WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.859 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we're diving 00:00:02.859 --> 00:00:05.780 into a collection of sources that offer a really 00:00:05.780 --> 00:00:10.000 sharp snapshot of the pressures and power plays 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.039 shaping our world right now. Yeah, it's quite 00:00:12.039 --> 00:00:14.740 a mix. We'll be looking at everything from the 00:00:14.740 --> 00:00:17.239 fight for transparency in high profile cases 00:00:17.239 --> 00:00:20.960 to critical public health decisions and even 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:24.219 chilling global cyber threats. It's all about 00:00:24.219 --> 00:00:26.460 accountability, the integrity of our institutions 00:00:26.460 --> 00:00:29.980 and that constant tension really between political 00:00:29.980 --> 00:00:32.340 maneuvering and public welfare. That's right. 00:00:32.539 --> 00:00:35.679 Our goal, as always, is to navigate these complex 00:00:35.679 --> 00:00:38.000 issues with you, sort of distill the most crucial 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:40.700 insights and connect the dots. It's about understanding 00:00:40.700 --> 00:00:43.719 not just the headlines, but the underlying forces 00:00:43.719 --> 00:00:46.079 at play and what these developments mean for 00:00:46.079 --> 00:00:48.920 you and, well, our shared future. OK, great. 00:00:48.920 --> 00:00:51.219 So let's get started. Let's start with a really 00:00:51.219 --> 00:00:53.780 unusual situation brewing in the House regarding 00:00:53.780 --> 00:00:56.520 the demand for transparency around the Jeffrey 00:00:56.520 --> 00:00:59.039 Epstein files. And here's where it gets interesting. 00:00:59.640 --> 00:01:01.619 Speaker Mike Johnson is actually warning his 00:01:01.619 --> 00:01:04.959 own Republican members not to sign a discharge 00:01:04.959 --> 00:01:07.459 petition. Which is unusual. Right. For those 00:01:07.459 --> 00:01:10.980 less familiar, what exactly is a discharge petition 00:01:10.980 --> 00:01:13.640 and why is Johnson trying to block it? Well, 00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:16.599 a discharge petition is a it's a rarely used 00:01:16.599 --> 00:01:20.120 but potent procedural tool. If a simple majority 00:01:20.120 --> 00:01:22.790 of House members sign it, Just a majority? Yeah, 00:01:22.870 --> 00:01:26.069 just a majority. It forces a vote on a bill or 00:01:26.069 --> 00:01:28.510 resolution directly to the floor, completely 00:01:28.510 --> 00:01:31.109 bypasses committee leadership. Okay. In this 00:01:31.109 --> 00:01:33.730 specific case, the petition, which was crafted 00:01:33.730 --> 00:01:36.689 by Rep. Thomas Massey, it aims to compel the 00:01:36.689 --> 00:01:38.950 Department of Justice to release all the Epstein 00:01:38.950 --> 00:01:42.129 files. And critically, it stipulates that only 00:01:42.129 --> 00:01:44.750 victims' names would be redacted, not alleged 00:01:44.750 --> 00:01:48.469 perpetrator. Oh, okay. So not redacting the... 00:01:48.329 --> 00:01:50.950 potential perpetrator. Exactly. But Speaker Johnson, 00:01:51.049 --> 00:01:53.609 he's arguing that the current approach by Rep. 00:01:53.930 --> 00:01:55.709 James Comer, which involves, you know, asking 00:01:55.709 --> 00:01:58.390 the DOJ for documents that often come back heavily 00:01:58.390 --> 00:02:00.209 redacted, is sufficient. He's essentially trying 00:02:00.209 --> 00:02:02.609 to control the flow of information, keep it in 00:02:02.609 --> 00:02:05.269 committee. But Massey and others, they're just 00:02:05.269 --> 00:02:07.609 not buying that the DOJ can be trusted with those 00:02:07.609 --> 00:02:10.490 redactions. Our sources describe him actually 00:02:10.490 --> 00:02:12.849 holding up his phone, showing a flight log from 00:02:12.849 --> 00:02:16.090 an initial DOJ document dump where, like, every 00:02:16.090 --> 00:02:18.349 single name was blacked out. Wow. Every name. 00:02:18.830 --> 00:02:21.069 Every single one. You made a pretty compelling 00:02:21.069 --> 00:02:23.590 case saying, and I'm quoting here, what's clear 00:02:23.590 --> 00:02:25.889 is they're not redacting just to protect victims, 00:02:25.969 --> 00:02:29.409 they're redacting to protect reputations. Some 00:02:29.409 --> 00:02:31.729 of those people are probably innocent, but some 00:02:31.729 --> 00:02:33.770 of them are most certainly guilty. That's a strong 00:02:33.770 --> 00:02:36.449 statement. It is. And what makes this push for 00:02:36.449 --> 00:02:39.810 transparency even more fascinating is the surprisingly 00:02:39.810 --> 00:02:42.610 bipartisan effort behind it. Absolutely. The 00:02:42.610 --> 00:02:45.810 bipartisan nature is key here. To pull this petition 00:02:45.810 --> 00:02:49.030 out of committee, it needs Six Republican votes, 00:02:49.310 --> 00:02:51.490 assuming all Democrats support it. OK, six Republicans. 00:02:51.789 --> 00:02:54.150 So far, we've seen four Republicans publicly 00:02:54.150 --> 00:02:57.189 commit. Massey, Nancy Mace, Lauren Boebert, and 00:02:57.189 --> 00:02:59.289 Marjorie Taylor Greene. And on the Democratic 00:02:59.289 --> 00:03:02.650 side, Rep. Ro Khanna is actually a co -sponsor. 00:03:02.750 --> 00:03:05.129 Interesting mix. Yeah. And the motivations are 00:03:05.129 --> 00:03:09.139 quite varied and personal, too. Rep Nancy Mace, 00:03:09.180 --> 00:03:11.340 for instance, she met with Epstein's victims, 00:03:11.599 --> 00:03:13.800 describing how their stories led her to a full 00:03:13.800 --> 00:03:16.199 -blown panic attack that no doubt influenced 00:03:16.199 --> 00:03:19.379 her decision to, you know, buck leadership. Wow. 00:03:19.780 --> 00:03:22.699 And speaking of surprising alliances, that news 00:03:22.699 --> 00:03:25.659 conference held by Massey and Khanna with Green 00:03:25.659 --> 00:03:28.479 and some survivors present, apparently it had 00:03:28.479 --> 00:03:31.460 a particularly unexpected moment. Oh. Marjorie 00:03:31.460 --> 00:03:33.840 Taylor Green, known for her, let's say, controversial 00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:36.580 rhetoric, reportedly gave a surprisingly serious 00:03:36.580 --> 00:03:39.860 speech. defending and praising the women Epstein 00:03:39.860 --> 00:03:43.039 abused. The source is highlighted as seemingly 00:03:43.039 --> 00:03:45.599 genuine and it's perhaps noteworthy that three 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:47.379 of the four Republicans who've signed are women. 