Podcasts about South Lawn

Welcome to The Times of Israel's newest podcast series, Friday Focus. Each Friday, join host deputy editor Amanda Borschel-Dan and diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman for a deep dive into what's behind the news that spins the globe. It’s September 15, 2020, and on the South Lawn of the White House, a group of leaders from the United States, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain assembled to mark a once-unlikely normalization agreement. Berman talks us through why these countries were originally included in the accords and which were on deck before the Hamas massacre of 1,200 on October 7, 2023, that launched the Gaza War. We hear what gains were made through these accords -- and what setbacks there have been since the Gaza War erupted. We also discuss how Israel’s recent attempted assassination of the Hamas leadership this week in Qatar may affect relations with Gulf States moving forward. Friday Focus can be found on all podcast platforms. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, US President Donald Trump, Bahrain Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan pose for a photo on the Blue Room Balcony after signing the Abraham Accords at the White House in Washington, September 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dive into the third episode of AJC's latest limited podcast series, Architects of Peace. Go behind the scenes of the decades-long diplomacy and quiet negotiations that made the Abraham Accords possible, bringing Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and later Morocco, together in historic peace agreements.  On September 15, 2020, the Abraham Accords were signed at the White House by President Trump, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and the foreign ministers of the UAE and Bahrain. In this third installment of AJC's limited series, AJC CEO Ted Deutch and Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson—who stood on the South Lawn that day—share their memories and insights five years later. Together, they reflect on how the Accords proved that peace is achievable when nations share strategic interests, build genuine relationships, and pursue the greater good. *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC.  Read the transcript: https://www.ajc.org/news/podcast/from-the-white-house-lawn-architects-of-peace-episode-3 Resources: AJC.org/ArchitectsofPeace - Tune in weekly for new episodes. The Abraham Accords, Explained AJC.org/CNME - Find more on AJC's Center for a New Middle East Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus People of the Pod Follow Architects of Peace on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/ArchitectsofPeace You can reach us at: podcasts@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript: Ted Deutch: It was a beautiful day and there was this coming together, this recognition that this was such an historic moment. It's the kind of thing, frankly, that I remember having watched previously, when there were peace agreements signed and thinking that's something that I want to be a part of. And there I was looking around right in the middle of all of this, and so excited about where this could lead. Manya Brachear Pashman: In September 2020, the world saw what had been years, decades in the making, landmark peace agreements dubbed the Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between Israel and two Arabian Gulf States, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain. Later, in December, they were joined by the Kingdom of Morocco. Five years later, AJC is pulling back the curtain to meet key individuals who built the trust that led to these breakthroughs. Introducing: the Architects of Peace. Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. Accompanied by the Prime Minister of the State of Israel; His Highness the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International cooperation of the United Arab Emirates, and the Minister of the Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain.  Manya Brachear Pashman: The guests of honor framed by the South Portico of the White House were an unlikely threesome. Two Arab foreign ministers and the Prime Minister of Israel, there to sign a pair of peace agreements that would transform the Middle East.  Donald Trump: Thanks to the great courage of the leaders of these three countries, we take a major stride toward a future in which people of all faiths and backgrounds live together in peace and prosperity. There will be other countries very, very soon that will follow these great leaders. Manya Brachear Pashman: President Trump's team had achieved what was long thought impossible. After decades of pretending Israel did not exist until it solved its conflict with the Palestinians, Trump's team discovered that attitudes across the Arab region had shifted and after months of tense negotiations, an agreement had been brokered by a small circle of Washington insiders. On August 13, 2020, the United Arab Emirates agreed to become the first Arab state in a quarter century to normalize relations with Israel. Not since 1994 had Israel established diplomatic relations with an Arab country, when King Hussein of Jordan and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin signed a treaty, ending the state of war that had existed between them since Israel's rebirth. A ceremony to celebrate and sign the historic deal was planned for the South Lawn of the White House on September 15, 2020. Before the signing ceremony took place, another nation agreed to sign as well: not too surprisingly the Kingdom of Bahrain.  After all, in June 2019, Bahrain had hosted the Peace to Prosperity summit, a two-day workshop where the Trump administration unveiled the economic portion of its peace plan – a 38-page prospectus that proposed ways for Palestinians and Arab countries to expand economic opportunities in cooperation with Israel.  In addition to Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE all participated in the summit. The Palestinians boycotted it, even as Trump's senior advisor Jared Kushner presented plans to help them. Jared Kushner: A lot of these investments people are unwilling to make because people don't want to put good money after bad money. They've seen in the past they've made these investments, they've tried to help out the Palestinian people, then all of a sudden there's some  conflict that breaks out and a lot of this infrastructure gets destroyed. So what we have here is very detailed plans and these are things we can phase in over time assuming there's a real ceasefire, a real peace and there's an opportunity for people to start making these investments. Manya Brachear Pashman: Now Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain would open embassies, exchange ambassadors, and cooperate on tourism, trade, health care, and regional security. The Accords not only permitted Israelis to enter the two Arab nations using their Israeli passports, it opened the door for Muslims to visit historic sites in Israel, pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam, and finally satisfy their curiosity about the Jewish state. Before signing the accords, each leader delivered remarks. Here's Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani: For too long, the Middle East has been set back by conflict and mistrust, causing untold destruction and thwarting the potential of generations of our best and brightest young people. Now, I'm convinced, we have the opportunity to change that. Manya Brachear Pashman: UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan echoed that sentiment and also addressed accusations by Palestinian leadership that the countries had abandoned them. He made it clear that the accords bolstered the Emirates' support for the Palestinian people and their pursuit of an independent state. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan:  [speaking in Arabic] Manya Brachear Pashman: [translating Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan] This new vision, he said, which is beginning to take shape as we meet today for the future of the region, full of youthful energy, is not a slogan that we raise for political gain as everyone looks forward to creating a more stable, prosperous, and secure future. This accord will enable us to continue to stand by the Palestinian people and realize their hopes for an independent state within a stable and prosperous region. Manya Brachear Pashman: The Truman Balcony, named for the first American president to recognize Israel's independence, served as the backdrop for a few iconic photographs. The officials then made their way down the stairs and took their seats at the table where they each signed three copies of the Abraham Accords in English, Hebrew, and Arabic. The brief ceremony combined formality and levity as the leaders helped translate for each other so someone didn't sign on the wrong dotted line. After that was settled, they turned the signed documents around to show the audience. When they all rose from their seats, Prime Minister Netanyahu paused. After the others put their portfolios down, he stood displaying his for a little while longer, taking a few more seconds to hold on to the magnitude of the moment. Benjamin Netanyahu: To all of Israel's friends in the Middle East, those who are with us today and those who will join us tomorrow, I say, ‘As-salamu alaykum. Peace unto thee. Shalom.' And you have heard from the president that he is already lining up more and more countries. This is unimaginable a few years ago, but with resolve, determination, a fresh look at the way peace is done . . . The blessings of the peace we make today will be enormous, first, because this peace will eventually expand to include other Arab states, and ultimately, it can end the Arab Israeli conflict once and for all. [clapping] [Red alert sirens] Manya Brachear Pashman: But peace in Israel was and still is a distant reality as Palestinian leadership did not participate in the Accords, and, in fact, viewed it as a betrayal. As Netanyahu concluded his speech to the audience on the White House Lawn, thousands of miles away, Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted 15 rockets fired by terrorists in Gaza, at least one striking Israel's coastal city of Ashdod. Iran's regime condemned the agreement. But across most of the region and around the world, the revelation that decades of hostility could be set aside to try something new – a genuine pursuit of peace – inspired hope. Saudi journalists wrote op-eds in support of the UAE and Bahrain. Egypt and Oman praised the Abraham Accords for adding stability to the region. Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Spain commended the monumental step. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the deal for paving the way toward a two-state solution. AJC's Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson was one of more than 200 domestic and foreign officials on the White House Lawn that day taking it all in. The guest list included members of Congress, embassy staff, religious leaders, and people like himself who worked behind the scenes – a cross section of people who had been part of a long history of relationship building and peacemaking in the Middle East for many years. Jason Isaacson: To see what was happening then this meeting of neighbors who could be friends. To see the warmth evident on that stage at the South Lawn of the White House, and then the conversations that were taking place in this vast assembly on the South Lawn. Converging at that moment to mark the beginning of a development of a new Middle East. It was an exciting moment for me and for AJC and one that not only will I never forget but one that I am looking forward to reliving. Manya Brachear Pashman: Jason, of course, is talking about his confidence in the expansion of the Abraham Accords. Through his position at AJC he has attended several White House events marking milestones in the peace process. He had been seated on the South Lawn of the White House 27 years earlier to watch a similar scene unfold -- when Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat met to sign the Oslo Accords with President Bill Clinton. Yitzhak Rabin: What we are doing today is more than signing an agreement. It is a revolution. Yesterday, a dream. Today, a commitment. The Israeli and the Palestinian peoples who fought each other for almost a century have agreed to move decisively on the path of dialogue, understanding, and cooperation. Manya Brachear Pashman: Brokered secretly by Norway, the Oslo Accords established mutual recognition between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, which claimed to represent the Palestinian people. It also led to the creation of a Palestinian Authority for interim self-government and a phased Israeli withdrawal from parts of the West Bank and Gaza.  Jason Isaacson: I mean, 1993 was a tremendous breakthrough, and it was a breakthrough between the State of Israel and an organization that had been created to destroy Israel. And so it was a huge breakthrough to see the Israeli and Palestinian leaders agree to a process that would revolutionize that relationship, normalize that relationship, and set aside a very ugly history and chart a new path that was historic. Manya Brachear Pashman: While the Oslo Accords moved the Israelis and Palestinians toward a resolution, progress came to a halt two years later with the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin. In July 2000, President Clinton brought Arafat and then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak to Camp David to continue discussions, but they could not agree.  In his autobiography, “My Life,” President Clinton wrote that Arafat walked away from a Palestinian state, a mistake that Clinton took personally. When Arafat called him a great man, Clinton responded “I am not a great man. I am a failure, and you made me one." Arafat's decision also would prove fatal for both Israelis and Palestinians. By September, the Second Intifada – five years of violence, terror attacks, and suicide bombings – derailed any efforts toward peace. Jason says the Abraham Accords have more staying power than the Oslo Accords. That's clear five years later, especially after the October 7 Hamas terror attacks sparked a prolonged war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Two years into the war, the Abraham Accords have held. But Jason recalls feeling optimistic, even as he sat there again on the South Lawn. Jason Isaacson: It's a different kind of historic moment, maybe a little less breathtaking in the idea of two fierce antagonists, sort of laying down their arms and shaking hands uneasily, but shaking hands. Uneasily, but shaking hands. All those years later, in 2020, you had a state of Israel that had no history of conflict with the UAE or Bahrain. Countries with, with real economies, with real investment potential, with wise and well-advised leaders who would be in a position to implement plans that were being put together in the summer and fall of 2020. The Oslo Accords, you know, didn't provide that kind of built in infrastructure to advance peace. Manya Brachear Pashman: Jason pointed out that the only source of conflict among the signatories on the Abraham Accords was actually a point of mutual agreement – a frustration and desire to resolve the conflict with the Palestinians. UAE and Bahrain were part of the League of Arab States that had sworn in 2002 not to advance relations with Israel in the absence of a two-state solution.  But 18 years later, that had gone nowhere and leaders recognized that perhaps it would be more beneficial to the Palestinian cause if they at least engaged with Israel. Jason Isaacson: I had no fear, sitting in a folding chair on the White House Lawn on September 15, that this was going to evaporate. This seemed to be a natural progression. The region is increasingly sophisticated and increasingly plugged into the world, and recognizing that they have a lot of catching up to do to advance the welfare of their people. And that that catching up is going to require integrating with a very advanced country in their region that they have shunned for too long. This is a recognition that I am hearing across the region, not always spoken in those words, but it's clear that it will be of benefit to the region, to have Israel as a partner, rather than an isolated island that somehow is not a part of that region. Donald Trump: I want to thank all of the members of Congress for being here … Manya Brachear Pashman: AJC CEO Ted Deutch also was at the White House that day, not as AJC CEO but as a Congressman who served on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and chaired its Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa and Global Counterterrorism. Ted Deutch: It was a beautiful day and there was this coming together, this recognition that this was such an historic moment and it's exactly the kind of thing, frankly, that  I remember having watched previously, when there were peace agreements signed and thinking that's something that I want to be a part of. And there I was looking around right in the middle of all of this, and so excited about where this could lead. Manya Brachear Pashman: Despite his congressional role, Ted learned about the deal along with the rest of the world when it was initially announced a month before the ceremony, though he did get a tip that something was in the pipeline that would change the course of the committee's work. Ted Deutch: I found out when I got a phone call from the Trump administration, someone who was a senior official who told me that there is big news that's coming, that the Middle East is never going to look the same, and that he couldn't share any other information. And we, of course, went into wild speculation mode about what that could be. And the Abraham Accords was the announcement, and it was as dramatic as he suggested. Manya Brachear Pashman: It was a small glimmer of light during an otherwise dark time. Remember, this was the summer and early fall of 2020. The COVID pandemic, for the most part, had shut down the world. People were not attending meetings, conferences, or parties. Even members of Congress were avoiding Capitol Hill and casting their votes from home. Ted Deutch: It was hard to make great strides in anything in the diplomatic field, because there weren't the kind of personal interactions taking place on a regular basis. It didn't have the atmosphere that was conducive to meaningful, deep, ongoing conversations about the future of the world. And that's really what this was about, and that's what was missing. And so here was this huge news that for the rest of the world, felt like it was out of the blue, that set in motion a whole series of steps in Congress about the way that our committee, the way we approach the region. That we could finally start talking about regional cooperation in ways that we couldn't before. Manya Brachear Pashman: The timing was especially auspicious as it boosted interest in a particular piece of legislation that had been in the works for a decade: the bipartisan Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act. Approved by Congress in December 2020, around the same time Morocco joined the Abraham Accords, the law allocated up to $250 million over five years for programs advancing peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians and supporting a sustainable two-state solution. Passed as part of a larger appropriations bill, it was the largest investment of any single country in Israeli-Palestinian civil society initiatives. Ted Deutch: Here we were having this conversation about increasing trade and increasing tourism and the countries working more closely together and being able to freely fly back and forth on a regular basis – something that we've seen as the tourism numbers have taken off. The trade has taken off. So it really changed what we do. Manya Brachear Pashman: The other thing Ted recalls about that day on the White House lawn was the bipartisan spirit in the air. Although his own committee didn't tend to divide along party lines, Congress had become quite polarized and partisan on just about everything else. On that day, just as there was no animus between Israelis and Arabs, there was none between Republicans and Democrats either. And Ted believes that's the way it always should be. Ted Deutch: It was a bipartisan stellium of support, because this was a really important moment for the region and for the world, and it's exactly the kind of moment where we should look for ways to work together. This issue had to do with the Middle East, but it was driven out of Washington. There's no doubt about that. It was driven out of the out of the Trump administration and the White House and that was, I think, a reminder of the kind of things that can happen in Washington, and that we need to always look for those opportunities and when any administration does the right thing, then they need to be given credit for it, whether elected officials are on the same side of the aisle or not. We were there as people who were committed to building a more peaceful and prosperous region, with all of the countries in the region, recognizing the contributions that Israel makes and can make as the region has expanded, and then thinking about all of the chances that we would have in the years ahead to build upon this in really positive ways. Manya Brachear Pashman: On that warm September day, it felt as if the Abraham Accords not only had the potential to heal a rift in the Middle East but also teach us some lessons here at home. Even if it was impossible to resolve every disagreement, the Abraham Accords proved that progress and peace are possible when there are shared strategic interests, relationships, and a shared concern for the greater good.   Ted Deutch: I hope that as we celebrate this 5th anniversary, that in this instance we allow ourselves to do just that. I mean, this is a celebratory moment, and I hope that we can leave politics out of this. And I hope that we're able to just spend a moment thinking about what's been achieved during these five years, and how much all of us, by working together, will be able to achieve, not just for Israel, but for the region, in the best interest of the United States and in so doing, ultimately, for the world. That's what this moment offers. Manya Brachear Pashman: In the next episode, we meet Israelis and Arabs who embraced the spirit of the Abraham Accords and seized unprecedented opportunities to collaborate. Atara Lakritz is our producer. T.K. Broderick is our sound engineer. Special thanks to Jason Isaacson, Sean Savage, and the entire AJC team for making this series possible.  You can subscribe to Architects of Peace on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can learn more at AJC.org/ArchitectsofPeace.  The views and opinions of our guests don't necessarily reflect the positions of AJC.  You can reach us at podcasts@ajc.org. If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to spread the word, and hop onto Apple Podcasts or Spotify to rate us and write a review to help more listeners find us.

