WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.200 Welcome to the deep dive. This is where we take 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:05.219 the sources you've gathered could be articles 00:00:05.219 --> 00:00:08.740 notes anything really and Well, we help you get 00:00:08.740 --> 00:00:10.740 right to the heart of what matters get you that 00:00:10.740 --> 00:00:14.000 shortcut to feeling properly informed Exactly. 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:17.359 And today Wow, you've given us quite a mix. It's 00:00:17.359 --> 00:00:20.140 it's eclectic I'd say it really is a fascinating 00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:22.339 range. Okay, let's unpack this then we're looking 00:00:22.339 --> 00:00:25.160 at everything from like media outlets battling 00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:28.480 each other to these huge global shifts in energy 00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:31.160 and It's a pretty high stakes political stuff 00:00:31.160 --> 00:00:33.939 happening right now. Our goal here is to pull 00:00:33.939 --> 00:00:39.299 out the key insights. You know, those aha moments 00:00:39.299 --> 00:00:41.479 help you connect the dots on all this. And do 00:00:41.479 --> 00:00:43.520 it without making your head spin. There's a lot 00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:45.880 here, but there are threads connecting at all. 00:00:45.939 --> 00:00:48.240 Totally. I'm really looking forward to digging 00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:50.640 into this with you. Me too. It's quite the landscape. 00:00:50.859 --> 00:00:52.659 And what's fascinating, I think, as you start 00:00:52.659 --> 00:00:56.240 looking closer, is how these events, which seem 00:00:56.240 --> 00:00:58.759 so separate on the surface, they actually reveal 00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:01.460 these deeper currents, things that are really 00:01:01.460 --> 00:01:04.219 shaping the world around us. We'll look at the 00:01:04.219 --> 00:01:07.299 specifics, definitely, but also what they mean 00:01:07.299 --> 00:01:10.519 more broadly. For policy society. Exactly. Even 00:01:10.519 --> 00:01:14.060 the... the integrity of institutions. We'll aim 00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:16.879 for clarity, try to give you the nuance without 00:01:16.879 --> 00:01:19.640 getting bogged down. Right. Speaking of clarity, 00:01:19.739 --> 00:01:22.519 let's kick off with something one source called, 00:01:22.719 --> 00:01:26.079 pretty bluntly, right -wing propagandist on right 00:01:26.079 --> 00:01:28.799 -wing propagandist violence. Huh. Okay. Yeah. 00:01:29.180 --> 00:01:31.530 And this week... That translates to Newsmax, 00:01:31.650 --> 00:01:33.750 right? They just settled their own legal issues, 00:01:33.750 --> 00:01:35.450 and now they're turning around and suing Fox. 00:01:35.689 --> 00:01:38.950 That's the one. The sources we have lay out Newsmax's 00:01:38.950 --> 00:01:42.450 claim. They're alleging illegal, anti -competitive 00:01:42.450 --> 00:01:45.870 stuff by Fox. The core argument is that Fox supposedly 00:01:45.870 --> 00:01:47.650 pressured cable providers, basically saying, 00:01:47.689 --> 00:01:50.030 look, if you want Fox News, you've got to push 00:01:50.030 --> 00:01:52.469 Newsmax or OAN down the channel list, make them 00:01:52.469 --> 00:01:54.329 harder to find. Or even drop them completely. 00:01:54.370 --> 00:01:55.909 You're going to drop them completely, yeah. That's 00:01:55.909 --> 00:01:58.659 the allegation. And it doesn't stop there. Right. 00:01:59.060 --> 00:02:01.280 The sources also mentioned claims that Fox told 00:02:01.280 --> 00:02:03.680 potential guests, hey, if you go on their show. 00:02:03.980 --> 00:02:06.239 You can't come on ours. Yeah, that's part of 00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:09.099 the claim, too. A classic tactic, if it's true. 00:02:09.479 --> 00:02:12.800 Pretty bold. So what's Fox saying? Well, Fox 00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:16.860 predictably fired back. Their counter is pretty 00:02:16.860 --> 00:02:19.000 straightforward. They're suggesting Newsmax's 00:02:19.000 --> 00:02:20.819 problems aren't because of anything they