00:03:47.759 --> 00:03:50.219 That is noteworthy. But what's the ultimate so 00:03:50.219 --> 00:03:52.219 what here for justice? Is this just political 00:03:52.219 --> 00:03:55.020 theater? or could it genuinely lead to more accountability? 00:03:55.199 --> 00:03:58.199 Well, it could lead to significant accountability. 00:03:58.460 --> 00:04:00.240 Beyond just the political pressure, we're seeing 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:03.000 another crucial development, the victims themselves. 00:04:03.639 --> 00:04:06.120 They are now collaboratively compiling their 00:04:06.120 --> 00:04:08.979 own master list of alleged perpetrators. Oh, 00:04:08.979 --> 00:04:11.120 interesting. So bypassing the official channels. 00:04:11.419 --> 00:04:14.479 Exactly. Epstein accuser Lisa Phillips told NBC 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:16.860 News that victims are pooling their individual 00:04:16.860 --> 00:04:20.100 lists. If many rich and powerful individuals 00:04:20.100 --> 00:04:22.199 are on this collective list, I mean, it could 00:04:22.199 --> 00:04:24.500 trigger major fireworks, think potential lawsuits, 00:04:24.779 --> 00:04:26.860 and the prospect of these alleged perpetrators 00:04:26.860 --> 00:04:29.800 facing cross -examination under oath in public 00:04:29.800 --> 00:04:32.240 trials. Right, under oath. That's a powerful 00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:35.300 path to justice that bypasses the dojo entirely. 00:04:35.899 --> 00:04:38.360 Definitely. Okay, from this fight for transparency, 00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:40.839 let's pivot to another high stakes political 00:04:40.839 --> 00:04:43.660 battle unfolding on Capitol Hill. One that directly 00:04:43.660 --> 00:04:46.509 impacts how our government functions. the government 00:04:46.509 --> 00:04:49.050 funding fight. Ah, yes, the funding battles. 00:04:49.269 --> 00:04:51.230 Our sources are even calling rescission the word 00:04:51.230 --> 00:04:53.970 of the year. What exactly is a rescission bill 00:04:53.970 --> 00:04:57.129 and why is this particular strategy causing such 00:04:57.129 --> 00:05:00.269 a stir? Especially given how it seems to challenge 00:05:00.269 --> 00:05:02.949 established norms. Right. So rescission refers 00:05:02.949 --> 00:05:05.629 to a strategy and it's strongly advocated by 00:05:05.629 --> 00:05:08.129 figures like Russell Vaught to effectively undo 00:05:08.129 --> 00:05:10.490 parts of a bipartisan spending agreement after 00:05:10.490 --> 00:05:12.689 it's already been passed. After the fact. How 00:05:12.689 --> 00:05:15.480 does that work? Well, the process involves introducing 00:05:15.480 --> 00:05:18.160 a rescission bill. And this is key. It cannot 00:05:18.160 --> 00:05:20.800 be filibustered in the Senate. OK, no filibuster. 00:05:20.839 --> 00:05:22.860 Right. And it's used to remove components that 00:05:22.860 --> 00:05:24.939 Democrats, for example, might have insisted on 00:05:24.939 --> 00:05:27.560 during the initial negotiations. And a pocket 00:05:27.560 --> 00:05:30.420 rescission is even more aggressive. Once such 00:05:30.420 --> 00:05:32.860 a bill is introduced, the president can simply, 00:05:33.060 --> 00:05:36.399 well, refrain from spending already appropriated 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:39.459 money for 45 days. Not spend it. Just not spend 00:05:39.459 --> 00:05:41.860 it. And if the fiscal year ends within that 45 00:05:41.860 --> 00:05:45.339 day period, no vote is even needed. It essentially 00:05:45.339 --> 00:05:48.379 allows the president to impound, say, five billion 00:05:48.379 --> 00:05:50.620 dollars in foreign aid he doesn't want to spend 00:05:50.620 --> 00:05:53.639 without any congressional approval. Wow. That 00:05:53.639 --> 00:05:55.300 sounds like a direct challenge to Congress's 00:05:55.300 --> 00:05:57.779 whole power of the purse. It is. And while it 00:05:57.779 --> 00:06:01.629 naturally infuriates Democrats, it's also deeply 00:06:01.629 --> 00:06:03.569 upsetting some Senate Republicans, too. That's 00:06:03.569 --> 00:06:05.970 right. People like Susan Collins, John Thune, 00:06:06.129 --> 00:06:08.649 Lisa Murkowski, they're expressing strong concerns. 00:06:09.089 --> 00:06:11.670 Calling it unlawful or arguing it fundamentally 00:06:11.670 --> 00:06:14.029 undermines the entire appropriations process. 00:06:14.410 --> 00:06:17.269 Senator Collins explicitly stated, any effort 00:06:17.269 --> 00:06:20.889 to rescind appropriated funds without congressional 00:06:20.889 --> 00:06:24.009 approval is a clear violation of the law. Pretty 00:06:24.009 --> 00:06:26.300 direct language. Yeah. So, what are the long 00:06:26.300 --> 00:06:29.199 -term constitutional implications if this kind 00:06:29.199 --> 00:06:35.259 of approach gains traction? a significant shift 00:06:35.259 --> 00:06:38.100 in the balance of power, specifically challenging 00:06:38.100 --> 00:06:40.939 Congress's foundational constitutional responsibility 00:06:40.939 --> 00:06:43.519 for funding. Senator Murkowski, for example, 00:06:43.639 --> 00:06:46.199 she tweeted, Congress alone bears the constitutional 00:06:46.199 --> 00:06:49.100 responsibility for funding our government. And 00:06:49.100 --> 00:06:52.000 any effort to claw back resources outside of 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:55.060 the appropriations process undermines that responsibility. 00:06:55.500 --> 00:06:58.120 And on a practical level, as Catherine Cortez 00:06:58.120 --> 00:07:00.800 Masto noted, most Americans don't really understand 00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:02.959 these complex Senate procedures. They just want 00:07:02.959 --> 00:07:05.339 their leaders to solve problems, right? Not create 00:07:05.339 --> 00:07:08.040 new ones by challenging fundamental governmental 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:10.040 structures. Makes sense. But the outlook for 00:07:10.040 --> 00:07:11.500 resolving this isn't great, is it? It doesn't 00:07:11.500 --> 00:07:14.240 look good. Rachel Bade, Politico's capital bureau 00:07:14.240 --> 00:07:16.819 chief, she predicts Democrats can't ultimately 00:07:16.819 --> 00:07:20.439 win this fight. She suggests if they block appropriations 00:07:20.439 --> 00:07:22.819 bills, Republicans will just hold vote after 00:07:22.819 --> 00:07:25.620 vote. framing it so the public blames Democrats 00:07:25.620 --> 00:07:28.220 for, you know, trash piling up in national parks, 00:07:28.500 --> 00:07:30.439 government services halting. The shutdown blame 00:07:30.439 --> 00:07:32.980 game. Exactly. Many Republicans, she believes, 00:07:33.060 --> 00:07:35.100 are actually quite content to see the government 00:07:35.100 --> 00:07:38.920 shut down as a way to shrink it. So what's the 00:07:38.920 --> 00:07:41.360 exit strategy for Democrats if Republicans just 00:07:41.360 --> 00:07:43.860 refuse to budge on this? Well, Bates suggests 00:07:43.860 --> 00:07:46.600 there isn't really a good one. She foresees Democrats 00:07:46.600 --> 00:07:49.060 eventually caving after, you know, months of 00:07:49.060 --> 00:07:51.519 pain, which would only strengthen a potential 00:07:51.519 --> 00:07:53.879 future administration's grip on Congress. Even 00:07:53.879 --> 00:07:56.019 stopgap continuing resolutions, they just kick 00:07:56.019 --> 00:07:57.879 the can down the road. Right, just delays the 00:07:57.879 --> 00:08:00.300 inevitable. Exactly. Leads to the same outcome. 