Democrats Underwater, Epstein's Little Black Book, More from Tulsi Gabbard

The Cameron Journal

This week on The Cameron Journal Newshour, we're talking about how far underwater the Democrats are in new WSJ polling data. Then we are going through Trump's new plan to sweep the country of the homeless and mentally ill and stash them away in institutions and camps. Then we also explore last week's story about Trump ending the H-1B visa lottery and arranging the visas by salary. We wrap up with Trump's latest legal loss where Planned Parenthood is allowed to keep its Medicaid funds, even where they offer abortion.

Transcript

00:00:00Ahem.

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00:01:00Ahem.

00:01:30Ahem.

00:02:00Ahem.

00:02:30Ahem.

00:03:00Ahem.

00:03:02Ahem.

00:03:07Hello, everyone!

00:03:23My name is Cameron Cowen.

00:03:25Welcome to the Cameron Journal NewsHour.

00:03:28You may hear a little bit of background noise, because it is a balmy 80 degrees here, and

00:03:36I turned off the air conditioning a little bit earlier for an interview, and it was so

00:03:43hot and stuffy at the end, I was kind of low-key dying.

00:03:46So, I am prioritizing my physical comfort over your ears.

00:03:51Sorry in advance.

00:03:52I also want to say, the reason why I'm wearing headphones this week, and the reason why

00:03:57I'm being so careful is, last week, for some reason that I've only sort of begun to suss

00:04:03out, the NewsHour had no audio.

00:04:07It was very strange.

00:04:09Didn't make a lot of sense.

00:04:11And it was, the coding error, I think, was so bad some sites wouldn't even play it.

00:04:16It was a mess.

00:04:17So, this week, we're going back old school.

00:04:19So, headphones on, I'm double-checking audio inputs, making sure everything is good.

00:04:26Ooh, excuse me.

00:04:29Um, if you are watching and you are hearing something, make sure to let me know.

00:04:34If you're not hearing something, please also let me know.

00:04:39Um, and hopefully this week we'll be, we'll be okay.

00:04:43Um, in any case, um, it was a long, I had a lot of fun last week.

00:04:48I did, um, the NewsHour thing, with the whole audio thing, was annoying and it felt like

00:04:54a bit of a setback and, you know, you get all those emotions.

00:04:57But, last Tuesday, I went to the beach with some friends.

00:05:02That was a grand old time.

00:05:04I really enjoyed, um, getting out and getting some fun in the sun.

00:05:09That was so much fun.

00:05:10It was a great adventure.

00:05:12Sure, it was, it was awesome.

00:05:14Um, I also, um, but the, the downside of, of that was that Tuesday is my day with my

00:05:23least amount of meetings.

00:05:25And usually I don't have very many appointments.

00:05:27And so, I usually catch up on a lot of tasks.

00:05:29And I get a lot of stuff done.

00:05:31And, well, I didn't do any of that.

00:05:33And so, that just kind of metastasized into the whole week.

00:05:36And I would say, well, you know, I'll just catch up on the weekend.

00:05:38Well, I had a thing on Saturday, too.

00:05:40And so, I just, I, I was playing hooky last week.

00:05:44And as I wrote to someone who was asking me where an email reply was, I said, I'm living

00:05:48in the consequences of my own actions.

00:05:50Um, so, this week, it is nose to the grindstone.

00:05:56Can you believe it's the 28th of July?

00:05:59Like, it's almost August.

00:06:00Like, we're already talking about fall.

00:06:03I'm making orders for books for the Christmas holiday season.

00:06:07Oh, my goodness.

00:06:10Just, um, so, so much, um, is, is happening.

00:06:15The summer just seems to have flown by.

00:06:17We were in May hoping for sun.

00:06:19We got sun.

00:06:20Now it's hot.

00:06:21Now it's the end of July.

00:06:22And, you know, and now we're already talking about fall.

00:06:26And it's just, it's overwhelming.

00:06:29But we're not there yet.

00:06:30We're only at the beginning of August.

00:06:31We still have some hot and steamy days of August left to go.

00:06:36I always remembered, um, growing up in Colorado, and certainly in Arkansas, um, August was always

00:06:44the hottest, the hottest time.

00:06:46Um, and that was always, I was, see, I was trying to fix that big sort of, there we go,

00:06:54that big sort of bald spot that I had going to have my hair done.

00:06:57And now I was thinking, that looks much better.

00:06:59Um, the headphones pull, scalp gets seen, it's a whole thing.

00:07:04Anyway, um, and now we're already at the beginning of August.

00:07:07And it's just, and 2025 is well over half over, which is just crazy.

00:07:12But yeah.

00:07:13So if you're on, if you're on my LinkedIn's followers, um, I will be getting out a new

00:07:17business newsletter to you very, very soon, but keep following my feed for great updates.

00:07:25Um, you, if you've not signed up for the Cameron Shul newsletter, you should.

00:07:29Um, last Saturday, I did basically a single article about Tulsi Gabbard, the 2016 election.

00:07:34We're going to talk more about that, um, the Obama administration intelligence thing

00:07:38and the whole distraction from the Epstein case.

00:07:41Um, I wrote about that quite extensively, um, in Saturday's newsletter.

00:07:45So if that's the type of content you're interested in, you need to sign up for the newsletter

00:07:48at CameronJul.com slash newsletter.

00:07:50And if you really want to support this journalism and Lord knows I could use the support right

00:07:56now, please, please, please, if you haven't sign up for Cameron Journal Plus, it's $5 a month.

00:08:00It's the cost of a coffee and it's, you'll get everything that you're used to getting,

00:08:06but you can support journalism and you can be part of the new community I'm building of

00:08:10dedicated Cameron Journal subscribers, Discord.

00:08:13We have Discord available.

00:08:15We're going to start doing some private chats, private online events.

00:08:18It's going to be a lot of fun.

00:08:20So if you haven't thought about signing up for Cameron Journal Plus, please do so at

00:08:24CameronJul.com slash subscribe.

