Podcast appearances and mentions of Elaine Chao

The Rush Hour is back with a packed morning show as we break down Vice President J.D. Vance's headline-making appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, where he attempted to defend the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files while also addressing the administration's failed war messaging. We'll separate fact from political spin, examine why critics say the interview amounted to damage control, and unpack the claims that simply don't hold up under scrutiny. Vance acknowledged the administration "screwed up" its communications on the Epstein files, but was adamant it wasn't part of a cover-up—a defense that has left many unconvinced. We dive into the contradictions, the public backlash, and what it all means going forward. Plus, the mystery surrounding Mitch McConnell continues. After weeks of questions about the senator's health, new developments emerged as his wife, Elaine Chao, was spotted leaving the rehabilitation hospital where McConnell has reportedly been recovering. We'll go over the latest sightings, what has actually been confirmed about his condition, and why the lack of transparency has fueled so much speculation. All that and more on this morning's episode of The Rush Hour.

You'd probably get fired for not showing up to work for a month — unless you're a member of Congress. This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen and Ariana Aspuru with help from Denise Guerra, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore and Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram. U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell and his wife Elaine Chao, in a photograph released by his office. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

McShane, Fitz, and Jefe return after taking a week off for America's 250th. They recap a calm holiday weekend and pivot to major topics: NYC Mayor Mamdani's immigrant-enclave map omits Little Italy, Irish/Scottish areas, and Jewish enclaves, which they argue signals erasing history and fuels backlash. They discuss rumors that Mitch McConnell “died,” skepticism toward claims he's fine, and note Elaine Chao's China meetings as suspicious. They call out heavy CERN discourse as a narrative, rejecting recent “Mandela effect” claims while acknowledging anxiety about time and distraction. They review beers (Stoup Mothership IPA, Roses by the Stairs smoked porter critique, Mortalis coffee stout praised, Fremont Orange and Cacao barrel-aged stout praised) and warn robots and AI-body control tech are becoming dangerously real.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/razor-wire-news--5683729/support.www.razorwirenews.com

"President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States was reinstating a naval blockade on Iran and would be reimbursed 20% on all cargo shipped through the Strait of Hormuz after ​Tehran claimed it had closed the vital waterway."The Hormuz Strait is OPEN, and will remain OPEN, ‌with or without Iran. We are reinstating THE IRANIAN BLOCKADE," Trump said on Truth Social.""Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Sunday in his first public statement since he was hospitalized nearly a month ago that he was “briefly unconscious” after he suffered a fall.In the statement, accompanied by a photo of McConnell smiling in a hospital chair alongside his wife, Elaine Chao, he said doctors have not yet cleared him to return to the Senate floor to vote.“But rest assured that, in the meantime, I'm not taking a break from the Senate business that matters to you,” McConnell said. “I've also been keeping in touch with my Senate colleagues on the appropriations process, midterm politics, and everything in between.”McConnell, 84, said he has “submitted to every test” doctors can think of to figure out what prompted the fall and has moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation center where, he said, he will “keep regaining my strength.”"Michael Shure, Gary Dietrich, and Sarah Kendzior will join to discuss the top stories. Looking for Sarah Kendzior's substack? https://sarahkendzior.substack.com/You can slso find links to Sarah's books at: https://sarahkendzior.com/The Mark Thompson Show 7/13/26Patreon subscribers are the backbone of the show! If you'd like to help, here's our Patreon Link:https://www.patreon.com/themarkthompsonshowMaybe you're more into PayPal.  https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PVBS3R7KJXV24And you'll find everything on our website: https://www.themarkthompsonshow.comThe Mark Thompson Show has an official new Facebook page.  Please join! Here's the link: https://m.facebook.com/TheMarkThompsonShow/Show sponsors:coachellavalleycoffee.com  - use code MarkT at check out to save 10%Suite 106 Bakery use code MarkT to save 15%Here's a special link:https://suite106bakery.com/discount/MARKT#News #Politics #TheMarkThompsonShow

CNN political voice Scott Jennings, a former WHAS Radio news anchor, joined midday host Leland Conway to discuss misguided media and social media conspiracy theories related to Senator Mitch McConnell's recent hospitalization.Millions of online commentators were assuring each other that McConnell is dead, or brain dead and being kept alive to bypass Governor Andy Beshear's potential to call a special session forcing a vote for replacement. After weeks of unanswered questions, McConnell's office finally released a full medical update and a photo of the senator and his wife Elaine Chao in a Washington D.C. rehab facility. The McConnell team released details of his June 14, 2026 fall and the medical diagnosis reports.Both hardcore Liberals and MAGA stalwarts tried to poke holes in the statements and the photo, claiming McConnell is dead and the photo was either a 2023 reissue or A.I. doctored.It's a reminder once again that nearly half of the population is of below average intelligence.-- synopsis written by WHAS Radio's Terry Meiners --

Today's Headlines: Mitch McConnell is still missing with zero health updates, Elaine Chao's spokesperson says she left for China two days before he was hospitalized and has since returned. Mitch's absence is now actively complicating Senate business since he sits on the Appropriations Committee that needs to pass a government funding bill by September 30th — so the republicans need him conscious and present, which remains unconfirmed. In other news, The Secret Service apparently made Trump swap planes leaving Turkey out of "an abundance of caution" over Iran escalation concerns about how quickly the Qatari hand-me-down was retrofitted, despite Trump insisting the plane is fine. Meanwhile the  White House columns are now covered in a tarp printed to look like the White House, which is a real thing that exists. On the Immigration beat, ICE shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national with no criminal record who had lived in the US for decades and was on his way to work, with federal officials claiming self-defense and no footage to back it up — and Mexico is now reportedly planning to file criminal complaints in the US over multiple ICE custody deaths, because apparently diplomatic complaints weren't getting through. In Texas, Ken Paxton, AG and Republican Senate candidate who literally just created a voter fraud tip line, appears to have voted at an address he hadn't lived at for over a year across six elections including the primary that made him the Republican nominee — information that only surfaced because of his divorce filings — and spent July 4th weekend in England with his alleged mistress, patriotic. On the cost of living beat, Walmart is cutting grocery prices by 12%, DeBeers is making its deepest diamond price cuts ever now that lab-grown diamonds have broken their monopoly, and the government is quietly changing how it calculates inflation in a way that will make the numbers look slightly better going forward, with timing that is, shall we say, convenient. Resources/Articles mentioned: WLKY: Sen. Mitch McConnell's wife releases statement amid his hospitalization WaPo: How Mitch McConnell's absence complicates the Senate's business and war funding ABC News: Secret Service urged Trump to depart Turkey on old Air Force One as a security precaution, sources say The Daily Beast: White House Gets Tacky Tarp Over Trump's New Project AP News: Family demands an independent probe after ICE officer fatally shoots a man in Houston Axios: Mexico threatens legal action over citizens' deaths in ICE custody The Texas Tribune: Ken Paxton's voter registration may violate Texas election law SA Current: Republican Ken Paxton spotted with alleged mistress in England over Independence Day weekend WSJ: Walmart Lowers Prices on Thousands of Items, Including Beef and Coca-Cola Bloomberg: De Beers Makes Diamond Price Cuts for Shrinking Buyers Club Axios: Measurement tweaks will make inflation data look better Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marjorie Taylor Greene brings her McConnell and AIPAC claims to The View, which gives Hawk an opening on a subject close to him: the roughly $60 million AIPAC has poured into congressional races this cycle, Miriam Adelson's spending against Thomas Massie over the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and where that leaves both parties. George Conway flatly calls Donald Trump an adjudicated rapist, pointing to the E. Jean Carroll verdict, while CNN's Harry Enton lays out a Democratic primary turnout edge heading toward the midterms and the fight for the House and Senate. Hawk closes on a construction skyscraper buckling at 235 East 42nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, renewed U.S. airstrikes on Iran described as punitive, and thoughts for the family of Nolan Xavier Wells, who have retained attorney Benjamin Crump. SUPPORT & CONNECT WITH HAWK- Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mdg650hawk - Hawk's Merch Store: https://hawkmerchstore.com - Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mdg650hawk7thacct - Connect on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hawkeyewhackamole - Connect on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/mdg650hawk.bsky.social - Connect on Substack: https://mdg650hawk.substack.com - Connect on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hawkpodcasts - Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mdg650hawk - Connect on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/mdg650hawk ALL HAWK PODCASTS INFO- Additional Content Available Here: https://www.hawkpodcasts.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@hawkpodcasts- Listen to Hawk Podcasts On Your Favorite Platform:Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3RWeJfyApple Podcasts: https://apple.co/422GDuLYouTube: https://youtube.com/@hawkpodcastsiHeartRadio: https://ihr.fm/47vVBdPPandora: https://bit.ly/48COaTB

Hour 2 Segment 1 Tony starts the second hour of the show talking about Nirav Shah as one of the headliners to replace Graham Platner. Tony also talks about the threat of the DSA. Hour 2 Segment 2 Tony talks about Republicans warn WNBA of federal scrutiny over violence against Caitlin Clark. Hour 2 Segment 3 Tony gets into three more things: Elaine Chao returning to the U.S. after Mitch McConnell’s hospitalization, a former Wisconsin judge spared prison for obstructing ICE arrests, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s map of New York City immigrant neighborhoods sparking outrage for ignoring Little Italy. Hour 2 Segment 4 Tony wraps up the second hour of the show talking about what's next for President Donald Trump and Iran. Tony also talks more about Denmark defending Greenland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hour 1 Segment 1 Tony starts the first hour of the show talking about Graham Platner dropping out of his Senate race after more rape allegations hit his campaign. Hour 1 Segment 2 Tony talks about the latest in the preliminary hearing on the Charlie Kirk assassin trial. Hour 1 Segment 3 Tony breaks down President Donald Trump’s NATO speech in Turkey from yesterday. Hour 1 Segment 4 Tony wraps up the first hour of the show talking about Denmark defending Greenland. Hour 2 Segment 1 Tony starts the second hour of the show talking about Nirav Shah as one of the headliners to replace Graham Platner. Tony also talks about the threat of the DSA. Hour 2 Segment 2 Tony talks about Republicans warn WNBA of federal scrutiny over violence against Caitlin Clark. Hour 2 Segment 3 Tony gets into three more things: Elaine Chao returning to the U.S. after Mitch McConnell’s hospitalization, a former Wisconsin judge spared prison for obstructing ICE arrests, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s map of New York City immigrant neighborhoods sparking outrage for ignoring Little Italy. Hour 2 Segment 4 Tony wraps up the second hour of the show talking about what's next for President Donald Trump and Iran. Tony also talks more about Denmark defending Greenland. Hour 3 Segment 1 Tony starts the final hour of the show joined with Ed Morrissey of HotAir.com to talk about Graham Platner dropping out of his Senate race after more rape allegations hit his campaign. Hour 3 Segment 2 Tony talks about a Costco cashier earning $33 an hour now becoming a millionaire. Hour 3 Segment 3 Tony continues his conversation with Ed Morrissey talking about President Donald Trump’s NATO speech in Turkey. Hour 3 Segment 4 Tony wraps up another edition of the show talking about Vice President J.D. Vance being hot and cold on some topics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mitch...Dead or Alive, Where's Elaine Chao? Thomas Massie's proposed term limits, The Trump jinx, The mess on the Mall, Belgians Dance and more 

//The Wire//2300Z July 7, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: EXPLOSIONS REPORTED NEAR HOTEL HOUSING FRENCH PRESIDENT DURING STATE VISIT TO DAMASCUS. MONACO BOMBER FOUND DEAD IN UKRAINE. IRAN RESUMES TARGETING OF UNAUTHORIZED TRANSITS OF HORMUZ STRAIT. CONCERNS GROWING REGARDING STATUS OF SENATOR MCCONNELL'S HEALTH, COMPLICATING UPCOMING ELECTION.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Syria: This morning several explosive devices were detonated in Damascus during French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit. The first device took the form of a Vehicle-Borne IED (VBIED) which was detonated on the street adjacent to the Ministry of Tourism, wounding many people including the Assistant Deputy Minister of Tourism. A few minutes after this device detonated, another device detonated on the street immediately adjacent to the initial blast site. At the time of the blasts, President Macron was staying at the Four Seasons hotel directly across the street from the blast site. Macron was not wounded during the attack, and has not canceled his state visit to Syria.Analyst Comment: This complex attack was very likely targeting Macron himself, or at least trying to get as close as possible to cause diplomatic trouble. Throughout the region, it's extremely common for terror groups to conduct attacks while foreign dignitaries are visiting, so as to embarrass their political leadership.Ukraine: Yesterday one of the lead suspects in the Monaco bombing case was found dead. Anastasiia Berezovska was the individual suspected of dropping off the bomb at the residence of Vadym Yermolaiev a few weeks ago. Berezovska was found at an undisclosed location in Ukraine with multiple gunshots to the head. After her death was discovered, an actively-serving member of the Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian MoD confessed to her murder.Analyst Comment: Very clearly, someone is tying up the loose ends in this case, and doing so very publicly to send a message. Now that the lead suspect in the bombing case is dead, the entire affair is tidied up neatly, and no further investigation can be undertaken regarding who Berezovska was working for.-HomeFront-Washington D.C. - Concerns are growing regarding the status of Senator Mitch McConnell, who has been hospitalized for several weeks. On June 14th, McConnell was found unconscious on the floor of his home in Capitol Hill after suffering an apparent heart attack. CPR was performed at the scene, and he was transported to a hospital. Apart from those initial details, there is currently no indication of his status beyond unconfirmed rumor.Analyst Comment: McConnell's health has been extremely concerning over the past few years, with several viral media incidents indicating that he is not well. In this case, three days after his heart attack, his wife Elaine Chao traveled to China to meet with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. As a result of the timing of this visit, and the extreme secrecy surrounding the health of a man who has been of ailing health for years, concerns are growing regarding McConnell's status. In Kentucky, election law regarding position appointments has recently changed. Instead of the Governor being able to make an appointment for the seat, if a Senator dies in office, a special election is now mandatory. As such if McConnell passes away before the election, a special election would have to be held to fill the vacancy of only a couple of months, before the general election in November.However, the timing matters. If a Kentucky Senator dies in office (and thus vacates the seat) less than 63 days before the election, a special election would probably not be required and the normal election goes on. In this case, McConnell is not running again this year but the law regarding his seat still applies, so he must remain alive until September 1st, in order to prevent a special election which would allow a third-party candidate to run for his seat.New York: This morning evacuations were conducted after a high-rise building experienced a partial collapse in midtown Manhattan. The former Pfizer building at 235 E. 42nd St was undergoing major renovations/construction this morning, when approximately 5 floors of the building experienced a partial collapse. A perimeter cordon is currently in place around the building, as pieces of the structure have been falling on the street and sidewalk throughout the morning.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: In the Persian Gulf, the Ayatollah's funeral has served as a sort of ceasefire-within-a-"ceasefire", and the United States and Iran took the past week to actually stop shooting at each other. During that time, merchant vessels also took the opportunity to slip through the Strait of Hormuz via the southern Omani route...something that Iran has repeatedly warned against. During the funeral, Iranian forces let this take place, however as of last night patience ran out and the Iranians have returned to striking commercial vessels for taking this route. So far today, a total of 4x confirmed (and probably one more unconfirmed) merchant vessels have been engaged by Iran for trying to sneak through the Strait. This is the most ships that have been struck since the hot-phase of the war, and these targeting efforts were not the result of ship captains unilaterally changing the route.Yesterday, the UKMTO directly stated that merchant traffic may take the southern route without coordinating with the Iranians. This statement was issued knowing full well that the Iranians have been warning ships that they must take the Larak Island route. Exactly who made the decision to issue this statement is unclear, but in effect the UKMTO told ships to take a route that they knew would be unsafe, gambling on the Iranians not conducting strikes during the Ayatollah's funeral. Now, the burning hulls of five ships are evidence that this gamble was ill advised. In response to these attacks, the United States has re-imposed sanctions on Iranian oil exports after granting them permission to export their oil a few weeks ago. Other than the sanctions, the United States is likely to conduct the standard retaliation strikes at random targets near Bandar Abbas over the next few days.Analyst: S2A1 Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

