All right, so much to cover this week in politics.
February 14th to the 17th was a roller coaster.
And we've got a ton of sources for this deep dive.
Yeah, a lot to unpack.
We've got policy analysis, think pieces,
really the whole works.
And they're all focusing on electoral vote news.
Right, and what that means for, well, everything.
And that's kind of our mission here, right?
To go beyond just the headlines.
And try to find the interesting stuff
that maybe you wouldn't get from just reading the news.
Exactly, like the why behind the what.
Yeah, exactly.
So let's just jump right in.
Let's talk about Trump's fair and reciprocal plan.
Oh, the terrorist thing?
The terrorist smackdown.
Remember big promises, but then crickets.
Yeah, and it makes you think, right,
like why announce a plan with absolutely no specifics
about which countries or goods are gonna be impacted?
Yeah, it's like he's trying to keep everyone on their toes.
Like a tactic almost, right?
Yeah, maybe he's trying to like scare some countries
into making concessions.
Exactly, before he even says what he's actually gonna do.
Right, right.
But then you look at the analysis from Wall Street.
Yeah.
And they're saying even if he went all in,
it'd only bring in like $17 billion a year.
Which is basically nothing for a country like the US.
Yeah, a drop in the bucket.
So is this just like a big attention grab then?
That's one theory.
I mean, he does love the drama.
Oh yeah, for sure.
But here's another angle to consider.
Okay.
Maybe, and this is where it gets interesting,
maybe he's actually afraid of the blowback.
Because if those tariffs hit,
the economy could take a nose dive.
Oh, absolutely.
Like consumer confidence, the markets.
Instability all around.
Yeah, total instability.
And then you've got other countries seeing that weakness.
Right, and then they might not take him seriously.
Yeah, exactly.
So what do you think?
Hmm, that's a tough one.
I guess we'll have to see how other countries react.
Yeah, it's like a big game of chicken.
Yeah, exactly.
Okay, so from tariffs and potential trade wars,
let's shift gears a bit.
Okay.
And talk about what's happening on the home front.
All right.
Trump and Musk promised to streamline
the government.
Right, make it more efficient.
More efficient, yeah.
But it seems like streamline really means mass firings.
Yeah, I mean, they could have reduced the workforce
just through attrition, right?
Yeah, just not filling positions.
Exactly.
So why the rush to fire thousands of people?
Yeah, across like seven agencies at least.
At least seven, yeah.
It's pretty wild.
There's gotta be a reason for that.
Well, some are saying it's that whole
move fast and break things, Silicon Valley mentality.
But we're talking about people's lives here.
Oh yeah, not just an app or something.
Yeah.
But at least some are saying this is more strategic.
You know, like maybe way to disrupt investigations
that are going on.
Wow, create chaos.
Yeah.
So they can't be held accountable.
Maybe, yeah.
It's unsettling for sure.
Really unsettling.
It makes you think about what this means
for the government in the long run.
Right.
What happens when you just gut these agencies?
Well, the Forest Service, for example.
Right, they're already struggling with those wildfires.
Especially in Arizona.
Yeah.
What happens if you cut their staff even more?
That's scary to think about.
Yeah.
And the National Park Service.
Those parks are so important.
Absolutely, for people's jobs, for recreation.
People rely on them.
Yeah.
And the GSA, they manage login.gov.
Right, that's how people get social security
and health care benefits.
Millions of people.
Yeah.
How the system goes down.
It's a domino effect, right?
It is.
It all starts to fall apart.
So what do you think?
Is this just incompetence?
You know, that's the big question, isn't it?
I don't think we know for sure yet.
But we got to keep asking the tough questions.
Right, connect the dots.
Exactly.
Follow the money.
Always follow the money.
Speaking of money, this Trump-Adams thing
is really confusing.
Yeah, it's just pretty wild.
It seems like Trump's deputy, A.G.,
pressured the U.S. attorney for the Southern District
of New York to drop charges against Adams.
Right, and not for any legal reason.
No, just politics.
Yeah, purely political reasons.
And get this, they wanted the charges dropped
without prejudice.
So they could just refile them later?
Exactly, it's like a way to hold it over his head.
Wow, that's audacious.
It really is.
The U.S. attorney, Danielle Sassoon, she wouldn't do it.
Good for her.
Yeah, she resigned rather than compromise.
Wow, that's a powerful statement.
It is.
And she wasn't the only one, right?
No, a bunch of people involved in the case stepped down too.
Wow.
Really makes you think about what's going on
at the Justice Department these days.
Right, like something's not right here.
Definitely not.
