WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.319 Welcome to the deep dive. So today we're jumping 00:00:03.319 --> 00:00:05.719 into, well, kind of a whirlwind tour. There's 00:00:05.719 --> 00:00:07.839 some really fascinating headlines. Some are perhaps 00:00:07.839 --> 00:00:10.679 a bit head scratching, too. Our mission really 00:00:10.679 --> 00:00:13.099 is to uncover those underlying currents, maybe 00:00:13.099 --> 00:00:16.039 some surprising connections, those aha moments 00:00:16.039 --> 00:00:18.260 you might miss just. you know, glancing at the 00:00:18.260 --> 00:00:20.800 news. We've got quite a range today. We're talking 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:25.320 global politics, economic shifts, the future 00:00:25.320 --> 00:00:27.879 of political parties, even some eye -opening 00:00:27.879 --> 00:00:30.339 government spending and, well, a pretty sobering 00:00:30.339 --> 00:00:32.500 look at education. Exactly. And we'll try to 00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:34.700 distill what's actually significant here. Connect 00:00:34.700 --> 00:00:37.479 those seemingly separate events and explain why 00:00:37.479 --> 00:00:39.719 they should matter to you. It's all about encouraging 00:00:39.719 --> 00:00:41.740 that critical thinking, isn't it? Because the 00:00:41.740 --> 00:00:44.020 world rarely gives simple answers. Often the 00:00:44.020 --> 00:00:47.000 real insights are beneath the surface. OK, let's 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:49.399 dive right in then. First up, a story that almost 00:00:49.399 --> 00:00:52.179 feels like royal drama. Donald Trump's recent 00:00:52.179 --> 00:00:54.799 trip to England. King Charles III apparently 00:00:54.799 --> 00:00:58.020 put on quite the show, loads of pageantry at 00:00:58.020 --> 00:01:00.799 Windsor Castle. Right, the Windsor visit. Yeah, 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:03.200 and the thinking is Prime Minister Keir Starmer 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:05.500 probably asked for it. you know, to make Trump 00:01:05.500 --> 00:01:08.180 feel like a king for a day. We're talking cavalry, 00:01:08.379 --> 00:01:11.640 those big furry hats, red carpets, gilded rooms, 00:01:12.219 --> 00:01:15.500 the works, grandeur central. Now, Trump seemed 00:01:15.500 --> 00:01:17.780 to enjoy it, but he did have a couple of, let's 00:01:17.780 --> 00:01:20.680 say, royal no -nos, stepped ahead of the king 00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:23.659 once or twice. Oh, how did that go down? Well, 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:26.019 Charles was pretty smooth about it, recovered 00:01:26.019 --> 00:01:29.019 gracefully, apparently avoided the kind of awkwardness 00:01:29.019 --> 00:01:31.859 we saw with Queen Elizabeth back in 2019. Ah, 00:01:31.859 --> 00:01:34.709 right. And Windsor itself is interesting. Location 00:01:34.709 --> 00:01:36.769 -wise. How so? Well, it's not right in central 00:01:36.769 --> 00:01:39.650 London. It's about 25 miles west, smaller town. 00:01:39.810 --> 00:01:42.510 Yeah. But for ceremony, for history, it's got 00:01:42.510 --> 00:01:45.530 that weight. Maybe more visually impressive inside 00:01:45.530 --> 00:01:47.670 than, say, Buckingham Palace for this kind of 00:01:47.670 --> 00:01:49.790 thing. Makes sense. Keep the pomp, but maybe 00:01:49.790 --> 00:01:52.489 slightly removed from the main London buzz. Exactly. 00:01:52.950 --> 00:01:55.250 Allows for the display, but maybe contains the 00:01:55.250 --> 00:01:57.409 political noise a little. Speaking of noise, 00:01:58.390 --> 00:02:00.650 while the king was pulling out all the stops 00:02:00.650 --> 00:02:03.230 inside, things were different outside Windsor. 00:02:03.420 --> 00:02:06.959 And definitely in central London, thousands protesting. 00:02:07.099 --> 00:02:09.740 Banners like, no to racism, no to Trump. Yeah, 00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:11.900 so reports about that. And it got even more direct. 