The mask is completely off!

You’re listening to American Ground Radio with Stephen Parr and Louis R. Avallone. This is the full show for July 6, 2026. We open with reports from investigative journalist Laura Loomer that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — who was hospitalized on June 14th after EMS had to restart his heart at his home — has not left the hospital and may not recover. We discuss the lack of transparency from his staff, the separate story of his wife Elaine Chao traveling to Beijing to meet with the Chinese Vice President three days after her husband's cardiac emergency, and the broader question of McConnell's legacy — a man who served as Republican Senate leader longer than anyone in American history while half the national debt was added on his watch, Obamacare was never repealed, and regular order budgets were never passed. In our Top 3 Things You Need to Know, Washington D.C. held the largest fireworks display in American history over the Fourth of July weekend — more than 850,000 fireworks launched in close to an hour, massive crowds, and only four total arrests. Most local D.C. media chose to lead with air quality warnings. Then Graham Plattner, the Maine Democratic Senate nominee who has already survived scandals involving a Nazi SS tattoo, alleged spousal abuse, and sexual messages to women on a predator website, now faces a new allegation from a woman who says he entered her home drunk and forced himself on her in 2021. And Paul Pelosi — husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — has been charged with hit and run after allegedly crashing into a parked car in Napa County and driving away even as his car became inoperable from the damage. This is his second major driving incident in four years. Our American Mamas Teri Netterville and Kimberly Burleson recap the Spinks Sisters' 24th annual Fourth of July party — 100 people, a prayer circle, volleyball, a slip and slide, and scenes that made them want to stop and freeze the moment in their memories. They also discuss the contrast between what they saw at the party and what they saw in CNN's coverage of the historic Washington D.C. fireworks show, and reflect on World Cup tourists from around the world going viral saying they had never experienced this level of patriotism in their lives and that they were sorry for believing what their home country media told them about America. We cover a guest on Joy Reid's podcast actively rooting for the U.S. to lose in the World Cup — not because of any team loyalty, but because a U.S. victory would benefit President Trump. We also note that Arizona Senator Mark Kelly spent the Fourth of July in a Mexico jersey at a World Cup watch party — and while anyone can cheer for whoever they want, doing it on America's 250th Independence Day as a sitting U.S. senator is a choice worth commenting on. In our Digging Deep segment, a White House report on the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History finds that the museum has been ideologically captured — with its director on record saying her job is to problematize the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, to move attention away from what she calls an Anglo-centric focus on the American founding, and to use the museum's collection as a tool of social justice and activism. The report concludes the museum no longer treats the American story as a shared national inheritance but as a political instrument to divide and dispirit American citizens. We make the broader point that a museum which teaches only celebration is propaganda — but a museum that teaches only shame is propaganda too. And we return to a point worth making again: separating Black history into its own building while calling Black history absent from the National Museum of American History is not representation. It's segregation. We also cover Sunny Hostin of The View saying that seeing an American flag in a neighborhood makes her feel unsafe as a Black woman — and we connect it to the report that FEMA workers under the Biden administration were instructed to pass over homes flying American flags because they were likely Trump supporters. We make the case clearly: the American flag is not a symbol of white supremacy. It is the flag of the Republic. If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail — and if the only lens you have is racism, you will find racism in every American flag. For our Bright Spot, President Trump officially launched Trump Accounts — ringing a bell in the Oval Office that simultaneously opened trading on both the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq for the first time in history from the White House. More than 6 million accounts have been opened for children under 18, with 1.4 million receiving a $1,000 federal pilot contribution at an annual management fee capped by law at 0.1%. Michael and Susan Dell donated more than $6 billion to the program. We call it what it is — teaching children to bet on America, building financial confidence, and giving kids a real starting point for wealth that no government program has ever offered at this scale. And we close with 32-year-old Kelsey Findler, who spent 43 days alone in the Pacific Ocean rowing from Monterey, California to Hawaii — 2,400 miles with nothing but her boat and two oars — arriving at the Hawaii Yacht Club on July 3rd to become not only the youngest woman to complete the crossing, but the fastest ever, shattering the previous record by more than 40 days. May your pursuit of happiness bring you joy. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts, visit AmericanGroundRadio.com, and join the conversation at 866-AGR-1776!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Monday, July 6, 2026   Today, the United States warned Iran about Israel's aims to assassinate Iran's top negotiators; Trump's Department of Energy deleted over 6,000 web pages dedicated to energy savings after Mayor Mamdani asked New Yorkers to keep their thermostats at 78 degrees; the owner of a dog shot by the LAPD has sued the city; Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has defended the Patriot Front white nationalist march in DC on the Fourth of July; Elaine Chao left the country just three days after her husband Mitch McConnell was found unconscious; nearly a million investors lost over $3.8bn on Trump crypto coin; plus Allison and Dana deliver your Good News. Thank You, IQBAR Text DAILYBEANS to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products, plus FREE shipping. Message and data rates may apply.  Thank You, Helix 20% off Sitewide | 25% off Luxe Mattresses | 30% off Elite Mattresses when you go to HelixSleep.com/dailybeans Join The Daily Beans and give a gift today to ensure The Trevor Project can continue its crucial work in the face of continued challenges. Donate to The Trevor Project - Daily Beans Podcast The Latest Breakdown:The Breakdown | Todd Blanche Could Be in Contempt Days Ahead of His Confirmation Hearing StoriesWhite House deletes thousands of web pages about energy conservation as heatwave slams US | The Verge Owner of dog killed by LAPD in Canoga Park files lawsuit against city | ABC7 Los Angeles U.S. warned Iran about Israel's aims to assassinate leaders | The Washington Post Nearly a Million Investors Lost a Total of $3.8 Billion on Trump Crypto Coin | The New York Times Mitch McConnell's wife did something 'bizarre' after he was hospitalized: report | Raw Story Trump Cabinet official defends white nationalist July 4 march: ‘Free speech' | MS NOWGood TroubleShow up for our Libraries - action.ala.org →We The People March - July 3 →goodtroubleliveson.org/ July 17-19 →How to help those impacted by the Venezuela earthquakes|AP →Oppose House Amendment to Defund the Peace Corps! →Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance -  Open For Comments →Stand With Minnesota →ICE List  →iceout.org Good NewsAmerica: Birth Of A Nation dana-goldbergs-southwest-funnyfest Oct 9 -Email Dana@DanaGoldberg.com for sponsorship information Tour - DANA GOLDBERGTickets for Dana Goldberg: Outrageous - Sep 23 - Den Theater - Chicago  →Share your Good News & Good Trouble - The Daily Beans   →Beans Talk audio -beans-talk.simplecast.com →Email Dana LGBTQ Owned eating establishments in your area - hello@mswmedia.com Subject: “Dana's Project” Subscribe to the MSW YouTube Channel - MSW Media - YouTube Our Donation Links The Trevor Project - trevorproject.org/beans Blue Wave California - https://secure.actblue.com/donate/msw-bwc Donate to Public Citizen - https://citizen.org/beans/ The Daily Beans is donating $10,000 and invites you to give what you can to support their life-affirming work - Donate to It Gets Better / The Daily Beans Fundraiser Pathways to Citizenship link to MATCH Allison's Donationhttps://crm.bloomerang.co/HostedDonation?ApiKey=pub_86ff5236-dd26-11ec-b5ee-066e3d38bc77&WidgetId=6388736 Join Dana and The Daily Beans in support of Human Rights Campaign http://onecau.se/_ekes71 More Donation LinksNational Security Counselors - Donate, ActBlue.com/donate/msw-bwc, WhistleblowerAid.org/beans Dr. Allison Gill - The Breakdown | Allison Gill, Mueller, She Wrote @muellershewrote.com - Bluesky, MSW & The Daily Beans Podcast @muellershewrote - Instagram, MSW Media - YouTube →Federal workers - email AG at fedoath@pm.me and let me know what you're going to do, or just vent. I'm always here to listen.  Dana Goldberg - Dana is on Patreon! At Dana's Dugout, @dgcomedy - Bluesky, @dgcomedy - IG, Dana Goldberg - Facebook,  DanaGoldberg.com More from MSW Media - Shows - MSW Media, Cleanup On Aisle 45 pod, The Breakdown | Allison Gill Reminder - you can see the pod pics if you become a Patron. The good news pics are at the bottom of the show notes of each Patreon episode! That's just one of the perks of subscribing! patreon.com/muellershewrote Listener Survey:http://survey.podtrac.com/start-survey.aspx?pubid=BffJOlI7qQcF&ver=shortFollow the Podcast on Apple:https://apple.co/3XNx7ckWant to support the show and get it ad-free and early?https://patreon.com/thedailybeanshttps://dailybeans.supercast.com/https://apple.co/3UKzKt0 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today's Headlines: Trump's July 4th celebrations were a disaster on every front — his Mount Rushmore speech was cancelled by a hailstorm, the National Mall events were evacuated due to severe wind and rain with guests sheltering in the African American History Museum, and his record-breaking fireworks show was obscured by its own smoke, leaving DC with the worst air quality in the world by 7am. Making it worse, Democrats released a report alleging Freedom250 was a wire fraud scheme that redirected donor money from the legitimate bipartisan America250 celebration, pressured corporate donors to switch their commitments, and diverted $75 million of the $100 million Congress allocated to parts unknown. White nationalist group Patriot Front also showed up in matching outfits, so all in all a great party. On Donaldtella's pet projects, former Olympic canoeist David Hearn, 67, was indicted on a felony destruction of property charge for pulling up liner that was already peeling — the first of at least 11 people facing legal consequences for being near a broken pool — while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum insists vandals cut gashes in it without producing a single frame of surveillance footage, and announced they'll use the same contractor to fix what the same contractor broke. On the World Cup beat, Trump called FIFA chief Gianni Infantino to get suspended American soccer player Folarin Balogun unsuspended from the World Cup, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee conveniently reversed its decision, and Trump celebrated on social media seemingly unbothered that a championship won this way won't be considered legitimate by anyone. On Mitch, it emerged that his wife Elaine Chao traveled to China to meet with the vice president just three days after he was hospitalized with cardiac arrest, with photos of her in Chinese state media discussing US-China relations. And finally, Mallory McMorrow dropped out of the Michigan Senate Democratic primary, leaving establishment-backed Haley Stevens against Bernie-backed Abdul El-Sayed ahead of the August 4th primary. Resources/Articles mentioned: CNN: DC experiences ‘Code Red' air quality after massive fireworks display MSNow: White nationalists march in D.C. on July 4th AP News: Democrats accuse Trump-linked fundraisers of fraud over diverted donations for America's anniversary NYT: David Hearn, Olympian Canoeist, Is Indicted After Arrest at Trump's Reflecting Pool AP News: Trump's administration won't seek new bids to repair the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool  Yahoo: Ominous New Scaffolding Goes Up at Trump White House NBC News: U.S. star Folarin Balogun eligible to play vs. Belgium after FIFA suspends red card ban The Daily Beast: Mitch McConnell's Wife's Bizarre Move After CPR Drama Revealed Axios: McMorrow suspends Michigan Senate bid in shock move Subscribe to the Betches News Room and join the Morning Announcements group chat. Go to: betchesnews.substack.com Morning Announcements is produced by Sami Sage and edited by Grace Hernandez-Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are exposing the jaw-dropping headlines the global elite don't want you to see!

We are exposing the jaw-dropping headlines the global elite don't want you to see!

