WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.019 Welcome to another deep dive. Today, we've got 00:00:04.019 --> 00:00:06.759 a pretty fascinating mix of stuff to unpack for 00:00:06.759 --> 00:00:10.199 you. We do. It's St. Patrick's Day as we're recording 00:00:10.199 --> 00:00:12.800 this, so we've got some fun facts about that. 00:00:12.800 --> 00:00:14.980 Yes. But also, we're going to dig into the economy, 00:00:15.259 --> 00:00:17.820 politics, even some international relations stuff. 00:00:17.960 --> 00:00:19.280 I think you're really going to find this one 00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:22.370 interesting. Yeah, there's some some really surprising 00:00:22.370 --> 00:00:25.050 stuff that we've uncovered in our deep dive research 00:00:25.050 --> 00:00:28.089 So let's kick things off with a little bit of 00:00:28.089 --> 00:00:30.449 festive spirit since it is st. Patrick's Day. 00:00:30.690 --> 00:00:33.289 I gotta ask Do you have any idea how long it 00:00:33.289 --> 00:00:36.130 takes to pour the perfect Guinness? I do not 00:00:36.130 --> 00:00:38.869 I do enjoy a good Guinness from time to time 00:00:38.869 --> 00:00:40.929 same here, but I've never actually timed the 00:00:40.929 --> 00:00:44.329 pour So apparently and this is this very precise. 00:00:44.350 --> 00:00:49.100 Okay, the ideal Guinness pour takes exactly 119 00:00:49.100 --> 00:00:51.899 and a half seconds. Oh wow. Yeah and it's a two 00:00:51.899 --> 00:00:54.399 -stage process. Okay. 92 and a half seconds for 00:00:54.399 --> 00:00:56.219 the initial pour and settling. Yeah. And then 00:00:56.219 --> 00:00:58.679 you top it off and that takes the rest of the 00:00:58.679 --> 00:01:02.600 time to get to that 119 .5 seconds. Pretty interesting 00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:05.079 huh? There's a real science to it. Yeah it's 00:01:05.079 --> 00:01:08.700 fascinating how much tradition and ritual goes 00:01:08.700 --> 00:01:11.379 into something, like even just pouring a drink, 00:01:11.859 --> 00:01:15.560 it speaks volumes about the cultural importance 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:18.040 that we attach to those things. Totally. And 00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:20.299 speaking of St. Patrick's Day, you know, there 00:01:20.299 --> 00:01:22.280 are actually a few things that most people get 00:01:22.280 --> 00:01:24.760 wrong about the holiday itself, even about St. 00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:27.780 Patrick. Yeah, like for example, a lot of folks 00:01:27.780 --> 00:01:29.980 might be surprised to learn that St. Patrick 00:01:29.980 --> 00:01:35.040 was an Irish. What? Yeah. Really? Yeah. He was 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:38.400 actually born in Roman Britain. Wow. And he was 00:01:38.400 --> 00:01:40.560 kidnapped by Irish raiders when he was, like, 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:43.700 16 years old. Oh, wow. That's crazy. Yeah. Pretty 00:01:43.700 --> 00:01:46.500 wild story. And you know those big St. Patrick's 00:01:46.500 --> 00:01:48.680 Day parades we see? Oh, yeah. Well, the first 00:01:48.680 --> 00:01:51.040 one wasn't even in Ireland. Oh, really? It was 00:01:51.040 --> 00:01:54.420 held in Boston way back in 1737. So America's 00:01:54.420 --> 00:01:56.920 got, like, the original St. Patrick's Day parade. 00:01:57.060 --> 00:01:59.140 It seems that way. Wow. OK. Yeah. All right. 00:01:59.159 --> 00:02:01.299 So what about... What were the whole snakes thing? 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:04.200 Right, the legend of St. Patrick banishing all 00:02:04.200 --> 00:02:06.540 the snakes from Ireland. It's a great story, 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:10.300 but turns out Ireland just never had snakes. 