1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:04,200 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Molly John Fast and this is Fast Politics, 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: where we discussed the top political headlines with some of 3 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:11,560 Speaker 1: today's best minds, and Donald Trump has been booted off 4 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 1: Bloomberg's Billionaire's list. We have such a great show for 5 00:00:15,680 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 1: you today. The Washington Post Caroline Kitchener tells us about 6 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:24,279 Speaker 1: the disinformation around women's reproductive health. Then we'll talk to 7 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:31,320 Speaker 1: Maracoba County, Arizona reporter and Republican Stephen Richer about his 8 00:00:31,440 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: defamation suit with not Arizona Governor Carrie Lake. But first 9 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 1: we have the New Republics Greg Sergeant. Welcome back to 10 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,160 Speaker 1: Fast Politics. New Republics, Greg Sergeant. 11 00:00:45,440 --> 00:00:47,879 Speaker 2: Great to be here, as always, Molly, such. 12 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:51,400 Speaker 1: A weird time in American life. Right now? Should we 13 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 1: start by talking about the Republicans in the House. Yeah, 14 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: I mean yesterday what they kept failing at rules vote. 15 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:04,399 Speaker 1: What happened here is that Kevin McCarthy put Maga on 16 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:07,760 Speaker 1: the rules and turns out that Maga is not so 17 00:01:07,840 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: good on the rules committee. 18 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:12,559 Speaker 2: Huh, Yeah, they're really not. Here's what I keep wondering though, 19 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 2: And tell me if you agree with me. I don't 20 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 2: find a lot of takers for this right and I 21 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:17,880 Speaker 2: get trolled whenever. 22 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: I say it even better. 23 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,959 Speaker 2: Yeah, right, It seems to me that Mike Johnson wants 24 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 2: to hold a vote on the Ukraine eight. 25 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 1: Yes, I think so you do. 26 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:28,560 Speaker 2: Okay, great, I'm not entirely alone on this then, Okay, 27 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:32,119 Speaker 2: a number of things right. One, there are significant powerful 28 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:34,759 Speaker 2: Republicans in the House who want it, like these committee 29 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 2: chairs Mike Turner, people like that, right, And these are 30 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 2: major players. They're not maga noisemakers. So we don't talk 31 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,880 Speaker 2: about them ever. We only talk about Marjorie Taylor Green 32 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 2: and Matt Gates. And I don't know why that's the 33 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 2: only thing we'd ever talk about. But so, like these 34 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 2: committee chairs want this vote, Mike Johnson is talking to 35 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 2: world leaders seemingly pretty regularly, and they're telling him all 36 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 2: all of them are telling the same story, which is 37 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 2: that if we don't do this, we're in much more 38 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 2: trouble later. Right, Mike Johnson has a bit of a 39 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 2: Reagan night past as opposed to a mega kind of 40 00:02:09,720 --> 00:02:13,440 Speaker 2: the inclination. Seems to me he is a Christian nationalist 41 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:17,160 Speaker 2: and he's willing to endorse great replacement theory. But like 42 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 2: on national security and foreign policy, he's much more in 43 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 2: the Reagan nite mold. And then right, he's got the 44 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 2: good intelligence too, so he's got the top intel people 45 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 2: telling him what the real deal is there, and you 46 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 2: got to think the stuff weighs on him. And it 47 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:33,959 Speaker 2: looks to me like it is. 48 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: It's reauthorizing a rule that allows the American government to 49 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 1: wiretap calls of non citizens without a warrant, basically, right, 50 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:47,640 Speaker 1: I mean, that's what it is. And this was a 51 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: Republican idea, right as part of the Patriot Act, or 52 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:54,320 Speaker 1: at least it came about during that period when America 53 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:58,239 Speaker 1: wanted to have more of a you know, in arsenal 54 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: when it comes to prosecute and collecting information on our 55 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:06,240 Speaker 1: foreign adversary. So it's a republican idea like the idea 56 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 1: that Mike Johnson is for. This would make more sense. 57 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: I mean, it's just recently that MAGA has decided that 58 00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: they don't, you know whatever, they're not so interested in 59 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: foreign intervention maybe though who even knows what they really 60 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: believe in. But what I think is interesting is like 61 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:25,800 Speaker 1: when Johnson, he was remembering, he was like a low 62 00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:29,520 Speaker 1: ranking Republican, but once he was sort of given the information, 63 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:32,360 Speaker 1: and once he went into leadership, he sort of understood 64 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: why it was so important. 65 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:36,119 Speaker 2: Right. I want to pick up on something you said there, 66 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 2: which is whether they're really opposed to foreign intervention, because 67 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:42,240 Speaker 2: I feel like it's an important subject. You've probably noticed that, 68 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 2: like a lot of news accounts call mega isolations, they 69 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,680 Speaker 2: called Trump isolationist, right, and I just I don't think 70 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:50,640 Speaker 2: that's what they are. 71 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,760 Speaker 1: No. I just don't take them at their word for anything. 72 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:56,320 Speaker 1: I just want to fact check for one second. It's 73 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 1: called the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and it's not part 74 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: of the Patriot Act. I was wrong. It was enacted 75 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: in the year of my birth, nineteen seventy eight, and 76 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: the legislation was a congressional response to exposure during multiple 77 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: committee hearings of previous abuses of US persons privacy rights. Okay, 78 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:16,719 Speaker 1: so it actually is not part of the Patriot Act. 79 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: I was wrong, continues right. 80 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 2: No, No, absolutely right. We shouldn't take them at their word. 81 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 2: I think what's going on. I actually did a podcast 82 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,520 Speaker 2: with Julia Yaffi about this, and she was just so 83 00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 2: eloquent about it. They support the idea of Putin style government, right, 84 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 2: They oppose Ukrainian democracy. They want Putin to win. I 85 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 2: wouldn't attribute that sentiment to all of them, right, I 86 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,320 Speaker 2: think it's complicated, and it's a little shifty and it's 87 00:04:44,320 --> 00:04:48,039 Speaker 2: a little murky, but right, someone like Marjorie Taylor Green 88 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 2: I think has a genuine ideological affinity with Putin style governance, 89 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:59,680 Speaker 2: White Christian nationalist strong man rule, all about crushing the woke, 90 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:04,360 Speaker 2: the secular liberals, right, all about kind of crushing Western 91 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:08,440 Speaker 2: liberal democracy wherever possible they want. They see a Putin 92 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:11,839 Speaker 2: victory as a victory for their kind of access of autocracy. 93 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:14,960 Speaker 2: That it really dovetails very directly with their sense of 94 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 2: what they'd like to do here domestically. Right, So Trump 95 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:21,840 Speaker 2: admires Putin. We all know that. What's funny to me, though, 96 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 2: is like Trump isn't exactly where Marjorie Taylor Green is 97 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 2: on Putin or JD. Vans, who's also in the Marjorie 98 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 2: Taylor Green camp. I think for Trump, what he admires 99 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 2: is the strongman dictator part of Putin. He probably doesn't 100 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:38,479 Speaker 2: care so much about the crushing of the LGBTQ and 101 00:05:38,600 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 2: woke and all that, Whereas Marjorie Taylor Green and Jade 102 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:46,039 Speaker 2: Events probably wants something like theocratic rule here and see 103 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:48,960 Speaker 2: strongman rule as the way to get it. Trump doesn't 104 00:05:48,960 --> 00:05:51,520 Speaker 2: really care about that. But they kind of are in 105 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:56,280 Speaker 2: alliance on this, right, they're all kind of weirdly vaguely 106 00:05:56,440 --> 00:06:00,560 Speaker 2: pro putin. And that's not isolationism, it's side with an 107 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 2: access of autocrats out there. 