Get ready for an explosive, no-holds-barred episode where we expose the shocking truth the mainstream media won't touch!

Buckle up for the ultimate breakdown of the massive headlines the global elite and mainstream media are desperate to hide!

Hold onto your seats because we are exposing the ultimate political betrayal!

In the second hour of her guest-hosting appearance on The Charlie James Show, Heidi Harris shifts her focus to individual achievement, media transparency, and international competition, while keeping a firm grip on her themes of American opportunity and patriotism. She opens the hour by highlighting the boundary-breaking legacy of Madam C.J. Walker—who rose from a Louisiana plantation to become America's first self-made female millionaire—using her success story to argue that the American system rewards hard work and determination regardless of one's background. Harris then shifts to breaking political news, bringing on independent reporter Deseree Townsend for a live update on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's health following a severe medical emergency. The two critically evaluate the lack of transparency surrounding his condition and question the timing of his wife Elaine Chao's official trip to China, prompting Harris to call for greater accountability and age limits for aging political figures. Finally, Harris transitions to sports, enthusiastically discussing the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team's progress in the World Cup tournament, defending a controversial overturned red card for American player Folarin Balogun, and rallying her audience to support the team ahead of their high-stakes match against Belgium.

In this follow-up segment from The Charlie James Show, guest host Heidi Harris interviews independent reporter Deseree Townsend, who has been closely monitoring the situation surrounding Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell from outside the hospital in Washington, D.C. Townsend shares insight from a local neighbor who witnessed the initial medical emergency and saw McConnell being rushed away. Together, Harris and Townsend break down the sobering statistics of a 5% survival rate after a severe out-of-hospital cardiac event for an 84-year-old, questioning the official narrative of his condition and recovery. They also cast a critical eye on his wife, Elaine Chao, who notably traveled to China to meet with top officials just days after the incident, rather than remaining by her husband's bedside. Harris and Townsend conclude that a tightly guarded wall of secrecy is being maintained by McConnell's family and staff, who have a vested interest in keeping him technically "in office" to protect their own jobs and political power, leaving both Republicans and Democrats in the dark.

In this segment from The Charlie James Show, guest host Heidi Harris addresses the serious rumors and reports circulating on social media regarding Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's failing health. Referencing claims that McConnell may be facing a critical medical situation, Harris criticizes the lack of transparency from his office and family, especially pointing out the questionable timing of his wife Elaine Chao's official trip to China shortly after his hospitalization. She uses the situation to argue for age and health accountability in Washington, noting that political staffers often go to great lengths to cover for incapacitated politicians to protect their own job security, while asserting that the American public ultimately deserves full honesty regarding the fitness of their elected leaders.

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President Trump fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer on Friday, after the agency reported a weak jobs report for the month of July. In the aftermath, the White House's National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett discusses the decision and the concerned backlash it prompted. Elaine Chao served as Labor Secretary for eight years under President George W. Bush; she explains how BLS reports are calculated and shared with the public, and she underscores the importance of integrity in the agency. CNBC's Steve Liesman and Rick Santelli debate the impact this jobs report has had on the markets as well as what it means for the larger economy. Plus, Tesla has awarded Elon Musk $29 billion worth of Tesla shares, and shares of Berkshire Hathaway dipped after the company reported lower-than-expected earnings.  Kevin Hassett - 19:20Rick Santelli and Steve Liesman - 34:13Elaine Chao - 39:42 In this episode:Steve Liesman, @steveliesmanRick Santelli, @RickSantelliJoe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Becky Quick, @BeckyQuickAndrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkinKatie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie

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Several entertainers are cutting ties with the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center in Washington, D.C., following President Trump's appointment as chairman. Screenwriter Shonda Rhimes shared her departure on Instagram. Issa Rae canceled her sold-out event, calling Trump's leadership an infringement on the institution's values. Ben Folds resigned as an advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra, and Low Cut Connie withdrew from a performance. Trump's newly appointed board includes Usha Vance, Pam Bondi, and Elaine Chao. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How does your purpose scale? As a leader, scaling your purpose means creating lasting impact that extends far beyond your immediate role. When you scale effectively, you create waves of positive change that continue even in your absence. This is something I've realized over time—every action, every word can have a ripple effect. I'm reminded of Elaine Chao, whose leadership journey took her from the Peace Corps to the Department of Labor and then to Transportation. She scaled her mission of creating economic opportunity across different sectors. This week, I encourage you to intentionally consider how you can expand opportunities for others. To find out more about my work, please visit Dana Williams Consulting. LinkedIn Instagram Email: hello@danawilliamsco.com Journal your way to a life with purpose. The Strengths Journal™ is the first and only Gallup-certified daily planner that helps you actively use your strengths to dominate each day and ultimately– transform your life.

091024 1st HR Mass Woman Exposes Venezuelan Illegals Living In Apt Below Delta And Elaine Chao by Kate Dalley

Welcome to the latest episode of Lunch with Shelley with our very special guest Elaine Chao.  Among many titles, Elaine is the former U.S. Secretary of Labor and the U.S. Secretary of Transportation, a trailblazer as the first Asian American and/or Asian American woman in many and various significant roles, an inspirational leader, and someone I'm proud to call a mentor and a friend.Join us at our booth at the great Capital Grille over fabulous salads and fries for a truly unique, authentic and candid conversation about growing up Asian American, interesting observations from her storied career, and the importance that her upbringing and her family continue to have on her life and her outlook.Check us out atwww.lunchwithshelley.com or wherever you get your favorite podcast, and in the meantime Peace, Love and Lunch!

✨歡迎至軒言文創的YouTube頻道觀賞本集訪談（附字幕）

Jeffrey Pfeffer teaches the single most popular (and somewhat controversial) class at Stanford's Graduate School of Business: The Paths to Power. He's also the author of 16 books, including 7 Rules of Power: Surprising—But True—Advice on How to Get Things Done and Advance Your Career. He has taught at Harvard, the London Business School, and IESE and has written for publications like Fortune and the Washington Post. Recognized by the Academy of Management and listed in the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame, Jeffrey also serves on several corporate and nonprofit boards, bringing his expertise to global audiences through seminars and executive education. In our conversation, we discuss:• Jeffrey's seven rules of power• How individuals can acquire and use power in business• Networking, and how to do it effectively• How to build a non-cringe personal brand• How to increase your influence to amplify your impact• Examples and stories of people building power• Tradeoffs and challenges that come with power—Brought to you by:• Uizard—AI-powered prototyping for visionary product leaders• Webflow—The web experience platform• Heap—Cross-platform product analytics that converts, engages, and retains customers—Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-paths-to-power-jeffrey-pfeffer—Where to find Jeffrey Pfeffer:• X: https://x.com/JeffreyPfeffer• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-pfeffer-57a01b6/• Website: https://jeffreypfeffer.com/• Podcast: https://jeffreypfeffer.com/pfeffer-on-power/—Where to find Lenny:• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/—In this episode, we cover:(00:00) Jeffrey's background (02:54) Understanding discomfort with power(04:56) Power skills for underrepresented groups(07:51) The popularity and challenges of Jeffrey's class at Stanford(12:21) The seven rules of power(13:03) Success stories from his course(15:43) Building a personal brand(21:11) Getting out of your own way(26:04) Breaking the rules to gain power(30:34) Networking relentlessly(40:10) Why Jeffrey says to “pursue weak ties”(42:00) Using your power to build more power(44:34) The importance of appearance and body language(47:15) Mastering the art of presentation(55:12) Examples of homework assignments that Jeffrey gives students(59:11) People will forget how you acquired power(01:03:58) More good people need to have power(01:10:49) The price of power and autonomy(01:17:13) A homework assignment for you—Referenced:• Gerald Ferris on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerald-r-ferris-5816b1b5/• Political Skill at Work: https://tarjomefa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/4173-engilish.pdf• Laura Esserman, MD: https://cancer.ucsf.edu/people/esserman.laura• Taylor Swift's website: https://www.taylorswift.com/• Matthew 7: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%207&version=NIV• Mother Teresa quote: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/2887-if-you-judge-people-you-have-no-time-to-love• Paths to Power course description: https://jeffreypfeffer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Pfeffer-OB377-Course-Outline-2018.pdf• 7 Rules of Power: https://jeffreypfeffer.com/books/7-rules-of-power/• The Knowing-Doing Gap: https://jeffreypfeffer.com/books/the-knowing-doing-gap/• Derek Kan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derekkan/• Mitt Romney on X: https://x.com/mittromney• Elaine Chao's website: https://www.elainechao.com/• Tony Hsieh: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hsieh• Zappos: https://www.zappos.com/• How I Did It: Zappos's CEO on Going to Extremes for Customers: https://hbr.org/2010/07/how-i-did-it-zapposs-ceo-on-going-to-extremes-for-customers• McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com/• Bain & Company: https://www.bain.com/• BCG: https://www.bcg.com/• Keith Ferrazzi's website: https://www.keithferrazzi.com/• Deloitte: https://www2.deloitte.com/• Tristan Walker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristanwalker/• Foursquare: https://foursquare.com/• Laura Chau on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-chau/• Canaan Partners: https://www.canaan.com/• Andreessen Horowitz: https://a16z.com/• Sequoia Capital: https://www.sequoiacap.com/• Greylock: https://greylock.com/• The Women Who Venture (WoVen) Podcast: https://www.canaan.com/woven/podcasts• Imposter syndrome: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/imposter-syndrome• Gary Loveman and Harrah's Entertainment: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/case-studies/gary-loveman-harrahs-entertainment• “If you need help, just ask”: Underestimating compliance with direct requests for help: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/publications/if-you-need-help-just-ask-underestimating-compliance-direct-requests• Life story of Kathleen Frances Fowler: https://www.forevermissed.com/kathleenfowler/lifestory• Jason Calacanis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis/• Jason Calacanis: A Case Study in Creating Resources: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/case-studies/jason-calacanis-case-study-creating-resources• You're Invited: The Art and Science of Connection, Trust, and Belonging: https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Invited-Science-Cultivating-Influence/dp/0063030977• View from the Top: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/experience/learning/guest-speakers/view-top• Omid Kordestani on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omid-kordestani-46515151/• Netscape: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netscape•  Esther Wojcicki on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/estherwojcicki/• Leanne Williams: https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/leanne-williams• Precision Psychiatry: Using Neuroscience Insights to Inform Personally Tailored, Measurement-Based Care: https://www.amazon.com/Precision-Psychiatry-Neuroscience-Personally-Measurement-Based/dp/1615371583• Mark Granovetter on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-granovetter-8161704/• The Strength of Weak Ties: https://snap.stanford.edu/class/cs224w-readings/granovetter73weakties.pdf• Getting a Job: https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Job-Study-Contacts-Careers/dp/0226305813• Acting with Power: https://www.amazon.com/Acting-Power-More-Powerful-Believe/dp/110190397X• Articles by Herminia Ibarra: https://herminiaibarra.com/articles/• Kingdom of the Planet of the Ape: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11389872/• Jim Collins's website: https://www.jimcollins.com/• Dana Carney on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danarosecarney/• Baba Shiv: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/faculty/baba-shiv• Tony Hayward: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hayward• Lloyd Blankfein: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Blankfein• Regis McKenna: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regis_McKenna• Jack Valenti: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Valenti• Salman Rushdie quote: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/434175220328596286/• How to build deeper, more robust relationships | Carole Robin (Stanford GSB professor, “Touchy Feely”): https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/build-robust-relationships-carole-robin• Carole Robin's 15% rule: https://pen-name.notion.site/Carole-Robin-on-Lenny-s-Podcast-dc7159208e4242428f4b11ebc92285eb• Karlie Kloss on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karliekloss• Lindsey Graham's website: https://www.lindseygraham.com/• Was Microsoft's Empire Built on Stolen Code? We May Never Know: https://www.wired.com/2012/08/ms-dos-examined-for-thef/• Who's who of Jeffrey Epstein's powerful friends, associates and possible co-conspirators: https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/12/us/jeffrey-epstein-associates-possible-accomplices/index.html• Why Did Martha Stewart Go to Prison? A Look Back at Her 2004 Fraud Case: https://people.com/martha-stewart-fraud-case-prison-sentence-look-back-8550277• Dianne Feinstein: https://www.congress.gov/member/dianne-feinstein/F000062• Richard Blum: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_C._Blum• Athena Care Network: https://www.athenacarenetwork.org• James G. March: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_G._March• Satya Nadella on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/satyanadella/• Trump Organization fined $1.6 million for tax fraud: https://apnews.com/article/politics-legal-proceedings-new-york-city-donald-trump-manhattan-e2f1d01525dafb64be8738c8b4f32085• Rudy Giuliani: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudy_Giuliani• Harvard president resigns amid claims of plagiarism and antisemitism backlash: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/jan/02/harvard-president-claudine-gay-resigns• Stanford president resigns after fallout from falsified data in his research: https://www.npr.org/2023/07/19/1188828810/stanford-university-president-resigns• Rudy Crew: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudy_Crew—Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.—Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed. Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 2: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump dominated on Super Tuesday. Entering the contest, Trump had earned 273 delegates—he now has 1,004 delegates and is expected to reach the 1,215 delegates needed to officially win the party's nomination as soon as March 12th. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Trump's primary rival Nikki Haley announced she was suspending her campaign after winning only one primary (Vermont) on Tuesday. During his victory speech from Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said of the general election: “November 5th is going to go down as the single most important day in the history of our country.” Wall Street Journal opinion columnist Jason L. Riley writes: “In November, the New York Times and Siena College released polling results in six swing states that are expected to determine the election: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The survey indicated that 22% of blacks would vote for Mr. Trump, along with 42% of Hispanics. In 2020 Mr. Biden won the black vote, 92% to 8% and the Hispanic vote 59% to 38%, according to the Pew Research Center. Black and Hispanic voters have been an important part of the Democratic base for decades, but these coalitions aren't everlasting. In 2016 Mr. Trump won by energizing people who hadn't been politically active. Now he's stealing voters from the other team. A follow-up Times/Siena poll of voters nationwide was released this week and showed black support for the former president ticking up to 23% and Mr. Trump leading Mr. Biden outright among Hispanics, 46% to 40%. The liberal press can't comprehend why nonwhites would back someone who has spread conspiracy theories about Barack Obama's birth certificate, smeared Mexican nationals and taunted his own former transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, for being Asian. But it's not that complicated. According to the survey, more than half of all black and Hispanic respondents rank current economic conditions as ‘poor,' while 26% of blacks and 37% of Hispanics say they will vote for Mr. Trump because his policies benefited them personally.” You can read Riley's full editorial here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/bidens-worst-nightmare-blacks-and-hispanics-for-trump-economy-2024-presidential-election-fbbe674c?mod=opinion_lead_pos6 During MSNBC's Super Tuesday panel discussion, Joy Reid baselessly claimed that Republican voters are only “voting on race.” However, as numerous polls are indicating, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump may very well win the Hispanic vote outright while concurrently earning the support of a large percentage of Black voters. The Biden Administration has finally started to police the U.S. Southern border…sort of. Ok, not really. The Department of Justice has charged a California man with smuggling greenhouse gases into the United States. Meanwhile, an undocumented migrant—who is wanted for rape in Oregon—was arrested in Florida, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) refused to take him citing a lack of detention room. During a press conference, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) explained that his administration pressured ICE until it did its job. BREAKING NEWS: 6ABC Digital Staff writes: “At least eight people were shot at a SEPTA bus stop in Philadelphia's Burholme neighborhood, Action News has learned. The gunfire rang out around 3 p.m. Wednesday at Rising Sun and Cottman avenues. Sources tell Action News that at least four of the eight victims are juveniles. Three of the juveniles suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and the fourth was shot in the chest.” You can find more details about this developing story here: https://6abc.com/philadelphia-shooting-today-septa-bus-stop-rising-sun-cottman-burholme-st-vincent-street/14496671/

