1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:02,320 Speaker 1: Hey, guys, thanks for listening to Breaking Points with Crystal 2 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: and Sager. We're going to be totally upfront with you. 3 00:00:04,360 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: We took a big risk going independent to make this work. 4 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:11,880 Speaker 1: We need your support to beat the corporate media CNN, Fox, MSNBC. 5 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: They are ripping this country apart. They are making millions 6 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:18,360 Speaker 1: of dollars doing it to help support our mission of 7 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: making all of us hate each other, less hate the 8 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: corrupt ruling class more support the show. Become a Breaking 9 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: Points Premium Member today, where you get to watch and 10 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:29,640 Speaker 1: listen to the entire show ad free and uncut, an 11 00:00:29,640 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 1: hour early before everyone else. You get to hear our 12 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: reactions to each other's monologues. You get to participate and 13 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:37,960 Speaker 1: weekly ask me any things, and you don't need to 14 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 1: hear our annoying voices pitching you like I am right now? 15 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 1: So what are you waiting for? Go to Breakingpoints dot 16 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: com become a Premium member today, which is available in 17 00:00:46,120 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: the show notes. Enjoy the show, guys, Good morning, everybody, 18 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: Happy Thursday. We have an amazing show for everybody today. 19 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:10,319 Speaker 1: When do we have Crystal? Indeed, we do lots of 20 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: interesting stuff to get to. Of course, big week in 21 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 1: DC will bring you all the latest there to start 22 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: the show. We also have some new polls that continue 23 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:20,320 Speaker 1: to spell a lot of trouble for Joe Biden. Now 24 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:22,960 Speaker 1: you have a majority of Americans who do not trust 25 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:26,520 Speaker 1: what he is telling them. On the coronavirus, that's a 26 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:30,400 Speaker 1: bad sign. Update for you on that marine officer, we 27 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:34,040 Speaker 1: brought you some of his comments previously very critical of 28 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:36,959 Speaker 1: the leadership in the military. He's now in jail, So 29 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:38,640 Speaker 1: we're going to talk to you about all of that. 30 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: New poles in the Virginia governors raise a feisty debate 31 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: that will break down for you some very interesting and 32 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:49,480 Speaker 1: cringe comments. YouTube further cracking down on some well known personalities, 33 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 1: not just removing their content, but removing their entire channels altogether. 34 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:59,880 Speaker 1: Got Stephen Donziger on He is set to be sentenced tomorrow. 35 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:05,440 Speaker 1: This man has been persecuted by a judicial system and 36 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 1: a process that has been run by Exonmobile is absolutely outrageous. 37 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 1: There is a possibility that he will start serving jail 38 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 1: time tomorrow. So we're going to get an update from 39 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:18,239 Speaker 1: him on what he expects and you know, just exactly 40 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:19,920 Speaker 1: what's going to happen going forward. I know He has 41 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: some big updates on his case as well, but we 42 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:25,360 Speaker 1: did want to start with where we are. Today is 43 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 1: supposed to be the big day that bipartisan infrastructure deal 44 00:02:30,480 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: is supposedly going to get voted on. However, as of 45 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:39,640 Speaker 1: this morning, looks certainly unlikely it's going to pass, and 46 00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: I would say very unlikely that it is actually going 47 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: to be brought up for a vote at all, because 48 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: progressives have remained very cohesive and very strong in saying 49 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: we are not going to vote for this thing. Republicans 50 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: are not coming to the rescue of the corporatist Democrats, 51 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: so if it did come up for a vote, it 52 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:58,560 Speaker 1: would go down. But here's the latest thinking that we 53 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: know from Speaker Police. This is from Jake Sherman. Let's 54 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:04,360 Speaker 1: throw this tweet up on the screen. So he says, 55 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:08,080 Speaker 1: this is relatively new. Pelosi says she wants a legislative 56 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:13,519 Speaker 1: language for reconciliation before the infrastructure package gets a vote. 57 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 1: That's different than what she was saying yesterday, the day before, 58 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:19,240 Speaker 1: et cetera. She was saying this is going to come 59 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: up on Thursday. He also says Pelosi also brought up 60 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: my tweet from earlier. This morning confirmed that she does 61 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: indeed have the authority to unilaterally delay the vote. What 62 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 1: he's referring to there is something that we talked about. Also, 63 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:35,840 Speaker 1: remember the whole reason that the infrastructure package was supposed 64 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: to be voted on this week is because she came 65 00:03:37,680 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 1: to this deal with Gottheimer and all of his crew 66 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 1: saying all right, all right, all right, we'll consider the 67 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: infrastructure package on Monday, September twenty seventh. But we told 68 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 1: you at the time, she left herself all the wiggle 69 00:03:48,760 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: room in the world. First of all, the language wasn't 70 00:03:51,200 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 1: it has to come up for a vote, It was 71 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: we'll consider it next. And most importantly, there was a 72 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:57,720 Speaker 1: caveat in there that she can just pull it if 73 00:03:57,720 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 1: she doesn't want to ultimately have the vote. So that 74 00:04:00,560 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: seems like where things stand today, Progressives have health firm, 75 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 1: they have the numbers to vote down this package. Pelosi 76 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: does not like to bring bills to the floor that 77 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: are going to lose. So I would say it is unlikely, 78 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:16,800 Speaker 1: though not impossible, that the infrastructure bill gets a vote today. 79 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:19,840 Speaker 1: And so now we are kind of in you know, 80 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:26,120 Speaker 1: nowhere land, moving forward with negotiations continuing, and we'll see 81 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: ultimately what happens here. The other piece of this that 82 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: you know continues to be the major question mark is 83 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 1: what is Kirsen Cinema going to do? And she has 84 00:04:35,880 --> 00:04:38,760 Speaker 1: really emerged. I mean, Mansion is a problem obviously, but 85 00:04:39,160 --> 00:04:42,679 Speaker 1: Cinema has really emerged as the problem child here because 86 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:46,000 Speaker 1: she won't even say what it is that she wants. 87 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:49,119 Speaker 1: Mansion is at least out there putting out statements talking about, 88 00:04:49,160 --> 00:04:51,840 Speaker 1: you know, here's what I don't like about it, and 89 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,760 Speaker 1: that gives you something to work with. Cinema has not 90 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 1: really given us anything to work with in terms of 91 00:04:57,960 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: what she might be able to support for a reconcile 92 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:05,480 Speaker 1: Asian package. So progressives and normal Democrats extraordinarily frustrated with her. 93 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:10,279 Speaker 1: Jensaki yesterday got a question about whether President biden Field's 94 00:05:10,279 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 1: progressives can trust Mansion and Cinema. Let's take a listen 95 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 1: to what she had to say, basic conversations that he's 96 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 1: had with Senator Mansion and Senator Cinema, since we know 97 00:05:19,279 --> 00:05:21,479 Speaker 1: that there have been plenty of them, Does he feel 98 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 1: that progressives can trust them to support the bigger package? Well, 99 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 1: I can't speak for what members of the Progressive Caucus 100 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:33,720 Speaker 1: feel will make them confident about the password on reconciliation. 101 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: Does it feel that the Progressives can trust Mansion and Cinema. 102 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 1: I'm not going to speak for what they think they 103 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:42,240 Speaker 1: require to get the vote across the finish line. They 104 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: can speak to that. I'll let them do that. So 105 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:48,000 Speaker 1: basically the White House can't speak to anything. They have 106 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: not been central players in any of this. They're basically 107 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 1: just sitting there with their hands on their you know, 108 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:58,400 Speaker 1: they basically are sitting there doing nothing, like, absolutely nothing. 109 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:01,960 Speaker 1: Pelosi and Shumer, Cinema and Mansion, everybody was there and 110 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 1: guess what, nothing happened yesterday. In fact, things went so poorly. 111 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:08,320 Speaker 1: After Mansion met with them, I think for the fourth 112 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 1: time in the last three days. He put out a 113 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:14,600 Speaker 1: four paragraph statement where he said he's not down with 114 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:17,760 Speaker 1: trillions of dollars, wants means testings on some of the 115 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 1: most important programs within them, then said that the spending 116 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: is out of control, and said to in an interview. 117 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:28,240 Speaker 1: After his statement, they asked him, oh, well, Pelosi needs 118 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: bill text tomorrow, and he basically said, oh, that's just 119 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 1: not going to happen. So he actually became more entrenched 120 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:36,919 Speaker 1: in his position, although I would say nothing he really 121 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:40,400 Speaker 1: put out yesterday was any different from what he's been doing. Oh, absolutely, 122 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,479 Speaker 1: only showing reiterating exactly and showing that he's still in 123 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:46,920 Speaker 1: the same place. He's still in the same place after 124 00:06:47,040 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: the President has apparently been lobbying him. Okay, Cinema, like 125 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 1: you said, has actually become worse than useless and has 126 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 1: just entrenched even more in her position, not really putting 127 00:06:57,160 --> 00:06:59,960 Speaker 1: anything out there. And just to give you an idea, 128 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:03,160 Speaker 1: how far up the how far Biden's head is up 129 00:07:03,200 --> 00:07:07,520 Speaker 1: a certain place, Axioss described how the White House sees 130 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:10,640 Speaker 1: this entire negotiation. Let's put this up there for my 131 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: friend Joe Simonson. So they point out accurately that Biden 132 00:07:14,760 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: sees himself as somebody who's just gonna let the Democrats 133 00:07:18,400 --> 00:07:21,560 Speaker 1: play it out. Quote, He's not gonna beg His view 134 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 1: is you're Democrats, you're with the president, or you're not. 135 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:27,920 Speaker 1: He's from a generation of politicians for whom party loyalty 136 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:31,520 Speaker 1: is automatic. He's confident Speaker Pelosi will deliver, and he 137 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: believes he'll ultimately get a big win. They even describe 138 00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:39,440 Speaker 1: him within Crystal in the next paragraph as channeling LBJ. 139 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:42,040 Speaker 1: And this is once again one of my particular pet 140 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:46,280 Speaker 1: peeves because LBJ never would have let these type of 141 00:07:46,320 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 1: negotiations play out in this kind of anarchic process. He 142 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:53,920 Speaker 1: would have inserted himself many times actually twisted arms seeing 143 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:56,280 Speaker 1: what he could get past, and never would have let 144 00:07:56,320 --> 00:07:58,520 Speaker 1: it come to such a public failure point. I've got 145 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,200 Speaker 1: an LBJ book right behind me, and you go and 146 00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:03,320 Speaker 1: you take a look at everything that he's done. The 147 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:06,640 Speaker 1: President has not even spoken publicly on this matter. Now 148 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 1: in a couple of days, put out a lengthy statement 149 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: yesterday after all of his various meetings with Pelosi and 150 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:15,120 Speaker 1: with Schumer and with Mansion and you know whomever. And 151 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 1: guess what, nothing he just said. Both sides are figuring 152 00:08:18,480 --> 00:08:21,200 Speaker 1: it out. This is democracy. We believe the build back 153 00:08:21,240 --> 00:08:24,760 Speaker 1: Better plan will pass. Oh yeah, well, there's no evidence 154 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,160 Speaker 1: that any of that has come to pass. And I 155 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: know it might sound repetitive, but at this point, but 156 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:31,960 Speaker 1: it is just remarkable to me that the man who 157 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:34,320 Speaker 1: made a forty year career in the United States Senate 158 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 1: is completely unable to deliver or predict that this was 159 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:42,240 Speaker 1: obviously going to happen. And now staring down the barrel 160 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:45,600 Speaker 1: of a colossal legislative failure, not being able to pass 161 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 1: it in time. At the time we have a twin 162 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:50,960 Speaker 1: debt crisis. When we have the debt ceiling, there's no 163 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:54,120 Speaker 1: movement whatsoever there from the White House. Actually, the only 164 00:08:54,120 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 1: thing Biden has done is say no, don't change the 165 00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:58,320 Speaker 1: Senate rules in order to deal with it. Let me 166 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:01,959 Speaker 1: off the table, bringing us much closer to the edge 167 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:04,880 Speaker 1: of default. People I know on Capitol Hill are terrified. 168 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:07,480 Speaker 1: I mean, I think this is actually the b story 169 00:09:07,520 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 1: which could end up dominating the entire news. I mean, 170 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 1: we're talking about an actual default. Nobody actually knows what 171 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 1: would happen, but you know, capital markets, the Dow Jones, everything, 172 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:18,880 Speaker 1: everything would crash for a period of like over a week. 173 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:22,120 Speaker 1: It would be a momentary economic crisis, the least of 174 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:24,680 Speaker 1: which we need right now, given the fact that you know, 175 00:09:24,760 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 1: we're crawling our way out of this delta hole. So yeah, 176 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:31,600 Speaker 1: but the Biden presidency is really a complete disaster. And 177 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:34,280 Speaker 1: when we're looking at it all together, you've got the 178 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:37,520 Speaker 1: players like Cinema Mansion. What's interesting too to me is 179 00:09:37,559 --> 00:09:40,120 Speaker 1: that the progressives have actually they haven't just held they're 180 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:42,719 Speaker 1: actually growing their ranks. Yeah, I'm not sure why. I'm 181 00:09:42,760 --> 00:09:45,080 Speaker 1: curious why, you think, because they don't just have support 182 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 1: from within their own caucus. A lot of the Corey 183 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:50,079 Speaker 1: Bookers of the world, and you know, the moderate to left, 184 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: more like cultural left Democrats, they're all in on saying no, 185 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 1: you know what, Joe Manchin screw you, which pretty interesting. 186 00:09:56,600 --> 00:09:59,640 Speaker 1: I mean, John Yarmouth, who is he's I think with 187 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:03,520 Speaker 1: se described as progressive, but he's definitely an establishment Democrat. 