WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.899 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today we're navigating 00:00:02.899 --> 00:00:05.059 a really fascinating landscape. Yeah, it's quite 00:00:05.059 --> 00:00:07.490 a mix. We've got a Trump Burger restaurant. caught 00:00:07.490 --> 00:00:09.589 up in legal fights. And then we're also looking 00:00:09.589 --> 00:00:12.609 back at a judge's really deep thoughts on liberty. 00:00:12.769 --> 00:00:15.429 Exactly. So we've pulled together a whole stack 00:00:15.429 --> 00:00:18.410 of sources for you, articles, reports, some really 00:00:18.410 --> 00:00:21.230 insightful notes. All tailored for you, the listener. 00:00:21.390 --> 00:00:23.929 And our mission, as always, is to pull out the 00:00:23.929 --> 00:00:26.190 most important stuff, those key nuggets of knowledge, 00:00:26.390 --> 00:00:29.929 so you feel properly informed but without getting 00:00:29.929 --> 00:00:33.070 totally overloaded. That's the plan. And as we 00:00:33.070 --> 00:00:35.850 unpack all this, you'll start to see some Well, 00:00:36.149 --> 00:00:38.189 pretty interesting connections. Right. Between 00:00:38.189 --> 00:00:40.469 things that seem totally separate at first glance. 00:00:40.689 --> 00:00:42.950 Yeah, like political strategy, legal fights, 00:00:43.770 --> 00:00:47.350 economic shifts, cultural stuff, even some surprising 00:00:47.350 --> 00:00:49.710 personal stories. It's all about seeing what's 00:00:49.710 --> 00:00:52.049 going on beneath the surface. OK, so let's dive 00:00:52.049 --> 00:00:56.590 right in. This first story is, well, it's fascinating 00:00:56.590 --> 00:00:59.869 and kind of ironic. The Trump burger saga. Exactly. 00:01:00.130 --> 00:01:03.049 Our sources introduce us to Roland Mares Beanie. 00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:06.019 He's an immigrant from Lebanon pursuing his American 00:01:06.019 --> 00:01:09.079 dream, right? Opened this restaurant chain called 00:01:09.079 --> 00:01:11.219 Trump Burger. And the look of the place the sources 00:01:11.219 --> 00:01:13.840 say is just wall -to -wall Trump memorabilia. 00:01:14.140 --> 00:01:16.459 Even the burger buns are branded with Trump's 00:01:16.459 --> 00:01:19.900 name. Wow. And yeah, for, let's call it balance, 00:01:20.060 --> 00:01:22.459 there's a Biden Burger on the menu, too. OK, 00:01:22.519 --> 00:01:24.579 what's that like? Well, the description, and 00:01:24.579 --> 00:01:28.019 this is unedited, reads, One ounce beef topped 00:01:28.019 --> 00:01:31.159 with old tomato and our oldest buns unavailable 00:01:31.159 --> 00:01:34.900 due cheating and inflation. $50 .99. Oh, my. 00:01:36.239 --> 00:01:39.900 The the satire there is something else, almost 00:01:39.900 --> 00:01:42.019 as skillful as the grammar, as the sources know. 00:01:42.280 --> 00:01:44.659 Right. But this whole venture, this dream, it 00:01:44.659 --> 00:01:46.879 ran into trouble pretty fast. Two big things 00:01:46.879 --> 00:01:48.719 happened. Yeah. The sources really highlight 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:51.560 this. First up, Trump's lawyers. They sent Beanie 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:53.799 a cease and desist letter. Because you don't 00:01:53.799 --> 00:01:55.939 use the name without paying. Pretty much. The 00:01:55.939 --> 00:01:57.799 source kind of frames it as the first rule of 00:01:57.799 --> 00:01:59.719 Trumpism. Don't use his name unless he gets a 00:01:59.719 --> 00:02:02.079 cut. So that's now tangled up in court. And wasn't 00:02:02.079 --> 00:02:04.040 he already dealing with other lawsuits? Yeah, 00:02:04.040 --> 00:02:05.700 that's the other layer. He was already fighting 00:02:05.700 --> 00:02:09.099 with partners over ownership and profits. So 00:02:09.099 --> 00:02:12.180 messy. OK, so the cease and desist is one thing. 00:02:12.280 --> 00:02:14.580 But you said two big complications. What was 00:02:14.580 --> 00:02:16.300 the other one the sources point to? Well, this 00:02:16.300 --> 00:02:18.900 is maybe the more surprising part. All the attention 00:02:18.900 --> 00:02:22.680 he got interviews, these lawsuits. it led people 00:02:22.680 --> 00:02:25.560 to discover something else. Which was? He's undocumented. 00:02:25.719 --> 00:02:28.240 Oh. Yeah. He came here legally on a guest visa, 00:02:28.599 --> 00:02:31.840 but then overstayed after a divorce. Wow. So 00:02:31.840 --> 00:02:34.560 the irony is just palpable. Someone who seemed 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:37.039 to admire a figure known for, you know, pretty 00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:39.400 strong anti -immigration views. Exactly. It's 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:42.979 this incredibly complex mix. Ambition, political 00:02:42.979 --> 00:02:46.879 branding, immigration law. And it all kind of 00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:49.159 imploded on itself because the public persona 00:02:49.159 --> 00:02:51.280 drew attention to the private vulnerability. 00:02:51.560 --> 00:02:53.419 So what's next for him? Well, he's got a hearing 00:02:53.419 --> 00:02:55.300 coming up in a couple of months. The sources 00:02:55.300 --> 00:02:57.060 suggest it's pretty likely he'll be deported 00:02:57.060 --> 00:02:59.819 by ICE. It's just a really stark story, isn't 00:02:59.819 --> 00:03:02.060 it? How all these things can collide. Absolutely. 00:03:02.400 --> 00:03:05.000 Personal ambition, political identity, the letter 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:07.979 of the law. Yeah. OK, so thinking about those 00:03:07.979 --> 00:03:12.370 struggles, liberty, the American dream. That 00:03:12.370 --> 00:03:15.370 actually brings us to Judge Learned Hand. Ah, 00:03:15.870 --> 00:03:18.949 yes. A really significant figure. Maybe not a 00:03:18.949 --> 00:03:21.069 household name for everyone, but our sources 00:03:21.069 --> 00:03:23.710 argue he's possibly the most important American 00:03:23.710 --> 00:03:26.270 judge never to sit on the Supreme Court. And 00:03:26.270 --> 00:03:28.409 he was considered for it, right? By both parties. 