1: I mean, the speeches were really good. They all voted 108 00:06:10,560 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: in lockstep. The speeches were great. They had a lot 109 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:15,600 Speaker 1: of unity. Because I always went for the fences, I 110 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:18,200 Speaker 1: would have gone for the majority if I was them. However, 111 00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:21,560 Speaker 1: they did come out of it pretty cohesive, pretty solid, 112 00:06:21,839 --> 00:06:26,839 Speaker 1: feeling like there's a degree of intentionality about this whole thing. 113 00:06:27,279 --> 00:06:30,039 Speaker 1: I thought it was a big moment for Katherine Clark 114 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:33,440 Speaker 1: to her speeches were really good. She's seemed very smart. 115 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:37,039 Speaker 1: I mean, I thought also Hakim sounded really good. And 116 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:40,360 Speaker 1: it looked like a mess, like every which way Republicans 117 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 1: tried to spin it it still looked like a mass. Yeah. Look, 118 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:47,080 Speaker 1: there was nothing in this week that didn't scream out 119 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 1: ship show nothing. They were embarrassing, they were clumsy, and 120 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:56,839 Speaker 1: Kevin's desperation for the job was So there's a degree 121 00:06:56,880 --> 00:06:58,440 Speaker 1: to which if you're the Speaker of the House you 122 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:00,920 Speaker 1: want to have a little bit of mr and dignity 123 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:05,640 Speaker 1: and power. Yeah, well that's that Chip is sailed. And 124 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:08,240 Speaker 1: this is a guy. This is a guy who's like, yeah, 125 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 1: if you want to come and pee on me, Yeah, 126 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: I know what you're thinking, do you? Yeah, I know 127 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 1: you know what I'm thinking. Sorry, as usual, Rixy's they 128 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 1: described the line right, we don't need to open the 129 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:22,000 Speaker 1: door to but yes, I see what you're saying. I 130 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: thought there was some pretty interesting reporting from the Washington 131 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:27,920 Speaker 1: Post about this idea that Mark Meadows was working with. 132 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:31,560 Speaker 1: These nineteen or so Freedom Caucus. By the way, they're 133 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 1: not Freedom Caucus. Most of them are new The Freedom 134 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:37,840 Speaker 1: Caucus people are actually supporting Kevin because Kevin has been 135 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 1: working really hard to get those Freedom Caucus votes for 136 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:44,160 Speaker 1: the LAB since two thousand fifteen. Yeah, let's be really 137 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 1: clear about something, Molly. This is a great example of 138 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:50,239 Speaker 1: why the d C reporting culture is so fucking broken 139 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:52,840 Speaker 1: because they tried to turn this into a race where 140 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:57,560 Speaker 1: Kevin McCarthy and his moderate allies against these nineteen crazies 141 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:00,680 Speaker 1: get the funk out of here, right, I mean, get 142 00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:04,440 Speaker 1: the hot funk out of here. The nineteen crazies were 143 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: just outliers in a pack of crazies. A hundred and 144 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 1: forty nine members of Kevin's moderate group voted against certifying 145 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 1: the two thousand and twenty election. Their chock full of 146 00:08:15,160 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 1: election deniers, anti factor's, conspiracy theorists, lunatics, the most ungodly 147 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:27,920 Speaker 1: post conservative, post Republican anarchists and nihilists and show voters 148 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:30,240 Speaker 1: that you've ever seen in your life. You know, we're 149 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:32,960 Speaker 1: not trying to bring back George Herbert Walker Bush or 150 00:08:33,040 --> 00:08:40,880 Speaker 1: Ronald Reagan's party. God, thank God, excuse me, ma'am, but no, 151 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 1: look at the Darwin's favorite president. Since I worked for him, 152 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:46,800 Speaker 1: since I worked for him, I have a soft spot. Yes, 153 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:52,600 Speaker 1: but your son is red pilled now clearly and pretty pretty, 154 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:54,640 Speaker 1: is gonna say, mom. You know, Mike Sernovich has some 155 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:58,720 Speaker 1: really good points. Jesus Christ. Anyway, let's get back to 156 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:01,320 Speaker 1: the case at hand here. But so we have these 157 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:06,440 Speaker 1: nineteen insurrectionists though they're all insurrectionists, but we have nineteen 158 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: more insurrection insurrectionists. They're just a little more insurrection e. 159 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:15,120 Speaker 1: Right there, the congressional Kardashians of a Sword, the Chaos Caucus, 160 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:18,520 Speaker 1: the Chaos Caucus, and they now have everything they want. 161 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 1: Some of them voted president like mcates, some of them 162 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: went for Kevin. Now we have this motion to vacab 163 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:28,640 Speaker 1: which you only need one crazy for. So, I mean, 164 00:09:28,679 --> 00:09:31,120 Speaker 1: I think what's important here is there's a democratic Senate, 165 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:33,920 Speaker 1: there's a democratic president. So they can't pass any bills. 166 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:37,559 Speaker 1: They have no intention molly of doing any kind of governing. 167 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:41,360 Speaker 1: This is going to be show trial after show trial 168 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 1: after show trial after show trial. Right, it's been right. 169 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:48,320 Speaker 1: This has been Ghazi to electric Buggaloo. One of the 170 00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:50,480 Speaker 1: things that was in the deal structure that they got 171 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 1: from Kevin was our committee on Hunter Bud's Laptop needs 172 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:56,280 Speaker 1: a bigger budget than the one six committee. Can they 173 00:09:56,360 --> 00:10:01,160 Speaker 1: control that? I mean, theoretically Congress controls the budget, but 174 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:05,720 Speaker 1: not really. Right, they will have everything they need for 175 00:10:05,840 --> 00:10:12,720 Speaker 1: an endless, joyous, never ever for a moment breaking character 176 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: political circus that they are so excited about They're harder 177 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:20,440 Speaker 1: than Jim Jordan outside of the locker room. They can't 178 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:24,120 Speaker 1: wait for this ship to go crazy. And they believe rightly, 179 00:10:24,720 --> 00:10:27,160 Speaker 1: by the way, and this is where the Democrats need 180 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:30,880 Speaker 1: a little bit of tough love. They believe correctly that 181 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:35,599 Speaker 1: they can use all these hearings about everything the border 182 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:41,680 Speaker 1: and Afghanistan and loped Hope and ray Epps and the FBI. 183 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:45,360 Speaker 1: They believe they can use this to whip up their base, 184 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:47,920 Speaker 1: that they can whip up the crazies. They can make 185 00:10:47,960 --> 00:10:52,080 Speaker 1: the crazies feel like that they found their secret sauce. 