00:02:12.219 --> 00:02:14.759 Someone projected images of Trump and Epstein 00:02:14.759 --> 00:02:17.520 onto Windsor Castle itself. Led to four arrests, 00:02:17.580 --> 00:02:20.219 actually. Wow. But what's interesting is, compared 00:02:20.219 --> 00:02:22.560 to some other places, the UK still has pretty 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:25.280 broad free speech protections, right? Generally, 00:02:25.539 --> 00:02:27.979 yes. Yeah. More leeway than some might expect. 00:02:28.169 --> 00:02:31.330 Like Channel 4 running a five -hour special just 00:02:31.330 --> 00:02:33.830 cataloging Trump's statements they called untruthful. 00:02:34.009 --> 00:02:36.530 Five hours. Their content chief even hoped Trump 00:02:36.530 --> 00:02:38.590 might watch them after dinner. That's quite a 00:02:38.590 --> 00:02:40.870 statement from a broadcaster. Definitely. OK, 00:02:40.870 --> 00:02:43.509 so let's shift from London to a domestic story. 00:02:44.370 --> 00:02:47.229 Another kind of drama, maybe call it wrong think 00:02:47.229 --> 00:02:50.530 in the crosshairs, this time involving Jimmy 00:02:50.530 --> 00:02:53.340 Kimmel. So Monday night, Kimmel's monologue, 00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:56.099 he talks about the arrest of Tyler Robinson for 00:02:56.099 --> 00:02:59.039 Charlie Kirk's murder. And he says something 00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:02.439 like, we hit some new lows with those aligned 00:03:02.439 --> 00:03:05.000 with the Mad J movement desperately trying to 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:07.419 characterize this kid as anything other than 00:03:07.419 --> 00:03:09.759 one of them and doing everything they can to 00:03:09.759 --> 00:03:11.580 score political points. Right. I remember the 00:03:11.580 --> 00:03:13.300 commentary. It wasn't really about Kirk himself, 00:03:13.439 --> 00:03:15.680 but the reaction to the person arrested. Exactly. 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:18.599 But the reaction to Kimmel's words was immediate. 00:03:19.619 --> 00:03:21.939 And pretty forceful. Yeah, what happened there? 00:03:22.360 --> 00:03:24.580 Because it seemed very fast. Well, the Trump 00:03:24.580 --> 00:03:27.840 -appointed FCC chair, Brendan Carr, gave an interview. 00:03:28.159 --> 00:03:30.659 And he hinted pretty strongly that the FCC might 00:03:30.659 --> 00:03:33.039 look into suspending ABC's broadcast license. 00:03:33.199 --> 00:03:35.860 Seriously? Over a monologue comment? Apparently. 00:03:36.180 --> 00:03:38.819 And that just sent Disney, you know, ABC's parent 00:03:38.819 --> 00:03:41.199 company and their partners into a complete spin. 00:03:41.439 --> 00:03:45.780 I bet. License suspension is huge. So huge that 00:03:45.780 --> 00:03:48.479 the decision to suspend Kimmel came down incredibly 00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:51.099 fast. Like, he reportedly got the news while 00:03:51.099 --> 00:03:53.060 they were finalizing that night's monologue. 00:03:53.120 --> 00:03:57.500 Guests already in the studio. Wow. That is astonishingly 00:03:57.500 --> 00:03:59.900 quick. It really is. It feels like maybe a mix 00:03:59.900 --> 00:04:02.219 of things. You know, traditional media profits 00:04:02.219 --> 00:04:04.379 aren't what they were. That's certainly a factor 00:04:04.379 --> 00:04:06.500 for network. Plus maybe just not wanting to risk 00:04:06.500 --> 00:04:10.759 offending, uh, MAGA world. We saw Stephen Colbert 00:04:10.759 --> 00:04:13.300 lose his late night job, too. Is this just the 00:04:13.300 --> 00:04:15.539 new reality for late night? Draw the wrong kind 00:04:15.539 --> 00:04:17.740 of fire and you're out. It does raise a fascinating 00:04:17.740 --> 00:04:20.879 point about maybe unintended consequences. How 00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:23.199 so? Well, OK, network constraints are tightening. 