00:02:11.020 --> 00:02:13.759 Oh. It's an eye lake. The last ice age pretty 00:02:13.759 --> 00:02:17.379 much isolated it, and snakes never really made 00:02:17.379 --> 00:02:19.939 it over there. So no need for St. Patrick to 00:02:19.939 --> 00:02:23.139 banish them. While we're on the subject of things 00:02:23.139 --> 00:02:26.039 people often get wrong, there's the color most 00:02:26.039 --> 00:02:28.319 associated with St. Patrick's Day. Green. It's 00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:30.039 gotta be green. Right, everyone thinks green. 00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:32.479 But the original color, the one most closely 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:35.740 associated with St. Patrick, was blue. Oh, interesting. 00:02:36.219 --> 00:02:39.000 How did it change over to green? Well, green 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:42.060 came later, probably around the 18th century. 00:02:42.699 --> 00:02:46.520 And it was because of the shamrock and the beautiful 00:02:46.520 --> 00:02:49.719 green landscape of Ireland. But it's interesting 00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:52.639 how these national identities, they get formed 00:02:52.639 --> 00:02:56.719 from this mix of actual history and popular story. 00:02:57.180 --> 00:02:59.120 Makes you wonder what other things we just assume 00:02:59.120 --> 00:03:01.680 are true that might not be. Yeah, I like that. 00:03:01.719 --> 00:03:04.819 So the shamrock itself, the three leaf clover, 00:03:04.939 --> 00:03:07.780 it had a specific meaning, right? It did. St. 00:03:07.939 --> 00:03:10.199 Patrick used it to explain the Holy Trinity. 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:14.080 The three leaves representing the Father, Son, 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:16.360 and Holy Spirit. Oh, I see. So not just about 00:03:16.360 --> 00:03:19.340 luck. The four -leaf clover is about luck. The 00:03:19.340 --> 00:03:21.659 shamrock is more about religious symbolism. OK, 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:23.840 got it. And before we leave St. Patrick's Day 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:26.439 behind, what about that toast? Ah, yes, slant. 00:03:26.500 --> 00:03:30.080 Slant. OK, well, let's shift gears now from the 00:03:30.080 --> 00:03:33.439 festive to something a bit more current events. 00:03:34.159 --> 00:03:36.520 And it looks like we narrowly avoided a government 00:03:36.520 --> 00:03:39.340 shutdown recently. Yeah, just barely. They passed 00:03:39.340 --> 00:03:42.240 a continuing resolution or a CR. A CR, right? 00:03:42.280 --> 00:03:44.060 Which basically keeps the government running. 00:03:44.159 --> 00:03:46.800 Right. President Trump signed it, but the Senate 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:49.219 vote was particularly interesting. It sounds 00:03:49.219 --> 00:03:51.919 like it wasn't exactly smooth sailing. Not really. 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:55.099 The first vote was on cloture, which means 60 00:03:55.099 --> 00:03:57.639 votes to stop a filibuster and move the bill 00:03:57.639 --> 00:03:59.860 forward. Right. Senator Rand Paul, he was the 00:03:59.860 --> 00:04:02.610 only Republican against it, but get this. Ten 00:04:02.610 --> 00:04:04.750 Democrats actually sided with the Republicans? 