108 00:06:02,800 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: Well, Juliaffi had this incredible scoop right where Michael McCall, 109 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 1: you know, high ranking chair in Congress Republican. He comes 110 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:19,320 Speaker 1: out and says, Republicans are absolutely repeating Russian propaganda. I mean, 111 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:20,680 Speaker 1: this is wild. 112 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:25,160 Speaker 2: It absolutely is. It's absolutely crazy. And what he means, 113 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:28,720 Speaker 2: I think, is he means to rebut this idea that 114 00:06:28,839 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 2: there are kind of these isolationists who just simply don't 115 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 2: want to spend our blood and treasure abroad, right, which 116 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:40,159 Speaker 2: makes it sound so tame and so admirable. Right, they're 117 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 2: just isolationists. They're anti war, they're not right, they're not Yeah, 118 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 2: you know what I mean, that's what he means. He's 119 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:52,360 Speaker 2: essentially saying what Julia Yaffi said on the podcast and 120 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:56,080 Speaker 2: what we're saying now, which is that in some very 121 00:06:56,279 --> 00:07:00,599 Speaker 2: basic sense, a sizable swath of the Republican Conference is 122 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:03,359 Speaker 2: at best and indifferent to the fate of Ukraine and 123 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 2: just fine with Putin crushing the Ukraine out of existence, 124 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:10,960 Speaker 2: and at worst tacitly or maybe even overtly wants Putin 125 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 2: to win. 126 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:14,680 Speaker 1: Yeah. But I think what's interesting to me is here 127 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 1: we are. Republicans have the House, they have a one 128 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:20,960 Speaker 1: bowl majority. They have a speaker who was number five 129 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: in leadership. She came into this job and he's getting crushed. 130 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 1: I mean, it's a really hard job. I Mean one 131 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:29,960 Speaker 1: of the things I think is, like when you think 132 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:33,360 Speaker 1: about people didn't like Nancy Pelosi, they had complaints about 133 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:37,960 Speaker 1: Nancy Pelosi, whatever, whatever, But like you really see, after 134 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:41,160 Speaker 1: we had Nancy Pelosi and then Republicans won the House, 135 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:44,239 Speaker 1: we had Kevin McCarthy and now we have Mike Johnson, 136 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 1: and both of them show it's actually a pretty hard job. 137 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 2: It really is. And Nancy Pelosi is really good at 138 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 2: the job too. I mean I always come back to this, 139 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 2: but she essentially presided over two impeachments of Trump, right, 140 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:00,920 Speaker 2: which has never happened. Yeah, And I think if I'm right, 141 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 2: she lost a grand total of three votes among Democrats 142 00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:09,440 Speaker 2: on two impeachments. That's some pretty impressive party unity right there. 143 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:13,360 Speaker 2: And right, like on social people always black Pelosi as 144 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:17,880 Speaker 2: neoliberal or democratic establishment. She focuses too much on kitchen 145 00:08:17,920 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 2: table issues. But like, winning House seats in some of 146 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:26,320 Speaker 2: these swing districts is hard, right, Yeah, And under her, 147 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:30,600 Speaker 2: they took the House in two thousand and six and 148 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 2: again in twenty eighteen. Now they lost it, but by 149 00:08:34,559 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 2: a far smaller margin than we expected. I think Mike 150 00:08:37,440 --> 00:08:39,960 Speaker 2: Johnson maywell just kind of lose the House in his 151 00:08:40,000 --> 00:08:42,600 Speaker 2: first crack at this if he's even there at the 152 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:43,560 Speaker 2: end of this year. 153 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:46,320 Speaker 1: Right, I mean, he could lose the House before the 154 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:49,840 Speaker 1: actual election, which is not you know, it's unlikely, but 155 00:08:49,920 --> 00:08:50,880 Speaker 1: not impossible. 156 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,080 Speaker 2: It's basically gone, right. I think one interesting way to 157 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:58,160 Speaker 2: think about this is that they don't really have a 158 00:08:58,200 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 2: garning majority, right yeah, So what is the Martian now too? 159 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:03,040 Speaker 1: One? 160 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 2: It's down to one, right, it's down to one now, 161 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:09,800 Speaker 2: And so right there just simply is not a group 162 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 2: of Republicans who are united in any sense and who 163 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:15,839 Speaker 2: also constitute a majority of the House. 164 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 1: Now and one of the things like I'm struck by 165 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,679 Speaker 1: when we talk about Nancy Pelosi is you know, she 166 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 1: knew that the House is about getting re elected. So 167 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:28,760 Speaker 1: if you were a Democrat in a swing state, in 168 00:09:28,800 --> 00:09:32,040 Speaker 1: a swingy district, she would really make sure that you 169 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:35,520 Speaker 1: didn't have to vote against your interests, right, you didn't 170 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:37,680 Speaker 1: have to do something that would mess you up. In 171 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:42,200 Speaker 1: two years now we have these Republicans, these House Republicans 172 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:46,960 Speaker 1: in New York, Mike Lawler, Nick Lloda, and in California 173 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:50,439 Speaker 1: who are in Biden districts desperately trying to hold onto 174 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:52,960 Speaker 1: their seats. As someone like Mike Lawler has had to 175 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:57,360 Speaker 1: vote and Nick Kloda too, voted for two impeachments, one 176 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 1: the first impeachment of a member of the in one 177 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:03,439 Speaker 1: hundred and sixty years, right. 178 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:05,320 Speaker 2: And they didn't want to vote for that. They really 179 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:05,880 Speaker 2: didn't know. 180 00:10:06,440 --> 00:10:10,720 Speaker 1: This week we saw Mike Lawler on CNN talking to 181 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:13,560 Speaker 1: Kayln Collins and she said, well did you vote? She said, 182 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 1: who'd you vote for in the primary? And he said, 183 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:18,800 Speaker 1: I voted for Trump? Right, So you have a party 184 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:23,240 Speaker 1: nominee who, by voting for him, you can no longer 185 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:26,280 Speaker 1: make the case that you are a moderate. 186 00:10:26,679 --> 00:10:29,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean it's not allowed right in this party. 187 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:32,760 Speaker 2: It really goes back to the basic theory of politics 188 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 2: that Mega and Trump follow, right, which is that you 189 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:39,720 Speaker 2: can win only with mega, Right. When it really comes 190 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 2: down to that, that's what they actually believe. Right. And 191 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:46,200 Speaker 2: so even though we have had a test of this 192 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:50,079 Speaker 2: in two national elections, right in twenty twenty and twenty 193 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:53,679 Speaker 2: twenty two, they actually did surprisingly well in the House 194 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 2: in twenty twenty, right, we all know that story. But 195 00:10:56,400 --> 00:11:01,600 Speaker 2: then in twenty twenty two, they dramatically underperform and a 196 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:05,200 Speaker 2: bunch of the Mega candidates for statewide office squandered a 197 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:09,920 Speaker 2: whole swath of winnable races. These were really winnable races, right, 198 00:11:10,200 --> 00:11:13,000 Speaker 2: Like we kind of forget that. But like Arizona Senate, 199 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:18,280 Speaker 2: Arizona Governor Blake Masters. Yeah, I mean, like everyone made 200 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:20,800 Speaker 2: fun of Blake Masters, but like he looked to me 201 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:23,840 Speaker 2: like a pretty good candidate in a lot of ways, right, 202 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:28,720 Speaker 2: But he really ran on this insane maga message about immigration. 203 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:30,959 Speaker 2: I don't know if you saw any of his ads. 204 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: Oh my god, yes, talk about it, talk about it. 205 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:37,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, there's one one of his ads literally has machine 206 00:11:37,559 --> 00:11:40,800 Speaker 2: gun fire at the border. It looked like a video game, right, 207 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 2: call of duty or something. Yeah, Right, like there's this 208 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 2: sort of weird maga space where all this stuff is 209 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:53,480 Speaker 2: real to them. Right, the border is a combat video game, right, 210 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:56,720 Speaker 2: or you know, there was a I think his opening 211 00:11:56,960 --> 00:11:59,760 Speaker 2: introductory ad, like a two minute spot had him kind 212 00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:03,000 Speaker 2: of running through the desert in some way, like he 213 00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:07,760 Speaker 2: was kind of patrolling it. So they made immigration absolutely 214 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:11,080 Speaker 2: central to his campaign in a border state in Arizona, 215 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:15,120 Speaker 2: which is the state where some of the most ridiculously 216 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:18,800 Speaker 2: hardline anti immigrant policy has been hatched. 217 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:19,560 Speaker 1: Right. 