00:04:23.779 --> 00:04:26.500 Late night ratings generally are down. But look 00:04:26.500 --> 00:04:29.779 at podcasting. It's absolutely booming. Kimmel, 00:04:29.980 --> 00:04:32.199 Colbert, they're perfect for podcasts, maybe 00:04:32.199 --> 00:04:34.920 even together. Huh. Never thought of that. And 00:04:34.920 --> 00:04:37.259 suddenly, they could have a much larger audience, 00:04:37.500 --> 00:04:40.100 totally uncensored, no network worries. They 00:04:40.100 --> 00:04:42.980 could become like a huge voice on the left. Kind 00:04:42.980 --> 00:04:45.160 of a Joe Rogan effect, but from a different angle. 00:04:45.339 --> 00:04:47.379 So trying to shut them down on TV might just 00:04:47.379 --> 00:04:50.079 give them a bigger platform elsewhere. It's possible. 00:04:50.740 --> 00:04:52.540 Attempts to suppress something can sometimes 00:04:52.540 --> 00:04:54.920 just amplify it, you know. It's happened before. 00:04:55.139 --> 00:04:57.839 That's a really sharp point. And it wasn't just 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:00.350 Kimmel feeling the heat, right? The president 00:05:00.350 --> 00:05:04.389 also designated Antifa a major terrorist organization. 00:05:04.629 --> 00:05:07.430 Right. That designation happened, too. Though, 00:05:08.069 --> 00:05:10.529 legally speaking, for a domestic group, it doesn't 00:05:10.529 --> 00:05:12.910 carry the same weight or trigger the same actions 00:05:12.910 --> 00:05:15.389 as it does for foreign terrorist organizations. 00:05:15.709 --> 00:05:18.790 Oh, OK. So it's more symbolic, perhaps? Largely, 00:05:18.930 --> 00:05:21.550 yes. The legal tools are mostly geared towards 00:05:21.550 --> 00:05:24.689 those aiding foreign designated groups. Got it. 00:05:25.110 --> 00:05:27.870 OK, with all that political maneuvering in mind, 00:05:28.110 --> 00:05:30.290 let's switch gears a bit. Let's look at the economy. 00:05:30.750 --> 00:05:33.230 The Federal Reserve made a pretty big move yesterday. 00:05:33.389 --> 00:05:35.170 They did. The Open Market Committee cut interest 00:05:35.170 --> 00:05:37.410 rates. Quarter of a percent. First cut this year, 00:05:37.470 --> 00:05:39.930 right? First one this year, yeah. But it's a 00:05:39.930 --> 00:05:42.589 risky move. Why is that? Isn't cutting rates 00:05:42.589 --> 00:05:46.240 usually seen as good for the economy? Stimulating 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:48.959 things? It can be, but the risk is inflation. 00:05:49.300 --> 00:05:51.620 Remember August, inflation came in at 2 .9%. 00:05:51.620 --> 00:05:54.459 That's already above the Fed's 2 % target. Cutting 00:05:54.459 --> 00:05:56.720 rates now could easily push inflation back over 00:05:56.720 --> 00:06:00.019 3%. And Fed Chair Powell himself made a kind 00:06:00.019 --> 00:06:02.120 of unusual comment. What was that? About the 00:06:02.120 --> 00:06:06.060 labor market. He noted fewer jobs, yeah, but 00:06:06.060 --> 00:06:08.220 also fewer people looking for work, partly because 00:06:08.220 --> 00:06:10.800 of deportations. That's a situation the Fed hasn't 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:13.939 really faced before. Huh. So fewer workers available 00:06:13.939 --> 00:06:17.240 might keep wages high, even if job growth slows. 00:06:17.540 --> 00:06:19.560 Exactly. It complicates the inflation picture. 00:06:20.420 --> 00:06:23.279 So Powell hinted more cuts might come. But you 00:06:23.279 --> 00:06:25.480 have to wonder, will inflation just surge again? 00:06:25.680 --> 00:06:28.079 That's the big tension, isn't it? Politics versus 00:06:28.079 --> 00:06:30.980 economics. Presidents always want lower rates, 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:33.500 especially before an election. Always. But if 00:06:33.500 --> 00:06:35.579 Powell cuts too much and inflation takes off, 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:37.639 that could actually hurt the Republicans next 00:06:37.639 --> 00:06:40.259 year. Precisely. It's a tough balancing act. 00:06:40.350 --> 00:06:43.089 Ideally, the Fed makes decisions independent 00:06:43.089 --> 00:06:45.589 of politics. But is that ever truly possible? 