00:03:28.629 --> 00:03:30.750 Yeah, Republican and Democratic administrations 00:03:30.750 --> 00:03:32.650 thought about appointing him. His career was 00:03:32.650 --> 00:03:35.370 just legendary. It really was. Appointed a federal 00:03:35.370 --> 00:03:39.520 judge at just 37. served actively for 42 years, 00:03:39.780 --> 00:03:42.319 then another 10 on senior status. And still the 00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:44.280 most cited lower court judge in Supreme Court 00:03:44.280 --> 00:03:47.759 decisions. Still is. And he was known for persuading 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:50.080 his colleagues. You know, that they should only 00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:52.539 overturn Congress in really extreme situations, 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:54.759 judicial restraint. But we're diving into him 00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:57.180 today, not just for the judicial stuff, but for 00:03:57.180 --> 00:03:59.740 a speech he gave, a really powerful one. Right, 00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:03.379 1944, middle of World War II. He gave this address 00:04:03.379 --> 00:04:06.340 in Central Park for, I am an American day. To 00:04:06.340 --> 00:04:08.419 over a million people, apparently. Many of them 00:04:08.419 --> 00:04:10.759 new citizens. The sources call it viral for its 00:04:10.759 --> 00:04:15.039 time. And what he said about liberty gets profound. 00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:18.670 He warned against putting too much faith just 00:04:18.670 --> 00:04:20.829 in legal structures. Can you share that quote? 00:04:20.949 --> 00:04:24.250 It's quite striking. Sure. He said, I often wonder 00:04:24.250 --> 00:04:26.410 whether we do not rest our hopes too much upon 00:04:26.410 --> 00:04:29.430 constitutions, upon laws and upon courts. These 00:04:29.430 --> 00:04:32.149 are false hopes. Believe me, these are false 00:04:32.149 --> 00:04:35.370 hopes. Wow. So where does liberty lie, according 00:04:35.370 --> 00:04:38.389 to Hansi? Liberty, he said, lies in the hearts 00:04:38.389 --> 00:04:42.079 of men and women. When it dies there. No constitution, 00:04:42.279 --> 00:04:45.180 no law, no court can even do much to help it. 00:04:45.459 --> 00:04:47.579 He admitted he couldn't perfectly define that 00:04:47.579 --> 00:04:50.339 spirit of liberty, right? No, but he described 00:04:50.339 --> 00:04:53.079 his faith in it. He said, it's the spirit which 00:04:53.079 --> 00:04:56.639 is not too sure that it is right. Humility. Exactly. 00:04:57.279 --> 00:04:59.199 The spirit which seeks to understand the mind 00:04:59.199 --> 00:05:01.500 of other men and women, the spirit which weighs 00:05:01.500 --> 00:05:03.819 their interests alongside its own without bias. 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:05.839 And he talked about an America that hasn't quite 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:08.339 been achieved yet. Yeah, an America that has 00:05:08.339 --> 00:05:11.240 never been... and which may never be, nay, which 00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:13.199 never will be, except as the conscience and courage 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:15.939 of Americans create it, requires active effort. 00:05:16.120 --> 00:05:18.459 It's incredible how relevant those words feel 00:05:18.459 --> 00:05:21.279 today, 80 years later. Absolutely. And if you 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:24.620 connect it back to, say, the Beanie story, hands 00:05:24.620 --> 00:05:27.079 warning just gets sharper, doesn't it? How so? 00:05:27.339 --> 00:05:28.980 Well, when you see these foundational ideas, 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:31.319 liberty, the American dream getting tangled up 00:05:31.319 --> 00:05:33.980 with, like transactional branding or getting 00:05:33.980 --> 00:05:37.779 crushed by a rigid application of law. That's 00:05:37.779 --> 00:05:40.139 exactly what Hand was warning about. When liberty 00:05:40.139 --> 00:05:42.660 isn't actively cherished in people's hearts. 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:45.279 Right. Especially when outside forces try to 00:05:45.279 --> 00:05:47.899 define it or restrict it or when we just get 00:05:47.899 --> 00:05:50.060 too certain that we're the ones who are right, 00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:52.759 that's when it starts to fray. So if liberty 00:05:52.759 --> 00:05:56.439 lives in the heart, as Hand said, what happens 00:05:56.439 --> 00:05:59.500 when the actual rules, the lines that shape our 00:05:59.500 --> 00:06:02.379 public life, get manipulated? Ah, well that leads 00:06:02.379 --> 00:06:04.899 us straight into gerrymandering. the high stakes 00:06:04.899 --> 00:06:07.360 game of drawing political maps. And our sources 00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:10.259 point to a real redistricting war heating up, 00:06:10.519 --> 00:06:12.560 particularly between Texas and California. Yeah, 00:06:12.579 --> 00:06:14.500 in Texas you had this situation where Democratic 00:06:14.500 --> 00:06:17.699 legislators actually left the state, quorum busting 00:06:17.699 --> 00:06:20.360 it's called. To stop Governor Abbott's plan to 00:06:20.360 --> 00:06:23.199 redraw the maps. Exactly. He wanted to create 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:26.139 five more districts leaning Republican. So the 00:06:26.139 --> 00:06:28.860 Dems tried to block it by denying a quorum. But 00:06:28.860 --> 00:06:31.850 that couldn't last forever? No. They faced fines 00:06:31.850 --> 00:06:33.790 and they have part -time jobs back home they 00:06:33.790 --> 00:06:35.970 needed to get back to. So they're returning. 