USA TODAY White House Correspondent Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy breaks down Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his MAHA Commission's release of their long-awaited second report on childhood health. Immigration arrests begin in Chicago as President Donald Trump's "Operation Midway Blitz" hits a fever pitch. Israel launched an unprecedented airstrike in Qatar on Tuesday. USA TODAY Deputy World Editor Dan Morrison joins us to discuss the escalation of Israel's war against Hamas. The Supreme Court will decide the fate of Donald Trump's global tariffs. The White House will host its first UFC fight next summer on the South Lawn. Have feedback on the show? Please send us an email at podcasts@USATODAY.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. US bureau chief Jacob Magid joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. In an interview conducted in the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, Emirati special envoy Lana Nusseibeh warned Israel that annexing the West Bank would cross a “red line” that would “end the vision of regional integration.” Today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meant to hold a major ministerial consultation on whether to advance. Magid sets the scene and explains what Nusseibeh and the Emiratis are trying to get across to the Israeli public. Earlier in the week, on Monday, in Doha, Magid spoke with Majed al-Ansari, the spokesperson for Qatar’s lead negotiator, Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, and heard the backstory of their frustrations over the negotiation process. We reset the scene and delve into the role of Qatar as negotiator for the Gaza war -- and other global conflicts. The United States said on Friday it will not allow Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to travel to New York next month for a United Nations gathering of world leaders, where several US allies are set to recognize Palestine as a state. A State Department official told Magid that a US visa ban on Palestinian officials planning to attend the United Nations General Assembly, would cover Abbas along with 80 other PA officials. Magid explains the mechanism of withholding the visas and how it dates to a report written during the Biden administration. Last week, Magid spoke with Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon about the impending slew of recognitions of a Palestinian state. Borschel-Dan notes that his remarks could be construed as dismissive: “These countries want to show that they are doing something, so they blow off steam by coming up with these declarative statements.” We hear Magid's takeaways from the conversation. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: UAE warns Israel: Annexing West Bank is a ‘red line’ that would ‘end regional integration’ After US cools on phased Gaza deal, senior Qatari official laments ‘moving goalposts’ US says it will ban PA’s Abbas, 80 other officials from attending UN General Assembly Israel’s UN envoy: Western leaders recognizing Palestinian state to ‘blow off steam’ Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves. IMAGE: US President Donald Trump, center, with from left, Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, during the Abraham Accords signing ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on September 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tune into the second episode of AJC's newest limited podcast series, Architects of Peace. Go behind the scenes of the decades-long diplomacy and quiet negotiations that made the Abraham Accords possible, bringing Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and later Morocco, together in historic peace agreements.  Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, U.S. Army General Miguel Correa, and AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson unpack the first Trump administration's Middle East strategy, share behind-the-scenes efforts to engage key regional players, and reveal what unfolded inside the White House in the crucial weeks before the Abraham Accords signing. Full transcript: https://www.ajc.org/news/podcast/behind-the-breakthrough-architects-of-peace-episode-2 Resources: AJC.org/ArchitectsofPeace - Tune in weekly for new episodes. AJC.org/AbrahamAccords - The Abraham Accords, Explained AJC.org/CNME - Find more on AJC's Center for a New Middle East Listen – AJC Podcasts: AJC.org/ForgottenExodus AJC.org/PeopleofthePod Follow Architects of Peace on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/ArchitectsofPeace You can reach us at: podcasts@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript: Donald Trump: I think we're going to make a deal. It might be a bigger and better deal than people in this room even understand. Manya Brachear Pashman: In September 2020, the world saw what had been years – decades – in the making: landmark peace agreements dubbed the Abraham Accords -- normalizing relations between Israel and two Arabian Gulf states, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain. Later, in December, they were joined by the Kingdom of Morocco. Five years later, AJC is pulling back the curtain to meet key individuals who built the trust that led to these breakthroughs. Introducing: the Architects of Peace. Shortly after he was elected in 2016 and before he took office, President Donald Trump nominated his company's former bankruptcy attorney David Friedman to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Israel. He gave Friedman two simple tasks.  Task No. 1? Build peace across the Middle East by normalizing relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Task No. 2? Solve the Israeli Palestinian conflict that a half dozen previous White House residents had failed to fix.  After all, according to conventional wisdom, the first task could not happen before the second. The future of cooperation between Israel and 20-plus other Arab countries hinged on peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.  Here's former Secretary of State John Kerry. John Kerry: There will be no advance and separate peace with the Arab world without the Palestinian process and Palestinian peace. Everybody needs to understand that. Manya Brachear Pashman: Ambassador Friedman disagreed with this conventional wisdom. David Friedman: We were told initially by most countries that the road to peace began with the Palestinians. This was a hypothesis that I rejected internally, but I thought: ‘OK, well, let's just play this out and see where this can go. And so, we spent a couple of years really working on what could be a plan that would work for Israel and the Palestinians. The Palestinians, you know, rejected discussions early on, but we had a lot of discussions with the Israelis. Manya Brachear Pashman: The son of a rabbi who grew up in Long Island, Ambassador Friedman had been active in pro-Israel organizations for decades, He had advised Trump on the importance of the U.S.-Israel bond during the 2016 presidential election and recommended nothing less than a radical overhaul of White House policy in the region. Not long after his Senate confirmation as ambassador, that overhaul commenced. In February 2017, President Trump invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House – his first invitation to a foreign leader —  and a symbolic one. After their meeting, they held a joint press conference. Donald Trump: With this visit, the United States again reaffirms our unbreakable bond with our cherished ally Israel. The partnership between our two countries, built on our shared values. I think we're going to make a deal. It might be a bigger and better deal than people in this room even understand. That's a possibility. So, let's see what we do.  He doesn't sound too optimistic. But he's a good negotiator. Benjamin Netanyahu: That's the art of the deal. Manya Brachear Pashman: Nine months later, President Trump made another symbolic gesture -- recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital city and moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Though such a move had been approved by Congress in 1995, no president had ever acted upon it. When Trump's son-in-law, businessman, and senior White House advisor Jared Kushner opened conversations about that ‘bigger and better deal,' Palestinians refused to participate, using the pretext of the Jerusalem decision to boycott the Trump administration. But that didn't stop Ambassador Friedman and others from engaging, not only with Israel, but with Arab countries about a new path forward. AJC's Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson, who has been building bridges in the region since the early ‘90s, recalls this strategy at the time. Jason Isaacson: It was very clear for many months, 2019 on into early 2020, that there was a team working under Jared Kushner in the White House that was going from country to country in the Gulf and North Africa, looking to make a deal, looking to make deals that would lead to normalization with Israel, would involve various benefits that the United States would be able to provide. But of course, the big benefit would be regional integration and a closer relationship with the United States. Manya Brachear Pashman: The pitch for a new path forward resonated in the United Arab Emirates, a Gulf country of 10 million residents, some 11% of whom are Emiratis — the rest expats and migrants from around the world. The UAE had designated 2019 the Year of Tolerance, an initiative aimed at promoting the country as a global capital for tolerance and respect between diverse cultures and nationalities. That year, the Emirates hosted a historic visit from Pope Francis, and 27 Israeli athletes competed in the 2019 Special Olympics World Games held in the capital city of Abu Dhabi.  The pitch also resonated in Bahrain. In June of that year, during a two-day workshop in Bahrain's capital city of Manama, the Trump administration began rolling out the results of its Middle East tour – the economic portion of its peace plan, titled "Peace to Prosperity." Jason Isaacson: The White House plan for Peace to Prosperity was a kind of an early set of ideas for Israeli Palestinian resolution that would result in a small, but functional Palestinian state, created in a way that would not require the displacement of Israelis in the West Bank, and that would involve large scale investment, mostly provided by other countries, mostly in the Gulf, but not only, also Europe, to advance the Palestinian economy, to integrate the Palestinian and Israelis' economies in a way that had never happened. And there was discussion that was taking place that all led up to the idea of a very fresh approach, a very new approach to the regional conflict. Manya Brachear Pashman: The 38-page prospectus set ambitious goals — turning the West Bank and Gaza into tourism destinations, doubling the amount of drinkable water there, tripling exports, earmarking $900 million to build hospitals and clinics. The Palestinians, angered by Trump's recognition of Jerusalem and viewing the Manama workshop as an attempt to normalize Arab-Israel ties while sidelining their national rights, boycotted the meeting and rejected the plan before ever seeing its details.  But the workshop's host Bahrain, as well as Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the Emirates participated, to varying degrees. Trump's team rolled out the rest of the plan in January 2020, including a map of land carved out for Palestinians and for Israel. The plan enabled Palestinians and Arab countries to expand economic opportunities. It enabled Israel to demonstrate that it was open to cooperation. It enabled the Trump administration to illustrate the opportunities missed if countries in the region continued to let Palestinian leadership call the shots. David Friedman: The expectation was not that the Palestinians would jump all over it. We were realistic about the possibility, but we did think it was important to show that Israel itself, under some circumstances, was willing to engage with the Palestinians with regard to a formula for peace that, you know, had an economic component, a geographic component, a governance component.  Manya Brachear Pashman: The Palestine Liberation Organization accused the United States of trying to sell a "mirage of economic prosperity.” Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh criticized the Arab leaders attending the al-Manama conference, saying "The (Palestinian) people, who have been fighting for 100 years, did not commission anyone to concede or to bargain.” But that's the thing. Arab leaders weren't there solely on behalf of the Palestinians. They wanted to learn how their own countries' citizens could enjoy peace and prosperity too. David Friedman: The real point of all this that got the Abraham Accords jump started was not the fact that the Palestinians embraced this, but more so that they rejected it in such a way that enabled these other countries to say: ‘Look, guys, you know what? We can't be more pro-Palestinian than you.' Here you have, you know, the U.S. government putting on a table a proposal that gets you more than halfway there in terms of your stated goals and aspirations. Maybe you don't like all of it, that's fine, but you're never going to get everything you wanted anyway. And here's the first government in history that's willing to give you something tangible to talk about, and if you're not going to engage in something that they spent years working on, talking to everybody, trying to thread the needle as best they could. If you're not willing to talk to them about it, then don't ask us to fight your fight. There's only so far we can go. But we thought that putting this plan out on a table publicly would kind of smoke out a lot of positions that had historically been below the surface. And so, beginning right after the 28th of January of 2020 when we had that ceremony with the President's vision for peace, we began to really get serious engagement. Not from the Palestinians, who rejected it immediately, but from the countries in the region. And so that's how the Abraham Accords discussions really began in earnest. Manya Brachear Pashman: AJC had been saying for years that if Arab leaders truly wanted to foster stability in the region and help the Palestinians, engaging with Israel and opening channels of communication would give them the leverage to do so. Isolating Israel was not the answer. Nothing underscored that more than the COVID-19 pandemic, the worst global health crisis in a century. As everyone around the world donned N95 masks and went into self-imposed isolation, some governments in the Middle East concluded that isolating innovative countries like Israel was perhaps not the wisest or safest choice.  In May 2020, UAE Ambassador to the United Nations Lana Nusseibeh said as much during a virtual webinar hosted by AJC. Lana Nusseibeh: Of course, we've had Israeli medics participate in previous events in the UAE, that wouldn't be unusual. And I'm sure there's a lot of scope for collaboration. I don't think we would be opposed to it. Because I really think this public health space should be an unpoliticized space where we all try and pool our collective knowledge of this virus. Manya Brachear Pashman: A month later, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash echoed that sentiment, during AJC Global Forum. Anwar Gargash: I think we can come to a point where we come to a given Israeli government and we say we disagree with you on this, we don't think it's a good idea. But at the same time there are areas, such as COVID, technology, and other things that we can actually work on together. Manya Brachear Pashman: Not surprisingly, the UAE was the first Arab country to begin negotiating with the White House to normalize relations with Israel. However, talks that summer hit a stalemate. Israel was moving forward with a plan to annex a significant portion of the West Bank, including Israeli settlements and the Jordan Valley. Even though President Trump himself had cautioned Prime Minister Netanyahu to hold off, Ambassador Friedman was not about to stop them.  David Friedman: I thought that the idea of Israel walking away from its biblical heartland. Anything that required Israel to make that commitment was something I couldn't support. I was so dead set against it. Israel cannot, as a price for normalization, as great as it is, as important as it is, Israel cannot agree to cede its biblical heartland. Manya Brachear Pashman: Not only was this personal for Ambassador Friedman, it was also a major incentive for Israel, included in the Peace to Prosperity plan. The ambassador didn't want to go back on his word and lose Israel's trust.  But annexation was a dealbreaker for the Emirates. In June, UAE's Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba wrote a column speaking directly to the Israeli public. He explained that the UAE wanted diplomatic relations with Israel – it really did – but unilateral annexation of land that it considered still in dispute would be viewed as a breach of trust and undermine any and all progress toward normalization.  David Friedman: It was a kind of a tumultuous period, both internally within our own team and with others, about what exactly was going to happen as a result of that Peace to Prosperity Plan. And even if there was an agreement by the United States to support Israeli annexation, was this something that was better, at least in the short term? Manya Brachear Pashman: Otaiba's message got through, and the team ultimately agreed to suspend the annexation plan — not halt, but suspend — an intentionally temporary verb.  In addition to writing the column, Otaiba also recommended that a friend join the negotiations to help repair the trust deficit: General Miguel Correa, a U.S. Army General who had spent part of his childhood in the Middle East, served in the Persian Gulf War and as a peacekeeper maintaining the treaty between Israel and Egypt. General Correa had joined the National Security Council in March 2020 after serving as a defense attaché in Abu Dhabi. He had earned the respect of Emiratis, not as a dealmaker so much as a lifesaver, once orchestrating a secret rescue mission of wounded Emirati troops from inside Yemen. Among those troops, the nephew and son-in-law of Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed, the then-de facto ruler and now the current president of the UAE. Kushner and Friedman had never met Correa.  Miguel Correa: I didn't know them, and they didn't know me. No one else had any military experience on the team. I had a unique perspective of the Arab side of the equation.  And had relationships. So, it was a match made in heaven.  Jared, David Friedman, these guys obviously understood Israeli politics and understood the Israeli side, and somewhat Jewish American side. I could provide a different dynamic or a different view from the Arab side, as someone who's kind of grown up with this. It really got serious when the team came together and, and we could start working on real, concrete things. Manya Brachear Pashman: Months of negotiations had already unfolded. It was already late July, first of August, when General Correa became the last person to join the tiny circle of a half dozen negotiators – kept intentionally small to keep a lid on the conversations. It's hard to keep a secret in Washington. David Friedman: The secrecy here was very, very important, because to be honest with you, I think anything bigger than that group of six or seven, we would have put it in jeopardy. Manya Brachear Pashman: In this situation, leaks not only threatened the deal, they could threaten lives. Though word trickled out that a deal was in the works, no one guessed just how transformational the result might be. In General Correa's opinion, the UAE had the most to lose. Miguel Correa: That was the concern that, frankly, guys like me had, that, I hurt a nation of good people that is incredibly tolerant, that builds synagogues and churches and Sikh temples, or Hindu temples, and tolerance 101, that everybody can pray to who they would like to pray to.  And I was worried that all these extremists were going to come out of the woodwork and hurt that trajectory in the UAE, that was going to be a great nation with or without the normalization. But this ruler said: ‘No, no, it's the right thing to do. Peace is the right thing to do.' Manya Brachear Pashman: General Correa actually had quite a few concerns. He didn't want the negotiations to be hijacked for political gain. He wanted leaders to have a security and public relations response in place before anything was announced. And the agreement? It lacked a name. Miguel Correa: A lot of it has to do with my military side. We love to name cool task forces, and things like that. And then I felt like: ‘Hey, it has to be something that rolls off the tongue, that makes sense and that will help it, you know, with staying power. Let's do something that ties the people together. There was going to be a shock, a tectonic shock that was going to occur. From 1948, we're going to do a complete 180, and wow. So what do we do to take the wind away from the extremists? As a guy who's fought extremism, militant extremism, for most of his military career, I figured, hey, we've got to do what we can to frame this in a super positive manner. Manya Brachear Pashman: To the general's dismay, no one else shared his concern about what to call their project. A lot was happening in those last few weeks. Landing on a name – not a priority. On the morning of August 13, once all the details were hammered out, the team sat in the Oval Office waiting to brief the President before it was announced to the world. David Friedman: It came about 10 minutes before the end, we were all sitting around the Oval Office, waiting for this announcement about the UAE. And somebody, not me, said: ‘Well, we need a name for this,' and I said, why? And they said, ‘Well, you know, you have the Oslo Accords, you have the Camp David Accords. You need a name.' And I said, you know, Who's got an idea? And General Miguel Correa, he said: ‘How about the Abraham Accords?' And I said: ‘That's a great name.' And then we had a rush to call the Israelis and the Emiratis to make sure they were OK with it.  Five minutes later we're broadcasting to a few hundred million people this groundbreaking announcement. And the President looks at me and says, ‘David, explain why you chose the Abraham Accords?' So that was when we explained what the name was, which I hadn't really thought of until that point. We just thought it was a good name.  So at that point I said, ‘Well, you know, Abraham was the father of three great religions. He's referred to as Abraham in English, and Ibrahim in Arabic, and Avraham in Hebrew. And no single individual better exemplifies the opportunity and the benefits of unity among all peoples than Abraham.' And that was sort of on the fly how we got to the Abraham Accords. Manya Brachear Pashman: General Correa said he chose a name that would remind people of all faiths that what they have in common far outweighs what separates them. It was also important that the name be plural. Not the Abraham Accord. The Abraham Accords.  Even if only one country – the UAE – was signing on at that moment, there would be more to come. Indeed, Bahrain came on board within a month. Morocco joined in December.  Miguel Correa: I felt in my heart that this has to be more than one. As a guy that's been affected by this extremism and it allowed this, this craziness and that people decide who can get to know who and and I felt like, No, we can't allow this to be a one-shot deal. We have to prove that this is an avalanche. This could be sustained, and this is the way it should be. Everyone has to come into this one way or another. And it's not, by the way, saying that, hey, we're all going to walk lockstep with Israel. That's not the point. The point is that you have a conversation, the leaders can pick up the phone and have that conversation. So it has to be, has to be plural. By the way, this is the way that it was. This isn't new. This isn't like a crazy new concept. This is the way it was. It's not an introduction of Jews in this region, in society. This is a reintroduction. This is the way it's supposed to be. This is what's happened for thousands of years. So why are we allowing people to take us back, you know, thousands of years? Let's go back to the way things should be, and develop these relationships. It makes us all better. Manya Brachear Pashman: Next episode, we step out from behind the scenes and on to the South Lawn of the White House where leaders from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Israel and the U.S. signed the Abraham Accords, while the world watched in awe. Atara Lakritz is our producer. T.K. Broderick is our sound engineer. Special thanks to Jason Isaacson, Sean Savage, and the entire AJC team for making this series possible.  You can subscribe to Architects of Peace on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can learn more at AJC.org/ArchitectsofPeace.  The views and opinions of our guests don't necessarily reflect the positions of AJC.  You can reach us at podcasts@ajc.org. If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to spread the word, and hop onto Apple Podcasts or Spotify to rate us and write a review to help more listeners find us. Music Credits: Middle East : ID: 279780040; Composer: Eric Sutherland Frontiers: ID: 183925100; Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI); Composer: Pete Checkley (BMI) Meditative: ID: 115666358; Composer: DANIELYAN ASHOT MAKICHEVICH (IPI NAME #00855552512), UNITED STATES BMI Arabian: Item ID: 214336423; Composer: MusicForVideos Arabian Strings: ID: 72249988; Publisher: EITAN EPSTEIN; Composer: EITAN EPSTEIN Desert: Item ID: 220137401; Publisher: BFCMUSIC PROD.; Composer: Andrei Marchanka Middle East Violin: ID: 277189507; Composer: Andy Warner Arabic Ambient: ID: 186923328; Publisher: Victor Romanov; Composer: Victor Romanov Oriental: Item ID: 190860465; Publisher: Victor Romanov; Composer: Victor Romanov Mystical Middle East: ID: 212471911; Composer: Vicher    

Listen to the first episode of AJC's new limited podcast series, Architects of Peace. Go behind the scenes of the decades-long diplomacy and quiet negotiations that made the Abraham Accords possible, bringing Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and later Morocco, together in historic peace agreements.   Jason Isaacson, AJC Chief of Policy and Political Affairs, explains the complex Middle East landscape before the Accords and how behind-the-scenes efforts helped foster the dialogue that continues to shape the region today. Resources: Episode Transcript AJC.org/ArchitectsofPeace - Tune in weekly for new episodes. The Abraham Accords, Explained AJC.org/CNME - Find more on AJC's Center for a New Middle East Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus People of the Pod Follow Architects of Peace on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/ArchitectsofPeace You can reach us at: podcasts@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript: Jason Isaacson: It has become clear to me in my travels in the region over the decades that more and more people across the Arab world understood the game, and they knew that this false narrative – that Jews are not legitimately there, and that somehow we have to focus all of our energy in the Arab world on combating this evil interloper – it's nonsense. And it's becoming increasingly clear that, in fact, Israel can be a partner. Manya Brachear Pashman: In September 2020, the world saw what had been years – decades – in the making: landmark peace agreements dubbed the Abraham Accords -- normalizing relations between Israel and two Arabian Gulf states, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain.  Later in December, they were joined by the Kingdom of Morocco. Five years later, AJC is pulling back the curtain to meet key individuals who built the trust that led to these breakthroughs. Introducing: the Architects of Peace. Manya Brachear Pashman: On the eve of the signing of the Abraham Accords, AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson found himself traveling to the end of a tree filled winding road in McLean, Virginia, to sip tea on the back terrace with Bahraini Ambassador Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Khalifa and Bahrain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. Jason Isaacson: Sitting in the backyard of the Bahraini ambassador's house with Dr. Al Zayani, the Foreign Minister of Bahrain and with Shaikh Abdulla, the ambassador, and hearing what was about to happen the next day on the South Lawn of the White House was a thrilling moment. And really, in many ways, just a validation of the work that AJC has been doing for many years–before I came to the organization, and the time that I've spent with AJC since the early 90s.  This possibility of Israel's true integration in the region, Israel's cooperation and peace with its neighbors, with all of its neighbors – this was clearly the threshold that we were standing on. Manya Brachear Pashman: If you're wondering how Jason ended up sipping tea in such esteemed company the night before his hosts made history, wonder no more. Here's the story. Yitzchak Shamir: The people of Israel look to this palace with great anticipation and expectation. We pray that this meeting will mark the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Middle East; that it will signal the end of hostility, violence, terror, and war; that it will bring dialogue, accommodation, co-existence, and above all, peace. Manya Brachear Pashman: That was Israel's Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir speaking in October 1991 at the historic Madrid Peace Conference -- the first time Israel and Arab delegations engaged in direct talks toward peace. It had taken 43 years to reach this point – 43 years since the historic United Nations Resolution that created separate Jewish and Arab states – a resolution Jewish leaders accepted, but Arab states scorned. Not even 24 hours after Israel declared its independence on May 14, 1948, the armies of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria attacked the new Jewish state, which fought back mightily and expanded its territory. The result? A deep-seated distrust among Israel, its neighboring nations, and some of the Arab residents living within Israel's newly formed borders. Though many Palestinian Arabs stayed, comprising over 20 percent of Israel's population today, hundreds of thousands of others left or were displaced. Meanwhile, in reaction to the rebirth of the Jewish state, and over the following two decades, Jewish communities long established in Arab states faced hardship and attacks, forcing Jews by the hundreds of thousands to flee. Israel's War of Independence set off a series of wars with neighboring nations, terrorist attacks, and massacres. Peace in the region saw more than a few false starts, with one rare exception.  In 1979, after the historic visit to Israel by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, he and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin joined President Jimmy Carter for negotiations at Camp David and signed a peace treaty that for the next 15 years, remained the only formal agreement between Israel and an Arab state. In fact, it was denounced uniformly across the Arab world.  But 1991 introduced dramatic geopolitical shifts. The collapse of the Soviet Union, which had severed relations with Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967, diminished its ability to back Syria, Iraq, and Libya. In the USSR's final months, it re-established diplomatic relations with Israel but left behind a regional power vacuum that extremists started to fill. Meanwhile, most Arab states, including Syria, joined the successful U.S.-led coalition against Saddam Hussein that liberated Kuwait, solidifying American supremacy in the region and around the world. The Palestine Liberation Organization, which claimed to represent the world's Palestinians, supported Iraq and Libya.  Seizing an opportunity, the U.S. and the enfeebled but still relevant Soviet Union invited to Madrid a joint Jordanian-Palestinian delegation, along with delegations from Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, and Israel. Just four months before that Madrid meeting, Jason Isaacson had left his job on Capitol Hill to work for the American Jewish Committee. At that time, AJC published a magazine titled Commentary, enabling Jason to travel to the historic summit with media credentials and hang out with the press pool. Jason Isaacson: It was very clear in just normal conversations with these young Arab journalists who I was spending some time with, that there was the possibility of an openness that I had not realized existed. There was a possibility of kind of a sense of common concerns about the region, that was kind of refreshing and was sort of running counter to the narratives that have dominated conversations in that part of the world for so long.  And it gave me the sense that by expanding the circle of relationships that I was just starting with in Madrid, we might be able to make some progress. We might be able to find some partners with whom AJC could develop a real relationship. Manya Brachear Pashman: AJC had already begun to build ties in the region in the 1950s, visiting Arab countries like Morocco and Tunisia, which had sizable Jewish populations. The rise in Arab nationalism in Tunisia and rebirth of Israel eventually led to an exodus that depleted the Jewish community there. Emigration depleted Morocco's Jewish community as well.  Jason Isaacson: To say that somehow this is not the native land of the Jewish people is just flying in the face of the reality. And yet, that was the propaganda line that was pushed out across the region. Of course, Madrid opened a lot of people's eyes. But that wasn't enough. More had to be done. There were very serious efforts made by the U.S. government, Israeli diplomats, Israeli businesspeople, and my organization, which played a very active role in trying to introduce people to the reality that they would benefit from this relationship with Israel.  So it was pushing back against decades of propaganda and lies. And that was one of the roles that we assigned to ourselves and have continued to play. Manya Brachear Pashman: No real negotiations took place at the Madrid Conference, rather it opened conversations that unfolded in Moscow, in Washington, and behind closed doors in secret locations around the world. Progress quickened under Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. In addition to a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan, reached in 1994, secret talks in Norway between Israel and PLO resulted in the Oslo Accords, a series of agreements signed in 1993 and 1995 that ended the First Intifada after six years of violence, and laid out a five-year timeline for achieving a two-state solution. Extremists tried to derail the process. A Jewish extremist assassinated Rabin in 1995. And a new terror group  launched a series of suicide attacks against Israeli civilians. Formed during the First Intifada, these terrorists became stars of the Second. They called themselves Hamas. AP News Report: [sirens] [in Hebrew] Don't linger, don't linger. Manya Brachear Pashman: On March 27, 2002, Hamas sent a suicide bomber into an Israeli hotel where 250 guests had just been seated for a Passover Seder. He killed 30 people and injured 140 more. The day after the deadliest suicide attack in Israel's history, the Arab League, a coalition of 22 Arab nations in the Middle East and Africa, unveiled what it called the Arab Peace Initiative – a road map offering wide scale normalization of relations with Israel, but with an ultimatum: No expansion of Arab-Israeli relations until the establishment of a Palestinian state within the pre-1967 armistice lines and a so-called right of return for Palestinians who left and their descendants.   As the Second Intifada continued to take civilian lives, the Israeli army soon launched Operation Defensive Shield to secure the West Bank and parts of Gaza. It was a period of high tension, conflict, and distrust. But behind the scenes, Jason and AJC were forging ahead, building bridges, and encountering an openness in Arab capitals that belied the ultimatum.  Jason Isaacson: It has become clear to me in my travels in the region over the decades that more and more people across the Arab world understood the game, and they knew that that this false narrative that Jews are not legitimately there, and that somehow we have to focus all of our energy in the Arab world on combating this evil interloper – it's nonsense. And it's becoming increasingly clear that, in fact, Israel can be a partner of Arab countries. Manya Brachear Pashman: Jason led delegations of Jewish leaders to Arab capitals, oversaw visits by Arab leaders to Israel, and cultivated relationships of strategic and political consequence with governments and civil society leaders across North Africa, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula. In 2009, King Mohammed VI of Morocco bestowed on him the honor of Chevalier of the Order of the Throne of the Kingdom of Morocco. Jason's priority was nurturing one key element missing from Arab-Israeli relations. An element that for decades had been absent in most Middle East peace negotiations: trust.   Jason Isaacson: Nothing is more important than developing trust. Trust and goodwill are, if not synonymous, are so closely linked. Yes, a lot of these discussions that AJC's been engaged in over many years have been all about, not only developing a set of contacts we can turn to when there's a crisis or when we need answers to questions or when we need to pass a message along to a government. But also, develop a sense that we all want the same thing and we trust each other. That if someone is prepared to take certain risks to advance the prospect of peace, which will involve risk, which will involve vulnerability. That a neighbor who might have demonstrated in not-so-distant past animosity and hostility toward Israel can be trusted to take a different course. Manya Brachear Pashman: A number of Israeli diplomats and businesspeople also worked toward that goal. While certain diplomatic channels in the intelligence and security spheres stayed open out of necessity – other diplomats and businesspeople with dual citizenship traveled across the region, quietly breaking down barriers, starting conversations, and building trust.  Jason Isaacson: I would run into people in Arab capitals from time to time, who were fulfilling that function, and traveling with different passports that they had legitimately, because they were from those countries. It was just a handful of people in governments that would necessarily know that they were there. So yes, if that sounds like cloak and dagger, it's kind of a cloak and dagger operation, a way for people to maintain a relationship and build a relationship until the society is ready to accept the reality that it will be in their country's best interest to have that relationship. Manya Brachear Pashman: Privately, behind the scenes, signs emerged that some Arab leaders understood the role that Jews have played in the region's history for millennia and the possibilities that would exist if Muslims and Jews could restore some of the faith and friendship of bygone years.  Jason Isaacson: I remember sitting with King Mohammed the VI of Morocco just weeks after his ascension to the throne, so going back more than a quarter century, and hearing him talk with me and AJC colleagues about the 600,000 subjects that he had in Israel. Of course, these were Jews, Israelis of Moroccan descent, who are in the hundreds of thousands. But the sense that these countries really have a common history. Manya Brachear Pashman: Common history, yes. Common goals, too. And not for nothing, a common enemy. The same extremist forces that have been bent on Israel's destruction have not only disrupted Israeli-Arab peace, they've prevented the Palestinian people from thriving in a state of their own and now threaten the security and stability of the entire region. Jason Isaacson:  We are hopeful that in partnership with those in the Arab world who feel the same way about the need to push back against extremism, including the extremism promoted, promulgated, funded, armed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, that we can have enough of a network of supportive players in the Arab world, in the West. Working with Israel and working with Palestinian partners who are interested in the same future. A real future, a politically free future, where we can actually make some progress. And that's an ongoing effort. This is a point that we made consistently over many years: if you want to help the Palestinian people–and we want to help the Palestinian people–but if you, fill in the blank Arab government official, your country wants to help the Palestinian people, you're not helping them by pretending that Israel doesn't exist.  You're not helping them by isolating Israel, by making Israel a pariah in the minds of your people. You will actually have leverage with Israel, and you'll help the Palestinians when they're sitting at a negotiating table across from the Israelis. If you engage Israel, if you have access to the Israeli officials and they have a stake in your being on their side on certain things and working together on certain common issues. Manya Brachear Pashman: Jason says more and more Arab leaders are realizing, with some frustration, that isolating Israel is a losing proposition for all the parties involved. It has not helped the Palestinian people. It has not kept extremism at bay. And it has not helped their own countries and their own citizens prosper. In fact, the limitations that isolating Israel imposes have caused many countries to lag behind the tiny Jewish state. Jason Isaacson: I think there was just this sense of how far back we have fallen, how much ground we have to make up. We need to break out of the old mindset and try something different. But that before the Abraham Accords, they were saying it in the years leading up to the Abraham Accords, with increasing frustration for the failure of Palestinian leadership to seize opportunities that had been held out to them. But frankly, also contributing, I think, to this was this insistence on isolating themselves from a naturally synergistic relationship with a neighboring state right next door that could contribute to the welfare of their societies. It just didn't make a whole lot of sense, and it denied them the ability to move forward. Manya Brachear Pashman: Jason remembers the first time he heard an Arab official utter the words out loud – expressing a willingness, daresay desire, to partner with Israel. Jason Isaacson: It took a long time, but I could see in 2016, 17, 18, 19, this growing awareness, and finally hearing it actually spoken out loud in one particular conference that I remember going to in 2018 in Bahrain, by a senior official from an Arab country. It took a long time for that lesson to penetrate, but it's absolutely the case. Manya Brachear Pashman: In 2019, Bahrain hosted an economic summit where the Trump administration presented its "Peace to Prosperity" plan, a $50 billion investment proposal to create jobs and improve the lives of Palestinians while also promoting regional peace and security. Palestinians rejected the plan outright and refused to attend. Bahrain invited Israeli media to cover the summit. That September, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, AJC presented its inaugural Architect of Peace Award to the Kingdom of Bahrain's chief diplomat for nearly 20 years. Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Bahrain's Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time, told Jason that it was important to learn the lessons of the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and late Jordanian King Hussein, both of whom signed peace treaties with Israel. He also explained the reason why Bahrain invited Israeli media.  Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa: President Anwar Sadat did it, he broke a huge barrier. He was a man of war, he was the leader of a country that went to war or two with Israel. But then he knew that at the right moment he would want to go straight to Israeli and talk to them. We fulfilled also something that we've always wanted to do, we've discussed it many times: talking to the Israeli public through the Israeli media.  Why not talk to the people? They wake up every day, they have their breakfast watching their own TV channels, they read their own papers, they read their own media, they form their own opinion.    Absolutely nobody should shy away from talking to the media. We are trying to get our point across. In order to convince. How will you do it? There is no language of silence. You'll have to talk and you'll have to remove all those barriers and with that, trust can be built. Manya Brachear Pashman: Jason had spent decades building that trust and the year to come yielded clear results. In May and June 2020, UAE Ambassador to the UN Lana Nusseibeh and UAE Minister of State Dr. Anwar Gargash both participated in AJC webinars to openly discuss cooperation with Israel – a topic once considered taboo.  So when the Abraham Accords were signed a few months later, for Jason and AJC colleagues who had been on this long journey for peace, it was a natural progression. Though no less dramatic.  Sitting with Minister Al Khalifa's successor, Dr. Al Zayani, and the Bahraini ambassador on the evening before the White House ceremony, it was time to drink a toast to a new chapter of history in the region. Jason Isaacson: I don't think that that would have been possible had there not been decades of contacts that had been made by many people. Roving Israeli diplomats and Israeli business people, usually operating, in fact, maybe always operating with passports from other countries, traveling across the region. And frankly, our work and the work of a limited number of other people who were in non-governmental positions. Some journalists, authors, scholars, business people, and we certainly did a great deal of this over decades, would speak with leaders in these countries and influential people who are not government officials. And opening up their minds to the possibility of the advantages that would accrue to their societies by engaging Israel and by better understanding the Jewish people and who we are, what we care about, who we are not.  Because there was, of course, a great deal of decades, I should say, centuries and millennia, of misapprehensions and lies about the Jewish people. So clearing away that baggage was a very important part of the work that we did, and I believe that others did as well. We weren't surprised. We were pleased. We applauded the Trump administration, the President and his team, for making this enormous progress on advancing regional security and peace, prosperity. We are now hoping that we can build on those achievements of 2020 going forward and expanding fully the integration of Israel into its neighborhood. Manya Brachear Pashman: Next episode, we hear how the first Trump administration developed its Middle East policy and take listeners behind the scenes of the high stakes negotiations that yielded the Abraham Accords.  Atara Lakritz is our producer. T.K. Broderick is our sound engineer. Special thanks to Jason Isaacson, Jon Schweitzer, Sean Savage, and the entire AJC team for making this series possible.  You can subscribe to Architects of Peace on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts, and you can learn more at AJC.org/ArchitectsofPeace.  The views and opinions of our guests don't necessarily reflect the positions of AJC.  You can reach us at podcasts@ajc.org. If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to spread the word, and hop onto Apple Podcasts or Spotify to rate us and write a review to help more listeners find us. ___ Music Credits: Middle East : ID: 279780040; Composer: Eric Sutherland Middle East Violin: ID: 277189507; Composer: Andy Warner Frontiers: ID: 183925100; Publisher: Pond5 Publishing Beta (BMI); Composer: Pete Checkley (BMI) Middle East Tension: ID: 45925627 Arabic Ambient: ID: 186923328; Publisher: Victor Romanov; Composer: Victor Romanov Arabian Strings: ID: 72249988; Publisher: EITAN EPSTEIN; Composer: EITAN EPSTEIN Inspired Middle East: ID: 241884108; Composer: iCENTURY Middle East Dramatic Intense: ID: 23619101; Publisher: GRS Records; Composer: Satria Petir Mystical Middle East: ID: 212471911; Composer: Vicher    

