WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.279 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today we're looking 00:00:02.279 --> 00:00:05.599 at, well, quite a mix of recent developments. 00:00:06.019 --> 00:00:10.480 We've got sources, news articles, a market recap 00:00:10.480 --> 00:00:12.900 from the last few days covering US -China trade, 00:00:13.500 --> 00:00:16.019 some pretty surprising moves at the Library of 00:00:16.019 --> 00:00:18.399 Congress. And the Copyright Office, too. Right. 00:00:18.620 --> 00:00:21.660 And then there's this potential... airplane gift 00:00:21.660 --> 00:00:25.239 from Qatar, Afrikaner refugees being admitted, 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:28.920 and even some, let's say, internal conflict brewing 00:00:28.920 --> 00:00:32.039 in the DNC. Exactly. It looks like a random collection 00:00:32.039 --> 00:00:33.979 on the surface, doesn't it? Yeah. But the idea 00:00:33.979 --> 00:00:36.219 here is to try and connect the dots, see what 00:00:36.219 --> 00:00:38.399 bigger picture might be emerging. Where should 00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:40.460 we start? The trade tariffs seem like the big 00:00:40.460 --> 00:00:42.399 one. Yeah, let's dive into that. U .S.-China 00:00:42.399 --> 00:00:45.640 trade. OK, so it feels a bit like deja vu, honestly. 00:00:45.939 --> 00:00:47.799 Our sources are saying this is the fourth time 00:00:47.799 --> 00:00:50.960 in just three months that the US and China have 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:53.820 hit pause on these tariffs. This new rollback 00:00:53.820 --> 00:00:56.960 is, what, 90 days? That's the number, 90 days. 00:00:57.060 --> 00:00:59.479 And the stated reason is, well, to negotiate 00:00:59.479 --> 00:01:01.399 a more permanent trade deal. A permanent deal? 00:01:01.619 --> 00:01:04.519 Yeah, we will. But what's really striking this 00:01:04.519 --> 00:01:06.760 time is how much the tariffs are dropping. U 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:09.739 .S. duties on Chinese goods, they're going from 00:01:09.739 --> 00:01:13.519 a huge 145 percent way down to 30 percent. Wow. 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:16.299 OK, that's significant. It is. And on the other 00:01:16.299 --> 00:01:19.099 side, Chinese duties on U .S. stuff, they're 00:01:19.099 --> 00:01:21.859 falling from 125 percent down to just 10 percent. 00:01:22.120 --> 00:01:26.239 So how did the market take this news? Well, initially, 00:01:26.420 --> 00:01:29.260 pretty strongly, the Dow reportedly jumped a 00:01:29.260 --> 00:01:31.299 thousand points. Thousand points. OK. Yeah. And 00:01:31.299 --> 00:01:33.799 the S &P hit its highest point since early March. 00:01:34.719 --> 00:01:38.260 But. There's always a but isn't there seems like 00:01:38.260 --> 00:01:40.420 it Dow futures apparently started to slide later 00:01:40.420 --> 00:01:43.180 on so that initial burst of optimism Maybe didn't 00:01:43.180 --> 00:01:45.299 last which really makes you question the whole 00:01:45.299 --> 00:01:47.599 thing doesn't I mean is this real negotiation? 