WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.279 ever feel like you're just drowning in information? 00:00:03.060 --> 00:00:05.040 You know, news alerts popping up constantly. 00:00:05.179 --> 00:00:07.200 Oh, absolutely. International crisis one minute, 00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:10.859 local politics next. It's just, it's a lot. And 00:00:10.859 --> 00:00:13.019 figuring out what actually matters, how it all 00:00:13.019 --> 00:00:15.519 connects, that feels like work sometimes. It 00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:18.260 really does. It's so easy to miss the links between 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:21.339 things that seem totally separate. Exactly. So 00:00:21.339 --> 00:00:24.039 welcome, everyone, to this deep dive. We're here 00:00:24.039 --> 00:00:25.800 to try and cut through some of that noise for 00:00:25.800 --> 00:00:29.460 you. Yep. We've got a stack of recent... Pretty 00:00:29.460 --> 00:00:31.859 critical source material and our mission today 00:00:31.859 --> 00:00:34.399 is to pull out the key insights and help make 00:00:34.399 --> 00:00:37.700 sense of this Well this whirlwind that's shaping 00:00:37.700 --> 00:00:39.899 things right now We'll be digging into military 00:00:39.899 --> 00:00:42.259 actions looking at how global alliances might 00:00:42.259 --> 00:00:44.840 be shifting Exploring some really contentious 00:00:44.840 --> 00:00:47.679 laws being debated domestically plus what some 00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:50.079 sources are calling dirty tricks in immigration 00:00:50.079 --> 00:00:54.060 policy and even a surprisingly intense local 00:00:54.060 --> 00:00:55.960 election. We'll try to connect those docs, give 00:00:55.960 --> 00:00:58.840 you some context, maybe find a few aha moments 00:00:58.840 --> 00:01:01.100 along the way. OK, let's dive in. Where should 00:01:01.100 --> 00:01:04.079 we start? Maybe the biggest bang. Yeah, let's 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:06.340 start with Iran. The news from Sunday morning, 00:01:06.560 --> 00:01:09.400 2 30 a .m. Iran time. Right. The strikes ordered 00:01:09.400 --> 00:01:11.659 by Donald Trump on Iran's uranium enrichment 00:01:11.659 --> 00:01:15.560 facilities, Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. And the 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:18.230 weapon used. That tells you something right there, 00:01:18.370 --> 00:01:22.950 the GBU -57. The MOP, or MOAB, Mother of All 00:01:22.950 --> 00:01:25.469 Bombs. Exactly, it's a deep penetrator designed 00:01:25.469 --> 00:01:28.049 specifically for targets buried way underground, 00:01:28.569 --> 00:01:30.790 which these sites were. Okay, so maybe a quick 00:01:30.790 --> 00:01:33.329 science refresher. Why these specific sites? 00:01:33.549 --> 00:01:35.909 It's about uranium, right? For a bomb, you need 00:01:35.909 --> 00:01:38.890 uranium -235. It's fissile, meaning it can cause 00:01:38.890 --> 00:01:41.450 a chain reaction. But most natural uranium, like 00:01:41.450 --> 00:01:45.170 over 99%, is U -238, which isn't fissile. Correct. 00:01:45.290 --> 00:01:47.530 So you have to separate the U -235 out. That's 00:01:47.530 --> 00:01:50.090 enrichment. And that process starts where? Isfahan. 00:01:50.189 --> 00:01:52.629 Yep. They take yellow cake uranium ore, convert 00:01:52.629 --> 00:01:55.609 it into uranium hexafluoride gas there. Then 00:01:55.609 --> 00:01:57.890 that gas goes to nitens and fordo. And that's 00:01:57.890 --> 00:02:00.250 where the centrifuges come in. Exactly. Gas centrifuges, 00:02:00.250 --> 00:02:03.689 they spin incredibly fast. Using physics, basically. 