00:04:05.009 --> 00:04:07.830 Ten Democrats. Wow, that's definitely suggest 00:04:07.830 --> 00:04:09.610 something's going on there, right? Definitely 00:04:09.610 --> 00:04:12.870 some tension or strategy at play. The final vote 00:04:12.870 --> 00:04:16.170 was 62 -38. Okay, so they cleared that hurdle, 00:04:16.209 --> 00:04:18.470 but then there was the actual vote on the bill. 00:04:18.610 --> 00:04:20.490 Right, and that's where it gets even more interesting. 00:04:20.930 --> 00:04:25.149 The final vote on the CR was 54 -46. Senator 00:04:25.149 --> 00:04:28.569 Paul still against it, but now two Republicans, 00:04:28.949 --> 00:04:31.800 King and Shaheen, voted for the bill. Interesting. 00:04:31.899 --> 00:04:34.079 And here's the thing, eight of the Democrats 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:36.939 who voted for cloture, they actually voted against 00:04:36.939 --> 00:04:39.139 the bill. OK, so a lot of back and forth, different 00:04:39.139 --> 00:04:41.579 positions. Yeah. Seems like there were three 00:04:41.579 --> 00:04:44.000 main viewpoints among the Democrats. What were 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:46.199 they? Well, first you had the group that seemed 00:04:46.199 --> 00:04:48.379 to want a shutdown. Let's call them position 00:04:48.379 --> 00:04:51.199 37. These were the 37 Democrats and independents 00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:53.860 who voted against the bill. Their thinking seems 00:04:53.860 --> 00:04:56.879 to be that it didn't do enough to challenge Republican 00:04:56.879 --> 00:04:59.800 priorities, maybe not tough enough on Elon Musk. 00:04:59.819 --> 00:05:02.790 OK. a shutdown, even though it's risky, would 00:05:02.790 --> 00:05:05.230 be a stronger message. So they were willing to 00:05:05.230 --> 00:05:08.050 risk it? They were. And the fact that so many 00:05:08.050 --> 00:05:10.329 were willing to go that far, that could mean 00:05:10.329 --> 00:05:12.610 we're in for some really tough budget battles 00:05:12.610 --> 00:05:14.490 in the future. Yeah, like drawing a line in the 00:05:14.490 --> 00:05:17.569 sand. Exactly. Then you have position eight, 00:05:17.850 --> 00:05:19.990 those who voted against the shutdown in the bill. 00:05:20.069 --> 00:05:22.069 They probably agree with the first group on some 00:05:22.069 --> 00:05:24.910 things, but they think a shutdown would do more 00:05:24.910 --> 00:05:27.850 harm than good. Right. Weighing the risks. Exactly. 00:05:28.110 --> 00:05:30.410 So what about the last two? Position two, they 00:05:30.410 --> 00:05:33.250 voted for the bill. One was Senator Shaheen, 00:05:33.389 --> 00:05:36.129 who's retiring soon. Right. They might have thought 00:05:36.129 --> 00:05:39.529 the budget changes were OK. Or maybe Shaheen, 00:05:39.610 --> 00:05:41.490 without having to worry about reelection, felt 00:05:41.490 --> 00:05:43.470 she had more freedom to vote how she wanted. 00:05:43.829 --> 00:05:46.269 Yeah, that makes sense. It's interesting to see 00:05:46.269 --> 00:05:49.709 how, like, you know, it's not just a simple Democrats 00:05:49.709 --> 00:05:51.970 versus Republicans. No, it's much more nuanced 00:05:51.970 --> 00:05:54.769 than that. It shows there's real debate and different 00:05:54.769 --> 00:05:57.779 strategic approaches within the parties. Absolutely. 00:05:58.220 --> 00:06:00.439 And in the middle of all this, it seems like 00:06:00.439 --> 00:06:02.420 Chuck Schumer's leadership is being questioned. 