00:01:47.959 --> 00:01:50.459 Is it a reaction to pressure or is it as one 00:01:50.459 --> 00:01:52.700 report kind of hinted maybe about? playing the 00:01:52.700 --> 00:01:54.519 markets. It does raise that big question about 00:01:54.519 --> 00:01:56.799 the administration's over -gust strategy, or 00:01:56.799 --> 00:01:59.060 lack thereof perhaps. Because while you get these 00:01:59.060 --> 00:02:01.879 short -term bumps, the bigger picture isn't quite 00:02:01.879 --> 00:02:04.519 so rosy. It's worth remembering the Dow is actually 00:02:04.519 --> 00:02:06.560 still lower now than when this administration 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:08.930 took office. That's a key point. Forty three 00:02:08.930 --> 00:02:10.930 thousand four hundred eighty seven back then. 00:02:11.009 --> 00:02:12.870 Now around forty two thousand four hundred and 00:02:12.870 --> 00:02:15.349 ten. No. Yeah. And it's not just numbers on a 00:02:15.349 --> 00:02:18.449 screen. The sources really emphasize the real 00:02:18.449 --> 00:02:21.030 world disruption. You know supply chains getting 00:02:21.030 --> 00:02:23.669 messed up. The long term consequences of that 00:02:23.669 --> 00:02:26.729 and the trust factor to businesses here. Partners 00:02:26.729 --> 00:02:29.650 overseas. This constant back and forth makes 00:02:29.650 --> 00:02:32.370 it hard to plan hard to invest. Exactly. That 00:02:32.370 --> 00:02:34.810 erosion of trust is a big deal. Plus you still 00:02:34.810 --> 00:02:37.000 don't have permanent deals with China. or, for 00:02:37.000 --> 00:02:39.439 that matter, the UK. It just breeds instability. 00:02:39.759 --> 00:02:42.400 So it sounds pretty gloomy, but are there any 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:45.719 maybe optimistic takes in the sources? Well, 00:02:45.740 --> 00:02:47.180 a couple of things are mentioned. One, the fact 00:02:47.180 --> 00:02:49.360 that Xi Jinping is still willing to play ball 00:02:49.360 --> 00:02:51.539 and negotiate is seen as something. It means 00:02:51.539 --> 00:02:54.460 dialogue isn't dead. OK, fair enough. And also, 00:02:54.719 --> 00:02:56.360 there are reports that they're using experienced 00:02:56.360 --> 00:02:59.120 negotiators for these talks, which might suggest 00:02:59.120 --> 00:03:02.719 maybe when talk turns to tooky, as they say, 00:03:03.500 --> 00:03:06.280 they value expertise. Interesting turn of phrase. 00:03:06.479 --> 00:03:08.500 It is. And that market analysis from Horizon 00:03:08.500 --> 00:03:10.780 Weekly kind of reflects this mix. They noted 00:03:10.780 --> 00:03:12.819 the tariff cut was bigger than expected, hence 00:03:12.819 --> 00:03:15.139 the positive reaction. Right, the initial jump. 00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:17.680 And maybe some short -term gains ahead. But they're 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:20.560 also cautious, saying, look, there's no permanent 00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:23.259 fix yet, and everyone's watching the administration's 00:03:23.259 --> 00:03:24.919 next move. And they mentioned something legal, 00:03:25.099 --> 00:03:28.020 too, didn't they, about the IEPA? Yes, good catch. 00:03:28.379 --> 00:03:30.639 The International Emergency Economic Powers Act. 00:03:30.750 --> 00:03:32.889 There was a court hearing schedules for Tuesday 00:03:32.889 --> 00:03:35.430 about whether it's even legal to use that act 00:03:35.430 --> 00:03:38.650 as the basis for these kinds of tariffs So that 00:03:38.650 --> 00:03:40.509 could throw another wrench in the works. Absolutely. 00:03:40.550 --> 00:03:42.610 It's another layer of uncertainty and speaking 00:03:42.610 --> 00:03:46.280 of uncertainty and big announcements Just before 00:03:46.280 --> 00:03:48.979 this tariff news, there was that executive order 00:03:48.979 --> 00:03:51.879 on drug prices. Oh, right. That came out of nowhere, 00:03:51.939 --> 00:03:54.819 almost, directing HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy 00:03:54.819 --> 00:03:58.139 Jr. to negotiate huge price cuts with Big Pharma. 