00:06:36.350 --> 00:06:38.569 And the likely outcome. It seems likely Abbott 00:06:38.569 --> 00:06:41.829 will get his way. Democrats plan to sue, of course, 00:06:41.889 --> 00:06:44.930 but the Supreme Court has generally upheld partisan 00:06:44.930 --> 00:06:47.529 gerrymanders, making it a tough fight. OK, meanwhile, 00:06:47.689 --> 00:06:50.029 out on the West Coast, California's Governor 00:06:50.029 --> 00:06:52.709 Newsom has a different plan. Right. He's proposing 00:06:52.709 --> 00:06:55.470 a bill to temporarily override their current 00:06:55.470 --> 00:06:58.050 House map. Temporarily. For which elections? 00:06:58.149 --> 00:07:02.459 For 2026, 2028. and 2030. The idea is to create 00:07:02.459 --> 00:07:05.040 a map more friendly to Democrats for those cycles. 00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:08.160 After the 2030 census, the state's independent 00:07:08.160 --> 00:07:10.639 commission would take back map drawing duties. 00:07:11.060 --> 00:07:12.959 So what's the strategy there, according to the 00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:14.939 sources? What's he aiming for? Well, the sources 00:07:14.939 --> 00:07:17.259 mentioned leaked lists targeting nine districts. 00:07:17.560 --> 00:07:19.180 The goal seems to be flipping maybe three to 00:07:19.180 --> 00:07:22.220 five seats to safe Democratic status. And shoring 00:07:22.220 --> 00:07:25.060 up some existing Democrats. Yeah, giving extra 00:07:25.060 --> 00:07:28.720 armor. as the source puts it, to about five vulnerable 00:07:28.720 --> 00:07:30.899 incumbents. Newsom described the map as pretty 00:07:30.899 --> 00:07:33.160 conservative, though. He did. But the source 00:07:33.160 --> 00:07:37.680 notes that a more aggressive, full mercenary 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:40.899 approach could potentially make almost the entire 00:07:40.899 --> 00:07:44.360 California delegation democratic just based on 00:07:44.360 --> 00:07:46.699 population spread. That's fascinating. So the 00:07:46.699 --> 00:07:48.680 obvious question is, why isn't he pushing harder 00:07:48.680 --> 00:07:51.459 for that if the sources think it's possible? 00:07:51.740 --> 00:07:54.560 Good question. The thinking seems to be twofold. 00:07:54.810 --> 00:07:58.389 One, don't risk existing safe blue seats by shaking 00:07:58.389 --> 00:08:01.170 things up too much. And two, manage appearances. 00:08:01.250 --> 00:08:04.110 Yeah. Because this new map needs voter approval. 00:08:04.709 --> 00:08:07.149 Ah, right. In a special election this November. 00:08:07.970 --> 00:08:09.930 How's that looking? Well, there was a recent 00:08:09.930 --> 00:08:13.050 poll showing only 36 % support, which sounds 00:08:13.050 --> 00:08:15.670 bad. Yeah. But the source really digs into why 00:08:15.670 --> 00:08:18.290 that poll might be misleading. Issues with how 00:08:18.290 --> 00:08:20.069 the question was asked too long, kind of leading. 00:08:20.209 --> 00:08:22.490 And maybe not accurately reflecting Newsom's 00:08:22.490 --> 00:08:26.660 actual proposal. Exactly. The thinking is, many 00:08:26.660 --> 00:08:28.860 voters might actually like the independent commission 00:08:28.860 --> 00:08:32.000 long term, but also be willing to support Newsom's 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:34.940 temporary override now. Kind of a desperate times, 00:08:35.259 --> 00:08:38.019 desperate measures thing. So the fight over that 00:08:38.019 --> 00:08:40.379 ballot measure will be fierce. Definitely. You've 00:08:40.379 --> 00:08:41.879 got Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former Republican 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:43.899 governor who championed the independent commission, 00:08:44.500 --> 00:08:46.100 leading the opposition. You'll have money behind 00:08:46.100 --> 00:08:48.549 him. Oh, yeah. significant Republican donors 00:08:48.549 --> 00:08:50.809 are expected to join him, they might outspend 00:08:50.809 --> 00:08:52.990 the Democrats. But money isn't always everything 00:08:52.990 --> 00:08:55.429 in these palette fights, right? That's what the 00:08:55.429 --> 00:08:57.649 sources remind us, yeah. Doesn't always guarantee 00:08:57.649 --> 00:08:59.509 you win. And there was one more piece of irony 00:08:59.509 --> 00:09:02.769 the sources mentioned here? Ah, yes. As Governor 00:09:02.769 --> 00:09:05.529 Newsom was making this announcement, at the Japanese 00:09:05.529 --> 00:09:10.350 American National Museum in LA, ICE was literally 00:09:10.350 --> 00:09:12.990 conducting raids and arrests outside the museum. 00:09:13.230 --> 00:09:16.399 Wow. undocumented immigrants being arrested right 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:19.120 there. Yeah. It just loops back again to that 00:09:19.120 --> 00:09:21.759 complicated intersection of politics, immigration, 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:25.320 optics. It's all tangled. Okay, so from drawing 00:09:25.320 --> 00:09:28.440 lines on maps, let's shift to the economic lines 00:09:28.440 --> 00:09:31.019 hitting our wallets. Inflation numbers. Right. 