00:08:00.939 --> 00:08:03.360 It really highlights a deep strategic impasse 00:08:03.360 --> 00:08:06.160 where one side seems willing to challenge the 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:09.819 very mechanisms of governance for, well, a political 00:08:09.819 --> 00:08:13.019 win. OK, from that legislative gridlock impacting 00:08:13.019 --> 00:08:15.680 federal funding, we now see these same forces 00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:17.939 of political maneuvering kind of descending into 00:08:17.939 --> 00:08:20.379 local elections. There's a surprising development 00:08:20.379 --> 00:08:22.740 in the New York City mayoral race. Oh, yeah. 00:08:23.300 --> 00:08:25.339 Our sources suggest Donald Trump is trying to 00:08:25.339 --> 00:08:28.100 pull a rabbit out of his Mejia hat, reportedly 00:08:28.100 --> 00:08:32.500 afraid of Zoran Kwame Mamdani, a 33 year old 00:08:32.500 --> 00:08:35.139 immigrant from Africa who's apparently polling 00:08:35.139 --> 00:08:38.419 surprisingly well. Mamdani. OK, what's Trump's 00:08:38.419 --> 00:08:41.090 strategy here? Well, reportedly, he's being urged 00:08:41.090 --> 00:08:44.990 on by billionaire donors and NYC who are, quote, 00:08:45.230 --> 00:08:47.929 petrified of Mamdani. Uh -huh. So Trump's strategy 00:08:47.929 --> 00:08:49.909 is to try and convince independent candidate 00:08:49.909 --> 00:08:52.370 Eric Adams, the current mayor, and Republican 00:08:52.370 --> 00:08:54.649 Curtis Sliwa to drop out of the race. Get them 00:08:54.649 --> 00:08:57.169 both out. Why? The explicit aim is to turn it 00:08:57.169 --> 00:08:59.409 into a head -to -head contest between Mamdani 00:08:59.409 --> 00:09:02.169 and former NY governor Andrew Cuomo, basically 00:09:02.169 --> 00:09:04.370 manipulate the field to get a preferred outcome 00:09:04.370 --> 00:09:07.340 for his allies. Cuomo versus Mom Donnie. Interesting. 00:09:07.620 --> 00:09:09.500 And how is Trump planning to achieve this? Just 00:09:09.500 --> 00:09:11.399 ask them nicely. Apparently he's considering 00:09:11.399 --> 00:09:14.200 offering Adams and Sliwa jobs in his administration. 00:09:14.340 --> 00:09:17.200 Jobs? Like what? Well, historically he's tended 00:09:17.200 --> 00:09:20.629 to offer rather minor roles like you know, ambassador 00:09:20.629 --> 00:09:23.289 to Tuvalu or something. Right. Chuckles slightly. 00:09:23.509 --> 00:09:26.269 But the sources suggest that since both Adams 00:09:26.269 --> 00:09:29.269 and Sliwa have law enforcement backgrounds, something 00:09:29.269 --> 00:09:32.549 like director or deputy director of the FBI might 00:09:32.549 --> 00:09:34.850 actually be genuinely appealing to them. OK, 00:09:34.889 --> 00:09:37.710 that's a bit more substantial than Tuvalu. That's 00:09:37.710 --> 00:09:40.210 where the calculation gets interesting. There's 00:09:40.210 --> 00:09:42.470 also the possibility that Republican mega donor 00:09:42.470 --> 00:09:46.259 John Katsimatidis He owns supermarket chains 00:09:46.259 --> 00:09:49.440 and is also reportedly petrified of Mamdani. 00:09:49.600 --> 00:09:51.720 Right, the supermarket guy. Yeah. He could offer 00:09:51.720 --> 00:09:53.799 them well -paying jobs in his companies, but, 00:09:53.799 --> 00:09:55.559 you know, a federal law enforcement position 00:09:55.559 --> 00:09:57.759 might indeed be more attractive to them, especially 00:09:57.759 --> 00:09:59.480 given their backgrounds. Probably don't know 00:09:59.480 --> 00:10:01.500 much about vegetables, as the source hinted. 00:10:01.639 --> 00:10:03.700 Churls, right. It's certainly an audacious plan. 00:10:04.110 --> 00:10:06.309 But looking at the numbers, Mamdani polling at 00:10:06.309 --> 00:10:11.710 42%, Cuomo at 23%, Sliwe at 17%, and Adams down 00:10:11.710 --> 00:10:14.330 at 9%. What are the chances this plan actually 00:10:14.330 --> 00:10:16.809 works? Are there significant hurdles? Oh, the 00:10:16.809 --> 00:10:20.110 challenges are substantial. Huge hurdles. First, 00:10:20.529 --> 00:10:22.049 Adams and Sliwa probably couldn't even get their 00:10:22.049 --> 00:10:23.950 names off the ballot easily at this point. It 00:10:23.950 --> 00:10:26.669 might be too late. OK, procedural issue. And 00:10:26.669 --> 00:10:29.129 second, and maybe more critically, there's just 00:10:29.129 --> 00:10:31.289 no guarantee their supporters would simply switch 00:10:31.289 --> 00:10:34.250 to Cuomo. Many might choose Mamdani or just stay 00:10:34.250 --> 00:10:36.889 home. Sure, they're very different bases. Exactly. 00:10:37.129 --> 00:10:39.129 If we connect this to the bigger picture, this 00:10:39.129 --> 00:10:41.769 whole stunt could easily backfire and fail to 00:10:41.769 --> 00:10:44.529 achieve Trump's desired outcome. Cuomo would 00:10:44.529 --> 00:10:46.990 need almost all of Adams's and Slewa's supporters 00:10:46.990 --> 00:10:49.570 to switch to him, which is a very, very big ask. 00:10:50.350 --> 00:10:52.929 Pretty unlikely. OK, from these political battles 00:10:52.929 --> 00:10:56.029 over power and strategy, we now turn to a domain 00:10:56.029 --> 00:10:58.970 where policy decisions have, well, immediate 00:10:58.970 --> 00:11:01.570 life or death consequences. public health. Right. 00:11:01.710 --> 00:11:04.269 High stakes. The calls for HHS Secretary Robert 00:11:04.269 --> 00:11:06.950 Kennedy Jr. to resign highlight a profound split 00:11:06.950 --> 00:11:10.210 between science and partisanship. Over one thousand 00:11:10.210 --> 00:11:13.190 former and current HHS staffers have signed a 00:11:13.190 --> 00:11:16.029 letter demanding his removal, citing very serious 00:11:16.029 --> 00:11:18.509 concerns. Yeah, over a thousand. That's significant. 