00:03:58.379 --> 00:04:01.180 Huge is right. The targets mentioned are like 00:04:01.180 --> 00:04:04.659 50 % to 90 % reductions. 50 % to 90%, wow. Yeah. 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:07.120 And there's even the threat that if talks fail, 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:09.860 the government might just impose cuts unilaterally. 00:04:09.919 --> 00:04:12.610 Dick, hang on. Is that even possible? Our sources 00:04:12.610 --> 00:04:14.710 seem pretty skeptical about hitting those kinds 00:04:14.710 --> 00:04:17.810 of numbers. Very skeptical. One source compared 00:04:17.810 --> 00:04:20.449 it to a kind of blue -ribbon panel exercise. 00:04:21.329 --> 00:04:24.850 Sounds good, looks decisive, but the reality? 00:04:25.430 --> 00:04:28.910 Much harder. Because drug prices elsewhere, like, 00:04:28.910 --> 00:04:31.910 say, Peru, are lower for complex reasons, right? 00:04:32.290 --> 00:04:34.829 Affordability, market size? Exactly. It's not 00:04:34.829 --> 00:04:36.990 just that other governments are tougher negotiators. 00:04:37.209 --> 00:04:39.230 necessarily. And the elephant in the room is 00:04:39.230 --> 00:04:42.730 R &D funding. A lot of that cost currently gets 00:04:42.730 --> 00:04:45.649 covered by U .S. customers, slashing prices that 00:04:45.649 --> 00:04:48.230 drastically. Would likely trigger massive lawsuits 00:04:48.230 --> 00:04:50.089 from the pharmaceutical companies. You have to 00:04:50.089 --> 00:04:52.509 assume so. The sources point out a similar attempt 00:04:52.509 --> 00:04:54.410 about six years back that got shut down in court. 00:04:54.649 --> 00:04:56.910 So why make such a bold announcement now? The 00:04:56.910 --> 00:04:58.889 election's still a ways off. Is it just about 00:04:58.889 --> 00:05:01.149 grabbing headlines? That's one theory floated. 00:05:01.240 --> 00:05:03.500 You know, keeping a steady stream of positive 00:05:03.500 --> 00:05:06.560 or at least attention grabbing news flowing. 00:05:07.259 --> 00:05:09.420 The interesting timing, let's say. OK, let's 00:05:09.420 --> 00:05:11.680 shift gears. This next section in our sources 00:05:11.680 --> 00:05:14.959 is labeled Conspiracy Corner. That sounds intriguing. 00:05:15.439 --> 00:05:17.939 Yeah, a bit dramatic, but it covers some, let's 00:05:17.939 --> 00:05:19.819 call them unusual personnel changes that have 00:05:19.819 --> 00:05:21.980 people talking. Unusual how? We're talking about 00:05:21.980 --> 00:05:24.500 the Library of Congress and the Copyright Office. 00:05:25.259 --> 00:05:28.019 Two long serving heads dismissed pretty abruptly. 00:05:28.560 --> 00:05:31.819 First, Carla Hayden. the Librarian of Congress. 00:05:32.100 --> 00:05:34.639 She was let go last week. Then just this past 00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:37.720 Saturday, Shira Perlmutter, the Register of Copyrights, 00:05:37.740 --> 00:05:40.399 was also fired. OK. And what's weird about that, 00:05:40.459 --> 00:05:42.480 apart from the timing? Well, these are typically 00:05:42.480 --> 00:05:44.660 nonpartisan roles. You know, they're technically 00:05:44.660 --> 00:05:46.600 under Congress's oversight, not just the White 00:05:46.600 --> 00:05:49.199 House. So firing them like this is unusual, and 00:05:49.199 --> 00:05:51.060 sources say it could definitely lead to lawsuits. 00:05:51.339 --> 00:05:54.759 Right. Any idea why they were fired? The speculation 00:05:54.759 --> 00:05:57.360 is interesting. For Hayden, who's black and an 00:05:57.360 --> 00:05:59.899 Obama appointee. The whispers are about pressure 00:05:59.899 --> 00:06:03.600 from the right over DEI, diversity, equity, inclusion 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:06.500 stuff, and complaints about, quote, inappropriate 00:06:06.500 --> 00:06:09.680 books for children. Ah, OK, that sounds familiar. 