WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.879 Welcome to The Deep Dive. We take your sources, 00:00:02.160 --> 00:00:04.179 we unpack them, and we try to pull out the most 00:00:04.179 --> 00:00:08.060 vital nuggets of knowledge for you. Today we're 00:00:08.060 --> 00:00:09.699 peeling back the layers on the current political 00:00:09.699 --> 00:00:13.179 scene. We've got high stakes legal battles really 00:00:13.179 --> 00:00:15.259 shaking things up, and some surprising shifts 00:00:15.259 --> 00:00:17.379 in elections too, things that could signal big 00:00:17.379 --> 00:00:20.620 changes. Our mission, as always, is to cut through 00:00:20.620 --> 00:00:23.390 all that noise. connect some dots, and give you 00:00:23.390 --> 00:00:25.690 the essential insights, make you feel informed. 00:00:26.269 --> 00:00:28.570 Yeah, it's a really fascinating mix of material 00:00:28.570 --> 00:00:31.089 we have today. It really shows how things you 00:00:31.089 --> 00:00:34.890 wouldn't expect to be linked actually are. connecting 00:00:34.890 --> 00:00:37.710 threads between executive power, who gets appointed 00:00:37.710 --> 00:00:39.890 to courts, what the public is thinking, and even 00:00:39.890 --> 00:00:42.009 the real nitty -gritty of campaign strategy. 00:00:42.549 --> 00:00:44.950 What's striking, I think, is just the sheer breadth 00:00:44.950 --> 00:00:47.250 of challenges and power plays all happening at 00:00:47.250 --> 00:00:49.229 once. OK, let's dive right in then. Our sources 00:00:49.229 --> 00:00:52.030 kick off with this political firestorm brewing 00:00:52.030 --> 00:00:54.909 right at the top. The Epstein files fall out. 00:00:55.390 --> 00:00:58.469 It's intensifying. We're hearing POTS is, well, 00:00:58.770 --> 00:01:01.090 absolutely furious. What's the core issue the 00:01:01.090 --> 00:01:03.310 sources are pointing to here? Well, the central 00:01:03.310 --> 00:01:05.840 thing is this contradiction, right? Donald Trump 00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:08.159 ran promising to release all the Epstein files, 00:01:08.420 --> 00:01:12.000 every last one, but now. He's reportedly doing 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:14.599 everything he possibly can to block their release. 00:01:14.640 --> 00:01:16.739 And this isn't just, you know, a minor policy 00:01:16.739 --> 00:01:19.579 shift. For his base, who were really expecting 00:01:19.579 --> 00:01:22.819 these files to nail top Democrats, It feels like 00:01:22.819 --> 00:01:25.819 a profound betrayal. A betrayal. Yeah, Sarah 00:01:25.819 --> 00:01:27.959 Longwell's focus groups really underline this. 00:01:28.060 --> 00:01:29.920 For a lot of Trump voters who distressed both 00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:32.840 parties, seeing Trump as this outsider, someone 00:01:32.840 --> 00:01:35.780 who wouldn't lie, that was crucial. So this perceived 00:01:35.780 --> 00:01:39.019 dishonesty on something so charged, it's kind 00:01:39.019 --> 00:01:41.500 of unforgivable for some of them. So he's scrambling 00:01:41.500 --> 00:01:43.420 to tamp this down then. What are the strategies? 00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:45.959 What are they trying to do to contain this? And 00:01:45.959 --> 00:01:48.400 is any of it actually working? Well, the tactics 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:52.079 seem to be A lot of deflection, blaming staff. 00:01:52.239 --> 00:01:54.359 He's apparently showing real fury, even at allies 00:01:54.359 --> 00:01:57.140 like Steve Bannon, Laura Loomer, even Rupert 00:01:57.140 --> 00:01:59.180 Murdoch over that Wall Street Journal story about 00:01:59.180 --> 00:02:00.980 a birthday card to Epstein. Right, I remember 00:02:00.980 --> 00:02:03.420 that story. Yeah, so it's not just frustration. 