00:08:25Um, let's see, what else is there?

00:08:29Um, oh, yes, and, uh, I do want to mention, um, which I haven't mentioned in a long time,

00:08:34um, well, two kind of new things are happening.

00:08:36One old is, one is old and one is new.

00:08:39Um, the old thing is that I still, I haven't talked about it in a little while, but my writing

00:08:43courses are still available.

00:08:44I know a lot of people, um, who watch this probably don't always watch the author interviews,

00:08:50especially the fiction author interviews, um, even though I think you should because we

00:08:53have an interesting conversation.

00:08:54But, um, if you are interested in writing a book, interested in writing, coaching, anything

00:08:58like that, uh, please make sure to check out the Cameron Journal Academy.

00:09:02We're currently offering a Play-Doh course with Dan Sanderson.

00:09:07We're also offering both of my writing courses, The Power of Story.

00:09:10So if you are interested in writing a book, you should check those out.

00:09:14Uh, we have both fiction and non-fiction tracks for that course, which is really, really

00:09:19exciting.

00:09:19I've not talked about those in a while.

00:09:21Um, but you should check those out if you're interested in writing a book, think you could

00:09:25write a book, all this type of thing.

00:09:26You do get two private writing courses with me.

00:09:31Which is really a lot of fun.

00:09:33Um, then the other thing I want to mention, the new thing, of course, is America's Lost

00:09:36Generation.

00:09:37So my next book, America's Lost Generation, is coming out very shortly.

00:09:41We are done with production.

00:09:42We're into the pre-order phase, all this sort of thing.

00:09:46And, uh, and we're very, we're very excited about it.

00:09:49I'm very excited about it.

00:09:50This book has been a long time in coming.

00:09:52I, for some reason, I take forever to write a book.

00:09:54I, I'm, it's, I would be more prolific in all this type of thing, but it just doesn't

00:09:58quite happen that way.

00:09:59Anyway, this book has been taking five years to get done and out into the world.

00:10:03And we're very excited.

00:10:04Um, right now on the Cameron Journal, there is a great collection called the Millennials

00:10:09Collection that has everything I've written about millennials and new material in support

00:10:13of the book.

00:10:14America's Lost Generation is all about the story of millennials.

00:10:17What happened, how the goalposts moved, how millennials and why they have struggled,

00:10:23especially as we all get into middle age, because the youngest of us is now over 30.

00:10:27The oldest of us is in their mid-40s.

00:10:29So we're, we're now reaching, you know, kind of the middle of the story.

00:10:32And I want to talk about why things have gone the way they've gone and really dig in to

00:10:39that story.

00:10:40And this book is the perfect place for it.

00:10:42So if you want to check out my insights about just the milieu of being a millennial, the

00:10:47narratives, the dialogue, the book features lots of facts.

00:10:51It features looking at another similar crisis in Japan and how that affected Japanese society

00:10:56and how it's affected American society and contrast those.

00:10:58But most importantly, it features real life interviews from people from the Lost Generation

00:11:03subreddit on Reddit.

00:11:05I collected those way back in 2020.

00:11:08I kind of wonder where all of those people are now and how they're feeling, especially

00:11:13post-pandemic, because we didn't really realize how bad things were going to get at the time.

00:11:19But we're very excited to, to have all that out into the world.

00:11:23And the book is now available on pre-order at CameronJournal.com slash Cameron's dash books.

00:11:30Or just go to CameronJournal.com, there's a button that says Shop Cameron's Books, click

00:11:34that, it's the first one, and it's on sale right now for $14.95 if you pre-order.

00:11:39So that's very exciting.

00:11:40And if you subscribe to the newsletter, you'll be getting the complete collection from the

00:11:48Complete Millennials Collection delivered into your inbox.

00:11:51There's all sorts of new exciting content that's based upon stuff from the book coming

00:11:57out.

00:11:57It took me a long time to put it together, but it's very exciting.

00:12:00And you can also pre-order directly from any of those articles as well.

00:12:06So that's all the housekeeping.

00:12:08That's all the exciting stuff going on around here.

00:12:10I had a lot of fun with friends and meeting new people and going to the beach.

00:12:14But yeah, this week I've got to, I've got to get a lot of stuff done.

00:12:17I'm so, so, so, so, so behind.

00:12:20I haven't been doing my Twitter threads.

00:12:22I haven't been talking about some of the interviews we've had.

00:12:24And I'm just behind in so many ways.

00:12:29So, for now though, you've come to hear about the news and I will deliver that for you.

00:12:34So, let's turn to the headlines.

00:12:37And we're going to do this.

00:12:39And we're going to do that.

00:12:41And we're not going to start with that story.

00:12:43We're going to start with this story.

00:12:44So, one of the kind of quiet stories that has not been getting nearly enough attention

00:12:51is this story from Newsweek.

00:12:54Well, it's not originally from Newsweek, but we're going to read it from Newsweek.

00:12:58It's a story about the Donald Trump plan to send the U.S. homeless to treatment centers.

00:13:02They're all paying concentration camps.

00:13:03But I'll hold back.

00:13:06Let's read together first.

00:13:07A new Trump executive order called Ending Vagrancy and Restoring Order

00:13:12I always couch it in these terms

00:13:14will instruct Attorney General Pam Bondi to overturn judicial precedents

00:13:18and terminate consent decrees that currently restrict local and state authorities

00:13:22from relocating homeless people from streets and encampments or tent cities

00:13:26into rehabilitation, treatment, or other facilities.

00:13:29We should always be concerned about other facilities.

00:13:31The executive order will redirect federal funding to ensure homeless people

00:13:36are transferred to rehabilitation, treatment, and other facilities.

00:13:39The order also aims to stop sex offenders receiving homelessness assistance

00:13:43from being housed with children

00:13:44and allows programs to house women and children exclusively.

00:13:47In 2024, the Department of Housing and Urban Development reported

00:13:50771,480 homeless persons in the U.S.