218 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:23,559 Speaker 2: Trump went to Arizona in twenty sixteen to deliver his 219 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:28,839 Speaker 2: big introductory speech round immigration. It's got a whole history, right, 220 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 2: and they couldn't win. He lost by what five points? Yeah, 221 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:36,120 Speaker 2: And so that it doesn't tell you that you can't 222 00:12:36,160 --> 00:12:38,240 Speaker 2: win with just maga. I don't know what does. 223 00:12:38,600 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 1: Yeah. What I'm struck by is this maga like they 224 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:47,120 Speaker 1: can't scale. You know, they win these primers, but then 225 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:48,640 Speaker 1: they can't win the generals. 226 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:51,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, look, the funny thing about some of 227 00:12:51,559 --> 00:12:54,560 Speaker 2: these mega can that it says they actually they lack 228 00:12:54,679 --> 00:12:57,680 Speaker 2: what Trump has, right, And this is a dynamic. I 229 00:12:57,679 --> 00:13:00,319 Speaker 2: feel like I don't understand well enough. Maybe you can 230 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:03,480 Speaker 2: help me on this, right, So there's nobody, presumably who's 231 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:06,920 Speaker 2: more magan than Trump. He's Trump, right, He's very maga, right, 232 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:11,280 Speaker 2: but he does really, really pretty well in Pennsylvania, whereas 233 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:15,600 Speaker 2: Doug Mastriano does terribly and gets blown out right, And 234 00:13:15,679 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 2: so what's the difference there. I think it's that on 235 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:22,400 Speaker 2: some level, Trump has this kind of charisma and he 236 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:26,400 Speaker 2: has this capacity to communicate to voters that it's all 237 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:30,400 Speaker 2: kind of a joke, right when he dabbles in Christian nationalism, 238 00:13:30,679 --> 00:13:32,760 Speaker 2: it's all sort of a little bit of a joke. 239 00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:36,040 Speaker 2: I mean, Trump, he's not a Christian, right look at him. 240 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:40,000 Speaker 2: And whereas Doug Mastriano looks like a crazy extremist. So 241 00:13:40,559 --> 00:13:44,280 Speaker 2: in a weird way, these guys are more maga than 242 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:49,040 Speaker 2: Trump without the positives, right, without the charisma, without the 243 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 2: kind of wink wink, nudge nudge sense that it's all 244 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:56,680 Speaker 2: a big show. And that's just a weird dynamic to me. 245 00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:00,679 Speaker 1: So what I think it is is two things. One 246 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:04,439 Speaker 1: of the reasons why Trump won in twenty sixteen, which 247 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:07,800 Speaker 1: we don't talk about, but is I think really important, 248 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:12,240 Speaker 1: or is at least very relevant, right, is that Trump 249 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: won because he made a case that you didn't really 250 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:19,120 Speaker 1: know what he believed in. He had no voting record, 251 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:22,360 Speaker 1: he had been a Democrat. One of the reasons why 252 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:26,520 Speaker 1: we see all of these sort of last gasp attempts 253 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 1: at trying desperately at Republicans trying desperately to pass all 254 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:35,720 Speaker 1: this weird religious stuff is because they sort of know 255 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:40,680 Speaker 1: right that their demographic is dead right, like that America 256 00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:43,280 Speaker 1: is not a white Christian nation anymore, and you know, 257 00:14:43,360 --> 00:14:45,480 Speaker 1: people aren't going to church the same way. There is 258 00:14:45,840 --> 00:14:50,400 Speaker 1: much more, you know, diversity, it's not you know, they're worried. 259 00:14:50,440 --> 00:14:52,720 Speaker 1: I mean, this is the last gasp against a multi 260 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 1: racial democracy. So what I think worked for Trump was 261 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:58,320 Speaker 1: he was very famous. A lot of people knew who 262 00:14:58,360 --> 00:15:00,320 Speaker 1: he was, but nobody really knew what he was going 263 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:02,840 Speaker 1: to do. It was sort of a normalcy bias. He 264 00:15:02,880 --> 00:15:06,280 Speaker 1: can't possibly be that crazy. He's saying all this crazy stuff, 265 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:09,040 Speaker 1: but you know, he's a rich guy, so he's not 266 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:11,800 Speaker 1: going to do anything crazy. And he obviously he knows 267 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:14,320 Speaker 1: about the economy, and he's had all these wives, so 268 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:16,600 Speaker 1: he's you know, and who even knows, you know, he 269 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:20,560 Speaker 1: had this mistress, you know, so obviously he's not going 270 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:23,400 Speaker 1: to do all this crazy stuff. So there were people 271 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:25,640 Speaker 1: who held their nose and voted for him because they 272 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:28,240 Speaker 1: were like, we want the tax cuts, and besides, it's 273 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:32,160 Speaker 1: more business as usual. And I think after twenty sixteen, 274 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:33,800 Speaker 1: you could never make that case again. 275 00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:37,800 Speaker 2: It's really interesting. We had Sarah Longwell on the podcast too, 276 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:40,160 Speaker 2: and folks check out our podcast, man, it's called The 277 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:43,120 Speaker 2: Daily Blast that's in the New Republic, and she said, 278 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:46,920 Speaker 2: he still codes as moderate on abortion and on a 279 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:50,000 Speaker 2: bunch of the stuff. And here's the supreme irony of 280 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:52,880 Speaker 2: it that really kind of confirms what you're talking about. 281 00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:57,840 Speaker 2: He codes as moderate because he's a sleazy, nasty, philandering, 282 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:01,840 Speaker 2: you know, amoral piece of you know what, right, right, 283 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:05,000 Speaker 2: That's why he codes moderate. People think, oh, he probably 284 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:09,040 Speaker 2: paid for ten abortions himself, so he can't possibly be 285 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:09,880 Speaker 2: anti abortion. 286 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:10,520 Speaker 3: Right. 287 00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:15,040 Speaker 2: Meanwhile, he's saying to evangelical voters, boasting of creating the 288 00:16:15,080 --> 00:16:17,880 Speaker 2: Supreme Court that overturned a fifty year right. 289 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:20,880 Speaker 1: And I mean, I think he thinks that those evangelical 290 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:23,960 Speaker 1: voters won't abandon him, and so now he's trying to 291 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:27,040 Speaker 1: pivot to the center. You know, that abortion answer was 292 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:28,480 Speaker 1: him trying to pivot to the center. 293 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 2: So good and really like for Arizona Republicans to kill 294 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:36,960 Speaker 2: an effort to repeal the eighteen sixty four law. I mean, 295 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:41,000 Speaker 2: by the way, right, there was so much predulous puntry 296 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:44,440 Speaker 2: and journalism saying that Trump has managed to you know, 297 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:48,720 Speaker 2: pick the law pieces again right when you're staying Rix, 298 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:51,680 Speaker 2: when he put out that video saying I forget exactly 299 00:16:51,720 --> 00:16:54,760 Speaker 2: the phrase, but right the video essentially said he believed 300 00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:56,920 Speaker 2: it should be left to the states and all that 301 00:16:57,280 --> 00:16:59,640 Speaker 2: like a lot of I think everybody pounced on the 302 00:16:59,640 --> 00:17:03,040 Speaker 2: New York Times for taking that at face value. And 303 00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:08,160 Speaker 2: now immediately after that, right immediately after journalists and pundits 304 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:12,080 Speaker 2: said Trump has shown that there's a moderate position, what 305 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:15,320 Speaker 2: actually got confirmed is that Trump is going to have 306 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:19,640 Speaker 2: to answer for every extremist lurch that happens in the States. 307 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:24,159 Speaker 1: Now, now, Greg, thank you so much, really appreciate you 308 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:25,480 Speaker 1: always fun. 309 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:25,919 Speaker 2: Thank you. 310 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:33,520 Speaker 1: Mollie Spring is here and I bet you are trying 311 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:36,840 Speaker 1: to look fashionable. So why not pick up some fashionable 312 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:41,600 Speaker 1: all new Fast Politics merchandise. We just opened a news 313 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 1: store with all new designs just for you. Get t shirts, hoodies, hats, 314 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:52,160 Speaker 1: and top bags to grab some head to Fastpolitics dot com. 315 00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 1: Caroline Kitchener is a national reporter covering abortion at the 316 00:17:56,880 --> 00:18:01,960 Speaker 1: Washington Post. Welcome to Fast Power Politics, Caroline. 317 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:03,280 Speaker 3: Thank you so much, Molly, thanks for having me. 318 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:06,480 Speaker 1: You write about abortion for the Washington Post. I think 319 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:09,879 Speaker 1: of you as like the go to, quietly doing the 320 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:14,440 Speaker 1: reporting that the rest of us need to understand what 321 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:18,120 Speaker 1: the landscape looks like and to base our little opinion 322 00:18:18,119 --> 00:18:22,520 Speaker 1: pieces on. Today, you have a new story which I 323 00:18:22,600 --> 00:18:25,560 Speaker 1: feel like it's like the marriage of the two biggest 324 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:31,560 Speaker 1: crisises of right now right, which are disinformation and abortion. 