Senator Dianne Feinstein's colleagues are eulogizing her decades of path-breaking public service and admirable personal qualities. Unsurprisingly, no mention has been made of one serious defect.   The Chinese Communists call it “elite capture.” She was instrumental in getting China into the World Trade Organization. Her husband got rich doing deals with the PRC. And for a decade her state office manager was a Chinese spy. In his tribute on the Senate floor Friday, another senior legislator enriched by the Chinese Communist Party, Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, reminisced about regular dinners with the Feinsteins and his wife, former Cabinet member Elaine Chao. One wonders: Did they discuss China? Our book, The Indictment, warns that – especially at a moment when the CCP is preparing for a shooting war – we must stop being led by elites it has captured. One has departed, many to go. This is Frank Gaffney.

Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell and his wife, former Secretary of Transportation and Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, attended an event held by the Orrin Hatch foundation here in Utah. The event was to honor the couple with a Titan of Service award, honoring their long careers in public service to the American people. Boyd was able to attend the event and brings you the highlights.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this week's episode of Breaking Battlegrounds, we are honored to welcome a lineup of exceptional guests, each bringing their unique perspectives on pressing issues that matter most to our nation.Our first guest needs no introduction, as he is a dear friend of the show and a prominent figure in the political landscape. Matt Lewis, the acclaimed columnist at The Daily Beast and the author of "Too Dumb to Fail: How the GOP Betrayed the Reagan Revolution to Win Elections (and How It Can Reclaim Its Conservative Roots)," graces our platform once again. Today, Matt joins us to share insights from his newly-released book, "Filthy Rich Politicians: The Swamp Creatures, Latte Liberals, and Ruling-Class Elites Cashing in on America." Next on our show is Congressman James Moylan, representing Guam. As Guam Liberation Day approaches on July 21, Congressman Moylan joins us to shed light on this historic event and its profound significance to the people of Guam. We explore the remarkable journey of resilience and freedom, honoring the spirit of those who have shaped Guam's vibrant history.Our final guest, California State Senator Shannon Grove, enters the conversation with an urgent and compelling topic. She discusses her crucial bill that aims to designate human trafficking as a serious and violent felony. Despite the importance of this legislation, California democrats voted it down. Tune in to learn more about this critical issue and the efforts to combat human trafficking in the Golden State.Subscribe now and stay informed on the latest developments, only on Breaking Battlegrounds!-Connect with us:www.breakingbattlegrounds.voteTwitter: www.twitter.com/Breaking_BattleFacebook: www.facebook.com/breakingbattlegroundsInstagram: www.instagram.com/breakingbattlegroundsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/breakingbattlegroundsCalled a “first-rate talent” in The Washington Post and “super-smart” by John Heilemann, Matt K. Lewis is a center-right critic of American politics and pop culture.As a journalist, Lewis has earned a reputation as an “independently minded” (Columbia Journalism Review) and “intellectually honest” commentator (Ben Adler, Newsweek). He is a senior columnist for The Daily Beast, and his work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, GQ, The Washington Post, The Week, Roll Call, Politico, The Telegraph, The Independent, and The Guardian. He previously served as senior contributor for The Daily Caller, and before that, as a columnist for AOL's Politics Daily.Lewis dissects the day's issues in conversation with other thinkers, authors, and newsmakers on his podcast Matt Lewis and the News, and co-hosts The DMZ Show with liberal pundit Bill Scher. He has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, C-SPAN, PBS NewsHour, ABC's “Nightline,” HBO's “Real Time with Bill Maher,” and CBS News' “Face The Nation,” and has contributed to radio outlets including NPR and the BBC.Kirsten Powers described Lewis's 2016 book, Too Dumb to Fail: How the GOP Went From the Party of Reagan to the Party of Trump, as “a lively and fascinating read for any person confounded by the state of today's Republican Party.” In 2011, Lewis released The Quotable Rogue: The Ideals of Sarah Palin in Her Own Words, an edited compilation of the Alaska governor's much-discussed public utterances.-Congressman James Moylan proudly serves as Guam's congressional delegate to the 118th United States Congress. As the first Republican to win the seat on Guam in nearly 30 years, Moylan's victory was historic. He is a strong and trustworthy leader who's focused on issues that affect Guamanians most. Moylan believes island residents have a right to know what's happening in their governing offices. Therefore, he has created an open door policy allowing constituents to have their concerns addressed. Moylan's history of service includes his time as a senator in the 35th and 36th Guam Legislature, a Veteran of the United States army and a parole officer at the Department of Corrections. Additionally, Moylan has more than two decades of experience working in the private sector, including healthcare, financial services, and insurance.In his current position, Moylan serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee.  Both Committees address issues that are vital to Guam.Additionally, Moylan is a native of Guam and is from the village of Tumon. He graduated from John F Kennedy High School and continued to the University of Guam where he obtained a  bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice.  Most of all, Moylan is a proud father to Abby and Krissy Moylan.-Senator Shannon Grove was born and raised in Kern County.After graduating from high school, Senator Grove served in the United States Army. While stationed in Frankfurt, Germany she witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.Following her service to our nation, she established a staffing company with her sister-in-law called Continental Labor and Staffing Resources. Senator Grove currently serves as the CEO.Prior to her election to the State Senate, Senator Grove was the first woman veteran elected to the California Legislature as she served the 34th Assembly District from 2010 to 2016.Senator Grove was elected to represent the 16th Senate District in November 2018, which includes portions of Kern, Tulare, and San Bernardino counties. In January 2019, she was elected Leader of the Senate Republican Caucus where she served in that capacity for two years. As the Republican Leader-Emeritus, Grove remains a committed representative working with legislators to advance policies that benefit the constituents, businesses, and communities within Senate District 16.Senator Grove is an advocate for small business, school choice, the developmentally disabled, farmers, and families. She currently lives in Kern County with her husband, Rick. They are the proud parents of five children and eight grandchildren.Transcription:Sam Stone: Welcome to another episode of Breaking Battlegrounds with your host, Sam Stone and Chuck Warren on the line with us right now. Fantastic new book out came out on the 18th. Matt Lewis. He is a friend of the program, columnist for The Daily Beast, author of Too Dumb to Fail How the GOP Betrayed the Reagan Revolution to Win Elections. Yeah, we are not too dumb to fail. That's been proven many, many times. And today he's joining us to discuss his new book, Filthy Rich Politicians The Swamp Creatures, Latte Liberals and Ruling Class Elites Cashing In on America. Matt, thank you for joining us and welcome to the show.Matt Lewis: Well, thanks for having me back.Chuck Warren: So what gave you the idea to write a book about this issue about filthy rich politicians?Matt Lewis: Well, to be honest, it was because I'm a capitalist. And I was I was actually approached by a book agent, believe it or not, who had this idea to rank the 100 richest politicians in America.Chuck Warren: Interesting.Matt Lewis: That was the original idea of the book. It was 100 chapters. Each chapter was just going to be on. Wow. The 100 richest politicians in just how they made their money. And that's how it started. And it evolved, I think, into a much deeper, more important topic, which includes, you know, the original idea, but but goes so much deeper into like, what it all means. And so it was one of those just the stars aligned and I think we ended up writing a great book.Sam Stone: We got the book a few days ago. I've gone through most of it, I admit, to skimming a few portions. Who is the richest politician in America?Matt Lewis: The richest politician in America is JB Pritzker, who's the governor of Illinois. He is an heir to the Hyatt fortune. There are 11 billionaires in his family and interestingly, when he was running for governor in Illinois, there were three billionaires running for the seat last year in 2022.Sam Stone: Well, amazing. You know what I love about Pritzker? I don't know if you've ever read the book Super Mob, but that family got its start with mob financing.Matt Lewis: Well, you know, it's like the Kennedys, you know, I mean, you go back far enough.Chuck Warren: I think we just call those hard money loans today.Matt Lewis: But in in Congress, it would be Rick Scott. Most people and by the way, it's impossible to know the actual net wealth of most politicians because the range have ways of hiding it. And it's reported in broad ranges. But it used to be Darrell Issa. Right now we believe it is Rick Scott, senator from Florida, who's the richest in Congress.Chuck Warren: Well, so why should this matter to the average voter? I mean, so, for example, you know, as a 2020, I believe about half the members of Congress had a median net worth of $1 million. Okay. And there's almost 22 million people in the United States that have that net worth now. Now, most of that's probably in their home, right. Something they've lived in 20, 30 years. And a couple other things.Sam Stone: I mean, half of California has, but it's.Chuck Warren: Still a lot of money. I mean, you know, a population of 350 million, 21, 21, 22 million people are worth $1 million. And, you know, and that seems like a lot of money. But we also realize that's a lot. And it's not in a lot of ways, right? I mean, you can't retire on that per se and just live on it. But why is this important for Americans and why should they demand some reforms on this?Matt Lewis: Well, so the book is about two things. It's about how the rich get elected and how the elected get rich. And I think both things are important. So right now, the average member of Congress is about 12 times richer than the median American household. And so I think you know, look, I don't begrudge rich people from, you know, for running for office. And in fact, there's some ways that I even admire that. But I do think it's it seems likely to me that when and by the way, I should say that this this phenomenon where the average member of Congress is 12 times richer than the rest of us is kind of new. It's been going on for about three decades now. The gap has dramatically widened. And it just stands to reason, to me that when our elected officials are that much richer than the rest of us, there would be some sort of a disconnect or just a worldview difference in terms of connecting with working class Americans. But that doesn't bother me near as much as the second half of the story, which is the fact that once people get elected, they tend to get richer. And I think that is much more corrosive and damaging than just having rich politicians.Chuck Warren: Well, it's true, though. If you have a certain amount of wealth, you have different concerns than somebody who's making 15, $20 an hour. I mean, that's fair, right? And so how can you really relate if you're all full of people who are highly successful financially?Matt Lewis: Totally. I mean, you know, because of, you know, I'm from a very kind of middle class, working class background. My dad was a prison guard in Hagerstown, Maryland, for 30 years. And that's kind of how I grew up. And I live in West Virginia. I went to a little a little college in West Virginia, but I've been blessed to get to, you know, also know some, you know, folks in journalism who come from maybe more privileged backgrounds than me. And there are some of the nicest, kindest, best people. But I'm telling you, they see they see the world differently than I do. And who could blame them? I mean, they've come from wealth, right? They grew up. And I just think we're all formed by our experience. And and it's impossible not to be at some level.Chuck Warren: Absolutely. We're with Matt Lewis. He is a columnist for The Daily Beast. He has come out with a new book that was released this Tuesday. You can get it at at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble wherever you find your books. Filthy rich politicians, the Swamp Creatures, latte liberals and ruling class elites cashed in on America came out this Tuesday, July 18th. All right. So I want to ask a couple of questions, because your book covers many topics, but who are some of the politicians that we have that are married into money or inherited great wealth?Matt Lewis: So you're the first person to ask me this question. I have a whole chapter or a whole section on this. So thank you. Because this is so I ranked well Business Insider ranked the they have a ranking of the 100 richest politicians in America. And so when the appendix of my book I took the richest 25 and then I personally did kind of a deep dive into them how they made their money. And of the richest 25 members of Congress, more than half, 13 of them made their money through inheritance or marriage the.Sam Stone: Really old fashioned way.Matt Lewis: Yes. And I'll give you a few examples. Richard Blumenthal, his father in law, and by the way, it's usually fathers in law for what that's worth. Interesting.Chuck Warren: Interesting.Matt Lewis: Yeah. Richard Blumenthal's father in law is Peter Malkin, who basically owned the Empire State Building. In fact, he was involved in a in a fight with Donald Trump at some point over control of that.Sam Stone: There was a long time when he was the developer in New York, the real estate guy. Yeah.Matt Lewis: Indeed. There's a Texas congressman named Michael McCaul. His father in law runs Clear Channel Communications.Chuck Warren: Oh, wow.Matt Lewis: Rokana, who's a congressman out of California who's starting to really make a name for himself. His father in law owns a trans max or started trans max and also runs Mara Holdings. Wow. And Mitch McConnell, a lot of people were like, how did Mitch McConnell all of a sudden get all this money? And there are like conspiracy theories about.Chuck Warren: That cocaine.Matt Lewis: Mitch And and and by the way, who knows, right? I mean, maybe there's some secret, But but basically what happened is that, you know, Mitch McConnell is married to Elaine Chao and her mom. When her mom died, you know, she inherited a ton of money. And how much how.Chuck Warren: Much she did inherit, how much did she inherit?Matt Lewis: Oh, we're talking you definitely were talking tens of millions of dollars. Yeah. I mean, he became incredibly wealthy overnight and it looks super suspicious, but it's a matter of public record directly correlates to when her you know, it's money from her her father but but she inherited it when when the mother died.Sam Stone: Andy Biggs is a $10 Billion publisher clearinghouse sweepstakes win is starting to look more and more legitimate.Chuck Warren: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. You know.Matt Lewis: You know, what's you know, what's interesting is, is Kevin McCarthy, the current speaker of the House, won the lottery.Chuck Warren: Oh, really? I thought he did the sandwich shops. Did he really?Matt Lewis: Well, what happened is when he was very young, he won $5,000 in the lottery and he used that money to buy like a deli. And that is what led him to Congress. So.Chuck Warren: Oh, that's fascinating. Yeah, but see, that's that's a little more of a that's more of an all-American story. I got $5,000.Sam Stone: Yeah, that's a great story. Yeah.Chuck Warren: Yeah, it is a great story. It's sort of like, um. Oh, what's it what's that movie? Will Ferrell, where he gets sent to prison for insider trading and he's talking to us. He's talking to his father in law and said, I started this business all of myself with this computer and a $9 million loan from my father. And, you know, there's a lot of people like that. Um, so next to insider trading and I want to get into that probably the next segment. How do certain members benefit their family members, either via their connections or congressional campaigns? That happens a lot more than people think. And it always seems like a surprise to people that some kids on the payroll and we've got two minutes here, but can you give a couple of examples how that's happening?Matt Lewis: Totally. I'll give you it's a by the way, it's a bipartisan book. Um, both pretty much everyone's equally guilty of this. And so we'll start with Ilhan Omar, you know, a member of the squad on the left. She has directed millions of dollars, millions of campaign dollars to her husband's consulting firm. Likewise, Bernie Sanders, who, by the way, he became a millionaire from a book deal, but his wife, Jane, he has paid a lot of money to her over the years, including hiring her to be his media ad buyer when she had zero experience doing that. So she's basically getting a cut or a percentage of the money his campaign spends buying TV advertisements.Chuck Warren: Does she do that during the presidential, too?Matt Lewis: That is a good question. I think most of this happened in the his congressional races, like in Vermont senatorial races. But, you know, we're talking about a lot of money. And this one.Sam Stone: There's a lot of money when there's no risk, because he was never in doubt for any of those re-elections. Right. I mean, that's really kind of a.Matt Lewis: And Bernie. Bernie didn't just pay Jane. I mean, he paid her like her children, too. Which brings me to Ron Paul, a Republican who has employed six. In 2012, when he was running for president, he employed six family members, but he was a piker. He paid them a grand total of $300,000. So, you know.Chuck Warren: That's that's that's literally not surprising, though, right?Sam Stone: That that's chintzy, cheap. He's hosing his family.Chuck Warren: Do you think that do you think Congress should crack down on this and just not allow you in campaigns to hire family members?Sam Stone: We got 30s. We're going to. Okay. Going to head to break here in just a moment.Chuck Warren: We're with Matt Lewis. He is the author of a great new book came out this week, Filthy Rich Politicians The Swamp Creatures, Latte Liberals and Ruling Class Elites Cashing In on America. You can find this at Amazon, Barnes and Noble. Wherever you get your book, go buy it. This is a very important. We're going to come back and talk to Matt a little bit about what reforms he thinks need to be done so we can clean this up. This is Chuck and Sam breaking battlegrounds. You can find us at breaking battlegrounds vote. We'll be right back.Advertisement: At Overstock. We know home is a pretty important place and that's why we believe everyone deserves a home that makes them happy. Whether you're furnishing a new house or apartment or simply looking to update and refresh a few rooms, Overstock has every day free shipping and amazing deals on the beautiful, high quality furniture and decor. You need to transform any home into the home of your dreams. Overstock Making dream Homes Come True.Sam Stone: Welcome back to Breaking battlegrounds with your host, Chuck Warrem. I'm Sam Stone. We're continuing on here in just a moment with Matt Lewis, columnist of The Daily Beast, author of Too Dumb to Fail, and his newest book, Filthy Rich Politicians. We're talking about that one today. But folks, if you're looking to get filthy rich, maybe you should give our call. Our friends at Invest Y refy a call, go to their website, invest y refy.com that's invest the letter Y, then refy.com and learn how you can earn up to a 10.25% fixed rate of return on your money. That's right. 