Trump keeps creating all these phony crises—an 'invasion' at the border, immigrants in the interior, crime in D.C.—so he can put on a show of force for his white base. He's also declaring fake emergencies on college campuses so he can shake them down, or declaring an economic emergency to impose tariffs. Now, he's looking at a 'quick reaction force' to respond to protests. It's all a naked power grab, and a potential prequel to sending in troops during elections. Plus, Trump wants fabricated economic data, his 15% cut of Nvidia's and AMD's chip sales to China quacks like a bribe, and will "Idiocracy" come alive with a UFC Octagon on the South Lawn? . Amanda Carpenter joins Tim Miller. show notes Amanda on the shakedown of elite institutions Protect Democracy's 'Democracy Atlas' JVL on making good trouble "Bulwark Take" with Jason Furman on E.J. Antoni Go to Superpower.com to learn more and lock in the special $199 price while it lasts. Live up to your 100-Year potential. #superpowerpod Life insurance is never cheaper than it is today. Get the right life insurance for YOU, for LESS, and save more than fifty percent at selectquote.com/bulwark

In this episode of Badlands Daily, CannCon and Zak "RedPill78" Paine analyze the crumbling media narratives surrounding Biden, Trump, and the ongoing fallout from legacy scandals. They open with reactions to CBS's awkward attempt to resurface the “Trump nuclear secrets” story and break down how mainstream outlets are being used to run interference as deeper truths emerge. The hosts dig into revelations about Clinton's unexamined thumb drives and the FBI's flimsy claims of executive privilege, as well as renewed calls for accountability in light of the Durham appendix declassification. They also highlight Trump's sharp Truth Social post calling out the two-tiered justice system and weigh in on White House visual inconsistencies, including odd footage of the Rose Garden and South Lawn. With sharp commentary on narrative control, selective media timing, and the collapse of public trust, CannCon and Zak expose the desperation of a regime running out of cover.

After pressing pause on the steepest tariffs, the Trump Administration promised 90 tariff deals in 90 days. That deadline is nearly here but the deals are not. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Jolie Myers, fact checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Andrea Kristinsdottir and Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Noel King. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast. Photo of President Donald Trump on the South Lawn by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

【欢迎订阅】 每天早上5:30，准时更新。 【阅读原文】 标题：Online and IRL, POTUS Offers a Window Into His Psyche Other countries used to need spies to discern the thinking of American presidents. Now they just need a Truth Social account. 正文：Over the course of three hours on Tuesday, POTUS scolded Israel and Iran with expletive-laced comments on the South Lawn of the White House. He told reporters he had just chastised the prime minister of Israel, and he shared a screenshot of a private text from the NATO secretary general on social media. 知识点：over the course of prep. phrase during a particular period of time. 在...期间 e.g. Over the course of a year, the small startup grew into a successful company. 在一年时间里，这家小初创公司发展成了一家成功的企业。 获取外刊的完整原文以及精讲笔记，请关注微信公众号「早安英文」，回复“外刊”即可。更多有意思的英语干货等着你！ 【节目介绍】 《早安英文-每日外刊精读》，带你精读最新外刊，了解国际最热事件：分析语法结构，拆解长难句，最接地气的翻译，还有重点词汇讲解。 所有选题均来自于《经济学人》《纽约时报》《华尔街日报》《华盛顿邮报》《大西洋月刊》《科学杂志》《国家地理》等国际一线外刊。 【适合谁听】 1、关注时事热点新闻，想要学习最新最潮流英文表达的英文学习者 2、任何想通过地道英文提高听、说、读、写能力的英文学习者 3、想快速掌握表达，有出国学习和旅游计划的英语爱好者 4、参加各类英语考试的应试者（如大学英语四六级、托福雅思、考研等） 【你将获得】 1、超过1000篇外刊精读课程，拓展丰富语言表达和文化背景 2、逐词、逐句精确讲解，系统掌握英语词汇、听力、阅读和语法 3、每期内附学习笔记，包含全文注释、长难句解析、疑难语法点等，帮助扫除阅读障碍。

Will the US get directly involved in Israel's military campaign against Iran? We hear from former CIA director and US commander in Afghanistan and Iraq, General David Petraeus. Also: low attendance and low morale at FIFA's Club World Cup; and mounds of clothing turn up in protected conservation sites in Ghana,(Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump salutes as a U.S. flag is raised on a new flagpole installed on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)

GDP Script/ Top Stories for May 10th Publish Date: May 10th PRE-ROLL: From the BG AD Group Studio Welcome to the Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast. Today is Saturday, May 10th and Happy Birthday to Pat Summerall I’m Peyton Spurlock and here are your top stories presented by Gwinnett KIA Mall of Georgia. Seckinger High football team putting servant leadership 'into action' Lawrenceville's Heritage Trail Medallion Commission Accepting 2025 Nominations Disney On Ice Returns To Gwinnett's Gas South Arena This Fall All of this and more is coming up on the Gwinnett Daily Post podcast, and if you are looking for community news, we encourage you to listen daily and subscribe! Break 1: 07.14.22 KIA MOG STORY 1: Seckinger High football team putting servant leadership 'into action' In just three seasons, Seckinger High School football coach Tony Lotti has built a program focused on both athletic success and character development. While the Jaguars narrowly missed the playoffs with a 6-4 record in a tough region, Lotti emphasizes teaching servant leadership and life skills through initiatives like the Pacesetter Leadership program, which fosters loyalty, trust, and positivity. The team also engages in community efforts, such as the Enhanced Grandparents program, connecting players with senior residents, and partnering with Meals to Missions, where they recently prepared over 10,000 meals for families in need. STORY 2: Lawrenceville's Heritage Trail Medallion Commission Accepting 2025 Nominations The City of Lawrenceville’s Heritage Trail Medallion Commission is accepting nominations for 2025 honorees until June 30. The medallions honor individuals who have significantly contributed to the city’s 204-year history. The trail spans from the Fallen Heroes Memorial to Rhodes Jordan Park, showcasing the legacies of past honorees. A maximum of two honorees will be selected annually, with final approvals in the fall and medallions installed in spring 2026. Mayor David Still praised the program for preserving the city’s history. Nomination details and trail information are available on the city’s website. STORY 3: Disney On Ice Returns To Gwinnett's Gas South Arena This Fall Disney On Ice debuts its latest show this September at Gas South Arena in Duluth, featuring over 50 iconic characters, including new stars from *Moana 2* and *Inside Out 2*. Audiences will enjoy world-class skating, aerial stunts, and beloved Disney songs like *Let It Go* and *We Don’t Talk About Bruno*. Highlights include Mickey and friends navigating Disney worlds via the Magic MousePad, a princess parade, and interactive moments like dancing with *Toy Story* characters. Performances run from Sept. 25-28, with tickets available on Ticketmaster or at the arena box office. We have opportunities for sponsors to get great engagement on these shows. Call 770.874.3200 for more info. We’ll be right back Break 2: STORY 4: FIRST LOOK: Rreal Tacos Set To Open Soon In Lawrenceville Rreal Tacos is set to open its new Lawrenceville location on May 19 at 30 S. Clayton St. The 4,800-square-foot restaurant will feature a lively atmosphere with a large indoor-outdoor patio, two bars, and seating for 200 guests. Located in the South Lawn development near Lawrenceville Square, the space was formerly Uncle Jack's Tavern, allowing for a quicker opening. Known for authentic Mexican street food, this will be Rreal Tacos' ninth metro Atlanta location. A private Friends and Family event will help staff prepare ahead of the grand opening. STORY 5: Tiller Family Establishes Football Scholarship In Memory of Ricky Aspinwall Former Gwinnett County coach Derek Tiller and his wife, Sarah, have established a football scholarship at Wofford College in memory of Ricky “Coach A” Aspinwall, a friend and fellow coach tragically killed in a 2023 shooting. The Derek and Sarah Tiller Family Endowed Football Scholarship will support Georgia high school offensive linemen, reflecting Tiller’s own football roots and honoring Aspinwall’s legacy. Tiller, a Wofford alum, aims to turn tragedy into a positive by giving future athletes life-changing opportunities while celebrating Coach A’s impact. Donations are being sought to fully fund the scholarship. Break 3: STORY 6: Georgia Gwinnett College to celebrate 20th anniversary with spring commencement this weekend Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) is celebrating its 20th anniversary and hosting two commencement ceremonies this weekend, with over 850 students graduating. Highlights include inspiring student speakers: Sumayyah Yoonas, a mother of three who overcame challenges to pursue teaching, and Nolberto Sanchez, who balanced family responsibilities and education to earn a biochemistry degree and plans to become a cardiac surgeon. Lawrenceville Mayor David Still will deliver the keynote address at both ceremonies. GGC, established in 2005, marks this milestone alongside its graduates' achievements. STORY 7: Miss Gwinnett County to Compete in 80th Anniversary Miss Georgia Competition Kennesaw State University student and Miss Gwinnett County 2025, Carys Feldman, will compete for the Miss Georgia title in June at the River Center for the Performing Arts in Columbus. A dance major and mental health advocate, Feldman promotes NAMI’s “Pledge to be Stigma Free.” She’ll face a private interview, model athletic wear, answer on-stage questions, and perform a ballet en pointe to *Don Quixote*. The winner will advance to the Miss America competition in September. We’ll have closing comments after this Break 4: Ingles Markets 5 Signoff – Thanks again for hanging out with us on today’s Gwinnett Daily Post Podcast. If you enjoy these shows, we encourage you to check out our other offerings, like the Cherokee Tribune Ledger podcast, the Marietta Daily Journal, or the Community Podcast for Rockdale Newton and Morgan Counties. Read more about all our stories and get other great content at www.gwinnettdailypost.com Did you know over 50% of Americans listen to podcasts weekly? Giving you important news about our community and telling great stories are what we do. Make sure you join us for our next episode and be sure to share this podcast on social media with your friends and family. Add us to your Alexa Flash Briefing or your Google Home Briefing and be sure to like, follow, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Produced by the BG Podcast Network Show Sponsors: www.ingles-markets.com www.kiamallofga.com #NewsPodcast #CurrentEvents #TopHeadlines #BreakingNews #PodcastDiscussion #PodcastNews #InDepthAnalysis #NewsAnalysis #PodcastTrending #WorldNews #LocalNews #GlobalNews #PodcastInsights #NewsBrief #PodcastUpdate #NewsRoundup #WeeklyNews #DailyNews #PodcastInterviews #HotTopics #PodcastOpinions #InvestigativeJournalism #BehindTheHeadlines #PodcastMedia #NewsStories #PodcastReports #JournalismMatters #PodcastPerspectives #NewsCommentary #PodcastListeners #NewsPodcastCommunity #NewsSource #PodcastCuration #WorldAffairs #PodcastUpdates #AudioNews #PodcastJournalism #EmergingStories #NewsFlash #PodcastConversations See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Steve Gruber discusses news and headlines 

Here are the three big things to know this hour—   Number One— One Democrat state has seen its homeless population nearly double in 5 years—more failing policies mean we are not getting the job done—   Number Two— In yet another sad turn of events—the Supreme Court has sided with illegal aliens and has blocked President Trump from doing his Constitutional Duty—Barrett and Kavanaugh are both long term problems—   Number Three— The White House hosting the annual egg roll today on the South Lawn – after an Easter weekend spent focused on the Christian faith – 

As markets take a tumble again, President Trump comes to the aid of his biggest donor with a White House-approved Tesla sales pitch. Plus, more on the proposed 30-day ceasefire to end the war in Ukraine. Ukraine's President Zelensky has agreed to it, and now the ball is in Russia's court. Anderson talks to CNN's Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward in Ukraine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Howie Kurtz on Ukraine accepting U.S. ceasefire plan, Trump selecting a Tesla to buy on the South Lawn and DOJ official saying she was fired after opposing restoring Mel Gibson's gun rights. Follow Howie on Twitter: @HowardKurtz For more #MediaBuzz click here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody.  I am glad to see that all of you braved the weather to be here.  A little while ago I had a meeting with the Democratic and Republican congressional leaders, and it went very well.  In fact, I understand that McConnell and Reid are out doing snow angels on the South Lawn together.  (Laughter.)  Can you picture that, Chuck?  Not really?The meeting did go well, and I appreciate them making the trek.  We had a good and frank conversation and it's one that I hope we can continue on a more regular basis.We all understand that there are legitimate and genuine differences between the parties, but despite the political posturing that often paralyzes this town, there are many issues upon which we can and should agree.  That's what the American people are demanding of us.  I think they're tired of every day being Election Day in Washington.  And at this critical time in our country, the people sent us here expect a seriousness of purpose that transcends petty politics.That's why I'm going to continue to seek the best ideas from either party as we work to tackle the pressing challenges ahead.  I am confident, for example, that when one in 10 of our fellow citizens can't work, we should be able to come together and help business create more jobs.  We ought to be able to agree on providing small businesses with additional tax credits and much needed lines of credit.  We ought to agree on investments in crumbling roads and bridges, and we should agree on tax breaks for making homes more energy-efficient -- all of which will put more Americans to work.  Many of the job proposals that I've laid out have passed the House and are soon going to be debated in the Senate.  We spent a lot of time in this meeting discussing a jobs package and how we could move forward on that.  And if there are additional ideas, I will consider them as well.  What I won't consider is doing nothing in the face of a lot of hardship across the country. We also talked about restoring fiscal responsibility.  There are few matters on which there is as much vigorous bipartisan agreement, at least in public, but unfortunately there's also a lot of partisan wrangling behind closed doors.  This is what we know for sure:  For us to solve this extraordinary problem that is so many years in the making, it's going to take the cooperation of both parties.  It's not going to happen in any other way.I'm pleased that Congress supported my request to restore the pay-as-you-go rule, which was instrumental in turning deficits into surpluses during the 1990s.  I've also called for a bipartisan fiscal commission.  Unfortunately this measure, which originally had received the support of a bipartisan majority of the Senate and was cosponsored by Senators Conrad and Gregg, Democrats and Republicans, was blocked there.  So I'm going to be creating this commission by executive order.  And during our meeting I asked the leadership of both parties to join in this serious effort to address our long-term deficits, because when the politics is put aside, the reality of our fiscal challenge is not subject to interpretation.  Math is not partisan.  There ought to be a debate about how to close our deficits.  What we can't accept is business as usual, and we can't afford grandstanding at the expense of actually getting something done.During our meeting we also touched briefly on how we can move forward on health reform.  I've already announced that in two weeks I'll be holding a meeting with people from both parties, and as I told the congressional leadership, I'm looking forward to a constructive debate with plans that need to be measured against this test.  Does it bring down costs for all Americans as well as for the federal government, which spends a huge amount on health care?  Does it provide adequate protection against abuses by the insurance industry?  Does it make coverage affordable and available to the tens of millions of working Americans who don't have it right now?  And does it help us get on a path of fiscal sustainability?We also talked about why this is so urgent.  Just this week, there was a report that Anthem Blue Cross, which is the largest insurer in the largest state, California, is planning on raising premiums for many individual policyholders by as much as 39 percent.  If we don't act, this is just a preview of coming attractions.  Premiums will continue to rise for folks with insurance; millions more will lose their coverage altogether; our deficits will continue to grow larger.  And we have an obligation -- both parties -- to tackle this issue in a serious way. Now, bipartisanship depends on a willingness among both Democrats and Republicans to put aside matters of party for the good of the country.  I won't hesitate to embrace a good idea from my friends in the minority party, but I also won't hesitate to condemn what I consider to be obstinacy that's rooted not in substantive disagreements but in political expedience.  We talked about this as well, particularly when it comes to the confirmation process.  I respect the Senate's role to advise and consent, but for months, qualified, non- controversial nominees for critical positions in government, often positions related to our national security, have been held up despite having overwhelming support.  My nominee for one important job, the head of General Services Administration, which helps run the government, was denied a vote for nine months.  When she finally got a vote on her nomination, she was confirmed 96 to nothing.  That's not advise and consent; that's delay and obstruct.One senator, as you all are aware, had put a hold on every single nominee that we had put forward due to a dispute over a couple of earmarks in his state.  In our meeting, I asked the congressional leadership to put a stop to these holds in which nominees for critical jobs are denied a vote for months.  Surely we can set aside partisanship and do what's traditionally been done to confirm these nominations.  If the Senate does not act -- and I made this very clear -- if the Senate does not act to confirm these nominees, I will consider making several recess appointments during the upcoming recess, because we can't afford to allow politics to stand in the way of a well-functioning government.My hope is that this will be the first of a series of meetings that I have with leadership of both parties in Congress.  We've got to get past the tired debates that have plagued our politics and left behind nothing but soaring debt and mounting challenges, greater hardships among the American people, and extraordinary frustrations among the American people.  Those frustrations are what led me to run for President, and as long as I'm here in Washington, I intend to try to make this government work on their behalf.So, you know, I'm going to take a couple of questions, guys.Major.Q    After meeting with you, John Boehner came out and told us, "The House can't pass the health care bill it once passed; the Senate can't pass the health care bill it once passed.  Why would we have a conversation about legislation that can't pass?"  As a part of that, he said you and your White House and congressional Democrats should start over entirely from scratch on health care reform.  How do you respond?  Are you willing to do that?THE PRESIDENT:  Well, here's how I responded to John in the meeting, and I've said this publicly before.  There are some core goals that have to be met.  We've got to control costs, both for families and businesses, but also for our government.  Everybody out there who talks about deficits has to acknowledge that the single biggest driver of our deficits is health care spending.  We cannot deal with our deficits and debt long term unless we get a handle on that.  So that has to be part of a package.Number two, we've got to deal with insurance abuses that affect millions of Americans who've got health insurance.  And number three, we've got to make health insurance more available to folks in the individual market, as I just mentioned, in California, who are suddenly seeing their premiums go up 39 percent.  That applies to the majority of small businesses, as well as sole proprietors.  They are struggling.So I've got these goals.  Now, we have a package, as we work through the differences between the House and the Senate, and we'll put it up on a Web site for all to see over a long period of time, that meets those criteria, meets those goals.  But when I was in Baltimore talking to the House Republicans, they indicated, we can accomplish some of these goals at no cost.  And I said, great, let me see it.  And I have no interest in doing something that's more expensive and harder to accomplish if somebody else has an easier way to do it. So I'm going to be starting from scratch in the sense that I will be open to any ideas that help promote these goals.  What I will not do, what I don't think makes sense and I don't think the American people want to see, would be another year of partisan wrangling around these issues; another six months or eight months or nine months worth of hearings in every single committee in the House and the Senate in which there's a lot of posturing.  Let's get the relevant parties together; let's put the best ideas on the table.  My hope is that we can find enough overlap that we can say this is the right way to move forward, even if I don't get every single thing that I want.But here's the point that I made to John Boehner and Mitch McConnell:  Bipartisanship can't be that I agree to all the things that they believe in or want, and they agree to none of the things I believe in and want, and that's the price of bipartisanship, right?  But that's sometimes the way it gets presented.  Mitch McConnell said something very nice in the meeting about how he supports our goals on nuclear energy and clean coal technology and more drilling to increase oil production.  Well, of course he lik

President Biden took to the South Lawn of the White House Monday using his lame duck status to spare a flock of fowl from the chopping block this holiday season. Deema Zein reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Today, President Joe Biden will pardon the National Thanksgiving turkey in a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, marking the 77th anniversary of this beloved tradition. This year's lucky birds, Peach and Blossom, were introduced over the weekend by the National Turkey Federation. Raised on a Minnesota farm, the two birds spent the night at Washington's historic Willard Hotel before their big day. The president is expected to highlight the spirit of Thanksgiving, celebrate the contributions of American farmers, and wish families across the country a safe and joyous holiday. After the ceremony, Peach and Blossom will retire to Farmamerica in Minnesota. The tradition of sparing a turkey dates back to President Harry Truman in 1947. But it wasn't until 1989 that President George H. W. Bush officially formalized a presidential pardon. Over the decades, the event has become a lighthearted reflection of gratitude, family, and the nation's agricultural heritage. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Playing the Funding Game https://www.audacy.com/989word The Tara Show Follow us on Social Media Join our Live Stream Weekdays - 6am to 10am Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/989word Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-2031096 X: https://twitter.com/989word Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/989word/ "Red Meat, Greenville." 09/18/24 WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 13: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks during a brunch held to celebrate Black Excellence on the South Lawn of the White House on September 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. President Biden hosted the brunch during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's annual Legislative Conference week to recognize achievements in the Black community. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

Biden is Handing us Overhttps://www.audacy.com/989wordThe Tara Show Follow us on Social MediaJoin our Live StreamWeekdays - 6am to 10am Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/989wordRumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-2031096X: https://twitter.com/989wordInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/989word/ "Red Meat, Greenville." 09/03/24  WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 2: U.S. President Joe Biden walks across the South Lawn while returning to the White House from Delaware on September 2, 2024 in Washington, DC. President Biden will depart for a campaign event in Pittsburgh Monday afternoon. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Comedian Jim Elliot joins Kieran Cuddihy fresh off the boat from the United States. They discuss how there seems to be a weird intersection happening between the worlds of rap and politics, especially at the Democratic National Convention.

