WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.799 Wow, you know, looking at the calendar, April 00:00:02.799 --> 00:00:05.719 2nd tomorrow, feels like we're at a turning point. 00:00:05.980 --> 00:00:08.660 Elections popping up everywhere and all this 00:00:08.660 --> 00:00:11.380 against, well, economic news that's kind of all 00:00:11.380 --> 00:00:13.220 over the place and some political moves that 00:00:13.220 --> 00:00:15.240 make you scratch your head. Yeah, no, it's a 00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:17.960 wild time for sure. I think what makes this moment, 00:00:18.140 --> 00:00:20.660 you know, this particular moment so fascinating 00:00:20.660 --> 00:00:24.530 is just how much is happening at the state and 00:00:24.530 --> 00:00:27.329 local levels. We're not talking about just some 00:00:27.329 --> 00:00:30.149 minor down -ballot races here. This is like a 00:00:30.149 --> 00:00:32.170 real -time look at what voters are thinking and 00:00:32.170 --> 00:00:34.829 feeling right now. Exactly. And that's precisely 00:00:34.829 --> 00:00:37.149 what we're diving into today. You shared the 00:00:37.149 --> 00:00:40.170 electoral vote news briefing for March 31st. 00:00:40.189 --> 00:00:42.469 And let me tell you, it is packed with information. 00:00:42.750 --> 00:00:44.789 It's our mission today to kind of sift through 00:00:44.789 --> 00:00:46.969 all of that and pull out those really key insights, 00:00:47.030 --> 00:00:49.689 those nuggets that help us help you understand 00:00:49.689 --> 00:00:51.689 what's happening in these elections, in the economy, 00:00:51.990 --> 00:00:53.770 in the broader political landscape. We're giving 00:00:53.770 --> 00:00:55.829 you a shortcut, basically. Yeah, the briefing 00:00:55.829 --> 00:00:57.950 is pretty comprehensive. It covers, like you 00:00:57.950 --> 00:00:59.969 said, these crucial elections, what's going on 00:00:59.969 --> 00:01:03.240 with the economy, numbers wise. And even some, 00:01:03.240 --> 00:01:04.859 well, some pretty interesting stuff happening 00:01:04.859 --> 00:01:07.219 within the parties themselves, you know, behind 00:01:07.219 --> 00:01:09.519 the scenes. Absolutely. We're going to be covering 00:01:09.519 --> 00:01:12.560 a lot of ground from those super important judicial 00:01:12.560 --> 00:01:14.959 races. And you know how school board elections 00:01:14.959 --> 00:01:17.700 always get heated all the way up to the national 00:01:17.700 --> 00:01:20.599 economic picture and even some, well, some town 00:01:20.599 --> 00:01:22.879 hall meetings that you wouldn't believe. So let's 00:01:22.879 --> 00:01:26.359 jump right in. Tomorrow's elections. Wisconsin, 00:01:26.640 --> 00:01:28.540 well, Wisconsin seems like the place to watch, 00:01:28.659 --> 00:01:30.959 wouldn't you say? Oh, absolutely. Wisconsin always 00:01:30.959 --> 00:01:32.760 keeps things interesting, politically speaking. 00:01:33.140 --> 00:01:35.640 And this Supreme Court race, this one's a biggie, 00:01:36.040 --> 00:01:38.340 with Justice Ann Walsh Bradley retiring, the 00:01:38.340 --> 00:01:40.599 court split right down the middle, ideologically 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:43.340 liberal and conservative. And with the winner 00:01:43.340 --> 00:01:46.159 getting a 10 -year term, yeah, this election 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:50.840 is monumental. Huge, absolutely huge. And the 00:01:50.840 --> 00:01:53.079 candidates, well, they're pretty clear cut. You've 00:01:53.079 --> 00:01:55.159 got Dane County Judge Susan Crawford. She's got 00:01:55.159 --> 00:01:57.239 the Democrats behind her and even an endorsement 00:01:57.239 --> 00:01:59.780 from Obama. And then you've got former State 00:01:59.780 --> 00:02:02.000 Attorney General Brad Schimel. He's the Republican 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:04.700 pick with Trump's endorsement. But here's where 00:02:04.700 --> 00:02:07.349 things get really interesting. Elon Musk has 00:02:07.349 --> 00:02:10.969 reportedly pumped over 20 million dollars into 00:02:10.969 --> 00:02:14.389 Schiml's campaign. Wow, 20 million? Yeah, 20 00:02:14.389 --> 00:02:17.150 million into what's supposed to be a nonpartisan 00:02:17.150 --> 00:02:20.169 race. Makes you wonder about that nonpartisan 00:02:20.169 --> 00:02:22.210 label, doesn't it? It certainly highlights the 00:02:22.210 --> 00:02:24.490 power of, well, you know, big money in these 00:02:24.490 --> 00:02:27.370 elections, even judicial ones. And while Musk's 00:02:27.370 --> 00:02:30.050 spending is definitely grabbing headlines, It's 00:02:30.050 --> 00:02:32.090 worth remembering that Crawford has been doing 00:02:32.090 --> 00:02:34.889 her own fundraising, too, at a grassroots level. 00:02:35.169 --> 00:02:37.750 Very different approaches, for sure. And it feels 00:02:37.750 --> 00:02:41.550 like this race is being viewed as much more than 00:02:41.550 --> 00:02:44.069 just, well, picking a judge. It's almost like 00:02:44.069 --> 00:02:47.650 a test, a proxy vote on what some are calling 00:02:47.650 --> 00:02:50.370 the Musk -Trump administration, if that makes 00:02:50.370 --> 00:02:53.409 sense. If Crawford pulls off a big win, like 00:02:53.409 --> 00:02:56.189 how Janet Protosewicz did back in 23, it'll be 00:02:56.189 --> 00:02:59.159 seen as a pretty big blow to Trump. And even 00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:01.280 more so to Musk, considering how much he's put 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:03.259 into it, trying to influence things with his 00:03:03.259 --> 00:03:06.159 money. This much outside money in a judicial 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:08.780 race, it does raise some serious questions about 00:03:08.780 --> 00:03:12.039 the whole idea of nonpartisan elections. It suggests 00:03:12.039 --> 00:03:14.520 a trend where super wealthy individuals could 00:03:14.520 --> 00:03:17.159 basically try to shape the courts to fit their 00:03:17.159 --> 00:03:19.599 own political agendas. That kind of undermines 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:21.819 the whole trust in the justice system. And then 00:03:21.819 --> 00:03:24.400 you have Musk. He's very out there with his tactics, 00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:27.360 very public, trying to boost Republican turnout. 