00:02:04.049 --> 00:02:07.109 Separating the slightly heavier U -238 from the 00:02:07.109 --> 00:02:10.840 lighter U -235. Precisely. The gas with a bit 00:02:10.840 --> 00:02:14.159 more U -235 goes to the next centrifuge than 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:18.240 the next. It's a cascade. Hundreds, maybe thousands 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:21.879 of them. Wow. Until you get up to 90 % pure U 00:02:21.879 --> 00:02:25.740 -235. That's weapons grade. And Natanz also builds 00:02:25.740 --> 00:02:27.520 the centrifuges. It's not just for enrichment. 00:02:27.800 --> 00:02:30.199 And the IAEA director, Grossi, mentioned the 00:02:30.199 --> 00:02:33.419 main site is like half a mile underground. Yeah. 00:02:33.580 --> 00:02:36.050 Very deep. Which is why you need something like 00:02:36.050 --> 00:02:38.789 the MOP. So the big question after something 00:02:38.789 --> 00:02:42.409 like this, did Iran know it was coming? Could 00:02:42.409 --> 00:02:44.389 they have done anything? Well, sources suggest 00:02:44.389 --> 00:02:46.830 they probably suspected something, maybe evacuated 00:02:46.830 --> 00:02:48.909 people. Or even moved the centrifuges. Are they 00:02:48.909 --> 00:02:50.789 moveable? Individually, they're described as 00:02:50.789 --> 00:02:53.289 not that large. So it's possible they moved some 00:02:53.289 --> 00:02:55.569 or hid fissile material they'd already produced. 00:02:55.729 --> 00:02:58.129 Huh. And there's always the shortcut option, 00:02:58.330 --> 00:03:00.530 buying it from someone else. North Korea is the 00:03:00.530 --> 00:03:02.830 name that comes up. Theoretically, yes. OK, so 00:03:02.830 --> 00:03:05.129 after the strikes, Trump gives this speech. Yeah. 00:03:05.330 --> 00:03:07.849 And it was different. Very different. Really 00:03:07.849 --> 00:03:10.349 short. And half of it was thanking people, which 00:03:10.349 --> 00:03:12.669 is, you know, not his usual style. Who did he 00:03:12.669 --> 00:03:15.469 thank? Netanyahu, the Israeli military, the US 00:03:15.469 --> 00:03:18.590 pilots, other US military folks. Dan Raisen came. 00:03:19.669 --> 00:03:22.750 Even God. But not his own secretary of defense. 00:03:23.090 --> 00:03:25.689 Hegseth? Nope. Apparently, Hegseth was not even 00:03:25.689 --> 00:03:28.979 in the loop. Which is remarkable. And Trump warned 00:03:28.979 --> 00:03:33.340 Iran about more bombings on softer targets. He 00:03:33.340 --> 00:03:35.960 did. If they didn't make peace, it's hard not 00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:39.340 to hear echoes of, well, mission accomplished. 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:41.639 Yeah, the Bush banner in Iraq. And we know how 00:03:41.639 --> 00:03:44.139 that turned out. Eight years, thousands of American 00:03:44.139 --> 00:03:46.840 lives lost. Exactly. It's an uncomfortable parallel. 00:03:47.379 --> 00:03:49.780 So how did the world react? Predictably, it was 00:03:49.780 --> 00:03:52.599 all over the map. The IAEA, they'd already flagged 00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:54.919 Iran for breaching the non -proliferation deal, 00:03:55.280 --> 00:03:57.840 stockpiling uranium. Then you had Hegseth and 00:03:57.840 --> 00:03:59.819 Cain doing this joint press conference, trying 00:03:59.819 --> 00:04:01.479 to send two totally different messages at once. 00:04:01.580 --> 00:04:05.020 How so? One message for Iran, unlimited military 00:04:05.020 --> 00:04:08.180 power, and one for the MAGA base back home. One 00:04:08.180 --> 00:04:11.000 -shot deal, one and done, war over. Trying to 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:13.139 have it both ways, classic. And then there's 00:04:13.139 --> 00:04:15.240 the potential Iranian response everyone's watching, 00:04:15.620 --> 00:04:17.769 the Strait of Hormuz. All right, that narrow 00:04:17.769 --> 00:04:20.689 choke point for oil shipments only 62 miles wide. 00:04:20.769 --> 00:04:22.990 Yeah, a huge amount of the world's oil goes through 00:04:22.990 --> 00:04:26.290 there. If Iran's Supreme National Security Council 00:04:26.290 --> 00:04:29.170 approves closing it, oil prices would skyrocket 00:04:29.170 --> 00:04:31.790 global inflation. Yeah. Big trouble. Massive 00:04:31.790 --> 00:04:34.670 trouble. Although it would also absolutely wreck 00:04:34.670 --> 00:04:36.970 the Iranian economy, as one source put it. So 00:04:36.970 --> 00:04:39.949 what about other countries? China, Russia, Europe. 