00:06:09.939 --> 00:06:11.720 And a White House spokesperson reportedly mentioned 00:06:11.720 --> 00:06:13.899 concerning things she'd done related to that. 00:06:14.100 --> 00:06:16.740 And Perlmutter, she's white, right? So maybe 00:06:16.740 --> 00:06:19.639 not the same DEI angle. Doesn't seem like it. 00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:23.079 With Perlmutter, the focus seems to be on a report 00:06:23.079 --> 00:06:25.720 her office was working on about copyrighted AI. 00:06:26.370 --> 00:06:29.610 Specifically, training AI models on existing 00:06:29.610 --> 00:06:32.209 copyrighted material. Oh, that's a huge issue 00:06:32.209 --> 00:06:35.509 right now. Massive. And apparently, the Copyright 00:06:35.509 --> 00:06:38.430 Office report was emphasizing the nuances, the 00:06:38.430 --> 00:06:41.449 potential for infringement, which doesn't sit 00:06:41.449 --> 00:06:44.230 well with folks who want really broad, fair use 00:06:44.230 --> 00:06:48.589 for AI training. Blake, maybe Elon Musk and Grok? 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:51.699 People pushing hard on AI development? That's 00:06:51.699 --> 00:06:53.620 the connection being drawn, yes. They want fewer 00:06:53.620 --> 00:06:55.540 restrictions. Bormutter's office seemed to be 00:06:55.540 --> 00:06:57.560 suggesting more caution was needed. And the timing. 00:06:58.120 --> 00:06:59.540 Didn't you say the report came out just before 00:06:59.540 --> 00:07:02.000 she was fired? A draft version? Yes. Released 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:04.699 just before the dismissal? Which has led to speculation 00:07:04.699 --> 00:07:06.500 that maybe she pushed it out the door quickly 00:07:06.500 --> 00:07:08.819 so it couldn't be buried. Hmm. Very interesting. 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:11.540 So who replaced them? Anyone with library or 00:07:11.540 --> 00:07:13.480 copyright experience? That's the other eyebrow 00:07:13.480 --> 00:07:15.560 -raising part. No. The replacements are both 00:07:15.560 --> 00:07:18.040 former defense lawyers? Todd Blanche is the new 00:07:18.040 --> 00:07:20.079 Librarian of Congress. Paul Perkins, the new 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:23.279 Register of Copyrights. Lawyers for the Library 00:07:23.279 --> 00:07:26.740 of Congress and Copyright Office. Exactly. No 00:07:26.740 --> 00:07:28.879 obvious background in those specific fields. 00:07:29.579 --> 00:07:32.560 It suggests, well, it suggests a potential shift 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:34.300 in what the administration wants from those roles. 00:07:34.339 --> 00:07:37.839 Maybe more legal maneuvering, less focus on the 00:07:37.839 --> 00:07:39.639 traditional missions. It certainly makes you 00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:42.439 ask questions about priorities. OK, staying in 00:07:42.439 --> 00:07:45.639 this conspiracy corner, what about Air Qatar 00:07:45.639 --> 00:07:49.779 1. Yes, the saga of the potentially gifted airplane. 00:07:50.480 --> 00:07:52.860 This story just keeps going. So the Qatari royal 00:07:52.860 --> 00:07:55.519 family allegedly offered a personal plane for 00:07:55.519 --> 00:07:57.639 presidential use. Is that still on the table? 00:07:58.060 --> 00:07:59.939 It seems like it's being actively considered, 00:07:59.939 --> 00:08:01.980 but now we're seeing some pushback or at least 00:08:01.980 --> 00:08:06.610 caution from some. GOP senators. Hawley, Kennedy, 00:08:06.910 --> 00:08:08.709 Capito are mentioned as having reservations. 