did. 00:02:20.939 --> 00:02:23.680 It's just, well, nobody's watching Newsmax. Ouch. 00:02:23.870 --> 00:02:26.909 So low ratings are the real issue according to 00:02:26.909 --> 00:02:29.389 fog essentially. Yeah a self -inflicted wound 00:02:29.389 --> 00:02:32.270 They'd argue not Fox playing dirty. Okay, so 00:02:32.270 --> 00:02:34.629 beyond the you know, the media gossip aspect 00:02:34.629 --> 00:02:37.629 of this fight What did the sources suggest this 00:02:37.629 --> 00:02:39.729 tells us about the bigger picture the economics 00:02:39.729 --> 00:02:42.729 the power plays in this sort of niche media space 00:02:42.729 --> 00:02:45.469 Why should you our listener care that really 00:02:45.469 --> 00:02:47.509 is the key takeaway, isn't it? I mean the specifics 00:02:47.509 --> 00:02:50.189 of who pressured who are interesting sure But 00:02:50.189 --> 00:02:52.509 the deeper thing as one source points out is 00:02:52.509 --> 00:02:54.669 what this reveals about the struggle for survival 00:02:54.669 --> 00:02:58.250 in this fractured media world Exactly. Everyone's 00:02:58.250 --> 00:03:00.830 fighting for eyeballs for attention and these 00:03:00.830 --> 00:03:03.909 lawsuits they kind of expose the tactics, sometimes 00:03:03.909 --> 00:03:07.110 aggressive, maybe legally questionable tactics, 00:03:07.729 --> 00:03:10.009 used to keep a grip on the market. And control 00:03:10.009 --> 00:03:12.150 the narrative. And shape the information landscape, 00:03:12.210 --> 00:03:14.550 yeah. It's a peek behind the curtain, showing 00:03:14.550 --> 00:03:16.909 you how information flows or sometimes how it 00:03:16.909 --> 00:03:19.990 gets blocked before it even reaches you. That's 00:03:19.990 --> 00:03:22.389 a good point. It shows how these internal fights 00:03:22.389 --> 00:03:24.909 can really influence what we all see and hear. 00:03:25.050 --> 00:03:27.189 Right. But OK, while that's playing out on our 00:03:27.189 --> 00:03:29.590 screens, there's this much bigger shift happening. 00:03:29.949 --> 00:03:33.370 globally, something that kind of dwarfs the political 00:03:33.370 --> 00:03:37.229 noise maybe. Quiet revolution in green energy. 00:03:37.680 --> 00:03:40.039 It's a really stark contrast presented in our 00:03:40.039 --> 00:03:42.400 sources here. You look domestically in the US, 00:03:42.500 --> 00:03:44.639 and things have slowed down quite a bit. How 00:03:44.639 --> 00:03:47.000 much? American investment in renewables, first 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:50.780 half of 2025, dropped by 36%. That's a big number. 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:53.240 Wow. Yeah. Why? Investor basically saw the writing 00:03:53.240 --> 00:03:55.819 on the wall, or thought they did, worries about 00:03:55.819 --> 00:03:58.120 potential policy changes, making their projects 00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:00.639 unworkable, and the projection was for it to 00:04:00.639 --> 00:04:04.500 fall even further. OK, 36 % drop in the US. But 00:04:04.500 --> 00:04:08.639 zoom out. The global picture is different. Very 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:11.219 different. The momentum globally is, well, it's 00:04:11.219 --> 00:04:13.939 undeniable. There's this new analysis, Bloomberg 00:04:13.939 --> 00:04:16.839 NEF, showing worldwide investment in renewables 00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:21.540 hit a record. How much? $386 billion just in 00:04:21.540 --> 00:04:25.009 the first half of 2025. Oh, yeah. And this isn't 00:04:25.009 --> 00:04:27.910 just a little blip. It's a massive sustained 00:04:27.910 --> 00:04:30.949 trend heading upwards. So even with the U .S. 00:04:31.129 --> 00:04:34.029 putting the brakes on, relatively speaking, what's 00:04:34.029 --> 00:04:36.910 driving this huge global spend? And what does 00:04:36.910 --> 00:04:38.990 it tell us about where green energy is headed 00:04:38.990 --> 00:04:41.649 long term, regardless of, say, who's in the White 00:04:41.649 --> 00:04:43.720 House? Well, a lot of the surge is coming from 00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:46.019 huge investments in places like China and India, 00:04:46.180 --> 00:04:47.899 you know, to the other biggest polluters along 00:04:47.899 --> 00:04:50.240 with the U .S. Right. Our sources really emphasize 00:04:50.240 --> 00:04:51.959 that these countries are getting serious about 00:04:51.959 --> 00:04:55.040 renewables. It's a mix of reasons, environmental 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:57.040 worries, sure, but also just smart economics 00:04:57.040 --> 00:04:59.500 now. The costs have come down. Dramatically. 