00:04:40.089 --> 00:04:43.189 A real mix. China and Russia, the usual calls 00:04:43.189 --> 00:04:45.769 for a ceasefire. European countries stressing, 00:04:45.769 --> 00:04:48.350 you know, Iran shouldn't get nukes. Egypt wants 00:04:48.350 --> 00:04:52.250 talks. Hamas called for jihad. Iraq called it 00:04:52.250 --> 00:04:54.949 a grave threat. Ireland, Italy worried about 00:04:54.949 --> 00:04:58.649 danger. Japan, prevent nukes. Lebanon fears regional 00:04:58.649 --> 00:05:01.750 conflict. Mexico, urgent peace call. Even Pakistan. 00:05:01.980 --> 00:05:03.839 Didn't they just nominate Trump for a Nobel Peace 00:05:03.839 --> 00:05:06.240 Prize? They did. But they called the strikes 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:09.240 deeply disturbing. Qatar regrets the tension. 00:05:09.459 --> 00:05:11.879 The Vatican finds it alarming. Venezuela calls 00:05:11.879 --> 00:05:14.839 it illegal. The UK back the US, saying the threat 00:05:14.839 --> 00:05:17.819 was alleviated. But Russia and China, basically 00:05:17.819 --> 00:05:20.019 just words. Pretty much, routine condemnations, 00:05:20.120 --> 00:05:22.279 nothing concrete. Which kind of leaves the US 00:05:22.279 --> 00:05:24.500 and Iran staring each other down. So we're left 00:05:24.500 --> 00:05:28.360 with huge questions, more bombings, Iranian retaliation, 00:05:28.579 --> 00:05:31.079 killing Americans, taking hostages. How does 00:05:31.079 --> 00:05:33.720 Trump react then? And the biggest military question, 00:05:34.079 --> 00:05:36.819 did the bombs actually get the centrifuges? Were 00:05:36.819 --> 00:05:39.160 they too deep? Were they moved? Because if they 00:05:39.160 --> 00:05:42.360 did, Trump claims a win. If not, he could look 00:05:42.360 --> 00:05:45.120 like a fool, as the source bluntly puts it. And 00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:47.500 back home. How's this playing out politically? 00:05:48.100 --> 00:05:50.379 Well, Democrats like Senator Mark Warner are 00:05:50.379 --> 00:05:53.319 raising serious concerns. Acting without Congress, 00:05:53.519 --> 00:05:56.120 without a clear strategy, ignoring intelligence. 00:05:56.379 --> 00:05:58.060 Constitutional point, right? Right. Congress 00:05:58.060 --> 00:06:00.379 declares war, not the president. That's the core 00:06:00.379 --> 00:06:03.399 argument. Congress has the exclusive power to 00:06:03.399 --> 00:06:06.319 declare war. But Republicans. Leadership, at 00:06:06.319 --> 00:06:09.139 least. Quick to praise Trump. Speaker Mike Johnson 00:06:09.139 --> 00:06:12.000 saying Trump means what he says. Even though, 00:06:12.139 --> 00:06:14.240 as the source notes, Trump promised two weeks 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:16.800 for talks and then attacked the next day. Right. 00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:18.980 But not all Republicans are on board. You've 00:06:18.980 --> 00:06:21.139 got Marjorie Taylor Greene saying, it's not our 00:06:21.139 --> 00:06:24.160 fight. Israel has nukes. And Thomas Massie. Just 00:06:24.160 --> 00:06:26.800 flat out. This is not constitutional. So there's 00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:28.759 this interesting domestic angle, too, right? 