00:08:08.810 --> 00:08:11.529 But not everyone. No, others like Senator Tuberville 00:08:11.529 --> 00:08:13.550 seem quite supportive of accepting the gift. 00:08:13.629 --> 00:08:15.250 And didn't this come up around the same time 00:08:15.250 --> 00:08:18.290 as that huge Trump Organization resort deal in 00:08:18.290 --> 00:08:22.410 Qatar? Precisely. A $5 .5 billion luxury resort, 00:08:22.689 --> 00:08:25.529 golf course included. The timing definitely raises 00:08:25.529 --> 00:08:28.410 those quid pro quo questions again, especially 00:08:28.410 --> 00:08:31.790 given past promises about avoiding foreign business 00:08:31.790 --> 00:08:35.070 entanglements while in office. So what's Qatar's 00:08:35.070 --> 00:08:38.309 angle here potentially? Are they just being generous? 00:08:38.970 --> 00:08:41.210 Sources speculate a couple of things. Maybe it's 00:08:41.210 --> 00:08:43.330 image management, sane washing, one source called 00:08:43.330 --> 00:08:46.169 it, like the Saudi lovey golf thing, using a 00:08:46.169 --> 00:08:49.070 flashy gift to distract or improve their reputation. 00:08:49.169 --> 00:08:52.429 OK, I see. Or perhaps it's simpler. Yeah. Gifts 00:08:52.429 --> 00:08:54.610 now for potential favors are goodwill later. 00:08:55.309 --> 00:08:57.450 Both the plane and the resort could fit that 00:08:57.450 --> 00:08:59.470 mold. But there are bigger concerns than just 00:08:59.470 --> 00:09:02.429 optics, right? I saw some reader comments mentioned 00:09:02.429 --> 00:09:04.990 in the source material about security. Oh, absolutely. 00:09:05.450 --> 00:09:07.850 Very serious concerns. Think about it. A plane 00:09:07.850 --> 00:09:10.070 from another country potentially loaded with 00:09:10.070 --> 00:09:13.269 hidden spyware or malware. That's a huge risk. 00:09:13.309 --> 00:09:14.970 Yeah, that sounds bad. And then there's the cost 00:09:14.970 --> 00:09:17.009 of making it safe. It's not just a pain job and 00:09:17.009 --> 00:09:19.570 some new seats. You need secure communications, 00:09:20.129 --> 00:09:22.970 anti -missile systems. the works. And that's 00:09:22.970 --> 00:09:25.549 expensive. Extremely. We're not talking tens 00:09:25.549 --> 00:09:28.889 of millions. Sources suggest it could be hundreds 00:09:28.889 --> 00:09:31.710 of millions, maybe even billions, to properly 00:09:31.710 --> 00:09:34.889 refit a plane like that for presidential use. 00:09:35.309 --> 00:09:38.929 Billions. For one plane. Potentially. And even 00:09:38.929 --> 00:09:40.990 then, because it wasn't designed for these systems 00:09:40.990 --> 00:09:43.190 from the ground up, could it ever be considered 00:09:43.190 --> 00:09:46.830 truly secure? Some experts doubt it. And there's 00:09:46.830 --> 00:09:49.169 that chilling mention of a kill switch. Right. 00:09:49.649 --> 00:09:52.009 The possibility, however remote, of some kind 00:09:52.009 --> 00:09:54.850 of remotely activated system disablement may 00:09:54.850 --> 00:09:57.590 be hidden so well it's undetectable. Could Iran 00:09:57.590 --> 00:10:00.389 or someone else pressure Qatar to activate it? 00:10:00.789 --> 00:10:03.120 It's a nightmare scenario. And all that money 00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:05.200 and risk for a plane that might only be used 00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:07.539 for a few years if there's a change in administration. 