00:03:28.139 --> 00:03:30.159 a hundred bucks for petition signers against 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:32.479 activist judges and then that whole million dollar 00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:34.620 lottery thing that definitely got people talking 00:03:34.620 --> 00:03:36.599 and it even got him a legal challenge from the 00:03:36.599 --> 00:03:39.460 Wisconsin Attorney General. Oh yeah the AG tried 00:03:39.460 --> 00:03:41.360 to shut that lottery down said it was illegal 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:45.139 but Musk's lawyers fought back hard and they 00:03:45.139 --> 00:03:48.319 won not just once but twice. Those million dollar 00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:51.159 checks actually went out. The briefing suggests 00:03:51.159 --> 00:03:54.090 we might see Musk using this kind of Well, playbook 00:03:54.090 --> 00:03:56.090 again in future elections, you know, where he 00:03:56.090 --> 00:03:59.189 has a horse in the race, so to speak. It definitely 00:03:59.189 --> 00:04:01.509 sparks a bigger conversation about, well, how 00:04:01.509 --> 00:04:03.689 much influence should billionaires have on our 00:04:03.689 --> 00:04:06.110 elections? You know, and with the Wisconsin Supreme 00:04:06.110 --> 00:04:09.110 Court likely to deal with some pretty weighty 00:04:09.110 --> 00:04:10.949 issues, you know, things like abortion rights, 00:04:11.169 --> 00:04:13.930 gerrymandering, union power, and even the state's 00:04:13.930 --> 00:04:16.629 election rules. This race has consequences that 00:04:16.629 --> 00:04:18.810 reach far beyond just, you know, one seat on 00:04:18.810 --> 00:04:21.170 the court. Absolutely. And the drama in Wisconsin 00:04:21.170 --> 00:04:23.639 doesn't end there. the race for superintendent 00:04:23.639 --> 00:04:25.879 of schools, and that one has gotten pretty heated, 00:04:26.180 --> 00:04:28.899 too. It has. You have Jill Underly, the incumbent. 00:04:28.899 --> 00:04:30.879 She's got the support of the teachers union and 00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:33.160 the Democratic Party. She's very much against 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:34.860 school vouchers. And then on the other side, 00:04:34.899 --> 00:04:37.019 you have Brittany Kinzer. She's got a background 00:04:37.019 --> 00:04:39.220 in charter schools and the backing of the Republicans. 00:04:39.220 --> 00:04:42.139 And she's all about expanding those voucher programs. 00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:45.540 It's that classic battle over how we fund education, 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:47.959 public versus private. Then you look at the local 00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:51.319 races in Dane County, which is pretty solidly 00:04:51.319 --> 00:04:53.300 Democratic. You have the county executive race, 00:04:53.399 --> 00:04:55.759 and it's a stark choice. Melissa Algard, the 00:04:55.759 --> 00:04:58.879 Democrat, she's pushing for a bigger safety net 00:04:58.879 --> 00:05:02.160 to counter those potential federal cuts under 00:05:02.160 --> 00:05:04.759 a Trump administration. And then Steven Ratzlaff, 00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:06.699 he's running as an independent, and he actually 00:05:06.699 --> 00:05:09.240 wants to cut the safety net even more. Plus, 00:05:09.259 --> 00:05:11.680 he's all about cooperating with ICE. Very different 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:13.600 visions for the county. Yeah, no doubt about 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:16.139 that. And then in Winnebago County, which is 00:05:16.139 --> 00:05:18.060 more politically divided, the county executive 00:05:18.060 --> 00:05:21.529 race is between Joe Dommel the Republican incumbent, 00:05:22.189 --> 00:05:24.709 and Gordon Hintz, who used to be the Democratic 00:05:24.709 --> 00:05:26.990 leader in the state house, that one could be 00:05:26.990 --> 00:05:29.870 influenced by those, what are they calling them, 00:05:30.230 --> 00:05:34.389 DOGE cuts? Right, the DOGE cuts. Those are budget 00:05:34.389 --> 00:05:36.449 cuts at the state level that have become a big 00:05:36.449 --> 00:05:38.870 issue in this race. Hintz is trying to tie them 00:05:38.870 --> 00:05:41.240 to his Republican opponent. And to round out 00:05:41.240 --> 00:05:43.660 Wisconsin, we have that ballot measure, you know, 00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:45.600 the one that wants to put the state's voter ID 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:48.439 law right into the Constitution. Democrats are 00:05:48.439 --> 00:05:50.579 saying that this is going to disenfranchise certain 00:05:50.579 --> 00:05:53.160 voters, make it harder for them to vote. But 00:05:53.160 --> 00:05:55.699 Schiml, well, he's been a big supporter of those 00:05:55.699 --> 00:05:58.240 stricter voter ID laws. Crawford, on the other 00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:01.180 hand, she's got a history of opposing them. So 00:06:01.180 --> 00:06:03.360 the results from all these races in Wisconsin 00:06:03.360 --> 00:06:05.459 tomorrow, well, they're going to tell us a lot 00:06:05.459 --> 00:06:07.800 about where the state's headed politically, you 00:06:07.800 --> 00:06:09.620 know, as we look ahead to the next big election. 