00:04:59.819 --> 00:05:02.300 And even here in the U .S., you know, blue states 00:05:02.300 --> 00:05:04.639 have pushed forward, previous administrations 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:07.579 laid groundwork. It suggests that these global 00:05:07.579 --> 00:05:10.699 market forces, the sheer economics of green energy, 00:05:11.100 --> 00:05:13.180 they're becoming dominant. Whether some politicians 00:05:13.180 --> 00:05:15.279 like it or not. Pretty much. Whether certain 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:17.560 parties or, frankly, their donors prefer it or 00:05:17.560 --> 00:05:20.480 not. It's a really strong signal about the direction 00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:23.040 the world's moving, whatever the short term political 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:25.139 debates are. That is powerful. Seeing how those 00:05:25.139 --> 00:05:27.579 big market forces can eventually just roll over. 00:05:27.740 --> 00:05:31.459 domestic politics Okay, let's shift gears now 00:05:31.459 --> 00:05:34.519 from those global trends back home to the current 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:37.319 administration's political strategy Our sources 00:05:37.319 --> 00:05:40.500 use the phrase doubling down doubling down on 00:05:40.500 --> 00:05:42.800 a few specific issues to really fire up the base 00:05:42.800 --> 00:05:44.920 That's right. And the first big one is abortion. 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:47.379 There's been a very noticeable shift The White 00:05:47.379 --> 00:05:49.680 House is leaning hard into the anti -choice side 00:05:49.680 --> 00:05:52.939 now. I so? Late last week, they announced plans 00:05:52.939 --> 00:05:55.660 to ban VA physicians from performing abortions 00:05:55.660 --> 00:05:58.879 in almost all cases. The only exception is if 00:05:58.879 --> 00:06:01.420 the mother's life is directly endangered. Not 00:06:01.420 --> 00:06:04.560 for rape or incest. Nope. Not for rape or incest. 00:06:04.819 --> 00:06:07.600 And what do the sources say the fallout from 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:10.439 this will be for, you know, health, but also 00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:12.860 for the military itself? The consequences are 00:06:12.860 --> 00:06:16.449 described as, well, entirely predictable. Doctors, 00:06:16.689 --> 00:06:18.370 worried about getting into trouble, will probably 00:06:18.370 --> 00:06:20.990 just avoid doing the procedure even when maybe 00:06:20.990 --> 00:06:24.170 they should. Leading to harm for patients. Potentially 00:06:24.170 --> 00:06:27.149 needless harm, yes. And beyond that, it could 00:06:27.149 --> 00:06:29.350 make women think twice about joining the military. 00:06:29.689 --> 00:06:32.540 Or maybe leave service early. which, you know, 00:06:32.759 --> 00:06:34.980 impacts readiness. And the motivation behind 00:06:34.980 --> 00:06:37.319 this, according to the sources? The sources suggest 00:06:37.319 --> 00:06:39.740 it's not really about public health. It's seen 00:06:39.740 --> 00:06:43.139 as a strategic political move. Fire up the base 00:06:43.139 --> 00:06:46.579 ahead of the 2026 elections. Right. A strategy 00:06:46.579 --> 00:06:49.360 that also includes hints, apparently, from HHS 00:06:49.360 --> 00:06:52.199 Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about maybe going 00:06:52.199 --> 00:06:54.579 after Mike Prestone next. That's a risky play, 00:06:54.639 --> 00:06:56.600 though, isn't it? I mean, yes, it might energize 00:06:56.600 --> 00:06:59.259 one side. But it could absolutely galvanize the 00:06:59.259 --> 00:07:02.420 opposition just as much, if not - Okay, so that's 00:07:02.420 --> 00:07:04.939 one area they're doubling down. The sources point 00:07:04.939 --> 00:07:08.199 to another, also culturally charged, aimed at 00:07:08.199 --> 