186 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:56,520 Speaker 1: It's the Twitter files. They believe that they can give 187 00:10:56,559 --> 00:11:00,360 Speaker 1: the crazies a hook and that that hook will go 188 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:06,400 Speaker 1: into so that the election will be about this imaginary 189 00:11:06,559 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 1: you know again, right, which is possible. I said that 190 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 1: in that voice to be as offensive as possible to 191 00:11:13,240 --> 00:11:15,520 Speaker 1: the people who believe in Hunter Biden's laptop. It's like 192 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 1: with so many things in Trump world, like it's possible 193 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:21,840 Speaker 1: that this works for them. It's possible that it blows 194 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:23,960 Speaker 1: up for them. I mean like it could be Bill 195 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,240 Speaker 1: Clinton and the blow job, it could be Benghazi. It's 196 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:31,320 Speaker 1: too soon to tell. Ultimately, I think that's largely correct, Molly, 197 00:11:31,640 --> 00:11:33,920 Speaker 1: and I think that there's a degree to which the 198 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 1: show trial nature of it really comes down, as so 199 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:39,240 Speaker 1: many things in the Republican world do to Rupert Murdoch 200 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:43,160 Speaker 1: and and to Lachland increasingly, do they turn these hearings 201 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:46,960 Speaker 1: into you know, the Fox News daily programming memo, as 202 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:50,520 Speaker 1: they did for Benghazi? I don't know that answer. Now, 203 00:11:50,559 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 1: all the alt media on the Republican you know ecosystem, 204 00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:58,440 Speaker 1: now this will be the head of news Max at 205 00:11:58,480 --> 00:12:01,440 Speaker 1: all times, every day. This will be the lead story 206 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:06,120 Speaker 1: on every conservative And I used this term advisedly thought 207 00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:11,080 Speaker 1: this podcast, I think ironically. Yes, then Shapiro will declare 208 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:17,200 Speaker 1: that this has the most consequential moments nothing good, nothing good. Sorry, 209 00:12:17,240 --> 00:12:19,240 Speaker 1: Did I just imitate Ben Shapiro when he was a 210 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 1: chipmunk with a cattle brought up his ass? Yes? I did. 211 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:25,520 Speaker 1: He will always take the lowest possible road, but facts 212 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:27,840 Speaker 1: and logic tell me that this is right, and he 213 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:31,320 Speaker 1: will do it with fast talking. But the question of 214 00:12:31,440 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 1: where this goes we don't quite know. But yes, I mean, 215 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 1: definitely bad for Democrats. I know where it goes, Molly. 216 00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:40,640 Speaker 1: It goes for months and months and months and months 217 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:44,360 Speaker 1: and months, and they try to use this to prepare 218 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 1: the battlefield, to portray Joe Biden as corrupt or incompetent, 219 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:51,560 Speaker 1: or whatever else is in their brain. We're as bad 220 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:55,600 Speaker 1: as Trump, which is the goal, right, because they need 221 00:12:55,679 --> 00:12:58,920 Speaker 1: him to be as bad as Donald Trump. They need 222 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 1: him to be a danger to the country. They need 223 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:07,480 Speaker 1: this entire fantasy that that they're going to whip up 224 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:09,880 Speaker 1: for their base. You know, it's not going to come 225 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:13,400 Speaker 1: out of it criminal charges against you, It's not going 226 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:16,960 Speaker 1: to come out of it any real change. What will 227 00:13:17,040 --> 00:13:19,920 Speaker 1: come out of it is they will impeach Joe Biden. 228 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:23,640 Speaker 1: They will impeach ma Orchist, they will impeach Harris, They'll 229 00:13:23,640 --> 00:13:26,720 Speaker 1: probably impeach Pete Buddhagaz just for being just for just 230 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: for owning the Fox people. They've said they won't, but 231 00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:33,320 Speaker 1: that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Good luck. How dare you, 232 00:13:33,440 --> 00:13:36,320 Speaker 1: Mr Speaker, not bring impeachment charges against the most corrupt 233 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:38,960 Speaker 1: president of our time? Screamed Matt Gates from the floor. 234 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:41,440 Speaker 1: I call for a vote of no confidence. Yeah, that 235 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: seems likely. That's how it works. You don't think it 236 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:48,200 Speaker 1: just ends up that McCarthy just ends up getting kicked 237 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:50,559 Speaker 1: out before that even happens. Look, I think when the 238 00:13:50,600 --> 00:13:52,959 Speaker 1: dead ceiling comes around, McCarthy has to make a deal. 239 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:55,559 Speaker 1: That's the ball game. It's over. They get rid of him, 240 00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:58,960 Speaker 1: and then you have Steve Scalies, who's been waiting in 241 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:01,400 Speaker 1: the wings this all time. Well, here's the thing. Though 242 00:14:01,559 --> 00:14:04,400 Speaker 1: Steve Scalise is a little too establishment for some people. 243 00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:08,960 Speaker 1: He hasn't been as vocally constantly loyal. The real person 244 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,480 Speaker 1: to keep your eye on is Gretchen Wieners. Who's that 245 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:15,080 Speaker 1: at least depon. Yes, folks, I made a mean girl 246 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:19,400 Speaker 1: joke on Molly's podcast. Yeah yeah, yeah, Yeah, She's the 247 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:22,120 Speaker 1: one that you keep your eye on because A she's 248 00:14:22,160 --> 00:14:25,440 Speaker 1: got a really strong whip operation. B. She was certainly 249 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,760 Speaker 1: out whispering people's ears this week. Like, well, if it 250 00:14:28,840 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 1: doesn't work out for Steve, I'm certainly, you know, willing 251 00:14:32,280 --> 00:14:36,560 Speaker 1: to serve. Uh huh. She really is got a lot 252 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:41,400 Speaker 1: of ambition. No, no, no, no, Molly. Her ambition is definitional. 253 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:44,880 Speaker 1: It towers over every other aspect of her character. If 254 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 1: she can be said to have character other than ambition, 255 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:49,120 Speaker 1: you think she could be the kind of waiting in 256 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:51,760 Speaker 1: the wings. Oh, I absolutely know she's waiting in the wings. 257 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: She's she's not even shy about it. She's not even 258 00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:56,920 Speaker 1: pretending it's it's not the only thing she wants. It's 259 00:14:56,920 --> 00:14:58,920 Speaker 1: the only thing she wants. But I just want to 260 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:01,880 Speaker 1: get back to his idea for second. But Kevin McCarthy 261 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:04,320 Speaker 1: painted this as a big victory for Donald Trump. I 262 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:06,920 Speaker 1: want to get to the final most important point here. 263 00:15:07,120 --> 00:15:08,960 Speaker 1: Another thing that I that I you know, if you 264 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:11,760 Speaker 1: went through this week and we we actually Lincoln made 265 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:15,960 Speaker 1: a video compilation of reporters and analysts saying, well shows 266 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:19,120 Speaker 1: the end of Donald Trump's influence over the party, y'all. 267 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 1: Donald Trump's guy won. Donald Trump's guy went out right 268 00:15:24,080 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 1: right after the vote and said Donald Trump made this possible. 269 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:32,760 Speaker 1: I'm here because of Donald Trump. I serve and obey 270 00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:36,480 Speaker 1: the Great Liege Lord of Mara Lago, Donald Trump. Donald 271 00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:40,480 Speaker 1: Trump's asked smells like sunshine and honeysuckle not to push 272 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:42,640 Speaker 1: back too hard here because I think you're right. But 273 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:46,600 Speaker 1: if this reporting from the Washington Post is correct, mark 274 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:51,920 Speaker 1: Meadows was whipping these twenty insurgents against Kevin. So does 275 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:54,000 Speaker 1: this mean that Mark Meadows is no longer be in 276 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:57,080 Speaker 1: lockstep with Donald Trump, or that Donald Trump is no 277 00:15:57,240 --> 00:16:00,280 Speaker 1: longer in lockstep with Mark Meadows, or that Donald Trump 278 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 1: was whipping these insurgents with playing three dimensional chess, which 279 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:07,640 Speaker 1: seems impossible to me. I mean, what do you think 280 00:16:07,840 --> 00:16:10,000 Speaker 1: that is a man? I think we've got a meaningful 281 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:15,720 Speaker 1: chance here. That Mark Meadows is is a cat's paw 282 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:18,880 Speaker 1: here for the chaos factor here. They like to play 283 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:21,760 Speaker 1: these things. Trump would have declared victory either way, right, 284 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:25,280 Speaker 1: But Meadows was whipping against McCarthy. Meadows has a narrow 285 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:29,040 Speaker 1: survival band now in his life. He has to be 286 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:31,440 Speaker 1: in that world. He's never coming back to be a 287 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:33,400 Speaker 1: you know, he's not a guy that's going to end 288 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:36,120 Speaker 1: up at Barbara Griffith and Rogers or some other DC 289 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:39,240 Speaker 1: consulting firm. As a former member of Congress and former 290 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:41,600 Speaker 1: wedolse you have stuff of council now to the firm, 291 00:16:42,080 --> 00:16:45,880 Speaker 1: of value added to our serious corporate clients. That's never happening. 