00:02:03.480 --> 00:02:05.900 It seems like a desperate attempt to control 00:02:05.900 --> 00:02:08.400 a narrative that's just spiraling. It's actually 00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:10.800 eroding crust, even with his loyalists. It shows 00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:14.159 the limits of his power over information. Honestly, 00:02:14.419 --> 00:02:16.080 everything he tries just seems to throw more 00:02:16.080 --> 00:02:18.840 gasoline on the fire. But then this twist, this 00:02:18.840 --> 00:02:21.000 idea of bringing Ghislaine Maxwell into it, that 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:23.240 really changes the game, doesn't it? What's the 00:02:23.240 --> 00:02:25.960 thinking there? Why her? Why now? What could 00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:28.379 they possibly hope to achieve? This is where 00:02:28.379 --> 00:02:32.159 it gets incredibly tricky. Deputy AG Todd Blanch, 00:02:32.259 --> 00:02:34.360 who used to be one of Trump's personal lawyers, 00:02:34.740 --> 00:02:37.740 he did a complete 180. Just two weeks ago, he's 00:02:37.740 --> 00:02:41.319 saying no reason to talk to Maxwell. Now, suddenly, 00:02:41.400 --> 00:02:43.919 he says there is a reason. So that immediately 00:02:43.919 --> 00:02:46.879 raises questions. First, why the sudden change? 00:02:46.979 --> 00:02:49.500 Why now? Maxwell's testified twice already in 00:02:49.500 --> 00:02:52.599 civil cases, denied a big sex trafficking operation, 00:02:52.699 --> 00:02:55.039 and the DOJ, they already have, like, thousands 00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:58.900 of documents. Over 100 ,000 pages. A thousand 00:02:58.900 --> 00:03:01.080 FBI agents apparently went through them to take 00:03:01.080 --> 00:03:03.159 Trump's name out before release. A thousand agents, 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:06.680 just for that. Seems so. So it's really unclear 00:03:06.680 --> 00:03:09.500 what new bombshell she could possibly drop now. 00:03:09.879 --> 00:03:11.939 Second, what's in it for her? She's not going 00:03:11.939 --> 00:03:14.139 to cooperate without something huge in return. 00:03:14.520 --> 00:03:16.900 Makes sense. There's two main options, really. 00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:19.159 A Rule 35 motion, that's a sentence reduction 00:03:19.159 --> 00:03:21.919 if she cooperates, or a pardon or commutation. 00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:24.919 The Rule 35 thing needs a judge's approval. And 00:03:24.919 --> 00:03:27.280 getting that from Maxwell, politically that's 00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:29.919 a huge hurdle, especially from judges wary of 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:33.099 just political optics. A pardon or commutation, 00:03:33.460 --> 00:03:36.199 that's political dynamite. especially for Republicans 00:03:36.199 --> 00:03:39.080 who find what she did despicable. It would send 00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:42.319 his base into paroxysms of rage, as one source 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:45.379 put it. Wow, even if she named Democrats. Yeah, 00:03:45.539 --> 00:03:47.419 I mean, even then her testimony would probably 00:03:47.419 --> 00:03:50.150 lack corroboration to be truly damaging. And 00:03:50.150 --> 00:03:52.449 crucially, there's zero trust. Maxwell doesn't 00:03:52.449 --> 00:03:54.409 trust Crump. He definitely doesn't trust her. 00:03:54.449 --> 00:03:56.490 She'd almost certainly demand a signed pardon 00:03:56.490 --> 00:03:58.610 before saying anything, which makes the whole 00:03:58.610 --> 00:04:01.169 cooperation thing incredibly complex. That deep 00:04:01.169 --> 00:04:03.610 distress is a major block. So it's not just the 00:04:03.610 --> 00:04:05.389 White House scrambling. Congress is getting involved, 00:04:05.569 --> 00:04:07.509 too. Yeah. What's driving that and how does it 00:04:07.509 --> 00:04:09.490 mess things up for the administration? Exactly. 