00:07:11.879 the base, guns and trans individuals. Yes, this 00:07:11.879 --> 00:07:15.220 proposal from the Department of Justice. The 00:07:15.220 --> 00:07:18.279 idea is to bar transgender people from owning 00:07:18.279 --> 00:07:21.220 guns. Based on what? Based on an existing federal 00:07:21.220 --> 00:07:24.000 law about people who've been adjudicated as mental 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:28.189 defectives. being widely read as, again, another 00:07:28.189 --> 00:07:31.009 appeal to certain segments of the administration's 00:07:31.009 --> 00:07:33.250 base. And the sources you looked at are pretty 00:07:33.250 --> 00:07:35.230 critical of this idea. Oh, very. They really 00:07:35.230 --> 00:07:38.269 push back on the justification, the whole premise. 00:07:38.310 --> 00:07:40.610 Yeah. Well, for starters, they point out the 00:07:40.610 --> 00:07:42.790 Minnesota shooter who's been cited as a reason 00:07:42.790 --> 00:07:46.629 for this. That person's trans identity is apparently 00:07:46.629 --> 00:07:49.970 questionable. And anyway, two isolated incidents 00:07:49.970 --> 00:07:52.560 don't make a trend. And the sources highlight 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:54.579 lots of evidence showing trans people are not 00:07:54.579 --> 00:07:56.759 more likely to commit violence. If anything, 00:07:56.920 --> 00:07:59.279 they're far more likely to be victims of violence. 00:07:59.620 --> 00:08:02.180 And practically speaking, can't this even work? 00:08:02.439 --> 00:08:04.560 That's the other thing. It faces huge practical 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:06.600 hurdles. I mean, trans identity isn't something 00:08:06.600 --> 00:08:08.819 you can just see. And trying to take someone 00:08:08.819 --> 00:08:11.360 to court to declare them mentally defective just 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:13.579 for being trans, that wouldn't hold up. Because 00:08:13.579 --> 00:08:15.699 being trans isn't classified as a mental illness. 00:08:15.959 --> 00:08:19.019 Exactly. Major psychiatric associations are clear 00:08:19.019 --> 00:08:21.540 on that. So the prediction from these sources 00:08:21.540 --> 00:08:24.800 is that this policy is likely just vaporware, 00:08:24.980 --> 00:08:27.800 meaning, you know, it's announced, it makes noise, 00:08:27.800 --> 00:08:29.920 but it probably never actually happens. It just 00:08:29.920 --> 00:08:33.080 stays a proposal. Got it. OK, so moving beyond 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:35.980 these specific social policies, there's also 00:08:35.980 --> 00:08:39.559 this push noted in the sources for the administration 00:08:39.559 --> 00:08:44.799 to project a kind of strongman image. But with 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:48.820 the current president, nearing 80 and having 00:08:48.820 --> 00:08:52.340 a known history of an unhealthy lifestyle. Directly 00:08:52.340 --> 00:08:54.539 playing the machismo card is maybe harder. It 00:08:54.539 --> 00:08:56.700 becomes more challenging, yeah. So this leads 00:08:56.700 --> 00:08:58.600 to looking for other ways to signal strength 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:00.720 and a striking example mentioned is that Trump 00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:03.000 ordered strike. The one off the coast of Venezuela. 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:05.419 That's the one on what they alleged was a drug 00:09:05.419 --> 00:09:08.179 smuggling boat. The boat was destroyed, 11 people 00:09:08.179 --> 00:09:10.320 on board, all killed. And the justification. 00:09:10.500 --> 00:09:12.460 Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth claimed it 00:09:12.460 --> 00:09:14.240 was carrying drugs and was a threat. But the 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:17.360 sources are very clear. No domestic law, no international 00:09:17.360 --> 00:09:20.159 law allows for just summary executions like that. 00:09:20.419 --> 00:09:22.320 Especially since the U .S. isn't at war with 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:25.100 Venezuela. Precisely. It raises very serious 00:09:25.100 --> 00:09:27.679 legal and ethical questions. And tied into this 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:31.259 sort of militaristic feel, there's the plan to 00:09:31.259 --> 00:09:33.200 rebrand the Department of Defense. Yeah, bring 00:09:33.200 --> 00:09:35.620 back the old name, Department of War. What's 00:09:35.620 --> 00:09:37.200 the thinking there, according to the administration? 