00:06:45.750 --> 00:06:47.730 The pressure must be immense. What should a president 00:06:47.730 --> 00:06:50.290 do? Just completely leave Powell alone. Seems 00:06:50.290 --> 00:06:53.170 unlikely. Historically, a truly hands -off approach 00:06:53.170 --> 00:06:56.269 is rare when the economy feels shaky or an election 00:06:56.269 --> 00:06:59.589 looms. Short -term political gain often clashes 00:06:59.589 --> 00:07:02.329 with long -term stability. It's almost inevitable. 00:07:02.810 --> 00:07:04.970 OK, let's transition from the Fed to the future 00:07:04.970 --> 00:07:07.730 of the Republican Party itself. We're looking 00:07:07.730 --> 00:07:10.629 at some insights from Jim Van De Hei and Mike 00:07:10.629 --> 00:07:13.329 Allen, political veterans. Right. What have they 00:07:13.329 --> 00:07:16.110 seen? Their big takeaway is this goal of MAGU 00:07:16.110 --> 00:07:19.350 integration. Basically, how to turn Trump voters, 00:07:19.589 --> 00:07:21.389 especially younger ones, maybe not traditional 00:07:21.389 --> 00:07:24.410 Republicans, into loyal registered party members. 00:07:24.970 --> 00:07:28.069 They pointed to JD Vance hosting the Charlie 00:07:28.069 --> 00:07:31.009 Kirk Show's Memorial Edition as a very visible 00:07:31.009 --> 00:07:33.110 first step in that process. Interesting. So it's 00:07:33.110 --> 00:07:35.649 about solidifying that base beyond just Trump 00:07:35.649 --> 00:07:38.209 himself. And Vance is key there. Seems like it. 00:07:38.209 --> 00:07:40.930 He's positioned as maybe the 2028 heir apparent. 00:07:41.029 --> 00:07:43.500 He's using his RNC finance chair job. to connect 00:07:43.500 --> 00:07:45.600 with donors. But he could face headwinds, right? 00:07:45.939 --> 00:07:48.560 If the economy sours, his stay the course message 00:07:48.560 --> 00:07:50.519 might be tough against an outsider, maybe Governor 00:07:50.519 --> 00:07:53.180 Kemp or a young kid. Good point. And others are 00:07:53.180 --> 00:07:55.860 maneuvering, too. Marco Rubio, as Secretary of 00:07:55.860 --> 00:07:58.300 State, he's very active, probably eyeing the 00:07:58.300 --> 00:08:01.439 VP slot for 2028. And Suzy Wiles is still seen 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:03.939 as the key power broker behind the scenes. Very 00:08:03.939 --> 00:08:06.899 savvy. Donald Trump Jr. backs Vance, too, apparently, 00:08:07.100 --> 00:08:09.180 though, how much real influence he has across 00:08:09.180 --> 00:08:12.420 the party. That's debatable sometimes. True. 00:08:13.379 --> 00:08:15.540 But here's a really interesting shift Van De 00:08:15.540 --> 00:08:19.579 Hei and Alan point out. podcasts. They say podcasts 00:08:19.579 --> 00:08:22.100 are becoming the center of political gravity. 00:08:22.300 --> 00:08:24.680 That makes sense. Traditional media keep shrinking. 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:27.600 Podcasts are huge, especially with younger men 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:30.540 who maybe don't watch cable news or read papers 00:08:30.540 --> 00:08:33.659 much. Exactly. So their argument is any candidate 00:08:33.659 --> 00:08:35.940 who really connects with the big podcasters, 00:08:35.960 --> 00:08:37.779 they've got a massive advantage. It's a whole 00:08:37.779 --> 00:08:39.840 new battleground. And how does the Man .G .A. 00:08:39.980 --> 00:08:42.559 movement adapt? Vance seems to be trying to be 00:08:42.559 --> 00:08:45.159 even more combative, right? Yeah, trying to out 00:08:45.159 --> 00:08:48.129 -Trump Trump. they put it, calling to root out 00:08:48.129 --> 00:08:50.190 liberals celebrating Charlie's murder, even though 00:08:50.190 --> 00:08:52.309 there aren't many actual high profile examples 00:08:52.309 --> 00:08:55.850 of that happening. So does that work? Or does 00:08:55.850 --> 00:08:59.370 the base see it as maybe inauthentic? They say 00:08:59.370 --> 00:09:02.549 the base is pretty good at sniffing out phonies. 