So now Adams is in a really tough spot.
Yeah, the charges could come back.
He's got all this public scrutiny.
And the governor could even try to remove him from office.
It's like a political pressure cooker.
Yeah, it is.
But the bigger question here,
and this is something I'm really curious to hear
your take on is what does this say about the rule of law
in this country?
I mean, if you can pressure someone to drop charges
just because of politics,
what does that mean for our justice system?
It's pretty troubling.
It is.
It really undermines the idea
that everyone's equal under the law.
Yeah, it's like that foundation starts to crumble.
And then you wonder what happens
to the whole structure, right?
Right.
It's a very thought.
Okay, so we've talked about political pressure
and abuses of power here in the U.S.
But this next story takes us to the global stage.
Why?
It seems like U.S. and Russian officials
are going to meet in Saudi Arabia
to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
Yeah, I saw that.
Sounds like a good thing, right?
Diplomacy over war?
Oh, for sure, but you gotta look closer.
Okay, what am I missing?
Ukraine isn't even invited to these talks.
Wait, what?
Yeah, they're talking about the fate of Ukraine
without Ukraine even being there.
That seems counterproductive.
Yeah, a little bit.
Like, how can you have these talks
without the main party involved?
Right, it's like trying to mediate a family feud
without one of the family members there.
Exactly.
Enzelensky's already said he's not happy about it.
Yeah, I can't blame him.
Imagine being in his position.
Fighting for your country's survival.
And then finding out that two other countries
are deciding your fate.
Yeah, pretty messed up.
It reminds me of all those historical examples
where superpowers just carved up territories.
Like the Molotov-Ribbentrop path?
Exactly, where they divided up Poland.
Yeah, and we all know how that ended.
Not well.
Definitely not.
So are we headed for another
Molotov-Ribbentrop situation here?
I mean, it's hard to say for sure.
What's in it for Russia in the U.S.?
Well, for Russia, it's about ending the sanctions.
Right, those have been crippling.
Yeah, and securing their gains in eastern Ukraine.
Makes sense.
And for Trump, there's speculation
he wants to build that Trump Tower Moscow.
Ah, that elusive tower.
Yeah.
Plus, you know, he probably sees
some economic benefits too.
Absolutely.
Especially when it comes to resources.
Right, which brings us to another interesting development.
Yeah, this was a wild one.
Trump offered Zelensky continued U.S. support.
In exchange for half of Ukraine's mineral wealth.
Yep, that's right.
Which is estimated to be worth trillions of dollars.
Trillions, yeah.
I mean, I get why Trump would be interested.
All those rare earth elements, lithium, uranium.
Essential stuff.
Yeah, for electric vehicles, renewable energy, you name it.
But what about Ukraine?
I mean, giving up half your resources.
Tough call.
Even for survival, it's a steep price.
It really is.
It's like short-term survival
versus long-term prosperity.
Exactly.
He needs our support to fight the Russians,
but at what cost?
And it's not just about the money either.
Right, there's national pride.
Cyberinty.
And there's the desire to be a puppet.
Exactly.
And then there's the global balance of power to consider.
If the U.S. gets control of all those resources.
That would be a huge advantage.
In the race for tech dominance.
Absolutely.
And this whole thing has some interesting implications
for electric vehicles.
Doesn't it?
Because Trump's been anti-electric vehicles in the past.
Yeah, so what's changed?
Maybe it's a real policy shift.
Or maybe he just wants the resources.
It's hard to say.
And don't forget, Musk is a big part of the administration now.
Right, the king of electric vehicles.
Maybe he convinced Trump to change his mind.
It's possible.
Or maybe Trump sees this as a way to one up Pete.
Oh yeah, by cornering the market on those resources.
It's like a geopolitical chess match.
It really is.
And we're all just pawns.
Yeah, trying to figure out what the next move's going to be.
OK, so while we're trying to decode all that,
let's talk about truth social.
All right, what's going on over there?
From what I've seen, it's been a bumpy ride.
Bunky is putting it mildly.
Oh.
They lost $400 million last year.
Ouch.
Yeah.
And how much revenue did they bring in?
Like $3.6 million.
That's rough.
Not a good look.
So what's keeping them going?
Is it just a vanity project for Trump?
Maybe partly, yeah.
And it is staying the spotlight and connect with his base.
For sure.
But they also raised a lot of money when they went public.
OK.
And they still got some of that ash left.
But at that rate, it won't last forever.
No, it won't.
Are they even gaining users?
Not really.
Trump might have like 9 million followers.
But compared to Twitter and Facebook?
Yeah, that's nothing.