00:13:54The agency also reported 167,991 chronically homeless persons.

00:13:59And those numbers are always problematic because they do the single-night count thing.

00:14:03Those numbers are probably much higher.

00:14:05Under the order, Bondi will work alongside the Secretaries of Health and Human Services,

00:14:08Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation

00:14:10to prioritize federal grants to cities and states that

00:14:12enforce prohibitions on open illicit drug use, urban camping and loitering,

00:14:17and urban squatting and track the location of sex offenders.

00:14:20In a statement sent to Newsweek, White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt said

00:14:23Trump is delivering on his commitment to make America safe again

00:14:26and end homelessness across America.

00:14:27Well, you're not really ending homelessness, you're just sending them somewhere else.

00:14:31Which is usually what we do with the homeless, anyway.

00:14:33In March, Trump signed an executive order directing the National Park Service

00:14:36to, quote, beautify Washington, D.C.

00:14:38and clear homeless encampments on federal lands.

00:14:41In May, he signed an executive order to establish the National Center for Warrior Independence,

00:14:46a place where homeless veterans can go to receive care, benefits, and services.

00:14:50In June of last year, U.S. Supreme Court upheld laws restricting encampments

00:14:53on public property in Grants Pass, Oregon.

00:14:55The ruling was sixthly with Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Eleni Kagan, and Ketanji Brown-Jackson dissenting.

00:15:00The majority found that the restrictions did not classify as, quote,

00:15:03cruel and unusual punishment, quote, under the Eighth Amendment.

00:15:05There's another half of this story that we're going to get to from a great substack,

00:15:13but the reality of this is that you...

00:15:16I mean, I kind of already have been commenting as we...

00:15:20I mean, these numbers are, again, very inaccurate because they do the single night count.

00:15:25How that works is they pick a single night of the year,

00:15:28they go out, they have people go out nationwide,

00:15:30they count everyone who's homeless and unhoused, and that's the number.

00:15:34The reality is that number is almost irrelevant the second it's taken.

00:15:39You have to, you know, be...

00:15:44People come, sometimes come in and out of homelessness.

00:15:48Some people move around, get counted, can get counted, you know, twice, not counted at all.

00:15:53People, you know, if you do the count on Tuesday and you're on the street Wednesday night,

00:15:59you're a homeless person, but you haven't been counted.

00:16:02So that's kind of the first problem here.

00:16:05The other problem is reprioritizing federal funds.

00:16:11This is, I think, really to force blue states who don't...

00:16:14and blue cities who don't enforce this stuff to start enforcing this sort of thing.

00:16:18Um, the only part of this that I think probably isn't weird

00:16:22is stopping sex offenders receiving homeless assistance from being housed with children

00:16:26and allows programs to house women and children exclusively.

00:16:32That, I think, we can call you a backfire, but this also ends up with, you know,

00:16:35if we're moving them into rehabilitation treatment or other facilities,

00:16:38how many of these people are just going to end up in some facility somewhere?

00:16:42And this is rightly being marketed as getting rid of the infrastructure

00:16:45that shut down insane asylums and mental hospitals and things like that in the 1980s.

00:16:52And I think the reality is people are going to end up being, um...

00:16:57Some people will end up being housed in these facilities permanently,

00:17:01which gets us right into the second half of the story,

00:17:05which is from mindwar.com.

00:17:08They have a great, great sub-stack.

00:17:10And it's called Taking Action.

00:17:11Trump's plan to disappear the work shy.

00:17:13We're staring into the abyss of systematic mass cleansing

00:17:16that mankind might not recover from without intervention.

00:17:20And it says here,

00:17:21I wrote yesterday that Donald Trump's spiraling psychology has been fused

00:17:24into U.S. levers of power to the point that the entire government,

00:17:27and in many ways the entire nation,

00:17:29is decompensating as a result he might do almost anything.

00:17:35While his latest move is on a false flag, per se,

00:17:39in most ways it's worse.

00:17:40Trump is quite literally pulling a page out of the Nazi playbook

00:17:44to target unhoused and mentally ill people

00:17:46to feed into the maw of his Fourth Reich.

00:17:49In his latest executive order,

00:17:51Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets

00:17:52is one of the darkest things I've ever read,

00:17:54and yeah, that's saying a lot.

00:17:55It doesn't even try to hide its purpose or disdain for its targets.

00:17:58It's not about helping anyone,

00:18:00it's about cleaning up the streets.

00:18:01The first sentence.

00:18:02Endemic vagrancy, disorderly behavior,

00:18:04sudden confrontations,

00:18:06and violent attacks have made our cities unsafe.

00:18:08This is the exact type of propaganda

00:18:09that's been used by countless dictators

00:18:10when they want to target a vulnerable group,

00:18:12but this order has a particular disdain

00:18:14for substance abusers,

00:18:15the unhoused, and the mentally ill.

00:18:17Shifting homeless individuals

00:18:18into long-term institutional settings

00:18:19for humane treatment

00:18:20through the appropriate use of civil commitment

00:18:22will restore public order.

00:18:24Surrendering our cities and citizens

00:18:25to disorder and fear

00:18:26is neither compassionate to the homeless

00:18:27nor their other citizens.

00:18:29My administration will take a new approach

00:18:30focused on protecting public safety.

00:18:33Civil commitment is a euphemism for being kidnapped

00:18:36and put in a warehouse

00:18:37with a bunch of potentially dangerous people

00:18:38against your will.

00:18:39Public order is a euphemism

00:18:41for a neo-Nazi white 1950s faux image of America

00:18:43that Trump thinks he can restore

00:18:45to who he's a strong man his cult wants to believe in.

00:18:47But in reality,

00:18:48this is a carbon copy of Action T4,

00:18:50the eugenics and euthanasia program

00:18:52that represented the initial test for the Holocaust.

00:18:54The Action Arbeitsschule Reich,

00:18:55a campaign to emulate the workshe,

00:18:57who are among the group of asocials

00:18:58classified as preventive criminals.