Never has a presidential race been so dramatic and full of twists and turns then the one in the US.Comedian Jim Elliot is on the ground stateside in Tennessee putting a finger on the pulse that is American politics. He joins Kieran Cuddihy to discuss how former President Donald Trump possibly embarrassed himself on a livestream with Elon Musk on X / Twitter…Image: Margo Martin

Never has a presidential race been so dramatic and full of twists and turns then the one in the US.Comedian Jim Elliot is on the ground stateside in Utah and has been talking to locals, and mentioning those lesser-talked about stories: he joins Kieran Cuddihy to discuss how Independent candidate RFK Jr admitted to dumping a dead bear cub in Central Park…

Communications expert Tucker Eskew has been a participant in some of the most seminal moments in American political history over the course of the past 30+ years...a protege of the famed Republican strategist Lee Atwater, senior aide to the Bush 2000 win over John McCain in the fractious South Carolina primary, working in the White House the morning of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a stint representing the Bush Administration at 10 Downing Street in London, one of Sarah Palin's lead handlers during her whirlwhind 2008 VP experience...among many other momentous experiences during his decades in and around politics. In this conversation, Tucker talks his path to politics and his time as both observer and player in some of the most important moments in recent American history.IN THIS EPISODETucker's roots as the son of a journalist growing up in the Southeast...The DC internship that set him on a path toward working in politics...A couple of his favorite Strom Thurmond stories...Tucker, in his mid 20s, becomes Press Secretary for South Carolina Governor Caroll Campbell...Tucker remembers lessons learned from his mentor - the famed GOP operative, Lee Atwater...Tucker's role on the ground during the bruising, fractious 2000 South Carolina primary between Bush and McCain...Tucker talks the strategic acumen of Karl Rove...Tucker's role as a Bush spokesman in West Palm Beach during the 2000 post-election chaos...Tucker recounts his amazing story of working in the White House on the morning of the 9/11 terrorist attacks...Tucker works out of 10 Downing Street for months, partnering with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in the aftermath of 9/11...Tucker's stint as one of the senior handlers for Sarah Palin during her tumultuous 2008 VP experience...Why John McCain had a sense of relief after losing the 2008 presidential race...Lessons learned from 19 years as a partner at the corporate comms firm Vianovo...AND Whit Ayres, the BBC, Doug Bailey, James Baker, Dan Bartlett, John Buckley, Blaine Bull, Alistair Campbell, Chad Man, Lon Chaney, Dick Cheney, Bill Clinton, the Coalition Information Center, Candy Crowley, Matthew Dowd, emergency bunkers, Ray Eskew, flashbulb moments, fog of war, Gerald Ford, Michael Gerson, the Greenville News-Piedmont, Albert Hawkins, Karen Hughes, Jesse Jackson, Greg Jenkins, Lafayette Square, Jim Lake, Joe Lieberman, Larry Lindsey, low bono, Mary Matalin, Bob McAllister, Anita McBride, Tim McBride, mimeographs, next man up, the News Literacy Project, Richard Nixon, Bob Novak, pocket doors, the Presidential Campaign Hotline, the Reagan/Bush 1984 war room, red light moments, Condaleeza Rice, the Roosevelt Room, Mark Sanford, South Lawn moments, sucker optimists, James Taylor, UPI, The University of the South, ugly babies, George Wallace, Jim Wilkinson & more!

What do we know about US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is thought most likely to win the Democratic Party nomination after the withdrawal of Joe Biden? What are her strengths - what are her weaknesses - and does she have a path to victory? Also in the programme: the battles between the Mexican state and the drug cartels claim yet another victim - Mexico City's police intelligence chief; and a BBC investigation tracks down one of South Africa's most notorious serial killers – Louis van Schoor – who shot dead dozens of black men and boys in the late eighties, but was controversially released from prison, and now says police colluded in his crimes.(IMAGE: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris looks on during an event with the women and men's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Champion teams in her first public appearance since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race, on the South Lawn of the White House, Washington, U.S., July 22, 2024 / CREDIT: Reuters/Nathan Howard)

We hear from Democrat fundraisers who are divided over whether he should pull out of the campaign for re-election.In the past week, since Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance, a number of donors have publicly warned they will withhold funds unless Mr Biden is replaced as the Democratic party candidate.Pressure on Mr Biden, 81, to step aside has grown, including from Hollywood celebrities George Clooney and Michael Douglas. However he has vowed to stay on, taking on Donald Trump, 78, in the November presidential election.Produced and presented by Ed Butler(Image: President Joe Biden speaks during a 4th of July event on the South Lawn of the White House on July 4, 2024 in Washington, DC. Credit: Getty Images)

Nasser speaks with Dana Alshaer, a Palestinian woman born and raised in the occupied West Bank, an international student studying International Relations, and leading member of Unimelb for Palestine.They discuss the collective activism of students and staff during the month-long encampment at the South Lawn and sit-in at Mahmoud's Hall (University of Melbourne campus) to demand the university's accountability of their complicity in genocide and to call for divestment from weapons manufacturing partnerships attached to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.The University of Melbourne agreed to disclose its ties to weapons companies on Thu 23 May.  National Day of Action at the Ports, Station Pier, Port Melbourne-Boonwurrung Land, Sat 25 May, 12-4pm.Free Palestine Melbourne rally, State Library Victoria, Sundays 12pm.Updated info on upcoming events and actions via APAN and Free Palestine Melbourne.Daily broadcast updates via Let's Talk Palestine. 

On Friday, April 26, the Olympic flame for the 2024 Paris games was officially handed over to a delegation from the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee during a ceremony in Athens Greece. The ceremony took place at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens where the modern Olympics were first opened in 1896. At that time, the Olympic flame was passed to the delegation representing the country that will next host the games. And that is, of course, France. But to reach France from Greece, the torch will cross the Mediterranean on board the Belem, the majestic 3-masted ship owned by the Belem Foundation. It will cross the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans as part of the Oceans Relay to reach six French overseas territories: Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Reunion Island. Once in France, the flame will travel to the Lascaux caves, the Alésia archaeological site, the medieval city of Carcassonne, the Palace of Versailles, and many other sites. It will light up many of France's architectural masterpieces, beginning with the world-renowned site of Mont Saint-Michel. It will also visit places of remembrance, such as the Verdun Memorial and the D-Day Landing Beaches. 40 years ago in 1984, the Olympic torch crossed America to reach the West Coast, Los Angeles, for the official games. One of its first stops was Washington, DC where it stopped at the White House. In this podcast, we'll listen to the President's wonderful remarks delivered on the South Lawn.

Find me and the show on social media @DrWilmerLeon on X (Twitter), Instagram, and YouTube Facebook page is www.facebook.com/Drwilmerleonctd   FULL TRANSCRIPT: Announcer (00:06): Connecting the dots with Dr. Wilmer Leon, where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge. Wilmer Leon (00:15): Welcome to the Connecting the Dots podcast with Dr. Wilmer Leon. I'm Wilmer Leon. Here's the point. We have a tendency to view current events as though they happen in a vacuum, failing to understand the broader historical context in which they occur. During each episode, my guests and I have probing, provocative, and in-depth discussions that connect the dots between these events and their broader historic contexts. This enables you to better understand and analyze the events that are impacting the global village in which we live on today's episode. The issue before us is the broader impact of the student protests in support of Palestine are having not only on their respective universities, but now across the country and across the globe. And for this to discuss this, my guest is a dear family friend, a student of political history. He as such, he's played a role in shaping history as we know it, and he worked with Bobby Seale and Huey Newton and others associated with the formation of the Black Panther Party for self-defense at College Merit College in Oakland, California. Later, he's worked as a political advisor and activist. He worked with a wide variety of black leaders in the Democratic Party throughout the state of California, as well as in Washington dc. He's the author of In Pursuit of America's Promise, memoirs of a Black Panther. He is Virtual Toussaint Murrell. Virtual, welcome to the show. Virtual Murrell (01:57): Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Leon. I'm happy to be here. Happy to be invited by you, my dear friend. Wilmer Leon (02:03): Thank you, sir. Thank you for joining us. What brings us really to this discussion, student protestors at Columbia University, they took over a building near the campus South Lawn, raising the prospect of further turmoil at the Ivy League institution. The university started suspending students who refuse to leave their pro-Palestinian encampment that is on campus grounds. This, while police recently clashed with students at the University of Texas at Austin and arrested dozens of students as they dismantled their encampment to protest Israel's war on Gaza, and these protests at Austin came as Columbia also began suspending students. These are just a few examples of the protests that are taking place at colleges and universities. The country, a top official from Morehouse College, said recently that the school is standing by its decision to have President Joe Biden serve as the 2024 commencement speaker. Despite backlash from students and faculty over biden's support for this war, virtual your thoughts, you and your understanding of student protests. You go back a few years, talk about some of the similarities and differences that you see playing themselves out on our TV and telephone screens today. Virtual Murrell (03:35): Upon reflection, Wilmer, I can say to you that student protest is important. Students are a valuable commodity. They speak with honesty, with a strong sense of morality, and they're bright and they are our future. We look at the students and say, why? Look what they're doing. They're preventing students from going to class. They are projecting antisemitism. I don't see that. I see students less confusing to the American people and the world than the politicians. The politicians, the elected leadership that we have here, they are the ones that seem confused. Little consistency on our policies of foreign policy in the Middle East has given rise to the students to make their moral claim. The similarity between the students today and the student activists and those who protested the war in Vietnam and Southeast Asia are similar in that regard. (05:04) We were protesting the war in Vietnam. That was an undeclared war. We were protesting the rights, the lack of rights for African-Americans in the United States defending democracy abroad in Vietnam for the fear of the red scare as they used to call it. But I'm amazed, I think I'm amazed at how soon we forget those of us who were activists in the sixties and the seventies, how soon we forget when we reach w Heights of academia, the political structure as we engage we to forget the moral voice of reasoning from our students, and they're pure. Are they making mistakes? Yes, of course. What is the mistake? I think the mistake, I'm not sure if it's the students making the mistakes or is this the delivery of the press, the media and how they describe the protest. Today, the media plays a major role in how we view any issue, foreign or domestic. No matter how it's presented, it is the role of the media to present it fair and just representation of the issue. I'm not so sure that's how it's been represented today. And so that's where I am. Wilmer Leon (06:49): Do you see, particularly as it's played itself out at Columbia University, do you see the government's response, and I'll use that term very broadly as an attack on academia, because we're seeing this play itself out on a number of campuses. Teachers, many faculty are siding with students. Those faculty members are being threatened. Even those that are trying to stay above the fray are being attacked. The presidents of these universities are being attacked. Do you see this protest as an excuse by many in administration to attack academia? Virtual Murrell (07:41): Yes, of course. The faculty present their case. They teach us. They give us what we need to know to prepare us for the next world, the next life in terms of after we leave college. But I'm more concerned, I'm less concerned about the academics because academic freedoms will survive and it must survive because without academic freedom, there's no free speech. I'm more concerned that the administration of the various colleges and universities are ill-prepared to respond and deal with student protests. They don't know what to do. I would've thought after the years and years of protest of the past that someone would've done an analysis or study and put together a program, how it could be resolved in a more amicable way. For an example, why didn't someone call Dr. Wilmer? Why didn't someone call you? Why didn't someone call me? Why didn't someone call Bobby Seale? So there are instruments and vehicles that they could use to seek advice, but they talk to each other. Wilmer Leon (09:10): They talk to each other and well, Virtual Murrell (09:13): One more thing. As a result of talking to each other, they reinvent a wheel that is rusty and doomed to fail, Wilmer Leon (09:24): As we have seen it fail in the past. One of the things that, one of the reasons why they haven't called the folks that you mentioned or others, they're not interested in that level or that particular area of analysis. And also what I see here is the Israeli lobby playing such an important, a powerful role in that they won't tolerate any level of dissent in regards to the Zionist genocidal policies that are playing itself out in that settler colonial state. They won't tolerate any level of dissent, which is I believe what we're seeing, which is why so many, for example, look at what transpired at UCLA, the valedictorian and Asian American woman, a Muslim who is pro-Palestinian. She's the valedictorian of her class, 3.98 GPA on a 4.0 scale. First, they don't allow her to deliver her address. Then they decide to cancel graduation, and the excuse that they use is, oh, we received so many threats to her life that for her safety, we're doing this. That's not what happened. What happened is the wealthy benefactors that are in line with the interests of Zionism, they are pulling their money and they're threatening from pulling their funding from the institution. That's why the institution changed and canceled graduation because they're more concerned about the funding than they are concerned about academic freedom. Virtual Murrell (11:23): My question is whether or not academic freedom can be bought, Wilmer Leon (11:29): I think it can be stifled. Virtual Murrell (11:32): And so if it can be stifled, who suffers from it? Wilmer Leon (11:37): We all do. The entire country does. If not the world, Virtual Murrell (11:41): I think it's a cowardly act. Wilmer Leon (11:43): You are correct Virtual Murrell (11:44): For mature adults in academia and in government to blame students and not accept their role as part and parcel of the problem that allow for students to protest this undeclared war that allow us without question unfailingly to support one side or the other for financial reasons. It is a problem, it's a moral issue. And all wars to some degree. There's a moral question. If they would've asked me how to resolve this problem, I could not have fixed it, but I could have recommended a better solution than what I'm observing today. And I don't understand why they don't call the students in on all sides and get them all the benefit of understanding. (12:55) It's not about you. It's not about any particular group. It's about the ability to protest, it's ability to raise the level of debate college if for no other reason should be about to discuss ideas and conflict. That's what I thought it was for as the process of learning, of being educated. I asked a person recently, a young person, nah, about 19 years old, what are you doing? Are you supporting the protests? They said, yes, but I'm not on the streets, but I am supporting it. Do you know how many students may feel that way across this country for fear of retribution? In some respects, others are saying, I don't want to disappoint my parents for paying for my education, so I will quietly protest. (13:58) If you recall, during the Vietnam conflict, it was the students that led us out of Vietnam, Kent State, Jackson State, the deaths on Kent State's campus and on this campus of Jackson State, which is an HBCU school, and no one ever mentions when all of these issues of protesting come down. It's Jackson State and Southern, I mean, I'm sorry, it's not Jackson State, it's Kent State and Southern University. But the two dominant ones of that period in 1970 was Kent State with the National Guard because they protested the invasion, America's invasion into Southeast Asia. You remember seeing visually the students running across the open field, the grass, the hilly grass on campus there with the National Guard chasing them and firing rifles. How can that happen in America, land of the free home of the brave, the Democratic society, an example for the world of how democracy is to work. I rest Wilmer Leon (15:16): Well, a couple of things. One, there's a lot of discussion in the halls of Congress. The speaker of the house was at Columbia and he was talking about Jewish students feeling threatened Jewish students being attacked. And to your point earlier you said you haven't seen it. You haven't seen it because no evidence to support it has been presented. This is, and I'm not saying that there aren't students walking across campus that someone may make a comment to them or something innocuous, but from what I have been able to discern, 85% of that stuff isn't really happening. It's being blown out of proportion. There's no evidence to support this position that Jewish students are being threatened. In fact, when you look at the organizations that are participating in the demonstration, Jewish Voices for Peace, not in our name. When you look at some of the folks that showed up at Columbia University like Naomi Klein, there are a lot of American Jews that are in support of this protest, not against the protest. So those in the media as you referenced, who are in some binary type of thinking, them versus us, it's not nearly that complex. I mean, Virtual Murrell (16:54): I think it's rather odd that the House of Representatives cannot come together to create policy for the American people, yet they can form a bipartisan relationship to deal with indefensible students. Students that don't have the only armor that they have to defend themselves is they were the armor of morality. It exposes this government and the Congress both sides of the aisle for their intractable positions. And in doing so, we stand behind some of us, the courageous efforts of the students to bring together an understanding of what's going on. We were lied to about Vietnam, and students believe they're being lied to about what's going on in Gaza. They believe that some even believe that the Gaza Strip is designed and set up for future development. Ocean front properties. Wilmer Leon (18:22): Well, thank you. Jails, Virtual Murrell (18:24): Commercial Kushner. So the question is who is to control it? Well, I won't get into that. That's not really my feel. I'm suggesting, and I should not have necessarily said that's what I've heard. But most of us speak on rumors. So I thought I would share one. Wilmer Leon (18:40): No, that's not a rumor. Jared Kushner was very, very clear. Donald son-in-law was very, very clear. I heard him say it that this is great beachfront property and we can't wait to develop this. That's not a rumor. Virtual Murrell (18:54): Can't develop it if you can't control it, Wilmer Leon (18:57): Control it. Well, and Virtual Murrell (18:58): Not only that, going all the way back to ancient times, medieval times war is about the expansion of territory. And at the bottom line of the expansion of territory is economic gain. That may never stop. But let's not lie to the American people. Wilmer Leon (19:19): Well, and you raise the question about the irony that they can't find a coalition, a bipartisan coalition to pass a budget. They can't find a bipartisan coalition for voting rights. They can't find a bipartisan commission for hardly anything, but they can come together on this. Well, APAC has come out and said they're spending a hundred million dollars on campaigns for the 2024 election, putting money in the coffers of those that will support their Zionist colony. And there's Zionist interest. So they're spending money on both sides of the aisle. Virtual Murrell (20:02): But let's examine that for a moment. It's been declared by the courts that to deny anyone to write checks, to put 'em where to place 'em where they want to is in violation of First Amendment free speech. However, APAC naacp, they all have the right to do so and they all should do so. The question is, where are the stop gaps? Where is the issue? See, I always often, I should say, reflect on the courage of morality. I go back to if we have the principles of the founders of this society, that alone should embolden in you. If that doesn't embolden you, who will defend America's form of democracy? The most ironic government in the world, right? I say ironic because it is all right. It goes back and forth. It shifts. I don't always know where we are. But rather than confuse your viewers, let me just add something to all of this, and that might help to put it in perspective today in 2014, who is America? (21:30) I'm sorry, in 2024, who is America? Who is America? What does America stands for in 2024? Are there the same government with the same principles? We stood on pre World War ii, post-War, war ii, Korea, who are we? Are we the same government, the same people that went through the civil rights period where we established the civil rights law, the Voting Rights Act? Who are we or are we in constant flux in trying to capture and define who we are as a nation? There's a battle brewing and it's been going on since the foundation or who we are. Alexis Ville questioned who we were. I'm questioning who we are. We all need to question who we are and whoever we are, we need to stand up for it. Whoever you believe and I believe that we are, then you need to stand on that principle of courage. Wilmer Leon (22:44): And I want to add to that, who are we in a changing world? Because where we were in 1940, where we were in 1960, we after post World War ii, we were the unitary imperial hegemon. We ran the world. Now we're moving from a unipolar to a multipolar world. China is ascending. Russia is ascending with the creation of the bricks, which is Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. And now the Saudis want to join bricks of Venezuelans, a whole lot of folks. So the global dynamic is shifting and the United States can no longer tell the world jump and the rest of the world asks how high. So in that shift in the global landscape, who are we? What are we about and what are we going to do? Because China is ascending economically, and our response to the ascension of China seems to be militarism, not economics. So that I think also has to be added to the question that you've posed. Virtual Murrell (24:13): The world in terms of power and economics evolves. And so America, Wilmer Leon (24:25): Every empire fails Virtual Murrell (24:27): America. Wilmer Leon (24:28): Every empire fails Virtual Murrell (24:30): Like Russia, like China, imperialist, Japan, Africa, the Sangha, Maori kingdoms and so on. They all fail. They all fail, but they don't fail externally. They fail internally. Confusion, frustration, egomaniacal leadership, tyrannical leadership, they fail. The course of America is on. Today is a threat. We're not threatened by the external forces. We're threatened by the internal forces of indecisiveness and being on the wrong side of just, or what is just when do we fall on the right side of just the right side of just must be demanded by the population, by the people? Cause we are the people. What does the constant say? Constitu say we the people, not we have the people and we the other half it says we the people. The more we recognize that as we the people, we are the government. That's why the students are extremely important to my framework, to my frame of thinking. I love the challenge that they're presenting to this government. And all the government can say is send in the police, arrest them, arrest the outside agitators. They want to blame everyone but themselves. But the government itself, Wilmer Leon (26:23): President Biden in part of his 2024 messaging, which is incredibly lacking, but that's a whole nother conversation. One of the things that he talks about in reference to Donald Trump is that democracy is under attack. That if you vote for Donald Trump, you're voting for the cheapening, the lessening, the attack on democracy. The first amendment of the Constitution reads as follows, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press or the right of the people to peaceably, to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. Virtual Murrell (27:17): That part is not the Constitution, that part is the moral document of the United States as the Declaration of Independence. The part the last. Right, Wilmer Leon (27:28): Right. Virtual Murrell (27:29): And what does that mean? Wilmer Leon (27:31): Well explain what you mean by that. So people don't think that I'm confusing constitute the First Amendment and the Declaration of Independence. Declar, explain what you Virtual Murrell (27:39): Mean by that. The Declaration of Independence says to the American people that you have the right to redress your grievance. And in the course of human events, let me just paraphrase. When things aren't going right, you have the right to rebel. You have the right to address your government about your issues. You have that right to peacefully assemble. You have that right Wilmer Leon (28:04): And to pick up arms if it gets to that point. Virtual Murrell (28:06): But remember one thing, the Constitution is always quoted, but really, if ever do we hear about the Declaration of Independence, Wilmer Leon (28:16): You're a dot. You're connecting a dot on connecting the dots. Because your point is that part of the First Amendment came out of the Declaration of Independence, correct? You are absolutely right. So as Joe Biden wants to continually refer to January 6th and the uprising on January 6th as a threat to democracy, and we must vote Democrat and vote for Joe Biden because he's going to protect our democracy. He is undermining the democracy by championing, agreeing with and facilitating the attack on these students. Virtual Murrell (29:02): Let's say this, as I said a moment ago, the students aren't the problem. Wilmer Leon (29:08): Correct? Virtual Murrell (29:09): It's the government. It's the government. It's not Joe Biden, it's not Donald Trump. It's all of those who stand in the way of the students to identify the problem. And if it's not resolved because somebody or some bodies want to be the leader of America, that's a different issue. Completely different issue. I saw a note earlier this young lady said it's about Trump invited and it was troubling and it was troubling when the comment was made. To me, if an African-American voter has to decide between Trump and Biden, then that person isn't black. Who the hell can identify who is and who isn't black? That's not black. That's troubling. Joe Biden thinks he can. It's troubling. But lemme say this, let me say this. I don't want to jump on Joe Biden without jumping on Trump. Okay, now let me say this. The value value of the President of the United States is not a free economy per se. It's not small or big business. It is defending the rights of the American people, the Constitution. Well, we are witnessing a political entity who decided, who decided that they were going to stand in the way and block then President Obama's choice for the Supreme Court. (31:14) The Supreme Court runs America, not the United States Congress. The Supreme Court runs America. We are witnessing it today, we're witnessing on abortion. We're witnessing on when they took out the section from the Justice Department to oversee voting rights act. We're witnessing. That's policy. You can call it law, but law is policy and policy is law. And so I will not and cannot forget that the most valuable thing the United States President can ever do is to nominate members of the United States Supreme Court and the federal judiciary as well. It is critical. Poverty is poverty. We're going to get out of it. One thing about African-Americans, we've hung our head high. We do not hang our head low. We've been to the lowest, now we're going to the high. We'll be fine. We'll be fine. We understand that in order to survive in this country and thrive, we must be able to get an education. (32:33) We must be able to fight to address our grievances with the court. And then we must have the right to vote. The right to vote also means you must have the right not to vote, but not to vote. Not because, oh, my person ain't going to win. Not for that reason, because for the ultimate, oh, then so much. Well, so-and-so won by one vote. Yes, that was important, but it's not as critical as understanding that you do have that power and that power needs to be harnessed and organized. Don't you remember Wilmer when in the sixties we didn't, in the South, they didn't have the right to vote. We got the right to vote and they begin to represent black Americans throughout the south. And that just exploded throughout America. Wilmer Leon (33:25): That happened after the Civil War in the south. That's why we had reconstruction. And that's why reconstruction was violently brought to an end. Virtual Murrell (33:35): Well, no reconstruction one was brought to an end. We are in reconstruction two today. Wilmer Leon (33:42): Oh, well yeah, I was talking about post civil War. Virtual Murrell (33:44): Yes, I get it, I get it. But you raised the correct point. And that is white primaries, Plessy versus Ferguson poll. Taxes, taxes, poll, tax. They're all coming back in a more sophisticated stealth form. Gerrymandering voting is one for an example. So we must spend time. I said this to some students recently, I figured out at least for myself, that the issues we deal with in America, African-Americans, our differences, our issues a little bit different from other ethnic groups. First of all, we're not people of color sharing the same experience. We're a black with a unique experience. That unique experience was the experience of inhumanity, of enslavement. No other group can claim that. And I don't want to claim it as a virtue. I'm claiming it as a historical fact. Now we understand what it's like to go through all these changes in the world, but we must stop being on the defensive end of it when something happens, we follow. (35:04) I'll give you a key example. Oh, the small business administration, the courts have ruled against minorities in the eight A program, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Well, okay, fine, they never really supported in the first place, but that isn't the problem. The problem is we react to it and say what we must do. So we're on the defensive, we're always punting. We're never carrying the ball across the goal. It is time. We advance the proposition of not being on the defensive but carrying the ball and moving forward. And rather than relate to that issue on small business, let's raise the banner, raise the bar and score if that makes any sense to you. Wilmer Leon (35:52): Oh, that makes perfect sense to me. I think an apt description of what you've just laid out or articulated is we spend too much time going along to get along and we don't spend enough time championing, articulating and ensuring that our interests are at the forefront and being addressed because there are interests. And we keep being told, not now, not now be patient. Yours will come by and by vote for the Democrats or vote for whoever. They'll take care of it. And we want, in fact, there is an interesting piece to this point. I'm glad you made that point about the point about Joe Biden saying in the 2020 campaign, if you vote for Donald Trump, then you ain't black. There is a piece, fewer black voters plan to vote in 2024. Post Ipsos poll finds 1300 black adults finds that a poll of more than 1300 black adults finds 62% of black Americans say they're absolutely certain to vote. (37:10) That's down from 74% in June of 2020. And then they go on and they quote some individuals that they interviewed. And this one young lady says that she's not going to vote for Biden because of the way the economy is going, how inflation is going. The issue on Palestine, Biden has not delivered on the criminal justice police and voting rights reforms that he campaigned on. And other people mentioned the Middle East conflict, I'll read that again. Biden has not delivered on the criminal justice police and voting rights reforms that he campaigned on. What they're saying is, you came to us for our vote. You promised us policy initiatives and you have failed to deliver on those policy initiatives. Now you come back to us, ask us for your vote again. And more people in the community are saying, we're not falling for the banana. And the tailpipe trick again, Virtual Murrell (38:14): Let me respond to that. The way a Philip Randolph responded to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, president Roosevelt, they were having a discussion about the needs of African Americans and they, Phillip Random. I said, whatcha going do about it? Roosevelt responded and said, Wilmer Leon (38:40): Go, make me do it. Virtual Murrell (38:41): Make me do it. So we have to, the moral of the story is we have to make them do it. Wilmer Leon (38:49): Exactly Virtual Murrell (38:50): Now. And in saying that, I say this, so the front page stories or the talk show hosts are talking about black men not voting and why aren't they voting? You want us to vote, but what do we get for the vote? Oh, you get a Supreme Court justice. Oh, you don't get to tell the banks that control the mortgages that African-Americans are suffering because we don't have home ownership. In Los Angeles in 19 18, 30 6% of the American people owned their own homes. 36% had their own mortgage as far cry from today in 2024. So the question is, you want us with you and I would like to be with you, but make me be with you. Make me be with you. And how do you do that? Well, there's enough on your desk to show you what you haven't done. Now lemme switch over to Trump. Lemme switch over to Trump. This society is prepared to say to us, first of all, lemme say this, you shouldn't need any black votes to beat Trump. Wilmer Leon (40:16): We're only 13% of the population. Virtual Murrell (40:19): No, not for that reason. No, not for that reason, Leon. It's because there are some white people that say that they support Biden that obviously do not. Wilmer Leon (40:29): But that goes to my point. We're only 13%. So if you were able to rally your own, you wouldn't need Virtual Murrell (40:39): Us. But I'm going to a different issue. I Wilmer Leon (40:42): Understand Virtual Murrell (40:42): That I'm, I'm saying that there are, they're Wilmer Leon (40:46): Lying. Virtual Murrell (40:47): There are a great number of people that are being very stealth in their relationship with questioners questionnaires about how they feel about Trump. Because if I don't understand polls being almost even right now, it makes no sense. So you want to lean on African-Americans, but you don't want to lean on the white middle class. But the white middle class gained more than black supporters gained from any administration, Republican or Democrat. What Trump is saying is this, democracy is fine, but I'm going to redefine it. I'm going to redefine it for the people that support me. (41:37) So it's not for the soul of the Democratic party, it's not for the soul of democracy, it's for the soul of your politics. So in the soul and for the soul of your politics, I would encourage and urge the President to demonstrate what African-Americans get for being with. See white folks know what they get for being with Trump. We don't know what we get for being with Biden. For an example, Ginsburg, they want to praise Ginsburg for being this person on the Supreme Court. We know where she was, we know her background. But what we don't say to her is what we don't say. Why didn't she retire from the bench and give Obama a chance to put someone on the bench like Kenji Jackson or others like her? So are we novelists at this game or what am I in my sophomore year of college and I don't understand America, what is going on with us? So I'm raising questions I find by raising questions I may get answers. Wilmer Leon (42:53): You may get answers. Well, to your point, Trump and a lot of people don't pay attention to this language. I'm drawing a blank on the guy that was his key political advisor in 2020. Virtual Murrell (43:13): You talking about Trump or Wilmer Leon (43:14): Trump's Trump's key advice? I'm drawing a blank. Virtual Murrell (43:16): Steve Bannon, Steve Bannon, Wilmer Leon (43:17): Steve Bannon, Steve Bannon talked in terms of deconstructing the administrative state in a lot that has gone over the heads of a lot of people. He said, we are going to deconstruct the administrative state. He's talking about attacking the constitution and folks that has fallen on deaf ears. People seem to forget the fact that that was ever stated. But I want to get back to this piece that's in the Washington Post that we've just been talking about. Again, the title is Fewer Black Voters Plan a Vote in 2024 Post Ipsos Poll finds. Because that story in and of itself speaks about an incredible reality. But there's also another element to how that story is being used, because that story is part of a number of stories that are laying the groundwork to blame African-Americans. If Joe Biden loses, and again, we're here to connect the dots. This story in a vacuum is very telling. And it's true. Joe Biden is losing the African-American base of support. But it's not because we're indifferent. It's not because we're apolitical. It's not because we're disinterested. It's because you haven't given us anything to vote for. And my years in studying political science in virtual, you tell me if I'm right or wrong, people are more inclined to vote for something than they are to vote against something. Virtual Murrell (45:17): The question is whether or not you won an enthusiast. Wilmer Leon (45:20): Oh wait minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. One more point. Because they did the same thing when Hillary Clinton lost. When Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump. They blamed us. Oh, black people in Michigan didn't turn out. Oh, black people in Pennsylvania didn't turn out. They tried and there were a lot of black people in Hillary's campaign that tried to blame the black. It wasn't that we didn't turn out. It was that Hillary Clinton didn't give us any reason Virtual Murrell (45:46): To. Well, I think also you must, when you say that, you also got to add that white women supported Trump. Wilmer Leon (45:54): That's true too. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. That's true too. In fact, because a lot of those suburban white women that had that traditionally were voting Republican, that during the Obama administration voted for Barack Obama, they reverted back to voting Republican. Virtual Murrell (46:20): Well see we went to the apex of politics when Obama was elected president. And so you had a number of Americans, let's say, who would say, how could this have happened? And not only did it happen once, it happened twice, Obama's the only person that receive that won the presidency back to back with 50 plus percent of the vote. If you recall, bill Clinton had less than 48% of the vote the first, the second time. And 43% of the vote the second, the first time. And then we lost reelection with Carter in 1980. And so from 1980, well actually from the election of 80 until Obama's election, no Democrat had ever been elected twice except Obama. Since when? Can you remember the last time a Democrat won was reelected? Wilmer Leon (47:25): No, Kennedy was assassinated and Johnson didn't. Virtual Murrell (47:29): No. With 50% of the vote is what I'm saying. No, because Kennedy was a two term president, but not with 50% of the vote. And all of a sudden Trump said, I see my opening and I'll just create a controversy. He wasn't born in the United States. He's an illegal president. And that carried him because there are enough white people who wanted to believe that. I can't believe it. How did Wilmer Leon (47:58): He become, Virtual Murrell (47:59): He's a Muslim president less than 150 years outside from the Emancipation Proclamation and this guy's president of the United States, look what they could do in another a hundred years. So I look at politics as a method of delivering benefits. If you're in Oakland, California where we have history and then we support a mayor and this person, a candidate, and this person becomes the mayor, and we say, well, I'm bringing my winner's ticket to the winner's window. What do I get? I'm cashing in. But there are people that are able to bring the, they're losing tickets to the winner's table and win. There's something wrong with that calculation. But white privilege has always had its advantage. And that's why it's white privilege. They have the advantage that we don't have and will happen that way until we challenge the precepts. Until we find another parent, Mitchell, another Ron Dells another bill Clay, Charlie Wrangle sto. Until we, Barbara Jordan, until we find this old guard, we're not going to be able to compete. Period. Wilmer Leon (49:28): It's important I think at this stage of the conversation to delineate or differentiate between direct versus indirect beneficiaries. Politics is the debate over the distribution of limited resources, the allocation and distribution of limited Virtual Murrell (49:50): Resources. That is an aspect of politics. Yes. Wilmer Leon (49:53): And so Barack Obama wins his first term. What is the first piece of legislation that he signs? This is debatable. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. That is a payoff to the women that supported him. He gives us the Dream Act. The Obama administration gives us the Dream Act that's a payoff to the Latino community that voted for him. First American president to come out and support same-sex marriage. What does that do? That's a payoff to the alphabet community, the L-G-B-T-Q community for supporting him. That's politics. That's what's supposed to happen. Your constituents who successfully put you in office, get paid back for supporting and putting you in office. What do we get? Oh, well there are black women that those are direct beneficiaries, but Virtual Murrell (51:06): It's never the president's fault because you don't get anything without a demand. Wilmer Leon (51:14): Oh wait minute, minute. Hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on. Because you're right. But those are direct beneficiaries of participating in the process. We're told we're supposed to be happy being indirect beneficiaries because there are black people in the L-G-B-T-Q community, there are black women that are going to benefit from the Lily led better Fair Pay Act. There are black people that are going to vote. I mean, so we are supposed to be happy as indirect beneficiaries when real politics, the real winners are direct beneficiaries. Virtual Murrell (51:55): You cannot fault when we have representations in the name of the Congressional Black caucus. You can't fault white folks that don't represent our interests. Wilmer Leon (52:08): No. Virtual Murrell (52:08): Who don't deliver. Look, in 1968, Nixon was president. The Congressional black caucus went to Nixon and they were able to negotiate benefits for the black community. And that happened on and on and on and on until recently until the last 20 years or so. And why is that? And there's a reason for it because in the old days, I say old days among the initial group of congressional black caucus of members, they grew out of black activism. They grew out of the black community. They were with the OEO program. The executive directors of OEO program like Parent Mitchell was executive director. They all, bill Clay came off the city council and alderman in St. Louis. And he was a part of the labor community or interest there. I mean, the point is they came out of activism that taught them through practice what politics was about and how you get what you want to get, what you need to have. (53:19) And so we have been let down in a sense, not by individual members of the Congressional Black Caucus, but we've been let down by those members as a group who are Democrats first and black second and we are fed or they are fed the thought, well if you're not with us on this, we could lose the majority. If you're not winner us on that, we will not regain the majority. So we are always the numbers that make a difference, but what we get for it, I'm waiting to see it materialize. And so I don't want to blame or put at fault the Democrats nor the Republicans. I want to put at fault those who negotiate for black people. In other words, if you have a labor union and virtual morale is your labor representative and I come back and we want a $10 an hour raise and we only get a $6 an hour raise, somebody's going to say we need another representative. We need a different business agent. Because this is not significantly different from what we had before. So we need now listen, the guy who initiated the legislation on the antisemitism was a black guy out in New York. Wilmer Leon (54:45): Yes, he's Virtual Murrell (54:46): Cause that was his constituency. Wilmer Leon (54:48): Yes sir. Was he Virtual Murrell (54:49): Wrong to do that? No, because politically he was working for his constituency. I get that. Well what about me? Wilmer Leon (54:59): What? Wait a minute, wait a minute. See, because he is wrong. Because you made the point. They're Democrats first and black second. What? I'm drawing a blank on a guy's name from New York, what he Virtual Murrell (55:15): Torre Torres Torres, Wilmer Leon (55:17): What he fails to appreciate is Palestinians are black. Virtual Murrell (55:22): No, he didn't fail. No, no, no. Absolutely not. Yes, yes, yes, yes. No. What he was relating to is how many checks he'd get from the Jewish community. But wait a minute, he didn't. Wilmer Leon (55:35): That's my point. He didn't care. Virtual Murrell (55:37): That's my point. He didn't care about anything else because the Jewish community controls Manhattan. Wilmer Leon (55:44): We're saying the same thing virtually. Okay, alright. We're just coming at it from different sides of the equation. But no, we're saying the same. There's no way in the world that any black man in any position of power or black woman in any position of power should be siding with Zionist. You are supporting genocide. Virtual Murrell (56:08): You're Wilmer Leon (56:09): Supporting genocide. Virtual Murrell (56:10): See, you're going back to an issue, and I'm trying to lay out a distinction. Wilmer Leon (56:18): Richie Torres, Virtual Murrell (56:19): He is a Democrat. He's not black. And he's not black in his politics. He's a Democrat in his politics. So if that's true, and if you can agree with that, then the conclusion is yes, he supports genocide. Wilmer Leon (56:37): That's what I said. Virtual Murrell (56:39): No, I'm saying, but that's the rational conclusion. Wilmer Leon (56:43): Okay. And Hakeem Jeffries is in the boat. Gregory Meeks is in the boat. Kamala Harris is in the, wait a minute, they all support attacking Haiti. They all support the re invasion of Haiti under the global fragility. But I Virtual Murrell (56:59): Have given you a premise. And the premise is that their priority is being a Democrat. Wilmer Leon (57:09): I agree with Virtual Murrell (57:10): You. Okay. Because that is their priority. Then you can't distinguish them from the overall policy that Democrats support. Wilmer Leon (57:19): I agree with you. Wait a minute. And that goes back to a point that you made earlier. That's immoral politics. Virtual Murrell (57:29): Yes it is. How do you come out? Wilmer Leon (57:34): See, I'm listening to you Virtual Murrell (57:35): Support Israel. Good, bad or indifferent, but you can't support Haiti. Thank you. Explain that one to me. Wilmer Leon (57:44): It's inexplicable. You can't explain it. You might as well ask me. And I agree with you a thousand percent. I just want to say it this way to make the point. You might as well ask me to explain how one plus one equals seven because I can't, and I've taken a lot of years of math to get a PhD. I can't tell you why one plus one equals seven. And that's exactly what these fools are doing. It is immoral. Virtual Murrell (58:18): Yes it is. Yes it is. And you and most of the people that I know were raised with a great sense of moral values, period. That's the way we were raised. Wilmer Leon (58:30): Right. You know this, my father used to say to me all the time, son, the one thing about right, it's always right. And the one thing about wrong, it's always wrong, Virtual Murrell (58:45): But the politicians Wilmer Leon (58:46): So do right. Virtual Murrell (58:47): But the politicians will have you to believe that power determines right. The power determines wrong and they often do that. But it has nothing to do with what's morally correct. Wilmer Leon (58:58): That is Amen my brother nothing. Amen. So let me ask you this in just a couple minutes we have left. Is this an opportunity with the black vote trending? And as we sit here now, we're still months away from the election so things can change. But as we sit here now and the black vote is trending away from Biden, and Biden can't win without us because right now, as we sit here today, his approval rating is according to real clear politics, 39.7%. His disapproval rating is 56.4. When you ask the public, is the country heading in the right direction or the wrong direction? 24.3% of those poll believe it is 65.3. I'm sorry, 65.3 believe that it's not. And in battleground states, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Nevada, Trump is, Biden is losing to Trump in some of those states outside the margin of error. So with all of that being laid out, is this the opportunity for us to say to Democrats, we want our peace, we want it now, and you can't win without us Virtual Murrell (01:00:36): Response. My response would be this. Number one, a poll taken in May of 2024 in elections in November is way too early to make final determinations. Wilmer Leon (01:00:46): Well that's why I said Virtual Murrell (01:00:48): Me. Ask me. Wilmer Leon (01:00:49): That's why I prefaced my point. My question with that point, Virtual Murrell (01:00:53): Ask me in September. Wilmer Leon (01:00:56): No, no, no. As we sit here now, Virtual Murrell (01:00:57): Lemme finish what I'm saying. Lemme finish what I'm saying. Alright. I will be more able to read this selection after Labor day of this year. Now in terms of, is this the time for black people to plant their flag? No, it's not the time because we don't have a plan. Wilmer Leon (01:01:17): Understood. Virtual Murrell (01:01:19): It's like Ossie Davis used to say when they put together a congressional black caucus, it's not the man, Wilmer Leon (01:01:25): It's the plan. It's the plan. Virtual Murrell (01:01:27): And so to do anything without a plan, it's almost political suicide. So we do need a plan. And until that happens, when we go to the polls, people will be urged to support the incumbent because the incumbent comes closest to us upon our wishlist than does is opponent. That part I absolutely agree with, concur with the problem is we cannot continue to go on and on and on and accept a sedative and fall asleep for four years. We need a plan and someone is going to come along. The modern day, black Moses is going to put together and put together a plan for black America to advance and further than we have. We haven't made any advancement in the last, you can say that the election of Obama was an advancement. You can say that Kamala Harris' Vice President is an advance. Yes. You can say that. (01:02:33) Those are individual advancements. And when they leave, will there be another one? One day? Yeah, maybe one day. What we haven't done is to institutionalize our concerns and put together a short term agenda to make those dreams come real, become true. And you can't do it by having a list of 20 items. Just give me two or three items that we want to work on and let's make that happen. And when we make that happen, then I think we're moving closer to having what I think we need to have to make a difference. And that's leverage. Without leverage, we have no power. We have no influence without the lever. And understanding that leverage. Wilmer Leon (01:03:19): And to your point as we get out, to your point about Kamala, and to your point about Barack Obama, those are achievements to your point for the individuals, the question to the audience is how has your quality of life improved? How has your circumstance improved with an African-American president with an African-American Vice President, as the rate of homelessness increases in this country as unemployment increases contrary to the data that they want to use increases in this country. Virtual Murrell (01:03:59): I know you have to cut off, but let me ask you this. After Jackie Robinson, there was Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, Larry Doy, so from Roberto Clementine and so forth and so on, after Obama, there's who? Wilmer Leon (01:04:12): And when you lay out Jackie, who, wait a minute, wait a minute. And with the point of Jackie Robinson, when you talk about Hank Aaron, and when you talk about Dolby and the rest of them, they decimated the Negro Leagues in order to get those Virtual Murrell (01:04:29): Individuals. But you're missing what I Wilmer Leon (01:04:31): Just, no, I'm not missing your point. Virtual. They adding another point. Virtual Murrell (01:04:35): I know, but the only reason I'm short circling the conversation cause I know you got to get off. Wilmer Leon (01:04:40): But no, there's nobody, to your point. Virtual Murrell (01:04:43): Yeah, that's right. There's nobody, there's, but after Jackie, we had some bodies, Wilmer Leon (01:04:50): Right? We had a whole bunch of bodies Virtual Murrell (01:04:52): Until they figured out there's too many black folks in the major leagues. Wilmer Leon (01:04:56): That's a conversation for another day. Yes, it's that's something that's near and dear to my heart. Virtual Murrell (01:05:01): Might as well, Wilmer Leon (01:05:02): Very dear to my, and a big shout out to the Metropolitan Junior Baseball League in Richmond, Virginia and the Negro Little League World Series. Virtual Murrell (01:05:10): I'm going to give a shout out to McClymonds High School that sent to America, bill Russell, Frank Veder, PE Peon, and Kurt Flood and so on Wilmer Leon (01:05:19): In Pursuit of America's Promise, memoirs of a Black Panther. Virtual Morre is the author, he's been my guest. Virtual. Where do people go to get the book, Virtual Murrell (01:05:29): Virtual morale@yahoo.com? Just go online and send it to Virtual morell@yahoo.com and you'll get your autograph signed. Copy of the book, Wilmer Leon (01:05:41): My brother. Thank you Virtual. Really appreciate it. Thank you so Virtual Murrell (01:05:44): Much. And thank you for all that you do to inform your listeners, your viewers of what's going on in America. Wilmer Leon (01:05:51): Well, as a brother from Sacramento, California that spent an awful lot of his formative years in Oakland, I stand on the shoulders of brothers like you. So thank you Virtual. I truly, truly appreciate it. Folks, thank you so much for listening to the Connecting the Dots podcast with me, Dr. Wier Leon. Stay tuned for new episodes every week. This is where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge because talk without analysis is just chatter and we don't chatter on connecting the dots. See you again next time. Until then, I'm Dr. Wimer Leon. Have a great one. Peace and blessings. I'm out Announcer (01:06:36): Connecting the dots with Dr. Wilmer Leon, where the analysis of politics, culture, and history converge.