Even his most loyal supporters aren't switching over.
Yeah, it's kind of ironic, isn't it?
How so?
It was supposed to be this haven for free speech.
Right, an alternative to the mainstream media.
And it's just become this echo chamber.
Not even a very crowded one.
Exactly.
So what are they doing now?
Well, they're getting into crypto.
They are.
Yeah, something called TruthFy.
TruthFy.
Yeah, no one really knows what it is yet.
What kind of financial platform?
Yeah, maybe.
Could be a way to make money, or it could be a total disaster.
Sounds risky.
Oh, it definitely is.
But hey, Trump loves a good gamble, right?
Yeah, especially when it comes to money.
But sometimes those gambles don't pay off.
And the consequences could be huge.
Speaking of consequences, there's
been a measles outbreak in Seminole, Texas.
Measles?
I thought we got rid of that.
I did too.
What's going on there?
Apparently, it's linked to low vaccination rates,
among the Mennonite community.
Interesting.
And it makes the thing about Kennedy Jr, right?
Oh, right, the new secretary of health of them in services.
Oh, big anti-vaxxer.
Yeah, it's a little unnerving.
A little bit, yeah.
Like, are his personal beliefs going to influence his policies?
That's a good question.
I mean, a lot of public health experts
are worried about that.
Makes sense.
They're saying this outbreak could be just the beginning.
Oh, wow.
Like, if he weakens vaccine mandates,
Yeah.
we could see all these diseases come back.
Like, we're going back in time.
Exactly.
And we're forgetting how important vaccines are.
Yeah, they've saved so many lives.
It's one of the biggest public health achievements ever.
It's true.
And to undermine that, it puts us all at risk.
So this outbreak in Seminole is a cautionary tale.
It is.
It really is.
I'm a minor that public health is so important.
And we can't take it for granted.
Exactly.
You've got to be careful.
OK, I think we need to take a breath.
Yeah, we've covered a lot.
We've gone down so many rabbit holes.
And they're all connected somehow.
It's a lot to process.
It is.
But I feel like we've laid a good foundation.
For sure.
So we can start making sense of all this.
Absolutely.
And hopefully, you know, help our listeners do the same.
That's the goal.
All right, so let's recap a little.
OK.
We started with Trump's tariff smackdown.
Right, lots of mystery surrounding his motives.
Is he bluffing?
Is this a real trade war?
We'll have to wait and see.
Then we talked about those mass firings.
Yeah, the government's getting a makeover.
Not necessarily a good one.
We talked about the potential consequences of that.
For essential services, for investigations.
It's all connected.
And who could forget the Trump-Adams quid pro quo?
That was a wild one.
It really makes you think about how far people in power will go.
Yeah, to protect their own.
And how that impacts the justice system.
Absolutely.
Then we went global.
Did you crane?
The US and Russia are talking about ending the war.
But without Ukraine at the table.
Yeah, that's a big concern.
It is.
And then there's Trump's offer to Zelensky.
Trading US support for resources.
It's a high-stakes gamble for everyone involved.
Definitely.
And it raises so many questions about global power dynamic.
It does.
Back here in the US, truth social is struggling.
Yeah, not exactly a success story.
It's a reminder that influence can be fleeting.
Especially in the world of social media.
And finally, that measles outbreak.
A reminder that public health matters.
And vaccines save lives.
Yeah, they really do.
So what does it all mean?
I think it means we're living in a really uncertain time.
Yeah.
And the old rules don't apply anymore.
It can be scary, honestly.
It can.
But it's also an opportunity
to build a better future.
A more just future.
Exactly.
A more sustainable future.
Absolutely.
So what should we be paying attention to?
Keep an eye on those US-Russia talks.
OK.
That's going to have big implications for everyone.
And domestically.
What happens with those firings?
Yeah, the fallout from that.
And what about truth social?
Will they succeed with this crypto thing?
Only time will tell.
And maybe this measles outbreak will spark
some much needed conversations.
About public health and vaccines.
About misinformation.
Yeah, we need to be having those conversations.
It's going to be an interesting few months.
It is, for sure.
Well, that's all the time we have for today.
But we'll be back next week to dive into even more.
Looking forward to it.
Until then, stay informed, stay engaged.
And stay curious.
This has been the deep dive.
And it makes you think about all those historical examples
where superpowers carved up territories
without even thinking about the people who live there.
Exactly.
Like the Molotov-Ribbentrop packed.
Yeah, that's a perfect example.
Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union
just decided to split Poland between them.
And we all know how well that turned out.
Yeah, not well at all.
Not at all.