00:04:10.430 --> 00:04:12.949 Representative James Comer, Republican from Kentucky. 00:04:13.289 --> 00:04:16.089 He chairs the House Oversight Committee. He's 00:04:16.089 --> 00:04:18.379 issued a subpoena for Maxwell to testify. Now, 00:04:18.439 --> 00:04:21.699 this puts Comer's goal, which seems to be mostly 00:04:21.699 --> 00:04:23.779 political grandstanding, you know, getting headlines, 00:04:24.540 --> 00:04:26.819 in direct conflict with Blanche's goal, which 00:04:26.819 --> 00:04:29.639 seems to be putting out the fire, damage control. 00:04:30.100 --> 00:04:33.000 A federal judge has to approve Comer's subpoena. 00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:36.180 And it's really unclear if Blanche, the deputy 00:04:36.180 --> 00:04:39.720 AG, would support it or fight it. That's a fascinating 00:04:39.720 --> 00:04:41.680 internal clash right there. And besides Maxwell, 00:04:41.860 --> 00:04:44.269 are there other things Trump's trying? Other 00:04:44.269 --> 00:04:46.350 avenues? Yeah, he tried something else, tried 00:04:46.350 --> 00:04:48.509 to get grand jury transcripts released from back 00:04:48.509 --> 00:04:51.610 in the mid -2000s. But a Florida judge, Robin 00:04:51.610 --> 00:04:54.589 Rosenberg, shot that down pretty pointedly, too. 00:04:54.649 --> 00:04:57.350 She said, basically, making the president's base 00:04:57.350 --> 00:05:00.110 happy isn't one of the valid reasons under the 00:05:00.110 --> 00:05:02.230 rules for releasing secret grand jury stuff. 00:05:02.649 --> 00:05:05.490 Ouch. So that's a dead end. Completely. And then 00:05:05.490 --> 00:05:07.649 you have Jeffrey Epstein's own brother, Mark 00:05:07.649 --> 00:05:10.290 Epstein, telling CNN that Trump and Jeffrey were 00:05:10.430 --> 00:05:13.550 Very close, good friends, said Trump was often 00:05:13.550 --> 00:05:16.449 in Epstein's office. And a former model, Stacey 00:05:16.449 --> 00:05:19.329 Williams, echoed that, said they were best friends. 00:05:19.790 --> 00:05:22.629 These directly contradict Trump's whole I barely 00:05:22.629 --> 00:05:25.529 knew the guy line. Right. Undercuts his claims. 00:05:26.150 --> 00:05:27.910 Significantly. And maybe the most damaging thing. 00:05:28.089 --> 00:05:30.430 There's this 2016 deposition video that's gone 00:05:30.430 --> 00:05:32.689 viral now. It shows Epstein admitting, yeah, 00:05:32.810 --> 00:05:35.430 he and Trump were friends. But then crucially, 00:05:35.889 --> 00:05:38.410 when asked if they socialized together with underage 00:05:38.410 --> 00:05:41.870 females, he pleads the Fifth and the Sixth and 00:05:41.870 --> 00:05:43.910 Fourteenth Amendments too. He pleads the Fifth 00:05:43.910 --> 00:05:46.410 on that question. Yes. Which, you know, people 00:05:46.410 --> 00:05:48.370 often see that as a very strong sign someone 00:05:48.370 --> 00:05:50.949 fears their answer could incriminate them. So. 00:05:51.230 --> 00:05:53.589 While all this is swirling around the administration, 00:05:53.889 --> 00:05:55.750 what are the Democrats doing? How are they reacting? 00:05:56.389 --> 00:05:59.089 Well, Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat from Oregon, 00:05:59.269 --> 00:06:00.990 sent a letter. Apparently he sent it to the wrong 00:06:00.990 --> 00:06:03.250 place first. Should have gone to AG Merrick Garland, 00:06:03.329 --> 00:06:06.649 but yeah. Anyway, it had seven recommendations 00:06:06.649 --> 00:06:09.569 to follow the money on Epstein's finances. Things 00:06:09.569 --> 00:06:11.790 like investigating wire transfers, payments to 00:06:11.790 --> 00:06:14.790 people like Leon Black, any Russian bank ties, 00:06:15.089 --> 00:06:17.470 whether the big banks followed anti -money laundering 00:06:17.470 --> 00:06:20.310 laws. So focusing on the financial angles. OK. 