On this day in 1878, the White House hosted its first official Easter Egg Roll. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Japan's prime minister is in Washington on his first official visit to the White House. An official welcoming ceremony is set for the South Lawn on April 10. Arizona's Supreme Court has upheld a 160-year-old law barring all abortions except to save a woman's life. NTD has more on the law—and on reactions from top officials. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has decided to delay sending articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. NTD's Luis Martinez reports from Capitol Hill as Congress reconvenes. ⭕️ Watch in-depth videos based on Truth & Tradition at Epoch TV

House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing pressure from the White House, the Senate, and House Republicans to schedule a vote on aid to Ukraine. Our Washington correspondent Luis Martinez breaks down the speaker's plan. Amid growing backlash, President Joe Biden is defending himself after proclaiming a transgender holiday on Easter Sunday. How is he responding as former President Donald Trump plans to target key swing states? At the White House Monday, President Biden welcomed visitors to the South Lawn for the 144th annual Easter Egg Roll. Officials say this year's event was the largest in history. Baltimore authorities are working to open a temporary channel to allow “commercially essential vessels” to enter the port, as crews work around the clock amid a clean-up and salvage operation. The United States is stepping up measures to counter North Korean cyberattacks. Top officials are meeting to counter these attacks, which ultimately fund North Korea's nuclear program. ⭕️ Watch in-depth videos based on Truth & Tradition at Epoch TV

The White House is bustling with excitement for the 144th annual Easter Egg Roll. Expected are about 40,000 guests to partake in an event rich with history dating back to the 1870s. The event has survived wars and pandemics and invites children to partake in the joyous activities of egg rolling on the South Lawn. This year, the festivities are themed "EGG-ucation," focusing on turning the event into a vibrant educational experience that underscores the significance of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) subjects. Efforts to set the stage for an enlightening and entertaining day have been immense, with staff and volunteers preparing the South Lawn and Eclipse to mimic a lively school community. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will grace the event and highlight the importance of supporting this tradition. The event features 64,000 eggs supplied by North Carolina-based Braswell Family Farms and Sauder's Eggs in Pennsylvania. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AP Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports the White House is set to continue an annual tradition next week, welcoming kids to the South Lawn.

Live from the pounding heart of the greatest nation ever conceived—I'm Steve Gruber—fighting for you from the Foxhole of Freedom—and pushing back on the blizzard of lies from the left, the right and the uniparty—it is time for the fearless pursuit of the truth and nothing but the truth—so help me God! This is the Steve Gruber Show—   And here are 3 Big Things you need to know—to start this hour—   Number One— It seems the radical leftists that churn ice cream in Vermont have been living in a cave—As Ben and Jerry's attacks America on the 4th of July—who do they think they are? Bud Light?   Number Two— FBI Director Christopher Wray will soon be deflecting lots of questions and avoiding direct answers—as he has been called to testify in front of the House Judiciary Committee next week—I wonder if he will lie this time—   Number Three— There are a pair of big stories today—that have everyone talking—and we should dig into both today too—   One is the discovery of cocaine in The West Wing—and the second is the scorching opinion handed down by a Federal Judge that declared the collusion between the Biden team before and after the election, along with the DNC censoring the content of social media sites—to further their agendas—while silencing conservatives every step of the way— the judge called it the biggest assault on free speech in the history of the country—and we are going to explore that—well, we will try—BUT of course the White House isn't saying anything—per usual—and directing anyone with questions to go elsewhere—   I will get back to that—   But first, think about the past couple of weeks at the White House—a transgender activist—pulls up his shirt to show off his breast augmentation to the world from the South Lawn—yeah it was a real boob move—   Then the White House violated all etiquette involving the American flag—and flew the Lgbt-qrstuv++ flag in the middle of two American flags—hanging from the White House itself—   We've also learned about the FBI and DOJ slow walking investigations into the First Junkie, Hunter Biden—allowing him to skate on a pile of felony charges that anyone else would have faced—if they'd failed to pay millions of dollars in taxes—while setting up elaborate schemes to hide the move—   And then comes the discovery of cocaine—cocaine in the West Wing—and as soon as it happened—the Hunter Biden jokes were flying—and the left wing politicians and media flew into battle mode—circling the wagons and attacking Republicans—who as far as I can tell—did not drop off blow in the White House—   Yes, it has been a blizzard of bad news and worse optics for old Joe—BUT like I said, I never thought it was Hunters and found it much more likely that the Coke belonged to Old Joe—You know there is nothing like a big fat line and a cup of coffee to blast off into your day!   But its far more likely—that we will never know who delivered a mid-summer snow storm to the West Wing—and God knows the Democrats and the Biden Administration will never confess to any wrongdoing—this is not a two tiered system of justice—this may qualify for 3 or 4 tiers of justice—I mean if you can afford to lose your fix near the Oval—you can probably afford to avoid detection—if you know what I mean   However, as we joke about Hunter and Daddy Warbucks lining out lines on a portrait of George Washington on the Resolute desk—there are some very real concerns about the substance clearing security to get dropped inside in the first place—   I mean, honestly—is there one piece of Joe Bidens Administration that is actually competent—   I have been to the Oval Office—I have cleared security and been through the Roosevelt Room—and stood in the waiting area as cabinet members stream by—I cannot imagine what kind of—well balls it would take to do something that bold—or that stupid—and yet in Joe Bidens America—cocaine is on the menu for someone in the West Wing—   And can you even believe—that days into this investigation—The Secret Service cannot figure out how it got there? Seems like a stretch to me—in the most secure building in the world—   That conclusion was confirmed by an independent lab on Wednesday—so it was not a false positive—just another reminder that some of the folks running this place are on drugs—   Beyond the Secret Service—what is the White House doing? Can Karine at least tell us the President is pissed off about this fiasco? Can she say that whoever they find that had the coke will face severe penalties?   Good grief—say something—and stop being such a complete weasel about what should be fairly easy questions—   So what about the other bad headlines for Casey Jones and the team at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?