00:09:31.480 --> 00:09:34.440 The producer price index, PPI, that's what businesses 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:39.220 pay. It jumped 0 .9 % in July. Which is the biggest 00:09:39.220 --> 00:09:42.370 monthly jump in... Three years. and the interpretation 00:09:42.370 --> 00:09:44.610 of that. Well, the general take is that producers 00:09:44.610 --> 00:09:48.289 just can't or won't absorb the costs of tariffs 00:09:48.289 --> 00:09:50.289 anymore. They're passing them on. So it's a leading 00:09:50.289 --> 00:09:51.769 indicator. We'll see this at the checkout line 00:09:51.769 --> 00:09:54.690 soon. Eventually, yes. And the thing is, the 00:09:54.690 --> 00:09:56.950 full whack of the tariffs hasn't even hit yet. 00:09:57.210 --> 00:09:59.190 Some are still coming online. Even Fox Business 00:09:59.190 --> 00:10:01.309 called it a byproduct of a trade war, didn't 00:10:01.309 --> 00:10:04.230 they? They did. And financial analyst Adam Johnson 00:10:04.230 --> 00:10:06.230 pointed out the trade component of the consumer 00:10:06.230 --> 00:10:09.350 price index, the CPI, was up 2%. He thought it 00:10:09.350 --> 00:10:11.769 might just be a one -time shift, though. Yeah, 00:10:11.850 --> 00:10:14.450 he was optimistic. But our sources are pretty 00:10:14.450 --> 00:10:16.830 skeptical about that. Why? Well, like we said, 00:10:16.929 --> 00:10:18.629 the full effects aren't even here yet. And there's 00:10:18.629 --> 00:10:20.570 no obvious reason why it would be limited to 00:10:20.570 --> 00:10:23.429 just one month if the underlying cause, the tariffs, 00:10:23.909 --> 00:10:27.029 persists. So the question about economic policy 00:10:27.029 --> 00:10:30.210 here is pretty stark, isn't it? It is. If prices 00:10:30.210 --> 00:10:32.690 are going up because of tariffs, even if it starts 00:10:32.690 --> 00:10:36.230 as a one -time shift, you add that to normal 00:10:36.230 --> 00:10:39.070 background inflation, that could become a real 00:10:39.070 --> 00:10:41.490 headache for whoever's in power. And this connects 00:10:41.490 --> 00:10:43.970 to another kind of odd detail from the sources, 00:10:44.450 --> 00:10:47.629 this idea of an external revenue service, an 00:10:47.629 --> 00:10:50.029 ERS. Yeah, that's been floated apparently since 00:10:50.029 --> 00:10:54.350 before previous inauguration. The idea was an 00:10:54.350 --> 00:10:57.210 agency specifically to collect tariffs. But nothing's 00:10:57.210 --> 00:10:59.649 actually happened to create it. Nope. And what's 00:10:59.649 --> 00:11:01.450 fascinating, according to the sources, is the 00:11:01.450 --> 00:11:05.789 reason why bureaucratic turf wars. Ah, different 00:11:05.789 --> 00:11:07.889 departments want control. If it's going to collect 00:11:07.889 --> 00:11:10.429 potentially huge amounts of money, you bet. heads 00:11:10.429 --> 00:11:12.250 of various departments all wanted under their 00:11:12.250 --> 00:11:14.389 umbrella. And the whole idea seems kind of contradictory 00:11:14.389 --> 00:11:16.509 anyway, right? Totally. Are tariffs supposed 00:11:16.509 --> 00:11:19.230 to be a major income source? Or are they bargaining 00:11:19.230 --> 00:11:21.629 chips to be raised and lowered in trade negotiations? 00:11:21.769 --> 00:11:24.450 It's not clear. And the sources mention the irony 00:11:24.450 --> 00:11:26.870 of potentially sending people checks. To help 00:11:26.870 --> 00:11:29.809 them pay for the price increases caused by the 00:11:29.809 --> 00:11:31.710 tariffs that generated the money for the checks 00:11:31.710 --> 00:11:33.970 in the first place. Yeah, it sounds like a classic 00:11:33.970 --> 00:11:36.809 case of... A random idea gets thrown out, everyone 00:11:36.809 --> 00:11:39.250 fights over it, and in the end, nothing actually 00:11:39.250 --> 00:11:41.639 happens. That's how the source portrays it. And 00:11:41.639 --> 00:11:43.600 just to bring it back to the real world, the 00:11:43.600 --> 00:11:45.799 sources note these tariffs are already hitting 00:11:45.799 --> 00:11:48.379 supermarket prices. Yep. Mexican avocados are 00:11:48.379 --> 00:11:50.779 mentioned, and price hikes are expected on coffee. 00:11:51.580 --> 00:11:55.440 Brazil beans up 50%. Chocolate, too. Up 39 % 00:11:55.440 --> 00:11:58.440 for Swiss chocolate. And spices from Indonesia 00:11:58.440 --> 00:12:02.820 up 19%. So it's starting to bite. OK, so from 00:12:02.820 --> 00:12:07.259 economic policy, let's turn to more overt displays 00:12:07.259 --> 00:12:10.440 of power. How influence gets projected? Sometimes 00:12:10.440 --> 00:12:12.220 very publicly, very symbolically. Right, like 00:12:12.220 --> 00:12:14.379 the deployment of National Guard troops to D 00:12:14.379 --> 00:12:17.299 .C. that our sources discuss, and also changes 00:12:17.299 --> 00:12:19.440 happening at the Kennedy Center. Yeah, the National 00:12:19.440 --> 00:12:21.139 Guard thing is interesting because the stated 00:12:21.139 --> 00:12:23.340 reason versus the likely real reason. What's 00:12:23.340 --> 00:12:25.840 the stated reason? Governors from Ohio, South 00:12:25.840 --> 00:12:29.919 Carolina, West Virginia are sending troops, supposedly 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:32.159 at the request of a former president, to help 00:12:32.159 --> 00:12:34.759 with crime. But the sources call that political 00:12:34.759 --> 00:12:37.220 theater. Pretty much. They point out there's 00:12:37.220 --> 00:12:39.759 no actual need. Crime in DC has been trending 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:42.259 down for years. And the troops aren't even going 00:12:42.259 --> 00:12:45.899 to the highest crime areas. Apparently not. So 00:12:45.899 --> 00:12:48.759 the interpretation is it's really about convincing 00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:52.799 the political base back home that DC is out of 00:12:52.799 --> 00:12:55.340 control. And maybe forcing governors to show 00:12:55.340 --> 00:12:58.820 loyalty. That too. It's a symbolic gesture. DC's 00:12:58.820 --> 00:13:01.980 mayor Muriel Bowser had a strong reaction. She 00:13:01.980 --> 00:13:05.129 did. tweeted that using American soldiers to 00:13:05.129 --> 00:13:08.470 police American citizens on American soil is 00:13:08.470 --> 00:13:11.830 hashtag un -American. Pretty direct and this 00:13:11.830 --> 00:13:14.809 theme of control or maybe influence extends to 00:13:14.809 --> 00:13:17.049 cultural spaces to like the Kennedy Center Yeah, 00:13:17.070 --> 00:13:18.950 that's the other piece the Kennedy Center honors 00:13:18.950 --> 00:13:21.529 Usually the artists are chosen through a process 00:13:21.529 --> 00:13:24.470 involving the center staff the public but that 00:13:24.470 --> 00:13:26.870 changed under a previous administration Right. 