00:06:09.610 --> 00:06:11.649 cycle. Let's shift gears a bit and head down 00:06:11.649 --> 00:06:13.449 to Florida. We have a couple of special elections 00:06:13.449 --> 00:06:15.389 for the U .S. House of Representatives happening 00:06:15.389 --> 00:06:18.589 there. Worth keeping an eye on. First, there's 00:06:18.589 --> 00:06:21.149 Florida's first congressional district that was 00:06:21.149 --> 00:06:23.610 Representative Gates's old seat. It's considered 00:06:23.610 --> 00:06:25.769 a safe Republican district. The Democrat who 00:06:25.769 --> 00:06:29.189 ran in 2024, Jennifer Gaye Valamant, she's running 00:06:29.189 --> 00:06:33.149 again, this time against Jimmy Patronus. Given 00:06:33.149 --> 00:06:36.399 how strongly Republican that district is, It's 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:37.939 interesting that she's running with her full 00:06:37.939 --> 00:06:40.160 name, you know, given the current political climate. 00:06:40.360 --> 00:06:42.199 It does kind of jump out at you, like the briefing 00:06:42.199 --> 00:06:44.480 pointed out. Yeah. And then there's the race 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:47.079 in Florida's sixth congressional district, formerly 00:06:47.079 --> 00:06:50.480 held by Representative Walz. This one surprisingly 00:06:50.480 --> 00:06:53.420 seems to be a pretty tight race. There was a 00:06:53.420 --> 00:06:55.519 recent poll that showed the Democratic candidate, 00:06:55.819 --> 00:06:58.540 Josh Weil, he's a teacher. He's actually outspending 00:06:58.540 --> 00:07:00.939 his Republican opponent, state Senator Randy 00:07:00.939 --> 00:07:03.519 Fine, but he's only trailing by three points. 00:07:03.800 --> 00:07:06.779 If fine only wins by a small margin, well, that 00:07:06.779 --> 00:07:08.920 would be a big upset considering that district 00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:10.939 usually goes Republican by a comfortable margin. 00:07:11.160 --> 00:07:14.040 Yeah, a real male biter. And if fine does squeak 00:07:14.040 --> 00:07:16.079 out a win, even a small one, it's going to be 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:18.060 seen as a sign that the Republicans maybe aren't 00:07:18.060 --> 00:07:19.959 doing as well as they used to in Florida. Could 00:07:19.959 --> 00:07:22.100 mean things are shifting politically down there. 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:24.500 For sure. And then we have a bunch of mayoral 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:26.540 elections happening tomorrow all over the country. 00:07:26.980 --> 00:07:29.240 In Aurora, Illinois, you've got the incumbent 00:07:29.240 --> 00:07:32.129 mayor. Richard Ervin, a Republican, described 00:07:32.129 --> 00:07:35.189 as Trumpy in the briefing. He's facing a challenge 00:07:35.189 --> 00:07:37.490 from John Lash, a Democrat who's running on a 00:07:37.490 --> 00:07:40.810 platform of protecting immigrants from ICE. Then 00:07:40.810 --> 00:07:42.810 just across the state line, still in Illinois, 00:07:42.889 --> 00:07:45.550 there's another interesting mayoral race in Evanston. 00:07:45.930 --> 00:07:48.149 Daniel Bliss, the current mayor, he's a progressive 00:07:48.149 --> 00:07:50.509 and he's got the support of Governor Pritzker. 00:07:50.550 --> 00:07:53.009 He's being challenged by Jeff Borini, a Republican. 00:07:53.629 --> 00:07:56.529 That race is focusing on local issues, you know, 00:07:56.629 --> 00:07:59.550 things like housing and zoning. Out West in Nebraska. 00:07:59.819 --> 00:08:03.319 Omaha is holding a mayoral election. The incumbent, 00:08:03.579 --> 00:08:05.800 Jean Stalder, she's a Republican, and she's trying 00:08:05.800 --> 00:08:08.319 to get re -elected. But she's facing a primary 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:10.519 challenge, and it includes a former Democrat, 00:08:10.660 --> 00:08:13.519 Mike McDonnell, who switched parties. Plus, there 00:08:13.519 --> 00:08:15.600 are two other Democrats in the race, John Ewing 00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:18.759 and Jasmine Harris. The top two vote getters 00:08:18.759 --> 00:08:21.180 in that primary are going to go on to a runoff 00:08:21.180 --> 00:08:24.050 election. Down in Mississippi, the city of Jackson 00:08:24.050 --> 00:08:26.689 is holding its mayoral election as well. Chekwe 00:08:26.689 --> 00:08:29.170 Antar Lumumba, he's the incumbent, identifies 00:08:29.170 --> 00:08:31.870 as a socialist and he's facing a primary challenge 00:08:31.870 --> 00:08:34.330 from a pretty big field of 11 other Democrats. 00:08:34.809 --> 00:08:36.730 And this race is even more complicated because 00:08:36.730 --> 00:08:38.830 you've got Republicans at the state level trying 00:08:38.830 --> 00:08:41.269 to take more control over the city. Plus, the 00:08:41.269 --> 00:08:43.549 mayor was recently indicted on corruption charges. 