00:09:03.210 --> 00:09:06.909 It's a risk. Trying too hard. It is. OK, shifting 00:09:06.909 --> 00:09:09.429 over to the Democrat side. Campaign infrastructure. 00:09:10.090 --> 00:09:13.230 Act blue is making a big move. Ah, act blue. 00:09:13.480 --> 00:09:15.820 The donation platform, what are they doing? They've 00:09:15.820 --> 00:09:18.240 been huge, right? Making it super easy to donate 00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:20.519 online, especially for smaller campaigns. One 00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:22.580 click. Incredibly effective, yeah. Especially 00:09:22.580 --> 00:09:24.519 for grassroots fundraising. Well now they've 00:09:24.519 --> 00:09:26.580 bought a company called Impactive. Impactive, 00:09:26.659 --> 00:09:29.419 what do they do? They provide tools for things 00:09:29.419 --> 00:09:32.200 like canvassing, phone banking, voter outreach. 00:09:32.720 --> 00:09:34.679 So ActBlue is basically becoming a one -stop 00:09:34.679 --> 00:09:37.440 shop now. Ah, I see. Combining the fund -raising 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:39.740 ease with the organizing tools. That's a smart 00:09:39.740 --> 00:09:41.500 move, especially for those smaller and medium 00:09:41.500 --> 00:09:44.399 -sized campaigns. Gives them access to more sophisticated 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:46.960 stuff. Exactly. But now, politically, what's 00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:49.080 happening? Donald Trump is going after ActBlue. 00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:52.539 Hard. Really? On what grounds? He's claiming 00:09:52.539 --> 00:09:54.639 without evidence, mind you, that they aren't 00:09:54.639 --> 00:09:58.570 doing enough to stop straw man. donations, illegal 00:09:58.570 --> 00:10:01.929 foreign money disguised as small domestic donations. 00:10:02.269 --> 00:10:05.009 Strong donations. OK. That's a serious allegation, 00:10:05.710 --> 00:10:08.289 but often hard to prove on a large scale. Is 00:10:08.289 --> 00:10:11.769 there evidence of a major problem? Seems similar 00:10:11.769 --> 00:10:14.330 to the non -citizen voting claims the scale appears 00:10:14.330 --> 00:10:16.610 tiny, but it's being framed as a huge issue. 00:10:17.090 --> 00:10:18.509 He's trying to make it seem like an epidemic. 00:10:18.909 --> 00:10:21.889 It's interesting he's targeting Act Blue specifically. 00:10:22.029 --> 00:10:24.379 Yeah. What about Win Red? The Republican equivalent. 00:10:24.519 --> 00:10:26.639 Good question. They're not getting the same heat. 00:10:26.759 --> 00:10:28.580 And there's a key difference, right? ActBlue 00:10:28.580 --> 00:10:31.340 is a nonprofit. Very efficient. WinRed is a for 00:10:31.340 --> 00:10:33.419 -profit company. Takes a bigger cut. That is 00:10:33.419 --> 00:10:36.019 a significant difference in their models. Might 00:10:36.019 --> 00:10:38.039 explain the focus. OK, let's talk big money. 00:10:38.299 --> 00:10:41.860 Record breaking money. North Carolina. Yes. The 00:10:41.860 --> 00:10:44.700 Senate race. 2026. Roy Cooper versus Michael 00:10:44.700 --> 00:10:47.080 Watley. It's predicted to be the first billion 00:10:47.080 --> 00:10:50.179 dollar Senate race ever. A billion. With a B. 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:52.950 That's just... Staggering. More than double the 00:10:52.950 --> 00:10:55.269 current record. Why so much? Well, North Carolina 00:10:55.269 --> 00:10:58.029 is just absolutely crucial. It's a key swing 00:10:58.029 --> 00:11:00.429 state. Both parties need it for Senate control. 00:11:00.870 --> 00:11:03.190 Simple as that. And the candidates. You've got 00:11:03.190 --> 00:11:05.970 Cooper, the Democrat, who's a known quantity. 