So are we headed for a repeat of that,
another Molotov-Ribbentrop situation?
It's hard to say for sure, but we
got to look at what's in it for both sides, right?
Right.
So what does Russia get out of this?
Well, for one, they get to keep what they've already
taken in eastern Ukraine.
OK, makes sense.
And they also get those crippling sanctions lifted.
Oh, right, yeah.
Which have been really hurting their economy.
OK, and what about Trump?
What's his motivation here?
There's a lot of speculation about that.
Give me the juicy details.
Some say he's finally trying to make that Trump Tower Moscow
happen.
Oh, the elusive tower.
The one that's been in the works for years.
Yeah.
And then there's the potential economic benefits
for him personally.
OK, and this connects back to the resources
we were talking about earlier, right?
It does.
Remember that wild offer he made to Zelensky?
Oh, yeah, the one where he asked for half of Ukraine's
mineral wealth?
Exactly.
It's crazy to think about Ukraine
is sitting on trillions of dollars worth of resources.
Yeah, we talked about that.
Lithium, uranium, rare earth elements, you name it.
It's basically a gold mine.
It is.
OK, I can see why Trump's interested.
Right, especially with the whole electric vehicle thing.
But what does Zelensky get out of this?
I mean, handing over half of your country's resources.
It's a tough call for him, for sure.
Even if it means survival, it's got
to be a hard pill to swallow.
Yeah, it isn't a real bind.
It's like choosing between short-term survival
and long-term prosperity.
Exactly.
He needs our support to keep fighting the Russians,
but at what cost?
And it's not just about the money either, right?
It's about sovereignty.
It is, and national pride.
Not wanting to be seen as a puppet of a foreign power.
You got it.
And there's the whole global balance of power to consider.
Right.
What happens if the US suddenly controls
all of those resources?
Talk about a shift in power dynamics.
It'd be huge, especially in the race
for technological dominance.
And this brings us back to the whole electric vehicle thing.
It does, doesn't it?
Because Trump's been so against electric vehicles
in the past?
Yeah, it's a total 180.
So what's changed?
Is this a real policy shift?
Or is he just trying to get his hands on those resources?
And remember, Musk is a key player in the administration
now.
Oh, right, the electric vehicle king himself.
Maybe he's the one who's changed Trump's mind.
It's possible, right?
Or maybe this is all part of some bigger plan
to outmaneuver Putin.
Corner the market on those essential resources.
Exactly.
It's like a global chess match, and we're all just
trying to figure out the next move.
And speaking of trying to figure things out,
let's talk about truth social.
Oh, yeah, how's that going?
Well, from what I've gathered, it hasn't been smooth sailing.
Not smooth sailing at all.
Really?
They lost a ton of money last year.
How much are we talking?
Like $400 million.
Oh, wow, that's a lot of money.
It is.
And their revenue was nowhere near that.
How much did they bring in?
Something like 3.6 million.
That's not great.
Definitely not.
So what's keeping them afloat, then?
Is this just another one of Trump's vanity projects?
Maybe, probably, yeah.
You know, a way to stay relevant, connect with his base.
Right, but they also got a big cash infusion
when they went public.
Right, right.
So they're still working with some of that money.
But that won't last forever, especially at that burn rate.
Nope, it won't.
Are they at least gaining users?
Not really.
Trump's got his 9 million followers.
OK, but compared to the Dians, like Twitter and Facebook?
Yeah, that's nothing.
Even his diehard fans aren't making the switch.
It's kind of funny when you think about it.
What do you mean?
Well, truth social was supposed to be this alternative
to the mainstream media, right?
Yeah, a bastion of free speech.
But it's basically become an echo chamber.
And not even a very full one.
Exactly.
So what are they doing to turn things around?
Well, they're jumping on the crypto bandwagon.
They are.
Yeah, they're launching something called TruthFy.
TruthFy, huh?
What is that?
No one really knows yet.
Some kind of financial platform?
Maybe.
Could be another way to generate revenue.
Or it could be a total flop.
Could be.
Sounds like another one of Trump's gambles.
It does, doesn't it?
He loves taking risks, especially with money.
He does.
But sometimes those risks backfire.
Yeah, and the consequences can be huge.
And speaking of consequences, there's
been a measles outbreak in Texas.
Measles, seriously?
Yeah, in seminal.
I thought we eradicated that like ages ago.
Me too.
But it turns out there are still pockets of the population
that aren't vaccinated.
Interesting.
In this case, it's the Mennonite community.
And this is where things get a little tricky,
especially with Kennedy Jr. being the Secretary of Health
and Human Services now.