00:06:03.079 --> 00:06:06.259 It is. Some Democrats think letting the CR pass 00:06:06.259 --> 00:06:08.319 was the wrong move. They think he could have 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:10.759 stopped it if he'd opposed cloture. And then 00:06:10.759 --> 00:06:14.430 there was that next question, comment. from Hakeem 00:06:14.430 --> 00:06:17.189 Jeffries. Oh, yeah. When asked about Schumer's 00:06:17.189 --> 00:06:19.569 leadership. Yeah, that spoke volumes. It did. 00:06:20.089 --> 00:06:21.829 Do you think Schumer could actually be replaced 00:06:21.829 --> 00:06:24.029 mid -session? That's really rare. It's only happened 00:06:24.029 --> 00:06:26.569 twice before and both times because the leader 00:06:26.569 --> 00:06:29.149 died. Oh, wow. It's hard to remove a leader. 00:06:29.670 --> 00:06:31.750 But whether Schumer stays in charge after this 00:06:31.750 --> 00:06:33.990 Congress, that's definitely up in the air. Yeah, 00:06:33.990 --> 00:06:35.410 it'll be interesting to see how that plays out. 00:06:35.670 --> 00:06:38.529 So beyond this immediate budget deal, what does 00:06:38.529 --> 00:06:41.449 it all mean? Well, one thing to consider is if 00:06:41.449 --> 00:06:44.439 the economy goes south, Like if the stock market 00:06:44.439 --> 00:06:48.500 pangs or inflation goes way up, then Trump and 00:06:48.500 --> 00:06:50.439 the Republicans will be the ones to blame. It'll 00:06:50.439 --> 00:06:52.600 be hard to point fingers elsewhere. Exactly. 00:06:52.980 --> 00:06:54.860 OK, let's move on to something else pretty concerning, 00:06:55.060 --> 00:06:56.980 and that's President Trump targeting law firms. 00:06:57.160 --> 00:06:59.639 Yeah, it's a direct challenge to the rule of 00:06:59.639 --> 00:07:02.240 law trying to punish anyone who represents people 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:04.360 he doesn't like. Can you give us some examples? 00:07:05.360 --> 00:07:07.240 Well, first there was Covington and Burling. 00:07:07.579 --> 00:07:10.839 They defended Jack Smith. Trump went after their 00:07:10.839 --> 00:07:13.339 security clearances, making it impossible for 00:07:13.339 --> 00:07:15.540 them to work on national security cases. So they 00:07:15.540 --> 00:07:18.019 were first to back down? Pretty much. Then came 00:07:18.019 --> 00:07:21.300 Perkins and Coy. They fought back, hired Williams 00:07:21.300 --> 00:07:23.779 and Connolly, and a judge actually ruled against 00:07:23.779 --> 00:07:26.879 Trump in that case. But now he's targeting Paul 00:07:26.879 --> 00:07:29.540 Weiss. And what's he doing? Signed an executive 00:07:29.540 --> 00:07:32.300 order to revoke the security clearances of their 00:07:32.300 --> 00:07:35.779 lawyers. Specifically targeting Mark Pomerantz, 00:07:35.779 --> 00:07:38.000 who had investigated him. before. So basically 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:39.839 trying to cripple these firms. Right. Taking 00:07:39.839 --> 00:07:42.240 away security clearances stops them from working 00:07:42.240 --> 00:07:45.360 on sensitive cases and restricting access to 00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:47.699 federal property could stop them from representing 00:07:47.699 --> 00:07:50.019 clients in federal court. What's the reason behind 00:07:50.019 --> 00:07:52.740 all this? I think it's a few things. First, it 00:07:52.740 --> 00:07:55.680 shows he doesn't care about the law. OK. Second, 00:07:56.060 --> 00:07:58.600 it's revenge against anyone who opposes him. 00:07:59.370 --> 00:08:02.730 But the scariest thing is what it does to other 00:08:02.730 --> 00:08:04.870 lawyers. You mean like it'll scare them off? 00:08:04.949 --> 00:08:07.089 Yeah, they might not want to take on politically 00:08:07.089 --> 00:08:09.930 sensitive cases because they're afraid of what 00:08:09.930 --> 00:08:12.089 Trump might do. That's a pretty chilling thought. 00:08:12.430 --> 00:08:14.470 So you're saying people might not be able to 00:08:14.470 --> 00:08:17.670 get legal representation. That's the worry. The 00:08:17.670 --> 00:08:19.730 Sixth Amendment guarantees everyone a lawyer. 