10.25% Phenomenal rate of return not correlated to the stock market. The stock market goes up. The stock market goes down, your investment continues, racking up the great interest and great returns for you. So give them give our friends there a call. You can do that at 888 y refy 24 and tell them Chuck and Sam sent you Matt.Chuck Warren: All right. So, so much to cover in your book, but tell us what are reforms of your king for the day? And they said, Matt, you make these changes and we start building a little trust back up in Congress again. What would you do?Matt Lewis: Okay. So the first couple we've talked about, I would the most important is to ban individual stock trading for members of Congress and their family. That is by far the most important thing we can do, because.Chuck Warren: Certainly I want to make one appearance.Matt Lewis: Of insider.Chuck Warren: Trading. Right. I don't want to hurt you, but you made a good point. I listened to on a fellow podcast, which you made this point. It's not even so much about them increasing their wealth. Sometimes it's that they prevent the loss of wealth. So let's use, for example, Senator Barr in North Carolina as an example, if you can share that with our audience.Matt Lewis: Yeah, this is really corrosive. So Senator Senator Richard Burr, he just retired, but he was chairman of the Intel Committee. So like in that capacity, you know, he had access to all sorts of of kind of classified briefings, classified information. And you might remember back in early 2020, like before most Americans realized how damaging Covid 19 was going to be like in terms of shutting down businesses and the economy. Um, Richard Burr dumped hundreds of thousands of dollars of stock in things like Wyndham Hotels, the kinds of things that would be damaged in a global pandemic shutdown. But making matters even worse. Then he picks up the phone and calls his brother in law and within one minute of hanging up with Richard Burr, his brother in law calls his broker and dumps his stock. And so that is the thing. It's it's not just that politicians are able to make money by virtue of what certainly looks like insider trading, but it's it avoids the downfall. And certainly during times of change and crisis, that's when they can really use information to dump stock and avoid like a major catastrophic loss.Sam Stone: Well, and that has the the so as someone who does trade stock issues, the other side of that is if you dump at the start of something like that on an industry like hotels, like airlines, all of that, you're going to get that going two ways. You're going to avoid the loss and then you're going to be able to buy back in at a low point and you're going to know when that low point is hit.Matt Lewis: Absolutely. And and again, think of it. I mean, the average American at this point doesn't know how bad Covid 19 is going to be. We're being told it'll disappear. It'll be, you know, like a miracle. It'll disappear or, you know, two weeks to slow the spread or whatever.Sam Stone: This is when you had De Blasio telling folks, go out in the streets and celebrate the Chinese New Year. Right. I mean, it's literally coinciding with that moment.Matt Lewis: And so that's a classic example, right? Our politicians are telling the public, don't worry, everything's fine. And yet what are they doing? What are they doing with their money? And so I think that is super corrosive. And that's by far, I would say, the most important reform in the book.Chuck Warren: Let me ask you this. I'm a follow up two questions real quick. How many members have siblings or family members that are in the brokerage business or selling and trading stocks? Do you know that you were you able to find that out?Matt Lewis: I it's in the book. I don't recall offhand. Okay. I do know it is in the book. And I will I will say this. I mean, in 20 so in 2012, up until 2012, it wasn't even illegal to engage in insider trading in Congress. It's only been the last decade when that was illegal. Now the problem is policing. And I can tell you that the law it's called the Stock Act that made it illegal has has done very little to alleviate. The problem.Chuck Warren: There's always a loophole, right? There's always some loophole they'll find. All right, what else would you do? What else would you reform?Matt Lewis: Well, we've talked about family. I would I would ban the practice of hiring family for campaigns or official congressional offices. If you want to volunteer on a campaign, by all means. I just. We just wouldn't pay you. I would have a ten year moratorium on lobbying so that after serving in Congress, you can't go out and just start lobbying your former colleagues immediately. You would have a ten year basically ban on that. Some people like Ted Cruz and AOC want a lifetime ban. I don't even know if that would be constitutional right now. It's, I think, two years in the Senate, one year in the House. But like you said, Chuck, I mean, there are ways around it. There's this thing called the Daschle loophole where politicians immediately start lobbying. They just don't register as lobbyists.Chuck Warren: They're consultants. They're consultants.Matt Lewis: Yes. They're yeah, exactly.Chuck Warren: You know, and you know what? You see this a lot, too. I mean, take Congress out of the equation. You see this a lot in legislatures. Legislatures. You know, you see people who couldn't rub two nickels together for their elected to the legislature, which doesn't take as much money. And now they're lobbying and making six high, six digits a year.Sam Stone: Watch every governor's staff, if they've just won their second term, they get into year five. Right. And that whole staff disappears into the lobbying land and they're all rich by year eight.Chuck Warren: Is that something that you think we should push also on the state level? And hopefully, you know, I find out a lot of times if states start pushing something, various states, then it goes to the national level is that's something that people should be pushing their state legislatures to pass?Matt Lewis: I would say definitely I would I would strongly encourage that. And, you know, sometimes states can be the laboratories of democracy. And if these reforms can begin there, that would be very healthy.Chuck Warren: What else? Okay. Lobbying, banning stock, hiring kids and family on campaigns. Those are three great things. What else could be done?Matt Lewis: One of them this is one that is not sexy, but it's book deals, believe it or not. You know, Bernie Sanders, who's a socialist, was asked, how did you become a millionaire? And he said, and I'm paraphrasing, but this is pretty close to the real quote. He said, I wrote a best selling book. If you write a best selling book, you could be a millionaire, too. But but the book deals are really I mean, people are using their their perch, their position to become millionaires. But the worst part of it is the bulk orders, right? So you write a book, but instead of real people buying the book, it's like the National Republican Senatorial Committee buys like 50,000 copies of it. And some of that money very well could trickle back into your pocket. Well, for example.Chuck Warren: For example, Bernie Sanders, I just looked it up, made $170,000 in book royalties in 2022, which almost matches his $174,000 congressional salary.Matt Lewis: There you go. There you go. And I don't think you wrote a book in 2022. No, he's still making royalties.Sam Stone: Well, and you know, the quality of most of these books, you know, they're ghost written or co-written, and most of them are just garbage. And you see these huge payouts, you know, it's not for their incredible insight in that in that no tome.Matt Lewis: Totally. Yeah. These are not this is not Hemingway you know.Chuck Warren: Well with Matt Lewis good friend of the show, daily columnist at The Daily Beast. He has come out with a new book. You can buy It now, Filthy Rich Politicians, the Swamp Creatures, Latte, Liberals and Ruling Class Elites. When we come back, we're going to talk about the latte liberals and what Matt dug in about that. I'm going to.Sam Stone: Bring up Joe Biden also. You can do.Chuck Warren: That as well. That's right. This is breaking battlegrounds. Find us are breaking battlegrounds vote. We'll be right back.Sam Stone: Welcome back to Breaking battlegrounds with your host, Chuck Warren. I'm Sam Stone, continuing on right now with Matt Lewis, friend of the program, columnist for The Daily Beast and author of the new book Filthy Rich Politicians, Swamp Creatures, Latte Liberals and Ruling Class Elites Cashing In on America, available right now at Amazon or your favorite bookseller? Matt As I read it, I did get to the section on the Bidens. And two things I think stand out is, one, they're cashing in less than most of of a lot of these other political families are. But two quite frankly, Matt, the stupidity of their schemes with Hunter Biden and all this stuff when there are so many ways that they could I don't want to say legitimately, but at least entirely legally make huge amounts of money. Did nobody in that family take notes from the Clinton Global Initiative?Matt Lewis: Well, I think if you've seen the pictures of Hunter Biden recently, you know that at least some members of his family are not operating based on reason and logic. Um, Joe Biden kind of has, it seems like I mean, who knows? I mean, I don't know if he's, quote, the big guy who's getting a cut from the Burisma money or whatever, from Hunter. But Joe, according to his actual, you know, disclosure reports, really wasn't all that wealthy compared to most of these politicians until he left the vice presidency. And then he had about three years where he really cashed in. He made about $15 million off of, you know, the usual boring stuff, speeches, book deals, being a adjunct professor, that kind of thing. But the one thing that is clear is that Biden has a long history of his family cashing in on on his name. And it's not just Hunter, it's James and Frank, I think it is, who've been doing this. And, you know, I found that way back in 1988, the first time Biden ran for president. He raised about $11 million. There's a lot of money. In 1988, he raised $11 million, and 20% of that money went to the Biden family or companies that employed the Biden family. So this thing of him spreading the money around to his family has been going on for 25 or 30, I guess 35 years something.Chuck Warren: Yeah. So in 1988, if you go and say, what's the dollar value, then that's worth about 5.1 million today. Yeah, I mean, it's real money. Sam, what are your what's your family doing for you?Sam Stone: I I've got to run for something more significant than city council is what you're saying. Chuck Yeah.Chuck Warren: Matt Let me ask you a question and Sam Biden Biden stuff, but I want to ask you a question. I, I heard you on an interview and I thought this was really interesting. And folks, Matt has just a wonderful wife. And the thing I love about Erin is she is so dang blunt. And you were talking to her about maybe on a walk running for Congress. Would you tell I want to understand really how hard this is to do, first of all, and why there is a certain wealth factor involved with it. I don't think they quite understand. You know, I have a congressional candidate friend who's running right now. He's put 300 grand on his race and just he just said it doesn't seem like it's enough. And that's what I have. That's what it is. Right. Would you explain your conversation and why this is so hard and why we are getting a certain amount of people in office?Matt Lewis: Totally. And this was eye opening for me as someone who's been, you know, in politics for decades, even for me, I had to kind of grapple with this realization. So but so my wife, as you know, Chuck, my wife is a Republican political fundraiser. And while I was writing this book, you know, we went out for a walk and we were talking and I was you know, I live in West Virginia and my congressman is running for Senate against Joe Manchin. And so we were walking. I said, you know, if things were a little different, maybe I someday I could run for Congress. And she's like, oh, you don't have enough money. And I said like, well, what are you talking about? Like, number one, I've been in you know, I know a lot of people. I've been in journalism for a couple of decades and I've got a good network and I'm like, number two, I'm married to a professional Republican fundraiser. Surely I could run for Congress in West Virginia. And she was like, Well, let me put it to you this way. If I didn't know you and you approached me and you wanted to hire me, I would say, come back to me. When you've either donated $300,000 or raise $300,000 from your personal Christmas card list, and then and only then would I introduce you to political action committees and high dollar donors. And that's when it hit me that even I who wrote on the Straight Talk Express with John McCain could not win a congressional seat in West Virginia because I'm not rich enough.Chuck Warren: Well, you need better friends. Yeah.Sam Stone: Yeah. Chuck and I are not going to be able to help you that much there. Matt Lewis, we want to thank you again for joining us. We have just about 30s before we end the segment here, we really appreciate having you on. How do folks stay in touch with all of your work?Matt Lewis: Oh, awesome. Well, first, get filthy rich politicians. Follow me on Twitter at Matt K Lewis and check me out at The Daily Beast.Sam Stone: Perfect. Thank you so much. Once again, Matt, we always love having you on the program. Looking forward to the next round breaking battlegrounds. Back in just a moment.Advertisement: At Overstock. We know home is a pretty important place and that's why we believe everyone deserves a home that makes them happy. Whether you're furnishing a new house or apartment or simply looking to update and refresh a few rooms. Overstock has every day free shipping and amazing deals on the beautiful high quality furniture and decor. You need to transform any home into the home of your dreams. Overstock Making Dream homes Come True.Sam Stone: Welcome back to Breaking Battlegrounds with your host, Sam Stone in studio with me today. Kiley Kipper dragged reluctantly onto the mic once again back.Kiley Kipper: By popular demand. I'm just.Sam Stone: Kidding. People love you, Kiley. They are always happy to talk to you. And you know what else makes people happy? Earning a really high rate of return on their investments. That makes almost everybody I know happy. And folks, if you haven't checked out our friends at Invest Refy.com, you need to do that right now. Go to invest the letter Y then refy.com you can earn up to a 10.25% fixed rate of return. The market goes up, the market goes down, your rate of return stays the same. It is a tremendous opportunity and we highly encourage you to check it out. So again, go on their website, invest y refy.com or give them a call at 888 y refy 24 and tell them Chuck and Sam sent you. Now, our next segment up, we have a returning guest, someone we really enjoyed having on the program last time, Congressman James Moylan of Guam. And we have something actually this is coming out on Saturday, the 22nd. We record on the 21st. And folks, the 21st is a very special day. July 21st is a special day in Guam. Congressman, tell us what's going on.Congressman James Moylan: Sure. I'll be happy to. Hi there, Sam. And hi, Kiley. And we as we greet folks from Guam, we say half a day. So half a day to you both.Sam Stone: And half a day to you as well, sir.Congressman James Moylan: Thank you. So we I was just on the floor today and gave a five minute speech for Congressional Record announcing the celebration of Guam's 79th Liberation Day 79 years ago. Guam was liberated and from during World War two. We also had a ceremony at the war. Let me see. World War II Memorial on July. July 13th here, where we had a wreath laying presentation on the monument at the War Memorial with Guam on it. This is a tradition that has been long ongoing for for quite some time. And we've joined in with our Guam Society of America, the oldest tomorrow group in the nation. We have so many different tomorrow groups throughout the nation, but this is the first and the oldest. We also had other members of Congress that were present. We had the undersecretary of the United States Air Force, Christine Christine Jones, and we also had the commandant of the United States Marine Corps, General Eric Smith, also do a presentation. So what's really happening is to remember this day for celebration. 79 years ago, on July 21st, 19, 1944, Guam, after two years of occupation by the Japanese Imperial Army military, the United States service members landed on our south west part of Guam, to liberate over 20,000 tomorrows and Americans from the occupation of Guam.Congressman James Moylan: The actual the war in World War II were not. Many people know that Guam was actually occupied by the Japanese soldiers, and that day came as an invasion on December 8th of 1941. This is a special day for Guam because we were celebrating the feast of Santa Maria Kamalen, and that's Guam's patron saint. And after people were coming out of church, the sounds of bombs were just dropping and planes flying overhead. And and it drowned out what was a peaceful neighborhood and a great celebration of of of our services there. And that's what started the occupation on Guam. So we're very thankful 79 years later for the liberation Day of Guam, when the Marines came on back on July 21st, 1944. So that's our celebration. And we we're very patriotic and we're we're rededicating ourselves to chorus. And Guam is even even just as important then as it is even more so now with the Indopacom situation and the Communist Chinese party threat for national security and our sister nations out there who are supporting us as well, with the U.S taking the.Sam Stone: Lead that has I mean, that is something that I think is so almost incomprehensible, Congressman, to any American right to you're stepping out of out of a services or a celebration in your country is being bombed around you. And there have to be people there who who lived through that experience, who still have that direct memory. Yes. And that has.Congressman James Moylan: In fact.Sam Stone: Never leave you.Congressman James Moylan: Right. And many of war survivors still tell the stories. And we did have a war survivor here for a celebration here in Washington, DC at the Pacific Memorial. So but my mother was also one. So my mother had told me this story and she was 12 years old at the time. She was coming out of the cathedral with her grandfather. And she she explained the story in this way, that as they were exiting and they see the Japanese zeros flying over and the bombs were coming on down and she's yelling at her grandfather, too, Grandpa, we got to go. We got to go. Let's run, run, run. As an older man, he said, No, just leave me here. And she started she had to pull him so they can run, run for protection and run and hide and get back home to their family. So them with my mother's explanation. And and by the way, my father was in Pearl Harbor at the time of the bombing in Pearl Harbor, too. So every everybody's generations and generations, families have been affected. And the war stories continue to the brutality that was taken against forced labor, forced marches, beheadings, stabbings, grenades and and caves where where locals were were killed and massacred. And it was it was tremendous loss of innocent lives. But that's why we celebrate the. With the Liberation Day coming out, with the Marines, coming out back with US soldiers, with the United States Navy there to re reclaim Guam and give us our freedom back.Congressman James Moylan: And my mother was part of that as well. There was what they called the Bennington Force march, where the Japanese troops used the local residents as a shield, As the Americans were coming onto the shore and coming inland, the Japanese were marching that direction, but using the local folks as a barrier. But of course, you know, the US is not going to kill innocent citizens. And my mom would explain to me as she's climbing up the hills in Menningen when they see the star on on the army, I believe it was an army tank or an army jeep. Then the soldiers would call them over and tell them to keep quiet, keep quiet, just come this way, come this way. And they felt so, so relieved to see the US, see Americans, see the military there. And it was a joyful celebration. And that's why this this has continued in celebrating and remembering in memory of this throughout the nation. We have Guam societies that we have calendars of events for just about every state where there's Guam residents. And they establish their organization and they celebrate to to remember those that have died, that have sacrificed. And if there are survivors to celebrate their lives as well for what we consider the greatest generation.Sam Stone: Congressman, one of the things I think people know from, you know, books and movies like Unbroken a little bit, some of the experience that, for instance, American POWs went through. But I don't think they know enough about what the people of the occupied islands of the Pacific, including Guam, went through. You were just, you know, referencing some of it right there. But that occupation was just absolutely brutal in every regard and with with really little consideration for the humanity of the people of Guam or any of the other islands of the Pacific.Congressman James Moylan: Very true. And and not all were able to talk about it some more. Chose to to forget my my mother's father was imprisoned in Japanese in Japan as well. And then when he came back to the to Guam after the war was over, he died shortly thereafter just from lack of lack of nutrition. So it was very it was it was brutal. And and the rules of war and Geneva Convention, there was there's nothing like that. The forced labor that was placed upon the people, the beheading of of local folks and the fights that went on and and what they had to endure. And you had to bow also to the imperial Japanese Army. And if you didn't, you're whipped and beaten. It was it was a sad day for those almost two and a half years of occupation. And that's why when the Americans came back, it was a great celebration. And since that time, of course, we've grown and we had we're considered per capita, the highest enlistment in the nation, where people joining the military, because of our commitment and the happiness and the joy that the United States came back to claim that U.S territory, which was the U.S territory at the time.Sam Stone: So there are few, few populations on the planet that love America and the ideals of America like the people of Guam.Congressman James Moylan: Yes. And I'm happy to represent as the delegate here. And there's a couple of committees that we were able to get ourselves on. And one is the House Armed Services Committee, which I play a great role in the readiness and also the personnel part. And I focus on on Guam and the Northern Marianas and and the Indopacom region. So we've had also we're able to have within the first quarter, a congressional delegation come through Guam. Second quarter, we just had another one, the House committee, House Armed Services Committee, to include the chairman and several other members of the House to come on up over an experience of what Guam is and what the role was and what it is now for the Indopacom region to defend against communist Chinese threat. And then we're going to have another one through