00:11:18.909 --> 00:11:22.080 The letter. signed by individuals rather than 00:11:22.080 --> 00:11:23.980 organizations, which is interesting in itself. 00:11:24.559 --> 00:11:26.639 It highlights critical issues like the removal 00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:29.899 of CDC director Susan Monarez and the resignations 00:11:29.899 --> 00:11:33.620 of four other top CDC leaders. The core belief 00:11:33.620 --> 00:11:36.299 expressed in the letter is pretty clear. Health 00:11:36.299 --> 00:11:38.539 policies should be based in strong, evidence 00:11:38.539 --> 00:11:41.440 -based principles rather than partisan politics. 00:11:41.519 --> 00:11:43.919 And they say... Right, they state clearly that 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:46.720 under Kennedy's leadership, HHS policies are 00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:49.159 placing the health of all Americans at risk, 00:11:49.159 --> 00:11:52.419 regardless of their politics. Wow. Regardless 00:11:52.419 --> 00:11:54.120 of politics. That puts Donald Trump in a bit 00:11:54.120 --> 00:11:56.500 of a political bind, doesn't it? He's aligned 00:11:56.500 --> 00:11:58.860 himself so closely with Kennedy and the anti 00:11:58.860 --> 00:12:01.919 -vax sentiment in his base. But our sources point 00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:04.879 out a serious dilemma. If Kennedy goes off the 00:12:04.879 --> 00:12:07.409 rails... banning vaccines, potentially leading 00:12:07.409 --> 00:12:10.289 to high -profile preventable deaths, well, Trump 00:12:10.289 --> 00:12:12.129 would likely get the blame. Absolutely. He'd 00:12:12.129 --> 00:12:14.590 own it. Plus, this alignment makes it impossible 00:12:14.590 --> 00:12:16.769 for him to take credit for Operation Warp Speed, 00:12:16.830 --> 00:12:20.220 right? which was arguably one of his administration's 00:12:20.220 --> 00:12:23.100 biggest achievements in accelerating COVID vaccine 00:12:23.100 --> 00:12:24.639 development. Completely negates it. So what's 00:12:24.639 --> 00:12:27.320 the real political cost -benefit analysis for 00:12:27.320 --> 00:12:30.120 Trump here? It's a classic lose -lose proposition, 00:12:30.500 --> 00:12:34.460 politically speaking. He has to weigh the significant 00:12:34.460 --> 00:12:37.340 blowback from potentially keeping Kennedy... 00:12:37.399 --> 00:12:40.360 leading to those preventable deaths against the 00:12:40.360 --> 00:12:43.120 blowback from his anti -vax base if he fires 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:45.779 Kennedy and replaces him with a more experienced 00:12:45.779 --> 00:12:47.879 science -driven medical professional. Damned 00:12:47.879 --> 00:12:50.940 if he does, but he doesn't. Pretty much. Even 00:12:50.940 --> 00:12:53.379 Sen. Bill Cassidy, who's a physician and chairman 00:12:53.379 --> 00:12:56.200 of the HELP committee, overseeing HHS. Right. 00:12:56.200 --> 00:12:58.240 He could have stopped the confirmation. Exactly. 00:12:58.320 --> 00:12:59.960 He could have torpedoed Kennedy's confirmation. 00:13:00.100 --> 00:13:02.379 Yeah. But now he's only tweeting vaguely about 00:13:02.379 --> 00:13:05.799 CDC oversight. Apparently fearing a primary opponent 00:13:05.799 --> 00:13:07.820 from Trump if he speaks out directly against 00:13:07.820 --> 00:13:10.879 Kennedy. Our sources frankly describe this as 00:13:10.879 --> 00:13:13.480 a profile in courage. This is not. Yeah, that 00:13:13.480 --> 00:13:15.320 sounds about right. Politics over principle, 00:13:15.580 --> 00:13:17.740 perhaps. It's certainly a difficult spot for 00:13:17.740 --> 00:13:20.559 those in power, but we are seeing courage elsewhere. 00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:23.539 The governors of California, Oregon and Washington, 00:13:24.039 --> 00:13:27.090 they have announced. Health Alliance. Health 00:13:27.090 --> 00:13:28.950 Alliance. What does that entail? They plan to 00:13:28.950 --> 00:13:31.210 coordinate vaccine recommendations for their 00:13:31.210 --> 00:13:34.470 states, explicitly stating that the CDC has become 00:13:34.470 --> 00:13:37.529 a political tool that peddles ideology instead 00:13:37.529 --> 00:13:39.970 of science. Wow. That's a direct shot at the 00:13:39.970 --> 00:13:42.909 CDC, a pretty dramatic step. It truly is. This 00:13:42.909 --> 00:13:46.029 move immediately raises a whole raft of federalism 00:13:46.029 --> 00:13:48.450 questions that are going to be extensively tested. 00:13:48.549 --> 00:13:50.950 For sure. Because while health care is largely 00:13:50.950 --> 00:13:54.129 run by states, having two sets of recommendations, 00:13:54.210 --> 00:13:56.500 federal and state, state, we'll quickly see practical 00:13:56.500 --> 00:13:58.820 questions pop up, like will health insurance 00:13:58.820 --> 00:14:01.200 cover state recommended but not federally endorsed 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:04.360 vaccinations? Will pharmacies and GPs even provide 00:14:04.360 --> 00:14:07.120 them? Big questions. It's a significant challenge 00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:10.919 to what has historically been a unified national 00:14:10.919 --> 00:14:13.259 approach to public health messaging and policy. 00:14:13.460 --> 00:14:15.980 Absolutely breaks that unity. And one of the 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:19.279 most stark potential consequences of these shifts 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:22.100 in public health policy is captured in this phrase 00:14:22.100 --> 00:14:26.960 our sources use. Measles strikes back. Oof. Not 00:14:26.960 --> 00:14:29.700 a good sign. No. And just to put this in perspective, 00:14:30.379 --> 00:14:33.019 before Dr. Edward Jenner's smallpox vaccine back 00:14:33.019 --> 00:14:37.220 in 1796, smallpox epidemics could wipe out, like, 00:14:37.389 --> 00:14:40.370 10 % of the world population? Unbelievable numbers. 00:14:40.730 --> 00:14:42.830 Vaccines have been such a monumental achievement, 00:14:43.110 --> 00:14:45.789 nearly eradicating dozens of fatal diseases. 00:14:46.350 --> 00:14:48.330 So it just feels like we're facing a really dangerous 00:14:48.330 --> 00:14:50.350 return to the past here. That's exactly right. 