188 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:06,320 Speaker 1: I mean Pelosi made him Chair of the House Budget Committee. 189 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:09,520 Speaker 1: He yesterday tweeted that Kirston Cinema needs to grow up. 190 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:13,720 Speaker 1: So I think there's a lot of times the way 191 00:10:13,760 --> 00:10:16,559 Speaker 1: that these things play out there can be a personal 192 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: dimension to it, because these are human beings, and I 193 00:10:20,280 --> 00:10:23,719 Speaker 1: honestly think that they are utterly frustrated and disgusted with 194 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: Kirson Cinema right now, and I think that that animus 195 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:28,920 Speaker 1: is part of what has helped to grow their ranks. 196 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,680 Speaker 1: I also think you see actually a fair amount of 197 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 1: mainstream media support for the progressive position, not uniform, but 198 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:42,000 Speaker 1: you see some sort of normal establishment figure saying you know, 199 00:10:42,200 --> 00:10:44,960 Speaker 1: it's actually the corporatis. They call them moderates. But they're 200 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: obviously not moderate because they're wildly out of step with 201 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,680 Speaker 1: the American people. But you know, the moderates are the 202 00:10:49,679 --> 00:10:53,040 Speaker 1: ones who are being really unreasonable here. The progressives are. 203 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:57,000 Speaker 1: They're saying, like, tell us what your position is, we 204 00:10:57,080 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 1: will negotiate with you. I mean, there's been some language 205 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:02,280 Speaker 1: about three and a half is the already the negotiated position. 206 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:05,040 Speaker 1: But the reality is it's clear that progressives have some 207 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:08,679 Speaker 1: room that they would be willing to negotiate, and they 208 00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:11,960 Speaker 1: just can't get anything from these people, Cares and Cinema 209 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:16,400 Speaker 1: in particular. Here's a Politico tear sheet that makes that point. Specifically, 210 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 1: during a private meeting with the President, Cinema made clear 211 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:21,439 Speaker 1: she's still not on board with the three and a 212 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:24,160 Speaker 1: half trillion dollars social spending plan, and this is the 213 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:28,360 Speaker 1: key detail. She's hesitant to even engage on some of 214 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 1: the specifics until the infrastructure package passes the House. Now 215 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 1: that's unreasonable. You won't even talk about what your position 216 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:40,400 Speaker 1: might be until you get your way with the infrastructure package. 217 00:11:40,720 --> 00:11:43,000 Speaker 1: So that's why they're at this impasse now. Listen. I 218 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:46,640 Speaker 1: will say, obviously, this week was supposed to be the 219 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:49,040 Speaker 1: week when it all came together. It's clearly not going 220 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:51,559 Speaker 1: to be the week when it all comes together. That 221 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:56,240 Speaker 1: doesn't mean that it is over. You know, in some ways, 222 00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:58,840 Speaker 1: getting through this day when you had the promised vote 223 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:02,560 Speaker 1: and that deal that Pelosi made with Gottheimer and co. 224 00:12:02,840 --> 00:12:05,679 Speaker 1: Is kind of behind us and off the table. That 225 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 1: gives them more time to try to work this out, 226 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:12,240 Speaker 1: to try to bring these parties together and come up 227 00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:16,760 Speaker 1: ultimately with something, and that may well still happen, but 228 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:21,679 Speaker 1: it's impossible to do when you have intransigent players involved 229 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:25,240 Speaker 1: who won't even tell you what their positions are. And 230 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:29,800 Speaker 1: to the point of mainline Democrats, not like the squad, 231 00:12:29,880 --> 00:12:36,600 Speaker 1: but mainline establishment friendly democrats getting extraordinarily frustrated with Mansion 232 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:40,600 Speaker 1: and Cinema in particular. Here's Senator Durbin being pretty clear 233 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:42,360 Speaker 1: about how he feels about all of this. Let's take 234 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:45,080 Speaker 1: a listen. Well, I tell you, Joe's made a number 235 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:48,360 Speaker 1: of statements. He's my friend, I respect him, and I've 236 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:50,439 Speaker 1: tried my best to sit down for a few minutes 237 00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:52,840 Speaker 1: and talk to him about this. But I would say 238 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:56,280 Speaker 1: to him, we can't delay these things. Simply delaying them 239 00:12:56,400 --> 00:13:00,080 Speaker 1: is just inviting a bad result. To be honest with you, 240 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,120 Speaker 1: you know, we are one heart beat away from losing 241 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:04,560 Speaker 1: the majority in the United States Senate. And I've been 242 00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:06,840 Speaker 1: in the Senate long enough to see that happen. So 243 00:13:06,880 --> 00:13:10,080 Speaker 1: I would urge Joe, if you believe there's value and 244 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:13,400 Speaker 1: merit to the programs and the Reconciliation bill, don't wait, 245 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 1: do it now. So for someone like Senator Durbin to 246 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:23,439 Speaker 1: call out on TV Joe Manchin, that's significant and putting 247 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:26,040 Speaker 1: in those stock stark terms, which he's totally right about 248 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 1: their propertiz entity extraordinarily old. Right, This is a bunch 249 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:33,360 Speaker 1: of people like mostly in their seventies and eighties. Anything 250 00:13:33,360 --> 00:13:36,120 Speaker 1: can happen. The actuarial tables are very much against them. 251 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:42,600 Speaker 1: Every moment they waste risks, catastrophe risks. Nothing more happening 252 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:46,240 Speaker 1: whatsoever in the Biden administration. And so it continues to 253 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:48,560 Speaker 1: be perplexing that they chose the strategy to start with. 254 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:51,800 Speaker 1: It continues to be perplexing that Biden is mia nowhere 255 00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:54,480 Speaker 1: to be found. Sure he's having these meetings, he doesn't 256 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:57,000 Speaker 1: seem to be making any progress with that, and so 257 00:13:57,120 --> 00:14:01,079 Speaker 1: at this point wildly unclear what is ultimately going to happen. 258 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:04,080 Speaker 1: But the one thing that is quite clear this morning 259 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:06,960 Speaker 1: is that that plan infrastructure vote is either not going 260 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:08,840 Speaker 1: to happen or it is going to fail, So there 261 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:11,640 Speaker 1: will be no bipartisan infrastructure deal getting past both of 262 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:13,520 Speaker 1: that is a huge failure for Biden. And you know, 263 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:16,280 Speaker 1: I'm not even that optimistic here that anything could come 264 00:14:16,280 --> 00:14:19,120 Speaker 1: in the future, just because it seems clear to me 265 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:23,120 Speaker 1: that cinema's only goal. It's not like you're saying policy oriented, right, 266 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:25,960 Speaker 1: he just loves being in the news as opposition. And 267 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:29,120 Speaker 1: I was just looking today. Her approval rating in Arizona 268 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:32,680 Speaker 1: is plus seven over plus four for Mark Kelly. Low 269 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:36,600 Speaker 1: among Democrats, but high amongst whom Republicans. Yeah, and especially 270 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:41,720 Speaker 1: Crystal amongst those Trump Biden voters, as in the John 271 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:45,560 Speaker 1: McCain Republicans who voted, you know, consistently for McCain. They're 272 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:48,640 Speaker 1: actual like deficit hawks. They believe very much in norms 273 00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:51,040 Speaker 1: and all this. They seem to love what she's doing here. 274 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:53,000 Speaker 1: She's playing directly to them now, which she survived a 275 00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:55,560 Speaker 1: primary challenge today. Probably not. But there's the other question 276 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:58,040 Speaker 1: that you're does she care, Does she even care, because 277 00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:01,000 Speaker 1: it surely seems like she doesn't. Seems like all she 278 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:03,440 Speaker 1: cares about is how much money she can make in 279 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:05,760 Speaker 1: the private sector when she's out of the Senate. And 280 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:09,480 Speaker 1: so if that's your incentive, look, she's playing it exactly right. 281 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:11,600 Speaker 1: She'll be able to cash into the two to millions 282 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:14,360 Speaker 1: of dollars. She'll be set and she doesn't have to 283 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:16,800 Speaker 1: worry about whether Democrats are pissed with her. I mean, 284 00:15:16,840 --> 00:15:19,760 Speaker 1: her approval rating among Democrats was in the fifty it's 285 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:23,960 Speaker 1: low for a sitting senator. That is really a problem. 286 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 1: And for sure she would be vulnerable to a primary 287 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:30,960 Speaker 1: to her left. And you wouldn't even need someone who's like, 288 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:33,960 Speaker 1: you know, squad type left, you just have a normal Democrat. 289 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:37,080 Speaker 1: She would that normal Democrat would get a lot of 290 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:40,360 Speaker 1: support in a primary. But I'm not sure that she cares. 291 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:42,880 Speaker 1: I think she's looking past the Senate. I think she's 292 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:46,080 Speaker 1: looking at these corporations that are sending her tons of 293 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:49,000 Speaker 1: money into her campaign bank account, and that may be 294 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:51,600 Speaker 1: where her priorities are. And that's what makes this thing 295 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:55,040 Speaker 1: so difficult, because what's your You have no leverage over 296 00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:57,800 Speaker 1: a person like that, none whatsoever. No, it's true, and 297 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:00,400 Speaker 1: she's incredibly in transient. Everybody I have talk to within 298 00:16:00,440 --> 00:16:03,040 Speaker 1: the process says, you basically just can't get anything out 299 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:05,120 Speaker 1: of her. And when you put that all together, you're 300 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:07,920 Speaker 1: basically staring at a point where the Biden presidency is 301 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:10,520 Speaker 1: once again to be dealt a really big blow. And 302 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:13,000 Speaker 1: I as much as you want to blame Mansion, Cinema 303 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:16,040 Speaker 1: and them, he is ultimately responsible and it's a big 304 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 1: screw up for him. So and the American people are 305 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:21,560 Speaker 1: beginning to take notice. Let's get to this polling segment. 306 00:16:21,600 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 1: I mean, when we take a look at how the 307 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:27,520 Speaker 1: mighty have fallen here with Biden, and particularly this graph 308 00:16:27,560 --> 00:16:31,520 Speaker 1: that Axios has put together, it is stunning. So you 309 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:34,560 Speaker 1: can see that a great deal and a fair amount 310 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:37,520 Speaker 1: of trust in Joe Biden's ability to provide accurate COVID 311 00:16:37,640 --> 00:16:43,040 Speaker 1: nineteen information was in the high fifties whenever he took 312 00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:46,720 Speaker 1: office back in January. It starts to dip a little 313 00:16:46,720 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 1: bit after he takes the oath of office. That's how 314 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:53,080 Speaker 1: it always goes. Partisanship begins to kick in. But the 315 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:56,960 Speaker 1: gulf between the two is clearly there, especially back in May. 316 00:16:57,040 --> 00:16:59,000 Speaker 1: The reason why is that May was a time of 317 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:02,120 Speaker 1: a lot of accent nations, the delta, all of that 318 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:07,200 Speaker 1: delta begins to plunge immediately, his I don't trust numbers 319 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:09,119 Speaker 1: and a great deal of fair amount of trust numbers 320 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:11,960 Speaker 1: begin to plunge. But he's still ahead, He's still above 321 00:17:12,000 --> 00:17:16,119 Speaker 1: that fifty percent mark. But Crystal after September, right around 322 00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 1: the mid August and more it crosses the threshold, it 323 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:23,640 Speaker 1: begins to get tied, and today stands at fifty three 324 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:26,880 Speaker 1: percent of the public saying not very much, none at all. 325 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:30,040 Speaker 1: In Joe Biden's ability to provide accurate COVID nineteen information 326 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:35,320 Speaker 1: only forty five percent, So that actual cross is probably 327 00:17:35,359 --> 00:17:39,440 Speaker 1: the single most important figure of his entire presidency, even 328 00:17:39,480 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 1: more so than his approval rating. Something that we noticed 329 00:17:42,359 --> 00:17:45,040 Speaker 1: during the Trump administration, especially during the vote. A lot 330 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:46,800 Speaker 1: of people didn't like Trump. He had a very low 331 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:49,120 Speaker 1: approval rating in the thirties. A lot of people still 332 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:51,960 Speaker 1: voted for him. Why because they if you dug deeper 333 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:55,800 Speaker 1: trust in his ability to make the economy stronger. Biden's 334 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:59,240 Speaker 1: actually been underwater on that economy number since basically started 335 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:01,720 Speaker 1: out with fifty percent on the day swore the oath. 336 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:05,040 Speaker 1: Since then, it's been a disaster. It's like mid forties, 337 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:07,960 Speaker 1: sometimes even the thirties. But what was saving Biden, Let's 338 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,520 Speaker 1: be honest, why I Biden get elected is because of COVID, 339 00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:13,359 Speaker 1: in his ability to handle COVID. The lower the trust 340 00:18:13,359 --> 00:18:17,160 Speaker 1: figure goes on that ability in order to convey trustful information. 341 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:19,920 Speaker 1: And you don't have the economy thing in the back 342 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:22,199 Speaker 1: pocket the way that Trump did, it's going to be 343 00:18:22,200 --> 00:18:24,520 Speaker 1: really bad. And just to give you guys an example, 344 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:28,199 Speaker 1: latest UGOV poll, Biden has still not recovered from that 345 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:31,480 Speaker 1: large slump. Put Ryan Gerdusky's tweet up there on the screen. 346 00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:35,880 Speaker 1: This is just the hard approved disapprove overall is forty 347 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:39,280 Speaker 1: forty nine, So he has a nine point gap there 348 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:42,959 Speaker 1: and is approved disapproval rating. The important figures are going 349 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:45,480 Speaker 1: to be the independent number, where it's thirty four percent 350 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:49,000 Speaker 1: approved fifty six percent, and even amongst people who voted 351 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:51,440 Speaker 1: for Biden it's eighty one to thirteen. Now you might 352 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,119 Speaker 1: say that that's good bad. The Trump figure was almost 353 00:18:54,160 --> 00:18:56,840 Speaker 1: always in the nineties just because he had such a 354 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:59,680 Speaker 1: high level of approval within his own base. I'm also 355 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:03,520 Speaker 1: paying quick attention to the Hispanic number there Crystal at 356 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:07,639 Speaker 1: forty one percent approved forty three percent disapproved. So not 357 00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:10,160 Speaker 1: having that in a core constituency which he only won 358 00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:12,640 Speaker 1: by two thirds to one third last time, and which 359 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:15,320 Speaker 1: of course the GOP won at least some margins in, 360 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 1: it's really bad. I think he put it all together. 361 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:21,880 Speaker 1: Especially with the vote. People are asking the question, why 362 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:23,920 Speaker 1: what are you doing here? Right? Like you were elected 363 00:19:23,920 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: for one reason COVID. Also, you promised us all the 364 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:29,480 Speaker 1: social programs and that you were going to pass it 365 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:32,480 Speaker 1: through your legislative genius. That ain't happen. So now what 366 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 1: Here was the core promise of Biden? Here were his strengths. 