292 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:48,600 Speaker 1: He has to be in that ecosystem of cuckoo, right. 293 00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:51,840 Speaker 1: But you would think Trump would be the conduit to that. 294 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:56,360 Speaker 1: But here's the thing. Trump made a decision that he 295 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:59,360 Speaker 1: looked at the overall whip count and even with all 296 00:16:59,560 --> 00:17:03,160 Speaker 1: of the session in Washington that Kevin was the moderate candidate. 297 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:07,800 Speaker 1: Trump understood. Kevin will always bend for him. Kevin is predictable, 298 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:11,280 Speaker 1: he is explicable. He's the kind of Washington creature that 299 00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:15,919 Speaker 1: Trump was able to suborne and manipulate and break over 300 00:17:16,200 --> 00:17:19,480 Speaker 1: and over and over and over again in the last 301 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:23,160 Speaker 1: seven years. He gets it. He understands that those people 302 00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:26,600 Speaker 1: are are what he wants. They are a patsy for him. 303 00:17:26,680 --> 00:17:28,760 Speaker 1: He doesn't even have to sell that hard and they'll 304 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:33,280 Speaker 1: bend over and say yes, sir. Right. Thank you. Rick 305 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:37,280 Speaker 1: Wilson always always a pleasure. Thank you, thank you, Thank 306 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:40,280 Speaker 1: you for joining us. You are welcome. As always, I 307 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:49,200 Speaker 1: will talk to you so series. Castle is a reporter 308 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:53,399 Speaker 1: and host of the podcast A Tradition of Violence. Welcome 309 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:56,240 Speaker 1: to Vast Politics series. Thank you so much for having me. 310 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:59,320 Speaker 1: This is such an interesting and important topic. I'm so 311 00:17:59,480 --> 00:18:01,760 Speaker 1: glad you're here to talk about it. My first question 312 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:05,119 Speaker 1: for you is the police department in Los Angeles has 313 00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:09,680 Speaker 1: a gang? Yes, it's the Sheriff's Department in Los Angeles, 314 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,920 Speaker 1: although I have heard reports of gangs in the l 315 00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:15,480 Speaker 1: a p D as well. I've been covering the Sheriff's 316 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:21,359 Speaker 1: Department for about two years now, and in those two years, 317 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:27,879 Speaker 1: I have uncovered about twenty one different deputy gangs that 318 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:31,879 Speaker 1: are operating within the Sheriff's department. A deputy gang is 319 00:18:31,960 --> 00:18:34,960 Speaker 1: just like a criminal street gang. The only real difference 320 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:39,760 Speaker 1: is that they have the backing of local government, the 321 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 1: funding of local government, and the legal ability to kill 322 00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:50,119 Speaker 1: people and get away with it with no consequences. So 323 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:53,920 Speaker 1: they're a little like the oath Keepers. Yes, and many 324 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:59,760 Speaker 1: members of these deputy gangs are members of white supremacist organizations, 325 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:02,639 Speaker 1: the youth Keepers. It's so funny because it's not funny, 326 00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:05,600 Speaker 1: but the l a p D has been at the 327 00:19:05,760 --> 00:19:11,160 Speaker 1: forefront of doing some of the worst crimes that we've 328 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:14,159 Speaker 1: ever seen police do, right, I mean, And it's so 329 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:17,480 Speaker 1: odd to me because it's like, you think about Los 330 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:20,639 Speaker 1: Angeles as a blue city in a blue state, and 331 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:25,760 Speaker 1: yet their police force is real sketchy. Can we talk 332 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:29,120 Speaker 1: about that, Yeah, most definitely. Yeah. And I just want 333 00:19:29,160 --> 00:19:31,359 Speaker 1: to make sure that I'm being clear. Most of my 334 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:34,240 Speaker 1: work is in the Sheriff's Apartment, which is a different 335 00:19:34,359 --> 00:19:38,359 Speaker 1: organization that the police, the County of Los Angeles U 336 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:41,600 Speaker 1: l A p D. Has the city and there is 337 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:44,520 Speaker 1: some overlap. The Sheriff's Department does come into the city 338 00:19:44,560 --> 00:19:46,879 Speaker 1: of l A. Just explain that to people who are 339 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:51,159 Speaker 1: not as in it. So the Sheriff's Department is the 340 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:56,159 Speaker 1: larger organization. Yes, it's the largest law enforcement agency in 341 00:19:56,240 --> 00:20:00,200 Speaker 1: the United States. It has about eighteen thousand employees, ten 342 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:05,200 Speaker 1: thousand of whom are sworn police officers with police officer abilities. 343 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 1: Those are the ones out on the street that you 344 00:20:06,920 --> 00:20:09,919 Speaker 1: see patrolling um in the sheriff uniform. In the sheriff 345 00:20:09,960 --> 00:20:12,879 Speaker 1: car they now wear cowboy hats, which is kind of 346 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:16,680 Speaker 1: funny because Los Angeles is a metropolitan city, but something 347 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:19,280 Speaker 1: that they do and the l A p D is 348 00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:22,840 Speaker 1: responsible for the city of Los Angeles just within city 349 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:28,040 Speaker 1: limits l A s D they patrol unincorporated Los Angeles County. 350 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:31,359 Speaker 1: They patrol cities within the County of Los Angeles that 351 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:35,320 Speaker 1: have contracted their law enforcement services to the Sheriff's Department. 352 00:20:35,400 --> 00:20:39,159 Speaker 1: That's places like Compton, West Hollywood. Those are the main 353 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:42,240 Speaker 1: differences between the two. The Sheriff's Department does come into 354 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:44,680 Speaker 1: the City of Los Angeles sometimes because they do have 355 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:50,040 Speaker 1: contracts with l A City. Facilities like our community colleges 356 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:53,040 Speaker 1: here in the city of Los Angeles for a long time. 357 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:56,080 Speaker 1: They have the contract for a public transportation so you 358 00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:58,600 Speaker 1: do see them. You see them in court. They are 359 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:02,160 Speaker 1: responsible for providing services to the court, so they're doing 360 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:05,879 Speaker 1: bailiff services things like that. But yeah, those are the 361 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:09,080 Speaker 1: main two differences between the two. Can you explain to 362 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:13,680 Speaker 1: me why this gang has been able to flourish. There 363 00:21:13,680 --> 00:21:17,320 Speaker 1: are a couple of different reasons for that. I would 364 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:22,160 Speaker 1: say one the culture. The gang problem is a symptom 365 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:26,720 Speaker 1: of a much larger issue with l a s D culture. 