00:13:26.870 --> 00:13:29.090 The board was replaced with loyalists. They get 00:13:29.090 --> 00:13:31.629 involved in programming and now they're helping 00:13:31.629 --> 00:13:34.529 pick the honorees making them essentially Trump 00:13:34.529 --> 00:13:36.929 administration honorees as the source puts it 00:13:36.929 --> 00:13:39.529 that's the term used Yeah, and the five picks 00:13:39.370 --> 00:13:43.389 this year, they show a pattern. Seems pretty 00:13:43.389 --> 00:13:48.129 clear. You've got Michael Crawford. Why? Apparently 00:13:48.129 --> 00:13:50.330 the former president loves Phantom of the Opera. 00:13:50.470 --> 00:13:53.909 Okay. Who else? Gene Simmons from Kiss. He's 00:13:53.909 --> 00:13:56.169 known as a staunch pro -Israel conservative. 00:13:56.990 --> 00:14:00.250 Then Sylvester Stallone. Rocky Rambo, also an 00:14:00.250 --> 00:14:03.129 outspoken supporter. Yep. Then George Strait. 00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:06.100 King of Country. He's a Republican known for 00:14:06.100 --> 00:14:08.639 work with wounded vets. Arguably, you know, the 00:14:08.639 --> 00:14:10.500 most conventionally deserving pick. And the last 00:14:10.500 --> 00:14:13.980 one. Gloria Gaynor, which is maybe the most interesting 00:14:13.980 --> 00:14:16.559 choice. Why her diversity? That could be part 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:19.240 of it. But the main reason the source suggests 00:14:19.240 --> 00:14:22.200 is her song, I Will Survive. Because it's played 00:14:22.200 --> 00:14:25.519 at rallies, symbolizing triumph. Exactly. But 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:27.600 the source points out the huge irony. It's a 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:29.799 song about a woman escaping an abusive relationship. 00:14:29.899 --> 00:14:32.529 Right. suggesting maybe the lyrics weren't listened 00:14:32.529 --> 00:14:34.970 to very closely. Kind of like Springsteen's Born 00:14:34.970 --> 00:14:37.370 in the USA being misused over the years. Are 00:14:37.370 --> 00:14:39.590 people pushing back on this, urging Gaynor to 00:14:39.590 --> 00:14:41.549 decline? Yeah, many in the entertainment world 00:14:41.549 --> 00:14:43.730 are, arguing she's being used as a political 00:14:43.730 --> 00:14:46.090 prop. Mel Brooks turned down the honor before, 00:14:46.169 --> 00:14:48.309 didn't he? Under a previous administration. He 00:14:48.309 --> 00:14:50.750 did. And then accepted it later from a different 00:14:50.750 --> 00:14:53.429 one. And Tom Cruise reportedly said no this year, 00:14:53.769 --> 00:14:56.149 too. So what's the overall goal here, did the 00:14:56.149 --> 00:14:58.149 sources suggest? What's the message with these 00:14:58.149 --> 00:15:00.519 pics? The idea seems to be that these honorees 00:15:00.519 --> 00:15:04.080 are popular, not elitist, implying that past 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:07.059 honorees were somehow just for cultural elites. 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:10.100 But past honorees include people like Frank Sinatra, 00:15:10.500 --> 00:15:14.419 Lucille Ball, Led Zeppelin, Oprah Winfrey. Yeah, 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:16.840 hardly just niche figures. The source makes that 00:15:16.840 --> 00:15:18.960 point pretty strongly. It's also striking how 00:15:18.960 --> 00:15:21.080 many of these honorees had their biggest hits, 00:15:21.220 --> 00:15:24.120 like decades ago. Yeah, 40 plus years ago in 00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:26.700 some cases. Another reminder, the source notes. 00:15:27.019 --> 00:15:29.759 of the former president's particular cultural 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:32.340 frame of reference. Okay, so from these very 00:15:32.340 --> 00:15:34.480 public displays, let's shift to something maybe 00:15:34.480 --> 00:15:37.779 more subtle, but potentially more pervasive. 00:15:38.419 --> 00:15:41.700 Technology, privacy, and control. Yeah, the sources 00:15:41.700 --> 00:15:44.200 touch on this with things like facial recognition 00:15:44.200 --> 00:15:47.200 tech. Especially in sports arenas. Right, there's 00:15:47.200 --> 00:15:49.559 this idea of the arena of the future at the L 00:15:49.559 --> 00:15:51.659 .A. Clippers new place, the Intuit Dome. What 00:15:51.659 --> 00:15:53.879 does that involve? You have to download an app, 00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:56.980 upload a photo, and use facial recognition to 00:15:56.980 --> 00:16:00.240 get in. And the benefit is supposed to be? Saving 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:03.019 two, maybe even three seconds getting through 00:16:03.019 --> 00:16:05.200 the gate. That's what they claim. But does it 00:16:05.200 --> 00:16:09.139 even work reliably? Online reports suggest. Not 00:16:09.139 --> 00:16:15.360 always. It can be glitchy. So that tiny potential 00:16:15.360 --> 00:16:19.000 convenience. Is it worth the privacy trade -off, 00:16:19.179 --> 00:16:21.720 especially if it's unreliable? That's the core 00:16:21.720 --> 00:16:23.720 question, isn't it? And there's another example 00:16:23.720 --> 00:16:26.100 given, Madison Square Garden in New York. What 00:16:26.100 --> 00:16:29.179 are they using it for? To keep people out. Specifically, 00:16:29.539 --> 00:16:32.519 enemies of the team owner. Mostly lawyers who've 00:16:32.519 --> 00:16:34.220 sued him or lawyers from firms that have