325 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:33,439 Speaker 1: So talk to us about that story. 326 00:18:33,920 --> 00:18:35,959 Speaker 3: Yeah, those are the story that I've wanted to do 327 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:39,440 Speaker 3: for over a year. I just kept talking to women 328 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:43,679 Speaker 3: in states with abortion bands. They were ordering pills online 329 00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:46,399 Speaker 3: or kind of getting them in other ways, figuring out 330 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:50,800 Speaker 3: however they could ways to navigate around the bands, but 331 00:18:50,840 --> 00:18:54,040 Speaker 3: they were having really difficult experiences just you know, not 332 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:57,480 Speaker 3: obviously we know that abortion pills are safe, but it 333 00:18:57,520 --> 00:19:01,480 Speaker 3: can be scary when you're alone, you're in a state 334 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:04,920 Speaker 3: where it's illegal, you feel like you're breaking the law. 335 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:07,159 Speaker 3: Even though I think it's important to say, you know, 336 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:10,800 Speaker 3: under these bands, the women taking the pills themselves can't 337 00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:13,719 Speaker 3: be prosecuted. They don't know what to expect, and they 338 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:17,520 Speaker 3: don't know who to call. That, I would say was 339 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:20,119 Speaker 3: the thing that I heard from every single person that 340 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:22,640 Speaker 3: I talked to, just I didn't know who to call. 341 00:19:22,840 --> 00:19:25,399 Speaker 3: I didn't know who to talk to, because you know, 342 00:19:25,480 --> 00:19:28,240 Speaker 3: they were afraid that if they tried to reach out 343 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:30,480 Speaker 3: to a doctor or you know, even went to the 344 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 3: er just to make sure that everything was okay, that 345 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:34,440 Speaker 3: they would be arrested. 346 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:39,640 Speaker 1: Right. What I think is interesting about the story is 347 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:44,159 Speaker 1: there is a real concerted effort on the right from 348 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:50,200 Speaker 1: these anti choice groups to undermine the information that these 349 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:53,080 Speaker 1: women are getting. So absolutely explained to us what that 350 00:19:53,119 --> 00:19:53,560 Speaker 1: looks like. 351 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:57,000 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean I spoke with a lot of people 352 00:19:57,080 --> 00:20:02,919 Speaker 3: that described frantically googling trying to figure out what was 353 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,960 Speaker 3: safe and what was okay, because you know, they would 354 00:20:06,040 --> 00:20:11,639 Speaker 3: often run into, you know, anti abortion information that would 355 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:14,679 Speaker 3: say that the pills were highly dangerous or even deadly, 356 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:20,879 Speaker 3: and that you know, obviously understandably is extremely scary. You know, 357 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:25,240 Speaker 3: we know that those are false claims, but they're very widespread, 358 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:29,040 Speaker 3: and some of these women too, in these states with 359 00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 3: bands now the only place you know, many of them said, 360 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:35,280 Speaker 3: I just wanted to go and talk to somebody in person, 361 00:20:35,359 --> 00:20:37,280 Speaker 3: Like I just wanted to like, you know, before I 362 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:39,600 Speaker 3: took these pills, I just wanted to talk to somebody. 363 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:43,040 Speaker 3: And often the only place to go in these states 364 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:46,160 Speaker 3: now is crisis pregnancy centers, which are you know, anti 365 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:50,359 Speaker 3: abortion centers that really are designed to dissuade women from 366 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:54,080 Speaker 3: having abortions. You know, in the first place, let's. 367 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:57,400 Speaker 1: Do two seconds on what a crisis pregnancy center is. 368 00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:02,000 Speaker 1: Because they're often funded by relig groups, right, they tend. 369 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:05,320 Speaker 3: They very often are have some sort of religious affiliation. 370 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:08,399 Speaker 1: They advertise themselves though, as a place to get a 371 00:21:08,440 --> 00:21:12,040 Speaker 1: pregnancy test and talk about your options. So talk about 372 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:15,000 Speaker 1: sort of how they advertise themselves versus what they are. 373 00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:17,760 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, I think that it's sort of hard 374 00:21:17,760 --> 00:21:20,440 Speaker 3: to paint them all with a broad brush because oftentimes 375 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:24,000 Speaker 3: there are sort of these much more institutionalized ones, but 376 00:21:24,040 --> 00:21:25,760 Speaker 3: then there's also sort of lots of kind of mom 377 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:27,879 Speaker 3: and pops, smaller ministry kind of things. 378 00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:31,280 Speaker 1: Right, yet another thing the federal government does not regulate. 379 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:34,200 Speaker 3: Right, many of these ones that are more i would say, 380 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:38,800 Speaker 3: more sophisticated and more sort of professionalized, they have recognized 381 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:42,800 Speaker 3: that the sort of message of free ultrasounds, free pregnancy 382 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:46,640 Speaker 3: tests is very appealing to people, so they'll often put 383 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:50,440 Speaker 3: that on a big sign. They definitely do a lot of. 384 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:55,919 Speaker 1: Google Search algorithm. Exactly what Carolyn's talking about is this 385 00:21:56,040 --> 00:22:00,639 Speaker 1: idea that they do a Google SEO, so they come 386 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:03,399 Speaker 1: up in these searches in the Google search. 387 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 3: Yeah, I can explain that a little bit. So oftentimes 388 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:09,880 Speaker 3: these places like work with you know, somebody that can 389 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:14,119 Speaker 3: manipulate search and make sure that for example, if somebody 390 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:17,840 Speaker 3: in Texas types in, you know, need abortion Texas now 391 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,240 Speaker 3: something like that, then you know, the first thing that 392 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:23,280 Speaker 3: would come up would be the Crisis Pregnancy Center with 393 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:27,800 Speaker 3: you know, information about you know, get your abortion consultation. 394 00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:30,639 Speaker 3: That's typically a word that they use, or you know, 395 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:32,320 Speaker 3: your free ultrasound or something like that. 396 00:22:32,520 --> 00:22:34,679 Speaker 1: A lot of what I know about this is from 397 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:39,160 Speaker 1: Robin Marty ran an abortion clinic in the state of Alabama, 398 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:42,080 Speaker 1: and she talked about how, you know, now she does 399 00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:46,119 Speaker 1: STIs treatment and you know that kind of thing, but 400 00:22:46,320 --> 00:22:50,080 Speaker 1: that these centers really just are trying to get you 401 00:22:50,119 --> 00:22:52,800 Speaker 1: to not have an abortion. Yeah, so what happens to 402 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:56,800 Speaker 1: these women they want to take the pill, the abortion pill. 403 00:22:57,080 --> 00:22:59,480 Speaker 1: They get it, and then they can't get good information 404 00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:00,960 Speaker 1: about it, or or they can't get it. 405 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:03,159 Speaker 3: The people that I talked to for the story, they 406 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:05,439 Speaker 3: were able to get it. But the word that I 407 00:23:05,480 --> 00:23:07,480 Speaker 3: heard all the time was like, is this legit? Like 408 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:08,879 Speaker 3: how do I know if this is legit? 409 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:09,240 Speaker 2: Right? 410 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:12,159 Speaker 3: Because if you're in a state with a band, you know, 411 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:15,520 Speaker 3: you're you know that there's this law, and so you know, 412 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:17,360 Speaker 3: even if you go online and you can find these 413 00:23:17,359 --> 00:23:19,240 Speaker 3: places that say that they're going to send it to you, 414 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:22,239 Speaker 3: it feels a little sketchy, right, Like, even if we know, 415 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 3: we know that certain of these organizations they're very you know, 416 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:27,560 Speaker 3: they are very legitimate, and they are doing this in 417 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:31,160 Speaker 3: like really big numbers. But if you are that young 418 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:35,040 Speaker 3: woman somewhere on your own googling around, you know, you 419 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:37,080 Speaker 3: can see how it would feel scary. 420 00:23:37,520 --> 00:23:40,600 Speaker 1: One of the things that I'm struck by as we 421 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:44,879 Speaker 1: talk about this is this idea that these pills are 422 00:23:44,960 --> 00:23:49,320 Speaker 1: much safer than the right wants us to believe. And 423 00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:52,080 Speaker 1: they've been working really hard to work the rafts. Mattha 424 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:55,240 Speaker 1: pristone has been available in this country since two thousand. 425 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:58,800 Speaker 1: It was available in France since nineteen eighty five. 426 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 3: Right, this is not new, it's you know, over two 427 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:05,680 Speaker 3: decades now that this has been approved by the FDA, 428 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:09,040 Speaker 3: And you know, there is just no question from any 429 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:13,400 Speaker 3: leading medical association or any you know, major study that 430 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:16,360 Speaker 3: these pills are extremely safe. And I think it's important 431 00:24:16,400 --> 00:24:19,199 Speaker 3: to say too that they are safe even when taken 432 00:24:19,280 --> 00:24:22,160 Speaker 3: somewhat independently. And there have been a lot of really 433 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:25,320 Speaker 3: good recent studies that show that even if you're not 434 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:28,200 Speaker 3: having a face to face with a doctor to get them, 435 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:31,399 Speaker 3: they're still extremely safe. The safety numbers don't really change there. 