00:08:43.970 --> 00:08:45.490 Adds a whole other layer of intrigue, doesn't 00:08:45.490 --> 00:08:47.649 it? Definitely a lot going on down there. And 00:08:47.649 --> 00:08:49.649 the briefing also mentions a few other mayoral 00:08:49.649 --> 00:08:52.250 elections coming up later in April. St. Louis 00:08:52.250 --> 00:08:54.129 is going to have a rematch election just a week 00:08:54.129 --> 00:08:57.169 from now. Two Democrats are facing off. And there's 00:08:57.169 --> 00:08:59.110 been some real tension with the state legislature, 00:08:59.250 --> 00:09:01.570 which is controlled by Republicans. And then 00:09:01.570 --> 00:09:04.090 in Oakland, California, their election is on 00:09:04.090 --> 00:09:06.929 April 15th. And Barbara Lee, while she's a prominent 00:09:06.929 --> 00:09:10.289 candidate, a key issue in that race is a proposal 00:09:10.289 --> 00:09:13.169 for a universal basic income program specifically 00:09:13.169 --> 00:09:15.799 for homeless individuals. And let's not forget 00:09:15.799 --> 00:09:17.620 about those school board elections happening 00:09:17.620 --> 00:09:20.100 tomorrow. These races, they've become so much 00:09:20.100 --> 00:09:21.779 more political in recent years and it's kind 00:09:21.779 --> 00:09:24.639 of alarming. In Anchorage, Alaska, you have candidates 00:09:24.639 --> 00:09:26.940 like Alexander Rosales. He's running on a very 00:09:26.940 --> 00:09:29.600 openly anti -transgender platform. His slogan 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:33.279 is literally ban trans kids. And then there's 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:35.720 Mark Cox. He's also against inclusive policies. 00:09:35.820 --> 00:09:38.000 They're challenging the incumbents, Margot Bellamy 00:09:38.000 --> 00:09:40.299 and Kelly Lessens. And this is all happening 00:09:40.299 --> 00:09:42.799 against a backdrop of debates about how schools 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:44.539 should be funded and what their priorities should 00:09:44.539 --> 00:09:47.080 be. Yeah. Back in Wisconsin, both Kenosha and 00:09:47.080 --> 00:09:49.659 Green Bay have school board elections where you 00:09:49.659 --> 00:09:52.700 have slates of candidates, Democrats and Republicans, 00:09:53.220 --> 00:09:54.620 who have very different views on things like, 00:09:54.779 --> 00:09:57.220 well, should LGBTQ plus books be in school libraries? 00:09:57.700 --> 00:10:00.879 Should we be using DEI language? you know diversity 00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:03.940 equity and inclusion. in the curriculum. And 00:10:03.940 --> 00:10:05.639 with all the voters expected to turn out for 00:10:05.639 --> 00:10:07.960 the Supreme Court race, these school board elections 00:10:07.960 --> 00:10:10.539 could see a pretty big impact as well. So when 00:10:10.539 --> 00:10:12.320 you look at all these elections happening tomorrow, 00:10:12.500 --> 00:10:14.480 the big question is, what's going to be more 00:10:14.480 --> 00:10:16.879 important? Those big national political trends, 00:10:17.320 --> 00:10:19.879 maybe a sign of support for the Musk Trump administration, 00:10:20.139 --> 00:10:22.519 or people going to be more focused on local issues, 00:10:22.639 --> 00:10:24.480 you know, things that directly affect their communities. 00:10:24.779 --> 00:10:26.279 It'll be interesting to see how it all plays 00:10:26.279 --> 00:10:29.059 out. And speaking of interesting, we've got to 00:10:29.059 --> 00:10:32.460 talk about what happened in Louisiana this past 00:10:32.460 --> 00:10:35.519 Saturday. Voters there, they went to the polls 00:10:35.519 --> 00:10:39.179 and rejected all four of the constitutional amendments 00:10:39.179 --> 00:10:41.240 that were on the ballot. And these were all backed 00:10:41.240 --> 00:10:44.519 by Republicans. It was a pretty big defeat, wouldn't 00:10:44.519 --> 00:10:46.659 you say? I mean, all four amendments going down, 00:10:46.700 --> 00:10:48.580 even with the Koch network putting money behind 00:10:48.580 --> 00:10:51.299 them, suggests that maybe the Republican governor 00:10:51.299 --> 00:10:53.860 isn't quite in sync with what the voters in Louisiana 00:10:53.860 --> 00:10:57.429 want. This could be a sign that voters in general 00:10:57.429 --> 00:10:59.730 are starting to push back against what they see 00:10:59.730 --> 00:11:01.990 as politicians overreaching, you know, trying 00:11:01.990 --> 00:11:04.470 to push through policies that don't really benefit 00:11:04.470 --> 00:11:06.330 the majority of people. Yeah, it's definitely 00:11:06.330 --> 00:11:08.350 a blow to Governor Jeff Landry who was really 00:11:08.350 --> 00:11:10.610 pushing for these amendments. For all four to 00:11:10.610 --> 00:11:13.830 fail, and by pretty sizable margins too, it suggests 00:11:13.830 --> 00:11:15.850 that maybe he's not quite on the same page as 00:11:15.850 --> 00:11:18.860 a lot of Louisiana voters. And these amendments, 00:11:18.860 --> 00:11:20.759 they covered some pretty big topics. One was 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:22.899 about the Louisiana Supreme Court, you know, 00:11:23.100 --> 00:11:25.480 how much power they have over lawyers from out 00:11:25.480 --> 00:11:27.759 of state who practice in Louisiana. Another one 00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:29.960 was about taxes and the budget basically trying 00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:32.179 to overhaul the whole system. Then there was 00:11:32.179 --> 00:11:34.460 one about trying minors as adults in the criminal 00:11:34.460 --> 00:11:37.259 justice system. And the last one was about when 00:11:37.259 --> 00:11:39.179 those special elections should be held. Right. 