Right, because he's been a vocal critic of vaccines.
Yeah, he's a major figure in the anti-vaccine movement.
So now he's in charge of public health.
Yeah, a lot of experts are worried about that.
Makes sense.
I mean, will his personal beliefs affect his policies?
That's the big question, isn't it?
And some are saying this outbreak in seminal
could be a sign of things to come.
Oh, no, like if he rolls back vaccine mandates?
Exactly.
We could see a resurgence of all these preventable diseases.
That's scary to think about.
It is, like we're going backwards in time.
Yeah, back to a time when these diseases were a real threat.
It just goes to show how important vaccines are.
They've saved so many lives.
They really have.
And to undermine that progress, it's a disservice to us all.
It is.
We need to be more vigilant about public health.
We can't take it for granted.
No, we can't.
We need to listen to the experts,
demand evidence-based policies.
And fight misinformation, especially about something
as important as vaccines.
This outbreak in seminal is a real wake-up call.
It is a reminder that we're all connected when
it comes to public health.
It's a collective responsibility.
Exactly.
OK, I think we need to take a step back here.
Yeah, we've covered a lot of ground today.
It's a lot to take in, you know?
It really is.
So many different threads we've been pulling on.
And they're all connected somehow.
It's enough to make your head spin.
It's true, isn't it?
We've got potential trade wars, inner workings
of the Trump administration, a measles outbreak, what else?
Yeah, it's a lot.
But I think we've done a good job of laying it all out.
Yeah, trying to make sense of it all.
Absolutely.
And hopefully, our listeners are falling along.
That's the goal.
So let's do a quick recap.
We started with those tariffs, remember?
Yeah, Trump's tariffs smacked down.
Big promises, no details.
Lots of mystery surrounding his motives.
Is he bluffing?
Is he serious?
It's still unclear.
Then we talked about those mass firings.
Yeah, the government's getting a serious shakeup.
Streamlining, they called it.
But we talked about how those cuts could
have some unintended consequences, right?
Right, for things like wildfire management.
Social security, health care benefits.
Essential services, basically.
Exactly.
And then there's the Trump-Adams situation.
Oh, that quid pro quo.
A real power play.
Makes you wonder how far those in power are willing to go.
To protect their own.
Yeah, and how that affects the justice system, right?
Right, if you can just pressure someone
to drop charges because of politics.
It sets a dangerous precedent.
It really does.
It undermines the whole system.
OK, and then we shifted gears a bit.
To the global stage.
The US and Russia are trying to negotiate
an end to the war in Ukraine.
But without Ukraine being involved.
Yeah, that's a big problem.
You can't just decide the fate of a country
without them being at the table.
And then there's that whole mineral deal.
Oh, yeah, Trump wants half of Ukraine's resources
in exchange for US support.
It's a big gamble for everyone involved.
A huge gamble.
It really highlights those complex power dynamics
on the world stage.
Absolutely.
Economic interests, geopolitical rivalries,
ethical dilemmas, it's all there.
Back here at home, truth social is struggling to stay afloat.
Yeah, not exactly the success story they were hoping for.
It's a reminder that influence can be fleeting.
Especially in the world of social media,
things change so fast.
And finally, that measles outbreak in Texas.
A reminder that public health is so important.
We can't take it for granted.
We can't.
And we need to be having those tough conversations
about vaccines and misinformation.
Because ultimately, it's about protecting the most
vulnerable among us.
Exactly.
So after this whirlwind of a week,
what's the big takeaway?
I think the biggest takeaway is that we're
living in a time of unprecedented change.
Yeah, the old rules don't apply anymore.
The future is uncertain.
And that could be scary.
It can be, yeah.
But it's also exciting.
Exciting.
Yeah, because it means we have the opportunity
to reshape our world.
To build a better future.
Exactly.
A more just future, a more sustainable future,
the possibilities are endless.
So what should we be watching for in the coming weeks
and months?
Keep an eye on those US Rush talks, for sure.
OK, those could have major ripple effects.
They could.
And what about domestically?
Well, what happens with those government firings?
Yeah, will essential services be disrupted?
Will there be legal challenges?
And what about those investigations
they were trying to disrupt?
So many questions.
And then there's truth social and their crypto venture.
Will it be a success?
Will it be another failure?
Only time will tell.
It's going to be an interesting ride, that's for sure.
It is.
Well, that's all the time we have for today.
But we'll be back next week to dive into even more
political intrigue.
Can't wait.
Until then, stay informed, stay engaged, and most importantly.
Stay curious.
This has been the Deep Dive, T-8-T, a day.