00:14:50.549 --> 00:14:52.950 Most doctors agree that vaccinations are, well, 00:14:53.309 --> 00:14:55.009 probably the most important advance in medical 00:14:55.009 --> 00:14:57.860 history. Full stop. All states currently require 00:14:57.860 --> 00:15:00.039 childhood vaccinations for public school attendance, 00:15:00.240 --> 00:15:02.320 covering things like measles, mumps, rubella, 00:15:02.539 --> 00:15:04.860 polio. The standard one. Yeah, the standard common 00:15:04.860 --> 00:15:08.139 diseases and the result. These diseases are now 00:15:08.139 --> 00:15:10.539 extremely rare in the U .S. and other countries 00:15:10.539 --> 00:15:12.919 with similar requirements. It's been a genuine 00:15:12.919 --> 00:15:15.759 triumph of modern medicine. Yet Florida is now 00:15:15.759 --> 00:15:19.100 taking this traumatic step, phasing out all vaccine 00:15:19.100 --> 00:15:22.519 mandates, all of them. Full mandates. Wow. Florida 00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:26.220 State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Lodopo controversially 00:15:26.220 --> 00:15:29.200 claimed that mandates are an intrusion of people's 00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:32.720 rights bordering on slavery. Slavery. That's 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:35.960 extreme language. Extremely. He's been widely 00:15:35.960 --> 00:15:38.340 denounced by numerous public health experts and 00:15:38.340 --> 00:15:40.620 even Senator Bill Cassidy, who we just discussed, 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:43.580 called abolishing the mandates a terrible thing 00:15:43.580 --> 00:15:46.200 for public health. Yeah, even Cassidy said that. 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:48.960 So what are the immediate and long term consequences 00:15:48.960 --> 00:15:52.379 of such a radical policy shift? Well, The consequences 00:15:52.379 --> 00:15:54.779 are stark and immediate. Measles has already 00:15:54.779 --> 00:15:56.919 reappeared among unvaccinated people in Texas. 00:15:57.059 --> 00:15:59.200 It's already happening. Right. So we can expect 00:15:59.200 --> 00:16:01.940 a resurgence of these once eradicated diseases. 00:16:02.860 --> 00:16:05.679 Parents in Florida may now opt out of vaccinating 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:08.539 their children, especially if insurance stops 00:16:08.539 --> 00:16:10.799 covering state recommended but not federally 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:12.799 endorsed vaccines. Right. The insurance angle 00:16:12.799 --> 00:16:14.919 is huge. And this doesn't just put their own 00:16:14.919 --> 00:16:18.379 children at risk. It tragically endangers immunocompromised 00:16:18.379 --> 00:16:21.559 children, kids undergoing chemotherapy, for example, 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:24.440 who cannot be vaccinated even if their parents 00:16:24.440 --> 00:16:26.480 desperately want them to be. That's the really 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:28.500 heartbreaking part, the herd immunity aspect. 00:16:28.730 --> 00:16:32.029 Exactly. Our sources even reference this pretty 00:16:32.029 --> 00:16:34.509 intense ethical debate from the Bulwark podcasts. 00:16:34.629 --> 00:16:36.830 Oh, yeah. Where some argue that people should 00:16:36.830 --> 00:16:39.210 feel the consequences of their votes if their 00:16:39.210 --> 00:16:42.629 kids die due to anti -vax stances, while others, 00:16:42.629 --> 00:16:45.870 of course, strongly disagree, saying it's not 00:16:45.870 --> 00:16:48.250 the children's fault. Wow. That's a brutal debate. 00:16:48.389 --> 00:16:51.190 It's a brutal and provocative thought, suggesting, 00:16:51.190 --> 00:16:54.309 quote, nature may remove the anti -vax gene from 00:16:54.309 --> 00:16:57.779 the gene pool. But looking ahead, is Florida 00:16:57.779 --> 00:17:00.419 just an outlier here, or are we seeing a broader 00:17:00.419 --> 00:17:02.950 trend? Unfortunately, the prediction is that 00:17:02.950 --> 00:17:05.150 Florida won't be the last state to drop vaccine 00:17:05.150 --> 00:17:07.930 mandates. Multiple red states are expected to 00:17:07.930 --> 00:17:10.349 follow suit, effectively taking them back to 00:17:10.349 --> 00:17:13.990 1795, or even the late Middle Ages, as one source 00:17:13.990 --> 00:17:16.109 put it, in terms of public health preparedness. 00:17:16.170 --> 00:17:19.190 Back to 1795. It stands in such stark contrast 00:17:19.190 --> 00:17:21.849 to the national triumph of Dr. Jonas Salk's polio 00:17:21.849 --> 00:17:25.410 vaccine in the 1950s that was celebrated as monumental 00:17:25.410 --> 00:17:27.630 news across the country, you know, uniting people 00:17:27.630 --> 00:17:29.630 in the fight against disease. Yeah, a totally 00:17:29.630 --> 00:17:31.920 different era. This feels like a dramatic rollback 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:34.579 of those public health achievements. A huge rollback. 00:17:34.799 --> 00:17:37.380 OK, from public health policy battles, let's 00:17:37.380 --> 00:17:40.200 shift our lens to broader institutional integrity 00:17:40.200 --> 00:17:43.220 and resistance, starting with Harvard University, 00:17:43.640 --> 00:17:46.440 which just won round one in court against Donald 00:17:46.440 --> 00:17:49.099 Trump. Ah, Harvard, yes. Our sources frame this 00:17:49.099 --> 00:17:53.049 as part of Trump's broader plan to, quote, subjugate 00:17:53.049 --> 00:17:55.710 all possible sources of resistance, including 00:17:55.710 --> 00:17:58.309 our country's premier universities. Right. And 00:17:58.309 --> 00:18:00.809 while many universities apparently caved to pressure 00:18:00.809 --> 00:18:03.589 and paid millions in tribute to prevent funding 00:18:03.589 --> 00:18:06.750 cuts, Harvard stood firm. They sued to restore 00:18:06.750 --> 00:18:10.880 $2 billion in research funds. And US District 00:18:10.880 --> 00:18:13.839 Judge Alison Burroughs ruled squarely in Harvard's 00:18:13.839 --> 00:18:16.339 favor. She stated that Trump's nominal reason 00:18:16.339 --> 00:18:18.799 for the cuts combating anti -Semitism had, quote, 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:21.160 nothing to do with research funding for cancer, 00:18:21.380 --> 00:18:23.420 Alzheimer's, and other studies. So she saw right 00:18:23.420 --> 00:18:25.019 through it. Clearly saw through the pretext. 00:18:25.160 --> 00:18:27.579 Called it an ideologically motivated assault 00:18:27.579 --> 00:18:29.940 on this country's premier universities aimed 00:18:29.940 --> 00:18:32.259 at Harvard's governance, staffing, and admissions 00:18:32.259 --> 00:18:35.140 rather than genuine concern about anti -Semitism. 00:18:35.640 --> 00:18:37.819 OK, that sounds like a major win for Harvard. 