00:06:29.319 --> 00:06:31.720 About emergency powers. Yeah, that's a really 00:06:31.720 --> 00:06:34.160 crucial point. Some of Trump's domestic actions 00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:36.879 rely on laws giving presidents extra power during 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:40.079 wartime. So a declared war. or even this kind 00:06:40.079 --> 00:06:42.740 of conflict, might give him a stronger legal 00:06:42.740 --> 00:06:45.379 footing for those actions. Potentially. It could 00:06:45.379 --> 00:06:48.959 provide a more solid legal basis. Although, as 00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:51.939 the source Riley notes, things like deporting 00:06:51.939 --> 00:06:54.420 Mexicans to El Salvador probably aren't what 00:06:54.420 --> 00:06:56.860 Congress had in mind when writing those laws. 00:06:56.959 --> 00:06:59.040 It really throws the whole balance of power question 00:06:59.040 --> 00:07:01.660 into sharp relief, doesn't it? Absolutely. Especially 00:07:01.660 --> 00:07:04.439 in a crisis. Okay, let's shift gears a bit. From 00:07:04.439 --> 00:07:08.339 open conflict to maybe tense diplomacy. NATO. 00:07:08.459 --> 00:07:10.899 Right. The NATO leaders meeting in The Hague. 00:07:11.720 --> 00:07:14.180 A really critical gathering. The big underlying 00:07:14.180 --> 00:07:16.339 tension seems to be Trump's attitude towards 00:07:16.339 --> 00:07:19.220 NATO itself. Will he try to pull the U .S. out? 00:07:19.259 --> 00:07:21.920 That's the fear. Preventing Trump from, as one 00:07:21.920 --> 00:07:24.560 source puts it, destroying an entity that has 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:26.600 kept the peace in Europe for three quarters of 00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:29.959 a century since 1949, basically formed to deter 00:07:29.959 --> 00:07:32.399 Russia. And the NATO secretary general, Mark 00:07:32.399 --> 00:07:35.100 Rote, seems to be playing a careful game here. 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:38.279 Very shrewd, it seems. He knows Trump loves getting 00:07:38.279 --> 00:07:41.319 wins. So, Root's pushing members to spend more 00:07:41.319 --> 00:07:44.279 on defense. A lot more. The target being floated 00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:47.879 is 3 .5 % of GDP on direct military spending, 00:07:48.139 --> 00:07:51.220 plus another 1 .5 % indirectly for infrastructure. 00:07:51.439 --> 00:07:54.139 And the idea is to present this to Trump as his 00:07:54.139 --> 00:07:56.899 victory, his genius making it happen. Pretty 00:07:56.899 --> 00:07:59.319 much, because apparently baseless flattery is 00:07:59.319 --> 00:08:01.639 more important with Trump than a dozen F -35 00:08:01.639 --> 00:08:04.720 fighter jets. That's a direct quote. Wow. But 00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:07.139 hang on, if Europe ramps up defense spending 00:08:07.139 --> 00:08:09.959 massively, what does that actually mean long 00:08:09.959 --> 00:08:12.769 term? Is that good for the U .S.? Well, that's 00:08:12.769 --> 00:08:14.769 the fascinating part. European leaders seem to 00:08:14.769 --> 00:08:17.310 get this, but maybe Trump doesn't see the downside 00:08:17.310 --> 00:08:20.250 for the U .S. Which is? A major European rearmament 00:08:20.250 --> 00:08:23.629 gives the EU much more sway in NATO that U .S. 00:08:23.730 --> 00:08:25.949 might not be able to call the shots so easily. 00:08:26.329 --> 00:08:28.689 Europe could become its own military power, independent 00:08:28.689 --> 00:08:31.029 of the U .S. Exactly, which long -term is not 00:08:31.029 --> 00:08:32.750 necessarily in the best interests of the U .S. 00:08:32.750 --> 00:08:35.529 It changes the whole global power balance. And 00:08:35.529 --> 00:08:38.629 there are economic consequences, too, for American 00:08:38.629 --> 00:08:41.080 companies. For sure. If European countries spend 00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:43.220 more on defense but don't raise taxes, they'll 00:08:43.220 --> 00:08:46.080 likely cut social programs. But crucially, those 00:08:46.080 --> 00:08:49.139 defense contracts. They'll go to European companies. 