00:10:07.899 --> 00:10:09.919 Exactly. The modifications have a limited shelf 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:12.299 life, politically speaking. You'd think the personal 00:10:12.299 --> 00:10:14.259 safety risks alone would be enough to make someone 00:10:14.259 --> 00:10:16.779 say, no, thanks. But maybe not. Well, the sources 00:10:16.779 --> 00:10:19.399 hint that susceptibility to flattery, especially 00:10:19.399 --> 00:10:22.419 from powerful foreign figures, might outweigh 00:10:22.419 --> 00:10:25.259 those concerns for some individuals. OK. Let's 00:10:25.259 --> 00:10:27.500 move to the next item from this corner. Africana 00:10:27.500 --> 00:10:30.470 refugees. What's this about? Yeah, this one's 00:10:30.470 --> 00:10:32.990 also raised some eyebrows. Apparently, the White 00:10:32.990 --> 00:10:36.149 House approved entry for 59 Afrikaners from South 00:10:36.149 --> 00:10:39.110 Africa. Afrikaners? White South Africans? Correct. 00:10:39.629 --> 00:10:41.889 They claim discrimination and economic hardship 00:10:41.889 --> 00:10:44.289 back home, and their entry seems to have been 00:10:44.289 --> 00:10:46.950 fast -tracked. Why is that controversial? Well, 00:10:47.409 --> 00:10:49.210 it taps into that narrative you sometimes hear 00:10:49.210 --> 00:10:51.750 in bagged up non -circles, the white people can't 00:10:51.750 --> 00:10:56.059 get a fair shake idea. And Elon Musk... being 00:10:56.059 --> 00:10:58.759 originally from South Africa gets mentioned as 00:10:58.759 --> 00:11:02.580 Context II. Ah, OK. I see the connection. And 00:11:02.580 --> 00:11:06.299 the rhetoric around it is stark. The individual 00:11:06.299 --> 00:11:09.320 involved claimed they were being saved from genocide, 00:11:09.840 --> 00:11:11.799 while the official White House line talks about 00:11:11.799 --> 00:11:14.620 a deeply held commitment to human rights. Hmm. 00:11:14.909 --> 00:11:16.970 Those seem like different framings. They do, 00:11:17.149 --> 00:11:19.669 and it's causing ripples. The Episcopal Migration 00:11:19.669 --> 00:11:21.889 Ministries, which normally helps resettle refugees, 00:11:22.450 --> 00:11:24.210 reportedly refused to work with this specific 00:11:24.210 --> 00:11:26.590 group. Why? They cited their own commitment to 00:11:26.590 --> 00:11:28.830 racial justice. Apparently they also figured 00:11:28.830 --> 00:11:30.950 they might lose government funding anyway, so 00:11:30.950 --> 00:11:35.009 they took a stand. Wow, okay. So, lots of complex 00:11:35.009 --> 00:11:37.450 dynamics there. Let's switch tracks completely 00:11:37.450 --> 00:11:41.000 now. Democrats in disarray. David Hogg. Right. 00:11:41.360 --> 00:11:43.299 You know that old saying, the party decides who 00:11:43.299 --> 00:11:45.639 the presidential nominee is? Yeah. Though Trump 00:11:45.639 --> 00:11:47.600 kind of blew that up. Exactly. Voters have a 00:11:47.600 --> 00:11:50.860 lot more power in nominations now. But as the 00:11:50.860 --> 00:11:53.360 sources point out, the party does still tend 00:11:53.360 --> 00:11:57.120 to decide who runs the party machinery, the DNC, 00:11:57.360 --> 00:11:59.580 state parties, et cetera. OK. So how does David 00:11:59.580 --> 00:12:03.000 Hogg fit in? He's a DNC vice chair. He is. Or 00:12:03.000 --> 00:12:05.600 was, effectively. He's facing a potential ouster. 