00:09:37.659 --> 00:09:39.779 And what do the sources say about the history? 00:09:40.460 --> 00:09:43.620 Trump's stated reason from last month was basically, 00:09:44.179 --> 00:09:46.340 as the Department of War, we won everything. 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:50.240 And he feels defense is too defensive. OK. But 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:53.120 our sources provide some important context. The 00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:56.000 name was changed from war to defense back in 00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:59.159 1947. By who? By people like President Truman, 00:09:59.559 --> 00:10:01.440 General George Marshall, General Eisenhower. 00:10:01.980 --> 00:10:04.500 Big names. And their reasoning was precisely 00:10:04.500 --> 00:10:06.899 the opposite. They thought the era of big stick 00:10:06.899 --> 00:10:09.419 diplomacy was over. The U .S. needed to focus 00:10:09.419 --> 00:10:12.120 on diplomacy alliances. And historically, did 00:10:12.120 --> 00:10:14.259 the Department of War actually win everything? 00:10:14.440 --> 00:10:17.139 Well, no, history is a bit more complicated than 00:10:17.139 --> 00:10:19.500 that. But more importantly, legally, Trump can't 00:10:19.500 --> 00:10:21.940 just rename it himself. Congress has to approve 00:10:21.940 --> 00:10:25.139 that. So why float the idea? The sources suggest 00:10:25.139 --> 00:10:28.100 a couple of possibilities. Either it's just signaling, 00:10:28.279 --> 00:10:31.539 projecting strength to certain voters, or maybe 00:10:31.539 --> 00:10:34.080 more concerningly, signaling a readiness for 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:37.460 conflict, perhaps with weaker nations. OK, so 00:10:37.460 --> 00:10:39.299 we've got these political strategies, the social 00:10:39.299 --> 00:10:42.740 policies, the projecting strength. How does this 00:10:42.740 --> 00:10:46.899 pattern of, let's say, Pushing boundaries. connect 00:10:46.899 --> 00:10:49.379 with the legal trouble the administration keeps 00:10:49.379 --> 00:10:51.299 finding itself in. Oh, it connects directly. 00:10:51.340 --> 00:10:53.240 There's a whole section in our source material 00:10:53.240 --> 00:10:57.379 titled Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged. Judgy. It 00:10:57.379 --> 00:10:59.840 details the administration's really remarkable 00:10:59.840 --> 00:11:02.500 track record of losing in court. They push the 00:11:02.500 --> 00:11:05.820 legal envelope hard, aggressively. And even when 00:11:05.820 --> 00:11:07.759 the law might technically be on their side, they 00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:10.240 often seem to stumble on just following the correct 00:11:10.240 --> 00:11:12.580 procedures. The competence issue. Right. Leading 00:11:12.580 --> 00:11:14.659 to loss after loss in court. Can you give us 00:11:14.659 --> 00:11:17.559 an example or two? Sure. One big one was in the 00:11:17.559 --> 00:11:19.960 conservative Fifth Circuit, actually. The court 00:11:19.960 --> 00:11:22.879 ruled the administration unlawfully used the 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:26.159 Alien Enemies Act. It's a law meant for situations 00:11:26.159 --> 00:11:29.100 like... you know, an actual invasion by a foreign 00:11:29.100 --> 00:11:32.679 country. They were using it to bypass due process 00:11:32.679 --> 00:11:34.779 rights for deporting immigrants. And the Supreme 00:11:34.779 --> 00:11:37.360 Court got involved. Yeah. That case led to the 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:39.919 Supreme Court having to step in after midnight, 00:11:40.120 --> 00:11:43.559 apparently, to stop busloads of detainees in 00:11:43.559 --> 00:11:46.100 Texas from being flown out of the country immediately. 