00:08:49.379 --> 00:08:51.840 Like German tanks, British ships. German Leopard 00:08:51.840 --> 00:08:55.600 tanks, British BAE shipbuilding, parts for the 00:08:55.600 --> 00:08:58.519 Eurofighter Typhoon made across Europe. Yeah. 00:08:58.779 --> 00:09:01.080 Meaning fewer contracts for U .S. giants like 00:09:01.080 --> 00:09:04.220 Lockheed Martin, RTX. Potentially, yes. Which 00:09:04.220 --> 00:09:08.179 could cost jobs in the U .S. So what looks like 00:09:08.179 --> 00:09:10.740 a win for Trump on spending numbers could actually 00:09:10.740 --> 00:09:13.179 weaken U .S. influence and hurt the U .S. economy 00:09:13.179 --> 00:09:16.059 down the road. That's quite a twist. Okay, connecting 00:09:16.059 --> 00:09:18.460 this back to the U .S. domestic scene, specifically 00:09:18.460 --> 00:09:21.299 intelligence, Trump appointed Tulsi Gabbard as 00:09:21.299 --> 00:09:23.840 director of national intelligence DNI. Right. 00:09:24.179 --> 00:09:26.480 And her views on foreign policy. Well, sources 00:09:26.480 --> 00:09:29.200 say they mirror Vladimir Putin's. Leading some 00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:32.029 to call her things like a useful idiot. or even 00:09:32.029 --> 00:09:34.169 a Russian asset. Those terms are being used, 00:09:34.309 --> 00:09:36.549 yes. And it's already causing friction within 00:09:36.549 --> 00:09:39.870 the administration. Trump has publicly shot down 00:09:39.870 --> 00:09:43.470 her assessments on Iran's nuclear program twice. 00:09:43.789 --> 00:09:46.190 Just said, she's wrong. I don't care what she 00:09:46.190 --> 00:09:49.929 says. Publicly. Yeah. And he was apparently furious 00:09:49.929 --> 00:09:52.909 about a video she put out blaming political elite 00:09:52.909 --> 00:09:56.450 and warmongers for the Iran conflict. He saw 00:09:56.450 --> 00:09:59.309 it as a straightforward Russian talking point. 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:02.820 basically saw her as blaming him for the war. 00:10:03.080 --> 00:10:05.440 But he didn't fire her. Even after telling her 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:07.519 she was just using the job to run for something 00:10:07.519 --> 00:10:10.340 else. Nope. Still there. Which is odd because 00:10:10.340 --> 00:10:13.000 sources say he prefers talking to the CIA director, 00:10:13.159 --> 00:10:15.460 John Ratcliffe, who was DNI before. Implying 00:10:15.460 --> 00:10:17.460 he doesn't trust Gabbard's judgment or loyalty. 00:10:17.740 --> 00:10:20.419 Seems that way. The source even jokes that Bozo 00:10:20.419 --> 00:10:23.080 the Clown would be an upgrade. It really highlights 00:10:23.080 --> 00:10:25.659 the tension when political picks clash with national 00:10:25.659 --> 00:10:28.070 security needs. OK, let's bring it fully home 00:10:28.070 --> 00:10:31.210 now. Domestic issues. Yeah. That one big, beautiful 00:10:31.210 --> 00:10:34.629 bill from Speaker Mike Johnson. Is it still happening? 00:10:34.830 --> 00:10:36.610 Well, the deadlines keep slipping, don't they? 00:10:36.750 --> 00:10:39.850 First July 4th, then Labor Day, Halloween, Veterans 00:10:39.850 --> 00:10:43.669 Day. Now maybe Christmas. It seems less and less 00:10:43.669 --> 00:10:45.950 likely. What's the latest holdup? A big one seems 00:10:45.950 --> 00:10:49.049 to be Medicaid, a provision limiting reimbursement 00:10:49.049 --> 00:10:52.350 rates to states. And the CBO, the Congressional 00:10:52.350 --> 00:10:54.669 Budget Office? What do they say about that? Their 00:10:54.669 --> 00:10:58.070 projection is stark. A $1 trillion cut from government 00:10:58.070 --> 00:11:00.190 health care payments, Medicaid, and the Affordable 00:11:00.190 --> 00:11:03.629 Care Act combined. Leading to? 11 million people 00:11:03.629 --> 00:11:06.470 potentially losing health coverage and higher 00:11:06.470 --> 00:11:08.590 out -of -pocket costs for millions of others. 