00:19:02Those detained under the status

00:19:03of preventive criminals

00:19:04were not limited to the workshe,

00:19:06but also,

00:19:07but used in arrest much more broadly.

00:19:09As implementing directive

00:19:10of the Reich Criminal Code in April 1938

00:19:12defined asocial as any person

00:19:14who showed continual misconduct

00:19:16or repeated violations of the law

00:19:17who did not fit into the community

00:19:19and submit to the self-evident order

00:19:21the Nazi state desired.

00:19:23These particularly were vagrants, beggars,

00:19:24prostitutes, gypsies, and alcoholics.

00:19:26Even people with untreated venereal diseases

00:19:28were included as well.

00:19:29The Nazis murdered over 300,000 asocials

00:19:32between 1939 and 1941

00:19:33when they turned their primary focus

00:19:35to the extermination of the Jews in Roma.

00:19:37In Trump's order,

00:19:38the DOJ has instructed

00:19:39to reverse judicial precedents

00:19:40and consent decrees

00:19:41that limit civil commitment

00:19:42of unhoused individuals

00:19:43deemed dangerous

00:19:44or incapable of self-care.

00:19:46In other words,

00:19:46the regime wants to take away

00:19:47the First and Fourth Amendment

00:19:48for people they deem to be unfit.

00:19:50They want to remove due process

00:19:52from people that Trump and Stephen Miller

00:19:53believe are unworthy

00:19:54and disappear them

00:19:55through deportation,

00:19:56incarceration,

00:19:57or institutionalization.

00:20:00Hitler and Goebbels

00:20:01framed their genocide

00:20:02on ideas like

00:20:02cleansing the vogue

00:20:03of life unworthy of life

00:20:06to improve national hygiene.

00:20:08Trump and Miller

00:20:09restoring public order,

00:20:10ending chaos,

00:20:11liberating communities

00:20:11from invasion.

00:20:12Hitler and Goebbels

00:20:13initial targets

00:20:14were the mentally ill,

00:20:15disabled, institutionalized,

00:20:16chronically homeless,

00:20:17people with STDs,

00:20:18and quote-unquote

00:20:18work shy.

00:20:20Trump and Miller

00:20:20are unhoused,

00:20:21mentally ill,

00:20:21undocumented immigrants,

00:20:22drug users,

00:20:23loiterers,

00:20:23sex offenders.

00:20:24Hitler and Goebbels

00:20:25called their targets

00:20:25asocial,

00:20:26parasites,

00:20:27useless eaters,

00:20:28degenerates.

00:20:29Trump and Stephen Miller

00:20:30called them illegals,

00:20:31invasion,

00:20:32infestation,

00:20:33migrant mobs,

00:20:33and filth.

00:20:34The parallels

00:20:35are stark and blatant.

00:20:36However,

00:20:37at the risk of being

00:20:38the scenario worse,

00:20:39consider the net impact

00:20:40of Trump's BBB cuts

00:20:41in addition to this order.

00:20:42Medicaid is losing

00:20:43$860 billion in cuts

00:20:45over the next 10 years.

00:20:46SNAP is losing

00:20:47$295 billion in cuts

00:20:48over the same period

00:20:49and up to $17 million

00:20:50additional uninsured.

00:20:53If Trump wanted

00:20:54to lessen homelessness

00:20:55or improve the overall

00:20:56mental health of the nation,

00:20:57this is precisely

00:20:57the opposite of what

00:20:58he would have done.

00:20:59No, I'm afraid

00:21:00the vision is far worse.

00:21:01This is the mass

00:21:02cleansing of America,

00:21:03the intentional creation

00:21:04of a crisis

00:21:04and the ritual sacrifice

00:21:05of scapegoats

00:21:06to solve it

00:21:06in order to rationalize

00:21:08a Palantir-processed,

00:21:09ice-enforced purge

00:21:10of undesirables.

00:21:13And he goes on for a bit

00:21:14and we're not going to

00:21:14get into all of that,

00:21:15but as someone

00:21:17who has a diagnosable

00:21:21mental illness,

00:21:23this is quite,

00:21:25quite frightening.

00:21:28It is,

00:21:29there has been,

00:21:30not just in the Nazi period,

00:21:32but throughout time,

00:21:34a program

00:21:38to get rid of anyone

00:21:42people don't like.

00:21:44Now, the thing about

00:21:45living in a constitutional republic

00:21:47is even if you're not doing well,

00:21:49you are supposed to have rights.

00:21:51One of the reasons

00:21:52we closed

00:21:53the mental institutions

00:21:55in the 1980s

00:21:56was because

00:21:57they tended to be

00:21:58poorly funded

00:21:59and they tended to be

00:22:00places of abuse.

00:22:01The downside

00:22:02is that there was

00:22:03no place to take people

00:22:05who need to be warehoused,

00:22:08whose families

00:22:09can't,

00:22:09or in many cases

00:22:11won't,

00:22:12take care of them.

00:22:13I have said

00:22:15in the past

00:22:15it might not be

00:22:16a terrible idea

00:22:17to bring back

00:22:19mental institutions

00:22:20at a certain level,

00:22:22better funded

00:22:23with better inspections

00:22:25and oversight

00:22:25to put people

00:22:28who need to be

00:22:29warehoused,

00:22:29particularly,

00:22:29I think people

00:22:30with schizophrenia,

00:22:32you know,

00:22:32I think are probably,

00:22:34you know,

00:22:35really struggle,

00:22:36and it doesn't even

00:22:37have to be an institution.

00:22:39It can be supportive housing.

00:22:40I've known people

00:22:41that live in supportive housing

00:22:42where there's someone

00:22:43kind of actively

00:22:43looking after them,

00:22:44but they live mostly

00:22:45independent lives.

00:22:46You also could have,

00:22:48you know,

00:22:48people where

00:22:49they are living

00:22:50in a more communal setting

00:22:51and people are

00:22:52minding and looking

00:22:53after them

00:22:53and they can maybe

00:22:54transition to supportive

00:22:55housing at some point.