367 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:40,639 Speaker 1: One was just the people liked him. Yes, they liked him. 368 00:19:40,640 --> 00:19:42,840 Speaker 1: They did trust him. He was empathetic, they felt like, yeah, 369 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,280 Speaker 1: they felt like, look, he's not perfect, but he's and 370 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:48,359 Speaker 1: he's not always like totally articulate or totally with it even, 371 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:50,280 Speaker 1: but I feel like he's a good guy. Yeah, I 372 00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:52,760 Speaker 1: feel like he's gonna tell me what's really going on. 373 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:55,280 Speaker 1: As opposed to Trump, which like is maniac and you 374 00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:57,000 Speaker 1: never know what you're gonna get with him, he was 375 00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:01,320 Speaker 1: the sort of steadying, calming force that people did feel 376 00:20:01,359 --> 00:20:03,920 Speaker 1: a lot of empathy for and just sort of liked 377 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:07,840 Speaker 1: on a personal level. So when you see those numbers around, 378 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:10,080 Speaker 1: just do I not do I trust you even to 379 00:20:10,119 --> 00:20:12,840 Speaker 1: be effective or get things done, but I just trust 380 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:14,920 Speaker 1: you not to lie to me, to be straight from 381 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:20,199 Speaker 1: it with me. That's a pretty damaging sign. And then 382 00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:24,159 Speaker 1: you know, the other piece of his promise was, basically 383 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,199 Speaker 1: through the return to normalcy thing, was that I'm going 384 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:29,240 Speaker 1: to be a steady hand, You're not going to have 385 00:20:29,359 --> 00:20:32,720 Speaker 1: chaos in Washington. And yet what do we see. We 386 00:20:32,800 --> 00:20:36,359 Speaker 1: see a lot of manifesting competence. We do see, you know, 387 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: a lot of chaos in Washington in the same sort 388 00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:43,919 Speaker 1: of brinksmanship and insanity that people were frankly tired of. 389 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:48,320 Speaker 1: And you know, some of it is, Look, obviously the 390 00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:52,680 Speaker 1: Republicans are obnoxious, obviously managed cinema obnoxious. But as we've 391 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:55,800 Speaker 1: been saying, a big part of this does fall to Biden. 392 00:20:56,200 --> 00:20:59,159 Speaker 1: And I really think when he decided that he wanted 393 00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:03,280 Speaker 1: to slow down and he wanted to get this bipartisan 394 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 1: deal and you wanted to strip that apart from the 395 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:09,280 Speaker 1: social spending, that's when things really started to go off 396 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:12,080 Speaker 1: the rails. And that's how we find ourselves now with 397 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:14,760 Speaker 1: these cascading crises. The one thing they did manage it 398 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:16,240 Speaker 1: looks like to do, is they are going to pass 399 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:18,840 Speaker 1: the continuing resolution on the budget, so the government the 400 00:21:18,840 --> 00:21:21,560 Speaker 1: government is not going to shut down today. So that's 401 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:25,440 Speaker 1: one thing. Congratulations. But you know, you've got two weeks 402 00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:28,480 Speaker 1: until the debt sealing hits, right, so you can breathe, 403 00:21:28,680 --> 00:21:30,600 Speaker 1: you know, for a couple of nights here before we're 404 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:32,760 Speaker 1: back at the brink once again. Of course, as I 405 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:34,520 Speaker 1: said yesterday, they should just mint the coin and be 406 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:37,680 Speaker 1: done with the debt sealing altogether. But on the polling, 407 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:39,919 Speaker 1: the only good thing I can say, and we can 408 00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:42,479 Speaker 1: put this five thirty eight graphic up on the screen, 409 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:46,040 Speaker 1: so this is obviously the average of polls from five 410 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:49,400 Speaker 1: thirty eight. They've got him today at a forty nine 411 00:21:49,440 --> 00:21:53,399 Speaker 1: percent disapproval and about a forty five percent approval, so 412 00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:57,240 Speaker 1: still underwater by four points there. The one thing I 413 00:21:57,280 --> 00:21:59,199 Speaker 1: can say is it's kind of even down, you know, 414 00:21:59,240 --> 00:22:03,199 Speaker 1: for a while, and this really started during the Afghanistan withdrawal, 415 00:22:03,200 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 1: which he took a big hit on from the media. 416 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:07,600 Speaker 1: For a while, he was kind of in free fall 417 00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:09,600 Speaker 1: there and it was hard to say where things would 418 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:11,879 Speaker 1: level out. The one good thing you can say is 419 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:14,440 Speaker 1: things have kind of leveled out, but they've leveled out 420 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:18,480 Speaker 1: with him significantly underwater. And that's again, that's not cherry picking. 421 00:22:18,520 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 1: That's in an average of polls where he effectively stands today. 422 00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:23,760 Speaker 1: And oh, by the way, we should also add in that, 423 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:26,520 Speaker 1: as we know from the last election, in the polls 424 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 1: tend to be skewed in favor of Democrats, so it 425 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:33,480 Speaker 1: is very possible that the actual reality picture looks even 426 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:36,200 Speaker 1: worse than that average of polls by a few points. 427 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,680 Speaker 1: And always take the enthusiasm number in there. So how 428 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:41,080 Speaker 1: many people out there are like, yeah, like Joe Biden, 429 00:22:41,119 --> 00:22:42,639 Speaker 1: he's doing an all right job. Are you going to 430 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:44,439 Speaker 1: go and vote for him in the two thousand or 431 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:46,919 Speaker 1: vote to affirm him in twenty twenty two? No, a 432 00:22:46,920 --> 00:22:48,280 Speaker 1: lot of those people are just going to stay home. 433 00:22:48,560 --> 00:22:51,119 Speaker 1: How many people out there are like, I hate Joe Biden, 434 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:54,159 Speaker 1: or I hate you know what this or I'm just 435 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:57,040 Speaker 1: really pissed off. I thought you were going to fix it, 436 00:22:57,320 --> 00:22:58,840 Speaker 1: you know, you said you were going to come in. 437 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:01,800 Speaker 1: I'm still under lown, or things aren't back to normal, 438 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:04,600 Speaker 1: or hey, the gas prices are high even though they 439 00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:06,919 Speaker 1: generally don't have anything to do with the with that, 440 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:08,760 Speaker 1: and they're going to go out and they're going to vote. 441 00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:12,120 Speaker 1: I mean, it's really remarkable. I was not in California recently. 442 00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:14,719 Speaker 1: I saw gas prices like five dollars a gallon. I 443 00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:17,280 Speaker 1: was like, this is insane. Five dollars a gallon. And 444 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:20,159 Speaker 1: like I said previously, that pretty much has nothing to 445 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:21,959 Speaker 1: do with the president. It has to do with opek, 446 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:24,440 Speaker 1: and it has to do with supply. But it would 447 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:26,840 Speaker 1: be I would be remiss if I did not say that. 448 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:30,320 Speaker 1: What the administration's problem is, they are not talking to 449 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:33,440 Speaker 1: those types of issues. If they're talking at all, they 450 00:23:33,520 --> 00:23:37,680 Speaker 1: are really just completely mia Jensaki is probably one of 451 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:40,160 Speaker 1: the most unlikable people I've ever seen in my entire life. 452 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:43,040 Speaker 1: Despite whatever the media wants to tell you, people need 453 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:45,439 Speaker 1: to hear from their president. Yeah, I heard you. Yeah. 454 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:48,800 Speaker 1: Biden is the only person on his entire staff and 455 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:52,960 Speaker 1: especially the vice president, who has any connection whatsoever with 456 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 1: the American people. And he's also the person who speaks 457 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:59,080 Speaker 1: the least in terms of what's happening there. I put 458 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:02,440 Speaker 1: it all together, I just see them completely spiraling down 459 00:24:02,480 --> 00:24:04,960 Speaker 1: the drain. Now, look, could he still win. Yeah. I mean, 460 00:24:05,119 --> 00:24:07,480 Speaker 1: of course, like Obama also had a very very tough 461 00:24:07,720 --> 00:24:10,400 Speaker 1: first year in office, you know, bad poll numbers, all 462 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:13,879 Speaker 1: of that, but the lack of energy, vitality, knowing that 463 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,359 Speaker 1: Trump is in the wing, seeing the energized Republican base, 464 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:20,400 Speaker 1: I just see doom, you know, across all front. Yeah. 465 00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:25,440 Speaker 1: I think, Look, people feel really pessimistic right now. I mean, 466 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:28,880 Speaker 1: that's just the bottom line. They're frustrated. Right We're supposed 467 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:32,120 Speaker 1: to be done with COVID, and yet parents are having 468 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:34,960 Speaker 1: to deal with my kid was exposed to COVID at school. 469 00:24:35,119 --> 00:24:39,280 Speaker 1: Now they're back home again. We're still you know, wearing masks, 470 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:41,680 Speaker 1: still having to worry, still having to deal with this 471 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:45,000 Speaker 1: thing that we thought we should be done with now. 472 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:47,000 Speaker 1: And some of that's Biden's fault, some of it's not 473 00:24:47,119 --> 00:24:50,000 Speaker 1: his fault, but that's reality of where we stand. And 474 00:24:50,040 --> 00:24:54,280 Speaker 1: then you see this you know, frustrating debate in Washington 475 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:56,479 Speaker 1: that I think, frankly a lot of people have just 476 00:24:56,560 --> 00:25:02,200 Speaker 1: tuned down. And it does tribute to this overall sense 477 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:06,160 Speaker 1: of a country and permanent decline, like we can't even 478 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:11,200 Speaker 1: do the very basics of avoiding crises and avoiding brinksmanship 479 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:14,960 Speaker 1: and passing things like prescription drug reform that have eighty 480 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:17,480 Speaker 1: to ninety percent support. And you just look at that 481 00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:20,800 Speaker 1: and you're like Jesus Christ, like it's not doesn't matter 482 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:22,679 Speaker 1: who I put in off. It's like I'm you know, 483 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:24,439 Speaker 1: maybe I've voted for Trump last time. I thought he 484 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:26,760 Speaker 1: was gonna shake things up. That sucked. This time was like, 485 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:28,480 Speaker 1: all right, well, let's put this old guy in charge 486 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:30,960 Speaker 1: instead of the other old guy, and maybe that'll change things. 487 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:33,360 Speaker 1: And maybe he knows how this town actually works. That 488 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:36,439 Speaker 1: doesn't seem to be working out, And you know, I 489 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:42,879 Speaker 1: think people just feel incredibly frustrated and pessimistic about the 490 00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:46,040 Speaker 1: direction of the country. And look, part of that isn't 491 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:48,719 Speaker 1: Biden's fault, and part of it is Biden's fault because 492 00:25:49,160 --> 00:25:53,640 Speaker 1: he has chosen an incredibly tactically stupid way of approaching 493 00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:58,920 Speaker 1: his presidency. He's chosen to not assertively be in front 494 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:03,680 Speaker 1: of the American people, making the case, inspiring them, calling 495 00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:06,600 Speaker 1: them to a greater purpose as you know, one country 496 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:11,320 Speaker 1: and as Americans. And so that's I think why we 497 00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:14,800 Speaker 1: find ourselves where he finds himself today, and that is 498 00:26:14,840 --> 00:26:19,320 Speaker 1: a very ugly place in terms of heading into midterm elections, 499 00:26:19,320 --> 00:26:22,080 Speaker 1: and just in terms of like forgetting about the politics 500 00:26:22,080 --> 00:26:24,680 Speaker 1: and the horse race part. It's it's just a depressing 501 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:29,200 Speaker 1: state of affairs that it doesn't seem to matter who 502 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,840 Speaker 1: the American people elect, change election after change election after 503 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:35,560 Speaker 1: change election, and he seemed to end up always back 504 00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:39,760 Speaker 1: in the same exact place. So I think those numbers 505 00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:43,520 Speaker 1: of his approval rating, and really that number around trust 506 00:26:43,720 --> 00:26:49,080 Speaker 1: to even just provide accurate information, it's pretty damning, very damning. Hey, 507 00:26:49,119 --> 00:26:52,680 Speaker 1: so remember how we told you how awesome premium membership was. Well, 508 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:54,879 Speaker 1: here we are again to remind you that becoming a 509 00:26:54,880 --> 00:26:57,560 Speaker 1: premium member means you don't have to listen to our 510 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:00,440 Speaker 1: constant please for you to subscribe. So what are you 511 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:03,040 Speaker 1: waiting for? Become a premium member today by going to 512 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:05,480 Speaker 1: Breakingpoints dot com, which you can click on in the 513 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:08,440 Speaker 1: show notes. You know, let's get to this other segment, 514 00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:13,240 Speaker 1: which you know, elites and people who actually face trouble. 515 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:15,280 Speaker 1: I was seeing a lot about our show yesterday about 516 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:18,240 Speaker 1: how so many people in power escape, you know, escape 517 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:22,439 Speaker 1: any accountability, while the people who may say something or 518 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:24,600 Speaker 1: you know, at the lowest levels, they're always the ones 519 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,480 Speaker 1: that face it. And this is the perfect example, which 520 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:30,919 Speaker 1: is you guys might remember Lieutenant Colonel Stu Scheller, he 521 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:34,639 Speaker 1: had that viral video which he criticized both Joe Biden 522 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:39,200 Speaker 1: but really all the military brass for their failures on Afghanistan. Well, 523 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:41,280 Speaker 1: let's put this up there on the screen from Military 524 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:47,359 Speaker 1: dot Com. Lieutenant Colonel Schiller is now in jail awaiting 525 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:52,200 Speaker 1: charges for Article thirty two preliminary hearing. Now here's the thing. 526 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:57,560 Speaker 1: According to the own spokesperson of the US Marine Corps quote, 527 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:01,119 Speaker 1: the time, date, and location of the seedings have not 528 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:04,320 Speaker 1: been determined, meaning he is now in jail for an 529 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:08,840 Speaker 1: indeterminate amount of time. They even said quote, there are 530 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:13,879 Speaker 1: no specific charges or initiated against the colonel. Instead, the 531 00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:17,520 Speaker 1: hearing is to consider whether charges of contempt towards officers 532 00:28:17,960 --> 00:28:21,000 Speaker 1: and all of that should be recommended to his commander 533 00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:24,919 Speaker 1: for action. So he is awaiting a preliminary hearing in 534 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:28,080 Speaker 1: order to determine whether charges should even be brought against him. 535 00:28:28,240 --> 00:28:32,080 Speaker 1: And in that time, he is being held in confinement 536 00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 1: for an indeterminate period of time, which is completely ridiculous. 