sued 00:16:34.220 --> 00:16:37.200 him. So they use facial recognition to identify 00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:40.340 and bar them from attending games? Exactly. And 00:16:40.340 --> 00:16:42.919 the concern connecting this to the bigger picture 00:16:42.919 --> 00:16:45.929 is Pretty obvious. The potential for abuse by 00:16:45.929 --> 00:16:49.049 an administration, for surveillance or controlling 00:16:49.049 --> 00:16:51.230 access to public spaces. Right. It's definitely 00:16:51.230 --> 00:16:52.909 something the source's flag is worth watching 00:16:52.909 --> 00:16:57.250 closely and resisting if you value privacy. These 00:16:57.250 --> 00:16:59.490 questions of control and surveillance, they obviously 00:16:59.490 --> 00:17:02.070 cross borders too. Let's look internationally 00:17:02.070 --> 00:17:05.529 now. Ukraine. Yeah. Our sources give a detailed 00:17:05.529 --> 00:17:09.410 look at the really complex diplomatic maneuvering 00:17:09.410 --> 00:17:11.990 around a potential peace treaty. President Zelensky 00:17:11.990 --> 00:17:15.549 is visiting the White House. He is, yeah, and 00:17:15.549 --> 00:17:17.789 joined by several European leaders who are known 00:17:17.789 --> 00:17:21.109 for being pretty adept at handling difficult 00:17:21.109 --> 00:17:22.829 political personalities. And there's a lot of 00:17:22.829 --> 00:17:26.069 talk about peace treaties versus ceasefire. Exactly. 00:17:26.349 --> 00:17:28.809 The positions seem to be shifting. And one suggested 00:17:28.809 --> 00:17:31.690 motivation for a former president getting involved 00:17:31.690 --> 00:17:34.930 is the allure of a Nobel Peace Prize. But pushing 00:17:34.930 --> 00:17:37.589 for a peace treaty right now could actually benefit 00:17:37.589 --> 00:17:40.000 Russia. That's the concern highlighted. Peace 00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:42.799 talks can drag on forever, months, even years. 00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:45.579 And while talks are happening, Russia could potentially 00:17:45.579 --> 00:17:48.019 keep fighting and grab more territory. Zelensky, 00:17:48.019 --> 00:17:50.299 though, knows any peace deal needs real teeth, 00:17:50.500 --> 00:17:53.000 right? Real security guarantees. Absolutely. 00:17:53.400 --> 00:17:56.240 He remembered the lesson of Munich in 1938. Appeasement 00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:58.400 doesn't work long term. So what would those guarantees 00:17:58.400 --> 00:18:00.359 look like? It would have to be something solid. 00:18:00.640 --> 00:18:04.079 Allied troops stationed in Ukraine or just massive 00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:06.299 weapon supplies with basically no restrictions 00:18:06.299 --> 00:18:08.559 on their use, even hitting targets deep inside 00:18:08.559 --> 00:18:11.019 Russia. And European leaders agree. They seem 00:18:11.019 --> 00:18:14.039 to share that view. The EU's top diplomat basically 00:18:14.039 --> 00:18:15.980 said Russia has no intention of stopping the 00:18:15.980 --> 00:18:18.460 war soon and they need tougher measures. And 00:18:18.460 --> 00:18:22.279 the human cost? The sources touch on Russia's 00:18:22.279 --> 00:18:24.920 strategy for keeping its army staffed. Yeah, 00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:27.039 it's pretty grim. They offer huge sign up bonuses, 00:18:27.660 --> 00:18:30.220 really high monthly pay, like $2 ,000, $3 ,000 00:18:30.220 --> 00:18:32.779 a month, putting these soldiers in the top 10, 00:18:32.779 --> 00:18:35.440 15 % of Russian earners. Plus life insurance. 00:18:35.799 --> 00:18:38.019 Generous payouts to families if the soldier dies. 00:18:38.599 --> 00:18:41.440 So this attracts men from poor backgrounds, often 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:44.339 poorly educated, maybe in debt. creating an army 00:18:44.339 --> 00:18:46.359 that the source calls. Just meat for the meat 00:18:46.359 --> 00:18:49.099 grinder. Wow. Really stark language contrasting 00:18:49.099 --> 00:18:51.559 them with the highly motivated Ukrainian soldiers 00:18:51.559 --> 00:18:53.880 fighting for their homeland. And speaking of 00:18:53.880 --> 00:18:56.420 international efforts and stark realities, there's 00:18:56.420 --> 00:18:58.960 this really disheartening story about international 00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:02.380 aid, contraceptives. Oh, yeah, this one's tough. 00:19:02.819 --> 00:19:05.099 So after a previous administration dismantled 00:19:05.099 --> 00:19:08.099 USA, the International Development Agency, a 00:19:08.099 --> 00:19:10.779 warehouse in Belgium ended up stuck with supplies. 00:19:10.859 --> 00:19:14.470 Yeah. $10 million worth of contraceptives. Enough 00:19:14.470 --> 00:19:16.769 for over a million women in African countries 00:19:16.769 --> 00:19:19.710 like Congo, Kenya, Zambia. And now they're set 00:19:19.710 --> 00:19:22.450 to be destroyed. Why? This is the crucial point 00:19:22.450 --> 00:19:24.849 the sources highlight. The order came because 00:19:24.849 --> 00:19:27.430 some political appointees or believers think 00:19:27.430 --> 00:19:30.759 using these contraceptives is like having an 00:19:30.759 --> 00:19:32.980 abortion. Which medical professionals call a 00:19:32.980 --> 00:19:35.880 misrepresentation. A blatant attempt to misrepresent. 00:19:36.059 --> 00:19:39.140 Yeah. The sources stress these are standard contraceptives, 00:19:39.480 --> 00:19:42.200 not abortion inducing drugs, despite the use 00:19:42.200 --> 00:19:45.259 of the loaded term abortifacients by opponents. 00:19:45.460 --> 00:19:47.599 And offers to buy the supplies were rejected. 