00:11:08.769 --> 00:11:12.049 And who gets hit hardest? Rural areas, disproportionately. 00:11:12.769 --> 00:11:15.809 Rural hospitals depend heavily on Medicaid. So 00:11:15.809 --> 00:11:18.789 these cuts could force them to shut down services 00:11:18.789 --> 00:11:22.440 like maternity care or close entirely. That's 00:11:22.440 --> 00:11:24.440 the fear. And the source makes a grim point. 00:11:24.779 --> 00:11:26.740 If you have a heart attack and nearest hospital 00:11:26.740 --> 00:11:29.679 is 100 miles away and it is snowing, well, good 00:11:29.679 --> 00:11:31.659 luck. And politically, this hurts Republicans, 00:11:31.899 --> 00:11:33.799 too, right? In those rural areas. Absolutely. 00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:36.299 Sources say as many Republicans as Democrats 00:11:36.299 --> 00:11:38.840 will be hurt. Trump's own pollster apparently 00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:41.100 advised against these cuts. But the bill just 00:11:41.100 --> 00:11:43.679 keeps rolling along. Why? Seems driven by the 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:46.179 need to find savings to offset massive tax cuts 00:11:46.179 --> 00:11:48.200 elsewhere in the bill, mostly benefiting the 00:11:48.200 --> 00:11:49.690 wealthy. And there are other parts of the bill 00:11:49.690 --> 00:11:51.230 getting blocked, too, aren't there, by Senate 00:11:51.230 --> 00:11:53.289 rules? Yeah, the Parliamentarian, McDonough, 00:11:53.350 --> 00:11:55.529 and the Byrd rule. It basically says you can 00:11:55.529 --> 00:11:58.210 only include budget -related items in this kind 00:11:58.210 --> 00:12:01.049 of fast -track reconciliation bill. So things 00:12:01.049 --> 00:12:02.950 like killing the Consumer Financial Protection 00:12:02.950 --> 00:12:06.509 Bureau, the CFPB. Ruled out. Same for slashing 00:12:06.509 --> 00:12:09.149 Fed employees' salaries or shifting food stamp 00:12:09.149 --> 00:12:12.649 cost SNAP onto the states. Those who need a regular 00:12:12.649 --> 00:12:15.860 bill face a filibuster much harder. It shows 00:12:15.860 --> 00:12:17.779 the limits of just trying to force things through, 00:12:17.960 --> 00:12:20.000 I guess. Definitely. Procedural rules matter. 00:12:20.440 --> 00:12:23.919 OK, from legislative hurdles to, well, something 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:26.580 quite different. Immigration. There's talk of 00:12:26.580 --> 00:12:29.980 dirty tricks by ICE. Yeah, this came into focus 00:12:29.980 --> 00:12:33.139 with the arrest of Brad Lander, the NYC controller 00:12:33.139 --> 00:12:35.000 who's running for mayor. What's the tactic? It's 00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:37.120 being called a bait and switch. It targets asylum 00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:39.340 seekers who actually followed the rules, presented 00:12:39.340 --> 00:12:41.500 themselves at the border, you know, did it the 00:12:41.500 --> 00:12:45.190 right way. So what's the switch? ICI moves to 00:12:45.190 --> 00:12:48.529 dismiss their pending immigration cases. Which 00:12:48.529 --> 00:12:50.529 sounds good, right? Like they're free. But it's 00:12:50.529 --> 00:12:53.110 a trick. Dismissing the case takes them out of 00:12:53.110 --> 00:12:55.929 the normal system and puts them into expedited 00:12:55.929 --> 00:12:59.750 removal, or ER. That's amazing. Fast -track deportation 00:12:59.750 --> 00:13:02.950 with very few rights. The source says the sole 00:13:02.950 --> 00:13:05.809 purpose is eliminating their rights so ICI can 00:13:05.809 --> 00:13:09.620 immediately pick them up. Wow. That's... Cynical? 00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:12.980 Is this widespread? It seems driven by quotas. 