00:22:56I think there's a way

00:22:57to do this

00:22:58with humanity

00:22:59and dignity.

00:23:00I don't think

00:23:01that's what's going

00:23:01to happen here.

00:23:03I think it's going

00:23:04to be a mass roundup

00:23:05of anyone

00:23:06that they don't like

00:23:07or anyone who's homeless,

00:23:09which could be,

00:23:10you know,

00:23:11anyone if the life

00:23:13goes the wrong way,

00:23:15and just stash them

00:23:16away somewhere.

00:23:17One of the biggest

00:23:18complaints I hear

00:23:19people make online

00:23:20is that, you know,

00:23:21cities are unsafe,

00:23:22there's too many,

00:23:23you know,

00:23:23there's unhoused people,

00:23:24there's crazy people,

00:23:25no one wants to be

00:23:26around that,

00:23:26people are afraid,

00:23:27and so I think

00:23:28people look at this

00:23:29and say,

00:23:29well, yeah,

00:23:30yeah,

00:23:30get the weirdos

00:23:31off the street

00:23:31and we can,

00:23:32you know,

00:23:32live in a safe society.

00:23:34The problem

00:23:34with that whole idea

00:23:36is they forget

00:23:38that those are

00:23:38human beings too.

00:23:41And unfortunately,

00:23:42when there's no one

00:23:43to really care

00:23:44about those people

00:23:45or care where they go

00:23:47or what happens

00:23:48to them,

00:23:49it means anyone

00:23:50can do anything

00:23:52to them.

00:23:54And as the guy,

00:23:56as Jim Stewartson

00:23:57here points out,

00:23:58the Nazis started

00:24:00with the people

00:24:01easy to get rid of,

00:24:02the mentally ill,

00:24:05the quote-unquote

00:24:06work-shy,

00:24:07the homeless,

00:24:08people with STDs,

00:24:10that,

00:24:10everyone's,

00:24:11well,

00:24:11everyone's kind of like,

00:24:11well,

00:24:12sure,

00:24:13you know,

00:24:13they're kind of a nuisance,

00:24:15we'll all feel better

00:24:16with them gone somewhere.

00:24:18And then it always

00:24:19turns to someone else

00:24:20and someone else

00:24:22and someone else

00:24:23and someone else

00:24:24and that's the sad

00:24:26situation is that

00:24:27once you kind of

00:24:28start down this road,

00:24:30it never just stops

00:24:31with the initial

00:24:32quote-unquote

00:24:32undesirable group.

00:24:33And again,

00:24:34if it was a,

00:24:36oh yeah,

00:24:36we're going to work

00:24:37with community organizations

00:24:38to fund them better,

00:24:39even religious organizations,

00:24:41to help,

00:24:41you know,

00:24:42create supportive housing

00:24:43for people

00:24:43and have them live

00:24:45as,

00:24:45you know,

00:24:45as best productive lives

00:24:46as they,

00:24:47you know,

00:24:49can or want to,

00:24:50that would be one thing.

00:24:53But the,

00:24:53just the terminology

00:24:54with all of this

00:24:55is so,

00:24:57as he does the comparison,

00:24:58is just so,

00:25:00so dangerous.

00:25:01And this idea

00:25:02that,

00:25:03you know,

00:25:03that there's,

00:25:04you know,

00:25:04the unhoused,

00:25:05mentally ill,

00:25:06undocumented immigrants,

00:25:07drug users,

00:25:08ending the chaos,

00:25:09destroying public order,

00:25:10liberating communities

00:25:11from invasion,

00:25:13infestation,

00:25:13migrant mobs,

00:25:14and filth,

00:25:15all of this is,

00:25:17it's very dangerous language

00:25:19to describe real people.

00:25:21And I think

00:25:22one of the sad things is

00:25:24it,

00:25:26neoliberalism

00:25:27did a very good job

00:25:28of getting rid

00:25:28of the notion

00:25:29of society

00:25:29and that we

00:25:31have a responsibility

00:25:33not just to ourselves

00:25:34but to society

00:25:36and society

00:25:36also has a responsibility

00:25:37to us.

00:25:39It is an exchange.

00:25:41And unfortunately,

00:25:42when people

00:25:43atomize themselves

00:25:45to be hyper-individualistic,

00:25:46we quit thinking

00:25:47of other people

00:25:49outside of ourselves

00:25:50as part of our society,

00:25:52as part of our country,

00:25:54of people we have to

00:25:55think about

00:25:55and consider.

00:25:56And I think

00:25:57the dangerous thing

00:25:59is that

00:26:00when you

00:26:01can other

00:26:02a certain group,

00:26:05certain people,

00:26:06it makes it very easy

00:26:07to do very terrible

00:26:08things to them.

00:26:09And we have lots

00:26:09of psychological data

00:26:10on this.

00:26:12And so,

00:26:13this is a very

00:26:15dangerous step.

00:26:16And I wanted to make

00:26:17this the lead story

00:26:18tonight,

00:26:18because the

00:26:19unfortunate reality

00:26:20is that

00:26:21this will start

00:26:23happening very quickly.

00:26:24ICE has

00:26:25$140 billion budget.

00:26:27By budget,

00:26:28they are, I think,

00:26:29the world's

00:26:3016th best-funded military

00:26:32ahead of the nation

00:26:33of Italy.

00:26:35And that means

00:26:36they now have

00:26:37the legal framework,

00:26:39the money,

00:26:41and the resources

00:26:42to just start

00:26:44rounding anyone up

00:26:45that they deem

00:26:46undesirable.

00:26:48And the reality

00:26:50is that

00:26:50as this goes on,

00:26:51this could be anyone.

00:26:53And so,

00:26:54if you are,

00:26:55you know,

00:26:55have a mental

00:26:56health diagnosis,

00:26:57whatever have you,

00:26:58there's really

00:26:59nothing stopping them

00:27:00from rounding you up,

00:27:01too.