On "EWTN News Nightly" tonight: It was a weekend of celebration for pro-lifers, one year after the tossing out of Roe V. Wade, but for the pro-abortion White House, President Joe Biden warned in a statement, “States have imposed extreme and dangerous abortion bans…” At the recent White House Pride Month festival, 2 American flags flanked a new so-called Pride flag flying above the South Lawn. The event has prompted a new bill, the One Flag For All Act was introduced by Republican Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas. And a new NBC poll shows that 51% of Republican voters would choose Trump, which is up 5 points from April. Editorial Director at the Daily Caller, Vince Coglianese, joins to share what he makes of this. Meanwhile, Pope Francis spent part of his time with pilgrims on Sunday praying for the family of a young woman who disappeared from the Vatican 40 years ago. EWTN Vatican Bureau Chief, Andreas Thonhauser, joins to remind us more about this case and the young girl's ties to the Vatican. Finally this evening, 'Catechism in a Year' with Father Mike Schmitz averages 200,000 daily downloads and YouTube viewers. Host of the 'Catechism in a Year' and 'Bible in a Year' podcasts, Fr. Mike Schmitz, joins to tell us about the podcast, what some of the highlights have been for him and he also discusses branching out into video. Don't miss out on the latest news and analysis from a Catholic perspective. Get EWTN News Nightly delivered to your email: https://ewtn.com/enn

In Ep. 273 Dave & Eric discuss the new definition of “lesbian”, Ukrainian Joe, a mayor walks out, hot girl problems, the payout from J.P. Morgan Chase, Kemp's endorsement, Southern Baptist women, man boobs on the South Lawn, Tesla loses out to cancer sticks, and the new Georgia GOP chair.

Perhaps the most disgraceful display of perversion at the White House happened on Saturday, June 10, when President Joe Biden welcomed the Pride Celebration to the South Lawn. Biden said to the world, “Happy Pride Month. Happy Pride year. Happy Pride life.” That is the focus of the administration for now and forever. The rest of America be damned.

Perhaps the most disgraceful display of perversion at the White House happened on Saturday, June 10, when President Joe Biden welcomed the Pride Celebration to the South Lawn. Biden said to the world, “Happy Pride Month. Happy Pride year. Happy Pride life.” That is the focus of the administration for now and forever. The rest of America be damned.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, June 14th, 2023. Accountable2You Jesus is Lord. In public and in private, every area of life must be subject to his Lordship—and our use of technology is no exception. What captures our attention on the screen either glorifies or dishonors our Lord. That’s why Accountable2You is committed to promoting biblical accountability in our families and churches. Their monitoring and reporting software makes transparency easy on all of your devices, so you can say with the Psalmist, “I will not set anything worthless before my eyes.” Guard against temptation with Accountable2You, and live for God’s glory! Learn more and try it for free at Accountable2You.com/FLF In other news, Accountable2You is hiring! If you’d like more information, and would be interested in relocating to beautiful Kentucky, to fight against a lust-filled culture, visit accountable2you.com/careers for more information. That’s https://accountable2you.com/careers. https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-indictment-miami-court-e9412bb71b63ab1b7cfb8e8b122e9809 Trump pleads not guilty to federal charges that he illegally kept classified documents at Florida estate Donald Trump became the first president to face a judge on federal charges as he pleaded not guilty in a Miami courtroom Tuesday to dozens of felony counts that he hoarded classified documents and refused government demands to give them back. The history-making arraignment, centering on charges that Trump mishandled government secrets that as commander-in-chief he was entrusted to protect, kickstarts a legal process that will unfold at the height of the 2024 presidential campaign and carry profound consequences not only for his political future but also for his own personal liberty. Trump approached his arraignment with characteristic bravado, posting social media broadsides against the prosecution from inside his motorcade and insisting as he has through years of legal woes that he has done nothing wrong and was being persecuted for political purposes. But he sat scowling inside the courtroom with his arms crossed as a lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf in a brief arraignment that ended without him having to surrender his passport or otherwise restrict his travel. But the gravity of the moment was unmistakable as he answered to 37 felony counts that accuse him of willfully retaining classified records that prosecutors say could have jeopardized national security if exposed, and the trying to hide them from investigators who demanded them back. The case is loaded with political implications for Trump, who currently holds the dominant spot in the early days of the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Beyond that, it carries the prospect of a years-long prison sentence. Even for a defendant whose post-presidential life has been dominated by investigations, the documents probe has stood out for both the apparent volume of evidence amassed by prosecutors and the severity of the allegations. Trump appeared in federal court Tuesday on dozens of felony charges accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents and thwarting the Justice Department’s efforts to get the records back. It’s also a watershed moment for a Justice Department that until last week had never before brought charges against a president. Attorney General Merrick Garland, an appointee of President Joe Biden, sought to insulate the department from political attacks by handing ownership of the case to a special counsel, Jack Smith, who on Friday declared, “We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone.” The arraignment, though largely procedural in nature, is the latest in an unprecedented public reckoning this year for Trump, who faces charges in New York arising from hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign as well as ongoing investigations in Washington and Atlanta into efforts to undo the results of the 2020 race. He’s sought to project confidence in the face of unmistakable legal peril, attacking Smith as “a Trump hater,” pledging to remain in the race and scheduling a speech and fundraiser for Tuesday night at his Bedminster, New Jersey, club. “They’re using this because they can’t win the election fairly and squarely,” Trump said Monday in an interview with Americano Media. https://www.newsweek.com/tucker-carlson-departure-fox-news-ratings-msnbc-1799153 Fox News Ratings Fall Off a Cliff After Tucker Carlson's Departure Fox News' ratings for primetime slots among key demographics of cable television viewers have declined sharply since the departure of Tucker Carlson, with the latest figures showing rival MSNBC overtaking the conservative juggernaut. Cable news ratings show that in the two weeks since the host was fired, figures for Carlson's former spot have dropped by around 50 percent, while the network's audience among 25- to 54-year-olds had shrunk by two thirds. The previously successful news presenter left the network after it settled a defamation case brought against it by Dominion Voting Systems over claims by Trump allies that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, Fox News announced on April 24. In a statement, it said the two parties had "agreed to part ways" and thanked Carlson for "his service to the network." Carlson has said little about his departure as yet. According to a report by news website Axios on Sunday, his team is "preparing for war." His lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told the outlet: "The idea that anyone is going to silence Tucker and prevent him from speaking to his audience is beyond preposterous." According to viewing figures produced by Adweek, a trade publication, for the evening of May 5, Carlson's former 8 p.m. ET slot attracted an audience of 90,000, while at the same time MSNBC's All In with Chris Hayes was seen by 145,000, among viewers aged 25-54. In the other primetime slots at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on May 5, Fox News' offering was outpaced in viewership among the key demographic by MSNBC by 44,000 and 31,000 respectively. By comparison, Carlson's final show on Friday, April 21 attracted more than 2.6 million viewers—270,000 in the 25-54 age bracket—while nearly 1.4 million watched the same slot on MSNBC. His departure was only publicly announced the following Monday. According to Fortune magazine, his 8 p.m. ET slot averaged just over 3 million viewers across 2022, and was the second most popular program on cable TV. Viewers aged 25-54 are seen as an important target market for advertisers, making the age group valuable to a network. Representing a wide range of ages, they are seen by marketers as tending to have higher incomes. Sean Davis, co-founder of The Federalist, a conservative online media outlet, commented on Twitter that Fox News was "suffering a cataclysmic primetime ratings drop following its firing of Tucker Carlson." https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-condemns-trans-activist-going-topless-pride-month-event-inappropriate-disrespectful White House condemns trans activist for going topless at Pride Month event: 'inappropriate and disrespectful' The White House condemned trans activist Rose Montoya for going topless at a President Biden's Pride Month event on Saturday, after video went viral on social media. Montoya and others featured in the video posted by the trans model will not be invited to future events, a White House spokesperson said in a statement. "This behavior is inappropriate and disrespectful for any event at the White House. It is not reflective of the event we hosted to celebrate LGBTQI+ families or the other hundreds of guests who were in attendance. Individuals in the video will not be invited to future events," the statement read. Montoya, a TikTok influencer and biological male who is transgender, originally posted the video from Saturday's event. It shows Montoya and another unnamed transgender activist, a biological female, baring their breasts on the South Lawn with the White House in view behind them Biden is then seen holding the camera in an attempt to take a selfie with Montoya and other attendees, but the camera was set to video mode. The video caused widespread outcry on social media, with many users saying Montoya and the group had disgraced the White House. The White House has not released specific names of those who are barred from future events, but there were at least two individuals who were filmed removing their clothing on the South Lawn. Montoya doubled down on the display of nudity in a follow-up video on TikTok, arguing that going topless is "legal" in Washington, D.C. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/courage-strength-optimism/biden-state-department-wants-76-million-push-dei Biden State Department wants $76 million to push DEI The Biden State Department is asking Congress for $76 million to fund its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the State Department's first chief diversity and inclusion officer, testified before Congress Tuesday morning asking for $76 million to increase her staff, track race and gender demographics in the department, and track employee reports of discrimination, harassment, and bullying. "The Department needs an inclusive workforce with equitable opportunities to ensure our foreign policy is as strong, smart, and creative as it can be," her written testimony states. Abercrombie-Winstanley's office audited State Department employees to gain demographic information on "race, ethnicity, gender, status of disability, grade, rank, and job series skill codes." She said her office plans to release an annual report tracking "trend lines" for department employees. Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability, opened the committee by telling Abercrombie-Winstanley directly, "Ma'am, I believe that your office is mandating division within the State Department." DEI initiatives will also be pushed abroad, as Abercrombie-Winstanley said State Department employees "experience discrimination by foreign customs and immigration officials." Her office encourages reporting the conduct to host nation governments, adding that they have already secured "official apologies and commitments to new training procedures." Taking the DEI case abroad does not stop at harassment from foreign customs officers, as the Biden administration has made a point of flying Black Lives Matter and gay Pride flags at embassies across the globe, including at the Holy See. In her office's 2022-2026 strategic plan is a picture of Abercrombie-Winstanley attending a "Progress Pride" flag raising outside the State Department's Harry S. Truman Building. In a statement to the Washington Examiner, a State Department spokesperson said DEI is a "national security imperative," adding that "diversity is one of our greatest national strengths" that gives the United States a "comparative advantage" over other countries. The State Department recently began tracking its spending but established a "budget code." Abercrombie-Winstanley said 10% of her requested $76 million would go to her office, and the rest would be distributed to the other bureaus in the department for DEI use.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, June 14th, 2023. Accountable2You Jesus is Lord. In public and in private, every area of life must be subject to his Lordship—and our use of technology is no exception. What captures our attention on the screen either glorifies or dishonors our Lord. That’s why Accountable2You is committed to promoting biblical accountability in our families and churches. Their monitoring and reporting software makes transparency easy on all of your devices, so you can say with the Psalmist, “I will not set anything worthless before my eyes.” Guard against temptation with Accountable2You, and live for God’s glory! Learn more and try it for free at Accountable2You.com/FLF In other news, Accountable2You is hiring! If you’d like more information, and would be interested in relocating to beautiful Kentucky, to fight against a lust-filled culture, visit accountable2you.com/careers for more information. That’s https://accountable2you.com/careers. https://apnews.com/article/trump-classified-documents-indictment-miami-court-e9412bb71b63ab1b7cfb8e8b122e9809 Trump pleads not guilty to federal charges that he illegally kept classified documents at Florida estate Donald Trump became the first president to face a judge on federal charges as he pleaded not guilty in a Miami courtroom Tuesday to dozens of felony counts that he hoarded classified documents and refused government demands to give them back. The history-making arraignment, centering on charges that Trump mishandled government secrets that as commander-in-chief he was entrusted to protect, kickstarts a legal process that will unfold at the height of the 2024 presidential campaign and carry profound consequences not only for his political future but also for his own personal liberty. Trump approached his arraignment with characteristic bravado, posting social media broadsides against the prosecution from inside his motorcade and insisting as he has through years of legal woes that he has done nothing wrong and was being persecuted for political purposes. But he sat scowling inside the courtroom with his arms crossed as a lawyer entered a not guilty plea on his behalf in a brief arraignment that ended without him having to surrender his passport or otherwise restrict his travel. But the gravity of the moment was unmistakable as he answered to 37 felony counts that accuse him of willfully retaining classified records that prosecutors say could have jeopardized national security if exposed, and the trying to hide them from investigators who demanded them back. The case is loaded with political implications for Trump, who currently holds the dominant spot in the early days of the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Beyond that, it carries the prospect of a years-long prison sentence. Even for a defendant whose post-presidential life has been dominated by investigations, the documents probe has stood out for both the apparent volume of evidence amassed by prosecutors and the severity of the allegations. Trump appeared in federal court Tuesday on dozens of felony charges accusing him of illegally hoarding classified documents and thwarting the Justice Department’s efforts to get the records back. It’s also a watershed moment for a Justice Department that until last week had never before brought charges against a president. Attorney General Merrick Garland, an appointee of President Joe Biden, sought to insulate the department from political attacks by handing ownership of the case to a special counsel, Jack Smith, who on Friday declared, “We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone.” The arraignment, though largely procedural in nature, is the latest in an unprecedented public reckoning this year for Trump, who faces charges in New York arising from hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign as well as ongoing investigations in Washington and Atlanta into efforts to undo the results of the 2020 race. He’s sought to project confidence in the face of unmistakable legal peril, attacking Smith as “a Trump hater,” pledging to remain in the race and scheduling a speech and fundraiser for Tuesday night at his Bedminster, New Jersey, club. “They’re using this because they can’t win the election fairly and squarely,” Trump said Monday in an interview with Americano Media. https://www.newsweek.com/tucker-carlson-departure-fox-news-ratings-msnbc-1799153 Fox News Ratings Fall Off a Cliff After Tucker Carlson's Departure Fox News' ratings for primetime slots among key demographics of cable television viewers have declined sharply since the departure of Tucker Carlson, with the latest figures showing rival MSNBC overtaking the conservative juggernaut. Cable news ratings show that in the two weeks since the host was fired, figures for Carlson's former spot have dropped by around 50 percent, while the network's audience among 25- to 54-year-olds had shrunk by two thirds. The previously successful news presenter left the network after it settled a defamation case brought against it by Dominion Voting Systems over claims by Trump allies that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, Fox News announced on April 24. In a statement, it said the two parties had "agreed to part ways" and thanked Carlson for "his service to the network." Carlson has said little about his departure as yet. According to a report by news website Axios on Sunday, his team is "preparing for war." His lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told the outlet: "The idea that anyone is going to silence Tucker and prevent him from speaking to his audience is beyond preposterous." According to viewing figures produced by Adweek, a trade publication, for the evening of May 5, Carlson's former 8 p.m. ET slot attracted an audience of 90,000, while at the same time MSNBC's All In with Chris Hayes was seen by 145,000, among viewers aged 25-54. In the other primetime slots at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on May 5, Fox News' offering was outpaced in viewership among the key demographic by MSNBC by 44,000 and 31,000 respectively. By comparison, Carlson's final show on Friday, April 21 attracted more than 2.6 million viewers—270,000 in the 25-54 age bracket—while nearly 1.4 million watched the same slot on MSNBC. His departure was only publicly announced the following Monday. According to Fortune magazine, his 8 p.m. ET slot averaged just over 3 million viewers across 2022, and was the second most popular program on cable TV. Viewers aged 25-54 are seen as an important target market for advertisers, making the age group valuable to a network. Representing a wide range of ages, they are seen by marketers as tending to have higher incomes. Sean Davis, co-founder of The Federalist, a conservative online media outlet, commented on Twitter that Fox News was "suffering a cataclysmic primetime ratings drop following its firing of Tucker Carlson." https://www.foxnews.com/politics/white-house-condemns-trans-activist-going-topless-pride-month-event-inappropriate-disrespectful White House condemns trans activist for going topless at Pride Month event: 'inappropriate and disrespectful' The White House condemned trans activist Rose Montoya for going topless at a President Biden's Pride Month event on Saturday, after video went viral on social media. Montoya and others featured in the video posted by the trans model will not be invited to future events, a White House spokesperson said in a statement. "This behavior is inappropriate and disrespectful for any event at the White House. It is not reflective of the event we hosted to celebrate LGBTQI+ families or the other hundreds of guests who were in attendance. Individuals in the video will not be invited to future events," the statement read. Montoya, a TikTok influencer and biological male who is transgender, originally posted the video from Saturday's event. It shows Montoya and another unnamed transgender activist, a biological female, baring their breasts on the South Lawn with the White House in view behind them Biden is then seen holding the camera in an attempt to take a selfie with Montoya and other attendees, but the camera was set to video mode. The video caused widespread outcry on social media, with many users saying Montoya and the group had disgraced the White House. The White House has not released specific names of those who are barred from future events, but there were at least two individuals who were filmed removing their clothing on the South Lawn. Montoya doubled down on the display of nudity in a follow-up video on TikTok, arguing that going topless is "legal" in Washington, D.C. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/restoring-america/courage-strength-optimism/biden-state-department-wants-76-million-push-dei Biden State Department wants $76 million to push DEI The Biden State Department is asking Congress for $76 million to fund its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley, the State Department's first chief diversity and inclusion officer, testified before Congress Tuesday morning asking for $76 million to increase her staff, track race and gender demographics in the department, and track employee reports of discrimination, harassment, and bullying. "The Department needs an inclusive workforce with equitable opportunities to ensure our foreign policy is as strong, smart, and creative as it can be," her written testimony states. Abercrombie-Winstanley's office audited State Department employees to gain demographic information on "race, ethnicity, gender, status of disability, grade, rank, and job series skill codes." She said her office plans to release an annual report tracking "trend lines" for department employees. Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Accountability, opened the committee by telling Abercrombie-Winstanley directly, "Ma'am, I believe that your office is mandating division within the State Department." DEI initiatives will also be pushed abroad, as Abercrombie-Winstanley said State Department employees "experience discrimination by foreign customs and immigration officials." Her office encourages reporting the conduct to host nation governments, adding that they have already secured "official apologies and commitments to new training procedures." Taking the DEI case abroad does not stop at harassment from foreign customs officers, as the Biden administration has made a point of flying Black Lives Matter and gay Pride flags at embassies across the globe, including at the Holy See. In her office's 2022-2026 strategic plan is a picture of Abercrombie-Winstanley attending a "Progress Pride" flag raising outside the State Department's Harry S. Truman Building. In a statement to the Washington Examiner, a State Department spokesperson said DEI is a "national security imperative," adding that "diversity is one of our greatest national strengths" that gives the United States a "comparative advantage" over other countries. The State Department recently began tracking its spending but established a "budget code." Abercrombie-Winstanley said 10% of her requested $76 million would go to her office, and the rest would be distributed to the other bureaus in the department for DEI use.