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:22.720 following the money trail and then this just 00:06:22.720 --> 00:06:24.639 came across our desk a really surprising late 00:06:24.639 --> 00:06:27.540 breaking thing the house oversight subcommittee 00:06:27.540 --> 00:06:30.339 on federal law enforcement they held a surprise 00:06:30.339 --> 00:06:33.860 vote to subpoena the epstein files themselves 00:06:33.860 --> 00:06:36.740 the actual files yes and it passed eight to two 00:06:37.129 --> 00:06:40.009 With three Republicans, Nancy Mays, Scott Perry, 00:06:40.149 --> 00:06:42.329 Brian Jack voting with the Democrats. Wow, three 00:06:42.329 --> 00:06:44.389 Republicans broke ranks on that. Yeah, which 00:06:44.389 --> 00:06:46.569 means the subpoena must be issued immediately. 00:06:47.069 --> 00:06:49.170 This could potentially set up a situation where 00:06:49.170 --> 00:06:52.170 Trump defies a Congress controlled by his own 00:06:52.170 --> 00:06:55.269 party. It's instantly drawing comparisons to, 00:06:55.269 --> 00:06:57.850 you know, Nixon's final days during Watergate. 00:06:58.089 --> 00:07:00.290 Okay, quite a development there. Let's shift 00:07:00.290 --> 00:07:02.829 gears slightly to the broader political stage. 00:07:03.589 --> 00:07:05.709 Democrats seem to be walking a bit of a tightrope 00:07:05.709 --> 00:07:07.790 with a potential government shut down looming. 00:07:08.149 --> 00:07:10.149 What's the struggle there? Right. So the government 00:07:10.149 --> 00:07:12.329 shuts down if there's no funding bill by October 00:07:12.329 --> 00:07:15.550 1st. That's the deadline. Republicans need Democratic 00:07:15.550 --> 00:07:17.689 votes in the Senate to get past a filibuster. 00:07:17.850 --> 00:07:20.069 So they need to make a deal. The dilemma for 00:07:20.069 --> 00:07:22.050 Democrats is, well, their base really wants them 00:07:22.050 --> 00:07:25.509 to fight to show Republicans can't govern. But 00:07:25.509 --> 00:07:28.430 Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, his instinct 00:07:28.430 --> 00:07:31.509 is always to avoid that Democrats in disarray 00:07:31.509 --> 00:07:34.949 headline. That narrative can hurt them. So it's 00:07:34.949 --> 00:07:37.860 a balancing act. What makes this funding fight 00:07:37.860 --> 00:07:40.740 particularly tough for Democrats this time? Is 00:07:40.740 --> 00:07:43.180 there something specific? A huge sticking point 00:07:43.180 --> 00:07:45.680 is this recent thing called the rescissions bill. 00:07:46.339 --> 00:07:48.959 Basically, it allows the White House to retroactively 00:07:48.959 --> 00:07:51.899 cancel money Congress already approved and allocated. 00:07:52.100 --> 00:07:54.019 Wait, they can just undo spending Congress voted 00:07:54.019 --> 00:07:57.180 for. That's the fear, yes. As Senator Angus King 00:07:57.180 --> 00:08:00.019 put it kind of colorfully, fool me once, shame 00:08:00.019 --> 00:08:02.779 on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Democrats 00:08:02.779 --> 00:08:05.579 are really wary now. They don't want to agree 00:08:05.579 --> 00:08:07.699 to funding deals just to have the money pulled 00:08:07.699 --> 00:08:10.199 back later by the president, so they want a written 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:12.639 promise against future rescissions and something 00:08:12.639 --> 00:08:14.660 called impoundment. That's when the executive 00:08:14.660 --> 00:08:17.480 just refuses to spend money Congress allocated. 00:08:18.139 --> 00:08:20.199 They're pushing hard for Congress, not the White 00:08:20.199 --> 00:08:22.779 House, to really control the purse strings, though 00:08:22.779 --> 00:08:26.699 there is apparently still some internal fuzziness 00:08:26.699 --> 00:08:29.639 among Democrats on exactly what policy duties, 00:08:29.639 --> 00:08:31.720 as they call them, they want in return for their 00:08:31.720 --> 00:08:34.590 votes. Okay. Now let's talk about this judicial 00:08:34.590 --> 00:08:37.509 nomination. Emile Boeuf. He's being called Trump's 00:08:37.509 --> 00:08:39.830 new hatchet man in that strong language. What's 00:08:39.830 --> 00:08:41.769 his story? Why is this nomination so significant? 