00:11:39.340 --> 00:11:41.620 And each one had people actively working against 00:11:41.620 --> 00:11:44.940 it. For example, the ACLU, they had Sarah Whittington 00:11:44.940 --> 00:11:46.940 arguing against that amendment about out -of 00:11:46.940 --> 00:11:49.179 -state lawyers. She said it could really mess 00:11:49.179 --> 00:11:51.220 up the judicial system, lead to what she called 00:11:51.220 --> 00:11:54.299 kangaroo courts. And that tax and budget amendment, 00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:57.539 well, people were criticizing that one for possibly 00:11:57.539 --> 00:11:59.559 benefiting the rich at the expense of the poor 00:11:59.559 --> 00:12:02.259 and middle class. There were also concerns about 00:12:02.259 --> 00:12:04.960 limiting voter input on legal settlements, especially 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:06.620 when it came to the teacher's retirement fund. 00:12:07.000 --> 00:12:09.460 And that proposal about trying more minors as 00:12:09.460 --> 00:12:11.399 adults, well that one got a lot of pushback. 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:13.320 People were worried that the legislature was 00:12:13.320 --> 00:12:16.220 too eager to try more kids as adults, especially 00:12:16.220 --> 00:12:19.519 black kids. The strong no vote in Orleans Parish 00:12:19.519 --> 00:12:22.399 kind of shows that. And then... That last amendment 00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:24.500 about the timing of special elections. Well, 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:26.059 most people thought that should be decided by 00:12:26.059 --> 00:12:28.279 the legislature, not written to the Constitution. 00:12:28.580 --> 00:12:30.779 What's really interesting is that there was this 00:12:30.779 --> 00:12:33.659 no to them all coalition and they were really 00:12:33.659 --> 00:12:35.820 effective at getting people to vote against all 00:12:35.820 --> 00:12:39.259 four amendments. Governor Landry, well, he was 00:12:39.259 --> 00:12:42.039 not happy about it and he kind of did what we've 00:12:42.039 --> 00:12:44.919 seen him do before. He blamed George Soros and 00:12:44.919 --> 00:12:48.360 the far left. Yeah, classic move. But the briefing 00:12:48.360 --> 00:12:51.179 suggests that. Maybe Soros wasn't as involved 00:12:51.179 --> 00:12:53.379 as Landry made it seem. But the Coq network, 00:12:53.460 --> 00:12:55.080 they were definitely putting money behind the 00:12:55.080 --> 00:12:57.200 yes campaign for these amendments. It just goes 00:12:57.200 --> 00:12:59.080 to show, you know, money doesn't always buy you 00:12:59.080 --> 00:13:01.019 victory. This whole thing could really weaken 00:13:01.019 --> 00:13:03.299 Landry's influence, make it harder for him to 00:13:03.299 --> 00:13:05.559 get things done going forward. Let's turn to 00:13:05.559 --> 00:13:07.960 the economy now. On Friday, the stock market 00:13:07.960 --> 00:13:10.120 took a bit of a tumble. The Dow Jones, the S 00:13:10.120 --> 00:13:13.980 &P 500, the Nasdaq Q all down. What spooked the 00:13:13.980 --> 00:13:16.559 markets this time? The big news was a report 00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:18.519 from the Department of Commerce that showed that 00:13:18.519 --> 00:13:21.200 inflation is higher than expected. It wasn't 00:13:21.200 --> 00:13:23.659 just the overall year -over -year increase in 00:13:23.659 --> 00:13:26.220 prices, it was also the month -to -month increase 00:13:26.220 --> 00:13:28.779 in what's called core personal consumption expenditures. 00:13:29.059 --> 00:13:31.379 That's the PCE, which takes out the food and 00:13:31.379 --> 00:13:33.460 energy prices because those tend to jump around 00:13:33.460 --> 00:13:36.980 a lot. That core PCE going up, that's what really 00:13:36.980 --> 00:13:39.179 worries economists because it shows that inflation 00:13:39.179 --> 00:13:41.440 is a deeper problem. And the briefing points 00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:44.799 out that the S &P 500 has dropped over 9 % since 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:47.019 it hit its high point at the end of February. 00:13:47.639 --> 00:13:49.639 It's interesting that this downturn is happening 00:13:49.639 --> 00:13:53.259 right as the Musk -Trump administration is ramping 00:13:53.259 --> 00:13:55.659 up its rhetoric and policy proposals. Yeah. And 00:13:55.659 --> 00:13:58.460 some economists, like James Knightley from AIG, 00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:00.519 he's quoted in the briefing, they're worried 00:14:00.519 --> 00:14:02.740 that those new tariffs could make inflation even 00:14:02.740 --> 00:14:05.620 worse. That would really tie the Federal Reserve's 00:14:05.620 --> 00:14:07.980 hands, make it harder for them to lower interest 00:14:07.980 --> 00:14:10.740 rates. And regular people are feeling this, too, 00:14:10.820 --> 00:14:12.679 you know, those anxieties about the economy. 00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:15.080 The University of Michigan does a survey and 00:14:15.080 --> 00:14:17.200 their latest one shows that consumers expect 00:14:17.200 --> 00:14:19.519 inflation to hit five percent in the next year. 00:14:19.679 --> 00:14:21.720 That's the highest it's been since twenty twenty 00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:25.220 two. That kind of thinking could really affect 00:14:25.220 --> 00:14:27.480 how much people spend and consumer spending. 