00:27:02And in that case,

00:27:02that includes me.

00:27:04So I take this

00:27:05a little bit personally.

00:27:07But,

00:27:07so that's why I wanted

00:27:07to lead to the story

00:27:08tonight to understand

00:27:09what we're facing.

00:27:10This is a new chapter

00:27:12in authoritarianism,

00:27:13and it's something

00:27:14that should be quite

00:27:14frightening.

00:27:16Because it's very easy

00:27:17to be like,

00:27:17oh, but it's someone else.

00:27:19It's the crazy person

00:27:20doing drugs

00:27:21on the sidewalk.

00:27:22And believe me,

00:27:24I lived in downtown Seattle

00:27:25for three years

00:27:26of my ten years

00:27:27that I lived in Seattle.

00:27:28When I,

00:27:29when the first time

00:27:30I ever drove

00:27:30into Seattle

00:27:31way back in 2014,

00:27:33I turned into

00:27:34a Wendy's

00:27:34to have lunch

00:27:35and I saw a guy

00:27:35relieving himself

00:27:37in a bush.

00:27:38both ends.

00:27:43That was my

00:27:43welcome to Seattle.

00:27:45I have lived

00:27:47near Seattle's

00:27:48biggest open-air

00:27:48drug market.

00:27:49My car was broken

00:27:50in two,

00:27:50three times.

00:27:51I remember the lady

00:27:52who used to sit

00:27:53on the couch

00:27:53in front of the

00:27:54King County Courthouse

00:27:55and smoke crack

00:27:55all day.

00:27:56They had to actually

00:27:57put up fencing

00:27:58and put guards

00:27:59around to keep

00:27:59people away

00:28:00because they were

00:28:01accosting judges

00:28:02and plaintiffs

00:28:03outside the courthouse.

00:28:04I know how bad

00:28:05it can get.

00:28:06I've lived there.

00:28:07You know.

00:28:08And in a not

00:28:11great neighborhood.

00:28:15There's a way

00:28:16to do this

00:28:16that's incredibly

00:28:17productive.

00:28:18I don't trust

00:28:20this language

00:28:21or this administration

00:28:22to do that

00:28:23in a way that's

00:28:23not going to

00:28:24irreparably harm

00:28:24people.

00:28:26And that should

00:28:27all give us

00:28:28a great deal

00:28:29of pause

00:28:30about what

00:28:31this is going

00:28:32to mean

00:28:32moving forward

00:28:34for

00:28:35everyone in

00:28:37society.

00:28:37and who

00:28:39it might

00:28:40extend to.

00:28:41Okay,

00:28:42you'll get a few

00:28:43people off

00:28:43the streets

00:28:45and things

00:28:46will seem

00:28:46safer and quieter.

00:28:47Who's next?

00:28:48What's next?

00:28:49These things

00:28:49are so

00:28:50broad

00:28:53that it

00:28:54can begin

00:28:55to start

00:28:55to apply

00:28:56to everyone.

00:28:58and that

00:29:02is

00:29:03and that's

00:29:04where the

00:29:04comparison

00:29:05with Action T4

00:29:06and the nuts

00:29:07in the Holocaust

00:29:07and protectively

00:29:09all start to

00:29:11become

00:29:11a part of

00:29:12this idea

00:29:13that there are

00:29:13some people

00:29:13in society

00:29:14that just

00:29:14need to be

00:29:15gotten rid of.

00:29:15They're not

00:29:16people anymore.

00:29:17They're a problem.

00:29:18And that's

00:29:20what makes

00:29:20this so

00:29:21so

00:29:22incredibly

00:29:24incredibly

00:29:25dangerous.

00:29:26This article

00:29:26is a little

00:29:27hyperbolic.

00:29:27That's why I

00:29:27started with the

00:29:28Newsweek article

00:29:28so we can get

00:29:29our mind around

00:29:29it.

00:29:30But it's

00:29:30worth mentioning.

00:29:31It is going

00:29:32to be

00:29:33mark my words

00:29:33this is going

00:29:34to turn into

00:29:35a problem.

00:29:36There's going

00:29:37to be stories

00:29:37of people being

00:29:39forcibly taken

00:29:39away who

00:29:40don't need

00:29:41to be

00:29:42and by the

00:29:43time you get

00:29:44to that point

00:29:44it will already

00:29:45be far far

00:29:47too late.

00:29:49Let's move

00:29:49on.

00:29:51Oh yes

00:29:53this article

00:29:53is good.

00:29:54We're not going

00:29:55to cover that

00:29:55right now.

00:29:56I do love

00:29:57this article.

00:29:57I want

00:29:57if we have

00:29:58time we'll

00:29:59come back

00:29:59to it I

00:29:59might do

00:29:59it next

00:30:00week.

00:30:00This one

00:30:01we did

00:30:01not cover

00:30:01last week

00:30:02and I'm

00:30:02going to

00:30:02cover it

00:30:02right now

00:30:03mostly because

00:30:04this is

00:30:05something that

00:30:06the Trump

00:30:06administration

00:30:07is doing

00:30:07that I'm

00:30:07actually not

00:30:08sad about.

00:30:09So this is

00:30:10originally from

00:30:10Forbes

00:30:11New Trump

00:30:11Immigration

00:30:12Policy

00:30:12Ending the

00:30:13H-1B

00:30:13Visa Lottery.

00:30:14I'm not

00:30:15sad about

00:30:15this.

00:30:15I'll just

00:30:16put that

00:30:16right out

00:30:16there right

00:30:16now.

00:30:17The H-1B

00:30:18system has

00:30:18been abused

00:30:19by the

00:30:19tech companies

00:30:20for so

00:30:21long it's

00:30:21embarrassing.

00:30:22It really

00:30:22is.

00:30:23It's quite

00:30:23embarrassing.