00:11:06.429 --> 00:11:08.929 Very popular former governor, won statewide six 00:11:08.929 --> 00:11:11.470 times. Kind of folksy and low -key. Yeah. Very 00:11:11.470 --> 00:11:14.370 strong candidate profile. And Whatley. Republican. 00:11:14.629 --> 00:11:17.509 He's a strong fundraiser. He was RNC chair. But 00:11:17.509 --> 00:11:20.409 he's never actually run for public office before. 00:11:20.590 --> 00:11:23.710 That raises what the pros call candidate quality 00:11:23.710 --> 00:11:26.129 questions, especially in a race this massive. 00:11:27.090 --> 00:11:29.690 So experience versus fundraising muscle. In a 00:11:29.690 --> 00:11:31.509 state where control of the Senate could hang 00:11:31.509 --> 00:11:34.169 in the balance, billions will flow. No doubt 00:11:34.169 --> 00:11:37.029 about it. Every dollar will be spent. Okay, another 00:11:37.029 --> 00:11:39.750 indicator, maybe a tea leaf for predicting who 00:11:39.750 --> 00:11:43.379 controls the House next. retirements. Ah, yes. 00:11:43.700 --> 00:11:45.720 The retirement watch. How's it looking? Well, 00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:48.259 the thinking is, House members hate being in 00:11:48.259 --> 00:11:50.899 the minority. No power. So if they think their 00:11:50.899 --> 00:11:53.340 party's going to lose control, they often just 00:11:53.340 --> 00:11:55.740 retire or run for something else. Makes sense. 00:11:55.940 --> 00:11:57.500 Why stick around if you're going to be on the 00:11:57.500 --> 00:11:59.539 sideline? So what are the numbers? Right now, 00:11:59.740 --> 00:12:03.059 it's 16 Republicans retiring and 12 Democrats. 00:12:03.620 --> 00:12:06.919 That's a net difference of R minus four. And 00:12:06.919 --> 00:12:08.879 historically, what does that suggest? There's 00:12:08.879 --> 00:12:12.059 a clear pattern. A strong negative correlation. 00:12:12.919 --> 00:12:15.700 The more Republicans who retire, generally, the 00:12:15.700 --> 00:12:17.759 worse the Republicans do in the election. Kind 00:12:17.759 --> 00:12:19.860 of a self -fulfilling prophecy, too, right? Experience 00:12:19.860 --> 00:12:21.600 incumbents giving up seats makes them harder 00:12:21.600 --> 00:12:24.019 to hold. Exactly. So based on these numbers, 00:12:24.220 --> 00:12:25.879 some analysts are predicting Democrats could 00:12:25.879 --> 00:12:29.179 pick up maybe 20 seats. That would be a big shift. 00:12:29.299 --> 00:12:31.440 20 seats. Yeah, that would definitely flip control. 00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:34.059 Retirements are a key signal. OK, let's pivot 00:12:34.059 --> 00:12:37.120 to something less visible, maybe, but hugely 00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:40.159 impactful. Government spending. Or maybe government 00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:43.159 waste. I have to ask, where are the watchdogs 00:12:43.159 --> 00:12:45.320 when you need them? What's caught your eye? Get 00:12:45.320 --> 00:12:47.659 this. Congress, over the last four years, has 00:12:47.659 --> 00:12:50.059 put over a hundred billion dollars towards weapon 00:12:50.059 --> 00:12:53.159 systems that the Pentagon itself did not ask 00:12:53.159 --> 00:12:55.539 for. Doesn't need, doesn't even want. A hundred 00:12:55.539 --> 00:12:58.899 billion? Wow, that's... That's textbook government 00:12:58.899 --> 00:13:01.019 waste, isn't it? How does that happen? Seems 00:13:01.019 --> 00:13:03.980 like it's often these recalcitrant Congress critters, 00:13:04.139 --> 00:13:06.840 as one report put it, demanding contracts for 00:13:06.840 --> 00:13:09.759 their districts or maybe for donors in exchange 00:13:09.759 --> 00:13:12.620 for votes on other bills. Earmarks, essentially, 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:16.059 but maybe hidden, appearing magically in the 00:13:16.059 --> 00:13:18.720 dark of night in spending bills. That's the accusation. 00:13:18.840 --> 00:13:21.220 Provisions just appear, bypassing the normal 00:13:21.220 --> 00:13:23.779 defense reviews. And it's still happening. Apparently. 