00:11:46.259 --> 00:11:49.080 Wow. Another example. Another major loss involved 00:11:49.080 --> 00:11:51.539 something called rescissions. That's when the 00:11:51.539 --> 00:11:53.399 government tries to claw back money that's already 00:11:53.399 --> 00:11:56.740 been budgeted. A district court judge based said, 00:11:57.000 --> 00:11:59.559 nope, illegal. There was, in the judges' words, 00:11:59.960 --> 00:12:01.960 no plausible way to interpret the law that would 00:12:01.960 --> 00:12:04.320 let them just withhold billions of dollars like 00:12:04.320 --> 00:12:07.240 that. These repeated losses really underscore 00:12:07.240 --> 00:12:10.840 this struggle with the rule of law. But maybe 00:12:10.840 --> 00:12:13.929 even more worrying... Based on our sources, are 00:12:13.929 --> 00:12:16.490 the concerns coming from federal judges themselves? 00:12:16.610 --> 00:12:19.129 Yes. About the Supreme Court, the whole judicial 00:12:19.129 --> 00:12:21.389 system? This is based on interviews with about 00:12:21.389 --> 00:12:24.409 a dozen federal judges. Democrats, Republicans, 00:12:24.750 --> 00:12:26.929 even a Trump appointee among them? And they spoke 00:12:26.929 --> 00:12:29.769 anonymously. They had to, yeah. Yeah. Because 00:12:29.769 --> 00:12:32.720 of safety concerns? Many have apparently faced 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:36.440 threats. Their main worry is the Supreme Court's 00:12:36.440 --> 00:12:38.779 heavy use of the shadow docket. Explain that 00:12:38.779 --> 00:12:41.100 quickly. It's that fast track process for emergency 00:12:41.100 --> 00:12:44.240 applications. They often get decided really quickly 00:12:44.240 --> 00:12:47.720 without full arguments, without detailed written 00:12:47.720 --> 00:12:50.399 opinions explaining the reasoning. Just a quick 00:12:50.399 --> 00:12:53.000 yes or no, basically. Sometimes, yeah. Leading 00:12:53.000 --> 00:12:56.779 to these hasty, often poorly explained rulings. 00:12:57.000 --> 00:12:59.039 And how does that impact these lower court judges 00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:01.690 trying to do their jobs? their jobs incredibly 00:13:01.690 --> 00:13:04.289 hard. They're left flying blind, essentially 00:13:04.289 --> 00:13:06.909 guessing how to apply what the Supreme Court 00:13:06.909 --> 00:13:10.029 decided to cases that are similar, but maybe 00:13:10.029 --> 00:13:12.889 not exactly the same. No clear guidance? Right. 00:13:13.019 --> 00:13:15.460 They used rises like feeling cut off at the knees 00:13:15.460 --> 00:13:17.919 or thrown under the bus. They feel like the justices 00:13:17.919 --> 00:13:20.100 don't have our backs. That's strong language. 00:13:20.179 --> 00:13:22.419 It is. And what's really alarming is their fear 00:13:22.419 --> 00:13:25.019 that SCOTUS isn't just undermining them, the 00:13:25.019 --> 00:13:27.639 lower courts, but the entire judicial branch. 00:13:27.659 --> 00:13:30.700 By appearing to be, and this is their term, water 00:13:30.700 --> 00:13:33.419 carriers for the current administration, basically 00:13:33.419 --> 00:13:36.110 just doing the administration's bidding. That's 00:13:36.110 --> 00:13:38.669 a huge accusation. Yeah. Is there any data in 00:13:38.669 --> 00:13:41.389 the sources to back up that concern that the 00:13:41.389 --> 00:13:43.350 court seems to be favoring this administration? 00:13:43.850 --> 00:13:45.970 There are some pretty stark data presented, yeah. 00:13:46.210 --> 00:13:48.149 They compare the current administration to the 00:13:48.149 --> 00:13:52.059 previous one. Biden's. Over four years, the Biden 00:13:52.059 --> 00:13:55.220 administration made 19 emergency requests to 00:13:55.220 --> 00:13:58.299 the Supreme Court. They won 10 of them. So like 00:13:58.299 --> 00:14:01.379 a 0 .526 batting average, if you will. OK, how 00:14:01.379 --> 00:14:03.740 about half? The current administration, in much 00:14:03.740 --> 00:14:06.759 less than a year, has already had 19 requests 00:14:06.759 --> 00:14:10.679 resolved. They've won 17. 17 out of 19. 