366 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:31,000 Speaker 1: It's a violent culture. It's a culture that encourages, frankly, 367 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:36,119 Speaker 1: the assault of residents. It's a culture that encourages working 368 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 1: backward is a term that I've heard a lot. That's 369 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:42,840 Speaker 1: when you, you know, find someone that is guilty of 370 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:45,119 Speaker 1: a crime, and you figure out how they're guilty of 371 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:48,040 Speaker 1: it later, you just worry about arresting them first and 372 00:21:48,119 --> 00:21:51,880 Speaker 1: getting that arrested out And deputy gangs, that's just that's 373 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:54,840 Speaker 1: just a symptom of this larger culture. There are a 374 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:57,600 Speaker 1: lot of issues within the Sheriff's department. I think the 375 00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:01,879 Speaker 1: deputy gangs exacerbate a lot of those issues, but they 376 00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 1: are really just one part of a really demented puzzle. 377 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:10,120 Speaker 1: So what are the political allegiances of these gangs? Yeah, 378 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:13,960 Speaker 1: so mostly from what I've been able to tell, these 379 00:22:14,080 --> 00:22:20,119 Speaker 1: gangs have sympathies with white supremacist leaning groups um Fruently. 380 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:23,560 Speaker 1: At a special hearing into the Deputy Gangs UM that 381 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 1: is being held for the first time in history by 382 00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:32,879 Speaker 1: the Civilian Oversight Commission, they displayed some photos taken within 383 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:37,119 Speaker 1: a locker room at one of the stations, and among 384 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:41,520 Speaker 1: the deputy gang paraphernalia was the logo of the oath 385 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,680 Speaker 1: keepers UM right next to each other. That makes a 386 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:47,440 Speaker 1: lot of sense, right, Oh, most definitely. I mean these 387 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:50,400 Speaker 1: deputy gangs. You know, it's been alleged that in order 388 00:22:50,560 --> 00:22:53,640 Speaker 1: to get into them, you need to kill someone. If 389 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:55,960 Speaker 1: you are a person of color, it's been alleged that 390 00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:59,159 Speaker 1: you need to kill someone of your same ethnicity to 391 00:22:59,280 --> 00:23:01,760 Speaker 1: get into the sang. One of these gangs was found 392 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:04,600 Speaker 1: by a federal judge to be a white supremacist neo 393 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:08,359 Speaker 1: Nazi gang. And many of these gangs are built on 394 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:12,320 Speaker 1: tenements of white supremacy. So it's not really surprising to 395 00:23:12,440 --> 00:23:17,119 Speaker 1: me that they are outwardly aligning themselves with groups like that. 396 00:23:17,640 --> 00:23:20,800 Speaker 1: So now we have the first time ever a black 397 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:26,160 Speaker 1: woman mayor in Los Angeles. I mean, can she do anything? 398 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:28,840 Speaker 1: I know that the way that the government in Los 399 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:33,080 Speaker 1: Angeles works is it's complicated, and mayors actually don't have 400 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:36,960 Speaker 1: that much power, right because there's a whole city council structure. 401 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:40,120 Speaker 1: But I mean, do you think that Karen Bass can 402 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:43,119 Speaker 1: get in there and uh, is she going to be 403 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,800 Speaker 1: able to break up this craziness? No? And Karen Bass 404 00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:49,480 Speaker 1: actually has no power to do anything about the deputy 405 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:52,840 Speaker 1: gangs um since they are a county agency and she's 406 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:56,199 Speaker 1: mayor of the city. They don't touch each other um, 407 00:23:56,320 --> 00:23:59,440 Speaker 1: so she has no no impact on the operation of 408 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:02,159 Speaker 1: these gangs. We did just elect a new sheriff. His 409 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:05,000 Speaker 1: name is Robert Luna. It's only the second time in 410 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:08,480 Speaker 1: a hundred years that an incumbent sheriff has been defeated, 411 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:10,800 Speaker 1: and we actually did that back to back in Los 412 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:14,000 Speaker 1: Angeles County. We defeated the incumbent in twenty eighteen when 413 00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 1: we elected Sheriff Alex Banueva, who went on to really 414 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:21,480 Speaker 1: protect and uplift the culture and practice of deputy gangs, 415 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:24,320 Speaker 1: and he was defeated as a result of that. In 416 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:28,760 Speaker 1: this past election by challenger Robert Luna. The first guy 417 00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:33,359 Speaker 1: you elected was focused on getting rid of the gangs. 418 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:38,040 Speaker 1: Sheriff Alex Bienueva campaigned on being a progressive Democrat. He'd 419 00:24:38,119 --> 00:24:42,040 Speaker 1: never really said much about deputy gangs, but a few 420 00:24:42,119 --> 00:24:44,600 Speaker 1: quotes that I did find from when he was campaigning 421 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:48,840 Speaker 1: in twenty seventeen eighteen, he was essentially communicating that they 422 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:52,440 Speaker 1: weren't really that big of a deal. And when he 423 00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:56,760 Speaker 1: was elected, we saw him rehiring deputies that are known 424 00:24:56,840 --> 00:25:00,440 Speaker 1: to be deputy gang members who had been fired. We 425 00:25:00,560 --> 00:25:04,040 Speaker 1: saw him placing a woman who is affiliated with a 426 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:07,600 Speaker 1: deputy gang called the Banditos. She is responsible for the 427 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:10,640 Speaker 1: deaths of two children, she ran over them in her car, 428 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:15,639 Speaker 1: and he immediately promoted her and made her his chief assistant, 429 00:25:15,800 --> 00:25:19,960 Speaker 1: working right underneath him. And that was how the Sheriff's 430 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:24,719 Speaker 1: department operated for four years, just openly supporting these deputy 431 00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:28,160 Speaker 1: gang members, going after people within the department and outside 432 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:31,560 Speaker 1: of the department who brought attention to the issue. Myself, 433 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:34,399 Speaker 1: I've been detained at press conferences as a result of 434 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:38,879 Speaker 1: my reporting the sheriff himself has held press conferences to 435 00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:41,320 Speaker 1: tell people that I am a liar and that I 436 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:44,040 Speaker 1: should be sued in a court of law. He even 437 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:47,960 Speaker 1: held a radio show where for an hour he ranted 438 00:25:48,119 --> 00:25:50,960 Speaker 1: about how I made everything about deputy gangs up in 439 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:54,639 Speaker 1: order to enrich myself, which couldn't be further from the truth. 440 00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:57,919 Speaker 1: As a result of my reporting, I've received death threats, 441 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,639 Speaker 1: I've had to move, I've had to complete really changed 442 00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:03,040 Speaker 1: the way I live my life. And it's it's not 443 00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:06,320 Speaker 1: really a journalism is in a financial boon for anyone 444 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:10,960 Speaker 1: that's in the industry. You already know that, certainly true. Wait, 445 00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:15,240 Speaker 1: so this new sheriff's deputy day, can you tell us 446 00:26:15,280 --> 00:26:18,680 Speaker 1: about him? Yeah? Our new sheriff is Robert Luna. He 447 00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:23,480 Speaker 1: worked at the Long Beach Police Department for about thirty 448 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:27,800 Speaker 1: six years before being elected our sheriff. I think a 449 00:26:27,840 --> 00:26:31,040 Speaker 1: lot of people were really anxious to vote Vieneva out 450 00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:35,480 Speaker 1: and he was able to capitalize on that and make 451 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:38,960 Speaker 1: his way to a victory. He came out very strong 452 00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:43,200 Speaker 1: in the final weeks of the campaign and made a 453 