00:14:27.500 --> 00:14:29.720 Well, that's a big part of what keeps the economy 00:14:29.720 --> 00:14:31.899 growing. Absolutely. So the Federal Reserve, 00:14:32.120 --> 00:14:33.779 they're in a tough spot. Inflation is sticking 00:14:33.779 --> 00:14:36.379 around. And then you have Trump saying he wants 00:14:36.379 --> 00:14:38.840 to replace Jerome Powell as Fed. chair. If he 00:14:38.840 --> 00:14:40.759 actually tries to do that, well, the markets 00:14:40.759 --> 00:14:42.360 are probably going to freak out. And that just 00:14:42.360 --> 00:14:44.580 adds even more uncertainty to the whole economic 00:14:44.580 --> 00:14:46.879 outlook. Let's move on to something a little 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:49.980 more, well, theatrical. There was a town hall 00:14:49.980 --> 00:14:52.700 meeting in Indiana with Representative Victoria 00:14:52.700 --> 00:14:55.539 Spartz. She's a Republican. And her district 00:14:55.539 --> 00:14:58.259 leans Republican pretty heavily. But from the 00:14:58.259 --> 00:15:00.480 sounds of it, that town hall was pretty lively. 00:15:00.779 --> 00:15:02.899 You could say that again. Lively might be an 00:15:02.899 --> 00:15:05.960 understatement. Even though her district is rated 00:15:05.960 --> 00:15:10.659 R plus 11, that town hall was packed with Democrats 00:15:10.659 --> 00:15:13.179 and independents who were there to give her a 00:15:13.179 --> 00:15:15.179 piece of their mind. The main thing they were 00:15:15.179 --> 00:15:17.279 upset about was something called Signalgate. 00:15:17.759 --> 00:15:19.759 Signalgate. Yeah, you mentioned Signalgate was 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:21.799 a big deal at the town hall. For those of us 00:15:21.799 --> 00:15:23.559 who aren't totally up to speed on that, can you 00:15:23.559 --> 00:15:26.039 give us a quick rundown of what Signalgate is 00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:27.820 all about? Well, the briefing doesn't really 00:15:27.820 --> 00:15:30.059 go into detail about what Signalgate actually 00:15:30.059 --> 00:15:34.080 is. Yeah. But it's clear. that it's got her constituents 00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:36.899 pretty riled up. It was the main reason why things 00:15:36.899 --> 00:15:38.919 got so heated at that town hall. Sounds like 00:15:38.919 --> 00:15:41.700 there was a lot of yelling back and forth, Representative 00:15:41.700 --> 00:15:44.379 Spartz and the people who showed up. At one point, 00:15:44.379 --> 00:15:46.200 she even told them that if they were just going 00:15:46.200 --> 00:15:48.440 to yell, well, they couldn't really have a conversation. 00:15:48.600 --> 00:15:50.240 But what I find interesting is that even though 00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:52.679 it was a hostile crowd, Representative Spartz 00:15:52.679 --> 00:15:55.139 stayed. She kept talking to her constituents 00:15:55.139 --> 00:15:57.659 even after the town hall was officially over. 00:15:58.360 --> 00:16:00.879 You got to give her credit for facing those people 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:03.850 head on. even when they were angry. And she also 00:16:03.850 --> 00:16:06.049 defended Elon Musk, which was kind of surprising. 00:16:06.509 --> 00:16:08.909 And she doubled down on her vote against aid 00:16:08.909 --> 00:16:11.429 to Ukraine, which is where she's originally from. 00:16:12.090 --> 00:16:14.269 She also said something that was factually wrong 00:16:14.269 --> 00:16:16.929 about resignations and the Senate, which makes 00:16:16.929 --> 00:16:19.049 you wonder if she's got all the details straight 00:16:19.049 --> 00:16:21.730 about how the government works. Yeah, that raises 00:16:21.730 --> 00:16:23.879 some eyebrows for sure. Yeah. But regardless 00:16:23.879 --> 00:16:27.159 of the specifics, I think that town hall in a 00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:29.940 district that's usually solidly Republican, it 00:16:29.940 --> 00:16:32.279 shows just how divided things are politically 00:16:32.279 --> 00:16:34.519 and how much people are holding their elected 00:16:34.519 --> 00:16:36.720 officials accountable even within their own party. 00:16:37.139 --> 00:16:39.120 Absolutely. It's a sign of the times for sure. 00:16:39.580 --> 00:16:41.240 Let's move on to a different kind of political 00:16:41.240 --> 00:16:43.620 fight. Donald Trump tried to shut down the Voice 00:16:43.620 --> 00:16:46.320 of America, but the VOA just won the first round 00:16:46.320 --> 00:16:48.559 in court. Yeah, a U .S. district judge blocked 00:16:48.559 --> 00:16:51.399 the shutdown, said it was arbitrary and capricious. 00:16:51.940 --> 00:16:54.379 The Voice of America It's got a long history, 00:16:54.379 --> 00:16:57.740 goes all the way back to World War II. It broadcasts 00:16:57.740 --> 00:16:59.279 news and information about the United States 00:16:59.279 --> 00:17:01.980 all over the world in over 50 languages. They 00:17:01.980 --> 00:17:04.740 reach something like 350 million people every 00:17:04.740 --> 00:17:08.240 week with a budget of about 270 million dollars. 