00:08:20.029 --> 00:08:21.949 But what if there are no lawyers willing to take 00:08:21.949 --> 00:08:25.269 the case? That's a scary thought. Will there 00:08:25.269 --> 00:08:27.750 be legal challenges to this? Almost certainly. 00:08:28.139 --> 00:08:31.660 These cases could end up before judges like Beryl 00:08:31.660 --> 00:08:35.299 Howell, who already rule against Trump, or Tonya 00:08:35.299 --> 00:08:38.679 Chutkin. And this might be something even Republican 00:08:38.679 --> 00:08:40.679 -appointed judges have a problem with. Because 00:08:40.679 --> 00:08:42.960 it's attacking the legal system itself. Right. 00:08:43.419 --> 00:08:45.059 It'll be interesting to see how that develops. 00:08:45.639 --> 00:08:48.419 Now let's talk about voters. Seems like some 00:08:48.419 --> 00:08:50.409 people who voted for Trump... might be changing 00:08:50.409 --> 00:08:53.309 their minds. Yeah, recent polls from Quinnipiac 00:08:53.309 --> 00:08:56.309 show his approval rating going down from plus 00:08:56.309 --> 00:08:59.210 three in January to minus 11 in March. That's 00:08:59.210 --> 00:09:01.330 a big drop. What's causing that? A lot of it 00:09:01.330 --> 00:09:03.649 seems to be the economy. People aren't happy 00:09:03.649 --> 00:09:06.169 with how things are going. So despite his promises, 00:09:06.549 --> 00:09:08.669 the economy isn't doing so well for everyone. 00:09:09.269 --> 00:09:10.690 That's the sense we're getting. What else are 00:09:10.690 --> 00:09:13.049 people concerned about? Trade with Mexico and 00:09:13.049 --> 00:09:15.990 Canada, the war in Ukraine, even Elon Musk's 00:09:15.990 --> 00:09:19.009 image is hurting him. Interesting. On a side 00:09:19.009 --> 00:09:21.809 note, the poll also shows Marco Rubio is doing 00:09:21.809 --> 00:09:24.669 pretty well. Yeah, he's got decent approval ratings. 00:09:24.889 --> 00:09:27.789 OK, let's switch gears again and talk about the 00:09:27.789 --> 00:09:31.370 impact of Trump's policies on farmers. This is 00:09:31.370 --> 00:09:34.870 a big one. Farmers are really struggling. What 00:09:34.870 --> 00:09:36.870 are some of the specific challenges they're facing? 00:09:37.039 --> 00:09:39.360 Well, we heard from a farmer in West Virginia 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:42.919 who lost school lunch sales because of cuts to 00:09:42.919 --> 00:09:46.259 the USDA budget. So real, tangible impact. Exactly. 00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:48.960 And it's not just domestic sales. Terrace have 00:09:48.960 --> 00:09:52.080 caused a loss of export markets. Oh, right, because 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:54.460 other countries are stepping in. Exactly. Chuck 00:09:54.460 --> 00:09:57.179 Conner from the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives 00:09:57.179 --> 00:09:59.399 put it well. What does he say? He said food exports 00:09:59.399 --> 00:10:02.059 are easy targets in trade wars, and once you 00:10:02.059 --> 00:10:04.279 lose those markets, it's hard to get them back. 00:10:04.399 --> 00:10:06.620 Yeah, makes sense. Especially for new sp— products 00:10:06.620 --> 00:10:10.840 that don't have a big domestic demand, like certain 00:10:10.840 --> 00:10:13.720 animal parts. So beyond trade, what else is going 00:10:13.720 --> 00:10:16.200 on? Well, there are staffing shortages in the 00:10:16.200 --> 00:10:19.240 USDA, which means delays in grants and loans. 00:10:19.559 --> 00:10:22.000 Which farmers rely on. Exactly. We heard from 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:24.799 a blueberry farmer in Maine who waited months 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:27.779 for a $50 ,000 grant, but by then it was too 00:10:27.779 --> 00:10:30.320 late to use it for planting. Wow, that's tough. 