00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:47,800 Speaker 1: promise to eliminate deputy gangs from two stations that we 454 00:26:47,960 --> 00:26:52,080 Speaker 1: know the stations are effectively controlled by this deputy gang 455 00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:56,400 Speaker 1: and not you know, a captain or personnel. We'll see, 456 00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:59,280 Speaker 1: he's been in office for about two and a half 457 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:01,879 Speaker 1: weeks now, we'll see. This isn't a problem that's going 458 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:04,320 Speaker 1: to be solved in four years. And I think Robert 459 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:07,440 Speaker 1: Luna would agree with that. But this is someone that 460 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:10,320 Speaker 1: you know, for the first time in four years, is 461 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:14,240 Speaker 1: saying we do have an issue here, and I, like 462 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:17,800 Speaker 1: many Los Angeles County residents, are curious to see what 463 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:20,600 Speaker 1: he's going to do to combat this issue. Do you 464 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:24,520 Speaker 1: feel a little bit hopeful? No, not really. This is 465 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:27,360 Speaker 1: an issue that has been going on in the department 466 00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:31,400 Speaker 1: since at least the nineteen sixties. According to my research 467 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:35,359 Speaker 1: and my reporting, this deputy gang system has been entrenched 468 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:38,359 Speaker 1: so firmly, so many people in the upper echelons of 469 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:42,119 Speaker 1: management and the Sheriff's Department deputy gang members themselves. They 470 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:44,960 Speaker 1: have these tattoos, and it's been going on that way 471 00:27:45,359 --> 00:27:48,600 Speaker 1: for over fifty years. I don't think that one man 472 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:51,200 Speaker 1: can get rid of the issue in four years. I 473 00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:54,840 Speaker 1: don't think that the policies that are currently in place 474 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:59,640 Speaker 1: do enough to address this issue head on. I don't 475 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:05,399 Speaker 1: ink that the department and local government is at a 476 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:09,240 Speaker 1: place where they truly want to put a stop to this. 477 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:13,600 Speaker 1: Like for example, in one week, just a few months ago, 478 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:18,840 Speaker 1: the county Board of Supervisors approved forty seven million dollars 479 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:22,960 Speaker 1: in settlement payouts to people that have eive either been 480 00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:27,639 Speaker 1: killed or brutally assaulted by the Sheriff's Department, resulting in 481 00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:32,240 Speaker 1: long term damages. And when these settlement payments are approved, 482 00:28:32,680 --> 00:28:35,160 Speaker 1: the Sheriff's Department needs to come up with something called 483 00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:39,560 Speaker 1: a corrective action plan to address what went wrong and 484 00:28:39,640 --> 00:28:42,520 Speaker 1: to make sure that something like this, you know, doesn't 485 00:28:42,560 --> 00:28:45,320 Speaker 1: happen again, so we don't have community members getting hurt 486 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:48,880 Speaker 1: and we're not costing the county millions and millions of dollars. 487 00:28:49,400 --> 00:28:52,880 Speaker 1: And in every corrective action plan that I reviewed this year, 488 00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:56,240 Speaker 1: the Sheriff's Department admits no fault. They're saying there's nothing 489 00:28:56,400 --> 00:29:00,320 Speaker 1: we did wrong, we did everything perfectly, and it's completely 490 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:03,200 Speaker 1: on the fault of the dead, unarmed person that we're 491 00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:06,200 Speaker 1: now having to pay this much money. There's a lot 492 00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:09,080 Speaker 1: of intervention that could be done before that. I mean, 493 00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:11,920 Speaker 1: the board has a lot of power. The Sheriff's department. 494 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:16,560 Speaker 1: They don't enforce their own policies. I covered a shooting 495 00:29:16,600 --> 00:29:18,800 Speaker 1: death this week. We just learned that the district attorney 496 00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:22,080 Speaker 1: won't be charging the deputies who killed Frederick Holder, who 497 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:25,040 Speaker 1: was an unarmed twenty eight year old black man who 498 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:27,360 Speaker 1: was stopped at a freeway on ramp. They shot at 499 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:30,600 Speaker 1: him thirty three times. They hit him eleven times, completely 500 00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:33,960 Speaker 1: destroying his body, and the district attorney will not be 501 00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:37,400 Speaker 1: charging these people for doing that. In my reporting, I 502 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:40,840 Speaker 1: found that the deputies who killed Frederick violated no less 503 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:46,880 Speaker 1: than four direct policies, their own department policies, and there 504 00:29:47,000 --> 00:29:49,720 Speaker 1: was no discipline for them. They killed Demand, they broke 505 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:52,040 Speaker 1: every policy in the process of doing it, and they 506 00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:55,880 Speaker 1: will face no consequences. So no, I'm not really optimistic 507 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:58,520 Speaker 1: that any of this is going to change because we've seen, 508 00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:01,000 Speaker 1: you know, the opportunity come and go to make these 509 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:04,240 Speaker 1: changes and nothing has been done. Who has jurisdiction here 510 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:08,680 Speaker 1: to make those changes? Yeah, well, I mean predominantly the 511 00:30:08,720 --> 00:30:12,920 Speaker 1: sheriff's department. It's on the sheriff's department to enforce. Who 512 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:15,560 Speaker 1: has jurisdiction over the sheriff's department, Because I think the 513 00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:18,640 Speaker 1: idea that the police are going to fix themselves seems 514 00:30:18,760 --> 00:30:22,520 Speaker 1: more and more like, you know, like ludicrous. Yeah, yeah, 515 00:30:22,760 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 1: and I would say so. Well, the Sheriff's department does 516 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:30,040 Speaker 1: have an oversight body called the Civilian Oversight Commission. They 517 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:33,000 Speaker 1: were given the power to subpoena people by the voters 518 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:36,760 Speaker 1: a few years ago. But the thing about that is 519 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:40,880 Speaker 1: that even though the Civilian Oversight Commission has subpoenaed the 520 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:44,520 Speaker 1: sheriff and the under sheriff about six times, this is 521 00:30:44,560 --> 00:30:48,040 Speaker 1: Sheriff Viennueva, they have defied those subpoenas and they have 522 00:30:48,280 --> 00:30:52,400 Speaker 1: not come to answer questions. Now, me, as a citizen, 523 00:30:52,640 --> 00:30:55,320 Speaker 1: if I were to defy subpoena, I would end up 524 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:58,120 Speaker 1: in jail. But Sheriff Viennueva is not in jail, and 525 00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:01,400 Speaker 1: either's Under Sheriff Murakami there out, you know, living their 526 00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:05,760 Speaker 1: lives to the fullest. And the police union, they are 527 00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:09,680 Speaker 1: called the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs. They've come 528 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:12,880 Speaker 1: out strong and said that we will also fight any 529 00:31:12,960 --> 00:31:17,840 Speaker 1: subpoenas that you issue for our deputies. Um Civilian Oversight Commission, 530 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:21,480 Speaker 1: they are not going to respect your subpoenas. So you 531 00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:25,360 Speaker 1: literally have the head of the law enforcement agency and 532 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:27,800 Speaker 1: all of the people that are supposed to be enforcing 533 00:31:27,840 --> 00:31:29,920 Speaker 1: the law coming out and saying, we do not think 534 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:32,160 Speaker 1: the law applies to us, and we will not be 535 00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:36,400 Speaker 1: following it. So while these bodies do have some some power, 536 00:31:36,800 --> 00:31:40,440 Speaker 1: no one respects them. The agency itself does not respect 537 00:31:40,480 --> 00:31:43,120 Speaker 1: the power that it has, so