00:08:42.049 --> 00:08:44.090 Emile Boeuf, yeah. He was Trump's number two 00:08:44.090 --> 00:08:45.830 lawyer in that New York case, the Cook in the 00:08:45.830 --> 00:08:47.470 Books one. Where Trump was convicted. Right, 00:08:47.629 --> 00:08:50.409 convicted on 34 counts. Now, Boeuf's been nominated 00:08:50.409 --> 00:08:52.669 to the U .S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, 00:08:52.889 --> 00:08:55.649 a very important court. He's seen as an absolute 00:08:55.649 --> 00:08:58.100 loyalist. Sources say he already proved this 00:08:58.100 --> 00:09:00.720 by being the key player in a deal to reportedly 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:03.440 pressure NYC Mayor Eric Adams about rounding 00:09:03.440 --> 00:09:06.980 up migrants. He even apparently swore the administration 00:09:06.980 --> 00:09:08.980 would just ignore court orders in a specific 00:09:08.980 --> 00:09:11.480 deportation case involving someone named Kilmar 00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:14.440 Abrego Garcia. Ignore court orders. That's the 00:09:14.440 --> 00:09:16.879 report. Our sources suggest his loyalty is purely 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:19.899 to Trump, not really to the Constitution or the 00:09:19.899 --> 00:09:23.080 law itself. Chuck Schumer called him the extreme 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:25.899 of the extreme of the extreme. Dick Durbin said 00:09:25.769 --> 00:09:29.230 above used his DOJ job to weaponize the Department 00:09:29.230 --> 00:09:31.509 of Justice against the president's enemies. Strong 00:09:31.509 --> 00:09:33.690 words from Senate leadership. Very strong. And 00:09:33.690 --> 00:09:36.610 it's not just them. Over 75 former judges plus 00:09:36.610 --> 00:09:39.990 900 former DOJ lawyers sent letters saying he's 00:09:39.990 --> 00:09:42.269 unfit for a judgeship. Despite all that, his 00:09:42.269 --> 00:09:44.129 nominations squeaked through the committee stage 00:09:44.129 --> 00:09:47.350 50 to 48. Only one Republican, Lisa Murkowski 00:09:47.350 --> 00:09:50.149 from Alaska, voted no. Susan Collins voted yes 00:09:50.149 --> 00:09:52.129 procedurally, but says she'll vote no on the 00:09:52.129 --> 00:09:54.970 final confirmation. That's remarkable party loyalty 00:09:54.970 --> 00:09:57.809 given that level of opposition. So what's the 00:09:57.809 --> 00:09:59.590 speculation? What does this mean for the Supreme 00:09:59.590 --> 00:10:01.840 Court? Well, it immediately raises the question, 00:10:01.879 --> 00:10:05.600 right? Is Muv being, physician, being groomed 00:10:05.600 --> 00:10:08.700 for a future Supreme Court spot? Speculation 00:10:08.700 --> 00:10:11.559 is focusing on justices Alito and Thomas possibly 00:10:11.559 --> 00:10:14.740 retiring. Alito, he's an extreme conservative. 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:17.100 He'd likely want to retire while Trump is president 00:10:17.100 --> 00:10:19.639 and Republicans control the Senate. He might 00:10:19.639 --> 00:10:21.980 fear a Democratic Senate taking over in January 00:10:21.980 --> 00:10:24.799 2027 would block any conservative replacement 00:10:24.799 --> 00:10:26.759 he'd favor. OK, that makes sense strategically 00:10:26.759 --> 00:10:29.879 for Alito. What about Thomas? He also likely 00:10:29.879 --> 00:10:32.539 wants Trump to pick his successor, but he has 00:10:32.539 --> 00:10:34.799 another factor playing in. He wants to break 00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:37.379 the record for the longest serving justice held 00:10:37.379 --> 00:10:39.679 by William Douglas. He hit that record in May 00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:43.539 2028. So for Thomas, it's a complicated gamble. 