00:13:13.340 --> 00:13:17.500 Trump apparently ordered ICE to make 3 ,000 arrests 00:13:17.500 --> 00:13:20.340 per day. So officers are just grabbing people, 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:22.919 not worrying too much about who? Sources say 00:13:22.919 --> 00:13:26.259 morale at ICE and CBP is at an all -time low 00:13:26.259 --> 00:13:28.860 and officers are under pressure, sometimes sweeping 00:13:28.860 --> 00:13:31.620 up actual U .S. citizens by mistake. Who came 00:13:31.620 --> 00:13:33.960 up with this tactic? Benjamin Huffman, when he 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:37.039 was acting DHS secretary, non -profits are challenging 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:39.299 it in court now. Is there anything people caught 00:13:39.299 --> 00:13:42.320 in this can do? Actually, yes. There's a bit 00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:44.779 of good news. Some USC students and the Agents 00:13:44.779 --> 00:13:47.159 of Change Civil Rights Advocacy Initiative set 00:13:47.159 --> 00:13:49.580 up a hotline. What does it do? It helps people 00:13:49.580 --> 00:13:51.700 request online immigration hearings instead of 00:13:51.700 --> 00:13:53.340 having to go to the courthouse, where they risk 00:13:53.340 --> 00:13:55.740 being detained by ICE right there. That's clever. 00:13:56.039 --> 00:13:58.580 A practical workaround. Yeah, thousands of calls 00:13:58.580 --> 00:14:00.679 already, helping people in English and Spanish. 00:14:00.799 --> 00:14:03.159 It really shows that ingenuity in the face of 00:14:03.159 --> 00:14:05.980 these big systemic issues. OK, one last stop 00:14:05.980 --> 00:14:09.779 on our tour today. New York City. The Democratic 00:14:09.779 --> 00:14:11.919 primary for mayor sounds like quite the drama. 00:14:11.980 --> 00:14:14.759 Oh, it's a melee. And ranked choice voting makes 00:14:14.759 --> 00:14:16.860 it even wilder. How does that work again? You 00:14:16.860 --> 00:14:19.210 rank candidates in order of preference. If no 00:14:19.210 --> 00:14:22.549 one gets over 50 % first -choice votes, the candidate 00:14:22.549 --> 00:14:25.350 with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their 00:14:25.350 --> 00:14:28.129 voters' second choices get redistributed. This 00:14:28.129 --> 00:14:30.889 continues until someone hits 50%. So second and 00:14:30.889 --> 00:14:33.049 third choices really matter. Who are the main 00:14:33.049 --> 00:14:35.669 players in this race? It's quite a cast. You've 00:14:35.669 --> 00:14:38.409 got Andrew Cuomo, the former governor, trying 00:14:38.409 --> 00:14:40.789 a comeback after the harassment scandals. That's 00:14:40.789 --> 00:14:44.090 him, pitching himself as the mean SOB who can 00:14:44.090 --> 00:14:46.190 run the city and stand up to Trump. What a slogan. 00:14:46.350 --> 00:14:49.490 And who else? Then there's Zoran Mamdani, young 00:14:49.490 --> 00:14:53.429 guy, 33 state assemblyman, very left -wing, Palestinian 00:14:53.429 --> 00:14:56.470 activist. No executive experience, though. None. 00:14:57.250 --> 00:15:00.269 Wants higher taxes on the rich, affordable housing. 00:15:00.990 --> 00:15:03.450 But facing pushback from some Jewish groups over 00:15:03.450 --> 00:15:06.309 comments blaming Israel for the October 8th Hamas 00:15:06.309 --> 00:15:09.570 attack. And his take on Cuomo. Simple. Cuomo 00:15:09.570 --> 00:15:13.929 is an a -hole. OK. Yeah. Anyone less? Confrontational. 00:15:14.149 --> 00:15:16.230 Well, there's Brad Lander, the current controller 00:15:16.230 --> 00:15:19.850 we mentioned earlier, seen as a pragmatic progressive, 00:15:19.970 --> 00:15:22.529 good with numbers, kind of the dad Lander figure. 00:15:22.629 --> 00:15:25.549 Got it. And Adrienne Adams. City council speaker. 