effectively they have none. 538 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:46,040 Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. It strikes me that it would be really 539 00:31:46,120 --> 00:31:49,200 Speaker 1: scary to be targeted by the police. So yeah, I mean, 540 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:51,400 Speaker 1: at first it was a little scary. When the series 541 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:53,920 Speaker 1: first published. I had to go into hiding because there 542 00:31:53,960 --> 00:31:58,240 Speaker 1: were so many specific threats on my life. It's not 543 00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:01,720 Speaker 1: a great failing to be warm earns by cops a 544 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:04,920 Speaker 1: lot of the time saying hey, you're talking about you. 545 00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:08,280 Speaker 1: I'm worried about you. Do you own a gun? Oh God, 546 00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:12,160 Speaker 1: that's really scary. But at this point I just take 547 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:15,280 Speaker 1: it as I'm doing something right. I must be onto 548 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:18,640 Speaker 1: something and I'm not going to stop. Yeah a man, 549 00:32:18,800 --> 00:32:21,960 Speaker 1: good for you, man, thank you for your work, and 550 00:32:22,080 --> 00:32:24,560 Speaker 1: thank you for doing this and this is what it's 551 00:32:24,560 --> 00:32:27,480 Speaker 1: all about. So thank you for joining us. Thank you 552 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:31,800 Speaker 1: so much for having me. I know you our dear 553 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:34,880 Speaker 1: listeners are very busy and you don't have time to 554 00:32:34,960 --> 00:32:38,200 Speaker 1: sort through the hundreds of pieces of pundentry tweak. This 555 00:32:38,440 --> 00:32:42,560 Speaker 1: is why every week I put together a newsletter of 556 00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:46,440 Speaker 1: my five favorite articles on politics. If you enjoy the podcast, 557 00:32:46,520 --> 00:32:49,520 Speaker 1: you will love having this in your inbox every Friday. 558 00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:53,440 Speaker 1: So sign up at Fast Politics pod dot com and 559 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:56,360 Speaker 1: clip the tab to join our mailing list. That's Fast 560 00:32:56,440 --> 00:33:04,040 Speaker 1: Politics pod dot com. Blake Zef is the director of 561 00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:10,640 Speaker 1: Lone Wolves. Welcome too, Fast Politics. Blake z Hi, thanks 562 00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:13,240 Speaker 1: for having me. I am thrilled to have you. I 563 00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:15,960 Speaker 1: want to talk to you about this movie you just 564 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:22,760 Speaker 1: directed called Lone Wolves. They're not lone Wolves, right, they're 565 00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:28,480 Speaker 1: lone Wolves. Discuss it's Lone Wolves l o A night, 566 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:30,440 Speaker 1: so you guys can be my pun. There's kind of 567 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:33,080 Speaker 1: two puns going on, so Lone Wolves l O A 568 00:33:33,200 --> 00:33:35,800 Speaker 1: n because they're talking about student loans, although a lot 569 00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:37,840 Speaker 1: more than that. But also there are a lot of 570 00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:40,440 Speaker 1: people in the film who have been fighting this system 571 00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:43,440 Speaker 1: and trying to expose this problem for a long time. 572 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:45,240 Speaker 1: But they've been doing it on their own, and they've 573 00:33:45,240 --> 00:33:47,360 Speaker 1: been almost like shouting into the winds. So in a way, 574 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:50,400 Speaker 1: I think of them as lone wolves, but not lone 575 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:52,880 Speaker 1: wolves l O any l o a N Does that 576 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:57,360 Speaker 1: make anything? Yes? First, I want to know you worked 577 00:33:57,400 --> 00:34:01,160 Speaker 1: in government before this so explained to us how you 578 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:03,400 Speaker 1: got here. Yeah. So, like you said, I worked in 579 00:34:03,440 --> 00:34:07,280 Speaker 1: government and politics for ages. I was Cenator Humors communications director. 580 00:34:07,680 --> 00:34:10,760 Speaker 1: I worked on President Obama's too as an eight campaign. 581 00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:12,440 Speaker 1: I worked on a lot of things, and so I 582 00:34:12,560 --> 00:34:14,840 Speaker 1: really have a sense of how the system works, and 583 00:34:14,920 --> 00:34:16,520 Speaker 1: I think that's what I was able to bring to 584 00:34:16,640 --> 00:34:19,160 Speaker 1: this process. And then, you know, after I worked in government, 585 00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:22,719 Speaker 1: I was then on the media side, journalism, investigative journalism, 586 00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:25,800 Speaker 1: did a lot of you know, on air commentary places 587 00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:29,320 Speaker 1: like MSNBC. So I had both of those kind of backgrounds, 588 00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:31,840 Speaker 1: being in the politics side and then also the media side. 589 00:34:32,239 --> 00:34:35,520 Speaker 1: And then this problem with student debt I sort of 590 00:34:35,560 --> 00:34:38,200 Speaker 1: saw up close because my wife had gone to grad 591 00:34:38,280 --> 00:34:41,960 Speaker 1: school and she had two dollars in student debt. And 592 00:34:42,040 --> 00:34:44,719 Speaker 1: it wasn't even just the numbers that kind of interested me, 593 00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:47,680 Speaker 1: but I was seeing the fine print and the notices 594 00:34:47,719 --> 00:34:49,600 Speaker 1: and the kind of the sketchy way in which the 595 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:52,239 Speaker 1: lending companies were dealing with her, and I kind of 596 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:55,600 Speaker 1: got curious because there's forty five million people in this 597 00:34:55,680 --> 00:34:58,840 Speaker 1: country who have student loans, and I thought, this, this 598 00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:00,759 Speaker 1: is crazy. Is this just happening to us? So I 599 00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:03,520 Speaker 1: started to look into it and realized, oh my god, 600 00:35:03,880 --> 00:35:07,680 Speaker 1: this system is so much crazier than I ever would 601 00:35:07,719 --> 00:35:10,319 Speaker 1: have thought in a million years. There was so much 602 00:35:10,719 --> 00:35:15,120 Speaker 1: predatory lending going on, corruption, lying, conniving. The government, I 603 00:35:15,120 --> 00:35:18,040 Speaker 1: would find out, played a big hand in secretly causing 604 00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:20,480 Speaker 1: this crisis, which we can talk about. And then in 605 00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:23,560 Speaker 1: terms of getting the solution, I would find that there 606 00:35:23,560 --> 00:35:25,560 Speaker 1: actually was a solution they were working on, but that 607 00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:29,400 Speaker 1: was being stalled. This really turned into a crazy drama 608 00:35:29,480 --> 00:35:31,600 Speaker 1: and who done it to the point where I realized 609 00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:33,640 Speaker 1: this isn't just like an article or something like that, 610 00:35:34,160 --> 00:35:37,600 Speaker 1: this is a movie. What is this solution? Great question? 611 00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:40,480 Speaker 1: So I personally believe that you have to have a 612 00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:44,040 Speaker 1: two pronged approach. So people talk about student debt cancelation, right, 613 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:47,279 Speaker 1: and that's fine, that's good, But that only takes care 614 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:49,560 Speaker 1: of people who already have the debt. Right, As someone 615 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:51,880 Speaker 1: in the movie says, yeah, you cancel all the debt today, 616 00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:55,520 Speaker 1: We'll start having new debt tomorrow and you know, next semester, 617 00:35:55,680 --> 00:35:58,839 Speaker 1: and you'll still have all the fundamental systemic problems will 618 00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:01,880 Speaker 1: still exist. So canceling student debt, that's fine, that's a 619 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:04,880 Speaker 1: retroactive solution looking back. You also have to have a 620 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:08,120 Speaker 1: forward looking solution that fixes the structure. So to me, 621 00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:10,000 Speaker 1: there's a couple of ways you can go. One is, 622 00:36:10,520 --> 00:36:12,480 Speaker 1: you know, this is people talk about there's a lot 623 00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:15,560 Speaker 1: free college. You know, our parents and grandparents generations. That 624 00:36:15,680 --> 00:36:18,480 Speaker 1: was actually pretty common, it's common in other countries when 625 00:36:18,600 --> 00:36:21,640 Speaker 1: European countries do that. There's obviously community college. But the 626 00:36:21,719 --> 00:36:24,040 Speaker 1: other thing is, and this is gonna sound wonky, but 627 00:36:24,120 --> 00:36:27,640 Speaker 1: I promise your viewers, I'm sorry your listeners, it's not. So. 628 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:31,840 Speaker 1: It turns out that two lines were added into a 