436 00:24:31,560 --> 00:24:34,360 Speaker 3: So what these women are doing, you know, when they 437 00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:37,800 Speaker 3: order the pills online, it is safe, but they don't 438 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:40,000 Speaker 3: necessarily know that or feel that. 439 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:43,640 Speaker 1: One of the points in the article is that if 440 00:24:43,680 --> 00:24:47,439 Speaker 1: you are in a state where abortion is illegal, which 441 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,400 Speaker 1: means which more than a third of all American women are, 442 00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:55,080 Speaker 1: if you take the pills, there's some anxiety about going 443 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:58,199 Speaker 1: into a hospital. So talk to us about that. 444 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:01,679 Speaker 3: One thing that studies have shown is that, you know, 445 00:25:01,760 --> 00:25:06,399 Speaker 3: the serious adverse events numbers are just tiny, tiny, tiny 446 00:25:06,400 --> 00:25:08,800 Speaker 3: for abortion pills. It's like less than one percent a 447 00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:11,800 Speaker 3: larger abortion, not a huge number, but typically between the 448 00:25:12,160 --> 00:25:15,040 Speaker 3: studies range from one point three percent to eight percent 449 00:25:15,119 --> 00:25:17,240 Speaker 3: of people that take abortion pills. 450 00:25:17,119 --> 00:25:17,879 Speaker 4: Go to the er. 451 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:20,800 Speaker 3: And you know, that is a number. Those are numbers 452 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:23,919 Speaker 3: that have been really co opted by the anti abortion 453 00:25:24,040 --> 00:25:26,200 Speaker 3: groups to say, look, look, how many people are going 454 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:29,280 Speaker 3: to the er. But the really important context for those 455 00:25:29,359 --> 00:25:32,440 Speaker 3: visits is that women are often going for a gut. 456 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:35,440 Speaker 1: Check because it's scary. 457 00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:36,640 Speaker 3: Like you're bleeding a lot, right, You're cramping a lot, 458 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:40,360 Speaker 3: and it's really painful, and you don't know what's normal, 459 00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:42,560 Speaker 3: and so you want to go somewhere and just make 460 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:44,879 Speaker 3: sure that everything is okay. I think that's like a 461 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:48,280 Speaker 3: very sort of natural human instinct. But when you're in 462 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:51,600 Speaker 3: a state with a ban, even though these laws are 463 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:55,200 Speaker 3: not written to allow prosecutors to go after the women 464 00:25:55,240 --> 00:25:57,399 Speaker 3: that are taking the pills, that's the sort of a 465 00:25:57,520 --> 00:26:00,360 Speaker 3: very weird thing to understand, and it's a very that's 466 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:03,119 Speaker 3: like really an intricacy of the law. And you know, 467 00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:04,840 Speaker 3: I'm only of all the women that I talked to 468 00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:08,359 Speaker 3: for this story, only one of them understood that under 469 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:11,960 Speaker 3: the band sheep personally could not be prosecuted. Everybody just 470 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,920 Speaker 3: assumes that they can be, and so they are terrified 471 00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:16,679 Speaker 3: to go to the er. 472 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:19,960 Speaker 1: And Trump has said that he believes there should be 473 00:26:20,000 --> 00:26:26,560 Speaker 1: some form of prosecution for women who have abortion. I mean, 474 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 1: then he walked it back, but you know, I was 475 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:31,879 Speaker 1: on with Chris Matthews and we were talking about that, 476 00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: so I mean he did say it, so you understand 477 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:39,000 Speaker 1: why this does not exist in a vacuum, right. 478 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:41,399 Speaker 3: And I think it's also important to note that like 479 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:44,400 Speaker 3: women who have taken pills and self managed their own abortions, 480 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:47,320 Speaker 3: they have been charged under other laws in the past 481 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:51,040 Speaker 3: other than abortion bands, like laws around disposed little feel 482 00:26:51,119 --> 00:26:54,040 Speaker 3: remains and things like that, especially when they're later in pregnancy. 483 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:58,320 Speaker 3: So it's not like there's no legal risk at all. 484 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:02,080 Speaker 3: Their right to worry obviously a very difficult situation to 485 00:27:02,119 --> 00:27:03,040 Speaker 3: be in well. 486 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:07,440 Speaker 1: And I also think when you talk about abortion, this 487 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:11,960 Speaker 1: issue really just collide with the with the misinformation and 488 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:16,040 Speaker 1: disinformation ecosystem that we're living in right now. And it 489 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:19,000 Speaker 1: is also like a personal thing, you know, it's not 490 00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:22,200 Speaker 1: like something you want a crowdsource on Facebook exactly. 491 00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:23,320 Speaker 2: It's such a good point. 492 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:26,800 Speaker 1: And it's like just not that easy to bring it up. 493 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:29,200 Speaker 3: One of the women that I talked about, like she said, man, 494 00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:32,199 Speaker 3: I just wish I had a group chat, Like I 495 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:34,280 Speaker 3: just wish I could talk to people about this in 496 00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:37,159 Speaker 3: a group chat with friend, but I can't if nobody 497 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:37,479 Speaker 3: can know. 498 00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:39,520 Speaker 1: One of the things in the article that you talk 499 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:43,359 Speaker 1: about is that if you go to a hospital and 500 00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:48,000 Speaker 1: you've self managed an abortion, doctors cannot tell if you 501 00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:51,159 Speaker 1: are having a miscarriage or self managed abortion. Will you 502 00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:51,800 Speaker 1: talk about that? 503 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:55,439 Speaker 3: Yeah, that is something that all of the hotlines and 504 00:27:55,480 --> 00:27:58,560 Speaker 3: different abortion rights groups are telling women because that's not 505 00:27:58,680 --> 00:28:01,280 Speaker 3: I think something that isn't too to know. But you know, 506 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:04,920 Speaker 3: if you present with the bleeding and cramping of a 507 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:08,960 Speaker 3: medication abortion, unless you took the pills vaginally, which is 508 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:10,920 Speaker 3: sort of a more rare way to take them, there 509 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:13,480 Speaker 3: is no way for a doctor to know whether you 510 00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:16,160 Speaker 3: miscarried or whether you had a medication abortion. So folks 511 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:19,040 Speaker 3: are telling women to say, you know, just say I 512 00:28:19,080 --> 00:28:21,040 Speaker 3: had a miscarriage, I just started bleeding, I don't really 513 00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:23,080 Speaker 3: know what's going on, and then not say anything else. 514 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:26,080 Speaker 1: So this is not in the article, but since you 515 00:28:26,359 --> 00:28:30,359 Speaker 1: are really in it, I'm wondering if you could talk 516 00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:34,160 Speaker 1: about this Rise Louisiana Report. I'm sure you read it. Too. 517 00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:37,080 Speaker 1: I Mean, what's so interesting is women's health. You know, 518 00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:40,200 Speaker 1: we don't get so much research like men's health. Right. 519 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:43,360 Speaker 1: Imagine if men had to take a pill it caused 520 00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:46,880 Speaker 1: bleeding and is sometimes painful, like, they would never. 521 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:49,840 Speaker 3: You know, there would be a better way. 522 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:51,560 Speaker 1: Right exactly, they'd be like, no, no, just come into 523 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:55,280 Speaker 1: this ATM and we'll you know. So I'm wondering. Like 524 00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:58,720 Speaker 1: one of the things a Rise Louisiana report talked about 525 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:02,480 Speaker 1: and a thing I've heard on totally from obgyns is 526 00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:10,240 Speaker 1: the incredible anxiety about treating in the first trimester from doctors. 527 00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:13,920 Speaker 1: Are you hearing that on the ground that there's just 528 00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:17,640 Speaker 1: like the doctors have really changed the way they treat 529 00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:20,680 Speaker 1: pregnant women in these stays. If you're seeing that or 530 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:23,680 Speaker 1: you're hearing that, or maybe you're not, but I'm just curious. 531 00:29:23,920 --> 00:29:27,680 Speaker 3: Absolutely, they're terrified. It just remains really unclear. I mean, 532 00:29:27,720 --> 00:29:29,960 Speaker 3: just look at the changing laws, like you know, we are, 533 00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:35,000 Speaker 3: you know, two years out from this Dobbs ruling almost 534 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:38,040 Speaker 3: and things are not settled like we you know, we 535 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:40,880 Speaker 3: have Arizona, we have Florida. We have these big new 536 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:45,200 Speaker 3: laws taking effect and changing and the landscape is not settled, 537 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:48,400 Speaker 3: and doctors feel that for sure. I mean, it was 538 00:29:48,560 --> 00:29:50,640 Speaker 3: a couple of months ago I did a story about 539 00:29:50,840 --> 00:29:54,160 Speaker 3: a woman in Texas who was turned away with an 540 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:57,600 Speaker 3: ectopic pregnancy, which really, I mean, even as much as 541 00:29:57,640 --> 00:30:00,600 Speaker 3: I write about this and talk to people, that really 542 00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:03,280 Speaker 3: shocked me. Because a topic pregnancy. 