the Natural Resources Committee, Department of Interior Affairs, which I'm a part of also, and the subcommittee specifically regarding our nation's Republic of Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Marshall Islands as well. All these nations joining in so we can protect freedom and democracy. Right. And we are against the Communist Chinese party. So I'm very fortunate to represent Guam in these two committees that have a great impact in the Indopacom region. And we're I believe the United States will be here for a long, long time to ensure that the Chinese threat is is deterred by our show of strength with all our other countries that are involved with our democracy.Sam Stone: And people folks out there may not realize that as a territory. Guam, obviously, we're talking to their congressman member right now. Congressman, you don't have a vote on the House floor, but you do have a vote on committee. And I think most people don't recognize that what happens on the House floor is often kind of a dog and pony show, that the actual sausage gets made in those committees that dictates what's actually going to be voted on and how those bills, you know, interact with with the intent of the authors.Congressman James Moylan: Exactly. And we just were discussing the National Defense Authorization Act, the NDAA, which is the one of the biggest budget for the defense of the nation, and so much billions of dollars going into the Indo-Pacific region. Our influence there, we were able to double what we received last last fiscal year for for the island defense. So that's a great influence there. So in committee, yes, we do this and pardon me.Sam Stone: Sorry, we had a little technical glitch right there. Apologize for that. Let's just keep going here. I want to switch up topics just a little bit. We have only two minutes left. Are there any traditional celebrations, the traditional foods like here, obviously July 4th, Independence Day, it's hot dogs, hamburgers, fireworks. Are there celebratory traditions around Guam's Independence Day, their liberation day?Congressman James Moylan: Yes. Unfortunately, this year we didn't have it because we were hit with Super Typhoon Marwar. So we're still recovering from that. However, we'll we get back to our traditions. We usually have a parade with all the branches of the military, all our department agencies and a lot of villages are also represented with floats. It's it's it's a beautiful parade that goes down what's known as Marine Corps Drive. That's our main road on Guam. In addition, people overnight on the sides of the roads and they picnic because it's right next to the beach and they barbecue. We love our fiesta. We call it Fiesta food. We have what's called red rice barbecue chicken, barbecue ribs. And our marinade is delicious. We have a sauce called Vinodhini, which is our hot sauce. And we have something special called Chicken Kelaguen that everybody loves. So.Sam Stone: Congressman, I think we I think we need to check the weather and make some plans for next year to come. There.Congressman James Moylan: There you go. You're more than welcome and you're invited. Please come on down. It's going to be the 80th. And that's where you should have your show coming out of. That'd be great.Sam Stone: I think that sounds like an absolutely fantastic plan. Congressman James Moylan of Guam, thank you so much for joining us once again. We really appreciate having you on the program, folks. Stay tuned for our podcast only segment. You're not going to want to miss this one. Breaking battlegrounds. Back in just a moment.Speaker1: The 2022 political field was intense, so don't get left behind in 2024. If you're running for political office, the first thing on your to do list needs to be securing your name on the web with a your name Web domain from GoDaddy.com. Get yours now.Sam Stone: Welcome to the podcast. Only segment of breaking battlegrounds. In studio with me today the irrepressible haven't broken that out in a while the irrepressible Kiley Kipper. She remains irrepressible folks. She is our producer. She does a fantastic job. We've got Jeremy in the booth, as always, doing a beautiful job on all our audio and on the line. Now, I saw this come out a little while ago and it kind of blew me away. We have Senator Shannon Grove from California's 12th Senate District. Senator Grove has served in the US Army and had the amazing. It had to be amazing. Senator, the experience in Frankfurt, Germany, of watching the fall of the Berlin Wall. She's an advocate for small business school choice, the developmentally disabled farmers and families, and we're having her on today to discuss her proposed amendment to Assembly Bill 2167. Senator, thank you so much for joining us today. We really appreciate having you on the program. Tell us what this amendment was. First, I think this is news that was so much going on in the country, escaped a lot of people, but it really blew me away when I heard about your bill. I'm shocked California didn't have something like this already on the books and then shocked and disheartened at the Democrats response to it.Senator Shannon Grove: No.Senator Shannon Grove: And I appreciate you guys covering this subject matter. I really do. And thank you for having me on. Sb 14 was a simple solution that would just allow us individuals who sell children for sex, sex trafficking, minor children, 0 to 17in age group. It would make it a serious felony in the state of California right now, there's two subsections that deal with this subject matter. And selling a child for sex does not automatically make it a serious felony unless there's coercion, torture, violence, you know, all these different things that go along with it, then it can be considered serious. But I want the actual act of selling the child to be a serious felony.Sam Stone: And it shocks I mean, honestly, it we're sitting here in Arizona, obviously, we've had Republican leadership for a long time. So it's a very different environment. Obviously, every state is different. But this should be a no brainer, right? I mean, so much of the problem and we've dealt with the issue of sex trafficking and child sex trafficking here quite a bit. Obviously, with the border. Arizona is also another hub of that activity, just like California is, unfortunately. But a lot of times it's very difficult to prove those if you can prove any element of it at all. It's really difficult to prove those other elements. This has got to be just hamstringing prosecutors, this current law.Senator Shannon Grove: It really is hamstringing prosecutors. And that's why we work together with our district attorneys, including all the statewide district attorneys, with the exception of 3 or 4. But specifically Nancy O'Malley, the former district attorney of Alameda County, who established the heat unit, the human trafficking exploitation unit. And what happened is, is that that was the first unit set up like that in the nation that was victim centered. She's prosecuted over 850 cases of human trafficking. And one of the big issues that she has is that you can't convict these individuals because this particular bill, SB 14, the language is not on the books. When we first introduced the language, we wanted to make sure everybody was encompassed, that everybody in sex trafficking, labor trafficking were all included. But to get it out of the Senate, we had to narrow it to minors only. So we moved the football a little bit. We got a unanimous vote in the Senate. 40 senators in the state of California, all 40 voted I no abstentions and no no's. Fast forward to the Assembly Public Safety Committee, where the bill dies.Sam Stone: Oh.Sam Stone: I it stuns me. What was to hear that? I mean, it's sort of it's just gross. I mean, quite frankly, it's just gross. They clearly killed it when they they figured it wouldn't draw much attention by killing it in committee. But, my goodness, how how did what did they what did they say? How did these Democrats look at themselves in the mirror?Kiley Kipper: That's what I want to know, is what is their response when you're trying to have these conversations with the people that you work with?Senator Shannon Grove: So, yeah, no. So I did I was, you know, they requested me leadership, requested me to meet with the chair of the committee after it was killed and he wanted me to take an amendment. So let me explain the bill just a little bit more so people get a full grasp of it. If you sex trafficking a minor child in the state of California and you get caught and you get prosecuted, you get sentenced to either four, 8 or 12 years, let's just take the maximum 12 years with California's criminal justice reform laws. You go to school, you go to classes, you're a good behavior in prison. You can get out in less than four years. So let's just take that scenario, which happens quite often. You get out in four years and then you go back to sex trafficking a minor. That's when my bill kicks in and creates a strike offense that when you get busted on your second offense for selling a child for sex, then you have to serve your full 12 years and you have a strike against you, which could, if you continue your bad behavior, you could end up with life in prison. The chair wants me to take an amendment to allow the second offense of sex trafficking, not the first one. When you get convicted, you go to prison. You get out in four years, but then you get out again and you sex trafficker minor do or do another bad felony, something that's listed as a serious or violent felony. He wants me to take an amendment to allow the perpetrator to plea bargain down. I said no. So that's why the bill died.Sam Stone: That that is that is Kiley. That is stunning to me.Kiley Kipper: Just sitting here shaking our heads.Sam Stone: Yeah, My mouth is my mouth is on the bottom of this table right now because can you even.Senator Shannon Grove: Believe we're having this conversation?Sam Stone: No, no, no. Senator, we're talking to Senator Shannon Grove of California's 12th Senate District. She proposed this bill that would have made it a serious and violent felony to traffic minor children for the purposes of sex. That's a really narrow thing. I mean, trafficking any person should be a serious and violent felony. I like your original intent, but I understand cutting it back. You have to make a deal. I cannot comprehend the inhumanity that it takes to not move this out of committee.Senator Shannon Grove: Well, I think it just, you know, with the the media engaging the way they did and Californians raising up their voices and, you know, with the the the exposure that the bill got from dying caused the Public Safety Committee to reverse their decision, you know, 24 hours later. So it still is moving through the building. They are still pushing for amendments. You know, the public safety chair voted for the bill. We got it out of public safety. And now he's on, you know, TV. Every time he turns around going the bill is still flawed. I have to fix this bill. There's nothing wrong with my bill. It says that if you it just simply says you can't. It's a serious felony to to sex traffickers sell a child for sex. It's just ridiculous that you wouldn't be able to get this passed with flying colors. And what's interesting is, is that, like I said, every senator voted for it, including Scott Wiener out of San Francisco, The San Francisco Chronicle, and I'm talking about San Francisco, not normal California, but San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle even did an article, you know, against the chair's arguments like like you mean sex trafficking. The minor isn't enough like that. They have to brutalize them. You know, there's a whole list of things that they have to do in order to make it a strike or a default to life in prison. But I mean, branding them with a branding iron instead of tattooing all these different things in the details that will allow you to make it a fallback for the strike able offense. I just want to make it a strike able offense for sex trafficking. A minor like you shouldn't need all these other things. I think sex trafficking, a minor like my witness said it and it's kind of gross, but you have to get this vision in your head. Grown men all over a ten year old child, that in itself should be a serious felony.Sam Stone: Okay. I'm glad to be here. We are, folks, we are recording this just before lunchtime and I started the intermittent fasting thing. And I'm right now really glad that I don't start eating anything till noon because I think I would have thrown up right there. I mean, that's just.Senator Shannon Grove: This is disgusting. It's the hardest bill I've ever. I met parents that whose daughter was trafficked. And I said, How did you find out? You know, you know, tell me your story. She got a text message, a video. She clicked on the video and it was five guys gang raping her daughter. I met a and it's it's disproportionately does affect black women and people of color. If you look at Figueroa Street, the National Coalition of Human Trafficking down there says that 70% of the women that are in their shelters are are black or brown. And then also 55% of them on the streets are black or brown. So for them to say that this disproportionately affects black people, I agree with them in that portion only. They are concerned about the black people that could possibly go to prison for perpetrating these crimes against black women. And I to me, I don't care what color your skin is, I, I don't care what I was in the military. Everybody's green, but I don't care what color your skin is. If you're sex trafficking minors, I do want you to go to prison for a long time. Yeah.Sam Stone: I mean, this this hesitation on their part, it's protecting the evil people and not protecting the innocent ones. And who gives a darn about skin color? That just makes no sense at all.Senator Shannon Grove: But when they can't make an argument on the substance, they always throw in race. And they always do that. They always throw in race. And then you've got these people out there doing the q-anon thing. If they can't make an argument on the substance, they try to distract from the substance. And I keep saying the bill is very simple. If you sex trafficking a minor 0 to 17, you should go to prison.Sam Stone: Well, and part of the backstory behind some of their opposition, I imagine, is what they've been trying to do to essentially legalize or decriminalize however you want to put it, prostitution. But they present it as as a choice for the people that are engaging in that activity. This is not a choice. I mean, this is not somebody. Yeah. Who's who's making a decision about their own life. This is somebody who's being abused in the worst way possible.Senator Shannon Grove: You're exactly right. But when you get into the details, I guess you'd say the the the serious felony doesn't kick in when you traffic a minor because, you know, you just you have to imagine somebody's going, come on, you know, like a family member or do this for dad, do this for mom. You know, whatever a neighbor come on, just do this one time. Well, they're not they're not beating her into submission. They're not. So it doesn't count, right? It just doesn't count. So there are there are it is very, very hard to prosecute a serious felony in the state of California for this because the girls are scared. They're young. They they they're afraid to turn someone in. And so basically, they have to have all these additional things that happen once you sex traffic the minor. And that's why I was trying to make it simple that that selling the child or sex trafficking the child should be enough alone by itself as a serious felony.Sam Stone: I, I.Sam Stone: Would agree, Kylie, in part because when you talk to experts about this, about sex trafficking, particularly a minor, children, you know, even regardless of the physical abuse, what they're using is mental abuse and mental torture to to keep these these young people in a position where they can continue to be exploited. They're tearing their mind apart. Yeah.Kiley Kipper: And it'll never be recovered. Obviously, their life will never be the same.Senator Shannon Grove: I mean, Kiley, you're absolutely right when you think about it. You know, even my survivors that have gone on to have families and you know that I have Odessa Perkins, if you haven't watched her testimony, she really nailed them with her responses. But she was she was trafficked as a minor and went through the anger stage, the criminal stage, the whole bit where she was, you know, didn't function right in society because of the trauma in her. And then you become a survivor versus a victim. Right. And now she's an interventionist. She's a speaker and author. She has a nonprofit where she rescues at risk kids and deters at risk kids and rescues people out of human trafficking. So there is a is a road to recovery. But that doesn't mean that she doesn't deal with this trauma that affected her as a child all of her life, every single day. And the same with Jenna McKay, who does the Jenna McKay Foundation. And you know what's interesting about these two individuals, Odessa is a black a black woman trafficked as a child in a in a poor socioeconomic disadvantaged neighborhood. But Jenna McKay came from a Christian home, no divorce, got a full ride scholarship to Vanguard University and was lured out of that by someone who said they loved her. She fell in love. She thought she they'd been dating for a few months. He asked her to go to Vegas, knock on the door. When they get to Vegas, they exchanged money and men came in and raped her.Kiley Kipper: Wow.Senator Shannon Grove: So there's different stories in this human trafficking realm.Sam Stone: And it takes an enormous amount of courage to be able to come out and tell those stories. But it takes as much courage in the moment to be able to go and tell that story to police. And it just sounds like this, you know, anything you do that adds barriers, that makes it more difficult for them to have the the the resolution in part, I guess, of having their assailant be actually placed in bars and behind bars and face real penalties. That has to be part of the healing process for a lot of them. Right. Is is seeing justice actually happen. And this is this this hesitation by some California Democrats is really denying that.Senator Shannon Grove: It really is. And that's a perfect way to explain it, too. So we're trying to remove barriers. There's barriers now to testimony which you just said. So this bill would remove barriers. It just the act of selling the child for sex would be a serious felony. So there wouldn't be any barriers where you have to meet a certain level or did they beat you? Did they sodomise you? Did they I mean, all these crazy things, right? So just the act. So we're trying to remove the barriers for these these kids to testify. So that's a very good way to put it. Thank you for phrasing it that way.Sam Stone: Fantastic. Senator, anything else that we should be focusing, you know, people should be paying attention to around this upcoming hearings or anything like that. And then secondly, how can they support you in the work you're doing? Because I got to say, especially in California, you're you're swimming upstream in a big way. But they need more voices like yours who provide some balance.Senator Shannon Grove: I appreciate that. So the bill did get out of public safety. It quieted the media down a little bit. So now everybody's off on their what they call summer break. We come back on August 14th and the bill will go before the Appropriations Committee in order to get through one more committee, the opposition, the Democrats that killed the bill originally in public safety and then re voted for the bill two days later or a day and a half later. They are still saying that I they are going to fix this bill and they're going to make me take amendments. There is nothing to fix in this bill, so please stay engaged in the process. You can follow me at Shannon Grove, CA on Instagram, Shannon Grove, CA on Twitter, Shannon Grove, CA on Facebook, or Senator Shannon Grove on Facebook. But and we'll post the, you know, the day that the hearing is going to take place. We'll keep everybody updated on social media. So please stay engaged and to pray for this process because it really is just just a mess the way that the California state legislature operates. And then also, you know, participate in the hearing process. They still allow call ins. You can call in, you can write in, you can you can just participate to support the bill. So thank you, folks.Sam Stone: We have a lot of listeners out there right now who are listening to this who are in California. Make your voice heard. You know, make stand up, exercise your right as a citizen. I think that's incredibly important in this case. They need to hear from voices outside the political process and where people really stand, because I don't see. Senator, thank you so much for joining us. Senator Shannon Grove. I don't see anything at all that needs to be amended in this bill. This needs to pass.Senator Shannon Grove: I agree. Thank you so much for taking the time to interview me and get the message out there. I really appreciate it.Sam Stone: All right. Fantastic. Folks, remember to tune in every week to Breaking Battlegrounds. We're on all your favorite Salem network stations. And you can also download us wherever you find your podcasts, Substack, Spotify. Apple Podcasts. I think we still even post to YouTube, although I've never I've never actually been on our YouTube site. Kiley To find out what's up. It's up. Okay, folks, make sure you're tuning in. That's how we keep the lights on here in this studio. That's how we pay the bills and that's how we continue to bring you stories about what's going on around the country that maybe aren't getting enough coverage like this one. Again, thank you to all of our guests today and particular thanks to our final guest, Senator Shannon Grove of California. It is, as always, been an enlightening and and not always easy journey here with breaking battlegrou