537 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:37,960 Speaker 1: And if you guys don't know what we're talking about, 538 00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:41,400 Speaker 1: here's a snippet from the video itself of him calling 539 00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:45,760 Speaker 1: out his superior officers. Let's take a listen. I want 540 00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:51,040 Speaker 1: to say this very strongly. I have been fighting for 541 00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:54,680 Speaker 1: seventeen years. I am willing to throw it all away 542 00:28:54,800 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 1: to say to my senior leaders, I demand accountability. But 543 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:03,479 Speaker 1: the reason people are so upset on social media right 544 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:06,760 Speaker 1: now is not because the marine on the battlefield lets 545 00:29:06,760 --> 00:29:09,800 Speaker 1: someone down. That service member has always rose to the 546 00:29:09,800 --> 00:29:13,240 Speaker 1: occasion done extraordinary things. People are upset because their senior 547 00:29:13,320 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 1: leaders let them down, and none of them are raising 548 00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:19,560 Speaker 1: their hands and accepting accountability or saying we messed this up. 549 00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:24,920 Speaker 1: What I'll say is, from my position, potentially all those 550 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:28,479 Speaker 1: people did die in vain if we don't have senior 551 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:31,880 Speaker 1: leaders that own up and raise their hand and say 552 00:29:32,640 --> 00:29:38,120 Speaker 1: we did not do this well in the end. Without that, 553 00:29:38,160 --> 00:29:42,240 Speaker 1: we just keep repeating the same mistakes. Here's the thing, too, Crystal, 554 00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:44,640 Speaker 1: Lieutenant Colonel Scheller, I do want to be transparent. He 555 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:48,200 Speaker 1: posted a video from an abandoned boss. In a second video, 556 00:29:48,480 --> 00:29:51,520 Speaker 1: it was bizarre to say the least. That being said, 557 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 1: the Marine Corps says they're confining him for his own safety, 558 00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:58,040 Speaker 1: saying basically like, oh is mental well? Being or whatever 559 00:29:58,480 --> 00:30:00,600 Speaker 1: is in check, and we have to all of that. 560 00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:03,400 Speaker 1: And look, whatever you think of the guy or not, 561 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:05,920 Speaker 1: it isn't really about him. He is being held in 562 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:08,800 Speaker 1: jail for an indeterminate period of time for calling out 563 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:11,840 Speaker 1: his superior officers, and just so people know, for what 564 00:30:11,920 --> 00:30:17,040 Speaker 1: he was calling for. General Miley yesterday, in a classified hearing, 565 00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:22,280 Speaker 1: told the told Congressman that quote, the military was not 566 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:25,760 Speaker 1: to blame, and he blamed the State Department for the 567 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:31,640 Speaker 1: botched evacuation in Afghanistan. Zero accountability, zero accountability for his 568 00:30:31,760 --> 00:30:35,720 Speaker 1: lies for the withdrawal. And more so, maybe the lieutenant colonel, 569 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:38,400 Speaker 1: even if he's a little crazy, maybe the crazy guy 570 00:30:38,760 --> 00:30:42,280 Speaker 1: is way more correct about this entire situation than the 571 00:30:42,320 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 1: general in chief. Well, and it's also a matter of 572 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:49,000 Speaker 1: two sets of rules. Yeah, again and again we see 573 00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:52,440 Speaker 1: the same thing play out. This man. You know, parts 574 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:54,280 Speaker 1: of what he said, I probably agree with parts of 575 00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:56,240 Speaker 1: him what he said I probably don't agree with. That's 576 00:30:56,280 --> 00:31:00,520 Speaker 1: not really the point. But he's being punished. Well, the 577 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:06,920 Speaker 1: people who lied to the American people over decades and 578 00:31:06,960 --> 00:31:10,080 Speaker 1: who are set to go and get richer than ever. 579 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:14,560 Speaker 1: If they're not already cashing in, there's nothing happens to them. 580 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:18,680 Speaker 1: Nothing happens to them. Even with the very specific example 581 00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:21,640 Speaker 1: that we've tracked here very closely of that drone strike 582 00:31:21,720 --> 00:31:25,880 Speaker 1: that murdered entire Afghan family and their little babies and 583 00:31:25,920 --> 00:31:28,320 Speaker 1: the dad who was an AID worker working for an 584 00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:32,200 Speaker 1: American nonprofit. Is there going to be any account Is 585 00:31:32,200 --> 00:31:34,720 Speaker 1: anybody going to be in the brig for that one. No, 586 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:39,360 Speaker 1: they've already said absolutely not, No accountability. No one's gonna 587 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,000 Speaker 1: be punished. We're just gonna move on. Oops. We at 588 00:31:42,080 --> 00:31:44,440 Speaker 1: least we admitted our mistakes. Aren't you happy? Aren't you 589 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:49,200 Speaker 1: proud of us? That's been the story of the war 590 00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:52,320 Speaker 1: in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, It's been the story 591 00:31:52,320 --> 00:31:54,680 Speaker 1: of America. Frankly, I mean, this is what we keep 592 00:31:54,760 --> 00:31:59,240 Speaker 1: on tracking. The people who commit the crimes, the elites 593 00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:03,040 Speaker 1: who commit crimes, they never face justice. In fact, they 594 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:05,640 Speaker 1: become richer and more famous and more esteem than ever. 595 00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:08,840 Speaker 1: You can see him on primetime on any one of 596 00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:11,520 Speaker 1: the cable news networks. And the people who are at 597 00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:15,160 Speaker 1: the whistleblowers who dare to speak out and say, hey, 598 00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:18,400 Speaker 1: you know, how about some accountability here, they're the ones 599 00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:21,000 Speaker 1: that get the book thrown at him. And if you 600 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:23,320 Speaker 1: don't believe me, hey, why don't you? You know, we're 601 00:32:23,320 --> 00:32:25,760 Speaker 1: going to talk to Stephen Donziger about what that looks like. 602 00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:28,360 Speaker 1: Look at what's being done to julian Na Sange, look 603 00:32:28,360 --> 00:32:30,360 Speaker 1: at what's been done to Edward Snowden, look at what 604 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:33,720 Speaker 1: they tried to do to Glenn Greenwald. Every single time 605 00:32:33,840 --> 00:32:37,080 Speaker 1: you have someone who dares to say how about accountability, 606 00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:40,080 Speaker 1: they will build the jail on top of you for 607 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:42,840 Speaker 1: daring to say those words. And so look, I do 608 00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:44,640 Speaker 1: want to throw on and maybe there's something going on 609 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:47,400 Speaker 1: here we don't know about. The second video was a 610 00:32:47,400 --> 00:32:51,000 Speaker 1: little bit less coherent, I would say than the first video. 611 00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:55,479 Speaker 1: Clearly this man has been through a lot, just like 612 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:58,400 Speaker 1: so many of our servicemen and women have been put 613 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:02,240 Speaker 1: through the ringer with you know, these elites in the 614 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:05,600 Speaker 1: military pretending like this is all costless and that there's 615 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:09,040 Speaker 1: no burden placed on our men and women. But to me, 616 00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:12,760 Speaker 1: this goes to the core of this failure of any 617 00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:15,320 Speaker 1: kind of accountability for elites, and that is a deep 618 00:33:15,360 --> 00:33:20,000 Speaker 1: problem in the society. And you talk about eroding our democracy, 619 00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:23,000 Speaker 1: eroding the fabric of the nation, like how can you 620 00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:26,840 Speaker 1: believe in a place where there's no accountability at the top, 621 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:30,680 Speaker 1: where there's never any instance of justice for the people 622 00:33:30,680 --> 00:33:32,800 Speaker 1: who are running this place. And to that point, I 623 00:33:32,800 --> 00:33:36,000 Speaker 1: mean we have General Miiley asked specifically about that drone 624 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:39,000 Speaker 1: strike under oath, and do you think he takes responsibility? 625 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:42,239 Speaker 1: Go ahead and take a listen, and General Milly on 626 00:33:42,280 --> 00:33:44,280 Speaker 1: September first, three days later, you described it as a 627 00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:46,840 Speaker 1: righteous strike. People that were not supposed to be killed 628 00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:50,000 Speaker 1: or killed and you described it as a righteous strike. Yeah, 629 00:33:50,040 --> 00:33:51,800 Speaker 1: if you go back and look at the full quote, 630 00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:54,640 Speaker 1: what I said was we followed the procedures. I had 631 00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:58,320 Speaker 1: every reason to believe that that we followed our procedures. 632 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:00,200 Speaker 1: At that point in time, we knew that there were 633 00:34:00,200 --> 00:34:02,600 Speaker 1: civilians killed, we knew there were non combatants, and there 634 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:05,760 Speaker 1: was collateral d yes, he said, We're others killed, Yes, 635 00:34:06,120 --> 00:34:08,000 Speaker 1: where they we don't know. We're trying to sort through 636 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:12,120 Speaker 1: all that, right. I said, that's right because I believed people. 637 00:34:13,680 --> 00:34:16,359 Speaker 1: I believe that the target that we were aiming at, sir, 638 00:34:16,440 --> 00:34:18,759 Speaker 1: and I believe the target we were aiming at was Okay, 639 00:34:18,920 --> 00:34:21,920 Speaker 1: I have three more. Is he a general or a lawyer? 640 00:34:22,160 --> 00:34:24,920 Speaker 1: What is he? Yeah? Oh? Well, what I actually said, 641 00:34:25,080 --> 00:34:26,719 Speaker 1: now you said it was a righteous strike. He said 642 00:34:26,719 --> 00:34:28,800 Speaker 1: it was righteous? Okay, So did you lie or do 643 00:34:28,840 --> 00:34:31,520 Speaker 1: you not know? Would you have an apology? Oh? You're 644 00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:33,400 Speaker 1: not going to get fired, of course, not right. You 645 00:34:33,480 --> 00:34:35,160 Speaker 1: had to be thrown in the brig You had no 646 00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:37,279 Speaker 1: role you know in that? Are you? Oh? Are you 647 00:34:37,360 --> 00:34:40,400 Speaker 1: going to go and do an investigation into how this happened? Oh? No, 648 00:34:40,600 --> 00:34:42,360 Speaker 1: that's not going to happen at all. We already know 649 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:45,440 Speaker 1: that because the person who works for him, General McKinsey, 650 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:48,160 Speaker 1: US Central Command, has already come out and said, yeah, 651 00:34:48,160 --> 00:34:51,000 Speaker 1: it was a mistake, didn't work. But uh, nobody's going 652 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:54,560 Speaker 1: to face any consequences. Lieutenant Colonel Schiller, Yeah he's No, 653 00:34:54,640 --> 00:34:57,719 Speaker 1: he's in jail. Oh are there any charges against him? No? 654 00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:01,080 Speaker 1: Did he mistakenly kill anybody in a drunes? No? Did 655 00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:05,439 Speaker 1: he lie to the American people about Afghanistan for twenty years? No? Oh, 656 00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:08,399 Speaker 1: he's in jail for an indeterminate period of time. Yeah, 657 00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:11,799 Speaker 1: this is the problem here. I mean, we covered the 658 00:35:11,880 --> 00:35:14,759 Speaker 1: extensive amount of lies that these guys told in their 659 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:17,480 Speaker 1: testimony before the Senate, and I was repulsed by it 660 00:35:18,200 --> 00:35:20,600 Speaker 1: for two reasons. Number one, that they just feel so 661 00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:24,680 Speaker 1: comfortable lying under oath repeatedly. And two is the media 662 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:27,680 Speaker 1: just laps it up. They're like, oh, General McKenzie says this, 663 00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:30,920 Speaker 1: President Biden, what's your response? Once again, who do we 664 00:35:30,960 --> 00:35:33,120 Speaker 1: elect here? Do we elect the general or do we 665 00:35:33,120 --> 00:35:36,560 Speaker 1: elect the president? And that's the issue. These guys have 666 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:39,440 Speaker 1: so much power. They know exactly how to wire the media. 667 00:35:39,719 --> 00:35:42,759 Speaker 1: The media and many partisan actors are also willing to 668 00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:45,760 Speaker 1: jump on whomever says what and use it for whatever 669 00:35:45,840 --> 00:35:48,719 Speaker 1: is convenient in the moment. I mean, these people are 670 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:52,760 Speaker 1: some of the most conniving and ruthless in all of Washington. 671 00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:56,080 Speaker 1: And as you pointed out yesterday, they're not good at fighting. Worse, 672 00:35:56,440 --> 00:35:58,600 Speaker 1: they're not good at what they're supposed to do, but 673 00:35:58,680 --> 00:36:02,719 Speaker 1: playing the game here making themselves rich, making themselves make 674 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:05,960 Speaker 1: sure that they escape zero accountability. Oh, they're real good 675 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:09,879 Speaker 1: at that. Yeah, they're master fighters, warriors on that finding 676 00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:13,720 Speaker 1: that those sources of political power being able to cash 677 00:36:13,760 --> 00:36:16,000 Speaker 1: in after the fact. They're very, very good at that. 678 00:36:16,200 --> 00:36:19,239 Speaker 1: But I think anyone who looks at this and thinks 679 00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:22,560 Speaker 1: about a system, we're on the one hand, you have 680 00:36:22,960 --> 00:36:27,400 Speaker 1: an Afghan family murdered and no accountability, and on the 681 00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:30,839 Speaker 1: other hand, you have a marine officer who spoke out. 682 00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:32,920 Speaker 1: I know, I'm sure he knew that there would be 683 00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:36,759 Speaker 1: likely consequences for that, and he's in jail with no 684 00:36:36,920 --> 00:36:40,600 Speaker 1: charges for an indeterminate amount of time. Somebody tell me 685 00:36:40,640 --> 00:36:42,759 Speaker 1: that's fair. Somebody explained to me how that's fair. There 686 00:36:42,760 --> 00:36:45,239 Speaker 1: you go. We wanted to bring you an update on 687 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:49,640 Speaker 1: the Virginia governor's race, which is coming to a close 688 00:36:49,719 --> 00:36:53,279 Speaker 1: here shortly. Actually, Glenn Youngkin and Terry mccalliffe had their 689 00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:57,680 Speaker 1: final debate this week. This race. Just to remind you, guys, 690 00:36:57,719 --> 00:37:00,360 Speaker 1: the reason why this matters. First of all, it's my 691 00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:03,800 Speaker 1: home stay, so that's always very important. But more importantly, 692 00:37:04,400 --> 00:37:06,680 Speaker 1: the good manatorial race in Virginia. It happens in these 693 00:37:06,680 --> 00:37:09,320 Speaker 1: off years and it gives you a sense of where 694 00:37:09,400 --> 00:37:12,880 Speaker 1: is the national mood. It has been a pretty reliable 695 00:37:12,920 --> 00:37:15,920 Speaker 1: bell weather of what is to come in future elections. 696 00:37:16,280 --> 00:37:18,880 Speaker 1: So I've seen a little bit in the media of 697 00:37:18,920 --> 00:37:21,480 Speaker 1: people saying, well, people may take lessons from this, but 698 00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:25,080 Speaker 1: they really shouldn't. Well, if you look at history, actually 699 00:37:25,120 --> 00:37:28,640 Speaker 1: this race is a pretty decent predictor of trends, and 700 00:37:28,760 --> 00:37:31,279 Speaker 1: as of today it is a lot more is a 701 00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:35,000 Speaker 1: lot closer than Democrats want it to be and for 702 00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:39,239 Speaker 1: them to be comfortable. So, as I mentioned, young Kin 703 00:37:39,440 --> 00:37:43,240 Speaker 1: and Kliff had a fairly feisty debate together here this week. 704 00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:46,160 Speaker 1: I watched it because I hate myself, but I love you, 705 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:48,320 Speaker 1: and so I wanted to be able to convey to 706 00:37:48,360 --> 00:37:51,719 Speaker 1: you what happened without you having to actually watch it. However, 707 00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:53,520 Speaker 1: I did want to show you one of the more 708 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:58,279 Speaker 1: cringe parts that says a lot about the constituents that 709 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:01,640 Speaker 1: both of these men are playing to. They're both going 710 00:38:01,680 --> 00:38:06,880 Speaker 1: after this sort of like Northern Virginia suburban and exurban voter. 711 00:38:07,440 --> 00:38:10,320 Speaker 1: Take a listen to how Terry mccauliffe sought to appeal 712 00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:13,640 Speaker 1: to that group of people an economy from a Republican 713 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:16,239 Speaker 1: governor that had a gigantic deficit, and I left a 714 00:38:16,320 --> 00:38:19,239 Speaker 1: huge surplus when I left office. And that's the reason 715 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:22,560 Speaker 1: why so many Republicans have endorsed me. Over two dozen 716 00:38:22,680 --> 00:38:26,879 Speaker 1: prominent Republicans. Tonight, I have the leading conservative in America here, 717 00:38:26,920 --> 00:38:30,200 Speaker 1: Bill Crystal, who has endorsed my campaign for governor. I 718 00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:35,440 Speaker 1: have Delegate Dave Ramadan, one of the most conservatives of 719 00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:38,600 Speaker 1: an America, Bill Crystal. He also bragged about having the 720 00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:42,440 Speaker 1: support of like a George W. Bush finance chair or 721 00:38:42,520 --> 00:38:45,279 Speaker 1: something like that. The whole thing is very cringe. You 722 00:38:45,320 --> 00:38:48,480 Speaker 1: guys know, if you've watched any of my commentary on Virginia, 723 00:38:48,560 --> 00:38:51,640 Speaker 1: Virginia is like a cautionary tale for the Democratic Party 724 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:56,279 Speaker 1: leaning into this suburban liberal vote, because yeah, it's been 725 00:38:56,400 --> 00:39:01,720 Speaker 1: very successful at moving Virginia into the Democrat column right now. 726 00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:05,319 Speaker 1: All of their elected officials are Democrats, the House and 727 00:39:05,480 --> 00:39:09,000 Speaker 1: the Senate in the state are Democratic. But you end up, 728 00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:12,440 Speaker 1: you know, bragging about your support from Bill Crystal. And 729 00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:14,279 Speaker 1: then not only that, there was a whole part of 730 00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:18,200 Speaker 1: this debate where they were jockeying to say who was 731 00:39:19,040 --> 00:39:22,080 Speaker 1: less likely to overturn right to work, which of course 732 00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:26,719 Speaker 1: anti union legislation. So a lot of very mccauliffe was 733 00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:30,680 Speaker 1: trashing the size of the reconciliation deal, a lot of 734 00:39:30,840 --> 00:39:36,560 Speaker 1: very cringe posturing for this suburban and exurban population from 735 00:39:36,600 --> 00:39:38,520 Speaker 1: both of them. I think we actually have the Colliffs 736 00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:40,960 Speaker 1: comments we can throw up there on the screen about 737 00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:44,360 Speaker 1: the reconciliation bill, just to give you another sense, says 738 00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:47,560 Speaker 1: the three and a half trillion dollar reconciliation price tag 739 00:39:47,760 --> 00:39:54,000 Speaker 1: is too high. Both of them angling for this liberal 740 00:39:54,239 --> 00:40:00,000 Speaker 1: voter that tends to be socially liberal and fiscally concerned 741 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:03,240 Speaker 1: servative young Can trying to conceal some of his comments 742 00:40:03,239 --> 00:40:07,560 Speaker 1: on abortion, certainly trying to distance himself from Donald Trump. 