Hour 2 -  Good Tuesday morning! Here's what Nick Reed covers this hour: Tennessee Republican Rep. Andy Ogles introduced articles of impeachment on Monday against President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Rose Montoya, a transgender model and actress, was among hundreds invited to the White House to celebrate Pride month. Joe and Jill Biden told the crowd: 'You are beautiful, you are heard, you belong', and the president called them 'some of the bravest and most inspiring people.' Montoya then bared her breasts, covered with her hands, on the South Lawn as the person filming says: 'Are we topless at the White House?!' There is a new hiring website that focuses on your skills and not on what you look like or what you identify as. The site is called Red Balloon.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday. US bureau chief Jacob Magid and environment reporter Sue Surkes join host Amanda Borschel-Dan in today's episode. On Thursday, the White House published a 60-page document outlining its plan to fight American antisemitism, including more than 100 recommendations. We hear about the plan's genesis, some highlights and, the inevitable backlash. Amid unusual seasonal weather, Israel experienced yesterday over 170 fires. Surkes sets the stage. A bill that would limit Israeli nonprofits' ability to take donations from foreign governments will apparently be at least temporarily shelved after mountains of criticisms from Israeli allies — including the US, Germany and France. What essentially is their criticism and will this bill affect private foreign funding as well? There is a current mass die-off of black sea urchins in the Red Sea, which one scientist compares to the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic. What does he mean by that? Finally, for a change, we'll hear some good news about the environment: The Gaza Wetlands are coming back to life. How did this come about?Discussed articles include: Biden plan to combat antisemitism calls for online reforms, more security funding White House plan to fight antisemitism takes on centuries of hatred in America White House raps Republican who said its antisemitism strategy targets conservatives Homes and hikers evacuated as firefighters battle over 170 blazes amid heatwave Likud bill targeting NGOs' foreign funding set to be shelved amid uproar Epidemic wipes out all Eilat Bay urchins; coral reefs face suffocation by algae UN breathes life into once-polluted Gaza wetland Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: President Joe Biden talks with reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, May 26, 2023, as he heads to Camp David for the weekend. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to another riveting episode of The Adams Archive with your host, Austin Adams! In today's episode, we'll be delving deep into the recent controversy surrounding Anheuser-Busch's VP of Marketing, who openly admitted to hiring employees based on sex and political ideology. We'll examine the implications of these hiring practices and discuss whether they align with the company's values. Furthermore, we'll engage in a thought-provoking debate with ChatGPT on the merits and drawbacks of affirmative action, exploring its impact on society and the workplace. We'll also discuss Alex Soros' frequent visits to the White House, drawing comparisons with Bill Clinton's connection to Jeffrey Epstein, and dive into NPR's dramatic exit from Twitter after being labeled as state-affiliated media. What does this say about the state of journalism and social media today? Lastly, we'll explore the explosive leak of top-secret documents that revealed alleged U.S. spying on allies, the implications for international relations, and the insights gained on the U.S. perspective regarding the war in Ukraine and potential support for Russia from neutral countries. Join us for an engaging and insightful episode as we dissect these controversial topics and much more. Don't miss out on this week's edition of The Adams Archive! All the links: https://linktr.ee/theaustinjadams Anti-Elite Club Apparel: https://antielite.club    Full Transcription:    Hello, you beautiful people and welcome. To the Adams Archive. My name is Austin Adams, and thank you so much for listening. Today on the agenda, we are going to be discussing all about the recent marketing misstep, to say the least, by Anheuser Bush's VP of Marketing, who we will be listening to even further digging herself in a hole, uh, by talking about what seems to be, to me at least, slightly illegal hiring practices, leaning, uh, obviously towards her woke agenda that she has since shown her hand. So we will talk about that. We will also talk about some recent photos that were released by hers after speaking out against, uh, the so-called frat culture that she was so against. There has since been photos leaked of Bud Light's, VP of Marketing, where she seemingly participated in these said frat. Type events. So we'll look at that. Now. We will also discuss George Soros. Son, Alex Soros visited the White House under Biden's administration 14 times. Now, to put that in perspective, that is only three less times than Bill Clinton having Jeffrey Epstein. So, quite astonishing. Something that we will discuss at length now.  We will also be discussing NPR, quitting Twitter after being labeled as state affiliated media. I saw an article that called it a Rage Quit, which is pretty, pretty fitting. Now the last thing, but one of the most serious things that we will discuss is the documents that were released at well leaked. There was over a hundred pages that were released, , that were leaked, and,  they were doing a highly serious, highly serious very serious investigation in Washington this week. As records were detailing alleged us spying on allies. Insights into American thinking on the war in Ukraine, in at least two neutral countries, mulling plans to support Russia as things move on in this war. So we will discuss all of that and more, but first, you know what to do. Go ahead and hit that subscribe button if it's your first time here. If it's not, or even if it is, go ahead and leave a five star review. Tell me something that you like about the show.  Subject we should talk about. Whatever it is, please from the bottom of my heart, I would appreciate it. Leave a five star review. Go ahead and hit that subscribe button. Head over to the subs Austin Adams dot.com. Uh, and we will be releasing podcast companions with all of the links, articles, all of it directly to your email, which includes the video podcast, short clips, the full podcast, all to your email every single week. And then go ahead over to anti elite.club. Anti elite.club and you can check out the apparel. I've kept it small. In the meantime, there is the Pelosi Capital Insider trading hat, which is beautifully embroidered if I do say myself, say so myself, as well as the Protector children hoodie,  and some other awesomeness like, uh, make love not viruses, hoodies or sweatshirts as well. So go check it out. And speaking of Alex Soros, we actually have a mug that is the George Soros actor, a Crisis Actor's Guild mug. , which I found to be, you know, a little catchy. So check it out.  Lemme know what you think. All right,  now that's all I got for you. Let's go ahead and jump into.     Um, but anyways, $5 billion that they have lost since doing this marketing stunt. Now I'm somewhat familiar with marketing myself. There's probably one of the biggest rules, if not the biggest rule is knowing your target audience. Their target audience for Bud Light is generally not somebody with a trans flag in front of their house. Those people are generally not drinking light American beer. Now, how far Bud Light Marketing has fallen? I remember growing up, they were always witty and funny and, uh, what was it? The, um, one of their campaigns that was great. It was like the, the gosh, I, I have to remember it was like the greatest Man who ever award or some, something like that. But always quick, witty, um, always good sarcasm, right? Always great marketing. And this woman takes over from, you know, obviously coming from Harvard to the Wharton, uh, business school and then at, I don't know what she is, maybe 35 years old, taking over the VP of marketing of one of the largest, uh, beer companies in the world. So maybe Bud Light itself when hiring this woman didn't know its target audience and, or maybe they knew exactly what they were doing, but if they did, this was a horrible, horrible misstep in. Terms of their business success, 5 billion in just like five days, and it's still going down. And I only think we're really gonna see the true implications of this because you have lost so many loyal, long-standing customers as a result of this. Not only that, people aren't going to buy them at the shelves, which means that the liquor stores and, and grocery stores that we're holding these products are not going to buy them either. If people are not buying them. There is a whole supply chain that will be affected as a result of this terrible marketing move. But let's go ahead and read this. This comes from the New York Post. It says, beer Colossus in Heiser Busch saw its value plummet more than 5 billion since the company announced his branding partnership with controversial transgender social media influencer, Dylan Mul. Since March 31st, shares of Bud Light Parent Company have nearly fallen 4%. And as I checked earlier, I believe it was 5%, like 5.2%, knocking down the company's market capitalization from 132 billion to $127 billion. On Wednesday, the stock fizzled more than 1.5%. Uh, on Wednesday, the company is dealing with the fallout from conservatives over its deal with Mulvaney, the 26 year old Wow sh he looks super rough for 26. Transgender influencer with more than 10 million followers on social media. Mulvaney fired back at critics Tuesday accusing them of bullying her because she's an easy target. Oh, are you? She as a guest on the OR Word onward. And Rosie O'Donnell podcast Mulvaney said her Tolles and trolls intentionally twist her words and actions in an effort to blast the transgender community. The reason that I think I am so I'm an easy target is because I'm so new to this. Mulvaney said, I think going after a trans person, it says woman, but I refuse to call this person. A woman that's been doing this for like 20 years is a lot more difficult. I think maybe they think that there's some sort of chance with me, but what's their goal now? It is down 4.9% as of the closing bell today. Um, so almost 5% more than the original 5 billion that they even just talked about there. That's an incredible loss for any company, $5 billion in market cap. Um, these people, they don't understand anything about me that I do or say. I don't really care about her opinion on this. Mulvaney had posted videos and photos on social media promoting her sponsorship deal with Bud Light, which pro produced specifically made cans with Mulvey's likeness to commemorate the partnership. And, and in this video with this man, He's sitting there going, um, I guess there's some sort of March madness going on right now. Um, I don't really know what that is. I guess it has to do with sports. I don't know about sports. I'm just a dumb woman. Like really? Cuz women don't know what March Madness is. Like. What? What a horrific, the, the, the biggest problem besides the fact, like, and again, I've talked about this before. I don't care what you do as an individual, you can identify as a fricking fork if you want to. And I you do you, now, I'm not gonna call you a fork if you think you're a fork, but you're actually a human. Okay? I'm not participating in your mental illness, but you can identify as whatever you want. I don't care. I'm not gonna rip you apart for your, uh, mental anguish and your self-consciousness and your difficulty. I, you know, and disassociation from your own body. I'm not gonna do that for you. I don't think that you deserve that. I think that in this case, This man is doing this for clout, so maybe deserves it more than most who are dealing with this. I don't think it's actually a real case of gender dysphoria that's being manifested through surgical, uh, attempts at correcting it, which never seems to help in any which way. Um, but I, I do think that there's a better way of going about that, which to me, the most insulting thing that this man does is pretending like every woman is a fricking caricature, a caricature of what it means to be a woman, right? Frolicking in high heels. Um, you know, like all of the videos that this man does are like the most insulting, caricature depiction of what a woman actually acts like, like Valley Girl, 2004, mean girl's, high school woman in a sitcom. Like just the most silly depiction of a woman that there can possibly be. And so that to me is insulting. I'm not even a woman and I'm insulted by it. So it says, um, it goes on to say that the backlash even prompted a local Missouri distributor to cancel an appearance by the famous Budweiser Clyde's Dale Horse due to fears for the safety of staffers. Industry experts told the post on Tuesday that the controversy appears to have staying power and could lead to a full-blown boycott of Anheuser-Busch products. I believe so. I don't think there's any coming back from this. I think their general target market is going to absolutely, there's the only reason that you were drinking Bud Light for any reason at all, was just out of f sheer habit. It wasn't because it tasted good. We know that for sure. There's so many other beers out there that you can go drink that still taste like shit and are still cheap that don't promote this type of ideology. So yes, this is absolutely going to have staying power Anheuser bushes. If you are in the stock market, you should absolutely be shorting. Budweisers, uh, it's, it's, uh, the, the dollar symbol and then bud is the symbol for them on the stock exchange. So you should absolutely short Anheuser-Busch. I am not a financial advisor, so don't listen to anything that I say, but it seems like a pretty good bet that this is just gonna continue to keep going down. Um, now let's go ahead and watch this video. Let's talk about the actual VP of marketing, because, you know, actually let's, let's touch on this. There it bring, it comes up here with, um, you know, let's, let's talk about this Kid Rock, who I love for this. Um, went on and did a video where he actually shot his, uh, full auto rifle, um, at a bunch of Bud Light, uh, uh, boxes of beer. And there's this awesome picture in front of me of them just all exploding, uh, with a MAGA hat on, which is just amazing. So love that for Kid Rock. Uh, now the reason that I don't think Nike is having such backlash because they did the same exact thing. Nike did the same thing as Bud Light did. Same exact thing, but Nike's target market is not the same target market as Bud Lights. That's what you have to understand. And that's the reason that Bud Light is going to have a tremendous loss of market cap, a tremendous loss of its stock value. And Nike has improved its stock value over the last couple days. There has not been any calls for boycotts. It has not been in the news. There's been no, you know, burn your Nike's campaign that's going on. Although maybe there should be, and I won't be buying Nike from here on out. But, um, but this comes back to how, how do we change culture, right? Because right now, the, the theistic corporations that are out there, even not, maybe not even capitalistic because they're all owned by generally the same. BlackRock. Um, but these corporatism type corporations that are out there, that are promoting these things, are doing so because they think it's going to win them favor, not even win them favor from the people that they are having as their target market. They think it's going to win them favor in the eyes of the elitist who own them from the World Economic Forums, from the Black Rocks and the Vanguards and the, the, the elites who own those companies who are pushing those ideologies like Alex Soros and George Soros, who were gonna talk about a little bit later. That's who they're gaining the favor of. Here. I did see something that there was some sort of talk about a, I think it was a c e I score, which is like your woke score basically for companies that they're getting favor over, where they'll like pull some sort of association if these companies don't have a high enough score of wokeness. And so maybe that's what's going on here, but here's how you fight back. 5 billion of market loss is a huge loss for Ann Heiser Busch. Huge loss you. That's, that's so much money. 5% of your value in five days, 1% per day. If that keeps up for 50 days, and I don't, I 100% think that that's just the beginning. I, I think it's gonna be 20%, 25%. Again, I'm just shooting from the hip here. Don't listen to me. But, but I absolutely think that there is going to be a tremendous loss. And this is just the beginning because we're not even seeing, seeing the outcomes. We're seeing the people who are pulling their stocks out of this. We're seeing people who are starting to short the stock as a result, but we're not seeing quarterly earnings statements. We're not seeing that yet. And when we see that it will be a blood bath, when we see the quarterly earnings for h Anheuser-Busch, a blood bath, bath, when we see it, and this is just the beginning, 5% is nothing compared to what it's gonna turn out to once we actually see the numbers. Right. What we're seeing right now is a vanity reaction, but there will be a corporate there, there, there will be figures that come out. There will be, uh, quarterly earning statements that show when 50 40% of people who drink Bud Light, stop drinking it, stop buying it, which means the liquor stores who are sourcing it and the grocery stores that have it will stop purchasing it as well. This is how you fight back from woke. This is how you fight back against the corporations who are shoving this ideology down you and your child's throat. 100% how we we fight back against this us. All right, so let's go ahead and listen to this. This is the interview with the VP of Marketing from Busch. Her name is Alyssa Heiner Scheid, uh, she's a Harvard graduate. Imagine that, who then went to the Wharton School of Business? Um, I believe she had like some sort of like, Language and English degree from Harvard, which I don't know why the hell you go to Harvard. Harvard for an English degree to go into marketing. All right. By the way, I'm drinking a real beer. This is a founder's, uh, Centennial ipa, which is quite delicious and doesn't taste like shit. And they have yet to shove their trans ideology down my throat if they have any belief in it, which I doubt they do. Okay, so drink real beer folks. All right. Um, maybe I'll start doing a, a beer review like, uh, you know, uh, bar stool, uh, Dave Portnoy does for pizzas. If I, if I had to do a beer review on this founder's Centennial ipa. Let's see, how well does this go? It's an, an IPA featuring Centennial Hops. Huh, let's read it. Get ready to bask in the glory of this frothy heads floral bouquet relish the citrus accents from the abundance of dry hops. This one's sweet, yet balanced multi undertones. Shake hands with the hop character for a finish that never turns too bitter delicious. All right, one sip. Everybody knows rules. Centennial IPA By Founders Initial reaction, I would give it a 7.3. I've had better IPAs, but it's pretty good. All right. And again, no, no woke trans ideology being shoved in my throat, which gives it multiple, multiple brownie points. All right, so here's the vp, Alicia Alyssa Heiner Scheid, and she is going to speak on here, right? One thing that she talks about initially is evolving the Bud Light Brand. Now this is the clip that everybody was talking about, right? She talks about why she did this and why she's trying to shove this ideology down their throats and, and all of this stuff. So let's listen to that first, and then we will listen to her talking about her hiring practices, which I think is a little bit even more egregious and probably downright illegal if you really dive into it. Um, so let's go ahead and listen to her. We do not attract. Young drinkers to come and drink this brand. There will be no future for Bud Light. So I had around, in your own perspective and your own values, you know the person you are at Home Impacts and has a ripple effect on the Bud Light brand. Tell me about that a little bit. Yeah, I, I think number one, you know, I'm a businesswoman. Mm-hmm. I had a really clear job to do when I took over Bud Light and it was, this brand is in decline. It's been in decline for a really long time. And if we do not attract young drinkers to come and drink this brand, there will be no future for Bud Light. So I had this, the brand was in decline only once you decided to promote trans ideology to your generally conservative target market. Let's be clear about this here. If we go back and look at the last, I don't know, let's, let's look at the last five years of Bud Light. Let's see if there's been a single decline. Five years. A single decline. That was 5% in five days. Oh, this is a screenshot. So it's not gonna give me exactly what I'm looking for here, but I highly doubt it. The brand started to be in decline once you started to make these types of decisions, right? Super clear mandate. It's, we need to evolve and elevate this incredibly iconic brand. And my, what I brought to that was a belief in I was looking for real men of genius. You remember that ad? That's good marketing, right? Real men of genius. Let's watch that shit once this is over. But real men of genius is what I was thinking of earlier. I don't know what I said. Like great men or whatever the hell. No real men of genius, great marketing, Dylan Mulvaney, horrible marketing. Okay. What is, what do, what does evolve and elevate mean? It means inclusivity. It means shifting the tone. It means having a campaign that's truly inclusive and feels lighter and brighter and different, and appeals to women and to men. Mm-hmm. And representation. Is it sort of the heart of evolution? You've gotta see people who reflect you in the work. And we had this hangover. I mean, bud Light had been kind of a brand of fratty, kind of out of touch humor, and it was really important that we had another approach. So, long story short, super Bowl spot. Fast forward, I cast an incredible female choreographer who just brought incredibly positive, amazing energy to the spot. We cast Miles Teller and his wife Kelly Teller. But it was really crucial to me that if you see that spot, Kelly is. Kelly is the heartbeat of that spot. You're seeing this whole experience through Kelly. She's the beating heart. She, I would sort of argue with sort of what propels you through that experience and, and that was intentional. Um, and then we had another really fun spot. First spot out of the gate was the first time ever we'd had a female protagonist in this. Really cool, she was sort of cool as hell, bobbin and weaving through a bar. But anyway, listen, I'm not gonna pretend that there isn't so much more work to do from a business results perspective and of course from a representation perspective, but I feel like you, you have to put your money where your mouth is when you're trying to evolve a brand and elevate it and bring in new consumers. So that's been incredibly important to me. Mm-hmm. Bet she didn't expect a 5% stock loss in five days. Now you hear her talking about that, uh, the frat brand. Right. Let's, let's, we'll take a little dive back in time. A little dive back in time for the VP of Marketing at Anheuser-Busch when she's calling out her own target market. The people who purchased her products for being out of touch frat boys. Little did she know somebody was gonna go to her Facebook profile, scroll a few years back and see photos of her Dr. Like filling up condom balloons, shotgunning beers, and doing everything that appears to. And looks to be her fraty passed. This says leaked photos have revealed that Bud Light's, vice President of Marketing, Alyssa Heiner, pardoned it up while attending Harvard University exhibiting behavior that one might expect to see at a frat house. The images which are nearly 20 years old, would have remained buried in Hein, Hershey's Facebook albums. Had the beer executive not recently suggested that the brand she now represents should distance itself from its Friday past. The images, which are now attained from the daily caller from a source who discovered them on Hein Che's now protected Facebook page were from a 2006 event called the ISIS Senior Reversed Initiation Scavenger Hunt, um, which was. To provide in 2000 to provide a positive environment in social network for women to flourish an article in the university's newspaper around the same time that the photos of Heide were taken. However, describe the scene of the club's gatherings as a haven for inebriated dit sea. In the photos, Heiner Scheide can be seen drinking beer, blowing up condoms, as if they were balloons and exhibiting other behaviors typically associated with intoxication. 17 years later, Heiner side is now calling on beer companies to cater to more than just the frat house crowd. I am a businesswoman. She says during a March 23rd appearance on the Make Yourself a Home Podcast, I had a really clear job to do, which is all basically just what we listened to. She went on to explain. The representation is sort of the heart of evolution, and Bud Light has for too long been a brand of Fraty kind of out of touch humor since Henesey made those comments. The brand is partnered with Trans TikTok, influencer Dylan Mulvaney, A move that has been widely criticized and in some cases even led to boycotts, in some cases, very many at this point now. What I find to be interesting is if you go a little bit even more back, because that's like, just punchy, good headlines, right? Oh, she called 'em frat boys and you know, maybe she's also fratty with her, you know, she's being a hypocrite obviously, and some of these photos are kind of funny. Um, but maybe, maybe don't make fun of your target market if you were your target market. Uh, so let's go back and see what I find to be even more egregious than the, the, what she's doing as far as the promotion of trans ideology through a brand that is primarily conservative target markets, or even being a hypocrite by calling people fraty and then blowing up condom balloons and getting extremely intoxicated on pictures of Facebook. Um, which you might be able to find, if you don't mind if I had one. Um, but, uh, let's go back and see what she talks about with hiring practices. Okay. She talks about her hiring practices and spills the tea a little bit further than she probably would've liked by talking about how she leans her hiring practices more towards hiring women and more towards hiring people who associate with her same ideology. Almost word for word says this and that, my friends is illegal. If you choose to hire somebody specifically based on their representation of their sex so that you can have more people of that sex in your business, that is sexist, discriminatory, hiring practices not that hard to do. One plus one equals two, that's discrimination, and there is anti-discrimination laws. So let's go ahead and listen to her boast about how she hires more women than men purposefully, again, discriminating as well as people who identify at the same beliefs as her. A k a woke. Here we go. Um, and I try to bring that honestly and how I wanna operate in the world. Mm-hmm. And I would say the most important thing about this job is that you, I have to prioritize bringing other people along the way, community and women. I mean, it's just, it doesn't mean anything unless I am positively impacting other people. And so that's been just incredibly important to me. My decisions with teams, I mean, I, I try to build teams of people who maybe nobody else has taken a chance on them. I try to bet on people who haven't had the opportunity, bet on people with similar values as me, who are hungry and wanna do great things. I try to bet on people. I hire people, aka I hire people who have similar values to me. I hire people who are primarily, I try to hire women. I, that, that is discriminatory, discriminatory practices. And I even tried to like argue this back and forth with G P T four, um, the other day. So I, I'll see if I can even pull that up. Um, but I, I had it kind of argue against me and, and gimme the reason that this should be acceptable and how this is not racist or sexist, right? In nature, how is this not against anti-discrimination laws? Um, because to me it seems very, very clear and evident that this should be considered absolutely considered, um, discriminatory hiring practices. Um, so here is what it had to say about that. Now, this was actually G P T 3.5. No. Did I do it with four? Let's see. So I've, I've found interesting ways to go about this with, with having G P T kind of. Converse back and forth with me. So what I said to it is, is hiring someone of a specific racer sex purposefully for the intention of growing the number of employees of that racer sex illegal. It's said, I am not a lawyer, but I can offer some general information about employment Discrim. Oh my ears. That is horrible. Speechify, what are you doing to me? We need our man. Let's go with I like Harry. I like Harry. Let's go with Harry. Harry here. I'm astute. To share a better way to read. Perfect. Harry, here. Perfect. Perfect. I'm astute. To share a better way to read. Give 'em a little bit of sped up and we're off to the races. So this is the conversation that I had with G P T yesterday when I was trying to, I was trying to work this through in my head. I was actually trying to figure out whether or not this is illegal or not. So I said, is hiring someone of a specific race or sex purposefully for the intention of growing the number of employees of that race racer sex illegal? And here's what it responded. I am not a lawyer, but I can offer some general information about employment discrimination laws in the United States Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it is generally legal for employers to discriminate against individuals based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin includes hiring practices. However, there are some exceptions to this rule when employers are trying to increase diversity within their workforce or remedy past discrimination. Affirmative action programs, for example, may allow employers to consider race or sex as one factor in their hiring decisions, but only under certain circumstances. Programs must be narrowly tailored to achieve a compelling government interest, such as remedying, past discrimination, or promoting diversity. They also cannot impose an undue burden on other groups or create rigid quotas. It's may differ depending on the country or jurisdiction. So it is important to consult with legal counsel or seek advice from a local expert for specific guidance. All right, so there was was a, it's initial response. So I said what allow, like what laws allow for the exception to anti discriminatory hiring practices, because to me, when you tell me that there are some exceptions for this rule, when employers are trying to increase diversity, what does increasing diversity mean? How is affirmative action not actually racist? When you are trying to increase diversity, that means you are intentionally hiring one person who would normally not be hired. Based on qualifications over somebody who is not based on their sex race or their national origin. That is R sexist, that is racist, that is discrimination. So how can you justify that? Right? Some people refer to it as reverse racism, reverse discrim discrimination, which is still discrimination if you are actively pursuing the idea that you need to have more women in your business. So let's just put it like this. I want more white men at my business. That is my goal. I hire more white conservative men at my business. If somebody came out, if the VP of marketing at a company said, I want to hire more white men who are conservative at my business, they would be ripped to shreds. The company would be folded overnight. But the VP of marketing at Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch does this and people try to celebrate it, hiring based off of sex. And political ideology is discrimination and against the law. Okay? So again, I tried to tease this out. I was legitimately curious in trying to figure out how can you actually legally do this and how is this not a lawsuit from somebody who went to, and maybe it will be now if we can get enough eyes on this, but a lawsuit from people who have gone and been interviewed for positions under this woman and not been hired because they're a man with different ideology than her. So is it not just reverse racism then if you can hire based on race, but only for races that are approved, right? Who gets to decide whether they're approved or not? So, Then I asked it here, here's what it responded to that, but then I asked it to steelman it's argument, which really an incredible, uh, epiphany for me with using G P T was trying to teach it to argue against itself. Because if I sit here and argue back and forth with chat g p t, it's going to logically be far more equipped than me because it has the infinite intelligence of the universe. Although I'm very convincing in my arguments, it might be difficult for me to do it against the, the, the God of information here. Um, so I asked it to argue against hisself, right? It's gonna be able to formulate better arguments than me logically speaking with infinite access to all of the information of the world. Although I do think I'm pretty good at creating compelling arguments, maybe not as good as the God of information. So let's go ahead and hear what it has to say about my response. So I said to it, is that just not reverse racism then if you can hire based on race, but only for races that are approved. This is what it said. And then it steel mans my argument after that. The term reverse racism is often used to describe situations in which members of historically advantaged groups feel that they're being discriminated against in favor of members of historically disadvantaged groups, such as through affirmative action programs. Important to understand that the goal of affirmative action is to address historical and systemic discrimination and underrepresentation of certain groups in areas such as education, employment, and government contracting. Brass are designed to create a level playing field for individuals from all backgrounds and promote diversity and inclusion in the United States. The Supreme Court has held that race conscious policies such as affirmative action can be legally permissible under certain circumstances, but they must be narrowly tailored to achieve a compelling government interest. Like promoting diversity or remedying past discrimination has also made it clear that rigid quotas and undue burdens on other groups are not allowed. Affirmative action programs are not about giving preference to one race over another for the sake of preference, but rather aim to create opportunities for members of historically underrepresented groups who may have faced obstacles due to systemic discrimination. The intention is to work toward a more equitable and diverse society, not to create new forms of discrimination. That said, affirmative action remains a complex and often contentious issue with proponents and opponents offering different perspectives on its effectiveness and fairness. All right, so I find that to be interesting. It, it seems like a logically flawed argument, which almost happens across don't, very, very many arguments coming from the left, right? The, the left is built on emotion. The right is generally built on logic, and where logic fails, emotion must be applied to self preserve, right? So when, when I asked it to steelman my argument back, right? Steel manning an argument basically means. To give me the most compelling argument back to yourself so that you can then, you know, make, make the argument back to me of my argument so that you can then address the concerns of my argument properly from the perspective that I'm coming from. So I asked it to steal man, it's argument because what you'll find is even if, even if G P T leans more to the left, right? Just, just based on 99% of coders in Silicon Valley being liberal, it's obviously gonna have some skewing, but you can have it argue your point. Now I've found that 3.5 will not do this, four will do this. It's, it's a little bit more nuanced in the way that it, it has discussions with you. So it will steal me in arguments if it, if, if it's programming the 3.5 s programming will not allow it to. I asked, did the steelman an argument for me? It wouldn't do it because it didn't believe in the argument based on its flawed logic. So I asked, did the steelman, the argument that, um, That affirmative action is, in fact potentially racist or, or at least in, in its varied essence, not positive overall. So here, here was, here was the steelman argument by G P T against affirmative action. A steelman argument refers to the practice of restating an opposing argument in its strongest and most compelling form. In this case, the steelman argument against affirmative action would emphasize the following points and meritocracy. Proponents of affirmative action argue that policies should be based solely on merit without considering factors like race, gender, or ethnicity. Believe that giving preference to underrepresented groups can result in less qualified individuals being hired or admitted, which is unfair to other applicants who might be more qualified. First. Discrimination critics argue that affirmative action can lead to reverse discrimination. Disadvantaging individuals from historically privileged groups who may be more qualified, they say is inherently unfair and goes against the principle of equal opportunity. Perpetuation of stereotypes and divisions. Some argue that affirmative action can inadvertently reinforce stereotypes and divisions by focusing on race or gender, rather than on individual qualifications and potential. Believe that this focus can perpetuate the idea that underrepresented groups need special treatment to succeed stigmatization of beneficiaries. Another argument against affirmative action is that it can stigmatize beneficiaries, leading others to question their qualifications and accomplishments can undermine the confidence and self-esteem of individuals from underrepresented groups who may feel that their success is attributed to affirmative action rather than their abilities term effectiveness. Critics also question the long-term effectiveness of affirmative action, arguing that it may not address the root causes of systemic discrimination, and may instead create dependence on such programs. Advocate for alternative solutions such as improving access to quality education and addressing socioeconomic disparities to create more sustainable change. So there is its main points, right? I'll highlight them for you in case it's difficult to listen to our friend Harry.  But it says, basically, equality and meritocracy. Opponents of affirmative action argue that policy should be based solely on merit, right? Not your race, not your skin color. That is the Martin Luther King argument. I have a dream that one day, right? We won't look at people and judge them based on race, gender, or ethnicity. We are specifically judging people based off of race, gender, or ethnicity. Which means if you are proactively helping one group, you are actively, actively preventing another group based on gender, race, or ethnicity. There is always a ne there is always going to be a, a negative outcome to the positive outcome for that one group as a result of, of this affirmative action. I didn't have any slaves. There's no reason that I shouldn't get into a university, I shouldn't get a job that, that I should have any, anything that's judged against me for my skin color. No reason at all. It's literally reverse racism if that term holds any merit. It's what, if not just straight racism. Right? If you are, if you are not hiring me because I have white skin, if you are not having me in your university because I have white skin, because I have a penis, because I have  right-leaning ideologies compared to left-leaning ideologies, that that is discriminatory in its essence and, and simply perpetuating, um, exactly what you were trying to combat. Right? But you were just blind to it through emotion. Um, the second argument that it gave was reverse discrimination. Critics argue that affirmative action can lead to reverse discrimination, disadvantaging individuals of historically privileged groups who may be more qualified. Right? That's exactly what I just talked about, perpetuation of stereotypes and divisions. Some argue that affirmative action can inadvertently reinforce stereotypes and divisions by focusing on race and gender rather than individual qualifications. Right? A hundred percent stigmatization of beneficiaries. Um, so it's basically saying that, um, somebody who is, uh, let's say they're black and they get hired somewhere or they go to a university, but they have less qualifications, they get a lower gpa, they have a lower s a T, but they get into the university because of their skin color. That is going to further stigmatize the idea that they should get in, even though they have lower scores, that, that makes the argument that people who are black should not have high enough scores compared to Asians or white people or, you know, any other culture that, that are getting discriminated against, against in this case. Right. Which again, is absolutely the case. Um, long-term effectiveness and, and not the case obviously that they shouldn't have high enough scores. They're just as intelligent and capable. Um, and that's why it, it is absolutely a stigmatization. Um, moving on, long-term effectiveness, uh, say that affirmative action, arguing that it may not address the root causes of systemic discrimination instead of basically just putting a bandaid on it. So, so what I tried to do here is say, using only logic and not straw manning, because what I found was when I was having it argue against it, it was using emotional language. It was saying that, well, there's, there's, uh, certain people who are, you know, have histories of being discriminated against and so blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. It was, it was straw manning the argument not using logic. So I said to G P T using only logic and not straw manning the argument by bringing up affirmative action or laws simply from a philosophical and logic based perspective. How do you argue against 0.2, 0.2 being reverse discrimination? Critics argue that affirmative action can lead to reverse discrimination, disadvantaging individuals from historically privileged groups who may be more qualified, um, this they say is inherently unfair and goes against the principle of equal opportunity. So I asked it to logically and without a strong argument, which is what it was presenting me prior, give me a logic-based philosophical perspective out outside of the bounds of what's available for rules within humanity, outside of the bounds of what's available for laws. Tell me specifically from a philosophical and logic-based perspective, how do you argue that hiring somebody based on race or sex is not racist or sexist? Tell me that. Okay. And here is what I had to say. A philosophical and logical perspective one could argue against. Point two, the reverse discrimination claim. By focusing on the concepts of fairness, context, and historical background and context, the concept of fairness can be understood differently depending on the context. In a society with a history of systemic discrimination against certain groups, equal treatment of all individuals without considering this context might not be truly fair. Affirmative action policies aim to address historical disadvantages and promote a more inclusive and diverse environment by offering opportunities to underrepresented groups. If justice philosophically, one could argue that corrective justice should be applied in cases where historical discrimination has caused disadvantages for certain groups means that measures can be taken to rectify past injustices and promote a more equitable society. From this perspective, affirmative action policies are not reversed discrimination, but rather a means of achieving corrective justice, filling the playing field. Critics of affirmative action often assume that all individuals start from the same position and have equal access to opportunities due to historical and systemic discrimination. This is not always the case. By considering factors like race or gender in hiring and admissions decisions, affirmative action policies aim to level the playing field and create a more equitable environment. Balancing competing interests. From a philosophical perspective, one could argue that promoting diversity and addressing historical disadvantages are important societal values that must be balanced against the principle of equal treatment. It is crucial to avoid undue burdens on other groups. Implementing carefully designed affirmative action policies can help achieve these competing interests without resulting in reverse discrimination greater good. The principle of utilitarianism suggests that actions should be evaluated based on their consequences, specifically by maximizing overall happiness or wellbeing. Affirmative action policies can be seen as promoting the greater good by fostering a more inclusive and diverse society, which can benefit everyone in the long run, even if it results in some perceived disadvantages for certain individuals in the short term. Okay. There is its argument back to steel manning. My argument, and I'll just give you the cliff notes on those. Again, fairness in con, in context, the concept of fairness can be understood differently depending on the context. Basically saying that if there's systemic racist or racism, uh, Or discrimination against certain groups equal treatment of the individuals without considering the context might not be truly fair. Right. So, so in my response, the back to that would be is yes, I, I've seen certain documentaries. I've, I cannot recall the name of it. , I can see the cover of it in my head. Um, but I've watched documentaries. I, I believe that there has absolutely been systemic racism in our country.  I, I am not blind to that. I, I completely agree with that point. I believe that the,  propor disproportionately black communities are affected through, drugs that were pushed literally by our government, like the crack epidemic, um, into more black communities through, through the ghettos in, in like the eighties, um, 100. 100% disproportionately affected them. I absolutely agree to the fact that, that they are, , at a much higher rate of incarceration, which causes men to be out of the households, which causes, uh, uh, children to have far more issues in their upbringings. That that's like 100% statistically factual. There is absolutely been systemic racism. There was perpetuation of racist ideologies by the same people who parents did have slaves however many years ago. Right. I I'm not blind to that. I agree with that. There is, there is systemic and, and or there or there. At least there has been systemic racism. I believe we are at a point in our culture where there, there is very little, very little that is going on that is against one minority group. Statistically, it's just not the case. Okay.  So fairness and context. I think when you're taking into consideration it's fir first point, a fairness and concept, a concept of fairness understood differently depending on the context. Um, history of systemic discrimination. Sure. But should we be dis perpetuating discrimination as an answer to that? No. We should be plugging the holes in the boat. We should stop, stop the FBI and CIA from, uh, pushing crack into primarily black neighborhoods. We should, I, we should address the issues with our police forces where they're, you know, primarily perpetuating, uh, high incarceration rates. Now, that's not to say that those incarceration rates aren't merited by actual crimes, um, but that's a separate convers. Um, it says the next point that it gave is corrective justice. Philosophically, one could argue that corrective justice should be applied in causes where historical discrimination has caused disadvantages. Same point applies, um, leveling the playing field. Critics of affirmative action can assume that all individuals start from the same position, have equal access to opportunities, however, do the historical, and it's all the same argument, balancing and competing interests, um, diversity and addressing. Okay. And then the last one was the greater good. The principle of utilitarianism suggests that action should be evaluated based on their consequences, um, specifically by maximizing overall happiness or wellbeing. Affirmative action policies can be seen as promoting the greater good by fostering and more inclusive and diverse society. Okay. Is it though, if it is specif. Perpetuating the, the very discrimination that it's setting out to solve in the first place, right? Nobody, nobody in today's world is blind to the fact that racism was not a thing, right? We all agree on that. We all agree that racism is wrong, at least a far, far greater percentage than those who disagree, right? Like very, very, very, very small percentage of people are still extremely racist. Um, at least to my knowledge. And maybe, but compared to what it was, it's so much better than it was right now. That's not to say that it doesn't exist. It obviously exists, but the percentage is just very low. Um, so the idea that perpetuating that, that. You know, through utilitarianism, the, the answer to racism is reverse racism does, does not seem to hold up well. Um, now it says, now, now what I said in response to this, so this is a really interesting way to, to, to tease out your own perspectives, right? When, when I'm not standing in front of another individual and, and in a heated argument, I can actually see some of these points that it's giving, right? When you ask it to not only argue against me, but then steelman my argument and then argue against that steelman, and then argue back to those counterpoints, you're, you're going to really see all sides of an argument. I, I am open to being wrong and I've been wrong many times before, so I plan on changing my opinion on things in the future. I, I am not held in my beliefs to the point where I, I think that I cannot be. And, and it gives some decent arguments and, and far more arguments than anybody else that you're gonna stand in front of you who is liberal or who is on the left is going to have in front of you without putting a motion in the way. So utilize G p t this way, utilize chat g p t in a way that you can further understand the opposite side of things. If we use the, this, this tool in this way, maybe we can lessen the divide right now. When you ask it to argue against those points, it makes some great points back against that, uh, case. But I think that this is a, a really, really great way of utilizing this tool to make yourself more aware of the logical arguments that are being made, um, because far more often than not emotion is being applied. And, and the people who are willing to have arguments like this, Not very common. Right? And, and, and, and even for me, right? And if I stand in front of somebody and I try to argue my points, there's going to be a point where there it, it becomes emotional. But when I'm sitting here arguing with a, a logic-based language model, it's very difficult to instill in, in, in their, inject emotion into the conversation. So I, I thoroughly enjoyed doing this. I even did a secondary conversation with it about, um, when does life begin? Had to argue when life, when people believe life begins, and how it, it, it says it. It was a really interesting philosophical conversation that I had with infinite intelligence. Um, Because I truly, it's very, very difficult to, for me to see the, some of the logics in, in some of these arguments. And, and generally it is such an emotional, uh, response and, and it's hard to even have conversations with people about this where it's not super emotionally charged. So I highly recommend that you have these, and to close this out for this conversation, I'll, I'll let you hear just what it had to say about, um, about arguing against the points that it's made, um, against the steelman argument. Okay. So give me the, so basically what happened is I said, tell me why you disagree with me. Why do you disagree that this is not racist? Because to me it seems racist. So it made its arguments Now. I said, okay, I teased that out a little bit. Tell me more further. Don't, don't do it from a scare. Uh, um, don't, don't do it from the perspective of emotion. Don't do it from the perspective of laws. Do it from a philosophical perspective without a strawman argument, cuz it was interjecting different arguments that didn't specifically speak to logic. Then I said, okay, great. Now argue against yourself as if you were me in the most compelling way. Then I had to argue against itself, back to argue against my points in its most compelling way. And then I had to argue those points back. And you could probably do this infinitely, but it really does, um, allow you to see all sides of the argument. Um, so if nothing else, take away that from this. If you, if you're not thoroughly enjoying this conversation, then do argue against the points go made in the previous response. One could emphasize the following counterpoints objective fairness. One could argue that true fairness should be based on objective criteria like qualifications and performance, regardless of historical context. Action policies by considering factors such as race or gender, may compromise the principle of objective fairness and lead to situations where less qualified individuals are chosen over more qualified ones quality before the law. Critics of affirmative action could argue that individuals should be treated equally before the law, regardless of their group membership. Considering factors like race or gender in decision making, affirmative action policies may infringe upon this principle of equality, perpetuating divisions and stereotypes by emphasizing factors like race or gender, affirmative action policies may inadvertently perpetuate divisions and stereotypes, rather than breaking them down, excite you that focusing on individual qualifications and potential rather than group identity would be a more effective way to promote a diverse and inclusive society consequences for intended beneficiaries. Affirmative action policies may have unintended negative consequences for the very individuals they aim to benefit. For example, beneficiaries of affirmative action may face doubts about their qualifications leading to a lack of confidence in their own abilities, or undermining their accomplishments. In the eyes of others, sing root causes, critics argue that affirmative action policies may not effectively address the root causes of historical and systemic discrimination. They suggest focusing on alternative solutions such as improving access to quality education, addressing socioeconomic disparities, and promoting broader cultural changes to create a more equitable and inclusive society notion of meritocracy. One could argue that affirmative action policies may erode the principle of meritocracy, which emphasizes that individuals should be rewarded based on their abilities and achievements rather than their background. Suggest that these policies may hinder the development of a truly merit-based society. So I have found that to be interesting, right? A lot of what it talks about is, um, the one that I saw to be most interesting of that is the equality before the law. Critics of affirmative action could argue that individuals should be treated equally before the law, regardless of their group membership. By considering factors like race or gender in decision making, affirmative action policies may infringe upon this principle of equality. Isn't equality what they are trying to gain in the first place, right? So if you're pursuing racist tactics to address inequality, aren't you further perpetuating inequality? How? There's no logical argument against that, that I can see, and I have yet to see it presented here. Um, besides the flawed emotional logic that based on previous history, we should now be racist and sexist towards other groups in order to help move the needle more towards equality sooner. But when do you stop doing that? Right? So, so at what point does, do, do you go from right, when do we say, all right guys, affirmative action's over now we're all equal. No, it's a, it may be a longer process to get there, but the way that you get to equality. Everybody being treated equally, not by tipping the scale with your toe for one person, because they're still where they're at, regardless of your affirmative action. So in, in this argument of infinite, of, of, uh, what, what did I call it? Uh, information God, um, against, against itself, I, I still hold true in my beliefs. And, and again, maybe I, I'm gonna have these conversations with it and, and be convinced otherwise on, on other things. And I really, truly hope so because it's hard to have a, a, a conversation with, with people on other ideologies without it getting emotional. Um, but this truly does allow it to be. It allows you to sit beside yourself and, and, and even just flex the muscle of listening. Um, so, you know, maybe next time we'll go through when does human life begin, which turned into a another interesting. Another interesting, uh, argument between me and G P T. All right, so that, that was, uh, that was that.  This episode's gonna go a little bit longer than I expected. Um, so let's move on. But first, hit that subscribe button. Leave a five star review. I, I hope you're learning something at least maybe how to leverage G P T as a tool for you to, to expand your mind, expand your consciousness, expand your worldview.  If you don't have a friend who's willing to sit at the table with you and drink an, an, a numerous amount of beers who has a, a completely different political ideology than you, then you might as well do it with, uh, information, God, because it, maybe, it may, who knows? Maybe your world worldview will change if it's in the face of something that is 100% logic based and, um, doesn't hold emotion within the argument. As long as you know how to phrase the questions properly. And I think that the, the, the concept of steel Manning allows you to further tease out your own arguments and see its flaws. And then further tease out the, a flaws of the other arguments. And, and maybe the, the end conclusion is eventually that there's humanity on both sides of it. And, and, and there there's some form of potentially logic applied to both. And, and, and in some portions, like I saw when I argued, where does life begin? I basically check made a G P T into admitting. Biological, uh, life begins even before conception. Um, so, so I found that to be interesting. So stick around for that, maybe in a, in a future episode where I'll tease that one out for you guys. So the next article that we're going to talk about here is going to be why did George, why did Alex Soros, why did Alex Soros visit the Biden White House 14 times, times 14 times? George Soros son visited the White House just since Biden took office. And this article goes on to say the son of pro crime, billionaire George Soros. And let's just point out the fact that this is gonna be a, a leaning article by that opening statement, but I don't disagree. Alex is raising eyebrows over more than a dozen White House meetings since December, 2021, where he met with multiple officials, including Then's Chief of Staff, Ron Klain, and several national security officials. There's this picture of him immediately in this article, uh, which goes back to his Instagram page with 116 likes on it with this man in a white suit like a pimp in what appears to be some sort of party with somebody in the background laying on a table like they're about to be. With some, you know, 20 year old beautiful woman next to him. Um, according to the White House visitor logs reviewed by Fox News and first reported by the New York Post, the 38 year old Alex Soros visited the White House over 14 times in his latest trips. Included visiting December 1st with then White House chief of staff Ron claims advisor Nina Sarva, who also worked on Biden's Presidential campaign, the log show. Later that evening, the younger Soros was one of 330 people to attend a lavish state dinner on the White House's South Lawn, hosted by the president and First Lady Joe Biden, honoring French President Emmanuel Mcn in Macron's wife Bridget. It says a day later, Alex Soros, whose chair, whose chairs the powerful liberal grant making network Open Society foundations, founded by his dad. Met with the both advisor to the Council of President Mariana Aam, and Deputy National Security Advisor, Jonathan Finer records show it's noticeable that almost all, with the exception of Ron Klain, who had the president's ear obviously were involved in national security. Um, Ukraine is a country where the Soros family has unfortunately boasted a lot of influence. There is tens, if not hundreds of billions of dollars being thrown around there. So I think that would be something we're circling back and coming. Com circling back on in the coming months or years. Despite George Sorrow's notorious way amongst political circles, uh, Palombo said that the younger Soros could someday boast even more power. Noting Alex has been flaunting his influence on social media with pictures of himself alongside Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, former speaker Nancy Pelosi, and former President Barack Obama, his standing on 11 million of his own money. Now, that may seem like a drop in the bucket compared to his father, and it is, but it's not going to be that way forever. The way that I would put it, George Soros over his career has spent more than 20 billion in Open Society Foundation, which is the vehicle by which he makes this spending has around 20 billion on its balance sheet. So when Alex takes over, he has a war chest that is basically able to, I would say, at a minimum, double the amount of damage that his father is going to do and probably more. Here's a little deal, take a look. Official White House records revealing the billionaires eldest son had more than a dozen different meetings with top Biden officials since 2021, including four with the office of then Chief of Staff, Ron Klain. Matt Columbo is the author of The Man Behind the Curtain, the Secret Network of George Soros, and Matt joins me now. Matt, walk us through how the Soros influence Machine is pulling the levers at the white. Thanks guys. Well, it's looking like Alex Soros is prime to take over the Soros Empire. Obviously his father in his nineties cannot do it forever. Um, this New York Post piece outlined 14 different White House visits, but I mean, we almost didn't even need the report. You can go on Alex's Instagram, his Twitter, any social media, and it's almost like he's bragging to us. It is a picture of him and every progressive Democrat you can imagine, and really their left to counterparts overseas. Um, now of these 14 people he met, it is I think notable that almost all, with the exception of Ron Klain, uh, who had the president's ear obviously were involved in national security.  Ukraine is a country where the Soros family has, unfortunately moted a lot of influence. There is tens, if not hundreds of billions of dollars being thrown around. All right. He's just saying everything that I. That he said only my voice is hopefully more present pleasant than his. Um, so pretty wild and the only person who I know of that was at the White House more than 14 times was, as I stated earlier, bill Clinton, having Epstein to the White House is the only thing that I find to be a little bit more concerning than the 14 times that Alex Soros has been there as well. All right. So I find that to be interesting and in the face of that, I guess we will see later, um, on in time that this man takes over four. George Soros, which is, you know, sad to hear that there's going to be a succession there. All right. Next on our quick hits is going to be that N P R quit Twitter after being labeled state affiliated media. And so basically Twitter called NPR State Affiliated media, basically calling them a propaganda arm of the US government. And then NPR came out and said, NPR is stepping away from Twitter, and this includes this N P R politics feed. Please read the thread to find other ways to find our network, including our Instagram and our newsletter. How funny. So some people describe this as rage quitting, which is like the best way to describe this. NPR threw the controller and quit Twitter over being described as a propaganda arm of the United States. Um, so this article, which we will touch on real briefly,  NPR stopped tweeting last week after being labeled State Affiliated Media. And although Twitter sends tweaked the classification slightly to government funded media, the outlet has already made up. Its mine. Uh, it's a short article, so, but you kind of already get it. Um, the, the credibility of many, many of these companies is gone. And under that idea, I'm assuming it would probably be most of our news media outlet companies that would be labeled in the same exact way, but I did find that to be interesting.  And then last but not least, let's go ahead and talk about this. All right. The biggest leak. Since 2011 of US military documents, this says, and this comes from the hill. The biggest leak of classified document documents in a decade created a sprawling crisis in Washington this week. As records detailed alleged US spying on the Allies insights into American thinking on the war of Ukraine, and at least two neutral companies mulling plans to support Russia. Penta gone. Officials are still reviewing the documents for validity, and the Justice Department is overseeing a criminal investigation of the leak. At least one of the documents containing casualty estimates appear to have been altered, but it's unclear how many of the roughly 100 records were manipulated in those documents that they're saying were altered, which you gotta remember when we go back to the ghost of Kiev and how much propaganda has gone into the war going on in Ukraine. You have to remember how much propaganda has gone into this. So I don't think it's compelling to immediately write off some of these comparisons and they don't seem that far off. Um, the, the comparison said that there was, for every Ukrainian soldier or for every Russian soldier that died, four Ukrainian soldiers died, which to me just makes sense with how large Russia's, uh, military forces compared to Ukraine's, even despite the amount of help that they were getting from other NATO countries.  This goes on to say that the documents have circulated online since March and probably as early as January before, picking up attention last week after a New York Times report. There are many more documents to come, but the leak has already done a lot of damage forcin