00:19:47.859 --> 00:19:50.519 Even offers from the UN and a London based health 00:19:50.519 --> 00:19:53.000 group to buy them and distribute them properly 00:19:53.000 --> 00:19:55.059 rejected. The source had a really blunt take 00:19:55.059 --> 00:19:57.660 on this. It isn't about the money. It is about 00:19:57.660 --> 00:20:00.289 the meanness. That's the quote. despite efforts 00:20:00.289 --> 00:20:03.109 from lawmakers to stop it. U .S. and French lawmakers 00:20:03.109 --> 00:20:05.769 tried to intervene, but the destruction seems 00:20:05.769 --> 00:20:08.049 imminent. And the State Department apparently 00:20:08.049 --> 00:20:10.910 gave no reply when asked about the abortifacients 00:20:10.910 --> 00:20:14.609 claim. Just silence. Wow. OK, from international 00:20:14.609 --> 00:20:16.869 aid disputes, let's move back home to the legal 00:20:16.869 --> 00:20:20.369 arena. The Supreme Court. and a potential big 00:20:20.369 --> 00:20:22.650 battle looming over same -sex marriage rights. 00:20:22.849 --> 00:20:24.829 This makes you think about how long legal precedents 00:20:24.829 --> 00:20:27.490 really last, doesn't it? It really does. While 00:20:27.490 --> 00:20:29.670 a former president hasn't made same -sex marriage 00:20:29.670 --> 00:20:32.829 a central focus, some of his evangelical supporters 00:20:32.829 --> 00:20:35.750 are definitely eager to overturn Obergefell v. 00:20:35.890 --> 00:20:38.789 Hodges. That's the 2015 decision that legalized 00:20:38.789 --> 00:20:41.579 it nationwide. Right. And their argument is pretty 00:20:41.579 --> 00:20:44.559 straightforward. If Roe v. Wade could be overturned 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:47.039 after almost 50 years. Then Obergefell, which 00:20:47.039 --> 00:20:49.039 is only about 10 years old, could definitely 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:51.299 be vulnerable. Especially given the current makeup 00:20:51.299 --> 00:20:53.940 of the court. How so? Well, three of the five 00:20:53.940 --> 00:20:55.759 justices who were in the Obergefell majority 00:20:55.759 --> 00:20:58.720 are gone now. But three of the four dissenters 00:20:58.720 --> 00:21:01.460 from that case are still on the court. So they 00:21:01.460 --> 00:21:03.960 only need two more votes from the current justices 00:21:03.960 --> 00:21:06.920 to potentially overturn it. Exactly. It shows 00:21:06.920 --> 00:21:09.819 just how close it could be. And states are already 00:21:09.819 --> 00:21:12.519 acting on this. Yeah, nine states have reportedly 00:21:12.519 --> 00:21:15.000 introduced resolutions challenging Obergefell. 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:17.019 Some are even looking at things like covenant 00:21:17.019 --> 00:21:19.460 marriage. What's that? It's a type of marriage 00:21:19.460 --> 00:21:22.019 license available in a few states that requires 00:21:22.019 --> 00:21:24.700 premarital counseling and makes getting divorced 00:21:24.700 --> 00:21:27.880 much, much harder than a standard marriage. It's 00:21:27.880 --> 00:21:30.319 meant to push back against easier divorce laws. 00:21:30.619 --> 00:21:34.019 And that Kentucky Charity Clerk, Kim Davis. The 00:21:34.019 --> 00:21:36.539 one who refused to issue same -sex marriage licenses 00:21:36.539 --> 00:21:40.740 back in 2015, defying court orders. Yeah, she's 00:21:40.740 --> 00:21:42.660 now asking the Supreme Court to hear her appeal. 00:21:42.779 --> 00:21:44.799 And asking them to overturn Obergefell in the 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:47.680 process. Right. And with three justices pretty 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:50.000 likely to vote just to hear the case, they only 00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:52.039 need one more for it to get onto the docket. 00:21:52.480 --> 00:21:54.619 So it's a very real possibility. If Obergefell 00:21:54.619 --> 00:21:57.319 were reversed, what would the impact be like? 00:21:57.400 --> 00:21:59.740 It would definitely cause a huge stir. Probably 00:21:59.740 --> 00:22:02.859 not quite as massive an earthquake as the Dobbs 00:22:02.859 --> 00:22:05.259 decision overturning Roe, just because fewer 00:22:05.259 --> 00:22:07.359 people are directly affected day to day. But 00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:09.980 still a major campaign issue. Oh, absolutely. 00:22:10.180 --> 00:22:12.559 For some, it would become a huge rallying cry, 00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:14.920 arguing the Supreme Court is, you know, running 00:22:14.920 --> 00:22:17.880 amok. OK, so alongside these legal challenges, 00:22:19.019 --> 00:22:21.019 let's talk about another form of pushback against 00:22:21.019 --> 00:22:26.410 power. Mockery. Ah, yes. The sources make a really 00:22:26.410 --> 00:22:28.930 interesting point about this. Authoritarians, 00:22:29.210 --> 00:22:31.630 generally speaking, hate being ridiculed. Why 00:22:31.630 --> 00:22:34.789 is that? It makes them look weak, foolish, and 00:22:34.789 --> 00:22:37.210 if they react angrily or try to bluster their 00:22:37.210 --> 00:22:39.250 way through it, it often just makes them look 00:22:39.250 --> 00:22:41.950 even worse. And this strategy is being used effectively 00:22:41.950 --> 00:22:44.630 against a former president. Seems like it. Governor 00:22:44.630 --> 00:22:46.529 Gavin Newsom, for instance, seems to have gotten 00:22:46.529 --> 00:22:49.089 the down pat. How so? He's been mimicking the 00:22:49.089 --> 00:22:52.329 former president's very distinct, over -the -top 00:22:52.329 --> 00:22:55.269 style in his tweets. Using all caps, the initials. 