00:30:24And the

00:30:25fact that

00:30:26nothing has

00:30:28ever been

00:30:29done to

00:30:31curb the

00:30:32tech companies

00:30:33using and

00:30:33abusing the

00:30:35H-1B

00:30:36system is

00:30:36terrible.

00:30:37And this

00:30:38one I'm

00:30:38kind of glad

00:30:39of.

00:30:39Let's read

00:30:40about it.

00:30:40The Trump

00:30:41administration

00:30:41plans to

00:30:42publish a

00:30:42proposed rule

00:30:43to end or

00:30:44significantly

00:30:44change the

00:30:45annual H-1B

00:30:46visa lottery.

00:30:47Near the

00:30:47end of

00:30:48Donald Trump's

00:30:48first term,

00:30:49the administration

00:30:49proposed ending

00:30:50the current

00:30:50random selection

00:30:51process used

00:30:52each year when

00:30:53H-1B

00:30:54registrations exceed

00:30:54the annual limit

00:30:55of $65,000 plus

00:30:57a $20,000 exemption

00:30:58for individuals

00:30:59with an advanced

00:31:00degree from a

00:31:00U.S.

00:31:00university.

00:31:01In its place,

00:31:02U.S.

00:31:03citizenship and

00:31:03immigration services

00:31:04would have awarded

00:31:05H-1B petitions

00:31:06based on salary

00:31:07from highest to

00:31:08lowest.

00:31:09Commenters

00:31:09warned the rule

00:31:10violated the

00:31:11statute and would

00:31:11disadvantage recent

00:31:12international students

00:31:13and other early

00:31:14career professionals.

00:31:15The Office of

00:31:16Management and

00:31:16Budget is reviewing

00:31:17the rule and

00:31:17could clear it for

00:31:18publication within

00:31:19weeks.

00:31:21The new immigration

00:31:21rule, same as

00:31:22the old rule.

00:31:23On January 8,

00:31:242021, the Department

00:31:25of Homeland Security

00:31:26published its final

00:31:26rule to modify its

00:31:27process for selecting

00:31:28H-1B petitions when

00:31:30registrations surpassed

00:31:30the annual limit of

00:31:32$85,000.

00:31:33The Biden

00:31:33administration

00:31:33initially delayed

00:31:34and then ultimately

00:31:35chose not to

00:31:35implement the rule.

00:31:37In the final rule

00:31:37in 2021, DHS

00:31:38described the new

00:31:40selection process.

00:31:40USCIS will rank

00:31:42on select petitions

00:31:43received on the

00:31:44base of the highest

00:31:44occupational employment

00:31:45statistics wage

00:31:46level that proffered

00:31:47wage equals or

00:31:48exceeds the relevant

00:31:49standard occupational

00:31:50classification code in

00:31:51the area of intended

00:31:52employment, beginning

00:31:53with OES wage level

00:31:544, proceeding in

00:31:55descending order with

00:31:56OES wage levels

00:31:573, 2, and 1.

00:31:58Employers normally pay

00:31:59higher salaries to

00:32:00more senior employees

00:32:01level 3 experience,

00:32:02level 4 fully

00:32:03competent, as

00:32:04indicated in the

00:32:05labor condition

00:32:05application.

00:32:07Recent international

00:32:08students and other

00:32:09individuals starting their

00:32:10careers are typically

00:32:11paid at level 1 and

00:32:12level 2.

00:32:13Those are the minimum

00:32:13required salaries and

00:32:14actual pay is often

00:32:15higher.

00:32:16According to DHS,

00:32:17under the proposed

00:32:17system, USCIS would

00:32:18not have selected

00:32:19anybody paid at level

00:32:201 for the regular cap

00:32:21or advanced degree

00:32:22exemption.

00:32:23USCIS would have

00:32:24chosen only 20% of

00:32:25individuals at level

00:32:262 for the 20,000

00:32:27advanced degree

00:32:27exemption and 75% of

00:32:29level 2 registrants

00:32:30for the 65,000 regular

00:32:31cap, or about 50%

00:32:32combined, according to

00:32:33DHS data.

00:32:35DHS based its analysis

00:32:36on far fewer

00:32:37registrations than the

00:32:38343,981 eligible

00:32:41registrations USCIS

00:32:42received for fiscal

00:32:43year 2026.

00:32:44That means that with

00:32:45enough filings for

00:32:46level 3 and level 4

00:32:47registrants, individuals

00:32:48paid at level 2 would

00:32:49be shut out from

00:32:49obtaining H-1B

00:32:51petitions.

00:32:52In 2021, a National

00:32:54Foundation for American

00:32:55Policy analysis found

00:32:56that an international

00:32:57student may be 54%

00:32:58more likely to get an

00:33:00H-1B petition under

00:33:01the current H-1B

00:33:02lottery or registration

00:33:03system than under the

00:33:04Trump administration's

00:33:05will that would have

00:33:05ended the H-1B

00:33:06lottery.

00:33:06The analysis was

00:33:07based on examining

00:33:08actual cases of recent

00:33:09international students

00:33:10and H-1B petition

00:33:11filings obtained from

00:33:12an immigration law

00:33:13firm.

00:33:14Approximately 90% of

00:33:15recent international

00:33:15student cases examined

00:33:17were paid at level 1

00:33:18or level 2.

00:33:19It remains unclear

00:33:20whether the new rule

00:33:20will be identical to

00:33:21the final rule published

00:33:22in 2021.

00:33:23If so, the same

00:33:24arguments of supporters

00:33:25and opponents will

00:33:26apply.

00:33:26It is also possible the

00:33:27rule will differ

00:33:28substantively but still

00:33:29produce the same

00:33:29result, i.e.

00:33:31disadvantaged

00:33:31international students,

00:33:32early career

00:33:32professionals, and

00:33:33people employed in

00:33:34less highly compensated

00:33:35jobs.

00:33:35The only clue so far

00:33:37is the titles for the

00:33:38two rules differ.