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:46.440 Loyalty to the party versus his own personal 00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:49.799 legacy. A real dilemma. Yeah. So Alito seems 00:10:49.799 --> 00:10:52.519 the more likely one to go first. which makes 00:10:52.519 --> 00:10:55.620 above a potential, albeit incredibly controversial, 00:10:55.879 --> 00:10:58.259 a nominee for that seat. It just highlights how 00:10:58.259 --> 00:11:01.080 even at the very top court, personal ambitions, 00:11:01.379 --> 00:11:04.919 party loyalty, timing, it's all this complex, 00:11:05.379 --> 00:11:08.399 almost theatrical dance. Speaking of legal fights, 00:11:09.019 --> 00:11:10.779 our sources point out this really interesting 00:11:10.779 --> 00:11:14.639 contrast. Big law caved, but little law didn't. 00:11:14.899 --> 00:11:16.539 What does that mean? What's it telling us about 00:11:16.539 --> 00:11:19.250 the current legal environment? It's a fascinating 00:11:19.250 --> 00:11:21.309 dynamic. What it means is over the last six months 00:11:21.309 --> 00:11:24.129 or so, many huge, well -known law firms, big 00:11:24.129 --> 00:11:27.769 law, they've chosen to do free legal work, pro 00:11:27.769 --> 00:11:30.289 bono work, for clients Trump basically picked 00:11:30.289 --> 00:11:33.070 for them. Right. Why? Often it was to avoid trouble, 00:11:33.370 --> 00:11:35.110 like getting their lawyers' security clearances 00:11:35.110 --> 00:11:37.129 pulled or being banned from federal property. 00:11:37.450 --> 00:11:39.149 So essentially pressure tactics worked on them. 00:11:39.269 --> 00:11:42.009 It seems so. They basically caved. They likely 00:11:42.009 --> 00:11:44.029 calculated that fighting these things, even if 00:11:44.029 --> 00:11:45.730 they knew they'd probably win in court eventually, 00:11:45.929 --> 00:11:47.929 would cost too much of money and risk their business. 00:11:48.250 --> 00:11:50.250 So they complied to protect their bottom line. 00:11:50.570 --> 00:11:53.610 OK, so if big law stepped back, who is stepping 00:11:53.610 --> 00:11:56.070 up? This is where it gets really interesting, 00:11:56.289 --> 00:11:58.549 right? It really is. It's the smaller firms, 00:11:58.730 --> 00:12:00.649 the solo lawyers. They're the ones who aren't 00:12:00.649 --> 00:12:03.429 intimidated, apparently. They've formed what 00:12:03.429 --> 00:12:06.090 some are calling a virtual army to challenge 00:12:06.090 --> 00:12:09.149 the administration, often working for free through 00:12:09.149 --> 00:12:12.190 groups like Lawyers for Good Government. We're 00:12:12.190 --> 00:12:15.940 seeing examples like Uh, over 80 lawyers volunteering 00:12:15.940 --> 00:12:19.600 20 hours a week, each, for just one case. 80 00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:22.679 lawyers, wow. Yeah, and individuals too. Michael 00:12:22.679 --> 00:12:24.960 Ansell, he's a solo lawyer in New Jersey. He's 00:12:24.960 --> 00:12:27.039 taking cases where Trump refused to pay government 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:28.960 contracts that the previous Biden administration 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:31.100 signed, focusing on, you know, due process being 00:12:31.100 --> 00:12:33.559 denied. There are over 400 suits like that pending. 00:12:33.600 --> 00:12:37.080 400, just on unpaid contracts. Seems so. Then 00:12:37.080 --> 00:12:39.440 there's the pro bono litigation corps, a smaller 00:12:39.440 --> 00:12:42.320 nonprofit. They're leading the charge on immigration 00:12:42.320 --> 00:12:45.279 cases. Their leader basically said, look, if 00:12:45.279 --> 00:12:47.740 every immigrant with a U .S. born baby has to 00:12:47.740 --> 00:12:50.460 sue for citizenship, we're happy to create an 00:12:50.460 --> 00:12:52.779 army of lawyers to do it. And the small firms 00:12:52.779 --> 00:12:55.179 are backing up the bigger ones, too. When a big 00:12:55.179 --> 00:12:59.960 firm, Perkins Koi, sued the DOJ, 504 small firms 00:12:59.960 --> 00:13:02.539 signed on to a friend of the court. Bruce supporting 