629 00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:34,799 Speaker 1: three d page bill at the last minute that made 630 00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:37,200 Speaker 1: it set. Student debt was basically one of the only 631 00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:39,400 Speaker 1: loans you can't get rid of through bankruptcy. So you 632 00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:41,879 Speaker 1: and I could go gambling tonight in Vegas. We could 633 00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:44,560 Speaker 1: rack up ten million dollars in debt, and then we 634 00:36:44,600 --> 00:36:47,520 Speaker 1: could just charge that debt in bankruptcy. That's okay. But somehow, 635 00:36:47,680 --> 00:36:51,239 Speaker 1: for some reason, in two lines were snuck in that 636 00:36:51,360 --> 00:36:53,480 Speaker 1: said that you can't do that with student loans. And 637 00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:56,120 Speaker 1: the problem with that is a obviously, if people want to, 638 00:36:56,360 --> 00:36:58,239 Speaker 1: you know, file for bankruptcy and get out from like 639 00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:01,560 Speaker 1: their hundred fifty dollar debt, they can't do it. But 640 00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:04,840 Speaker 1: the second thing is if the lenders know that bankrupt 641 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:07,000 Speaker 1: there's not even a threat of bankruptcy, and they know 642 00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:09,719 Speaker 1: that repayment is guaranteed no matter what, well they'll just 643 00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:12,120 Speaker 1: lend out money to anyone for any amount. It's a 644 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:14,000 Speaker 1: little bit like the housing crisis when they were giving 645 00:37:14,000 --> 00:37:16,640 Speaker 1: out mortgages to anyone whether they could handle it or not. 646 00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:19,440 Speaker 1: And the colleges know this too, So the colleges will 647 00:37:19,480 --> 00:37:21,800 Speaker 1: just jack up their prices at will because they know 648 00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:23,680 Speaker 1: that the money is going to be repaid no matter what. 649 00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:25,919 Speaker 1: And Molly, I don't know if you know, like maybe 650 00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:27,560 Speaker 1: you're more than know than I was. Do you have 651 00:37:27,600 --> 00:37:30,719 Speaker 1: any idea how much it costs for to pay for 652 00:37:30,800 --> 00:37:33,800 Speaker 1: like a year of two Lane university right now? Seventy 653 00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:38,359 Speaker 1: eight dollars you're pretty good, it's eighty five dollars. Yeah, 654 00:37:38,600 --> 00:37:41,840 Speaker 1: I have a kid in college, so yes, okay, do 655 00:37:41,960 --> 00:37:44,000 Speaker 1: you know so I've been talking, I've been going around 656 00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:45,799 Speaker 1: good to these colleges lately and they're like, yeah, it's 657 00:37:46,320 --> 00:37:48,279 Speaker 1: five thousand bucks and a lot of these schools it's 658 00:37:48,320 --> 00:37:51,360 Speaker 1: just gotten control. So the answer is, I think on 659 00:37:51,480 --> 00:37:54,759 Speaker 1: one end, debt cancelation makes sense, but forward looking, we 660 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:56,880 Speaker 1: need to have more free college options, we need to 661 00:37:56,960 --> 00:38:00,880 Speaker 1: have bankruptcy protections restored. And just one last thing on 662 00:38:00,920 --> 00:38:02,600 Speaker 1: that note, because I know it sounds a little wonky, 663 00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:04,680 Speaker 1: the two lines that were snuck into that bill in 664 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:07,880 Speaker 1: no one admitted that they were the one behind it. 665 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:11,200 Speaker 1: It was done totally anonymously, and our movie sets out 666 00:38:11,239 --> 00:38:13,879 Speaker 1: to find who did it, and we ultimately do find 667 00:38:13,920 --> 00:38:17,800 Speaker 1: that person and have a crazy confrontation with them. Wait stop, 668 00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:20,359 Speaker 1: who was the person? Give us a hint. You don't 669 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:22,480 Speaker 1: have to tell us. I'll give you a hint. It's 670 00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:26,640 Speaker 1: a Republican. Well it might not. It's a it might 671 00:38:26,719 --> 00:38:30,480 Speaker 1: not be. So, Oh Jesus fucking Christ, this is very important. 672 00:38:30,840 --> 00:38:34,239 Speaker 1: You know Steve Cornaki for this NBC. Yes, So he's 673 00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:36,640 Speaker 1: an expert in politics and he's a friend of mine. 674 00:38:36,680 --> 00:38:38,000 Speaker 1: So in the film, I sit down with him and 675 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:39,759 Speaker 1: I'm like, what was going on in the nineties And 676 00:38:39,840 --> 00:38:41,880 Speaker 1: he's like, look, this happened right around the time of 677 00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:45,759 Speaker 1: Montica Lewinsky stuff impeachment. Clinton was looking to get things done, 678 00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:49,480 Speaker 1: and this bill actually passed unanimously to nothing because most 679 00:38:49,520 --> 00:38:51,520 Speaker 1: of the things and it were good. But these two 680 00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:54,200 Speaker 1: lines that were snuck in. We were looking at basically 681 00:38:54,320 --> 00:38:58,200 Speaker 1: three Republican members of Congress. We're focusing in on those three, 682 00:38:58,320 --> 00:39:01,279 Speaker 1: and then ultimately there's a total supper Eyes twist. And 683 00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:03,279 Speaker 1: the only thing I'll say in terms of the twist is, 684 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:05,879 Speaker 1: We'll give you two hints. One is it was someone 685 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:08,160 Speaker 1: that I had never heard of before. And number two, 686 00:39:08,280 --> 00:39:11,360 Speaker 1: that person is now a truck driver in Colorado. What 687 00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:14,120 Speaker 1: you can't get up, Molly? It's crazy? And so I 688 00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:17,719 Speaker 1: track them down in Colorado. We have a confrontation. I'm 689 00:39:17,760 --> 00:39:20,120 Speaker 1: showing him, you know how bad the crisis has gotten now, 690 00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:22,440 Speaker 1: and he basically at the end he's like, listen, if 691 00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:24,880 Speaker 1: you've got bad student debt today, you are a damn fool. 692 00:39:25,200 --> 00:39:31,439 Speaker 1: And so we have this crazy confrontation. Wow, that's amazing. Yeah, yeah, people, 693 00:39:31,520 --> 00:39:33,480 Speaker 1: you gotta watch this. People. It's not if you don't 694 00:39:33,520 --> 00:39:35,960 Speaker 1: even care about student debt, you should, But if you don't, 695 00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:38,440 Speaker 1: that's okay. This movie is crazy. There's a who done it? 696 00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:40,560 Speaker 1: It's funny in a lot of places. I think you 697 00:39:40,600 --> 00:39:42,800 Speaker 1: guys will really get a kick out of it. That 698 00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:46,600 Speaker 1: is amazing. So I just want to get back to 699 00:39:46,680 --> 00:39:49,760 Speaker 1: this idea of student debt. There's people who are making 700 00:39:49,920 --> 00:39:52,800 Speaker 1: money on this debt. Who are that So there is 701 00:39:52,840 --> 00:39:56,560 Speaker 1: a student loan industry. There are student lenders, there are banks. 702 00:39:57,040 --> 00:39:59,560 Speaker 1: You've probably heard of, Sally May. This is a major, 703 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:03,080 Speaker 1: more billion dollar industry, and this won't surprise you. One 704 00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:05,200 Speaker 1: of the things they do is they give very generously 705 00:40:05,480 --> 00:40:08,160 Speaker 1: in terms of campaign contributions to members of Congress to 706 00:40:08,280 --> 00:40:10,719 Speaker 1: try to preserve the system that is enriching them. The 707 00:40:10,800 --> 00:40:13,239 Speaker 1: other thing I want to mention though here is most 708 00:40:13,360 --> 00:40:17,000 Speaker 1: people now, like roughly of the student loans that people 709 00:40:17,040 --> 00:40:20,799 Speaker 1: have are now held by the government. President Obama saw 710 00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:23,520 Speaker 1: that this system was really messed up, and so in 711 00:40:23,680 --> 00:40:26,680 Speaker 1: sort of the middle of his tenure, they decided to 712 00:40:26,719 --> 00:40:29,480 Speaker 1: take over the student lending system essentially. So it used 713 00:40:29,480 --> 00:40:31,160 Speaker 1: to be a lot more private loans. Now you have 714 00:40:31,239 --> 00:40:33,120 Speaker 1: a lot of them are federal loans that are held 715 00:40:33,160 --> 00:40:36,120 Speaker 1: by the government. And so these huge amounts of money 716 00:40:36,160 --> 00:40:38,800 Speaker 1: that people are owing are actually owed to their government. 