543 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:05,400 Speaker 1: Is not going to ever be a baby. You cannot 544 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:10,400 Speaker 1: physically carry a baby in the fallopian tubes of your womb, 545 00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:13,880 Speaker 1: Like it cannot happen. So there's only one thing that happens, 546 00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:14,520 Speaker 1: which is you not. 547 00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:17,160 Speaker 3: Like that particular word. I feel like it's such a 548 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:20,760 Speaker 3: has become such a buzzword after the decision, like people, 549 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:23,320 Speaker 3: you know, that really was sort of the big thing 550 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:26,360 Speaker 3: that people talked about, like people with ectopic pregnancies, and 551 00:30:26,360 --> 00:30:29,360 Speaker 3: and you saw the conservatives and the anti abortion folks 552 00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:32,040 Speaker 3: say like, oh no, at topics, that's totally fine, that's 553 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:34,880 Speaker 3: totally fine. And I really thought that, you know, a 554 00:30:34,960 --> 00:30:38,000 Speaker 3: year and a half since the decision, we were in 555 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:40,920 Speaker 3: a place where like topics would be treated kind of 556 00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:43,080 Speaker 3: no question, Like people just sort of understood that. And 557 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:45,120 Speaker 3: a lot of doctors have said that to me, like 558 00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:47,480 Speaker 3: oh yeah, like the topics you know, of course, like, 559 00:30:47,520 --> 00:30:49,120 Speaker 3: we know, we know we can treat them, but then 560 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:52,400 Speaker 3: you do hear these stories still of women getting turned away. 561 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:55,400 Speaker 3: So it's just not settled yet. And I'm sure that 562 00:30:55,720 --> 00:30:58,160 Speaker 3: it also depends on what the feelings of the doctor 563 00:30:58,200 --> 00:30:59,680 Speaker 3: are on this issue. Right. 564 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:03,360 Speaker 1: It is so insane to me, like, there is no 565 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:06,040 Speaker 1: baby in an atopic pregnancy, right, And I mean, what 566 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:08,440 Speaker 1: happened to that woman in that case? 567 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:11,320 Speaker 3: What the doctor said is that there is a chance 568 00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:14,080 Speaker 3: that this is not an atopic pregnancy, because it's not 569 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:17,560 Speaker 3: always so easy so cut and dry to tell when 570 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:19,760 Speaker 3: it is and when it isn't. But I mean hers 571 00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:22,600 Speaker 3: was I think fairly obvious. So she was turned away 572 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:26,600 Speaker 3: from the hospital. Later that day, her best friend was 573 00:31:26,760 --> 00:31:29,120 Speaker 3: at an obiqui en appointment. She called her best friend 574 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:30,720 Speaker 3: and her best friend was like, Hey, do you want 575 00:31:30,760 --> 00:31:34,320 Speaker 3: me to like show the doctor here the picture of 576 00:31:34,400 --> 00:31:36,880 Speaker 3: your pregnancy, and she did. The best friend did, and 577 00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:38,680 Speaker 3: the doctor was like, oh my god, can your friendly 578 00:31:38,760 --> 00:31:41,880 Speaker 3: come in right now? So she did, and that doctor 579 00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:43,840 Speaker 3: was like, I'm going to take you in for emergency 580 00:31:43,840 --> 00:31:44,520 Speaker 3: surgery right. 581 00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:46,960 Speaker 1: Now, yeah, because you can die from this. 582 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:50,080 Speaker 3: Right, And I just think that shows, like, I mean, 583 00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:51,880 Speaker 3: how scary is it though that it's just kind of 584 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:54,600 Speaker 3: luck of the draw of who you get, who you see. 585 00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:57,240 Speaker 1: You know, I heard this story anecdotally, so I don't 586 00:31:57,240 --> 00:31:59,760 Speaker 1: want to pass it on because who knows. But you know, 587 00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:03,200 Speaker 1: friend of mine was telling me about a girl in 588 00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:06,760 Speaker 1: a red state where she was having a miscarriage, like 589 00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:09,840 Speaker 1: her numbers were going down, the pregnancy was not holding, 590 00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:12,440 Speaker 1: and the doctor didn't want to tell her because she 591 00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:17,280 Speaker 1: didn't want to perform a DNC, which is so insane, right, 592 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:21,120 Speaker 1: Like the these aren't even babies. These are people where 593 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:23,120 Speaker 1: they're not going to have a baby, and they can't 594 00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:27,920 Speaker 1: get the care they need. These unforeseen consequences of the 595 00:32:28,080 --> 00:32:32,320 Speaker 1: inability to legislate on the part of Republicans is shocking 596 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:34,840 Speaker 1: to me. But it shouldn't be right, It shouldn't be 597 00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:36,960 Speaker 1: calin what are you watching right now? 598 00:32:37,280 --> 00:32:40,840 Speaker 3: I'm watching that Florida and Arizona. I mean Florida. I 599 00:32:40,840 --> 00:32:44,280 Speaker 3: think in particular, I don't know that people have fully 600 00:32:44,360 --> 00:32:49,400 Speaker 3: registered how many women live in Florida and how many 601 00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:53,200 Speaker 3: abortions appeased in Florida. Yeah, last year there were eighty 602 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:56,240 Speaker 3: four thousand abortions in Florida. And if you look at 603 00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:58,480 Speaker 3: sort of the bands that are currently in effect. The 604 00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:01,600 Speaker 3: sort of largest state bans Texas, And before that took 605 00:33:01,600 --> 00:33:04,160 Speaker 3: a fact, fifty thousand happened in Texas. 606 00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:05,880 Speaker 1: Wait, what's the number in Florida. 607 00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:07,440 Speaker 3: In Florida, it's eighty four thousand. 608 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:11,880 Speaker 1: Wow. Yeah, and it's and historically it's always been a 609 00:33:11,920 --> 00:33:14,400 Speaker 1: safe haven for abortion in the South right. 610 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:17,760 Speaker 3: It has because of the constitutional protections that they had 611 00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:20,000 Speaker 3: for so long. And I also think like that just 612 00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:24,240 Speaker 3: the geography geography of Florida makes it extremely difficult. Like 613 00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:28,000 Speaker 3: somebody that's coming from Key West to go to the 614 00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:30,320 Speaker 3: nearest clinic at there after six weeks, once this law 615 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:32,800 Speaker 3: takes it back, they're going to have to drive fourteen hours. 616 00:33:33,040 --> 00:33:38,040 Speaker 1: Thank you, Carolyn, thanks for having me on. Stephen Richer 617 00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:46,640 Speaker 1: is the Maracoba County, Arizona Recorder. Welcome Steven, too fast politics, 618 00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:48,360 Speaker 1: Tell us what you do. 619 00:33:48,720 --> 00:33:53,200 Speaker 4: I am the elected Maykope County Recorder. I ran in 620 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:56,000 Speaker 4: twenty twenty in the Republican primary one that won the 621 00:33:56,040 --> 00:33:57,520 Speaker 4: general election in November. 622 00:33:58,080 --> 00:34:03,520 Speaker 5: I am statutorially responsible for early voting, voter registration and 623 00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:07,440 Speaker 5: document recording in Mericle County, which is the fourth largest 624 00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:10,480 Speaker 5: county in the United States, and second largest voting jurisdiction 625 00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:13,120 Speaker 5: in the United States and makes up about sixty two 626 00:34:13,200 --> 00:34:15,440 Speaker 5: percent of Arizona's voting population. 627 00:34:15,640 --> 00:34:20,319 Speaker 1: It's an elected job, but you are a Republican. 628 00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:23,720 Speaker 4: Yes, elected job, and I'm a Republican. That's correct. 629 00:34:23,960 --> 00:34:26,839 Speaker 1: And one of the things that you've been doing, which 630 00:34:26,880 --> 00:34:30,160 Speaker 1: I think is probably one of the more important things, 631 00:34:30,520 --> 00:34:35,040 Speaker 1: is trying to correct the record when it comes to 632 00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:40,080 Speaker 1: the twenty twenty election and its integrity. Talk to us 633 00:34:40,280 --> 00:34:43,279 Speaker 1: about sort of if you could set the stage of 634 00:34:43,760 --> 00:34:49,719 Speaker 1: how you became this celebrity. Sorry, I apologize for the 635 00:34:50,160 --> 00:34:51,360 Speaker 1: use of the word celebrity. 636 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:55,440 Speaker 4: No no, no, I guess it's just my quasi looking 637 00:34:55,640 --> 00:34:59,239 Speaker 4: at local in there. No, no, no, you'll come on 638 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:03,239 Speaker 4: board on for it. On well, one, the election administration 639 00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:06,560 Speaker 4: is sort of new to the business of communicating regarding 640 00:35:06,560 --> 00:35:09,560 Speaker 4: the process. There weren't too many people prior to say, 641 00:35:09,600 --> 00:35:12,239 Speaker 4: twenty eighteen that were terribly interested in the nuts and 642 00:35:12,239 --> 00:35:15,239 Speaker 4: bolts of election administration. And so this is still an 643 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:19,000 Speaker 4: ecosystem that is being built out, and so is new landscape. 644 00:35:19,320 --> 00:35:22,879 Speaker 4: And then obviously since twenty twenty, there have been a 645 00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:28,520 Speaker 4: countless number of false allegations about both the twenty twenty election, 646 00:35:28,719 --> 00:35:32,759 Speaker 4: the twenty twenty two election, and there haven't been too 647 00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:38,400 Speaker 4: many people who have been consistently and with technical specificity 648 00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:42,040 Speaker 4: pushing back against the falsehoods. And there have been even 649 00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:46,560 Speaker 4: fewer who are elected Republicans. And so I think that 650 00:35:46,760 --> 00:35:49,080 Speaker 4: has made me a bit of an anomaly and maybe 651 00:35:49,719 --> 00:35:53,000 Speaker 4: the celebrity I've earned has just been the product of 652 00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:55,160 Speaker 4: my being a bit of a anomalist freak. 