00:15:25.990 --> 00:15:28.429 Emphasizing her experience, budget knowledge, 00:15:28.889 --> 00:15:31.700 could be the first female mayor. Any others worth 00:15:31.700 --> 00:15:34.039 noting? Scott Stringer, another former controller, 00:15:34.259 --> 00:15:36.940 also had past misconduct allegations. And Whitney 00:15:36.940 --> 00:15:38.980 Tilson, a hedge fund guy, focused on charter 00:15:38.980 --> 00:15:41.019 schools. So it seems like there's a real generational 00:15:41.019 --> 00:15:43.440 split here, too. Definitely. You see that dynamic 00:15:43.440 --> 00:15:45.919 of a youthful insurgent powered by young voters 00:15:45.919 --> 00:15:48.480 against a grizzled veteran, possibly with some 00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:50.659 baggage. And the source suggests this pattern 00:15:50.659 --> 00:15:52.500 might repeat itself elsewhere in the Democratic 00:15:52.500 --> 00:15:55.879 Party. Yeah, likely to play out many times in 00:15:55.879 --> 00:15:57.710 the years ahead. It also raises that question 00:15:57.710 --> 00:16:00.850 about experience, right? Executive versus legislative. 00:16:01.389 --> 00:16:04.549 Exactly. The source contrasts someone like AOC, 00:16:05.029 --> 00:16:07.889 great speeches, knows how to vote, legislative, 00:16:08.389 --> 00:16:10.769 with being a mayor or governor, making tough 00:16:10.769 --> 00:16:13.950 calls on money every single day, executive. So 00:16:13.950 --> 00:16:16.210 the argument is maybe different skill sets are 00:16:16.210 --> 00:16:18.669 needed. Yeah. The source muses that in the best 00:16:18.669 --> 00:16:21.570 of all possible worlds, Democrats might pick 00:16:21.690 --> 00:16:24.690 Grizzled veterans for executive positions and 00:16:24.690 --> 00:16:27.190 inspirational young people for legislative ones. 00:16:27.429 --> 00:16:29.509 It makes you think, doesn't it? Does being a 00:16:29.509 --> 00:16:31.370 great legislator prepare you for running the 00:16:31.370 --> 00:16:33.779 show? Okay, wow. We've covered a lot of ground 00:16:33.779 --> 00:16:37.039 today. We really have. From Iran and NATO on 00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:39.460 the world stage. To healthcare battles and immigration 00:16:39.460 --> 00:16:41.539 tactics right here at home. And then zooming 00:16:41.539 --> 00:16:44.419 into the political microcosm of the NYC mayor's 00:16:44.419 --> 00:16:46.480 race. The thing that really stands out, I think, 00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:49.220 is how interconnected it all feels. Absolutely. 00:16:49.340 --> 00:16:51.320 None of these things happen in a vacuum. Power 00:16:51.320 --> 00:16:54.399 dynamics, public opinion, domestic needs versus 00:16:54.399 --> 00:16:57.259 global pressures. It's all woven together. A 00:16:57.259 --> 00:17:00.059 drone strike in Iran can echo in a NATO meeting. 00:17:00.169 --> 00:17:02.429 which can influence domestic spending debates, 00:17:02.970 --> 00:17:05.009 which connect to local elections. That's complex. 00:17:05.309 --> 00:17:08.309 And maybe the key takeaway is just that, needing 00:17:08.309 --> 00:17:11.049 to look beyond the single headline to see those 00:17:11.049 --> 00:17:13.910 connections, those deeper ripples. So maybe a 00:17:13.910 --> 00:17:16.130 final thought for you listening in. We've talked 00:17:16.130 --> 00:17:18.529 a lot about challenges today, challenges to old 00:17:18.529 --> 00:17:21.250 alliances, to legal norms, to political leadership 00:17:21.250 --> 00:17:22.869 styles. Yeah, things feel like they're shifting 00:17:22.869 --> 00:17:26.240 fast. So the question to ponder might be. How 00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:29.140 do all these rapid shifts redefine what stability 00:17:29.140 --> 00:17:31.740 even means in the years ahead? And what's your 00:17:31.740 --> 00:17:35.000 role, our role, in just navigating that change? 00:17:35.500 --> 00:17:37.420 Maybe simply staying informed, staying engaged 00:17:37.420 --> 00:17:37.980 as part of it?