00:10:30.580 --> 00:10:33.100 And there's John Boyd, a farmer from Virginia, 00:10:33.460 --> 00:10:36.220 who puts the blame squarely on Trump. He does. 00:10:36.519 --> 00:10:38.379 Yeah, he says Trump is the reason farmers are 00:10:38.379 --> 00:10:41.059 in such a tough spot. It seems like this could 00:10:41.059 --> 00:10:43.419 have a real political impact. Definitely. If 00:10:43.419 --> 00:10:46.179 the Democrats can capitalize on this in 2026 00:10:46.179 --> 00:10:49.480 and really connect these policies to the struggles 00:10:49.480 --> 00:10:51.639 farmers are facing. Right. Speak to their economic 00:10:51.639 --> 00:10:53.820 concerns. Exactly. They could win back some of 00:10:53.820 --> 00:10:56.679 those rural votes. Makes sense. Now, speaking 00:10:56.679 --> 00:10:58.559 of democratic strategies, there's this think 00:10:58.559 --> 00:11:01.620 tank, Third Way. They're proposing a pretty interesting 00:11:01.620 --> 00:11:04.720 approach to engage voters. Yeah, their signal 00:11:04.720 --> 00:11:08.100 project is an 18 -month plan to focus on issues 00:11:08.100 --> 00:11:10.600 that really matter to people. Like what? Things 00:11:10.600 --> 00:11:13.679 like rising prices, food safety, nuclear security, 00:11:13.980 --> 00:11:16.720 protecting children, air safety, veterans' health 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:19.000 care. Those are pretty big concerns. They are. 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:21.360 OK, so what's their strategy? To connect those 00:11:21.360 --> 00:11:24.429 concerns directly to Trump's policies. Instead 00:11:24.429 --> 00:11:27.629 of just focusing on his rhetoric. Right. They 00:11:27.629 --> 00:11:29.649 want to make it about things that affect people's 00:11:29.649 --> 00:11:31.750 daily lives. OK. Can you give us an example? 00:11:31.929 --> 00:11:33.809 Sure. So instead of just talking about January 00:11:33.809 --> 00:11:36.909 6th, they might focus on how tariffs could lead 00:11:36.909 --> 00:11:38.870 to higher prices. Right. Something people feel 00:11:38.870 --> 00:11:41.389 in their wallets. Exactly. Or they might talk 00:11:41.389 --> 00:11:44.409 about how staffing cuts at the FDA could mean 00:11:44.409 --> 00:11:48.129 less food safety oversight. OK. So connecting 00:11:48.129 --> 00:11:50.610 the dots for voters. Yeah. Making it very real. 00:11:50.769 --> 00:11:53.309 Makes sense. All right. Let's talk about Michigan 00:11:53.309 --> 00:11:56.710 now. There are some reports that voters who switch 00:11:56.710 --> 00:12:00.029 to Trump might be having second thoughts. Yeah, 00:12:00.049 --> 00:12:02.570 focus groups with Michigan voters who flip from 00:12:02.570 --> 00:12:05.330 Biden to Trump show a lot of regret and disappointment. 00:12:05.570 --> 00:12:08.269 Why is that? They feel like their expectations 00:12:08.269 --> 00:12:10.450 haven't been met and they're worried about the 00:12:10.450 --> 00:12:12.649 economy. So they're not seeing the improvements 00:12:12.649 --> 00:12:14.730 they were hoping for? Not really. And the way 00:12:14.730 --> 00:12:16.970 they talk about Trump now is pretty telling. 