743 00:40:07,640 --> 00:40:10,960 Speaker 1: Mccaulliff trying to tie him to Trump. And that's effectively 744 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:13,240 Speaker 1: what's going on in this race right now, one hundred percent. 745 00:40:13,280 --> 00:40:17,279 Speaker 1: And beneath all of that, guess who's getting real skittish here. 746 00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:20,120 Speaker 1: Let's plit this up there from Politico. People inside the 747 00:40:20,160 --> 00:40:25,400 Speaker 1: White House are getting very afraid. White House sweats over mccauliffe, 748 00:40:25,400 --> 00:40:28,799 Speaker 1: and increasingly, as you say, they can deny all they 749 00:40:28,840 --> 00:40:31,440 Speaker 1: want about how this isn't a bell weather. It's obviously 750 00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:34,359 Speaker 1: a bell weather. Predicted the Tea Party, It's predicted a lot, 751 00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:37,160 Speaker 1: and just watching the state go from purple to blue 752 00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:39,839 Speaker 1: has been pretty instructive if you want to look at 753 00:40:39,840 --> 00:40:42,520 Speaker 1: the rest of the country and national voting patterns. So 754 00:40:42,760 --> 00:40:46,040 Speaker 1: just over a month before election day, the DNC is 755 00:40:46,120 --> 00:40:50,600 Speaker 1: now looking to spend five million extra dollars in addition 756 00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:54,439 Speaker 1: to what they'd already budgeted for Virginia, specifically because they 757 00:40:54,480 --> 00:40:58,760 Speaker 1: say a loss to Glenn Youngkin in an off cycle 758 00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:02,520 Speaker 1: governor's race would be a domino effect with Democrats panicking 759 00:41:02,560 --> 00:41:04,799 Speaker 1: thinking that it is two thousand and nine all over 760 00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:08,200 Speaker 1: again when they lost that gubernatorial race, and it's spelled 761 00:41:08,280 --> 00:41:11,600 Speaker 1: doom for the state houses and for the Tea Party 762 00:41:11,640 --> 00:41:15,000 Speaker 1: wave of twenty ten. And that is exactly what seems 763 00:41:15,160 --> 00:41:17,560 Speaker 1: to be going on here. I mean, look, as we 764 00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:23,040 Speaker 1: have said, looking at the polls is incredibly difficult. Sometimes 765 00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:26,400 Speaker 1: they're off, sometimes they're on. In general, I would say, 766 00:41:26,680 --> 00:41:28,879 Speaker 1: with Trump and with COVID and all of that, I'm 767 00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:31,359 Speaker 1: going to bet on the off, and when they're off, 768 00:41:31,400 --> 00:41:35,920 Speaker 1: I'm going to bet on underestimating Republican support. So right now, 769 00:41:36,360 --> 00:41:39,239 Speaker 1: it seems that Terry mccalliff has some sort of a lead, 770 00:41:39,400 --> 00:41:42,600 Speaker 1: but Glenn Youngkin always within that slight margin of error. 771 00:41:42,800 --> 00:41:45,399 Speaker 1: You pointed this. We have a Roanoke College poll, let's 772 00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:47,960 Speaker 1: put it up there on the screen, which shows mccalliff 773 00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:52,440 Speaker 1: with a seven point lead over Glen Youngkin, but critically 774 00:41:52,520 --> 00:41:56,080 Speaker 1: crystal nine percent actually undecided in the race, which is 775 00:41:56,120 --> 00:41:59,880 Speaker 1: relatively high in a partisan election like this one. Now, 776 00:42:00,160 --> 00:42:03,920 Speaker 1: if you think about that, his approval rating, as in 777 00:42:03,960 --> 00:42:07,840 Speaker 1: his favorability rating is a fifty percent. Terry mccauiff. He 778 00:42:07,880 --> 00:42:12,200 Speaker 1: has that support, he has the ability to not actually 779 00:42:12,280 --> 00:42:14,640 Speaker 1: rise that much higher because he's such a known quantity, 780 00:42:14,840 --> 00:42:17,480 Speaker 1: whereas Youngkin has twenty percent of people who just have 781 00:42:17,560 --> 00:42:20,320 Speaker 1: no opinion about him whatsoever. So I think he's still 782 00:42:20,360 --> 00:42:24,640 Speaker 1: got a lot more malleability to him. The entire election 783 00:42:24,880 --> 00:42:26,920 Speaker 1: is going to be is he trumpy or not? I 784 00:42:26,920 --> 00:42:29,239 Speaker 1: think that's the entire thing that it's going to fold on. 785 00:42:29,520 --> 00:42:33,080 Speaker 1: I think you're right, And so, on the one hand, 786 00:42:33,280 --> 00:42:36,400 Speaker 1: he's undefined. That gives him potential if he defines himself 787 00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:39,440 Speaker 1: in a positive way that Virginian's you know, this excurbit 788 00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:42,960 Speaker 1: and suburban population really resonates with. On the other hand, 789 00:42:43,320 --> 00:42:45,400 Speaker 1: there's a lot of room here for the Democrats to 790 00:42:45,440 --> 00:42:48,440 Speaker 1: come in and define him as like you're basically electing 791 00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:50,520 Speaker 1: Donald Trump here, and let me show you his worst 792 00:42:50,520 --> 00:42:52,359 Speaker 1: comments and let me show you the picture of him 793 00:42:52,440 --> 00:42:54,759 Speaker 1: hugging Trump or whatever. They have right that they can 794 00:42:55,200 --> 00:42:57,880 Speaker 1: drop on this guy on the Rono College pole you 795 00:42:57,960 --> 00:43:00,760 Speaker 1: just showed there. That's been one of the better poll 796 00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:04,200 Speaker 1: results for mccalluff recently. A lot of the other polls 797 00:43:04,200 --> 00:43:06,399 Speaker 1: that have come out have shown the race much much 798 00:43:06,440 --> 00:43:10,960 Speaker 1: closer and all of them have consistently shown one big 799 00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:14,360 Speaker 1: problem for Democrats, which is lack of enthusiasm. Republicans are 800 00:43:14,440 --> 00:43:17,640 Speaker 1: much more energized to vote in this race than Democrats are. Now, 801 00:43:17,719 --> 00:43:21,000 Speaker 1: what I will say is, on the one hand, we 802 00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:25,080 Speaker 1: saw a similar dynamic in California. Democrats were not excited. 803 00:43:25,520 --> 00:43:29,359 Speaker 1: They were freaking out. You know, Gavin Newsom was very 804 00:43:29,400 --> 00:43:31,480 Speaker 1: worried that Democrats were going to show up to keep 805 00:43:31,560 --> 00:43:34,760 Speaker 1: him in office. And at the end he was able 806 00:43:34,840 --> 00:43:37,880 Speaker 1: to effectively define Larry Elder freak people out, and they 807 00:43:37,920 --> 00:43:40,120 Speaker 1: showed up at the polls and he did very well 808 00:43:40,239 --> 00:43:43,160 Speaker 1: and outperformed the polls, which is something unusual we don't 809 00:43:43,160 --> 00:43:46,760 Speaker 1: normally see for Democrats. So it's a possibility that that happens. 810 00:43:47,239 --> 00:43:50,680 Speaker 1: On the other hand, Larry Elder was much more inflammatory 811 00:43:50,840 --> 00:43:53,880 Speaker 1: and much more divisive and much more outspoken, and you 812 00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:56,759 Speaker 1: had a many, many years of him being a conservative 813 00:43:56,760 --> 00:43:59,360 Speaker 1: talk radio host where you could pick from any number 814 00:43:59,480 --> 00:44:03,960 Speaker 1: of outrageous fringe comments, especially with regards to the California public. 815 00:44:04,719 --> 00:44:10,399 Speaker 1: Glenn Youngkin is a much better stylistic fit for Virginia. 816 00:44:10,600 --> 00:44:13,720 Speaker 1: He is this, you know, private equity dude. He comes 817 00:44:13,760 --> 00:44:17,480 Speaker 1: off as mild mannered businessman, which not my cup of tea. 818 00:44:17,840 --> 00:44:20,239 Speaker 1: Neither is Terry mccallif. For that regard, they're kind of 819 00:44:20,239 --> 00:44:23,000 Speaker 1: similar in that way. Actually they present in a similar way. 820 00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:27,080 Speaker 1: But for these suburban voters, he does not feel like 821 00:44:27,400 --> 00:44:32,600 Speaker 1: he's scary. Yeah, he feels like mild mannered businessman, dude. 822 00:44:33,239 --> 00:44:37,360 Speaker 1: And so that I think is why he's been hanging 823 00:44:37,400 --> 00:44:40,120 Speaker 1: in here and making this race very close. And to 824 00:44:40,200 --> 00:44:43,799 Speaker 1: show you how close the race is. Cook Political Report, 825 00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:46,439 Speaker 1: which is kind of the gold standard and rating these races, 826 00:44:46,480 --> 00:44:48,880 Speaker 1: they get a lot right in terms of how races 827 00:44:48,960 --> 00:44:55,160 Speaker 1: ultimately fall. They recently moved this race from LEANSDEM to 828 00:44:55,160 --> 00:44:57,800 Speaker 1: toss up, so you can see here Cook Political Report 829 00:44:57,920 --> 00:45:01,680 Speaker 1: shifts Virginia Governor's race to toss up, and they cite 830 00:45:01,719 --> 00:45:06,839 Speaker 1: a number of polls here that have Glen Young can 831 00:45:06,880 --> 00:45:10,920 Speaker 1: even either leading or very close. There's also been a 832 00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:13,680 Speaker 1: consistent theme with all of the polls that have come 833 00:45:13,719 --> 00:45:17,400 Speaker 1: out where when you look at registered voters, Terry mcculloff 834 00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:19,200 Speaker 1: tends to do a little better, and when you look 835 00:45:19,200 --> 00:45:22,480 Speaker 1: at likely voters, he tends to do a little bit worse. Again, 836 00:45:22,560 --> 00:45:26,560 Speaker 1: that speaks to that enthusiasm issue. So big question for 837 00:45:26,640 --> 00:45:31,399 Speaker 1: Democrats without Donald Trump actually on the ballot, can they 838 00:45:31,560 --> 00:45:35,000 Speaker 1: freak their voters out enough to get them to show 839 00:45:35,120 --> 00:45:39,000 Speaker 1: up for someone who is as uninspiring as Terry mccaulliff 840 00:45:39,080 --> 00:45:42,280 Speaker 1: ultimately is. And that is the question that race turns Onnaldimately, 841 00:45:42,360 --> 00:45:44,600 Speaker 1: that's the ultimate question, I guess if I was a 842 00:45:44,600 --> 00:45:47,320 Speaker 1: betting person. Look, I think we were trying to manage 843 00:45:47,320 --> 00:45:49,480 Speaker 1: both sides of the expectations. On the one hand, we 844 00:45:49,520 --> 00:45:51,360 Speaker 1: have the Gavin Newsom thing, so we know it works 845 00:45:51,440 --> 00:45:54,480 Speaker 1: real well, Trump trump trump, Trump, Trump, trump Trump, make 846 00:45:54,520 --> 00:45:58,319 Speaker 1: it as trumpy as possible. But you know, Glenn Young 847 00:45:58,320 --> 00:46:00,680 Speaker 1: Cain is not Larry Elders, so as much harder to 848 00:46:00,760 --> 00:46:02,880 Speaker 1: define him. And on the other hand, we've got the 849 00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:06,040 Speaker 1: enthusiasm gap. We know that Republicans are a lot more 850 00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:09,840 Speaker 1: mobilized right now. Biden's approval rating is a disaster across 851 00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:13,520 Speaker 1: the country and also specifically within that population of those 852 00:46:13,560 --> 00:46:17,400 Speaker 1: suburban voters. They never really liked Joe, they just hated Trump. 853 00:46:17,680 --> 00:46:21,440 Speaker 1: So it all turns on which of the factors is 854 00:46:21,480 --> 00:46:24,719 Speaker 1: going to be the most motivating. Glenn Youngkin out there 855 00:46:24,760 --> 00:46:28,040 Speaker 1: talking about prices in the grocery store, gas prices and 856 00:46:28,440 --> 00:46:30,360 Speaker 1: really it's just kind of a civil guy, like he 857 00:46:30,400 --> 00:46:34,200 Speaker 1: doesn't seem particularly offensive, which you know, that's kind of 858 00:46:34,200 --> 00:46:36,640 Speaker 1: exactly what you need in order to win over these 859 00:46:36,719 --> 00:46:39,799 Speaker 1: kind of John McCain type voters. Now that I keep 860 00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:42,880 Speaker 1: thinking about it, so I'm really of two minds here, Crystal. 861 00:46:42,880 --> 00:46:44,719 Speaker 1: I don't know which way it's going to turn. I 862 00:46:44,719 --> 00:46:46,799 Speaker 1: think the national mood is everything. That's what we know. 863 00:46:46,960 --> 00:46:50,600 Speaker 1: We know that everything, all politics is national now, even 864 00:46:50,640 --> 00:46:53,960 Speaker 1: you know, running for dogcatcher or whatever, you better have 865 00:46:54,040 --> 00:46:56,640 Speaker 1: a position on Trump, and most people are going to 866 00:46:56,719 --> 00:46:59,680 Speaker 1: vote based upon what you think about it. And I 867 00:46:59,719 --> 00:47:03,280 Speaker 1: would say that the national mood right now probably trending 868 00:47:03,280 --> 00:47:09,480 Speaker 1: in Youngkin's favor, probably given the reconciliation, given COVID in general, 869 00:47:09,520 --> 00:47:11,279 Speaker 1: that might be the case in Virginia. I don't think 870 00:47:11,320 --> 00:47:13,839 Speaker 1: that's right. Maybe you're right, maybe, And so you could 871 00:47:13,880 --> 00:47:16,640 Speaker 1: see very clearly in this debate Terry mcculliff wants to 872 00:47:16,719 --> 00:47:19,239 Speaker 1: nationalize the race, Glenn Youngkin wants to make it about 873 00:47:19,280 --> 00:47:23,840 Speaker 1: the specifics of me versus Terry mcculliffe. And so the 874 00:47:23,920 --> 00:47:27,919 Speaker 1: fact that politics tends to in the end be nationalized. 875 00:47:27,960 --> 00:47:30,800 Speaker 1: I actually think kuts in favor of Terry mccaulliff, because 876 00:47:30,920 --> 00:47:33,640 Speaker 1: look at this. Biden didn't win Virginia by a little bit. 877 00:47:33,719 --> 00:47:35,799 Speaker 1: He won it by like ten points, you know. I mean, 878 00:47:35,840 --> 00:47:38,840 Speaker 1: this is a state that he did quite well in. 879 00:47:39,239 --> 00:47:42,960 Speaker 1: There's very little interest outside of the Republican Basin has 880 00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:46,680 Speaker 1: like stopped the steal insanity. Youngkin has said enough on 881 00:47:47,239 --> 00:47:51,120 Speaker 1: quote unquote election integrity to make himself vulnerable on that front. 882 00:47:51,719 --> 00:47:55,160 Speaker 1: So if I haunt a guess, I would say, ultimately, 883 00:47:55,400 --> 00:47:59,560 Speaker 1: these suburban voters are freaked out enough by his associations 884 00:48:00,120 --> 00:48:04,000 Speaker 1: with Trump to ultimately show up at the polls. We're 885 00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:06,759 Speaker 1: also talking about a set of voters that's very reliable 886 00:48:07,000 --> 00:48:09,399 Speaker 1: in terms of ultimately coming out to vote, whether they're 887 00:48:09,440 --> 00:48:12,040 Speaker 1: excited or not. That would be where I would place 888 00:48:12,080 --> 00:48:14,920 Speaker 1: my bets today. But the fact that it's so uncertain 889 00:48:15,000 --> 00:48:17,600 Speaker 1: and that Democrats are nervous about it to this extent 890 00:48:17,760 --> 00:48:20,480 Speaker 1: is telling in and of itself. I think that's exactly right. Okay, 891 00:48:20,640 --> 00:48:23,319 Speaker 1: let's get to YouTube. This is going to do us 892 00:48:23,400 --> 00:48:25,839 Speaker 1: no favors with the YouTube gods. So I usually say 893 00:48:25,880 --> 00:48:27,279 Speaker 1: this to the end, but just so you guys know, 894 00:48:27,320 --> 00:48:30,480 Speaker 1: we've been having demonetization hell, and this is part of it. 895 00:48:30,520 --> 00:48:34,080 Speaker 1: Which is that the censorship regime which is essentially beginning 896 00:48:34,360 --> 00:48:36,800 Speaker 1: to be put into place under the guise of COVID 897 00:48:37,160 --> 00:48:40,239 Speaker 1: is extraordinarily troubling. And I'll say at the top, I 898 00:48:40,280 --> 00:48:41,840 Speaker 1: don't have a lot of sympathy for some of the 899 00:48:41,840 --> 00:48:44,879 Speaker 1: people who are affected right now, and that's the key. 900 00:48:45,160 --> 00:48:48,840 Speaker 1: So YouTube has put out a new policy on vaccine 901 00:48:48,840 --> 00:48:53,440 Speaker 1: misinformation where they say they will be removing alltogether the 902 00:48:53,560 --> 00:48:58,120 Speaker 1: channels videos and more aggressively, not just about the COVID vaccine, 903 00:48:58,160 --> 00:49:01,880 Speaker 1: but against all vaccines generally, clues people like Robert Kennedy Junior, 904 00:49:02,200 --> 00:49:04,960 Speaker 1: many other prominent They say that they've traced the source 905 00:49:05,000 --> 00:49:08,400 Speaker 1: of a lot of anti VAXX content towards these particular creators. 906 00:49:08,680 --> 00:49:12,960 Speaker 1: But the language through which they justify this policy, crystal, 907 00:49:13,280 --> 00:49:15,920 Speaker 1: is always what we have to look at under what 908 00:49:16,160 --> 00:49:19,000 Speaker 1: guys are you saying that this has to be true? 909 00:49:19,280 --> 00:49:22,160 Speaker 1: Michael Tracy actually pointed this out quite well. Let's put 910 00:49:22,160 --> 00:49:24,880 Speaker 1: this on the screen. So what Tracy points to, and 911 00:49:24,920 --> 00:49:30,400 Speaker 1: you go within the YouTube announcement is that they say, 912 00:49:30,800 --> 00:49:34,520 Speaker 1: as with our COVID guidelines, we consulted with local international 913 00:49:34,600 --> 00:49:38,880 Speaker 1: health organizations and experts in developing these policies. Our guidance 914 00:49:38,920 --> 00:49:42,480 Speaker 1: on vaccine side effects maps to public vaccine resources provided 915 00:49:42,480 --> 00:49:47,200 Speaker 1: by health authorities backed by medical consensus. So the important 916 00:49:47,239 --> 00:49:51,920 Speaker 1: point here is that they are pointing to quote medical 917 00:49:52,200 --> 00:49:55,480 Speaker 1: consensus as the burden through which they are going to 918 00:49:55,560 --> 00:49:58,880 Speaker 1: go and then remove content, not just remove content, but 919 00:49:58,920 --> 00:50:03,000 Speaker 1: effectively issue from their platform. Do I cry for Robert 920 00:50:03,040 --> 00:50:05,759 Speaker 1: Kennedy Robert RFK Junior. No. I think he's one of 921 00:50:05,800 --> 00:50:08,520 Speaker 1: the most pernicious actors in the entire space, and I 922 00:50:08,600 --> 00:50:10,520 Speaker 1: know all the anti actors will hate me for it, 923 00:50:10,680 --> 00:50:14,239 Speaker 1: but I don't really care. It's not about him specifically. 924 00:50:14,280 --> 00:50:16,640 Speaker 1: I'm not speaking out on behalf of him. I'm pointing 925 00:50:16,680 --> 00:50:20,160 Speaker 1: to the fact that it was medical consensus not that 926 00:50:20,239 --> 00:50:22,919 Speaker 1: long ago in this country that the lab leak hypothesis 927 00:50:23,440 --> 00:50:27,160 Speaker 1: was a complete farce. Yeah, and completely without merit. And 928 00:50:27,360 --> 00:50:30,520 Speaker 1: under this guy's lab league videos many of which I've 929 00:50:30,560 --> 00:50:32,760 Speaker 1: done here, many of which I did rising could be removed. 930 00:50:32,760 --> 00:50:36,400 Speaker 1: They could be removed under a medical consensus. It's same 931 00:50:36,440 --> 00:50:39,480 Speaker 1: thing whenever it comes to masks. Back in February of 932 00:50:39,520 --> 00:50:43,319 Speaker 1: twenty twenty, the medical consensus at the time with the 933 00:50:43,360 --> 00:50:45,959 Speaker 1: experts said that masks don't work, and then they change 934 00:50:45,960 --> 00:50:49,280 Speaker 1: their mind, that's okay, it happens. You know, it's all good, 935 00:50:49,560 --> 00:50:53,560 Speaker 1: But remember the standards that we enforce here and under 936 00:50:53,600 --> 00:50:56,200 Speaker 1: the guys and the language of all of that, it 937 00:50:56,440 --> 00:50:59,359 Speaker 1: matters a lot. And so yes, I know this will 938 00:50:59,480 --> 00:51:03,479 Speaker 1: definitely not help us in our goal and making sure 939 00:51:03,480 --> 00:51:05,800 Speaker 1: that this show has as big a reach as possible. 940 00:51:05,960 --> 00:51:07,799 Speaker 1: But you can't help but look at this and not 941 00:51:07,880 --> 00:51:10,040 Speaker 1: be afraid under the guise of which they're trying to 942 00:51:10,400 --> 00:51:12,799 Speaker 1: enforce this, given the fact that once again you can 943 00:51:12,880 --> 00:51:15,759 Speaker 1: have no sympathy for those people who are impacted, look 944 00:51:15,800 --> 00:51:18,200 Speaker 1: at the policy itself and say this is a big problem. 945 00:51:18,239 --> 00:51:22,920 Speaker 1: This is a very significant escalation because what you're seeing 946 00:51:23,239 --> 00:51:28,320 Speaker 1: with these anti vax activists, as with how they're described, 947 00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:32,640 Speaker 1: they're not just taking down the content that's problematic. They're 948 00:51:32,640 --> 00:51:36,799 Speaker 1: saying you're off the platform forever. That's a significant escalation here. 949 00:51:36,840 --> 00:51:38,760 Speaker 1: And I think what you're pointing to is two things. 