653 00:35:55,800 --> 00:35:59,239 Speaker 1: Yes, anomalist freak. Well, welcome, because that's something we love. 654 00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:02,440 Speaker 1: One of the problems with elections is that every state 655 00:36:02,560 --> 00:36:07,040 Speaker 1: is different, certain counties are different. There's very little uniformity 656 00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:10,960 Speaker 1: in it, which actually protects our election. Zah, Will you 657 00:36:11,600 --> 00:36:13,160 Speaker 1: explain a little bit about that. 658 00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:15,840 Speaker 4: Yeah, it is a feature in a flaw, as you 659 00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:19,759 Speaker 4: have correctly identified. We have over eight thousand voting jurisdictions 660 00:36:19,760 --> 00:36:23,080 Speaker 4: in the United States. We have fifteen in Arizona. The 661 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:26,720 Speaker 4: fifteen different counties. Elections are administered at the county level 662 00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:31,200 Speaker 4: in Arizona. That is a feature in that no two 663 00:36:31,239 --> 00:36:34,279 Speaker 4: systems are exactly alike. It's not the same people, it's 664 00:36:34,320 --> 00:36:37,279 Speaker 4: not the same software. Necessarily, it's not the same machinery. 665 00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:41,240 Speaker 4: And so the notion that you could flip a switch 666 00:36:41,640 --> 00:36:45,919 Speaker 4: or install a program into some mothership computer that would 667 00:36:45,960 --> 00:36:50,640 Speaker 4: then disseminate out to all election jurisdictions throughout the United States. 668 00:36:50,719 --> 00:36:54,759 Speaker 4: Is just a fundamental misunderstanding of how elections work in 669 00:36:54,800 --> 00:36:59,399 Speaker 4: the United States. That's why some of the more outlandish 670 00:36:59,520 --> 00:37:02,799 Speaker 4: theories of the twenty twenty election, as far as dominion 671 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:07,799 Speaker 4: being able to control everything, or one software patch or 672 00:37:07,840 --> 00:37:11,080 Speaker 4: something like that, where for anyone who knew about elections 673 00:37:11,239 --> 00:37:15,719 Speaker 4: pretty silly. It's a bug in that a lot of 674 00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:20,000 Speaker 4: our politics has become nationalized, and people on election night, 675 00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:25,000 Speaker 4: especially in November of even years, look to the MSNBC, 676 00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:28,239 Speaker 4: CNN's Fox News is of the world and they will 677 00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:32,120 Speaker 4: see something being said and being done in one state 678 00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:36,040 Speaker 4: that won't necessarily be done or said in another state, 679 00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:40,240 Speaker 4: and that can create confusion, that can create concern. Why 680 00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:44,680 Speaker 4: does Pennsylvania have so few of its ballots reported immediately 681 00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:49,760 Speaker 4: but Washington was just able to immediately provide fifty percent 682 00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:54,680 Speaker 4: of its expected returns. Well, Washington could pre process Pennsylvania couldn't. 683 00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:57,799 Speaker 4: In Florida, more people have show up in person and 684 00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:01,480 Speaker 4: they drop off their early ballots earlier. So that is 685 00:38:01,640 --> 00:38:04,360 Speaker 4: something that we have had to remind viewers members of 686 00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:08,560 Speaker 4: the media that this is federalizomat it's core in how 687 00:38:08,640 --> 00:38:10,480 Speaker 4: our election administration is designed. 688 00:38:10,680 --> 00:38:15,000 Speaker 1: Someone like you isn't necessarily a public facing individual in 689 00:38:15,080 --> 00:38:19,160 Speaker 1: most states, so you can't just call up. I mean, 690 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:26,160 Speaker 1: on this podcast, we have interviewed so many state level politicians, 691 00:38:26,280 --> 00:38:29,440 Speaker 1: like during the Virginia we interviewed, you know, during that 692 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:33,680 Speaker 1: Virginia election, we interviewed like a lot of delegates, right, 693 00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:37,600 Speaker 1: a lot of state senators. So I know that not 694 00:38:37,760 --> 00:38:39,920 Speaker 1: and I mean this with all the love in the world, 695 00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:44,120 Speaker 1: not all state officials are ready to handle the media spotlight. 696 00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:49,560 Speaker 4: I think that's a very fair statement, and it is 697 00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:51,520 Speaker 4: not unduly disrespectful. 698 00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:54,279 Speaker 1: Okay, good, and nor should they, right, I mean, that's 699 00:38:54,360 --> 00:38:57,120 Speaker 1: not you. You know, your job is very technical too. 700 00:38:57,320 --> 00:39:01,640 Speaker 1: I mean, I want you to talk about your lawsuit 701 00:39:01,680 --> 00:39:04,960 Speaker 1: because it seems to be the only way to stop 702 00:39:05,160 --> 00:39:09,719 Speaker 1: this disinformation. Carry Lake decided that she was governor and 703 00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:13,720 Speaker 1: that this would somehow even though you're a Republican, even 704 00:39:13,760 --> 00:39:16,759 Speaker 1: though you do this very technical job, but somehow you 705 00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:17,680 Speaker 1: were involved in us. 706 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:18,160 Speaker 2: Right. 707 00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:21,400 Speaker 4: So Carry Lake was somebody who is new to Republican 708 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:24,640 Speaker 4: Party politics. In about twenty twenty went on the scene, 709 00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:27,800 Speaker 4: really built her character around the idea that the twenty 710 00:39:27,840 --> 00:39:32,239 Speaker 4: twenty election was stolen. Made her fame in politics in 711 00:39:32,280 --> 00:39:36,719 Speaker 4: that vein Ran became the gubernatorial nominee for the Republican 712 00:39:36,760 --> 00:39:40,360 Speaker 4: Party in the twenty twenty two election, narrowly lost to 713 00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:44,360 Speaker 4: the Democratic candidate, alleged a whole bunch of crazy things 714 00:39:44,360 --> 00:39:46,560 Speaker 4: that were a continuation of all the things that she 715 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:50,200 Speaker 4: was saying about twenty twenty. Filed numerous election complaints in 716 00:39:50,239 --> 00:39:54,080 Speaker 4: which she would air these very specific allegations regarding actions 717 00:39:54,120 --> 00:39:57,759 Speaker 4: that I purportedly took two in particular, that I had 718 00:39:57,800 --> 00:40:01,880 Speaker 4: injected three hundred thousand early ballots that were fraudulent into 719 00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:05,600 Speaker 4: the voting system, and that I had manipulated machinery so 720 00:40:05,680 --> 00:40:09,280 Speaker 4: as to swing the election in favor of her opponent. 721 00:40:09,520 --> 00:40:13,239 Speaker 4: She files those lawsuits, court says there's no evidence for this, 722 00:40:13,360 --> 00:40:16,280 Speaker 4: no foundation for this. It pretty much kicks the snot 723 00:40:16,320 --> 00:40:19,480 Speaker 4: out of her on all of her claims, including others. 724 00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:21,560 Speaker 4: She appeals to the Court of Appeals, loses the Court 725 00:40:21,560 --> 00:40:24,399 Speaker 4: of Appeals, she loses at the Arizona Supreme Court. There's 726 00:40:24,440 --> 00:40:27,560 Speaker 4: another trial, she loses on that, and so she has 727 00:40:28,040 --> 00:40:33,120 Speaker 4: a very intense awareness that all these things have been 728 00:40:33,239 --> 00:40:37,080 Speaker 4: measured and they have been found wanting on evidence and 729 00:40:37,239 --> 00:40:43,200 Speaker 4: facts and law. Nonetheless, she persists in making these very 730 00:40:43,760 --> 00:40:48,320 Speaker 4: serious accusations that I stole the twenty twenty two election 731 00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:52,480 Speaker 4: from her. She would go to events, she would write 732 00:40:52,600 --> 00:40:56,000 Speaker 4: on Twitter, she would write in her fundraising emails. She 733 00:40:56,040 --> 00:40:58,799 Speaker 4: would name me. She would show pictures of me at 734 00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:00,840 Speaker 4: events where she would try to stir up the crowd. 735 00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:04,800 Speaker 4: This man, this Stephen Richer. He injected three hundred thousand 736 00:41:04,880 --> 00:41:07,160 Speaker 4: fraudulent bouts, and she would say it time after time. 737 00:41:07,320 --> 00:41:09,480 Speaker 1: Did you find it scary or now? 738 00:41:09,800 --> 00:41:12,200 Speaker 4: Some people would report back to me, including a writer 739 00:41:12,280 --> 00:41:14,719 Speaker 4: for the Washington Post, and he said, make sure you're 740 00:41:14,760 --> 00:41:19,200 Speaker 4: taking precautions because people are being whipped up into a frenzy. Here. 741 00:41:19,320 --> 00:41:21,960 Speaker 4: I'm imagining sort of the scene and Beauty and the Beast, 742 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:25,040 Speaker 4: where Gastan says, you know, grab your pitch fork, grab 743 00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:28,840 Speaker 4: your hoe, and we're going to go kill the beast. Yeah, 744 00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:32,600 Speaker 4: he continues, and we're thinking, Ah, she'll get over it. 745 00:41:32,760 --> 00:41:35,160 Speaker 4: Most people do. Maybe not in this new age. She'll 746 00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:38,440 Speaker 4: get a new job. But this became the cornerstone of 747 00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:42,919 Speaker 4: her continued political relevance. Her political fundraising. She even wrote 748 00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:45,880 Speaker 4: a book in which I appear in a really creepy, 749 00:41:45,920 --> 00:41:49,799 Speaker 4: weird dream sequence that she supposedly has, And we were 750 00:41:49,840 --> 00:41:54,040 Speaker 4: at our wits end and so filed this defamation lawsuit. 751 00:41:54,080 --> 00:41:56,480 Speaker 4: My legal team and I we thought we had a 752 00:41:56,640 --> 00:42:00,920 Speaker 4: very strong case because obviously it's very false. She'd been 753 00:42:01,120 --> 00:42:04,360 Speaker 4: told it was false, she knew from court rulings it 754 00:42:04,440 --> 00:42:07,600 Speaker 4: was false. It did real damage to my family and me, 755 00:42:08,000 --> 00:42:12,080 Speaker 4: and we've been successful so far. She filed motions to 756 00:42:12,160 --> 00:42:17,279 Speaker 4: dismiss she lost on those multiple times, and then when 757 00:42:17,320 --> 00:42:20,520 Speaker 4: it came time to really get going on discovery and 758 00:42:20,600 --> 00:42:25,600 Speaker 4: fact investigation, she defaulted, meaning that a judgment is going 759 00:42:25,640 --> 00:42:28,719 Speaker 4: to be entered into the court of law saying that yes, 760 00:42:28,920 --> 00:42:33,200 Speaker 4: Carrie Lake defamed Stephen Richer. She could not prove the 761 00:42:33,280 --> 00:42:37,440 Speaker 4: truth of her allegations. She is not defending their falsity, 762 00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:41,000 Speaker 4: she is not defending malice. And now the only thing 763 00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:44,000 Speaker 4: that we have left to work on is how many 764 00:42:44,160 --> 00:42:48,879 Speaker 4: zeros are in the damages award and how much did 765 00:42:48,920 --> 00:42:51,720 Speaker 4: she destroy my character among certain people? 766 00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:53,840 Speaker 1: Can you tell us about the dream sequence? 