00:18:37.880 --> 00:18:40.670 And by extension, Maybe for other universities 00:18:40.670 --> 00:18:42.490 that might have felt pressured. It's definitely 00:18:42.490 --> 00:18:45.309 a win. But is Harvard completely out of the woods 00:18:45.309 --> 00:18:48.150 yet? Or is this just the first round in a potentially 00:18:48.150 --> 00:18:50.150 longer fight? Oh, it's definitely just the first 00:18:50.150 --> 00:18:52.569 round. The government will appeal this ruling 00:18:52.569 --> 00:18:55.089 first to the US Court of Appeals. Right. And 00:18:55.089 --> 00:18:57.609 then potentially to the Supreme Court, which, 00:18:58.069 --> 00:19:00.490 as the source notes, generally gives Trump whatever 00:19:00.490 --> 00:19:03.869 he wants. Plus, Trump has pursued other punitive 00:19:03.869 --> 00:19:06.430 measures, like attempting to strip Harvard of 00:19:06.430 --> 00:19:08.710 its ability to enroll foreign students a key 00:19:08.710 --> 00:19:11.089 revenue source and threatening its accreditation 00:19:11.089 --> 00:19:13.609 that's also being litigated. So yeah, the battle 00:19:13.609 --> 00:19:16.569 isn't over. And there were even rumors, right, 00:19:17.069 --> 00:19:20.009 that Harvard was discussing terms of surrender, 00:19:20.750 --> 00:19:22.950 possibly paying half a billion dollars in that 00:19:22.950 --> 00:19:25.650 tribute. Yeah, those rumors are out there. So 00:19:25.650 --> 00:19:28.380 given Judge Burroughs' ruling now, How does this 00:19:28.380 --> 00:19:31.299 significantly strengthen Harvard's negotiating 00:19:31.299 --> 00:19:38.859 position? absolutely strengthens Harvard's hand 00:19:38.859 --> 00:19:42.059 massively. They now have a much stronger option 00:19:42.059 --> 00:19:44.339 to continue the fight. And they're likely to 00:19:44.339 --> 00:19:46.779 win the appeal of the First Circuit. Trump, on 00:19:46.779 --> 00:19:49.119 the other hand, probably wants to avoid a clear 00:19:49.119 --> 00:19:51.839 Supreme Court ruling that says he cannot arbitrarily 00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:54.180 break government contracts based on fake premises. 00:19:54.200 --> 00:19:56.819 Why is that? Well, it could put him on a collision 00:19:56.819 --> 00:19:58.980 course with the court and alienate independent 00:19:58.980 --> 00:20:02.140 voters. So consequently, he might now be willing 00:20:02.140 --> 00:20:04.799 to accept a much lower tribute, perhaps $100 00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:07.250 million, you know. just to settle the matter 00:20:07.250 --> 00:20:10.809 quickly and avoid more legal and political scrutiny. 00:20:11.009 --> 00:20:13.250 Make you go away. Exactly. Even if it sets a 00:20:13.250 --> 00:20:15.430 really troubling precedent for the future. OK, 00:20:15.430 --> 00:20:17.470 from this battle for institutional independence, 00:20:17.569 --> 00:20:20.349 let's connect to another instance of politically 00:20:20.349 --> 00:20:22.670 driven decisions impacting national strategy. 00:20:22.769 --> 00:20:25.450 The ongoing highly politicized battle over the 00:20:25.450 --> 00:20:28.250 US Space Command headquarters. Oh, Space Command. 00:20:28.769 --> 00:20:30.569 Yes. Decisions like this, they're often framed 00:20:30.569 --> 00:20:33.230 as being about facts and what makes sense. But 00:20:33.230 --> 00:20:36.039 as we've often seen, they're usually mostly based 00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:38.640 on politics. Just like the Johnson Space Center 00:20:38.640 --> 00:20:41.859 ending up in Texas. Exactly. Not Florida. That's 00:20:41.859 --> 00:20:44.599 a perfect historical analogy. The main alternatives 00:20:44.599 --> 00:20:47.559 for the Space Command HQ were Colorado Springs, 00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:50.440 Colorado, and Huntsville, Alabama. Right. In 00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:53.539 his first term, Trump initially decided on Huntsville. 00:20:53.759 --> 00:20:56.039 But then President Biden subsequently moved it 00:20:56.039 --> 00:20:58.900 back to Colorado Springs. Citing the clear operational 00:20:58.900 --> 00:21:01.539 advantages and all the existing infrastructure 00:21:01.539 --> 00:21:05.119 there, right? Multiple Space Force bases, NORAD, 00:21:05.279 --> 00:21:07.579 U .S. NORTHCOM, the Air Force Academy, a big 00:21:07.579 --> 00:21:10.819 aerospace industry. It made sense operationally. 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:13.579 Logically, yes. But Trump isn't letting that 00:21:13.579 --> 00:21:16.339 decision stand, is he? He's now decided to move 00:21:16.339 --> 00:21:18.619 Space Command back to Huntsville. Again. Back 00:21:18.619 --> 00:21:21.119 again. OK. Our sources indicate his motivation 00:21:21.119 --> 00:21:23.539 has very little to do with actual space operations 00:21:23.539 --> 00:21:26.039 and far more to do with Colorado voting against 00:21:26.039 --> 00:21:28.700 him in multiple elections and even its mail -in 00:21:28.700 --> 00:21:31.799 voting system. So pure politics driving a major 00:21:31.799 --> 00:21:34.700 military basing decision. What are the practical 00:21:34.700 --> 00:21:37.019 consequences of this kind of political ping pong 00:21:37.019 --> 00:21:39.720 for our national defense capabilities and for 00:21:39.720 --> 00:21:42.539 the Space Force itself? Well, the practical consequences 00:21:42.539 --> 00:21:45.359 are pretty severe for readiness. Moving the command 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:48.460 every four years fundamentally hinders our national 00:21:48.460 --> 00:21:51.720 defense capabilities. It's disruptive. Massively 00:21:51.720 --> 00:21:53.700 disruptive. Think about the personnel. Exactly. 00:21:54.259 --> 00:21:57.440 Yeah. Space force personnel are forced to relocate 00:21:57.440 --> 00:21:59.980 disrupting their lives their families and most 00:21:59.980 --> 00:22:03.039 importantly their operations. Yeah. The governor 00:22:03.039 --> 00:22:05.299 and the entire congressional delegation of Colorado 00:22:05.299 --> 00:22:07.940 including Republican Rep Lauren Boebert. They 00:22:07.940 --> 00:22:11.579 are up in arms. Even Boebert. OK. Yeah. Arguing 00:22:11.579 --> 00:22:14.299 it wastes taxpayer money and offers zero advantages 00:22:14.299 --> 00:22:17.940 over Colorado Springs. But, you know, it's highly 00:22:17.940 --> 00:22:20.079 unlikely Trump will pay any attention to their 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:22.839 protests. The political motivation seems to clearly 00:22:22.839 --> 00:22:24.900 outweigh any operational efficiency concerns. 