950 00:51:38,840 --> 00:51:42,400 Speaker 1: Number One, you trust YouTube to be the arbiters of 951 00:51:42,640 --> 00:51:47,200 Speaker 1: science and medicine and fact, because I certainly don't. Not 952 00:51:47,280 --> 00:51:49,719 Speaker 1: only you know, would I not trust any sort of 953 00:51:49,880 --> 00:51:53,680 Speaker 1: single person or entity to serve as the gatekeeper of 954 00:51:53,920 --> 00:51:58,120 Speaker 1: truth and fiction. But YouTube is a capitalistic enterprise with 955 00:51:58,200 --> 00:52:02,759 Speaker 1: their own interest at stake, and you don't think that 956 00:52:02,760 --> 00:52:05,120 Speaker 1: they're gonna, you know, lean into what they see as 957 00:52:05,160 --> 00:52:08,319 Speaker 1: in their political and more important profit making interest. Of 958 00:52:08,320 --> 00:52:10,680 Speaker 1: course they are. Of course they are. So we're not 959 00:52:10,760 --> 00:52:13,480 Speaker 1: talking about like they're a disinterested party here. Of course 960 00:52:13,480 --> 00:52:17,000 Speaker 1: they're an interested party. And so that inserts bias into 961 00:52:17,000 --> 00:52:20,440 Speaker 1: the process from the start. Second of all, as you're 962 00:52:20,480 --> 00:52:24,480 Speaker 1: pointing to, sometimes there's a clear medical consensus, and sometimes 963 00:52:24,480 --> 00:52:28,680 Speaker 1: there's no Sometimes there's a debate. Sometimes there's an initial 964 00:52:28,680 --> 00:52:31,200 Speaker 1: consensus that turns out to be wrong on maths. A 965 00:52:31,239 --> 00:52:34,680 Speaker 1: great example, lab Leak another great example. Okay, Now, some 966 00:52:34,880 --> 00:52:37,359 Speaker 1: and sometimes those things are sort of intentionally fueled, as 967 00:52:37,480 --> 00:52:39,319 Speaker 1: was with Lableak, to cover the tracks of people who 968 00:52:39,320 --> 00:52:43,200 Speaker 1: may have been complicit. And sometimes it's just genuinely it 969 00:52:43,239 --> 00:52:45,480 Speaker 1: looked like the research was heading in this direction, this 970 00:52:45,600 --> 00:52:48,320 Speaker 1: is what we thought, we've got new research in it's better. 971 00:52:48,640 --> 00:52:50,880 Speaker 1: Here's where we are now. I'll give you a perfect 972 00:52:50,960 --> 00:52:53,319 Speaker 1: example that's playing out right now. And I know you 973 00:52:53,320 --> 00:52:56,880 Speaker 1: guys can relate to this because we've COVID is still 974 00:52:57,040 --> 00:52:59,919 Speaker 1: relatively new. There's still a lot of question marks about 975 00:53:00,120 --> 00:53:04,040 Speaker 1: what are in fact, the best mitigation strategies, what works 976 00:53:04,160 --> 00:53:07,160 Speaker 1: in public settings, what works in school settings? And we 977 00:53:07,280 --> 00:53:09,800 Speaker 1: still don't have the answers to a lot of those questions. 978 00:53:10,160 --> 00:53:14,040 Speaker 1: So even on something like mask wearing in schools and 979 00:53:14,080 --> 00:53:17,279 Speaker 1: whether that is effective at stopping the spread, there are 980 00:53:17,320 --> 00:53:20,080 Speaker 1: some studies that say yes, and there are some studies 981 00:53:20,080 --> 00:53:22,719 Speaker 1: that say it's not really that effective. There is no 982 00:53:22,880 --> 00:53:26,480 Speaker 1: medical consensus today. Another perfect example that we have covered 983 00:53:26,520 --> 00:53:29,320 Speaker 1: closely and that has been playing out in the public 984 00:53:29,360 --> 00:53:33,960 Speaker 1: sphere booster shots. Are booster shots necessary? Are they necessary 985 00:53:34,000 --> 00:53:37,200 Speaker 1: for the general population? Are they necessary for the elderly population? 986 00:53:37,320 --> 00:53:40,440 Speaker 1: Are they necessary for really no one. There's a lot 987 00:53:40,480 --> 00:53:43,319 Speaker 1: of conflicting information there. There was data that came out 988 00:53:43,320 --> 00:53:46,160 Speaker 1: of Israel that say, hey, this was useful for elderly 989 00:53:46,200 --> 00:53:48,640 Speaker 1: people at least for some period of time. There was 990 00:53:48,680 --> 00:53:50,799 Speaker 1: a group of scientists who came out and said, you know, 991 00:53:50,880 --> 00:53:53,480 Speaker 1: for the general population, this is really not necessary. And 992 00:53:53,480 --> 00:53:55,719 Speaker 1: then you have someonein the Biden administration who said, look, 993 00:53:55,719 --> 00:53:57,719 Speaker 1: I think everybody may as well go get and get 994 00:53:57,760 --> 00:54:01,080 Speaker 1: the booster shot. There is no set medical consensus on 995 00:54:01,120 --> 00:54:03,800 Speaker 1: booster shots today. So YouTube, how are you going to 996 00:54:03,880 --> 00:54:06,279 Speaker 1: deal with that? You know, and this is not an 997 00:54:06,480 --> 00:54:10,680 Speaker 1: uncommon thing. So they put this language like it's going 998 00:54:10,760 --> 00:54:14,920 Speaker 1: to be really cut and dry, and in certain extreme examples, 999 00:54:14,960 --> 00:54:17,439 Speaker 1: like if you're just saying vaccines don't work, obviously there's 1000 00:54:17,440 --> 00:54:20,239 Speaker 1: a medical consensus against that notion, but there are a 1001 00:54:20,320 --> 00:54:23,800 Speaker 1: lot more very borderline cases. And then what this all 1002 00:54:23,880 --> 00:54:28,080 Speaker 1: ends up doing is it's not really going to lead 1003 00:54:29,280 --> 00:54:32,040 Speaker 1: to more accurate information being put out. What it means 1004 00:54:32,120 --> 00:54:34,200 Speaker 1: is they're going to crush independent creators. I mean, if 1005 00:54:34,239 --> 00:54:37,279 Speaker 1: you're a new channel starting out today and you don't 1006 00:54:37,320 --> 00:54:40,480 Speaker 1: already have a following, it is so much harder. It's 1007 00:54:40,560 --> 00:54:44,279 Speaker 1: virtually impossible to get going and build the audience that 1008 00:54:44,440 --> 00:54:47,400 Speaker 1: was possible, you know, just a few years ago, and 1009 00:54:47,480 --> 00:54:51,280 Speaker 1: certainly ten years ago. It's just not the same open 1010 00:54:51,360 --> 00:54:54,640 Speaker 1: platform that it used to be. They explicitly say that 1011 00:54:54,719 --> 00:54:58,320 Speaker 1: they want to recommend now what they call trusted news sources. 1012 00:54:58,560 --> 00:55:00,839 Speaker 1: That means places like Fanta and The New York Times, 1013 00:55:00,840 --> 00:55:03,440 Speaker 1: et cetera that we know have been caught in plenty 1014 00:55:03,440 --> 00:55:07,359 Speaker 1: of lives and misinformation and medical inaccuracies, but they don't care. 1015 00:55:07,400 --> 00:55:10,880 Speaker 1: When it's their quote unquote trusted news sources, then it's okay. 1016 00:55:11,200 --> 00:55:14,439 Speaker 1: So it really does make it much more difficult for 1017 00:55:14,640 --> 00:55:18,320 Speaker 1: independent voices and creators to be able to break through, 1018 00:55:18,719 --> 00:55:22,759 Speaker 1: build an audience, build a platform, and provide information to 1019 00:55:22,840 --> 00:55:24,920 Speaker 1: the public, which is what YouTube was supposed to be 1020 00:55:24,960 --> 00:55:27,760 Speaker 1: all about. I mean, look at us. We cover the news, 1021 00:55:27,920 --> 00:55:30,000 Speaker 1: and this is I keep talking about this, but I 1022 00:55:30,120 --> 00:55:32,200 Speaker 1: will not stop until I see some sort of fix. 1023 00:55:32,680 --> 00:55:36,040 Speaker 1: How sometimes the news is bad. Yesterday we covered our 1024 00:55:36,120 --> 00:55:39,560 Speaker 1: Kelly and it was really gross, and that segment was demonetized, 1025 00:55:39,640 --> 00:55:43,040 Speaker 1: not suitable for advertisers, even after a human review. When 1026 00:55:43,040 --> 00:55:46,120 Speaker 1: we cover nine to eleven, those segments were demonetized. Whenever 1027 00:55:46,160 --> 00:55:49,279 Speaker 1: we cover Jeffrey Epstein, those segments are demonetized. Whenever I 1028 00:55:49,280 --> 00:55:53,000 Speaker 1: could go on and on any controversial subject vaccines. Now, 1029 00:55:53,360 --> 00:55:58,480 Speaker 1: anything on vaccines absolute demonetization. Now, if you or us 1030 00:55:58,600 --> 00:56:00,600 Speaker 1: of a couple of years ago, what do you do. 1031 00:56:00,800 --> 00:56:03,880 Speaker 1: We are lucky, we have our premium subscribers. We know 1032 00:56:04,080 --> 00:56:06,680 Speaker 1: we can cover whatever we want. If a segment gets demonetized, 1033 00:56:06,880 --> 00:56:09,719 Speaker 1: so be it. Some people out there, they're not like that. 1034 00:56:09,840 --> 00:56:11,800 Speaker 1: They have to rely on the ad dollars. Well, and 1035 00:56:11,880 --> 00:56:13,920 Speaker 1: I order to quote themselves, we kind of snuck through 1036 00:56:14,000 --> 00:56:15,799 Speaker 1: under the radar at the Hill that's true because we 1037 00:56:15,880 --> 00:56:18,600 Speaker 1: had this corporate brand over us. There you go, So 1038 00:56:18,719 --> 00:56:20,799 Speaker 1: we were treated differently. Yeah, I mean, there's no doubt 1039 00:56:20,880 --> 00:56:23,000 Speaker 1: we see it. Like the way that we were treated 1040 00:56:23,040 --> 00:56:27,080 Speaker 1: there versus now that we're independent. It's definitely a different world. 1041 00:56:27,280 --> 00:56:30,200 Speaker 1: So we have the direct comparison there, and I do 1042 00:56:30,239 --> 00:56:32,719 Speaker 1: think that's part of how we were able to find 1043 00:56:32,760 --> 00:56:35,440 Speaker 1: success and ultimately break through. But if you're just getting 1044 00:56:35,440 --> 00:56:38,319 Speaker 1: started and you're you know, you have something to say 1045 00:56:38,360 --> 00:56:40,879 Speaker 1: and you have something to contribute, forget about it. It's very, 1046 00:56:41,040 --> 00:56:45,400 Speaker 1: very difficult on YouTube, and again that's what the platform 1047 00:56:45,560 --> 00:56:48,239 Speaker 1: was supposed to be all about from the beginning. But 1048 00:56:49,160 --> 00:56:51,160 Speaker 1: and then the other piece of this is, of course, 1049 00:56:51,280 --> 00:56:55,000 Speaker 1: like some of the worst actors are never satisfied. They 1050 00:56:55,080 --> 00:56:59,279 Speaker 1: never it's never enough for them that there's more censorship. 1051 00:56:59,400 --> 00:57:02,480 Speaker 1: We can throw this tweet up on the screen of 1052 00:57:02,880 --> 00:57:08,879 Speaker 1: Andy Andy Slavitt who says, okay, YouTube, YouTube eliminated misinformation 1053 00:57:08,960 --> 00:57:13,480 Speaker 1: on vaccines. Facebook your move. So it's never enough. They 1054 00:57:13,520 --> 00:57:16,920 Speaker 1: always want more and more and more censorship, which is 1055 00:57:17,080 --> 00:57:20,680 Speaker 1: just you know, it's not the direction that you want 1056 00:57:20,680 --> 00:57:22,600 Speaker 1: to go in in a free society. I'll just say that. 1057 00:57:22,640 --> 00:57:24,280 Speaker 1: And it's kind of giving up on believing that you 1058 00:57:24,320 --> 00:57:27,040 Speaker 1: can ultimately win the debate. Well, it matters because Andy 1059 00:57:27,040 --> 00:57:29,160 Speaker 1: Slavitt was working at the White House as of like 1060 00:57:29,200 --> 00:57:31,720 Speaker 1: a couple of weeks ago as their COVID response director, 1061 00:57:31,760 --> 00:57:33,880 Speaker 1: and he was one of the people inside the White 1062 00:57:33,880 --> 00:57:35,960 Speaker 1: House who if you guys remember when they were pushing 1063 00:57:36,040 --> 00:57:39,520 Speaker 1: Jensaki to come out there, call Facebook out and say, Facebook, 1064 00:57:39,560 --> 00:57:42,080 Speaker 1: you need to do exactly what we tell you to do. 1065 00:57:42,360 --> 00:57:44,520 Speaker 1: And not only that, if you're banned from one platform, 1066 00:57:44,520 --> 00:57:46,240 Speaker 1: you should be a banned from all platforms. Do you 1067 00:57:46,240 --> 00:57:49,440 Speaker 1: remember that that's the official policy of the United States 1068 00:57:49,440 --> 00:57:52,800 Speaker 1: government and now they are now pushing that whenever it 1069 00:57:52,800 --> 00:57:55,000 Speaker 1: comes to YouTube. And like I said, do I have 1070 00:57:55,000 --> 00:57:58,920 Speaker 1: sympathy for the individual actors who were affected by this 1071 00:57:58,960 --> 00:58:01,680 Speaker 1: particular policy, No, I don't. I think they should rot 1072 00:58:01,680 --> 00:58:05,160 Speaker 1: and help specifically RFK Junior. But that doesn't mean that 1073 00:58:05,200 --> 00:58:11,479 Speaker 1: the policy itself cannot be applied broadly in these edge 1074 00:58:11,520 --> 00:58:16,600 Speaker 1: cases which are going to stifle debate and look, moderation 1075 00:58:16,680 --> 00:58:19,640 Speaker 1: at the scale is incredibly difficult, and that is why 1076 00:58:19,720 --> 00:58:22,080 Speaker 1: whenever it starts to become public, we all need to 1077 00:58:22,080 --> 00:58:24,240 Speaker 1: come up with the set of rules which we can 1078 00:58:24,280 --> 00:58:27,480 Speaker 1: agree on and that this isn'tforced fairly, and this is 1079 00:58:27,520 --> 00:58:30,600 Speaker 1: not whether it shouldn't be involved with government, Congress, whatever. 1080 00:58:30,720 --> 00:58:33,480 Speaker 1: That's all for debate, but that actually is a debate 1081 00:58:33,520 --> 00:58:36,360 Speaker 1: that we really need to have in this country. Indeed, Wow, 1082 00:58:36,520 --> 00:58:38,520 Speaker 1: you guys must really like listening to our voices. Well, 1083 00:58:38,560 --> 00:58:40,560 Speaker 1: I know this is annoying instead of making you listen 1084 00:58:40,600 --> 00:58:43,120 Speaker 1: to a Viagra commercial. When you're done, check out the 1085 00:58:43,120 --> 00:58:45,880 Speaker 1: other podcast I do with Marshall Costoff called The Realignment. 1086 00:58:45,920 --> 00:58:48,360 Speaker 1: We talk a lot about the deeper issues that are changing, 1087 00:58:48,480 --> 00:58:51,480 Speaker 1: realigning in American society. You always need more Crystal and 1088 00:58:51,520 --> 00:58:54,360 Speaker 1: Saga in your daily lives. Take care, guys, Saga, what 1089 00:58:54,360 --> 00:58:57,280 Speaker 1: are you looking at today? Creating this show, this podcast 1090 00:58:57,280 --> 00:58:59,560 Speaker 1: with Crystal and seeing its wild success has been one 1091 00:58:59,560 --> 00:59:01,880 Speaker 1: of the great accomplishments of my life. And when I 1092 00:59:01,920 --> 00:59:03,960 Speaker 1: sit after the show and I see the millions of 1093 00:59:03,960 --> 00:59:06,720 Speaker 1: people that were reaching on various platforms where I see 1094 00:59:06,840 --> 00:59:08,960 Speaker 1: your messages or we meet you guys on the street, 1095 00:59:09,200 --> 00:59:11,480 Speaker 1: I feel alive knowing that there are actually a lot 1096 00:59:11,480 --> 00:59:13,680 Speaker 1: of people out there who want to watch the news 1097 00:59:13,720 --> 00:59:16,560 Speaker 1: and afterwards not want to kill your neighbor or gouge 1098 00:59:16,560 --> 00:59:19,720 Speaker 1: out your own eyes, but beyond the personal achievement. I 1099 00:59:19,760 --> 00:59:22,640 Speaker 1: also sometimes think about it this way. What we have 1100 00:59:22,720 --> 00:59:26,280 Speaker 1: built here together, you and us, is I really mean 1101 00:59:26,320 --> 00:59:29,280 Speaker 1: the audience who backed us all the way. It's something 1102 00:59:29,280 --> 00:59:32,080 Speaker 1: that people in media have been trying to do for 1103 00:59:32,120 --> 00:59:35,440 Speaker 1: a long time. Billions of dollars in venture capital have 1104 00:59:35,520 --> 00:59:40,320 Speaker 1: been thrown at companies who promise to be news for millennials. BuzzFeed, 1105 00:59:40,720 --> 00:59:44,320 Speaker 1: Mike dot com, remember am to DM on Twitter, all 1106 00:59:44,360 --> 00:59:47,400 Speaker 1: those cringey Facebook watch shows just a few years ago. 1107 00:59:47,760 --> 00:59:52,520 Speaker 1: They were all fake AstroTurf efforts and basically repackaging mainstream 1108 00:59:52,600 --> 00:59:55,120 Speaker 1: BS news and then trying to sell it to you 1109 00:59:55,520 --> 00:59:57,960 Speaker 1: as one of your own. Today, we've actually got a 1110 00:59:57,960 --> 01:00:01,680 Speaker 1: great view, which is just how colossively stupid, naive, and 1111 01:00:01,800 --> 01:00:05,160 Speaker 1: ultimately weak the biggest players in the corporate media game are. 1112 01:00:05,520 --> 01:00:07,479 Speaker 1: It all starts with a column from the great Ben 1113 01:00:07,520 --> 01:00:10,360 Speaker 1: Smith of the New York Times. Ironically enough, he blew 1114 01:00:10,400 --> 01:00:14,360 Speaker 1: the lid off a company called Ozi oz ozzy, I 1115 01:00:14,360 --> 01:00:16,880 Speaker 1: don't know how to pronounce it, don't much care. Smith 1116 01:00:16,960 --> 01:00:20,280 Speaker 1: revealed that in February of twenty twenty one, Ozi Media 1117 01:00:20,480 --> 01:00:24,600 Speaker 1: was in final stages to raise forty million dollars from 1118 01:00:24,680 --> 01:00:27,960 Speaker 1: Goldman Sachs now during the fundraising call they had a 1119 01:00:28,000 --> 01:00:31,680 Speaker 1: strange interaction with someone who purported to be an executive 1120 01:00:31,760 --> 01:00:34,920 Speaker 1: at YouTube. They felt really strangely about it, so they 1121 01:00:35,000 --> 01:00:37,360 Speaker 1: contacted that person they thought they had just met with. 1122 01:00:37,720 --> 01:00:41,440 Speaker 1: They discovered he had no idea what they were talking about. 1123 01:00:41,760 --> 01:00:44,040 Speaker 1: The voice on the other end of the phone that 1124 01:00:44,120 --> 01:00:47,240 Speaker 1: they thought was a YouTube executive was not that at all. 1125 01:00:47,640 --> 01:00:53,480 Speaker 1: It was the COO of Ozy Media trying to trick them. 1126 01:00:53,960 --> 01:00:57,400 Speaker 1: One of the most brazen, possibly illegal things I've ever heard, 1127 01:00:57,720 --> 01:01:00,520 Speaker 1: But really it revealed the tip of the iceber of 1128 01:01:00,560 --> 01:01:04,000 Speaker 1: such an obviously fake media company which seduced some of 1129 01:01:04,040 --> 01:01:07,680 Speaker 1: the top levels of the entire media business. Smith reveals 1130 01:01:07,680 --> 01:01:11,320 Speaker 1: that OZI founded by the aforementioned CEO named Samir Rau 1131 01:01:11,720 --> 01:01:15,840 Speaker 1: as COO and CEO Carlos Watson, formerly of Goldman Sachson 1132 01:01:15,920 --> 01:01:19,200 Speaker 1: Mike dot com. It's a total fakery. They sold the 1133 01:01:19,280 --> 01:01:23,440 Speaker 1: idea of a millennial media company. In twenty thirteen. They 1134 01:01:23,520 --> 01:01:27,640 Speaker 1: raised their initial millions of dollars from Loreene Powell Jobs, 1135 01:01:27,640 --> 01:01:31,040 Speaker 1: the widow of Steve Jobs, Silicon Valley capitalist Ron Conway, 1136 01:01:31,240 --> 01:01:34,440 Speaker 1: as well as David Drummond. He was the chief legal 1137 01:01:34,480 --> 01:01:38,120 Speaker 1: officer of Google, huge heavy hitters in the space. In 1138 01:01:38,160 --> 01:01:41,760 Speaker 1: twenty fourteen, they even raised money from Axel Springer that's 1139 01:01:41,800 --> 01:01:45,560 Speaker 1: a huge media conglomerate in Germany that just bought Politico 1140 01:01:45,920 --> 01:01:49,480 Speaker 1: for a billion dollars. They raised thirty five million from 1141 01:01:49,520 --> 01:01:51,960 Speaker 1: Mark Lazary. He's a hedge fund manager. He's a co 1142 01:01:52,040 --> 01:01:55,160 Speaker 1: owner of the Milwaukee Bucks. They raised money from the 1143 01:01:55,200 --> 01:01:58,760 Speaker 1: Ford Foundation, who wanted to support a black owned media 1144 01:01:58,800 --> 01:02:02,360 Speaker 1: company with a total valuation in April of twenty twenty 1145 01:02:02,560 --> 01:02:06,440 Speaker 1: at one hundred and fifty nine million dollars based on 1146 01:02:07,120 --> 01:02:10,560 Speaker 1: eighty nine million dollars raised. Think about that. It's actually 1147 01:02:10,600 --> 01:02:13,080 Speaker 1: pretty impressive, right. Take a look at the numbers though, 1148 01:02:13,160 --> 01:02:17,800 Speaker 1: that these so called sophisticated media investors believed. In twenty nineteen, 1149 01:02:18,160 --> 01:02:23,040 Speaker 1: Ozi claimed it had fifty million monthly unique users, just 1150 01:02:23,040 --> 01:02:25,080 Speaker 1: to give you an idea. If that were true, it 1151 01:02:25,120 --> 01:02:28,160 Speaker 1: would be one of the most successful digital media click 1152 01:02:28,240 --> 01:02:32,240 Speaker 1: based companies ever, like vox Weis or Craigslist. But as 1153 01:02:32,280 --> 01:02:34,320 Speaker 1: Ben points out, if you take a look at their 1154 01:02:34,360 --> 01:02:37,560 Speaker 1: comScore data, they were only getting two hundred and thirty 1155 01:02:37,600 --> 01:02:40,760 Speaker 1: thousand in June and four hundred and seventy nine thousand 1156 01:02:40,920 --> 01:02:43,560 Speaker 1: in July. That is half of what we get here 1157 01:02:43,600 --> 01:02:46,840 Speaker 1: on breaking points in a single day, whenever we have 1158 01:02:46,960 --> 01:02:49,640 Speaker 1: a show or look at this. They claim they had 1159 01:02:49,680 --> 01:02:53,880 Speaker 1: twenty million subscribers to their email newsletters. If that were true, 1160 01:02:54,000 --> 01:02:57,240 Speaker 1: it would be the most successful email news business on 1161 01:02:57,440 --> 01:03:01,440 Speaker 1: planet Earth. But my all time favor is the terrain 1162 01:03:01,560 --> 01:03:05,600 Speaker 1: I know very well YouTube, where OZI has marketed itself 1163 01:03:05,800 --> 01:03:09,400 Speaker 1: as a quote fastest growing talk show in YouTube history. 1164 01:03:09,640 --> 01:03:12,240 Speaker 1: Well as Crystal has pointed out here, they have videos 1165 01:03:12,280 --> 01:03:15,320 Speaker 1: like this where you have ninety k views but only 1166 01:03:15,400 --> 01:03:18,840 Speaker 1: twelve likes and a single comment. They have videos with 1167 01:03:18,960 --> 01:03:22,680 Speaker 1: a million views but fewer than one hundred comment Between's 1168 01:03:22,760 --> 01:03:26,240 Speaker 1: what we all know watching this, what that means. It's 1169 01:03:26,280 --> 01:03:30,240 Speaker 1: all a fugazy It's completely fake. And yet the most 1170 01:03:30,320 --> 01:03:36,000 Speaker 1: sophisticated investors bought it, to the tune of ninety million dollars. 