00:17:08.339 --> 00:17:11.740 It's a big deal globally speaking. And as the 00:17:11.740 --> 00:17:14.160 briefing points out, Trump has a history of not 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:16.920 liking media outlets that don't, well, report 00:17:16.920 --> 00:17:20.519 things the way he wants them to. She used to 00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:22.240 be the VOA White House bureau chief. She made 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:24.779 a good point. She said the VOA is supposed to 00:17:24.779 --> 00:17:27.279 tell America's story, not just the president's 00:17:27.279 --> 00:17:29.940 story. And remember, when Trump got upset with 00:17:29.940 --> 00:17:31.940 the VOA for reporting the facts about the COVID 00:17:31.940 --> 00:17:34.740 -19 pandemic, that probably played a role in 00:17:34.740 --> 00:17:37.019 him wanting to shut them down. This court ruling 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:39.339 is a big win for the voice of America, keeps 00:17:39.339 --> 00:17:41.789 them broadcasting for now. Another big story. 00:17:41.990 --> 00:17:43.769 Katrina Armstrong, the president of Columbia 00:17:43.769 --> 00:17:46.369 University, just resigned. That's the second 00:17:46.369 --> 00:17:48.490 president to resign from Columbia in just 12 00:17:48.490 --> 00:17:50.609 months. And this one seems to be tied directly 00:17:50.609 --> 00:17:52.470 to pressure from Trump. That's what it looks 00:17:52.470 --> 00:17:55.289 like. Trump was threatening to pull a lot of 00:17:55.289 --> 00:17:58.150 funding from Columbia, something like $400 million 00:17:58.150 --> 00:18:01.329 in federal contracts and grants. He was doing 00:18:01.329 --> 00:18:04.009 this because there were pro -Palestinian demonstrations 00:18:04.009 --> 00:18:06.950 happening on campus. The briefing suggests this 00:18:06.950 --> 00:18:09.470 is part of a pattern with Trump, you know, trying 00:18:09.470 --> 00:18:11.529 to silence anyone who disagrees with him politically. 00:18:12.069 --> 00:18:14.349 It puts those university presidents in a really 00:18:14.349 --> 00:18:17.170 tough spot. If they give in to Trump, they risk 00:18:17.170 --> 00:18:19.910 alienating faculty and students who believe in 00:18:19.910 --> 00:18:22.369 free speech. But if they stand up to him, they 00:18:22.369 --> 00:18:25.630 could lose a ton of money. It's a no -win situation, 00:18:25.730 --> 00:18:29.150 almost. And the briefing asks whether universities 00:18:29.150 --> 00:18:31.150 should fight back in court when this kind of 00:18:31.150 --> 00:18:33.329 thing happens. But they also point out that it's 00:18:33.329 --> 00:18:35.559 risky. given the way the courts are right now. 00:18:36.140 --> 00:18:38.299 They even mentioned Judge Aileen Cannon as an 00:18:38.299 --> 00:18:40.779 example of how unpredictable things can be. OK, 00:18:41.099 --> 00:18:43.299 let's switch gears again and talk about Colorado. 00:18:44.039 --> 00:18:46.599 Senator Michael Bennett, a Democrat, is apparently 00:18:46.599 --> 00:18:48.900 thinking about running for governor in 2026. 00:18:49.539 --> 00:18:51.799 It's not every day you see a sitting U .S. senator 00:18:51.799 --> 00:18:54.059 wanting to be governor, is it? It's a bit unusual. 00:18:54.339 --> 00:18:56.420 Usually it's the other way around. governors 00:18:56.420 --> 00:18:59.079 trying to become senators. But Bennett's situation 00:18:59.079 --> 00:19:01.500 is a little different. His current Senate term 00:19:01.500 --> 00:19:03.940 runs through 2028, and the current governor of 00:19:03.940 --> 00:19:06.619 Colorado, Jared Polis, he can't run again in 00:19:06.619 --> 00:19:09.460 2026 because of term limits. So Bennett could 00:19:09.460 --> 00:19:12.240 try for the governorship, and if he loses, he 00:19:12.240 --> 00:19:14.559 still gets to keep his Senate seat. But if he 00:19:14.559 --> 00:19:16.859 wins, well then the current governor gets to 00:19:16.859 --> 00:19:19.539 appoint someone to fill his Senate seat. The 00:19:19.539 --> 00:19:21.359 briefing mentions a few reasons why Bennett might 00:19:21.359 --> 00:19:24.019 be thinking about this. He's reportedly frustrated 00:19:24.019 --> 00:19:25.839 with all the gridlock in the Senate, you know, 00:19:25.900 --> 00:19:27.660 how nothing seems to get done because of all 00:19:27.660 --> 00:19:30.180 the partisan fighting. And there are whispers 00:19:30.180 --> 00:19:32.599 that he's not happy with some of Biden's policies. 00:19:33.380 --> 00:19:35.720 Plus, there's a feeling that being a U .S. senator 00:19:35.720 --> 00:19:38.460 just isn't as powerful as it used to be. And 00:19:38.460 --> 00:19:39.819 his dad, you know, Senator Bennett's father, 00:19:40.079 --> 00:19:42.039 he had a similar career change. He moved away 00:19:42.039 --> 00:19:44.180 from a behind the scenes role in the Senate. 00:19:44.240 --> 00:19:45.759 So maybe that's playing a role in his thinking. 00:19:46.349 --> 00:19:49.170 It's interesting to compare Bennett to his colleague 00:19:49.170 --> 00:19:51.470 from Colorado, John Hickenlooper. He went the 00:19:51.470 --> 00:19:53.430 traditional route from governor to the Senate. 00:19:54.329 --> 00:19:56.450 The briefing points out that if Bennett does 00:19:56.450 --> 00:19:58.630 run for governor, he'd be the favorite to win 00:19:58.630 --> 00:20:01.369 right out of the gate. That might discourage 00:20:01.369 --> 00:20:04.529 other big -name Democrats from even trying. Okay, 00:20:04.650 --> 00:20:07.309 last but not least, we've got to talk about what's 00:20:07.309 --> 00:20:10.190 happening within the Democratic Party. Greg Cesar, 00:20:10.410 --> 00:20:12.910 a representative from Texas. He's the new chair 00:20:12.910 --> 00:20:15.529 of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He's 00:20:15.529 --> 00:20:18.569 only 35, so he represents a new generation of 00:20:18.569 --> 00:20:20.549 leadership. And it sounds like he's got some 00:20:20.549 --> 00:20:22.650 definite ideas about where he wants to take the 00:20:22.650 --> 00:20:25.529 caucus. He does. He