Donald Trump is the first ever US President to be arraigned on federal charges, including espionage, conspiracy and obstruction over the classified documents he kept after leaving office. He is entering his plea in a Miami courthouse, after flying into Florida to hear the 37 counts against him. Christiane discusses this with Yale Professor, historian and author Timothy Snyder.  Also on today's show: Garry Kasparov & Evgenia Kara-Murza, Chairman, Human Rights Foundation & wife of jailed opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza; Elaine Chao, Former Secretary of Labor/Former Secretary of Transportation To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy

Secretary Elaine Chao immigrated to the U.S. when she was just eight years old without knowing any English -- and with hard work and determination, went on to lead a distinguished career in public service. As Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush, she was the first woman of Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage to ever serve in a presidential cabinet. She also served as Secretary of Transportation under President Donald Trump and as Director of the Peace Corps under President George H.W. Bush. She shares some of the defining moments of her life, how technology is changing the transportation sector, and her own immigration story.Related content:Forum on Leadership 2022

Joy Reid leads this episode of The ReidOut with the specter of the radicalized right. She and her expert guests examine how Michael Flynn, convicted of lying to the FBI, is fusing Christian nationalism and conspiracy propaganda in his radical roadshows. Plus, we discuss how the racist Republican dog whistles are not dog whistles anymore. The right-wing racist attacks against people like Rep. Ilhan Omar, former Sec. Elaine Chao, and many others, is now right out in the open. We also decry Tyre Nichols' death after encountering Memphis police officers. Listen now to the latest episode of The ReidOut on MSNBC.