1171 01:03:36,440 --> 01:03:39,120 Speaker 1: Even better, all of the so called elites and media 1172 01:03:39,160 --> 01:03:41,840 Speaker 1: bought it too. PBS gave them a show, They had 1173 01:03:41,840 --> 01:03:43,960 Speaker 1: an interview show with Hulu. They had a show on 1174 01:03:44,000 --> 01:03:47,720 Speaker 1: the Oprah Winfrey Network that even won in Emmy in 1175 01:03:47,800 --> 01:03:51,560 Speaker 1: the news discussion an analysis section. They hired star reporters 1176 01:03:51,800 --> 01:03:54,880 Speaker 1: like BBC's Katie k who was opted on Morning Joe 1177 01:03:55,680 --> 01:03:59,960 Speaker 1: Freaking NPR put the CEO of OZI, Carlos Watson, all 1178 01:04:00,120 --> 01:04:04,240 Speaker 1: on their board of directors, and Stephen Colbert once introduced 1179 01:04:04,320 --> 01:04:07,840 Speaker 1: him on his show as a quote media mogul. The 1180 01:04:07,840 --> 01:04:10,640 Speaker 1: best part is even after all of this was revealed 1181 01:04:10,840 --> 01:04:13,360 Speaker 1: to the Ford Foundation, one of the largest progress of 1182 01:04:13,400 --> 01:04:16,600 Speaker 1: nonprofits in America, they said they still believe in OSI 1183 01:04:16,720 --> 01:04:20,160 Speaker 1: because quote, in an increasingly diverse world, it's no coincidence 1184 01:04:20,200 --> 01:04:22,560 Speaker 1: a company with co founders of black and Indian descent 1185 01:04:22,800 --> 01:04:26,920 Speaker 1: would be so successful. Amazing. Identity politics is so powerful 1186 01:04:26,920 --> 01:04:29,240 Speaker 1: to these people. Even if you trick them when taking 1187 01:04:29,280 --> 01:04:32,040 Speaker 1: their own money, they'll still defend you in the pages 1188 01:04:32,080 --> 01:04:35,560 Speaker 1: of the New York Times. Incredible, and now OZI claims 1189 01:04:35,560 --> 01:04:37,280 Speaker 1: that the New York Times piece was a hit job. 1190 01:04:37,440 --> 01:04:40,200 Speaker 1: They've placed their COEO, who faked being a YouTube executive, 1191 01:04:40,440 --> 01:04:43,320 Speaker 1: on actual leave this time. But the lesson is this 1192 01:04:43,680 --> 01:04:46,440 Speaker 1: the most sophisticated people in media, both the executives and 1193 01:04:46,480 --> 01:04:49,640 Speaker 1: the investors, they're complete idiots who fell for this nonsense. 1194 01:04:49,960 --> 01:04:53,280 Speaker 1: That's great news for us because we are willing to 1195 01:04:53,440 --> 01:04:56,520 Speaker 1: They are willing to spend all their money, all their resources, 1196 01:04:56,960 --> 01:05:00,040 Speaker 1: just for the promise that somebody somewhere can propaga and 1197 01:05:00,240 --> 01:05:03,120 Speaker 1: eyes to you. But here's what they don't realize and 1198 01:05:03,160 --> 01:05:06,040 Speaker 1: we do. The only way to reach young people is 1199 01:05:06,080 --> 01:05:09,360 Speaker 1: to expose the lies the failure of the elite class 1200 01:05:09,360 --> 01:05:13,000 Speaker 1: that already manufactures the current iteration of news. No amount 1201 01:05:13,000 --> 01:05:15,800 Speaker 1: of money spent on a vibe website or a Vibe 1202 01:05:15,880 --> 01:05:19,160 Speaker 1: video can dup actual people into what they are selling. 1203 01:05:19,920 --> 01:05:22,880 Speaker 1: CNN is trying desperately to reach millennials with a new 1204 01:05:22,920 --> 01:05:27,200 Speaker 1: streaming network called CNN Plus. NBC News is launching shows 1205 01:05:27,200 --> 01:05:30,520 Speaker 1: on Peacock because they see nearly twenty two percent of 1206 01:05:30,520 --> 01:05:33,600 Speaker 1: Americans get their news by streaming right here on YouTube. 1207 01:05:33,840 --> 01:05:36,960 Speaker 1: But what they'll never understand is that people turn here 1208 01:05:37,040 --> 01:05:41,160 Speaker 1: to YouTube and elsewhere to other emerging creators, specifically to 1209 01:05:41,280 --> 01:05:44,960 Speaker 1: get away from the garbage that those people have been peddling. 1210 01:05:45,240 --> 01:05:49,640 Speaker 1: Their idiocy and noxiousness is to our benefit. It shows 1211 01:05:49,720 --> 01:05:52,200 Speaker 1: us that, as powerful as mainstream media has a hold 1212 01:05:52,200 --> 01:05:55,000 Speaker 1: on the country and the boomer mind, that in the end, 1213 01:05:55,120 --> 01:05:58,080 Speaker 1: the future is actually right here, folks. Whatever comes next 1214 01:05:58,280 --> 01:06:00,919 Speaker 1: can only come from the outside, and I really can't 1215 01:06:00,960 --> 01:06:04,120 Speaker 1: wait to see that reality. It's pretty amazing. Crystal story. 1216 01:06:04,240 --> 01:06:08,280 Speaker 1: They spent nine one more thing, I promise. Just wanted 1217 01:06:08,280 --> 01:06:11,040 Speaker 1: to make sure you knew about my podcast with Kyle Kolinski. 1218 01:06:11,120 --> 01:06:13,560 Speaker 1: It's called Crystal, Kyle and Friends, where we do long 1219 01:06:13,560 --> 01:06:16,680 Speaker 1: form interviews with people like Noam Chomsky, Cornell West, and 1220 01:06:16,720 --> 01:06:20,520 Speaker 1: Glenn Greenwald. You can listen on any podcast platform, or 1221 01:06:20,560 --> 01:06:23,000 Speaker 1: you can subscribe over on substack to get the video 1222 01:06:23,040 --> 01:06:25,200 Speaker 1: a day early. We're going to stop bugging you now 1223 01:06:25,400 --> 01:06:27,800 Speaker 1: enjoy Crystal. What are you taking a look at? Well? 1224 01:06:27,800 --> 01:06:30,160 Speaker 1: I got another media story for you, folks. What the 1225 01:06:30,200 --> 01:06:34,280 Speaker 1: hell is going on over at the View? So last week, 1226 01:06:34,480 --> 01:06:36,200 Speaker 1: the ladies of the View, they were hyping a big 1227 01:06:36,240 --> 01:06:39,120 Speaker 1: interview with Vice President Kamala Harris, and indeed, as they 1228 01:06:39,160 --> 01:06:41,640 Speaker 1: say in the biz, it was a huge get. Kamala 1229 01:06:41,840 --> 01:06:43,680 Speaker 1: just doesn't give a lot of interviews, and when she 1230 01:06:43,720 --> 01:06:46,200 Speaker 1: does something, they don't typically go all that Well, there's 1231 01:06:46,240 --> 01:06:48,520 Speaker 1: plenty to press her on, in particular the treatment of 1232 01:06:48,560 --> 01:06:51,800 Speaker 1: Hatians at the border, given that, by her own previous definition, 1233 01:06:52,040 --> 01:06:56,080 Speaker 1: the Biden administration's actions have been unconstitutional. Immigration is also 1234 01:06:56,160 --> 01:06:59,440 Speaker 1: supposed to be her main portfolio item. After all, I 1235 01:06:59,480 --> 01:07:01,000 Speaker 1: know you'll be s got to learn. I'm not a 1236 01:07:01,120 --> 01:07:03,400 Speaker 1: huge consumer of the view, but I was planning on 1237 01:07:03,480 --> 01:07:05,560 Speaker 1: checking out that interview after the fact to see if 1238 01:07:05,600 --> 01:07:09,720 Speaker 1: anything interesting happened. And indeed, something very interesting did happen. 1239 01:07:10,320 --> 01:07:12,880 Speaker 1: Surely before the vice president's interview was set to begin, 1240 01:07:13,360 --> 01:07:15,760 Speaker 1: this little scene unfolded on set. Two of you to 1241 01:07:15,760 --> 01:07:18,800 Speaker 1: step off for a second. Okay, and and uh and 1242 01:07:18,880 --> 01:07:21,840 Speaker 1: we're gonna bring Sunny later, half cleaned. Yes, and we'll 1243 01:07:21,840 --> 01:07:24,640 Speaker 1: tell you why, more information later. It's a tis. We'll 1244 01:07:24,640 --> 01:07:27,160 Speaker 1: tell you why in a couple of minutes. So shall 1245 01:07:27,160 --> 01:07:33,440 Speaker 1: I introduce the Vice president? Yes? Okay, so Vice President? No? Okay? 1246 01:07:33,680 --> 01:07:37,720 Speaker 1: Shall we dance? Let's do a tap dances? Good? This 1247 01:07:37,800 --> 01:07:39,880 Speaker 1: is going to be a major news story any minute now. 1248 01:07:40,280 --> 01:07:44,000 Speaker 1: What happened is that Sonny and Anna both apparently tested 1249 01:07:44,040 --> 01:07:47,160 Speaker 1: positive for COVID. No matter how hard we try, these 1250 01:07:47,200 --> 01:07:50,000 Speaker 1: things happened. They probably have a breakthrough case and they'll 1251 01:07:50,040 --> 01:07:53,600 Speaker 1: be okay, I'm sure because they're both vaccinated up the wazoo, 1252 01:07:53,680 --> 01:07:57,000 Speaker 1: you know, a lot of vaccines. So so halfway through 1253 01:07:57,000 --> 01:07:59,840 Speaker 1: the show, Sunny Hastin and Anna Navarro are informed they've 1254 01:08:00,280 --> 01:08:03,080 Speaker 1: positive for COVID. Joy and that other lady are then 1255 01:08:03,160 --> 01:08:05,840 Speaker 1: left scrambling for something to do while the crew backstage 1256 01:08:05,880 --> 01:08:08,600 Speaker 1: gets a Vice President Harris set for a remote interview. 1257 01:08:09,120 --> 01:08:12,160 Speaker 1: That interview with a vice president ultimately lasts like eight minutes, 1258 01:08:12,240 --> 01:08:15,080 Speaker 1: involves about three actual questions, and is generally a pointless 1259 01:08:15,080 --> 01:08:17,320 Speaker 1: waste of time, a lot less compelling than the chaos 1260 01:08:17,360 --> 01:08:20,160 Speaker 1: and drama which had already unfolded. I have a lot 1261 01:08:20,200 --> 01:08:22,960 Speaker 1: of questions here, chief among them, why in the world 1262 01:08:22,960 --> 01:08:25,040 Speaker 1: are you getting back COVID results in the middle of 1263 01:08:25,080 --> 01:08:28,559 Speaker 1: a live show. Surely with an interview of this level, 1264 01:08:28,640 --> 01:08:31,400 Speaker 1: and knowing how paranoid both the new team and certainly 1265 01:08:31,439 --> 01:08:34,680 Speaker 1: the White House are about COVID exposures, you must have 1266 01:08:34,760 --> 01:08:37,160 Speaker 1: gotten this test done with ample time to make sure 1267 01:08:37,200 --> 01:08:39,599 Speaker 1: your hosts and everyone else would be around the Vice 1268 01:08:39,640 --> 01:08:43,920 Speaker 1: President were pandemic free. Then things got even stranger. It 1269 01:08:43,960 --> 01:08:46,679 Speaker 1: turns out Sunny and Anna they didn't, in fact even 1270 01:08:46,680 --> 01:08:50,240 Speaker 1: have COVID. After the initial positive result and their dramatic 1271 01:08:50,320 --> 01:08:53,600 Speaker 1: mid show departure, they were given multiple additional tests that 1272 01:08:53,680 --> 01:08:57,639 Speaker 1: all found them to be COVID negative. So, by chance, 1273 01:08:58,200 --> 01:09:01,880 Speaker 1: somehow both received false positives in the middle of a 1274 01:09:01,920 --> 01:09:04,400 Speaker 1: live show, and not just any false positives, The White 1275 01:09:04,439 --> 01:09:07,920 Speaker 1: House required the host be administered PCR tests that's the 1276 01:09:08,000 --> 01:09:11,519 Speaker 1: gold standard in COVID detection. I did a little research 1277 01:09:11,560 --> 01:09:13,800 Speaker 1: on this, dear viewers, and it turns out that false 1278 01:09:13,800 --> 01:09:16,880 Speaker 1: positives and PCR tests are basically not a thing. Now. 1279 01:09:16,880 --> 01:09:19,639 Speaker 1: The PCR tests are very sensitive. They can detect trace 1280 01:09:19,680 --> 01:09:21,639 Speaker 1: amounts of the virus at the very beginning or very 1281 01:09:21,680 --> 01:09:25,519 Speaker 1: tail end of illness, even registering small amounts of dead virus. 1282 01:09:26,000 --> 01:09:28,519 Speaker 1: But if you've got a positive result, you had some 1283 01:09:28,720 --> 01:09:31,720 Speaker 1: COVID in your system. So we're being told that not 1284 01:09:31,840 --> 01:09:35,920 Speaker 1: just one, but two hosts received stunningly rare false positives 1285 01:09:35,960 --> 01:09:38,800 Speaker 1: and were taken out of commission just long enough to 1286 01:09:38,840 --> 01:09:41,759 Speaker 1: create a lot of drama and tank the VP interview. 1287 01:09:42,280 --> 01:09:46,639 Speaker 1: What an incredible series of coincidences. On Monday, the show's 1288 01:09:46,640 --> 01:09:49,960 Speaker 1: executive producer came on purportedly to explain what happened, but 1289 01:09:50,320 --> 01:09:53,800 Speaker 1: didn't actually explain anything at all. I really want to 1290 01:09:53,800 --> 01:09:57,519 Speaker 1: acknowledge and apologize to Sonny and Anna because in the 1291 01:09:57,560 --> 01:09:59,120 Speaker 1: midst of all this chaos, they were put in this 1292 01:09:59,680 --> 01:10:02,800 Speaker 1: position where they had this information put out on television, 1293 01:10:03,400 --> 01:10:06,439 Speaker 1: and then, to make it even worse, it turned out 1294 01:10:06,439 --> 01:10:09,800 Speaker 1: not to be true later on, and well, that's better 1295 01:10:09,800 --> 01:10:11,439 Speaker 1: if it was not that it was, Yeah, it was 1296 01:10:11,439 --> 01:10:13,320 Speaker 1: that there was false positive. That it was that was 1297 01:10:13,360 --> 01:10:17,080 Speaker 1: false positive. So it was unfortunate that mistakes were made. 1298 01:10:17,080 --> 01:10:19,280 Speaker 1: But I can confidently say that we have very biggor 1299 01:10:19,360 --> 01:10:22,639 Speaker 1: safety art calls, that everyone is regularly tested, and I'm 1300 01:10:22,640 --> 01:10:24,960 Speaker 1: just so relieved that you guys are healthy, that everyone 1301 01:10:25,000 --> 01:10:29,760 Speaker 1: is healthy, and nobody was ever in danger. Mistakes were 1302 01:10:29,800 --> 01:10:33,519 Speaker 1: made by who? What were the mistakes? Doesn't say now. 1303 01:10:33,560 --> 01:10:35,599 Speaker 1: The last part of the story is reported yesterday by 1304 01:10:35,640 --> 01:10:39,439 Speaker 1: Oliver Darcy at CNN, is that reportedly the Vice President's 1305 01:10:39,479 --> 01:10:41,360 Speaker 1: office has not been able to get any answers out 1306 01:10:41,400 --> 01:10:43,760 Speaker 1: of them either. According to Darcy, the View had given 1307 01:10:43,840 --> 01:10:46,120 Speaker 1: in all clear to the White House on Thursday night 1308 01:10:46,120 --> 01:10:49,640 Speaker 1: before the interview, indicating that all of the hosts PCR 1309 01:10:49,720 --> 01:10:53,320 Speaker 1: tests had come back negative. So the Vice Presidence team 1310 01:10:53,360 --> 01:10:55,719 Speaker 1: was allegedly very confused and taken it back when suddenly 1311 01:10:55,800 --> 01:10:59,719 Speaker 1: mid show these positive COVID tests suddenly emerged crazy. Darcy 1312 01:10:59,800 --> 01:11:02,160 Speaker 1: right to that. According to a person familiar with the matter, 1313 01:11:02,439 --> 01:11:04,960 Speaker 1: the View has not been forthcoming with the Vice President's office, 1314 01:11:05,040 --> 01:11:09,840 Speaker 1: leaving Harris's staff deeply concerned about what actually happened. Look, guys, 1315 01:11:10,040 --> 01:11:11,800 Speaker 1: I know this is not the most important story in 1316 01:11:11,840 --> 01:11:13,920 Speaker 1: the world. But this whole thing does not add up. 1317 01:11:14,120 --> 01:11:16,439 Speaker 1: Some piece of the puzzle is being hidden. Hear one 1318 01:11:16,439 --> 01:11:18,160 Speaker 1: more incident to add to the list where we are 1319 01:11:18,200 --> 01:11:21,240 Speaker 1: clearly not getting the full story from our supposed truth tellers. 1320 01:11:21,479 --> 01:11:25,040 Speaker 1: And look, Kamala Harris is vice President, and she certainly 1321 01:11:25,040 --> 01:11:27,920 Speaker 1: believed she might be the nation's next president. The press 1322 01:11:27,960 --> 01:11:30,880 Speaker 1: has precious little access to her. I want to know 1323 01:11:31,120 --> 01:11:33,240 Speaker 1: why one of the few opportunities to ask her some 1324 01:11:33,320 --> 01:11:36,120 Speaker 1: questions got so incredibly bungled and short changed by an 1325 01:11:36,160 --> 01:11:40,080 Speaker 1: incredible cascading series of coincidences. But isn't it nice how 1326 01:11:40,080 --> 01:11:42,280 Speaker 1: well this worked out for all the players involved. The 1327 01:11:42,360 --> 01:11:46,519 Speaker 1: View got some dramatic programming, fueling interest, certainly fueling ratings. 1328 01:11:46,760 --> 01:11:49,240 Speaker 1: The Vice President got to technically do a big interview 1329 01:11:49,240 --> 01:11:51,479 Speaker 1: on a challenging week for the administration, but it only 1330 01:11:51,520 --> 01:11:53,599 Speaker 1: lasted eight minutes. The questions were easy, with no time 1331 01:11:53,600 --> 01:11:56,120 Speaker 1: for follow up, and the substance of our interview was 1332 01:11:56,200 --> 01:11:59,599 Speaker 1: utterly drawn out by the bizarre chaos that played out instead. 1333 01:12:00,080 --> 01:12:02,800 Speaker 1: A cynical person might even say that this could not 1334 01:12:03,000 --> 01:12:05,559 Speaker 1: have possibly worked out better for the View and for 1335 01:12:05,600 --> 01:12:08,160 Speaker 1: the Vice President if they had planned it. So what 1336 01:12:08,160 --> 01:12:12,360 Speaker 1: do you think, Zagar, what do you think happened? All right, 1337 01:12:12,439 --> 01:12:15,680 Speaker 1: we have a really important guest that I wanted to 1338 01:12:15,680 --> 01:12:18,639 Speaker 1: make sure that we spoke with today. If you've been 1339 01:12:18,800 --> 01:12:23,000 Speaker 1: following our reporting here in our interviews here, Steven Donziger 1340 01:12:23,160 --> 01:12:29,160 Speaker 1: has been just aggressively prosecuted and persecuted by Chevron. He 1341 01:12:29,240 --> 01:12:33,840 Speaker 1: won a gigantic historic settlement against that oil company for 1342 01:12:33,920 --> 01:12:38,840 Speaker 1: their poisoning of indigenous people. He is now facing sentencing 1343 01:12:39,360 --> 01:12:43,720 Speaker 1: in his criminal conviction for contempt of court. He was 1344 01:12:43,760 --> 01:12:47,439 Speaker 1: found guilty. It's a misdemeanor charge. It should be nothing. 1345 01:12:47,720 --> 01:12:50,760 Speaker 1: He also, look to my reading of the facts, isn't 1346 01:12:50,760 --> 01:12:54,200 Speaker 1: even guilty of contempt of court. The whole situation is 1347 01:12:54,240 --> 01:12:57,759 Speaker 1: completely insane. He's been held in home confinement for over 1348 01:12:57,960 --> 01:13:03,000 Speaker 1: two years now. Were the tiniest of alleged infractions. So 1349 01:13:03,040 --> 01:13:06,519 Speaker 1: he's facing sentencing tomorrow. Here Steven Donziger, Steven, so great 1350 01:13:06,520 --> 01:13:09,439 Speaker 1: to see, so great to have you this morning. Thanks 1351 01:13:09,479 --> 01:13:12,559 Speaker 1: for having me. Can you just give us an update 1352 01:13:12,720 --> 01:13:17,360 Speaker 1: on how you're doing number one and what you're expecting 1353 01:13:17,360 --> 01:13:21,320 Speaker 1: to happen tomorrow? Sure? Well, today is my seven hundred 1354 01:13:21,320 --> 01:13:23,479 Speaker 1: and eighty six day in home detention. With an ankle 1355 01:13:23,520 --> 01:13:26,000 Speaker 1: brace that I live in a two bedroom apartment in Manhattan, 1356 01:13:26,040 --> 01:13:30,000 Speaker 1: and I helped one of the lawyers who helped indigenous 1357 01:13:30,000 --> 01:13:32,559 Speaker 1: peoples in Ecuador win a nine point five billion dollar 1358 01:13:32,680 --> 01:13:36,880 Speaker 1: judgment against Chevron. The company has launched a massive retaliation 1359 01:13:37,040 --> 01:13:40,200 Speaker 1: campaign against me, which included a demand that I turned 1360 01:13:40,240 --> 01:13:43,919 Speaker 1: over my computer and cell phone to Chevron, which is unhurting, 1361 01:13:45,040 --> 01:13:48,519 Speaker 1: and turnover my entire confidential case file. I appealed the order, 1362 01:13:48,560 --> 01:13:50,840 Speaker 1: and while it was on appeal or a US judge 1363 01:13:50,880 --> 01:13:53,880 Speaker 1: locked me up, claiming I was in contempt of court. 1364 01:13:53,960 --> 01:13:57,759 Speaker 1: And it's now been over two years. I was tried 1365 01:13:58,280 --> 01:14:01,200 Speaker 1: in a misdemeanor case without a jury while I was 1366 01:14:01,240 --> 01:14:05,640 Speaker 1: on home detention. The judge, who's a member of the 1367 01:14:05,640 --> 01:14:11,160 Speaker 1: Federalist Society, which Chevron funds, found me guilty of misdemeanor 1368 01:14:11,360 --> 01:14:14,160 Speaker 1: contempt at court. I contest that I don't think I'm 1369 01:14:14,200 --> 01:14:17,439 Speaker 1: guilty in the least, but she's going to sentence me 1370 01:14:17,520 --> 01:14:20,439 Speaker 1: tomorrow here in Federal Court in Manhattan, and she can 1371 01:14:20,479 --> 01:14:22,320 Speaker 1: put me into prison for up to six months. I 1372 01:14:22,360 --> 01:14:24,799 Speaker 1: hope it doesn't happen. We're asking for her to release 1373 01:14:24,840 --> 01:14:28,840 Speaker 1: me with time served because the longest sentence of any 1374 01:14:29,000 --> 01:14:33,400 Speaker 1: given any lawyer in US history in New York since 1375 01:14:33,439 --> 01:14:36,360 Speaker 1: the Federal Court was founded in seventeen eighty nine is 1376 01:14:36,479 --> 01:14:39,320 Speaker 1: ninety days of home confinement. And I've been here now, 1377 01:14:39,360 --> 01:14:41,559 Speaker 1: as I said, seven hundred and eighty seven days. So 1378 01:14:42,120 --> 01:14:43,800 Speaker 1: you know, we're hoping she'll do the right thing. We're 1379 01:14:43,840 --> 01:14:45,400 Speaker 1: going in in good faith and we're going to ask 1380 01:14:45,439 --> 01:14:48,639 Speaker 1: her to release me. So seven hundred and eighty seven 1381 01:14:48,720 --> 01:14:52,000 Speaker 1: days in your house, and now you're facing up to 1382 01:14:52,160 --> 01:14:56,439 Speaker 1: six months in a federal prison, all for contempt of 1383 01:14:56,520 --> 01:14:59,759 Speaker 1: court charge. And here's the thing I don't really understand, Stephen. 1384 01:15:00,120 --> 01:15:03,280 Speaker 1: You haven't faced a jury at any time in this like, 1385 01:15:03,800 --> 01:15:06,200 Speaker 1: at no point had the facts of your case been 1386 01:15:06,240 --> 01:15:08,760 Speaker 1: actually presented to people. How does this happen? How does 1387 01:15:08,760 --> 01:15:12,200 Speaker 1: this work? Well, I think there's a lot of things 1388 01:15:12,560 --> 01:15:16,320 Speaker 1: happening to me that normally would not happen and should 1389 01:15:16,400 --> 01:15:20,760 Speaker 1: not happen according to our laws and our constitution. Among them, 1390 01:15:20,800 --> 01:15:22,880 Speaker 1: I believe I do have a right to a jury. 1391 01:15:22,880 --> 01:15:27,080 Speaker 1: I mean I was first sued by Chevron for fraud 1392 01:15:27,200 --> 01:15:30,800 Speaker 1: in an underlying racketeering case civil racketeering case. After the 1393 01:15:30,880 --> 01:15:34,280 Speaker 1: US attorney rejected and refused to prosecute me. It was 1394 01:15:34,320 --> 01:15:37,280 Speaker 1: based on false evidence from the paid Chevron witness that 1395 01:15:37,320 --> 01:15:40,320 Speaker 1: I supposedly bribed the judge in Ecuador. There's no evidence 1396 01:15:40,320 --> 01:15:44,080 Speaker 1: that that happened. The witness later than lying, but the judge, 1397 01:15:44,160 --> 01:15:47,880 Speaker 1: Lewis Kaplan, who's a former tobacco industry lawyer, you know, 1398 01:15:48,000 --> 01:15:51,800 Speaker 1: convicted me without a jury in a civil case of 1399 01:15:52,080 --> 01:15:56,360 Speaker 1: trying to defraud Chevron. He then imposed millions of dollars 1400 01:15:56,360 --> 01:16:00,000 Speaker 1: of fines on me, basically bankrupted me. Chevron cleaned up 1401 01:16:00,200 --> 01:16:02,439 Speaker 1: my bank accounts. I'm dependent on my wife and my 1402 01:16:02,520 --> 01:16:05,880 Speaker 1: defense fund to survive at this point. And he then 1403 01:16:05,920 --> 01:16:08,840 Speaker 1: appointed this other judge offend of his presco, who's a 1404 01:16:08,840 --> 01:16:12,599 Speaker 1: member of the Federalist Society, to try my criminal contempt case. 1405 01:16:12,640 --> 01:16:15,200 Speaker 1: And she locked me up pre trial. That's never happened 1406 01:16:15,240 --> 01:16:18,360 Speaker 1: to a person in US history on a federal misdemeanor charge. 