717 00:40:38,920 --> 00:40:40,120 Speaker 1: And so it's kind of a weird thing where the 718 00:40:40,160 --> 00:40:42,960 Speaker 1: government is making money with interest off of the Herican 719 00:40:43,040 --> 00:40:45,800 Speaker 1: people just for trying to get an education. There's no 720 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:48,319 Speaker 1: way to stop those. I mean, look, we're we tried 721 00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:50,359 Speaker 1: to expose all this the film. You know, we really 722 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:52,719 Speaker 1: show a lot of craziness because I mean, there's one 723 00:40:52,760 --> 00:40:54,759 Speaker 1: person named Vivian I think is really interesting. You know, 724 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:56,160 Speaker 1: a lot of people are like, I don't want to 725 00:40:56,200 --> 00:40:58,799 Speaker 1: give death forgiveness to doctors and lawyers. That's like one 726 00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:01,840 Speaker 1: of the big talking point, right is a doctor. But 727 00:41:01,920 --> 00:41:03,000 Speaker 1: let me tell you about her. And this is what 728 00:41:03,040 --> 00:41:05,600 Speaker 1: I think is so interesting. She grew up very, very 729 00:41:05,680 --> 00:41:10,040 Speaker 1: poor in New York City and her parents didn't speak English. 730 00:41:10,440 --> 00:41:12,600 Speaker 1: They had like an eighth grade education. Her mom died 731 00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:14,319 Speaker 1: of cancer when she was really young, so she had 732 00:41:14,360 --> 00:41:17,279 Speaker 1: a really tough childhood, and she decided at that young 733 00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,120 Speaker 1: age that she wanted to become work really hard, become 734 00:41:20,160 --> 00:41:23,200 Speaker 1: a doctor so she could serve at what they call 735 00:41:23,320 --> 00:41:26,000 Speaker 1: low resource centers and clinics, which is for people don't 736 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:27,680 Speaker 1: have a lot of money. She trying to give back 737 00:41:27,760 --> 00:41:29,640 Speaker 1: to the same people in the same way that people 738 00:41:29,680 --> 00:41:31,520 Speaker 1: had helped her family when her mom was you know, 739 00:41:31,680 --> 00:41:35,480 Speaker 1: experiencing cancer. So she works her butt off, gets into Cornell, 740 00:41:35,640 --> 00:41:38,239 Speaker 1: gets into n y U Met School. Now she's a doctor, 741 00:41:38,360 --> 00:41:41,000 Speaker 1: but she has two hundred fifty dollars in debt. She 742 00:41:41,120 --> 00:41:44,040 Speaker 1: can't afford to work at that clinic that she wanted to. 743 00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:46,600 Speaker 1: The whole reason she got into this, you know, field, 744 00:41:46,760 --> 00:41:48,279 Speaker 1: was that she could give back, and now she can't 745 00:41:48,280 --> 00:41:50,399 Speaker 1: even afford to do that. So there's a real cost 746 00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:52,680 Speaker 1: of society. And what made me think of her when 747 00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:54,480 Speaker 1: you were asking about this and we were talking about 748 00:41:54,480 --> 00:41:57,040 Speaker 1: how the government holds a lot of these loans. She 749 00:41:57,320 --> 00:41:59,360 Speaker 1: is paying her government and is in debt to her 750 00:41:59,400 --> 00:42:02,000 Speaker 1: government while is trying to be u surface to people 751 00:42:02,000 --> 00:42:04,600 Speaker 1: in this country. And then when COVID happened, Molly, she 752 00:42:04,760 --> 00:42:06,920 Speaker 1: was working at Mount Sinai. She was one of the 753 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:11,160 Speaker 1: heroes saving people in this country from COVID, working around o'clock, 754 00:42:11,239 --> 00:42:14,160 Speaker 1: twenty four hours a day, really a national hero. And 755 00:42:14,200 --> 00:42:16,719 Speaker 1: meanwhile she owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to her 756 00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:19,160 Speaker 1: government while she's being a hero and working so hard 757 00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:21,200 Speaker 1: to do that. It's just so messed up. Is there 758 00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:25,880 Speaker 1: any appetite with legislators to change this? There is? So 759 00:42:26,239 --> 00:42:29,400 Speaker 1: there's student debt cancelation, which Biden is trying to do, 760 00:42:29,840 --> 00:42:33,319 Speaker 1: but the Republicans immediately pounced on it and challenged him 761 00:42:33,320 --> 00:42:36,359 Speaker 1: in court, and they eventually found a Republican judge who 762 00:42:36,520 --> 00:42:39,040 Speaker 1: agreed with them. So it's being halted and now that's 763 00:42:39,040 --> 00:42:41,120 Speaker 1: going to go to the Supreme Court next year. Molly, 764 00:42:41,160 --> 00:42:42,879 Speaker 1: I don't have to tell you the composition to Supreme 765 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:46,520 Speaker 1: Court's life. So there's not a ton of optimism about 766 00:42:46,560 --> 00:42:48,319 Speaker 1: what they're going to do there. So that is one 767 00:42:48,360 --> 00:42:50,719 Speaker 1: avenue they could try to do that legislatively. But I 768 00:42:50,719 --> 00:42:52,480 Speaker 1: speak to Sendra Schumer in the film and he says 769 00:42:52,480 --> 00:42:54,560 Speaker 1: they don't have the votes for that because you know, 770 00:42:54,600 --> 00:42:57,640 Speaker 1: don't have Republicans are for that, So that is very tenuous. 771 00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:00,839 Speaker 1: What else should we know about this movie? Alley? There 772 00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:06,000 Speaker 1: is a bill called s to Okay, S to five Nights, 773 00:43:06,400 --> 00:43:08,920 Speaker 1: the Fresh Start the Bankruptcy Act. Dick Durban is a 774 00:43:08,960 --> 00:43:11,480 Speaker 1: sponsor of this, of all people, his co sponsor is 775 00:43:11,880 --> 00:43:14,800 Speaker 1: John Cornyn, and they've got Josh Holly on this. This 776 00:43:14,920 --> 00:43:18,200 Speaker 1: is a truly bipartisan bill. Holy. It would make it 777 00:43:18,239 --> 00:43:21,600 Speaker 1: so that you can discharge student debt through bankruptcy, which 778 00:43:21,840 --> 00:43:23,480 Speaker 1: almost any other debt you can get rid of through 779 00:43:23,480 --> 00:43:25,719 Speaker 1: bankruptcy doesn't make any sense that you can. And so 780 00:43:26,239 --> 00:43:28,440 Speaker 1: Dick Durban in the movie tells me that he's going 781 00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:30,200 Speaker 1: to do everything he can to push this through the 782 00:43:30,239 --> 00:43:32,680 Speaker 1: committee this year. Well, there's only a couple of weeks 783 00:43:32,760 --> 00:43:34,799 Speaker 1: left this year. So if people want to see this happen, 784 00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:37,759 Speaker 1: call center Dick Durban's office this week. There's something that 785 00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:40,000 Speaker 1: can actually be done without having to go to the 786 00:43:40,040 --> 00:43:42,759 Speaker 1: Supreme Court, without having to go through you know, all 787 00:43:42,840 --> 00:43:45,239 Speaker 1: these other methods. This is something that can be done, 788 00:43:45,600 --> 00:43:47,839 Speaker 1: is very doable. We talked to Schumer in the movie, 789 00:43:47,880 --> 00:43:49,880 Speaker 1: we talked to Durban about it. This is something that 790 00:43:49,920 --> 00:43:52,480 Speaker 1: could really make a difference. So not all hope is lost. 791 00:43:52,680 --> 00:43:56,360 Speaker 1: That's fantastic. So what's the bill called again, s like 792 00:43:56,520 --> 00:44:00,200 Speaker 1: for Senate to nine eight. That's like the technical term him. 793 00:44:00,520 --> 00:44:03,040 Speaker 1: But then the build like the fund name is the 794 00:44:03,120 --> 00:44:07,759 Speaker 1: Fresh Start through Bankruptcy Act, and this would take get 795 00:44:07,800 --> 00:44:11,200 Speaker 1: to the federal Student loans can be discharge through bankruptcy 796 00:44:11,200 --> 00:44:13,040 Speaker 1: in the same way that almost any other debt can. 797 00:44:13,360 --> 00:44:17,120 Speaker 1: I mentioned gambling debts can be discharged with bankruptcy, excessive shopping, 798 00:44:17,560 --> 00:44:20,279 Speaker 1: credit card debt, pretty much anything. We have this scene 799 00:44:20,280 --> 00:44:22,400 Speaker 1: in the movie where I have this bankruptcy lawyer, this 800 00:44:22,560 --> 00:44:26,880 Speaker 1: like kind older gentleman, and I subject him to this 801 00:44:27,080 --> 00:44:29,480 Speaker 1: really ridiculous thing where I put him in like a 802 00:44:29,560 --> 00:44:31,759 Speaker 1: lightning round, like it's a game show, and I name 803 00:44:31,840 --> 00:44:33,359 Speaker 1: two kind of debts and he has to say which 804 00:44:33,360 --> 00:44:35,400 Speaker 1: one is harder to get rid of, and it's always 805 00:44:35,719 --> 00:44:38,919 Speaker 1: something versus student loans. And in every case, student loans 806 00:44:39,000 --> 00:44:41,640 Speaker 1: is harder to get rid of through bankruptcy than anything else. 807 00:44:41,680 --> 00:44:44,440 Speaker 1: So it's ridiculous stuff. So this law would change that, 808 00:44:44,880 --> 00:44:46,839 Speaker 1: and it would give people a chance to get out 809 00:44:46,920 --> 00:44:49,759 Speaker 1: from under their debt. But also it would make the 810 00:44:49,880 --> 00:44:54,080 Speaker 1: system more fair because then college lenders and colleges would 811 00:44:54,120 --> 00:44:55,680 Speaker 1: no longer be able to just keep jacking up the 812 00:44:55,760 --> 00:45:00,239 Speaker 1: prices without having any check on them. Very interesting. The 813 00:45:00,360 --> 00:45:04,200 Speaker 1: movie is called Lone Wolves. You can stream it on 814 00:45:04,280 --> 00:45:07,040 Speaker 1: peacock right now, and if you watch it, hit me 815 00:45:07,160 --> 00:45:08,759 Speaker 1: up on Twitter at Blake Zeth and let me know 816 00:45:08,840 --> 00:45:11,400 Speaker 1: what you thought. I'm interacting with everyone. There's tons of 817 00:45:11,480 --> 00:45:14,360 Speaker 1: comments going on, and I love it interacting with viewers, 818 00:45:14,440 --> 00:45:16,879 Speaker 1: so I hope people enjoy it. And thank you Molly 819 00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:19,680 Speaker 1: so much for having me on. Thanks Blake, Take care 820 00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:24,239 Speaker 1: that's it for this episode of Fast Politics. Tune in 821 00:45:24,360 --> 00:45:27,560 Speaker 1: every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to hear the best minds 822 00:45:27,600 --> 00:45:30,800 Speaker 1: and politics makes sense of all this chaos. If you 823 00:45:30,960 --> 00:45:33,600 Speaker 1: enjoyed what you've heard, please send it to a friend 824 00:45:33,680 --> 00:45:37,200 Speaker 1: and keep the conversation going. And again, thanks for listening.