00:12:17.289 --> 00:12:21.669 They use words like erratic, frightening, even 00:12:21.669 --> 00:12:25.250 dictator. Wow, strong words. Yeah, one woman, 00:12:25.409 --> 00:12:27.769 Cheryl, said she's scared to watch the news now. 00:12:27.850 --> 00:12:31.070 Oh, wow. Another guy, Phil, questioned why there 00:12:31.070 --> 00:12:33.750 were problems with Canada. Right, a close ally 00:12:33.750 --> 00:12:35.889 and trading partner. And Theresa straight up 00:12:35.889 --> 00:12:38.429 said Trump's acting like a dictator. Oh, OK. 00:12:38.610 --> 00:12:40.210 So they're pretty disillusioned. Does that mean 00:12:40.210 --> 00:12:42.169 they're ready to vote for Kamala Harris? Not 00:12:42.169 --> 00:12:44.889 necessarily. Only one person in the focus group 00:12:44.889 --> 00:12:46.990 said they'd vote for her. So it's more like a 00:12:46.990 --> 00:12:49.730 general dissatisfaction. It seems that way. People 00:12:49.730 --> 00:12:52.409 are unhappy with Trump, but they don't see a 00:12:52.409 --> 00:12:54.399 clear alternative either. It'll be interesting 00:12:54.399 --> 00:12:57.139 to see how that plays out. Speaking of potential 00:12:57.139 --> 00:13:00.320 candidates, what about Pete Bucketgig? He's made 00:13:00.320 --> 00:13:02.720 an interesting decision. He's not going to run 00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:05.440 for the Senate or governor in Michigan in 2026. 00:13:05.940 --> 00:13:08.000 He just moved there, so it might be too soon 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:11.139 for a statewide campaign. But the bigger reason 00:13:11.139 --> 00:13:14.580 is probably his presidential ambitions. In 2028. 00:13:14.960 --> 00:13:18.419 Exactly. But there's a potential problem. Governor 00:13:18.419 --> 00:13:20.929 Whitmer. Right. She's popular in Michigan. Yeah, 00:13:20.970 --> 00:13:23.289 she's got great name recognition and she's very 00:13:23.289 --> 00:13:26.389 popular with black voters, which is a key democratic 00:13:26.389 --> 00:13:28.769 demographic. And that's something Buddy Geeks 00:13:28.769 --> 00:13:32.049 struggled with in 2020. He did. He needs to improve 00:13:32.049 --> 00:13:34.309 his standing with black voters if he wants to 00:13:34.309 --> 00:13:36.509 win the nomination. Especially in states like 00:13:36.509 --> 00:13:39.649 South Carolina, which votes early. Exactly. He'll 00:13:39.649 --> 00:13:42.389 need to show that he can build a broad coalition. 00:13:42.549 --> 00:13:45.889 It's a long game he's playing. Okay, let's finish 00:13:45.889 --> 00:13:47.850 up by talking about Europe and their concerns 00:13:47.850 --> 00:13:51.490 about relying on U .S. weapons. Yeah, there's 00:13:51.490 --> 00:13:53.649 a lot of anxiety over there about their defense 00:13:53.649 --> 00:13:56.029 capabilities. Especially with Trump potentially 00:13:56.029 --> 00:13:58.190 back in the picture. Exactly. There have even 00:13:58.190 --> 00:14:01.070 been rumors about a kill switch on the F -35. 00:14:01.529 --> 00:14:03.389 Like the U .S. could just shut down their jets? 00:14:03.690 --> 00:14:05.850 It's probably not that simple, but the worry 00:14:05.850 --> 00:14:08.009 is real. Because they're so reliant on U .S. 00:14:08.370 --> 00:14:11.389 technology. Exactly. The F -35 needs constant 00:14:11.389 --> 00:14:13.730 software updates from the U .S. And if those 00:14:13.730 --> 00:14:16.529 stop, the planes become much less effective. 00:14:16.570 --> 00:14:18.730 Plus, the parts and maintenance all come from 00:14:18.730 --> 00:14:21.129 the U .S. So it makes them vulnerable. Exactly. 00:14:21.429 --> 00:14:23.529 And with Trump's unpredictability, they don't 00:14:23.529 --> 00:14:25.409 know what to expect. So are they looking for 00:14:25.409 --> 00:14:28.570 alternatives? They are. Portugal is already hesitant 00:14:28.570 --> 00:14:32.240 about buying F -35s. OK, and others might follow 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:35.580 suit. They're looking at European -made jets 00:14:35.580 --> 00:14:38.440 like the Typhoon, the Gripen, and the Rafale. 