00:13:24.120 --> 00:13:28.500 For 2026, there's $52 billion in these program 00:13:28.500 --> 00:13:31.259 increases over what the Pentagon actually requested. 00:13:31.860 --> 00:13:34.299 Gabe Murphy from Taxpayers for Common Sense is 00:13:34.299 --> 00:13:36.740 warning that the lack of transparency, the anonymous 00:13:36.740 --> 00:13:39.700 direction of funds just invites abuse. It's pretty 00:13:39.700 --> 00:13:41.779 concerning. What percentage of these add ons 00:13:41.779 --> 00:13:44.279 did the Pentagon actually say they needed? even 00:13:44.279 --> 00:13:47.820 if unfunded. Get this, 75 % of the proposals 00:13:47.820 --> 00:13:50.720 for 2026 were not requested by the Pentagon at 00:13:50.720 --> 00:13:53.259 all. And only about 3 % were things that were 00:13:53.259 --> 00:13:55.500 actually on the Pentagon's own list of unfunded 00:13:55.500 --> 00:13:58.019 priorities, stuff they genuinely need, but couldn't 00:13:58.019 --> 00:14:00.299 fit in the main budget. So not only is it wasting 00:14:00.299 --> 00:14:02.360 money, it could actually be hurting military 00:14:02.360 --> 00:14:05.480 readiness, diverting funds and resources from 00:14:05.480 --> 00:14:07.919 what the military actually says it needs to buy 00:14:07.919 --> 00:14:11.539 or maintain. Precisely. And there are concrete 00:14:11.539 --> 00:14:15.659 examples. Senator Susan Collins in Maine proudly 00:14:15.659 --> 00:14:19.139 announced $283 million for Pratt & Whitney jet 00:14:19.139 --> 00:14:21.519 engines the Pentagon doesn't need. Pratt & Whitney 00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:23.960 is a campaign contributor, by the way. Any others? 00:14:24.360 --> 00:14:28.080 Boeing. Getting $360 million for Apache helicopters, 00:14:28.320 --> 00:14:31.240 the Army explicitly said it does not want. It's 00:14:31.240 --> 00:14:33.779 not just small change. No, those are huge sums. 00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:36.059 It paints a picture of priorities being driven 00:14:36.059 --> 00:14:39.279 by politics and parochial interests, not necessarily 00:14:39.279 --> 00:14:41.950 defense needs. Seems that way. Okay, finally, 00:14:42.029 --> 00:14:44.570 let's turn to something really alarming. Education. 00:14:45.110 --> 00:14:47.470 A new report paints a frankly stark picture of 00:14:47.470 --> 00:14:50.090 American high schools. Consider this stat. One 00:14:50.090 --> 00:14:52.710 third of high school seniors cannot calculate 00:14:52.710 --> 00:14:56.049 a 10 % discount on an $80 shirt. One third, that's, 00:14:56.070 --> 00:14:58.289 wow, that's basic arithmetic. Fifth grade level, 00:14:58.370 --> 00:15:00.570 maybe? Exactly. It suggests fundamental concepts 00:15:00.570 --> 00:15:02.570 just aren't sticking. Where is this data from? 00:15:02.690 --> 00:15:05.269 It's from the NAEP, the National Assessment Education 00:15:05.269 --> 00:15:07.750 Progress. They basically gave American students 00:15:07.750 --> 00:15:11.440 a D grade overall. A D grade. Matthew Soldner 00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:13.799 at the National Center for Educational Statistics 00:15:13.799 --> 00:15:16.620 called it a stark decline and the Secretary of 00:15:16.620 --> 00:15:20.320 Education Linda McMahon went further a devastating 00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:24.220 trend and an economic emergency an economic emergency 00:15:24.429 --> 00:15:26.710 That's strong language. What else did the report 00:15:26.710 --> 00:15:29.470 find? Well, that one third of seniors failing 00:15:29.470 --> 00:15:32.350 to reach the basic level in reading, that means 00:15:32.350 --> 00:15:34.649 they struggle with simple inferences from text, 00:15:34.730 --> 00:15:36.450 just understanding the straightforward meaning. 