767 00:42:54,520 --> 00:42:54,719 Speaker 3: Yeah? 768 00:42:56,200 --> 00:42:57,120 Speaker 4: I couldn't believe it. 769 00:42:57,239 --> 00:42:59,440 Speaker 1: Wait, she wrote a book, Yeah, she. 770 00:42:59,400 --> 00:43:02,520 Speaker 4: Wrote a book published in the summer of twenty three. 771 00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:07,440 Speaker 4: In her dream sequence, I and one of my colleagues 772 00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:11,719 Speaker 4: from the county. We kidnap her. We tie her up 773 00:43:11,880 --> 00:43:15,640 Speaker 4: in duct tape. We throw her into the back of 774 00:43:15,719 --> 00:43:19,400 Speaker 4: a pickup truck. We drive her out into the desert. 775 00:43:19,800 --> 00:43:23,759 Speaker 4: But then, because she drops a footnote that she was 776 00:43:23,800 --> 00:43:27,799 Speaker 4: a high school gymnast, she was able to contort herself 777 00:43:27,920 --> 00:43:31,319 Speaker 4: out of her duct tape bindings. And then because she 778 00:43:31,440 --> 00:43:35,880 Speaker 4: ran track in high school, she was able to sprint 779 00:43:35,920 --> 00:43:39,080 Speaker 4: off while we as bumbling fools. Though we fired shots 780 00:43:39,120 --> 00:43:42,600 Speaker 4: after her, we weren't able to get her. And I'll 781 00:43:42,760 --> 00:43:45,400 Speaker 4: say that in a foot race, I'm guessing I destroy 782 00:43:45,520 --> 00:43:46,000 Speaker 4: this lady. 783 00:43:46,200 --> 00:43:49,960 Speaker 1: Well, I mean, the whole thing is so just deeply, 784 00:43:50,600 --> 00:43:53,520 Speaker 1: deeply disturbing and also quite strange. 785 00:43:53,719 --> 00:43:56,719 Speaker 4: If you read this in a different context, you would 786 00:43:56,719 --> 00:43:59,160 Speaker 4: say this person is a lunatic. 787 00:43:59,560 --> 00:44:01,759 Speaker 1: Right, let's keep going with this for a minute. She 788 00:44:01,800 --> 00:44:05,080 Speaker 1: continued to defame you when you won this case, because 789 00:44:05,080 --> 00:44:08,319 Speaker 1: this is like the Rudy Giuliani problem, right, Like you 790 00:44:08,400 --> 00:44:12,440 Speaker 1: had the two election workers who sued Judy Giuliani, and 791 00:44:12,520 --> 00:44:15,160 Speaker 1: you had Egene Carroll Sewing Trump Boyd. When you sue 792 00:44:15,200 --> 00:44:18,880 Speaker 1: these people for defamation. They tend not to stop defaming. 793 00:44:19,040 --> 00:44:20,680 Speaker 1: Did she actually stop defaming? 794 00:44:20,960 --> 00:44:24,000 Speaker 4: This is all pretty new, so we'll see. But certainly 795 00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:29,000 Speaker 4: in the immediate aftermath of her defaulting, it was bizarre 796 00:44:29,080 --> 00:44:33,360 Speaker 4: because at the same time she's resting her defense in 797 00:44:33,400 --> 00:44:35,759 Speaker 4: a court of law, she's going on to Twitter and 798 00:44:35,800 --> 00:44:39,440 Speaker 4: saying I stand by everything I said, and so you 799 00:44:39,520 --> 00:44:44,160 Speaker 4: better believe that we're watching those statements, and if she continues, 800 00:44:44,239 --> 00:44:48,200 Speaker 4: then we will take appropriate legal action because now we 801 00:44:48,360 --> 00:44:52,040 Speaker 4: have a judgment that these are defamatory remarks that she 802 00:44:52,160 --> 00:44:55,120 Speaker 4: cannot defend. She cannot prove our troop. 803 00:44:55,440 --> 00:44:59,399 Speaker 1: The central tenant of our democracy is that we have 804 00:44:59,600 --> 00:45:03,080 Speaker 1: free and fair elections. Why do we think that these 805 00:45:03,200 --> 00:45:05,480 Speaker 1: trumpy I don't even want to say Republicans, because there 806 00:45:05,480 --> 00:45:09,799 Speaker 1: are good Republicans who they really that's sort of Trump in, 807 00:45:10,120 --> 00:45:12,160 Speaker 1: you know, these lies about the election, these Trump he 808 00:45:12,239 --> 00:45:13,120 Speaker 1: lies about the election. 809 00:45:13,560 --> 00:45:17,920 Speaker 4: The incentive structure right now, the most powerful endorsement in 810 00:45:18,040 --> 00:45:22,040 Speaker 4: politics right now is a Republican primary endorsement from President Trump. 811 00:45:22,239 --> 00:45:29,040 Speaker 4: And this is a necessary and sometimes sufficient qualification for 812 00:45:29,320 --> 00:45:34,200 Speaker 4: getting his endorsement is telling him very fervently that he 813 00:45:34,800 --> 00:45:36,080 Speaker 4: won the twenty twenty election. 814 00:45:36,520 --> 00:45:40,759 Speaker 1: If he wins. Obviously we all have figger problems. But 815 00:45:41,239 --> 00:45:45,120 Speaker 1: in a world where the Republican Party loses an all 816 00:45:45,320 --> 00:45:50,800 Speaker 1: and finally becomes sane again, some part of this base 817 00:45:51,280 --> 00:45:53,680 Speaker 1: has descended in trump Ism, But it seems as if 818 00:45:53,760 --> 00:45:56,479 Speaker 1: there are people who can come back and be quote 819 00:45:56,560 --> 00:45:57,880 Speaker 1: unquote more normal. 820 00:45:58,239 --> 00:46:01,120 Speaker 4: I think so, and it's why I'm still part of 821 00:46:01,120 --> 00:46:04,320 Speaker 4: the Republican Party because I believe in the twenty sixteen 822 00:46:04,400 --> 00:46:07,440 Speaker 4: party platform. I believe in the twenty twelve party platform, 823 00:46:07,840 --> 00:46:13,640 Speaker 4: and the philosophy of a limited government and small, lower taxes, 824 00:46:13,719 --> 00:46:17,080 Speaker 4: lower regulation. We can quibble about those things of whether 825 00:46:17,160 --> 00:46:20,640 Speaker 4: the party, you know, consistently implements those but that's not 826 00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:23,880 Speaker 4: really the purpose of today's conversation, I don't think. But 827 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:28,720 Speaker 4: a party will always have a percentage of its voting 828 00:46:28,760 --> 00:46:31,959 Speaker 4: members that you know, maybe aren't you are a little 829 00:46:31,960 --> 00:46:34,560 Speaker 4: bit your weird uncle. Just the difference is that the 830 00:46:34,560 --> 00:46:37,759 Speaker 4: weird uncle has taken over the steering wheel for in 831 00:46:37,840 --> 00:46:42,280 Speaker 4: some instances eight years. But the Democratic Party, I would say, 832 00:46:42,560 --> 00:46:45,080 Speaker 4: flirted with this a little bit. And I'm not going 833 00:46:45,120 --> 00:46:49,480 Speaker 4: to draw one to one comparisons, but elevating Bernie Sanders 834 00:46:49,480 --> 00:46:52,880 Speaker 4: into the leadership role would have been giving over control 835 00:46:53,000 --> 00:46:56,040 Speaker 4: to not where the median member of the party used 836 00:46:56,040 --> 00:46:59,319 Speaker 4: to be. And so just it's an interesting phenomenon that 837 00:46:59,400 --> 00:47:04,280 Speaker 4: I think has its roots in intense partisanship, intense polarization, 838 00:47:04,719 --> 00:47:10,719 Speaker 4: intense distrust in society, intense media ecosystems that are silos, 839 00:47:11,000 --> 00:47:14,120 Speaker 4: and trace it back to I don't know whether it's 840 00:47:14,640 --> 00:47:18,359 Speaker 4: the two thousand and eight financial crisis or the Tea 841 00:47:18,440 --> 00:47:25,880 Speaker 4: Party movement, but just trust in anything institutionally has suffered 842 00:47:25,960 --> 00:47:30,400 Speaker 4: immensely over the last twenty years, and elections is simply 843 00:47:30,480 --> 00:47:32,880 Speaker 4: one manifestation of it. But I think that you're going 844 00:47:32,960 --> 00:47:35,880 Speaker 4: to find that, if, for instance, one of these courts 845 00:47:35,960 --> 00:47:39,160 Speaker 4: rules against President Trump in the criminal context, that you're 846 00:47:39,280 --> 00:47:41,040 Speaker 4: going to have a lot of people who do not 847 00:47:41,080 --> 00:47:44,840 Speaker 4: believe in the criminal justice system anymore so insane. 848 00:47:45,600 --> 00:47:50,040 Speaker 1: Do you think there's a way like using more clarity 849 00:47:50,560 --> 00:47:55,360 Speaker 1: will help Republicans see that these elections were fair, you know, 850 00:47:55,400 --> 00:47:57,279 Speaker 1: because clearly you think about this a lot. Give me 851 00:47:57,320 --> 00:47:59,160 Speaker 1: your hot take for the solve here. 852 00:47:59,560 --> 00:48:03,359 Speaker 4: I think we have to accept that there's a percentage 853 00:48:03,360 --> 00:48:07,400 Speaker 4: of the party that will never be convinced even moving forward. 854 00:48:07,480 --> 00:48:09,640 Speaker 4: I think we have to accept that there's even a 855 00:48:09,719 --> 00:48:14,080 Speaker 4: larger percentage that is never going to change their opinion 856 00:48:14,160 --> 00:48:17,680 Speaker 4: about twenty twenty election. Why we try to provide more 857 00:48:17,719 --> 00:48:23,640 Speaker 4: and more information and combat false information online is because 858 00:48:24,440 --> 00:48:29,080 Speaker 4: we believe that there are people, especially forward looking people, 859 00:48:29,239 --> 00:48:33,799 Speaker 4: who can be convinced with more information, that this is 860 00:48:33,840 --> 00:48:36,759 Speaker 4: a system that they can have confidence in even if 861 00:48:36,760 --> 00:48:39,560 Speaker 4: they don't like the outcome. And so we're not look 862 00:48:39,600 --> 00:48:43,280 Speaker 4: at we're not shooting for one hundred percent here, And truthfully, 863 00:48:43,320 --> 00:48:46,960 Speaker 4: that's never happened in American politics. There's always been a 864 00:48:47,040 --> 00:48:50,000 Speaker 4: distrust from the losing party. It's just we've seen it 865 00:48:50,040 --> 00:48:53,799 Speaker 4: on steroids these last few years. But I hope that 866 00:48:53,840 --> 00:48:57,440 Speaker 4: we can bring back people. A central core belief of 867 00:48:57,480 --> 00:49:00,640 Speaker 4: mine is that man is still a rational reacher and 868 00:49:00,680 --> 00:49:03,520 Speaker 4: if you hit him with facts and logics, then that's 869 00:49:03,600 --> 00:49:06,200 Speaker 4: going to have an impact to at least a good 870 00:49:06,280 --> 00:49:07,000 Speaker 4: number of people. 871 00:49:07,400 --> 00:49:11,880 Speaker 1: Well, let's hope. Thank you so much. This is really interesting, 872 00:49:12,040 --> 00:49:13,000 Speaker 1: So thanks. 873 00:49:12,920 --> 00:49:16,040 Speaker 4: Great. 874 00:49:16,480 --> 00:49:21,000 Speaker 1: Moment. Oh fuck on, Jesse Cannon, Molly jung Fast. 875 00:49:21,239 --> 00:49:24,240 Speaker 4: The juice is loose in the afterlife. 876 00:49:24,280 --> 00:49:29,600 Speaker 1: Sometimes mainstream media. Look, it's very hard. Writing straight down 877 00:49:29,640 --> 00:49:33,960 Speaker 1: the middle is very hard. But OJ Simpson's obituary has 878 00:49:34,040 --> 00:49:40,000 Speaker 1: proven to be a sticky wicket that many a mainstream 879 00:49:40,200 --> 00:49:45,480 Speaker 1: news outlet has failed. O J. Simpson, athlete whose trial 880 00:49:45,640 --> 00:49:48,800 Speaker 1: riveted the nation, dies at seventy six. He ran to 881 00:49:48,920 --> 00:49:51,680 Speaker 1: football fame on the field and made fortunes in movies, 882 00:49:52,000 --> 00:49:55,160 Speaker 1: but his world was ruined after he was charged with 883 00:49:55,239 --> 00:49:59,960 Speaker 1: killing his former wife and her friend. Hmmm, the passive voice, 884 00:50:00,000 --> 00:50:03,640 Speaker 1: this is a choice. And then we had breaking news 885 00:50:03,680 --> 00:50:08,600 Speaker 1: football great orenthal James Simpson, known as Ojay has died. Perhaps, 886 00:50:08,880 --> 00:50:12,440 Speaker 1: but I think the height of fuckery will be the 887 00:50:12,600 --> 00:50:16,560 Speaker 1: La Times accidentally using the name Trump in place of 888 00:50:16,640 --> 00:50:21,239 Speaker 1: Simpson near the end of their oh bit. And I'm 889 00:50:21,280 --> 00:50:23,360 Speaker 1: just going to read you the sentence because it's amazing. 890 00:50:23,440 --> 00:50:26,400 Speaker 1: Long before the city woke up on a fall morning 891 00:50:26,480 --> 00:50:31,560 Speaker 1: in twenty seventeen, Trump walked out of the Lovelock County 892 00:50:31,719 --> 00:50:36,680 Speaker 1: Correction Center outside of Reno a freeman for the first 893 00:50:36,760 --> 00:50:40,279 Speaker 1: time in nine years. And that, my friends, is our 894 00:50:40,400 --> 00:50:45,480 Speaker 1: moment of fuckery. That's it for this episode of Fast Politics. 895 00:50:45,840 --> 00:50:48,759 Speaker 1: Tune in every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to hear the 896 00:50:48,800 --> 00:50:52,279 Speaker 1: best minds in politics makes sense of all this chaos. 897 00:50:52,520 --> 00:50:55,080 Speaker 1: If you enjoyed what you've heard, please send it to 898 00:50:55,120 --> 00:50:58,520 Speaker 1: a friend and keep the conversation going, and again thanks 899 00:50:58,560 --> 00:50:59,160 Speaker 1: for listening. 900 00:51:00,840 --> 00:51:01,040 Speaker 3: Two