00:22:25.279 --> 00:22:28.039 Politics trumps readiness. Got it. OK. From these 00:22:28.039 --> 00:22:30.259 political battles impacting institutions and 00:22:30.259 --> 00:22:32.720 national strategy, we have to now confront something 00:22:32.720 --> 00:22:35.200 far more immediate and potentially catastrophic 00:22:35.200 --> 00:22:38.039 for national security. A chilling development 00:22:38.039 --> 00:22:40.779 in cyber warfare. The salt typhoon Chinese cyber 00:22:40.779 --> 00:22:43.539 attack. It was apparently much worse than previously 00:22:43.539 --> 00:22:50.400 thought, hitting over 80 countries. Ever. Wow, 00:22:50.839 --> 00:22:53.279 salt typhoon. That sounds truly terrifying. It 00:22:53.279 --> 00:22:56.339 absolutely is. This attack presents three grave 00:22:56.339 --> 00:22:58.500 dangers, according to the sources. OK, what are 00:22:58.500 --> 00:23:00.839 they? First, hackers likely scooped up massive 00:23:00.839 --> 00:23:03.559 amounts of incredibly valuable information, everything 00:23:03.559 --> 00:23:05.779 from chip designs, corporate secrets, to personal 00:23:05.779 --> 00:23:08.759 data on Americans, potentially useful for blackmail 00:23:08.759 --> 00:23:11.460 or strategic intelligence. OK, data theft. What 00:23:11.460 --> 00:23:13.839 else? Second, cell phones may have been infected. 00:23:14.119 --> 00:23:16.619 Allowing for persistent tracking of politicians, 00:23:17.200 --> 00:23:20.539 military leaders, spies, activists. Anyone of 00:23:20.539 --> 00:23:22.539 interest. Constant surveillance. And the third. 00:23:22.619 --> 00:23:24.579 And third, and this is maybe the most critical, 00:23:24.819 --> 00:23:27.099 vital infrastructure was likely penetrated with 00:23:27.099 --> 00:23:29.759 back doors planted for future sabotage. A sabotage. 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:32.000 OK, that's the really scary one. Yeah. And our 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:34.079 sources paint a truly chilling scenario here. 00:23:34.220 --> 00:23:37.200 Imagine China invades Taiwan, the U .S. starts 00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:40.839 to respond, and suddenly, poof, all electric 00:23:40.839 --> 00:23:44.009 power in D .C. and the Pentagon goes out. Military 00:23:44.009 --> 00:23:47.309 computer systems just refuse to run. Major internet 00:23:47.309 --> 00:23:50.210 providers like AT &T and Verizon are disabled, 00:23:50.730 --> 00:23:52.650 blacking out television and phone service across 00:23:52.650 --> 00:23:55.869 the country. That's paralyzing a digital Pearl 00:23:55.869 --> 00:23:58.569 Harbor almost. It's a frightening thought, but 00:23:58.569 --> 00:24:00.970 what has the U .S. government's response been 00:24:00.970 --> 00:24:04.589 to this unprecedented threat? Well, unfortunately, 00:24:05.119 --> 00:24:07.940 the response has been profoundly counterintuitive. 00:24:07.960 --> 00:24:10.960 Yeah. And frankly damaging. How so? Despite knowing 00:24:10.960 --> 00:24:13.319 about Chinese hacking for a long time, the Trump 00:24:13.319 --> 00:24:15.900 administration fired four -star General Timothy 00:24:15.900 --> 00:24:18.920 Howe, head of U .S. Cyber Command and the NSA, 00:24:19.900 --> 00:24:22.180 a man with decades of cybersecurity experience. 00:24:22.339 --> 00:24:25.019 Fired the top guy. Why? Reportedly on the advice 00:24:25.019 --> 00:24:27.630 of Laura Loomer. who distrusted his connection 00:24:27.630 --> 00:24:30.609 to General Mark Milley. On Loomer's advice? Seriously? 00:24:30.970 --> 00:24:33.569 Seriously. Six National Security Council staffers 00:24:33.569 --> 00:24:36.049 were also fired on Loomer's advice. And it gets 00:24:36.049 --> 00:24:38.869 worse. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, 00:24:39.210 --> 00:24:41.250 CISA. CISA, yeah, they're crucial. They've seen 00:24:41.250 --> 00:24:43.670 fully one third of their workforce fired or driven 00:24:43.670 --> 00:24:46.650 out. Why? Because its former director, Chris 00:24:46.650 --> 00:24:48.970 Krebs, stated the 2020 election wasn't stolen. 00:24:50.069 --> 00:24:53.200 So, purging based on election denialism. not 00:24:53.200 --> 00:24:55.880 competence. Seems like it. So when you put all 00:24:55.880 --> 00:24:58.539 of that together, this decimation of expertise 00:24:58.539 --> 00:25:01.240 and leadership, what does it mean for the strength 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:03.819 of our national cyber defenses as we face these 00:25:03.819 --> 00:25:06.460 escalating threats? Well, Rob Joyce, who once 00:25:06.460 --> 00:25:09.140 led the NSA Cyber Security Division, he put it 00:25:09.140 --> 00:25:12.309 bluntly. He said, We've backslid. Backslid. We 00:25:12.309 --> 00:25:14.430 didn't just lose the top layer of government. 00:25:14.569 --> 00:25:17.630 We lost operational capability across any number 00:25:17.630 --> 00:25:19.549 of departments and agencies. And the private 00:25:19.549 --> 00:25:21.390 sector isn't picking up the slack either. They're 00:25:21.390 --> 00:25:24.390 cutting cyber staff. Even now. Yeah. And eight 00:25:24.390 --> 00:25:27.529 in ten respondents in one survey fear government 00:25:27.529 --> 00:25:29.750 budget cuts will hinder intelligence sharing 00:25:29.750 --> 00:25:32.269 between public and private sectors. The bottom 00:25:32.269 --> 00:25:34.970 line is stark. China has clearly demonstrated 00:25:34.970 --> 00:25:37.690 its ability to hack almost any U .S. system, 00:25:37.990 --> 00:25:40.220 including key infrastructure. Right. Yet the 00:25:40.220 --> 00:25:42.259 U .S. government and private companies are actively 00:25:42.259 --> 00:25:44.960 cutting back on cyber defense capabilities. When 00:25:44.960 --> 00:25:47.740 the next attack comes, well, there might simply 00:25:47.740 --> 00:25:51.619 be nobody home to stop it. Nobody home. Ah! Chilling. 00:25:52.220 --> 00:25:54.160 Okay, from those direct threats to our national 00:25:54.160 --> 00:25:57.099 security, let's wrap up with a fascinating look 00:25:57.099 --> 00:25:59.839 behind the curtain of political messaging. Okay, 00:26:00.079 --> 00:26:02.839 shifting gears. Where how you frame a policy 00:26:02.839 --> 00:26:05.420 can be just as important as the policy itself. 00:26:06.500 --> 00:26:08.619 Republicans recently held a briefing on Capitol 00:26:08.619 --> 00:26:12.039 Hill. They were told to push the BBB bill, the 00:26:12.039 --> 00:26:14.140 Build Back Better initiative, which has various 00:26:14.140 --> 00:26:16.839 social and climate policies. Right, BBB. But 00:26:16.839 --> 00:26:19.859 specifically to talk about tax cuts, not Medicaid 00:26:19.859 --> 00:26:23.500 cuts or other spending. Focus on the cuts. Ah. 00:26:23.740 --> 00:26:27.079 The framing game. This is a classic example of 00:26:27.079 --> 00:26:29.680 political reframing designed purely to shift 00:26:29.680 --> 00:26:31.940 public perception. How does it work? The idea 00:26:31.940 --> 00:26:34.279 is to present the bill as a working families 00:26:34.279 --> 00:26:37.059 tax cut bill. And this is based on polling data 00:26:37.059 --> 00:26:39.740 from Tony Fabrizio, Donald Trump's longtime pollster. 