00:15:36.789 --> 00:15:39.289 So basic comprehension is an issue for a huge 00:15:39.289 --> 00:15:42.389 chunk of students. And math is even worse. Forty 00:15:42.389 --> 00:15:45.029 five percent are below basic. They can't do things 00:15:45.029 --> 00:15:48.309 like figure out gas need for a road trip or adjust 00:15:48.309 --> 00:15:50.669 recipe measurements, everyday stuff. These aren't 00:15:50.669 --> 00:15:52.909 abstract skills. These are functional life skills. 00:15:53.029 --> 00:15:55.419 How do we stack? internationally. Not great. 00:15:55.659 --> 00:15:58.879 The PSA 2025 results put the U .S. at hashtag 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:02.340 18, way behind many Asian nations, even behind 00:16:02.340 --> 00:16:04.899 Canada. Number 18. So it raises that question, 00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:07.179 right? How does the U .S. stay competitive? How 00:16:07.179 --> 00:16:09.480 do we out innovate if our kids are struggling 00:16:09.480 --> 00:16:11.539 with reading and basic math compared to other 00:16:11.539 --> 00:16:13.659 developed nations? It's a critical question. 00:16:13.820 --> 00:16:15.559 And educators always talk about third grade being 00:16:15.559 --> 00:16:18.679 that key point, you know, where kids shift from 00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:21.879 learning to read to reading to learn. Right. 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:23.559 That transition is fundamental. How are we doing 00:16:23.559 --> 00:16:26.720 there? Well, the 2024 report card showed 40 % 00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:28.840 of fourth graders were below basic in reading. 00:16:29.720 --> 00:16:32.519 40%. They're already behind the curve right as 00:16:32.519 --> 00:16:35.279 they need those skills most. That has long -term 00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:37.879 consequences. You see colleges complaining they 00:16:37.879 --> 00:16:40.100 have to do remedial teaching. Even good colleges, 00:16:40.379 --> 00:16:43.139 yeah. Students arrive unprepared. And think about 00:16:43.139 --> 00:16:47.100 vocational training, too. Modern equipment? complex 00:16:47.100 --> 00:16:50.399 manuals. If you can't read and comprehend well, 00:16:50.840 --> 00:16:53.179 it's a huge barrier. It really doesn't bode well 00:16:53.179 --> 00:16:55.000 for the economy in the 21st century, does it? 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:57.779 Not at all. What a journey today, huh? We went 00:16:57.779 --> 00:17:00.360 from royal pageantry and protests to the Fed's 00:17:00.360 --> 00:17:03.080 tightrope walk, political party strategies, campaign 00:17:03.080 --> 00:17:05.900 tech, billion dollar races, and Pentagon spending. 00:17:06.140 --> 00:17:09.319 and ended up with some really sobering stats 00:17:09.319 --> 00:17:11.740 about our schools. It's a lot to take in. It 00:17:11.740 --> 00:17:14.660 really is. But it shows how interconnected everything 00:17:14.660 --> 00:17:17.819 is, doesn't it? Global stuff, the economy, politics, 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:20.779 even basic education, it all weaves together 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:23.299 to shape where we're heading. Absolutely. So 00:17:23.299 --> 00:17:26.200 as you... Our listeners reflect on all these 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:28.220 different pieces we've unpacked today. Here's 00:17:28.220 --> 00:17:30.460 maybe a final thought to chew on. Given that 00:17:30.460 --> 00:17:32.539 shift, we talked about podcasts becoming these 00:17:32.539 --> 00:17:35.200 major centers for political conversation and 00:17:35.200 --> 00:17:37.019 also considering the challenges in critical thinking 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:39.660 and basic skills highlighted by those education 00:17:39.660 --> 00:17:42.680 numbers. What role do you think informed, engaged 00:17:42.680 --> 00:17:45.640 listeners like yourself actually play in shaping 00:17:45.640 --> 00:17:48.259 that political landscape and in demanding accountability 00:17:48.259 --> 00:17:49.319 for our collective future?