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:40.879 Are those as good as the F -35? They don't have 00:14:40.879 --> 00:14:43.639 the same stealth capabilities, but they're still 00:14:43.639 --> 00:14:47.200 very good. And against most Russian jets, they'd 00:14:47.200 --> 00:14:49.740 be more than a match. Plus, they wouldn't be 00:14:49.740 --> 00:14:52.019 reliant on the US. That's a big factor. It is. 00:14:52.220 --> 00:14:54.659 This whole situation with Trump is really pushing 00:14:54.659 --> 00:14:57.580 Europe to think about its own defense and maybe 00:14:57.580 --> 00:15:00.120 move away from American weapons in the long run. 00:15:00.360 --> 00:15:02.919 That's a huge shift. It is. OK, one last thing 00:15:02.919 --> 00:15:06.649 before we wrap up. The brain drain and how abortion 00:15:06.649 --> 00:15:08.830 policies are playing a part. This is a really 00:15:08.830 --> 00:15:11.970 interesting trend Yeah, we're seeing highly educated 00:15:11.970 --> 00:15:14.990 people especially young professionals Okay moving 00:15:14.990 --> 00:15:17.649 from states with abortion bans to states with 00:15:17.649 --> 00:15:20.350 more liberal laws and this is happening in significant 00:15:20.350 --> 00:15:22.970 numbers Yeah estimates suggest around a hundred 00:15:22.970 --> 00:15:25.289 and fifty thousand people a year are making this 00:15:25.289 --> 00:15:27.870 move Wow, and these are often the people states 00:15:27.870 --> 00:15:30.029 need to thrive. They're losing their best and 00:15:30.029 --> 00:15:32.820 brightest Exactly. And it's not just any profession. 00:15:33.139 --> 00:15:35.159 We're seeing a lot of doctors leave, especially 00:15:35.159 --> 00:15:38.320 OB -GYNs. Makes sense, given the climate. Right. 00:15:38.399 --> 00:15:40.980 This is leading to health care shortages in those 00:15:40.980 --> 00:15:44.059 states. Women are finding it harder to access 00:15:44.059 --> 00:15:47.720 even basic care, including prenatal care. That's 00:15:47.720 --> 00:15:50.639 a problem. It is. And some experts are even worried 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:53.220 about an increase in remote assisted birth during 00:15:53.220 --> 00:15:55.879 emergencies. Because there aren't enough. Doctors. 00:15:56.419 --> 00:15:58.360 Exactly. Wow, that's a pretty dire picture. It 00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:00.580 is. This could have a really negative impact 00:16:00.580 --> 00:16:02.940 on these states in the long run. Yeah, something 00:16:02.940 --> 00:16:05.940 to keep an eye on. Well, as we wrap up this deep 00:16:05.940 --> 00:16:09.179 dive, I'm struck by how interconnected everything 00:16:09.179 --> 00:16:12.620 is. Me too. We've covered politics, the economy, 00:16:13.059 --> 00:16:15.759 international relations and social issues. And 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:17.919 it all seems to be pointing to a lot of uncertainty 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:20.080 and change. Yeah, there's a lot going on and 00:16:20.080 --> 00:16:22.019 it's not clear where it's all headed. From government 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:26.570 funding to voter sentiment to international alliances. 00:16:27.129 --> 00:16:30.149 It's a really complex landscape. It is. So as 00:16:30.149 --> 00:16:32.190 you go about your day, we hope you keep these 00:16:32.190 --> 00:16:34.990 things in mind. Yeah, think about how these trends 00:16:34.990 --> 00:16:38.429 might affect you, your community, and the world. 00:16:38.850 --> 00:16:41.529 And we'll be back soon with another deep dive 00:16:41.529 --> 00:16:43.490 into something fascinating. Sounds good. See 00:16:43.490 --> 00:16:44.649 you next time. See you later.