wants to get the Democratic 00:20:25.529 --> 00:20:27.609 Party back to its roots, you know, connecting 00:20:27.609 --> 00:20:30.269 with working class voters. And he wants to move 00:20:30.269 --> 00:20:32.049 away from some of the positions that haven't 00:20:32.049 --> 00:20:34.569 been popular with voters. He thinks the party's 00:20:34.569 --> 00:20:36.940 been too cautious sometimes. He specifically 00:20:36.940 --> 00:20:39.960 said they need to drop slogans like defund the 00:20:39.960 --> 00:20:43.039 police and abolish IC. He knows those haven't 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:45.420 gone over well with a lot of voters. He wants 00:20:45.420 --> 00:20:47.460 to focus on economic issues, bread and butter 00:20:47.460 --> 00:20:49.640 stuff that most people can agree on, things like 00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:52.559 making Social Security stronger, creating jobs 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:54.980 that pay a decent wage, making sure the wealthy 00:20:54.980 --> 00:20:57.779 pay their fair share of taxes, and tackling poverty. 00:20:58.140 --> 00:21:00.200 And his strategy is interesting. He wants to 00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:02.799 engage with Republicans on issues like Social 00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:05.440 Security, even going into districts that usually 00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:08.920 vote Republican to talk about it. He says Republicans 00:21:08.920 --> 00:21:11.660 have been good at making those niche social issues, 00:21:11.720 --> 00:21:13.779 you know, the really divisive ones, seem like 00:21:13.779 --> 00:21:16.420 the most important thing. But most voters, he 00:21:16.420 --> 00:21:18.279 says, they're worried about making ends meet, 00:21:18.420 --> 00:21:20.660 about putting food on the table. He even called 00:21:20.660 --> 00:21:23.339 out Elon Musk for his stance on Social Security. 00:21:23.640 --> 00:21:26.559 Use that as part of his economic argument. And 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:29.160 the briefing quotes Mark Langebaugh. He worked 00:21:29.160 --> 00:21:31.640 as a strategist for Bernie Sanders, and he agrees 00:21:31.640 --> 00:21:33.980 with Caesar. He says Democrats need to focus 00:21:33.980 --> 00:21:36.619 on those core economic issues instead of the 00:21:36.619 --> 00:21:39.430 social issues that divide people. He specifically 00:21:39.430 --> 00:21:41.789 mentioned bathrooms as an example of an issue 00:21:41.789 --> 00:21:44.410 that doesn't really unite people. A lot of people 00:21:44.410 --> 00:21:46.809 are saying Caesar could be the next big leader 00:21:46.809 --> 00:21:48.970 for the working class within the Democratic Party, 00:21:49.150 --> 00:21:51.829 you know, kind of like AOC. The briefing even 00:21:51.829 --> 00:21:53.950 quotes a consultant who says Caesar doesn't come 00:21:53.950 --> 00:21:56.809 across as a typical college professor type, which 00:21:56.809 --> 00:21:58.849 I guess is a good thing in politics. He says 00:21:58.849 --> 00:22:01.450 Caesar's focus on survival, you know, the cost 00:22:01.450 --> 00:22:03.529 of living. That's what resonates with voters 00:22:03.529 --> 00:22:05.690 right now. Yeah, he's got that Bernie Sanders 00:22:05.690 --> 00:22:08.170 vibe for sure, you know, focusing on again. economic 00:22:08.170 --> 00:22:11.450 inequality and shaking things up. If Cesar can 00:22:11.450 --> 00:22:13.730 get the progressive caucus to focus on those 00:22:13.730 --> 00:22:16.130 core economic issues, it could really change 00:22:16.130 --> 00:22:18.589 how the Democrats talk to voters and maybe even 00:22:18.589 --> 00:22:20.109 help them connect with more people in the next 00:22:20.109 --> 00:22:22.130 election. So to wrap things up, it's clear that 00:22:22.130 --> 00:22:24.269 tomorrow's elections, especially in Wisconsin, 00:22:24.430 --> 00:22:26.450 are really important. We saw those Republican 00:22:26.450 --> 00:22:29.410 amendments get shot down in Louisiana, and there's 00:22:29.410 --> 00:22:31.950 a lot of anxiety about where the economy's headed. 00:22:32.250 --> 00:22:34.970 Plus, there are some potentially big shifts happening 00:22:34.970 --> 00:22:37.190 within the Democratic Party. All of this adds 00:22:37.190 --> 00:22:39.950 up to a really complex and constantly changing 00:22:39.950 --> 00:22:43.750 political landscape. It does. And all these things, 00:22:43.789 --> 00:22:46.289 even though they seem separate, they're all connected. 00:22:46.430 --> 00:22:48.309 You know, they show the tension and the changes 00:22:48.309 --> 00:22:50.089 that are happening in politics right now. So 00:22:50.089 --> 00:22:52.849 here's a final thought for you to chew on. How 00:22:52.849 --> 00:22:54.829 do you think tomorrow's election results are 00:22:54.829 --> 00:22:56.670 going to affect these trends we've been talking 00:22:56.670 --> 00:22:58.890 about? Will they reinforce them or will they 00:22:58.890 --> 00:23:01.250 shake things up? And what do you think all this, 00:23:01.250 --> 00:23:04.069 you know, the economy, the political maneuvering, 00:23:04.089 --> 00:23:05.670 what's it all going to mean for the country in 00:23:05.670 --> 00:23:07.670 the long run? Definitely something to keep in 00:23:07.670 --> 00:23:10.140 mind as those results start coming in. Thanks 00:23:10.140 --> 00:23:12.299 for joining us for this deep dive. We encourage 00:23:12.299 --> 00:23:14.619 you to keep following these stories and form 00:23:14.619 --> 00:23:15.500 your own opinions.