Howie Kurtz on Facebook reinstating Trump's account, the looming debt ceiling standoff and Elaine Chao responding to Trump's racist attacks. Follow Howie on Twitter: @HowardKurtz For more #MediaBuzz click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prof. Steve Vladeck joins the group (plus Bill Kristol) to consider how far the Supreme Court will go this term on matters of race and elections. Also, will GA really make Herschel Walker a US Senator? Highlights & Lowlights: Mona: Russia's Nuclear Bluster Is a Sign of Panic - The Atlantic (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/10/putin-nuclear-weapons-threat-us-sanctions-military/671642/) Steve: Former President Trump escalates the legal battle over classified documents, again - NPR (https://www.npr.org/2022/10/04/1126830521/former-president-trump-escalates-the-legal-battle-over-classified-documents-agai) Bill Galston: Russian forces retreat from strategic Donetsk city a day after Moscow's annexation of the region - CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/01/europe/ukraine-russia-lyman-donetsk-intl) Marc Short says Trump's post on Elaine Chao was a "racial slur" that was "obviously wrong" - CBS News (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-mitch-mcconnell-elaine-chao-racial-slur-marc-short/) Bill Kristol: In Speedy Embrace of Herschel Walker, Republicans Make Familiar Political Bargain - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/04/us/politics/herschel-walker-abortion-allegation-georgia-senate.html) Linda: DACA remains intact as appeals court sends case challenging its legality back to lower court in Texas - The Texas Tribune (https://www.texastribune.org/2022/10/05/texas-daca-appeals-court-ruling/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Prof. Steve Vladeck joins the group (plus Bill Kristol) to consider how far the Supreme Court will go this term on matters of race and elections. Also, will GA really make Herschel Walker a US Senator? Highlights & Lowlights: Mona: Russia's Nuclear Bluster Is a Sign of Panic - The Atlantic (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/10/putin-nuclear-weapons-threat-us-sanctions-military/671642/) Steve: Former President Trump escalates the legal battle over classified documents, again - NPR (https://www.npr.org/2022/10/04/1126830521/former-president-trump-escalates-the-legal-battle-over-classified-documents-agai) Bill Galston: Russian forces retreat from strategic Donetsk city a day after Moscow's annexation of the region - CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/01/europe/ukraine-russia-lyman-donetsk-intl) Marc Short says Trump's post on Elaine Chao was a "racial slur" that was "obviously wrong" - CBS News (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-mitch-mcconnell-elaine-chao-racial-slur-marc-short/) Bill Kristol: In Speedy Embrace of Herschel Walker, Republicans Make Familiar Political Bargain - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/04/us/politics/herschel-walker-abortion-allegation-georgia-senate.html) Linda: DACA remains intact as appeals court sends case challenging its legality back to lower court in Texas - The Texas Tribune (https://www.texastribune.org/2022/10/05/texas-daca-appeals-court-ruling/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trump can hold a grudge, Daily Beast reporter Corbin Bolies tells Andy Levy on this episode of The New Abnormal podcast, and he's not wrong. “Donald Trump knows how to hold a grudge and he will, and we've seen that continue throughout the last year and a half, because Donald Trump has consistently attacked Mitch McConnell,” Bolies says, discussing the most recent verbal harassment levied at the former Majority Leader's wife, Elaine Chao, in the form of blatantly racist name-calling on his Truth Social platform. Also on this episode: Hannah Gais, a senior research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center, joins this episode to co-host with Andy, touching upon the intense violent threats against Dems and Marjorie Taylor Green's try-hard effort to get Republicans to think the threats are for them. Plus! Daily Beast far-right reporter and Fever Dreams podcast co-host Kelly Weill breaks down a huge schism happening within the libertarian party, including how the old Libertarians totally over these new Libertarians' toxicity. Like, beyond Trumpy toxic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Explicit Language] Buzz's Ian aftermath report. A correction from last Tuesday. Herschel Walker allegedly paid for an abortion. Herschel threatens to sue. Herschel's son weighs in with more allegations. Dr. Oz tortured an mutilated dogs at Columbia University. Former Trump official found guilty of child porn. The real story about the Loudoun County incident. Trump threatened Mitch McConnell and went full racist against Elaine Chao. NARA says more files are missing. Trump asked his lawyer to lie about documents. Hilarious Tudor Dixon ad featuring a biker gang. With Buzz Burbank, music by Blame It On Rebekkah, The Mike Farley Band, and more!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman shares about revelations from her latest book “Confidence Man” and reflects on covering Trump over the years. In Hot Topics, the co-hosts react to former Pres. Trump's verbal attacks on Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and his wife, Elaine Chao, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE THESIS: In a fallen world, we should not be surprised that entire business sectors are built around lies. We can treat this as horrible news, or we can give praise to God for giving us all the easiest, pass / fail that will ever exist.  THE SCRIPTURE & SCRIPTURAL RESOURCES:  Matthew 6:22-24 “If your eye is pure, there will be sunshine in your soul. But if your eye is clouded with evil thoughts and desires, you are in deep spiritual darkness. And oh, how deep that darkness can be! “You cannot serve two masters: God and money. For you will hate one and love the other, or else the other way around. Luke 16:13-15   “You cannot serve two masters at the same time. You will hate one master and love the other. Or you will be loyal to one and not care about the other. You cannot serve God and Money at the same time.”  The Pharisees were listening to all these things. They criticized Jesus because they all loved money. Jesus said to them, “You make yourselves look good in front of people. But God knows what is really in your hearts. What people think is important is worth nothing to God. 1 Timothy 6:9-12  But people who long to be rich soon begin to do all kinds of wrong things to get money, things that hurt them and make them evil-minded and finally send them to hell itself. For the love of money is the first step toward all kinds of sin. Some people have even turned away from God because of their love for it, and as a result have pierced themselves with many sorrows. O Timothy, you are God's man. Run from all these evil things, and work instead at what is right and good, learning to trust him and love others and to be patient and gentle. Fight on for God. Hold tightly to the eternal life that God has given you and that you have confessed with such a ringing confession before many witnesses. Hebrews 13:5-6  Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Why Can't We Serve Two Masters? Your true master is the one you love. God cannot coexist with a second master as He is the One and Only. If we have established another master in our life, such as ourselves, money, selfish ambition, etc., then it means we will end up hating God. THE NEWS & COMMENT: Michael Burry saw the mortgage business for what The Party made of it: a scam set to fall. Now, he has compared it to the Covid response.  Michael Burry of ‘Big Short' Fame Says ‘Silliness' in Markets Is Back; The investor who bet against the housing market ahead of the financial crisis has been predicting another crash for months.  The Figurehead pretends he is “forgiving loans” but he is actually--once again--forcing you to bail out Wall Street.  Studies Show Biden's Illegal Student Debt Scheme Is Welfare For The Rich We cannot be shocked by this. D.C. is a godless CIty of greed. Just look at Mitch McConnell and his corrupt wife:  Trump Is Right. Mitch McConnell And Elaine Chao Spent Decades Getting ‘Rich On China' Foremost [a company owned by Elaine Chao's Father] is technically based out of New York but largely operates out of China, where at least 70 percent of its freight, mostly industrial, is delivered. Not only are a majority of Foremost's ships built in state-owned shipyards, but some are even financed by the Chinese Communist Party. They are then used to deliver cargo outlined in contracts with the communist government, which has clearly stated goals to rapidly expand its industries to compete with the U.S. Foremost and the Chao family have benefitted from loans estimated to be between $350,000 and $1 million from the U.S. government and loans from Chinese banks known by the Trump administration as threats. Again, this is a company owned by the father-in-law of America's top congressional Republican and the father of the former transportation secretary. Not only do Chao's father and sister Angela Chao still share leadership over Foremost, but the pair also once sat on the board of an offshoot of the CSSP together. This trend of the Chao family expanding their influence in China only continued as McConnell and his wife burrowed deeper into the American political system. When Trump named Chao head of the Department of Transportation in January of 2017, her family publicly rejoiced — likely at the opportunity to further their business interests. That same month, Chao's sister Angela was named independent non-executive director of the CCP-affiliated Bank of China. McConnell still expresses some support for curbing China's ascent, but whether his concern is sincere or political is difficult to say. Not only do McConnell and Chao's family members financially benefit from doing business with communist China, but so have McConnell and Chao. The political duo may not have a formal stake in the Chao shipping empire, but they have certainly amassed wealth from the business. The biggest evidence for this came in 2008. Just one year after James Chao joined CSSC Holdings, in addition to running Foremost, McConnell received a “gift” of $5 to $25 million from his father-in-law. As Politico reported, that payment significantly bumped McConnell's net worth, which was measured at around $3.1 million in 2004, to between $9.2 million and $36.5 million in 2014. Several members of Chao's family, including Angela and James, also contributed more than $1 million to McConnell's re-election campaigns. In other words, the founder of an unofficial arm of our top adversary's navy is helping keep McConnell in U.S. leadership. According to Schweizer, these kinds of payments could have been money designed to keep a favorable relationship between McConnell and the Chao family. I lost a dear friend to suicide. Before he died, he shared with me his recollection of what a banskter did to his firm and his career. It's my opinion it ultimately lead my friend to take his life.  Jamie Dimon's $13 Billion Secret; The inside story of JPMorgan Chase's landmark mortgage settlement THE LISTENERS: Todd, I love your show! I used to listen to you on EIB. Your comparison of what has happened with the plandemic and the Big Short was great and made me want to watch the movie. However, when I researched it and found out that it has 74 uses of the F-word, I just can't do it. That's like one every 30 seconds! For me that's a non-starter. I don't know how you can put up with that. Maybe your description of yourself raising your hand in the “VIP” meeting inspired me to speak up, but I would just say that you should give some kind of a warning when mentioning a movie like that (maybe you did?). I know it's hard to find one without something bad in it, but 74?! Why do they have to ruin so many potentially good movies? Ephesians 5:4 Dan from SCSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week The President of nada and Tech Stuff Guy discuss FBI raid, Elaine Chao, Kyle Rittenhouse, MTV VMA's, and more.We are also sponsored by BetOnline.AG for all your sports and casino gambling needs. Use Promo Code CLNS50 to receive a 50% Welcome Bonus on your First Deposit.

Get more of Farron Cousins and Ring of Fire! Farron's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/farronbalanced Ring of Fire's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheRingofFire Farron's Twitter: https://twitter.com/farronbalanced -- On the Show: -- Farron Cousins, host of Farron Balanced and Ring of Fire Radio, fills in for David -- The FBI raid of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home could undo the advances Democrats have made over the past couple of months in the polls -- Republicans are astounded by the money missing from the National Republican Senatorial Committee -- Donald Trump accuses his former Transportation Secretary and Mitch McConnell's wife Elaine Chao of being "crazy" and trying to "get rich on China" -- Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen predicts Trump's allies will quickly flip on him in order to avoid prison time -- The number of Republicans who say they support Donald Trump more than the GOP climbs to 41%, up 7% from May -- MyPillow guy Mike Lindell once again fails to deliver evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 election at his weekend-long summit -- Steve Bannon wants Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene to become Speaker of the House -- Marjorie Taylor Greene introduces a bill banning gender-affirming care -- Senator Marco Rubio's Libertarian challenger, Dennis Misigoy, calls him a socialist -- Georiga Senate candidate Herschel Walker thinks climate action is unnecessary because "we have enough trees" -- On the Bonus Show: Republican lawmaker becomes a Democrat over Trump's election lies, Florida banning dictionaries due to crazy law, ex-Fox staffer makes shocking admission, and much more...

-- On the Show: -- Producer Pat Ford fills in for David -- Donald Trump says he wants the full unredacted affidavit leading to the FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago home to be released to the public -- Rudy Giuliani makes the bogus claim that the classified documents in Trump's Florida basement were "roughly as safe" as they would be at a government facility -- Donald Trump suspects Pennsylvania Senate candidate Mehmet Oz is "going to f***ing lose" -- South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham successfully delays having to testify in the Georgia election fraud case -- Republican governors blame Joe Biden for high inflation, but it's worse in their states -- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says Republicans are losing key Senate races due to "poor candidate quality" -- Donald Trump bashes Mitch McConnell for not backing Republican candidates enough and calls his wife, Elaine Chao, "crazy" -- Fox News host Tucker Carlson argues that people who can't show up to the polls shouldn't be allowed to vote -- Brian Stelter is out at CNN with his show "Reliable Sources" getting canceled after 30 years on the airwaves -- Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin is bogusly facing scrutiny over videos of her dancing and having a good time -- QR code restaurant menus are one of the horrible pandemic-era changes to society that won't go away -- On the Bonus Show: Rudy Giuliani was praying for a payment and a pardon, Education Secretary says Biden's student debt announcement is coming soon, Dennis Rodman heading to Russia to help Brittney Griner, and much more...