00:22:55.390 --> 00:22:57.569 Yeah, like, thank you for your attention to this 00:22:57.569 --> 00:22:59.970 matter and signing off GCN like the other guy 00:22:59.970 --> 00:23:03.210 uses DJT. Plus little jabs about tiny hands and 00:23:03.210 --> 00:23:06.170 little baby stares. The source calls it psychological 00:23:06.170 --> 00:23:08.910 warfare. And says Newsom is much better at it. 00:23:08.910 --> 00:23:11.210 It gets under the skin. And where did this strategy 00:23:11.210 --> 00:23:14.769 come from? Apparently. Credit goes to Newsom's 00:23:14.769 --> 00:23:18.380 media team leader. Camille Harper Zapata. The 00:23:18.380 --> 00:23:21.819 source quotes someone saying, she knows how cavemen 00:23:21.819 --> 00:23:25.079 think. Make of that what you will. OK. Another 00:23:25.079 --> 00:23:28.019 big example, South Park. Oh, yeah. Trey Parker 00:23:28.019 --> 00:23:30.839 and Matt Stone, they just got a massive new contract, 00:23:30.980 --> 00:23:33.960 like $1 .25 billion. And they're using their 00:23:33.960 --> 00:23:37.160 platform to go after the former president. Unapologetically 00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:40.140 skewer him, as the source puts it. Their recent 00:23:40.140 --> 00:23:42.579 episode, Sermon on the Mount, apparently portrays 00:23:42.579 --> 00:23:46.079 him as a tin pot dictator. Literally in bed with 00:23:46.079 --> 00:23:49.200 Satan. Complete with... Kindly hands, yes. And 00:23:49.200 --> 00:23:51.119 constantly suing everyone. Why did they feel 00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:53.400 the need to step up like this? They basically 00:23:53.400 --> 00:23:55.680 said they felt they had to speak up because so 00:23:55.680 --> 00:23:58.619 many other powerful institutions, media companies, 00:23:58.900 --> 00:24:01.220 big corporations, law firms, even universities 00:24:01.220 --> 00:24:04.160 seem to be knuckling under to him, afraid of 00:24:04.160 --> 00:24:06.319 retribution. And has it worked for them? Ratings 00:24:06.319 --> 00:24:08.380 wise, absolutely. The ratings have apparently 00:24:08.380 --> 00:24:09.960 boomed since they started taking this approach. 00:24:10.380 --> 00:24:13.279 Mockery sells, it seems. And sometimes the administration 00:24:13.279 --> 00:24:15.539 itself... just makes the mockery easy. Yeah, 00:24:15.619 --> 00:24:17.359 there was that incident the source mentions, 00:24:17.660 --> 00:24:19.740 a State Department official accidentally printed 00:24:19.740 --> 00:24:22.380 sensitive material, not top secret, but still 00:24:22.380 --> 00:24:24.720 sensitive, at a hotel business center. And just 00:24:24.720 --> 00:24:26.660 left it there. For another guest to find, yeah. 00:24:27.059 --> 00:24:29.160 Even the White House reportedly called the incident 00:24:29.160 --> 00:24:32.079 hilarious, which just kind of fuels the ridicule 00:24:32.079 --> 00:24:34.680 further. Incompetence can be its own punchline. 00:24:34.839 --> 00:24:38.480 Okay, wow. We have covered a lot of ground today. 00:24:38.579 --> 00:24:41.200 Such a complex, interconnected picture. We really 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:43.000 have. We started with that really compelling 00:24:43.000 --> 00:24:45.059 story, didn't we? Roland Beeney and the Trump 00:24:45.059 --> 00:24:47.579 burger, personal ambition, political branding, 00:24:47.920 --> 00:24:51.000 legal reality, all crashing together. A very 00:24:51.000 --> 00:24:53.859 tangled American dream. Yeah. And then we pivoted 00:24:53.859 --> 00:24:57.180 to Judge Leonard Hand. That timeless wisdom about 00:24:57.180 --> 00:24:59.500 the spirit of liberty really needing to live 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:02.950 inside us, not just in laws on Popper. Which 00:25:02.950 --> 00:25:04.910 felt incredibly relevant when we talked about 00:25:04.910 --> 00:25:07.609 gerrymandering, those strategic battles, drawing 00:25:07.609 --> 00:25:10.190 lines on maps that can genuinely shape or even 00:25:10.190 --> 00:25:13.190 undermine democracy and the liberty hand valued. 00:25:13.329 --> 00:25:15.329 Definitely. And we saw the economic ripples to 00:25:15.329 --> 00:25:16.829 those tariffs starting to show up in consumer 00:25:16.829 --> 00:25:19.529 prices. Plus the cultural projections of power 00:25:19.529 --> 00:25:22.890 from, you know, symbolic troop deployments to 00:25:22.890 --> 00:25:25.150 trying to reshape who gets honored at the Kennedy 00:25:25.150 --> 00:25:27.710 Center. And wrapping up with how people push 00:25:27.710 --> 00:25:31.230 back serious legal challenges that could reshape 00:25:31.230 --> 00:25:33.630 fundamental rights. Like marriage. Right, the 00:25:33.630 --> 00:25:36.750 potential aubergine fell fight. And also that 00:25:36.750 --> 00:25:40.410 very different, but maybe equally potent weapon, 00:25:40.950 --> 00:25:43.849 mockery. Using satire and ridicule to expose 00:25:43.849 --> 00:25:45.890 vulnerabilities. Yeah, it's quite the range of 00:25:45.890 --> 00:25:48.490 tactics and arenas. So we really hope this deep 00:25:48.490 --> 00:25:50.930 dive helps you, the listener, connect these dots, 00:25:51.049 --> 00:25:53.089 see how these things that might seem separate 00:25:53.089 --> 00:25:55.710 are actually part of a bigger picture in our 00:25:55.710 --> 00:25:58.170 society today. It's definitely a lot to process. 00:25:58.730 --> 00:26:00.869 But hopefully, understanding these dynamics, 00:26:00.930 --> 00:26:03.750 seeing the ironies, the realities, it helps you 00:26:03.750 --> 00:26:05.690 feel more informed, more equipped to make sense 00:26:05.690 --> 00:26:08.069 of it all. So here's a final thought to maybe 00:26:08.069 --> 00:26:11.009 chew on. In this era we're in, where personal 00:26:11.009 --> 00:26:13.670 brands seem to drive so much political action, 00:26:13.789 --> 00:26:15.690 where you have this historical wisdom like Judge 00:26:15.690 --> 00:26:17.990 Hand's clash with very modern challenges and 00:26:17.990 --> 00:26:20.890 where satire itself becomes this potent weapon, 00:26:21.589 --> 00:26:23.809 what does the American dream actually mean to 00:26:23.809 --> 00:26:25.849 you today? And how do you think its future will 00:26:25.849 --> 00:26:28.109 be shaped by all these forces we've just unpacked?