00:26:40.279 --> 00:26:42.559 His data showed that while the BBB bill as a 00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:45.099 whole pulled badly, the tax cut components themselves 00:26:45.099 --> 00:26:47.259 pulled quite well in crucial battleground districts. 00:26:47.359 --> 00:26:49.420 To just cherry pick the popular part. Exactly. 00:26:49.480 --> 00:26:51.500 Change the narrative even if the substance remains 00:26:51.500 --> 00:26:54.099 the same complex package. OK, so what are these 00:26:54.099 --> 00:26:57.119 tax cuts specifically? Are they genuinely new, 00:26:57.460 --> 00:26:59.980 broad, and impactful for most people, or are 00:26:59.980 --> 00:27:04.240 they more selectively beneficial? Well, they're 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:06.859 a rather complicated mix. Some provisions simply 00:27:06.859 --> 00:27:09.740 make permanent the tax cuts from the 2017 tax 00:27:09.740 --> 00:27:12.180 bill. The Trump tax cuts. Yeah, which will be 00:27:12.180 --> 00:27:14.039 a tough sell politically because people won't 00:27:14.039 --> 00:27:15.599 actually see a difference in their paychecks 00:27:15.599 --> 00:27:17.920 now compared to last year. It's not a new cut 00:27:17.920 --> 00:27:19.880 for them. Right. It's just status quo. Exactly. 00:27:20.119 --> 00:27:23.410 A few changes are genuinely new, like, No tax 00:27:23.410 --> 00:27:25.650 on tips, though this primarily just legalizes 00:27:25.650 --> 00:27:28.109 what many cash -tipped individuals were probably 00:27:28.109 --> 00:27:30.829 already doing. OK. The most noticeable new change 00:27:30.829 --> 00:27:33.670 is an increased itemized deduction of up to $40 00:27:33.670 --> 00:27:37.369 ,000 for state and local taxes, the SALT deduction. 00:27:37.450 --> 00:27:40.829 Ah, SALT. That mostly benefits. Right. That largely 00:27:40.829 --> 00:27:43.450 benefits well -off suburbanites in blue states 00:27:43.450 --> 00:27:45.589 rather than a broad base of working families 00:27:45.589 --> 00:27:48.420 across the country. OK, so given that specific 00:27:48.420 --> 00:27:51.579 breakdown, will these particular tax cuts actually 00:27:51.579 --> 00:27:53.960 be enough to sway a significant number of voters, 00:27:54.660 --> 00:27:56.740 especially for those who might also be absorbing 00:27:56.740 --> 00:27:59.779 Medicaid cuts or other hits from the bill? Does 00:27:59.779 --> 00:28:02.859 the reframing hold up to the reality? Well, The 00:28:02.859 --> 00:28:05.140 political effectiveness is pretty questionable, 00:28:05.619 --> 00:28:07.880 considering that joint filers already get an 00:28:07.880 --> 00:28:10.380 automatic standard deduction of, what, $31 ,000 00:28:10.380 --> 00:28:13.819 without itemizing. Right. The $40 ,000 itemized 00:28:13.819 --> 00:28:16.660 salt deduction isn't a huge difference for many. 00:28:16.900 --> 00:28:19.259 And it's certainly not a major boon for working 00:28:19.259 --> 00:28:21.680 families, broadly defined. So the target audience 00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:23.880 is pretty narrow. Very narrow. The number of 00:28:23.880 --> 00:28:26.440 people who might actually switch sides politically 00:28:26.440 --> 00:28:29.640 due to these specific tax cuts is likely quite 00:28:29.640 --> 00:28:32.599 small. And for those who will be negatively impacted 00:28:32.599 --> 00:28:34.859 by Medicaid cuts or other changes within the 00:28:34.859 --> 00:28:37.200 bill, these tax cuts are unlikely to make much 00:28:37.200 --> 00:28:38.920 difference at all. The overall result for them 00:28:38.920 --> 00:28:40.920 will still be negative. So the messaging might 00:28:40.920 --> 00:28:43.619 clash with the reality for many. Exactly. It 00:28:43.619 --> 00:28:45.279 really highlights the challenge of political 00:28:45.279 --> 00:28:48.180 messaging when the underlying economic reality 00:28:48.180 --> 00:28:51.099 for many people is far more complex and often 00:28:51.099 --> 00:28:53.859 less appealing than the chosen frame. What a 00:28:53.859 --> 00:28:57.559 deep dive today. Wow, we've navigated a truly 00:28:57.559 --> 00:29:00.660 fascinating and, at times, pretty unsettling 00:29:00.660 --> 00:29:02.680 landscape. Yeah, definitely unsettling. From 00:29:02.680 --> 00:29:04.700 the intricate political battles over the Epstein 00:29:04.700 --> 00:29:06.920 files and government funding to the critical 00:29:06.920 --> 00:29:09.660 shifts in public health policy impacting vaccines, 00:29:10.519 --> 00:29:13.079 through the resilience of institutions like Harvard, 00:29:13.140 --> 00:29:15.839 and then the alarming vulnerability of our national 00:29:15.839 --> 00:29:19.519 security to cyber threats. It's a lot to process. 00:29:19.539 --> 00:29:21.680 And the connections between these stories are, 00:29:21.700 --> 00:29:24.619 well, Undeniable. Indeed. Understanding these 00:29:24.619 --> 00:29:26.559 interconnected issues, spotting the patterns 00:29:26.559 --> 00:29:29.099 of power and political maneuvering, and recognizing 00:29:29.099 --> 00:29:31.039 the motivations behind these policy decisions 00:29:31.039 --> 00:29:33.460 is just absolutely essential. These aren't just 00:29:33.460 --> 00:29:36.119 isolated headlines, right? They are forces actively 00:29:36.119 --> 00:29:39.099 shaping our daily lives and our future. Exactly. 00:29:40.160 --> 00:29:41.920 Thank you for joining us for this deep dive. 00:29:42.259 --> 00:29:44.339 As you reflect on everything we've covered today. 00:29:44.490 --> 00:29:47.309 That constant clash between political expediency 00:29:47.309 --> 00:29:49.630 and the public good, the integrity of our institutions, 00:29:50.150 --> 00:29:52.650 the pressing need for long -term strategic thinking. 00:29:53.289 --> 00:29:56.410 Maybe consider this. How do we, as informed citizens, 00:29:56.930 --> 00:29:59.190 encourage leaders to consistently prioritize 00:29:59.190 --> 00:30:02.130 evidence -based decisions and true accountability 00:30:02.130 --> 00:30:05.390 over short -term gains and, well, partisan maneuvering? 00:30:05.509 --> 00:30:07.470 Something truly vital to think about as you go 00:30:07.470 --> 00:30:09.569 about your week. Definitely food for thought. 00:30:09.730 --> 00:30:11.069 We'll see you next time on The Deep Dive.