00:12:05.620 --> 00:12:09.029 Why? because he backed progressive primary challengers 00:12:09.029 --> 00:12:11.649 against sitting Democrats. Ugh, in safe blue 00:12:11.649 --> 00:12:14.230 districts. Yep, deep blue districts, which is 00:12:14.230 --> 00:12:16.509 seen as a major party foul pissing out while 00:12:16.509 --> 00:12:18.470 you're inside the tent, as the saying goes, you 00:12:18.470 --> 00:12:20.490 don't use your official party position to undermine 00:12:20.490 --> 00:12:23.429 incumbents. So someone complained. Yes. Caitlin 00:12:23.429 --> 00:12:26.090 Free, who lost the vice chair election to Hogg, 00:12:26.269 --> 00:12:29.230 filed a formal protest. She alleged some technical 00:12:29.230 --> 00:12:31.889 procedural errors with the election related to 00:12:31.889 --> 00:12:34.529 representation rules. Hmm, genuine errors or 00:12:34.529 --> 00:12:36.809 convenient timing. Well, that's the question, 00:12:36.850 --> 00:12:39.750 isn't it? The sources definitely imply that maybe 00:12:39.750 --> 00:12:41.669 these procedural issues wouldn't have been such 00:12:41.669 --> 00:12:44.070 a big deal or perhaps wouldn't have been discovered 00:12:44.070 --> 00:12:47.970 if Hogg hadn't annoyed the establishment by backing 00:12:47.970 --> 00:12:50.250 those primary challenges. So what's the outcome? 00:12:50.710 --> 00:12:53.370 His election and that of another vice chair elected 00:12:53.370 --> 00:12:56.200 under the same rules has been voided. They have 00:12:56.200 --> 00:12:58.519 to hold a new vote. And Hogg's chances of winning 00:12:58.519 --> 00:13:00.840 again? Considered pretty low now. He stepped 00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:03.039 on too many important toes. But does getting 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:05.700 kicked out of the DNC mean he loses all influence? 00:13:06.100 --> 00:13:09.740 Not necessarily. He still leads a pack, reportedly 00:13:09.740 --> 00:13:12.840 a well -funded one. So he can still be influential 00:13:12.840 --> 00:13:16.120 just from outside the tent now, rather than inside. 00:13:16.299 --> 00:13:18.220 You have to wonder if he saw this coming when 00:13:18.220 --> 00:13:21.019 he decided to back those challengers. Did he 00:13:21.019 --> 00:13:24.230 know the risks? Good question. Maybe he did. 00:13:24.590 --> 00:13:26.529 Maybe he didn't fully grasp how the internal 00:13:26.529 --> 00:13:28.929 party machinery protects its own. It's a tough 00:13:28.929 --> 00:13:31.190 lesson in party politics. So wrapping this all 00:13:31.190 --> 00:13:34.629 up, we've gone from trade wars to library firings, 00:13:34.809 --> 00:13:37.450 airplanes, refugees, and party infighting. Quite 00:13:37.450 --> 00:13:39.740 the journey. It really has been. But when you 00:13:39.740 --> 00:13:42.460 step back, you do see these threats, right? Questions 00:13:42.460 --> 00:13:44.659 about motivation, what's really driving these 00:13:44.659 --> 00:13:47.340 decisions, the potential for hidden agendas, 00:13:47.379 --> 00:13:50.059 whether it's AI policy or foreign influence. 00:13:50.179 --> 00:13:52.440 And power struggles. Definitely seeing those 00:13:52.440 --> 00:13:54.759 both within institutions like the Library of 00:13:54.759 --> 00:13:56.679 Congress and within the political parties themselves. 00:13:57.399 --> 00:13:59.419 Yeah. Which leads us to maybe a final thought 00:13:59.419 --> 00:14:02.259 for you, the listener, to chew on. How much of 00:14:02.259 --> 00:14:05.120 what we see presented as straightforward policy 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:08.379 or just governing How much of it is actually 00:14:08.379 --> 00:14:11.779 driven by things like personal ego, chasing short 00:14:11.779 --> 00:14:15.379 -term wins, or these unseen pressures and influences? 00:14:15.580 --> 00:14:17.379 And what does that mean for the long haul? For 00:14:17.379 --> 00:14:19.779 stability? For whether we can actually trust 00:14:19.779 --> 00:14:22.059 our institutions? Exactly. It's a complex picture 00:14:22.059 --> 00:14:24.779 and probably not getting any simpler. Lots to 00:14:24.779 --> 00:14:25.320 keep watching.