Errol Barnett is an award-winning CBS News anchor and national correspondent based at the network's headquarters in New York City. As the only Black-British broadcaster on American television, he holds a distinct perspective on global events through a reporting career spanning more than two decades and five continents. Barnett appears regularly across all CBS News programs and platforms and has anchored a number of CBS Special Reports. From live coverage of the Supreme Court ruling ending Roe vs. Wade and the death of Queen Elizabeth II to contentious exchanges with Presidents Joe Biden, Donald Trump and the U.S. Secret Service, Barnett regularly presses for answers on the biggest issues of our time from wherever they happen. At noon eastern each Wednesday and Thursday viewers can catch Barnett discussing important developments while anchoring CBS News from Studio 57. He can also be seen filling-in as a co-host on CBS Mornings, CBS Saturday Morning and the CBS Weekend News. Barnett previously anchored “CNN Newsroom” from Atlanta and a midday news-hour from Abu Dhabi, UAE during the network's Peabody Award-winning coverage of the Arab Spring. Among other accolades, Barnett was part of CBS Mornings 2022 Emmy win, and was bestowed an NABJ Salute to Excellence Award as host of CNN's “Inside Africa” while he was based in Johannesburg, South Africa. In the span of two years, Barnett hosted the feature magazine from 22 countries across both hemispheres including Madagascar, Tunisia, Namibia and Senegal. Since first joining CBS in 2016, Barnett covered some of the most important beats from the network's Washington, D.C. bureau. Assigned to the White House on weekends, he was with President Barack Obama during his final overseas trip and questioned President Donald Trump several times on the South Lawn and aboard Air Force One about threats against journalists and other major issues. In the thick of the 2020 presidential campaign, Barnett's interview with then-candidate and Vice President Joe Biden regarding cognition was widely cited. More recently as a transportation correspondent, Barnett regularly interviewed Secretary Pete Buttigeig and trekked to transit hubs across the country revealing the coronavirus pandemic's upheaval of the airline industry and supply chains. Intrepid field reporting in challenging conditions is evident through Barnett's coverage of Hurricane Dorian. He was the only network journalist to fly with Hurricane Hunters through the category five storm as it stalled over the Bahamas. Revealing the impact of climate change, he reported extensively from Grand Bahama Island, his crew also without electricity or running water, documenting the survivors and aftermath. Barnett began his journalism career at age 18 after being hired in Los Angeles as Channel One News' youngest anchor and reporter. Barnett covered the 9/11 terrorist attacks, then-Senator Barack Obama's first national speech, interviewed Congressman John Lewis and detailed the New England heroin epidemic. While studying at UCLA, Barnett earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science with a focus on international relations. Born and raised in England, Barnett is a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors, SAG/AFTRA, the Society of Professional Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists. He lives in New York with his wife and dog. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/toby-usnik/support

Senate Appropriations Chair Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Sunday night that Democrats would not proceed as planned with a vote today on their own spending package, citing “sufficient progress in negotiations … over the weekend.” Government funding runs out Friday. Talks have stalled for weeks as the parties wrangle over funding levels, with Republicans thus far refusing to give Democrats the nondefense plus-ups they desire. Could the distant chime of jingle bells finally be having an effect? There's no way an omnibus can be negotiated, drafted and passed in the next five days, so expect another stopgap to move this week. Beyond that? There's already chatter about negotiations dragging right up to and even through the holiday season. We'll see who blinks first. More from Roll Call Playbook editor Mike DeBonis and co-author Rachael Bade discuss the funding fight plus the week ahead, including Sam Bankman-Fried's visit to Congresss and President Joe Biden's planned signing ceremony for the Respect for Marriage Act on the South Lawn.  Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook newsletter Raghu Manavalan is the Host and Senior Editor of POLITICO's Playbook Daily Briefing. Jenny Ament is the Executive Producer of POLITICO Audio.

Hunter Biden is the gift that keeps on giving, but the MSM is refusing to report on the issue. Our very own BlazeTV host and Hunter Biden expert Sara Gonzales joins the podcast again to try to decipher the future of President Biden and his crime family issues. As more videos and texts continue to be leaked, when will President Biden address this major issue? President Biden held a White House event at the South Lawn, where Manuel Oliver heckled him for not doing enough gun control. President Biden has an awful approval rating, and Chuck Todd goes by the numbers on Biden's failures. Is the MSM done with Joe Biden? Chad is back on the road, but things got weird during his latest out-of-town show. Today's Sponsors: Now get a complimentary bottle of Nugenix Total T when you text CHAD to 231-231. Text now and get a bottle of Nugenix Thermo, their most powerful fat incinerator ever, with key ingredients to help you get back into shape fast...absolutely free. With each Box of Awesome, you're supporting small business. Ninety percent of everything that comes in your Box of Awesome is from a small, up and coming brand. It's free to sign up, and you can skip a month or cancel anytime. Get 20% off your first monthly box when you sign up at http://BoxofAwesome.com and enter the code watchchad at checkout. You'll find a special deal where you can SAVE 150 DOLLARS on a THREE-MONTH Emergency Food Kit from my friends at My Patriot Supply. This food kit contains a wide variety of delicious meals – enough to last three solid months, per person! Plus, these meals provide more than TWO-THOUSAND CALORIES A DAY – to keep up your strength and energy.  Text CHAD to 989898 and get a FREE info kit on diversifying and protecting your savings with precious metals. With an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, countless five star reviews and THOUSANDS of satisfied customers, text CHAD to 989898 and get real help from Birch Gold today.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stigall is seldom at a loss for for words, but the lie being told by this White House and most main stream media in trying to whip up hysteria surrounding abortion is nothing short of chilling.  Not to mention the newly exposed Hunter Biden material, the classless, racist speech of Jill Biden and the near universal unpopularity of “President” Husk.  Bronchie from Red State helps unpack some of the specifics.  Another ceremony to attack the Second Amendment yesterday on the South Lawn of the White House and AWR Hawkins- Breitbart's Second Amendment expert explains the most concerning elements of the new law.  Plus the media spinning Friday's jobs numbers as a great thing, but our chief economist Steve Moore says you need to look deeper into what they really tell us.