00:13:02.539 --> 00:13:05.820 them. Compare that to only eight of the top 100 00:13:05.820 --> 00:13:07.740 biggest firms in the country. That's a stark 00:13:07.740 --> 00:13:09.559 difference. And there are some powerful personal 00:13:09.559 --> 00:13:11.940 stories behind this, too. Absolutely. Really 00:13:11.940 --> 00:13:14.360 inspiring ones. Karen Burgess, she's a commercial 00:13:14.360 --> 00:13:17.200 litigator. She volunteered to help her old university, 00:13:17.460 --> 00:13:20.299 Rice, after Trump attacked their DEI program, 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:23.200 Diversity Equity Inclusion. Heidi Berkevich, 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:25.710 she specializes in federal employment law. She's 00:13:25.710 --> 00:13:27.570 taking cases for government employees who were 00:13:27.570 --> 00:13:29.870 illegally fired. She said, I have three daughters. 00:13:30.190 --> 00:13:31.669 When this is all said and done, I need to look 00:13:31.669 --> 00:13:33.350 them in the face and know I did everything I 00:13:33.350 --> 00:13:36.159 could. Powerful motivation. It really is. These 00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:39.460 stories show it's often a deep moral professional 00:13:39.460 --> 00:13:41.519 commitment driving this. It's decentralized. 00:13:42.159 --> 00:13:43.759 And, you know, Abby Lowell, he's a pre -famous 00:13:43.759 --> 00:13:45.899 lawyer working with Norman Eisen's Democracy 00:13:45.899 --> 00:13:48.919 Defenders Fund. He put it nicely. He said the 00:13:48.919 --> 00:13:51.139 administration boasted about flooding the zone 00:13:51.139 --> 00:13:53.799 with their actions. But it turns out the legal 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:56.019 community is flooding the zone and they're the 00:13:56.019 --> 00:13:59.659 ones that can't keep up. So this contrast, it 00:13:59.659 --> 00:14:02.360 shows this really powerful sort of grassroots 00:14:02.360 --> 00:14:05.440 legal resistance emerging outside those big corporate 00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:07.799 law structures. It shows how the current climate 00:14:07.799 --> 00:14:10.480 isn't just a political fight. It's actually reshaping 00:14:10.480 --> 00:14:13.580 how legal advocacy happens, often driven by individual 00:14:13.580 --> 00:14:16.019 conscience. OK, finally, let's turn to a key 00:14:16.019 --> 00:14:18.080 election we're watching closely, the Virginia 00:14:18.080 --> 00:14:20.539 governor's race, often seen as a big bellwether 00:14:20.539 --> 00:14:22.320 for national politics. What's the latest from 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:24.539 there? Yeah, this is definitely the biggest bellwether 00:14:24.539 --> 00:14:26.759 race this year. You've got Abigail Spanberger, 00:14:27.259 --> 00:14:30.159 the Democrat facing Lieutenant Governor Winsome 00:14:30.159 --> 00:14:32.679 Earl Sears, the Republican. And frankly, for 00:14:32.679 --> 00:14:35.200 the Republicans, it's looking like a bit of a 00:14:35.200 --> 00:14:37.279 disaster right now. Earl Sears is getting crushed 00:14:37.279 --> 00:14:39.700 in the polls, trailing by 12 points in the latest 00:14:39.700 --> 00:14:42.620 one. And the trend has been consistently going 00:14:42.620 --> 00:14:45.600 Spanberger's way. 12 points is a big gap. And 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:47.879 the campaign itself is struggling, too. It really 00:14:47.879 --> 00:14:50.580 seems to be. Fundraising tells a story. Spanberger's 00:14:50.580 --> 00:14:53.820 raised $27 million, still has $15 million cash 00:14:53.820 --> 00:14:57.620 on hand. Earl Sears raised $11 million, only 00:14:57.620 --> 00:15:00.100 has $4 million left in the bank. That's a huge 00:15:00.100 --> 00:15:02.399 disparity. And she's already fired her campaign 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:04.980 manager. That's never a good sign. No, usually 00:15:04.980 --> 00:15:07.240 not. Republican strategists are getting really 00:15:07.240 --> 00:15:10.559 worried. They fear her, quote, lackluster campaign 00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:12.559 and just the whole narrative that she's going 00:15:12.559 --> 00:15:15.539 to lose badly. They worry it could actually depress 00:15:15.539 --> 00:15:17.960 Republican turnout across the board, which could 00:15:17.960 --> 00:15:19.879 then drag down their candidates for lieutenant 00:15:19.879 --> 00:15:22.039 governor and attorney general, too. The whole 00:15:22.039 --> 00:15:25.019 ticket suffers. So what does this mean for Governor 00:15:25.019 --> 00:15:28.360 Youngkin? He's got potential presidential ambitions 00:15:28.360 --> 00:15:31.580 for 2028, right? What are the implications for 00:15:31.580 --> 00:15:34.129 him? That's the big question for him, isn't it? 00:15:34.330 --> 00:15:36.509 Some Republican strategists are apparently urging 00:15:36.509 --> 00:15:40.450 him, take over her campaign, fix this. But he 00:15:40.450 --> 00:15:43.210 might actually prefer to stay out of it strategically, 00:15:43.629 --> 00:15:45.769 getting too closely tied to what's looking more 00:15:45.769 --> 00:15:48.289 and more like a sinking ship. That could really 00:15:48.289 --> 00:15:50.669 tarnish his own brand, his reputation for his 00:15:50.669 --> 00:15:52.899 future ambitions. Right. You don't want the headline, 00:15:53.320 --> 00:15:55.019 Young can take over his successor's campaign 00:15:55.019 --> 00:15:57.679 and she got crushed anyway. Exactly. That's not 00:15:57.679 --> 00:15:59.940 exactly a great recommendation for a presidential 00:15:59.940 --> 00:16:03.259 run. So if he does stay out, which seems possible, 00:16:03.639 --> 00:16:05.600 Earl Sears is increasingly looking like, well, 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:07.659 a lost cause for the Republicans this cycle. 00:16:08.179 --> 00:16:10.000 You know, what we've really dug into today just 00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:12.279 demonstrates this incredibly intricate dance, 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:14.379 doesn't it? Between the legal challenges, the 00:16:14.379 --> 00:16:17.179 political moves, public opinion from the very 00:16:17.179 --> 00:16:19.559 highest offices down to what individual lawyers 00:16:19.559 --> 00:16:22.340 or voters decide to do every single piece seems 00:16:22.340 --> 00:16:25.019 connected. It influences the next move in ways 00:16:25.019 --> 00:16:27.240 you don't always expect. Yeah, this deep dive, 00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:29.340 I think it's shown us not just the headlines, 00:16:29.500 --> 00:16:32.080 but those underlying currents, the flows of power, 00:16:32.179 --> 00:16:34.539 the points of resistance. It shows where this 00:16:34.539 --> 00:16:36.759 system is maybe bending and where it's actually 00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:39.399 holding firm. So maybe a final thought for you, 00:16:39.480 --> 00:16:41.840 the listener, to consider as you process all 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:44.919 this. In a world where information and accusations 00:16:44.919 --> 00:16:49.139 just fly around so fast, How much do those individual 00:16:49.139 --> 00:16:50.980 commitments, whether it's to a legal principle, 00:16:51.159 --> 00:16:53.320 an ethical stand, or even a political promise, 00:16:54.080 --> 00:16:56.139 how much do those ultimately shape what happens? 00:16:56.220 --> 00:16:57.820 And what does that tell us about where power 00:16:57.820 --> 00:17:00.519 really lies? That's it for this deep dive. We 00:17:00.519 --> 00:17:02.440 really hope this exploration gives you some new 00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:04.240 perspective on these complex stories playing 00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:05.099 out all around us.