17 out 00:14:10.679 --> 00:14:13.519 of 19 and 0 .895 batting average. It's a good 00:14:13.519 --> 00:14:15.779 difference. It's a difference that's deeply concerning 00:14:15.779 --> 00:14:18.419 to these federal judges. They worry about permanent 00:14:18.409 --> 00:14:20.690 damage being done to the judiciary, the third 00:14:20.690 --> 00:14:23.549 branch of government, even the judges who maybe 00:14:23.549 --> 00:14:26.289 felt some sympathy for the chief justice personally, 00:14:26.769 --> 00:14:28.929 they still agreed that their life's work feels 00:14:28.929 --> 00:14:31.629 like it's at risk. And they basically said they 00:14:31.629 --> 00:14:34.409 hope speaking out, even anonymously, might push 00:14:34.409 --> 00:14:37.889 the Supreme Court back towards a more institutionalist 00:14:37.889 --> 00:14:40.490 approach, protecting the institution itself. 00:14:41.759 --> 00:14:43.840 Let's try to pull this all together then. So 00:14:43.840 --> 00:14:45.580 what does this all mean? We've covered quite 00:14:45.580 --> 00:14:48.200 a range. We really have. We looked at those surprising 00:14:48.200 --> 00:14:50.840 internal fights within media, shaping what you 00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:54.610 see. juxtaposed with these huge undeniable global 00:14:54.610 --> 00:14:57.090 shifts towards green energy, almost regardless 00:14:57.090 --> 00:15:01.190 of domestic politics. Then we dug into the administration's 00:15:01.190 --> 00:15:04.110 very focused political strategies, the controversial 00:15:04.110 --> 00:15:06.529 social policies on abortion and trans rights, 00:15:07.049 --> 00:15:09.169 the efforts to project that strongman image, 00:15:09.549 --> 00:15:11.750 even talk of rebranding the military. Right, 00:15:11.769 --> 00:15:14.110 the Department of War idea. Yeah. And finally, 00:15:14.129 --> 00:15:16.350 we landed on the mounting legal losses for the 00:15:16.350 --> 00:15:18.850 administration and maybe most critically, these 00:15:18.850 --> 00:15:22.539 deep deep concerns from federal judges about 00:15:22.539 --> 00:15:24.899 the Supreme Court and the health of the entire 00:15:24.899 --> 00:15:27.460 judiciary. It feels like these stories, which 00:15:27.460 --> 00:15:31.059 seems so disconnected at first glance, they really 00:15:31.059 --> 00:15:33.419 do paint a picture together, don't they? A picture 00:15:33.419 --> 00:15:35.279 of the tensions, the transformations happening 00:15:35.279 --> 00:15:37.519 right now. I think if you connect it all to the 00:15:37.519 --> 00:15:40.039 bigger picture. What really stands out is this 00:15:40.039 --> 00:15:43.139 interplay, this tension between short -term political 00:15:43.139 --> 00:15:46.539 tactics. Like firing up the base. Exactly. Tactics 00:15:46.539 --> 00:15:49.139 aimed squarely at energizing a base for the next 00:15:49.139 --> 00:15:51.659 election versus the long -term impacts those 00:15:51.659 --> 00:15:54.039 tactics might have. Impacts on institutions, 00:15:54.279 --> 00:15:56.279 impacts on global trends that are moving anyway. 00:15:56.419 --> 00:15:59.320 So understanding the why behind policies. Understanding 00:15:59.320 --> 00:16:01.960 the motivations, yeah, and seeing how resilient 00:16:01.960 --> 00:16:04.960 some of those global shifts are and remembering 00:16:04.960 --> 00:16:07.200 the importance of those institutional checks 00:16:07.200 --> 00:16:10.460 and balances. it all becomes really crucial for 00:16:10.460 --> 00:16:12.500 figuring out where things are heading. Absolutely. 00:16:12.860 --> 00:16:14.740 Which leads us perfectly into our final thought 00:16:14.740 --> 00:16:18.600 for you, listener, to chew on. Given everything 00:16:18.600 --> 00:16:21.700 we've discussed, the administration's string 00:16:21.700 --> 00:16:24.860 of legal defeats, the widespread judicial anxiety 00:16:24.860 --> 00:16:27.419 about the Supreme Court, and that unstoppable 00:16:27.419 --> 00:16:30.860 global momentum in green energy, what does winning 00:16:30.860 --> 00:16:33.620 actually look like today in this really complex 00:16:33.620 --> 00:16:36.509 interconnected world we're in? What does winning 00:16:36.509 --> 00:16:39.490 mean for a political strategy? For an institution 00:16:39.490 --> 00:16:42.330 like the judiciary? Or maybe even, you know, 00:16:42.429 --> 00:16:44.769 for all of us collectively? That's a deep question 00:16:44.769 --> 00:16:46.769 to end on. Something to think about. Thank you 00:16:46.769 --> 00:16:49.330 so much for bringing us such rich material for 00:16:49.330 --> 00:16:52.509 this deep dive today. Keep that curiosity going. 00:16:52.730 --> 00:16:54.950 Keep questioning. Keep engaging with the world 00:16:54.950 --> 00:16:55.370 out there.