1407 01:16:18,360 --> 01:16:21,200 Speaker 1: Some of the no criminal record, like me, there's a 1408 01:16:21,200 --> 01:16:24,680 Speaker 1: lot of irregular things. And she got around the jury requirement, 1409 01:16:24,800 --> 01:16:27,160 Speaker 1: which as you know, is required in a criminal case 1410 01:16:27,200 --> 01:16:30,320 Speaker 1: in the United States, by saying she would not sentence 1411 01:16:30,360 --> 01:16:32,559 Speaker 1: me to more than six months in prison, which makes 1412 01:16:32,600 --> 01:16:35,839 Speaker 1: it a Class B misdemeanor, which literally is the most 1413 01:16:35,840 --> 01:16:40,720 Speaker 1: minor possible offense in the federal criminal Code, so she 1414 01:16:40,840 --> 01:16:45,120 Speaker 1: avoided a jury, you know, and I think that's not 1415 01:16:45,320 --> 01:16:48,720 Speaker 1: right given that I'm facing prison. But they, you know, 1416 01:16:48,880 --> 01:16:51,120 Speaker 1: Chevron kind of tricked up the system here. And the 1417 01:16:51,160 --> 01:16:54,760 Speaker 1: other notable feature that is just shocking to me is 1418 01:16:55,040 --> 01:16:58,000 Speaker 1: Judge Capital when he charging the criminal contempt, his charges 1419 01:16:58,000 --> 01:17:01,440 Speaker 1: were rejected by the SDN bim US attorney here in Manhattan. 1420 01:17:01,720 --> 01:17:04,800 Speaker 1: He then appointed a private law firm to prosecute the 1421 01:17:04,920 --> 01:17:07,599 Speaker 1: suit and Kissel and it turns out this law firm 1422 01:17:07,640 --> 01:17:10,240 Speaker 1: has Chevron as a client. So essentially I'm being prosecuted 1423 01:17:10,240 --> 01:17:13,160 Speaker 1: by Chevron, you know, and this is scary. I just 1424 01:17:13,200 --> 01:17:15,559 Speaker 1: want to you know, this is bigger than me, because 1425 01:17:15,560 --> 01:17:19,000 Speaker 1: this is basically the first corporate prosecution in US history. 1426 01:17:19,040 --> 01:17:21,280 Speaker 1: And people need to pay attention because I think this 1427 01:17:21,400 --> 01:17:23,559 Speaker 1: is the playbook for the fossil fuel industry to go 1428 01:17:23,600 --> 01:17:27,480 Speaker 1: after lawyers and activists who are successful in their advocacy 1429 01:17:27,560 --> 01:17:30,320 Speaker 1: and holding these big pooters accountable. You know, it's to 1430 01:17:30,520 --> 01:17:34,599 Speaker 1: prosecute you directly if they cannot convince the normal federal 1431 01:17:34,640 --> 01:17:37,280 Speaker 1: prosecutor to take up the case, and you know, it 1432 01:17:37,320 --> 01:17:40,240 Speaker 1: can happen through these contempt charges where judges can appoint 1433 01:17:40,320 --> 01:17:42,920 Speaker 1: private prosecutors, but you're not supposed to point someone who's 1434 01:17:42,960 --> 01:17:46,000 Speaker 1: conflicted or someone who has an interest in the outcome. 1435 01:17:46,080 --> 01:17:49,080 Speaker 1: So this is extraordinary. So when you ask about a jury, 1436 01:17:49,120 --> 01:17:50,839 Speaker 1: you know, I feel like my rights have been denied. 1437 01:17:52,000 --> 01:17:54,400 Speaker 1: Just this week, by the way, the United Nations Working 1438 01:17:54,439 --> 01:17:59,120 Speaker 1: Group and Arbitrary Detention issued an extraordinary ruling basically demanding 1439 01:17:59,160 --> 01:18:03,000 Speaker 1: the US government released me immediately and pay me compensation 1440 01:18:03,160 --> 01:18:06,559 Speaker 1: because of this arbitrary deprivation of my liberty. So people 1441 01:18:06,560 --> 01:18:09,320 Speaker 1: are paying attention. We have sixty eight Nobel Laureates who've 1442 01:18:09,320 --> 01:18:12,320 Speaker 1: demanded my release. Now, these five international jurists in the 1443 01:18:12,439 --> 01:18:15,160 Speaker 1: United Nations. You know, this is I think become an 1444 01:18:15,160 --> 01:18:18,600 Speaker 1: embarrassment for the United States of America, for our federal judiciary. 1445 01:18:18,680 --> 01:18:21,880 Speaker 1: It's it's wrong on so many levels. And I'm demanding 1446 01:18:22,320 --> 01:18:24,920 Speaker 1: that Judge Preski release me tomorrow and allow me to 1447 01:18:24,920 --> 01:18:27,200 Speaker 1: take off my ankle bracelet for the first time in 1448 01:18:27,680 --> 01:18:30,880 Speaker 1: you know, two years and two months. Has there been 1449 01:18:31,000 --> 01:18:36,360 Speaker 1: any response from US authorities today U n ruling it's extraordinary, 1450 01:18:36,400 --> 01:18:40,720 Speaker 1: you asked, you know, basically there's been no response and 1451 01:18:40,800 --> 01:18:43,360 Speaker 1: there's really been no engagement. I mean, the ruling has 1452 01:18:43,439 --> 01:18:46,639 Speaker 1: been transmitted to the United States government through the State Department. 1453 01:18:46,680 --> 01:18:48,320 Speaker 1: But you know, I think I said this on an 1454 01:18:48,320 --> 01:18:51,080 Speaker 1: earlier interview with you guys. I mean, Joe Biden needs 1455 01:18:51,120 --> 01:18:53,479 Speaker 1: to step up. I mean, you can't you know, do 1456 01:18:53,640 --> 01:18:56,679 Speaker 1: good things on the climate issue while human rights lawyers 1457 01:18:57,000 --> 01:18:59,519 Speaker 1: who deal with polluters are being locked up in your 1458 01:18:59,520 --> 01:19:03,160 Speaker 1: own country. So the US government has not responded. By 1459 01:19:03,200 --> 01:19:05,920 Speaker 1: the way, this is dangerous because under the Trump administration 1460 01:19:06,000 --> 01:19:09,479 Speaker 1: there was virtually no engagement at all with international legal bodies. 1461 01:19:09,880 --> 01:19:12,160 Speaker 1: Joe Biden came into office saying he was going to 1462 01:19:12,200 --> 01:19:15,439 Speaker 1: fix that and engage on human rights issues. And here's 1463 01:19:15,479 --> 01:19:18,960 Speaker 1: a major human rights issue on US soil. And so far, 1464 01:19:19,479 --> 01:19:22,160 Speaker 1: the Department of Justice and the State Department, as far 1465 01:19:22,160 --> 01:19:25,760 Speaker 1: as we can tell, have ignored this decision, which, by 1466 01:19:25,800 --> 01:19:28,600 Speaker 1: the way, legally obligates the United States. I mean, this 1467 01:19:28,760 --> 01:19:32,120 Speaker 1: is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and 1468 01:19:32,160 --> 01:19:34,800 Speaker 1: the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights. These are 1469 01:19:34,800 --> 01:19:38,400 Speaker 1: international human rights treaties signed by the United States, and 1470 01:19:38,479 --> 01:19:42,200 Speaker 1: their provisions have the effect of binding domestic law in 1471 01:19:42,240 --> 01:19:44,160 Speaker 1: the United States. So you can't just say, oh, this 1472 01:19:44,280 --> 01:19:48,200 Speaker 1: is some international this is based on US domestic law, 1473 01:19:48,240 --> 01:19:51,519 Speaker 1: based on these human rights treaties. So our view is 1474 01:19:51,560 --> 01:19:54,360 Speaker 1: they're obligated to release me, and they're also obligated to 1475 01:19:54,439 --> 01:19:58,000 Speaker 1: compensate me monetarily for the deprivation of my liberty, the 1476 01:19:58,040 --> 01:20:00,200 Speaker 1: loss of income, and all the other damages me my 1477 01:20:00,240 --> 01:20:03,120 Speaker 1: family have suffered over the last two plus years. So 1478 01:20:03,160 --> 01:20:05,400 Speaker 1: we're going to pursue this, and if Judge Prescott doesn't 1479 01:20:05,439 --> 01:20:08,479 Speaker 1: release me tomorrow, we're going to pursue all possible avenues, 1480 01:20:08,520 --> 01:20:11,479 Speaker 1: obviously an appeal. Plus we are going directly to the 1481 01:20:11,479 --> 01:20:14,599 Speaker 1: Biden administration, to the Department of Justice to demand full 1482 01:20:14,680 --> 01:20:19,160 Speaker 1: implementation of this incredible decision. By the way, it's all 1483 01:20:19,280 --> 01:20:22,559 Speaker 1: you know, the United Nations, you know, human rights bodies 1484 01:20:22,600 --> 01:20:26,000 Speaker 1: almost never ruled against the United States on human rights issues. 1485 01:20:26,080 --> 01:20:28,599 Speaker 1: This is historically has been known as a country where 1486 01:20:28,600 --> 01:20:30,720 Speaker 1: the rule of law is respected. So this is just 1487 01:20:30,760 --> 01:20:35,560 Speaker 1: an extraordinary turn of events. The language they use is incredible. 1488 01:20:35,640 --> 01:20:38,840 Speaker 1: They call the facts in my case of appalling. They 1489 01:20:39,160 --> 01:20:43,040 Speaker 1: criticized Judge Caplan and charged me, Judge Prescot who locked 1490 01:20:43,080 --> 01:20:49,160 Speaker 1: me up as displaying an appalling lack of objectivity and impartiality, 1491 01:20:49,640 --> 01:20:52,920 Speaker 1: and again it's an embarrassment, you know. I'm embarrassed to 1492 01:20:53,080 --> 01:20:57,479 Speaker 1: be for our country that someone is is being treated 1493 01:20:57,479 --> 01:20:59,720 Speaker 1: this way. A human rights lawyer, I'm also you know, 1494 01:21:00,040 --> 01:21:03,280 Speaker 1: personally agreed because it's me. I'm the person, and I 1495 01:21:03,320 --> 01:21:06,400 Speaker 1: can't even walk outside my apartment without court permission. I 1496 01:21:06,400 --> 01:21:08,160 Speaker 1: have a fifteen year old son. I can't be a 1497 01:21:08,160 --> 01:21:10,760 Speaker 1: full father to him that he's just started his third 1498 01:21:10,840 --> 01:21:12,880 Speaker 1: year of school while I'm a home to tention wearing 1499 01:21:12,880 --> 01:21:15,600 Speaker 1: an ankle brace, and I just spent my third straight birthday, 1500 01:21:16,080 --> 01:21:18,040 Speaker 1: you know, locked up in my home, I mean for 1501 01:21:18,160 --> 01:21:23,520 Speaker 1: a misdemeanor. Okay, this is obvious retaliation. It's being orchestrated 1502 01:21:23,520 --> 01:21:26,559 Speaker 1: by Chevron, by a Chevron law firm from behind the scenes, 1503 01:21:26,960 --> 01:21:31,120 Speaker 1: because they face huge financial risk from the Ecuador pollution judgment, 1504 01:21:31,120 --> 01:21:34,040 Speaker 1: by the way, which we won successfully been affirmed by 1505 01:21:34,040 --> 01:21:38,160 Speaker 1: twenty eight different appellate judges down an Ecuador in twenty eleven, 1506 01:21:38,200 --> 01:21:41,360 Speaker 1: and they're just coming after me to both disable my 1507 01:21:41,479 --> 01:21:45,200 Speaker 1: advocacy but also to send, in my view, a message 1508 01:21:45,200 --> 01:21:48,719 Speaker 1: of intimidation to other human rights lawyers and other human 1509 01:21:48,760 --> 01:21:51,840 Speaker 1: rights advocates who would even think about holding big polluters accountable. 1510 01:21:51,880 --> 01:21:55,760 Speaker 1: So this is This implicates everybody. It indicates implicates advocacy 1511 01:21:55,800 --> 01:21:58,559 Speaker 1: in our country, and implicates what society we want to 1512 01:21:58,560 --> 01:22:03,160 Speaker 1: live in. Asking people for support, okay, support for me personally, 1513 01:22:03,479 --> 01:22:06,479 Speaker 1: my family and for the principles we all hold dear 1514 01:22:06,920 --> 01:22:09,800 Speaker 1: that we can live in a free, democratic society. You know, 1515 01:22:10,080 --> 01:22:11,880 Speaker 1: we're having a rally at eight thirty in the morning. 1516 01:22:11,880 --> 01:22:13,960 Speaker 1: By the way, for those of your listeners and viewers 1517 01:22:13,960 --> 01:22:15,840 Speaker 1: who live in the New York area, please come. It's 1518 01:22:15,880 --> 01:22:18,960 Speaker 1: the Federal Courthouse in Lower Manhattan at eight thirty. There's 1519 01:22:19,000 --> 01:22:20,599 Speaker 1: going to be a great group of speakers, and then 1520 01:22:20,640 --> 01:22:24,040 Speaker 1: we're all going to go into court bear witness in 1521 01:22:24,160 --> 01:22:26,840 Speaker 1: Judge Presco's court room at ten am to see what 1522 01:22:26,960 --> 01:22:31,920 Speaker 1: she decides to do with my sentencing. Steve, either tomorrow, 1523 01:22:32,439 --> 01:22:34,960 Speaker 1: just to be clear, you may be going to federal 1524 01:22:34,960 --> 01:22:37,679 Speaker 1: prison or you may be able to leave your house 1525 01:22:37,720 --> 01:22:40,080 Speaker 1: for the first time in almost eight hundred days. Is 1526 01:22:40,080 --> 01:22:42,560 Speaker 1: that what we're looking at? And what is your expectation 1527 01:22:42,720 --> 01:22:46,080 Speaker 1: knowing that at every turn they've thrown things at you 1528 01:22:46,160 --> 01:22:49,519 Speaker 1: that you never could have imagined. Well, that's a great question. 1529 01:22:49,720 --> 01:22:52,040 Speaker 1: And I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. I 1530 01:22:52,040 --> 01:22:56,040 Speaker 1: wish I did stressful not knowing, you know, stressful knowing 1531 01:22:56,080 --> 01:22:58,000 Speaker 1: I'll be there with my son, my wife, and my 1532 01:22:58,720 --> 01:23:02,360 Speaker 1: sister and family members and supporters, and I'm going to 1533 01:23:02,400 --> 01:23:04,280 Speaker 1: walk into that courthouse and I don't know if I'm 1534 01:23:04,280 --> 01:23:07,759 Speaker 1: coming out, you know, I mean, she could literally step 1535 01:23:07,840 --> 01:23:11,360 Speaker 1: me back in the courtroom on a misdemeanor. Again, by 1536 01:23:11,360 --> 01:23:13,280 Speaker 1: the way, there's never been a lawyer who spent even 1537 01:23:13,360 --> 01:23:17,160 Speaker 1: one day in jail for this offense level in US history. Okay, 1538 01:23:17,160 --> 01:23:21,800 Speaker 1: so it would be extraordinarily, I think inappropriate not to 1539 01:23:21,880 --> 01:23:25,160 Speaker 1: mention cool to lock me up tomorrow. But you know, 1540 01:23:25,200 --> 01:23:28,280 Speaker 1: the way this case has gone, I'm always obviously hoping 1541 01:23:28,280 --> 01:23:31,719 Speaker 1: for the best. I maintain optimism, but I am prepared 1542 01:23:31,800 --> 01:23:36,160 Speaker 1: for anything, and psychologically, I'm you know, I've I've put 1543 01:23:36,160 --> 01:23:38,479 Speaker 1: myself in a position where if that does happen, I 1544 01:23:38,560 --> 01:23:40,479 Speaker 1: expect to be able to deal with it. But obviously 1545 01:23:40,520 --> 01:23:43,040 Speaker 1: I don't want to go to prison. I you know, 1546 01:23:43,080 --> 01:23:46,080 Speaker 1: I really need to get back to my life, to 1547 01:23:46,120 --> 01:23:49,360 Speaker 1: my work, to my human rights advocacy. And you know, 1548 01:23:49,520 --> 01:23:52,160 Speaker 1: even if I'm guilty of these offenses, and again I 1549 01:23:52,160 --> 01:23:54,559 Speaker 1: don't believe I am, and we have a great appeal, 1550 01:23:55,479 --> 01:23:58,200 Speaker 1: But even if I'm guilty. Don't you think you know 1551 01:23:58,400 --> 01:24:02,160 Speaker 1: two years and two months of home confinement is enough 1552 01:24:02,240 --> 01:24:06,240 Speaker 1: punishment for a misdemeanor contempt charge where I was in 1553 01:24:06,320 --> 01:24:11,320 Speaker 1: good faith protecting the confidential information of my clients, Indigenous 1554 01:24:11,320 --> 01:24:14,320 Speaker 1: groups and equital who have been poisoned for fifty years 1555 01:24:14,360 --> 01:24:18,160 Speaker 1: by Chevron's pollution. And isn't it ironic that it's the 1556 01:24:18,320 --> 01:24:22,160 Speaker 1: human rights lawyer who's face in prison, whereas the Chevron 1557 01:24:22,200 --> 01:24:25,439 Speaker 1: and Mexico executives who made the decision to dump literally 1558 01:24:25,520 --> 01:24:30,240 Speaker 1: sixteen boll sixteen billion gallons of cancer causing toxic waste 1559 01:24:31,080 --> 01:24:35,000 Speaker 1: can just live with impunity. I mean, what is that about? 1560 01:24:35,640 --> 01:24:38,040 Speaker 1: So you know, we have some serious issues I think 1561 01:24:38,080 --> 01:24:41,280 Speaker 1: to think about through this case, But on a personal level, 1562 01:24:42,400 --> 01:24:44,519 Speaker 1: we're really hoping for the best, and we're really going 1563 01:24:44,560 --> 01:24:46,439 Speaker 1: to go in there in good faith and ask Judge 1564 01:24:46,520 --> 01:24:50,600 Speaker 1: Prescott to reach for her better angels and release me 1565 01:24:50,840 --> 01:24:54,160 Speaker 1: with time served. We're certainly hoping for the best. Who 1566 01:24:54,560 --> 01:24:57,120 Speaker 1: we're going to watch with great interest what happens tomorrow. 1567 01:24:57,160 --> 01:24:59,840 Speaker 1: What's been done to you is unconscionable, as you just said, 1568 01:25:00,360 --> 01:25:05,759 Speaker 1: you know, it's an incredible personal burden and affront to you. 1569 01:25:06,360 --> 01:25:10,320 Speaker 1: But it also exposes that so often in our society 1570 01:25:10,360 --> 01:25:14,559 Speaker 1: you have elites who commit flagrant, destructive crimes and face 1571 01:25:14,600 --> 01:25:16,640 Speaker 1: no accountability, and the ones who seek to hold them 1572 01:25:16,640 --> 01:25:19,439 Speaker 1: to account, they're the ones that are punished. Your primary 1573 01:25:19,439 --> 01:25:22,080 Speaker 1: example of that, Stephen. Thank you for spending a little 1574 01:25:22,080 --> 01:25:23,840 Speaker 1: bit of time with us today. We're grateful for it. 1575 01:25:25,880 --> 01:25:28,200 Speaker 1: Can I mention one very quick thing, which is sure 1576 01:25:28,560 --> 01:25:30,559 Speaker 1: the people want to learn more? Help please go to 1577 01:25:30,600 --> 01:25:34,200 Speaker 1: our website. It's called free Donziger dot com. We have 1578 01:25:34,240 --> 01:25:36,479 Speaker 1: a defense fund. If you can help, great, but you 1579 01:25:36,600 --> 01:25:39,040 Speaker 1: just sign up join our campaign. We have thousands of 1580 01:25:39,040 --> 01:25:42,040 Speaker 1: people and I really appreciate the opportunity to share my 1581 01:25:42,120 --> 01:25:45,160 Speaker 1: perspective with you guys. Link there. Yeah, we'll put the 1582 01:25:45,200 --> 01:25:47,519 Speaker 1: link in the description as well. Stephen, Thank you so much. 1583 01:25:47,520 --> 01:25:50,400 Speaker 1: We're sharing for you. Thank you, Steven, Thanks a lot, guys, 1584 01:25:50,640 --> 01:25:53,960 Speaker 1: Take care, appreciure, Thank you guys so much for watching 1585 01:25:54,200 --> 01:25:56,400 Speaker 1: those of you who already watched the show, our YouTube 1586 01:25:56,400 --> 01:25:58,479 Speaker 1: segment and more. You know what we're doing with here 1587 01:25:58,520 --> 01:26:01,720 Speaker 1: in terms of in terms of demonetization, being able to 1588 01:26:01,720 --> 01:26:04,639 Speaker 1: cover the news, covering whatever exactly we want. We can 1589 01:26:04,680 --> 01:26:07,439 Speaker 1: only do it with your support. There's no absolutely no 1590 01:26:07,520 --> 01:26:09,559 Speaker 1: way in order to keep the business going by just 1591 01:26:09,600 --> 01:26:12,240 Speaker 1: relying on YouTube revenue. So we rely on you, the 1592 01:26:12,280 --> 01:26:15,360 Speaker 1: premium linkers, write there in description, and we appreciate you 1593 01:26:15,400 --> 01:26:19,639 Speaker 1: all so much. Also, I have an exciting announcement, which 1594 01:26:19,680 --> 01:26:23,280 Speaker 1: is that we have a new partnership with The Daily Poster, 1595 01:26:23,520 --> 01:26:26,160 Speaker 1: of course, started by David Siota. We're going to have 1596 01:26:26,280 --> 01:26:30,880 Speaker 1: a regular weekly segment with them breaking some of their 1597 01:26:31,040 --> 01:26:33,920 Speaker 1: latest stories. You guys know, we already rely on them 1598 01:26:33,920 --> 01:26:36,360 Speaker 1: a lot because they are always doing journalism that is 1599 01:26:36,400 --> 01:26:40,000 Speaker 1: falling under the radar, especially looking at corruption. I know 1600 01:26:40,000 --> 01:26:43,280 Speaker 1: they have a great news story about Josh Gotdheimer and 1601 01:26:43,400 --> 01:26:46,960 Speaker 1: exactly why he so opposed this reconciliation bill, the money 1602 01:26:47,000 --> 01:26:51,000 Speaker 1: that's being put into his bank account, his campaign bank account, 1603 01:26:51,000 --> 01:26:53,639 Speaker 1: I should say for the moment anyway, and how he's 1604 01:26:53,680 --> 01:26:55,760 Speaker 1: one of the top recipients of Wall Street cash. So 1605 01:26:55,880 --> 01:26:58,240 Speaker 1: we're on a weekly segment with them. Those are going 1606 01:26:58,320 --> 01:27:01,280 Speaker 1: to post every Friday, so you guys know, normally we 1607 01:27:01,280 --> 01:27:03,880 Speaker 1: don't we don't have a full show on Friday. Those 1608 01:27:03,920 --> 01:27:07,760 Speaker 1: segments will go up on Friday, so we're really really 1609 01:27:07,800 --> 01:27:10,280 Speaker 1: excited about that, and they're going to feature those segments 1610 01:27:10,320 --> 01:27:13,200 Speaker 1: in their newsletter that goes down to their audience, so 1611 01:27:13,240 --> 01:27:16,719 Speaker 1: a little bit of you know, cross promotion, but we've 1612 01:27:16,840 --> 01:27:20,479 Speaker 1: long loved supporting and highlighting the work that David and 1613 01:27:20,520 --> 01:27:22,920 Speaker 1: his team are doing over there at Daily Poster. They 1614 01:27:23,000 --> 01:27:25,400 Speaker 1: definitely deserve your support if you're able to give it. 1615 01:27:25,439 --> 01:27:28,200 Speaker 1: So super excited for that first segment to drop tomorrow, 1616 01:27:28,280 --> 01:27:30,479 Speaker 1: so look for that and we'll have lots more for 1617 01:27:30,520 --> 01:27:33,240 Speaker 1: you this weekend as well. Love you guys so much 1618 01:27:33,240 --> 01:27:48,680 Speaker 1: and we'll see you back here next week. Thanks for 1619 01:27:48,720 --> 01:27:50,720 Speaker 1: listening to the show, guys, we really appreciate it. To 1620 01:27:50,720 --> 01:27:52,840 Speaker 1: help other people find the show, go ahead and leave 1621 01:27:52,920 --> 01:27:55,920 Speaker 1: us a five star rating on Apple Podcasts or wherever 1622 01:27:55,960 --> 01:27:59,000 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts. Really helps other people find the 1623 01:27:59,040 --> 01:28:02,439 Speaker 1: show as all. Always special thank you to Supercast for 1624 01:28:02,560 --> 01:28:05,439 Speaker 1: powering our premium membership. If you want to find out more, 1625 01:28:05,560 --> 01:28:07,719 Speaker 1: go to Crystalandsager dot com.