00:33:39DHS called the final

00:33:40rule published in

00:33:40January 2021

00:33:41modification of

00:33:42registration requirement

00:33:43for petitioners seeking

00:33:44to file cap-subject H-1B

00:33:46petitions.

00:33:47However, the title of the

00:33:48new rule under review at

00:33:49OMB is weighted selection

00:33:51process for registrants

00:33:52and petitioners seeking

00:33:53to file cap-subject H-1B

00:33:55petitions.

00:33:56Weighting would suggest

00:33:57giving a higher

00:33:58probability of being

00:33:59selected for certain

00:33:59applicants, but everyone

00:34:01would still get some

00:34:01chance of being selected,

00:34:03said economist Mark

00:34:04Regatz, a senior fellow

00:34:05at NFAAP.

00:34:06Weighting implies that

00:34:07the USCIS will still

00:34:08conduct a lottery, but

00:34:10for example, if weighted

00:34:10solely by salary, an

00:34:12H-1B applicant with a

00:34:13proposed salary of

00:34:14$200,000 per year would

00:34:15have twice the chance of

00:34:16being selected as an

00:34:17applicant who earns

00:34:18$100,000 annually.

00:34:21And it goes on to some

00:34:22other technical things

00:34:24that we will not dig into

00:34:25at the moment.

00:34:27Obviously, the biggest

00:34:28thing is recruiting that

00:34:29young talent, and it

00:34:30says here, experts also

00:34:31warned the rule would

00:34:32likely put the United

00:34:33States at a disadvantage

00:34:34in recruiting talent.

00:34:37Bo Cooper, a partner

00:34:39at Fraggerman Law Firm

00:34:41and a former general

00:34:42counsel at U.S.

00:34:43Citizenship and

00:34:43Immigration Services,

00:34:45said in 2021 that the

00:34:46rule would establish a

00:34:47U.S. government policy

00:34:47a priority for recruiting

00:34:49individuals who are

00:34:50already senior

00:34:50professionals, even

00:34:51though nearly all of

00:34:52America's competitors

00:34:53for talent focus on

00:34:55attracting young talent,

00:34:55particularly recent

00:34:56university graduates.

00:34:57The rule would have

00:34:58disfavored to several

00:34:59significant occupations,

00:35:00NFAP identified 11

00:35:02occupations, including

00:35:03physicians, internists,

00:35:06pediatricians, dentists,

00:35:07and computer and

00:35:08information systems

00:35:09managers, where

00:35:10individuals paid level

00:35:11one salaries would be

00:35:12unable to obtain an H-1B

00:35:14petition under the rule,

00:35:16even though their

00:35:16level one salaries were

00:35:17higher than the median

00:35:18salary for level three

00:35:19in all occupations.

00:35:21The rule would also

00:35:21have made it much less

00:35:22likely that physicists,

00:35:23microbiologists, and

00:35:24medical scientists, among

00:35:25others, could gain H-1B

00:35:26petitions.

00:35:27More than half the labor

00:35:28condition applications for

00:35:29those occupations in

00:35:30fiscal year 2019 were

00:35:31for level one, and

00:35:32close to 90% were paid

00:35:33at level one or level

00:35:34two.

00:35:35Middle schools and high

00:35:35schools, which are not

00:35:36a cap exempt, would

00:35:37struggle to hire math and

00:35:38science teachers, as

00:35:39approximately 90% are

00:35:40paid level one or level

00:35:41two.

00:35:43And it's saying focusing

00:35:44on salary alone isn't

00:35:46fair.

00:35:46I don't know.

00:35:50I still think it's a good

00:35:51idea, simply because there

00:35:57are so many people

00:35:57struggling to find work.

00:35:59There are so many

00:35:59professions that seem to

00:36:01be a closed shop.

00:36:02I think tightening up how

00:36:03many people are coming to

00:36:04this country, getting

00:36:05education, getting jobs, I

00:36:08mean, I suppose if you're in

00:36:10a field with a genuine

00:36:12shortage, you can apply for

00:36:13an appeal and exemption from

00:36:14the system, but there are

00:36:16so many reports of people

00:36:19with not being able to

00:36:20find jobs, and this has

00:36:21gone on for years, years

00:36:24and years.

00:36:25It seems like, I think we

00:36:28have to shut off the

00:36:28spigot, folks.

00:36:30I do.

00:36:31I feel like we've got to

00:36:31shut off the spigot a

00:36:34little bit.

00:36:35Now, when it comes to

00:36:36jobs Americans do not

00:36:37want to do meatpacking

00:36:40agriculture, that's a

00:36:42different story.

00:36:43We need a new program for

00:36:44that, by the way.

00:36:44We don't really have

00:36:45one.

00:36:45We should get one.

00:36:47But we're talking about

00:36:49jobs Americans can do,

00:36:50will, want, and pay

00:36:51well.

00:36:53And so having a new

00:36:55influx of 65, really 85,000

00:36:59new workers and everything

00:37:01every year makes it a very

00:37:03I would want to make sure

00:37:06that we're employing our

00:37:08own people first in these

00:37:10jobs.

00:37:10These are the jobs people

00:37:12go to school for.

00:37:12These are the jobs

00:37:13Americans can do, can do

00:37:15well, where we can lead

00:37:16the world.

00:37:17I don't necessarily know

00:37:18that we need a ton of

00:37:19influx of new young

00:37:20graduates every year at

00:37:2285,000 a year when you

00:37:26have people who can't find

00:37:27jobs on their own.

00:37:29You know, I think there's

00:37:31there's an opportunity here

00:37:32to actually prioritize, you

00:37:35know, existing citizens who

00:37:37are graduating into these

00:37:37fields first.

00:37:38And then, and only then,

00:37:42should we then have

00:37:43immigration to those fields

00:37:45or inviting some people to

00:37:46stay or whatever have

00:37:47you.

00:37:47I, it seems counterintuitive,

00:37:49but this is one area of

00:37:50immigration policy I'm in

00:37:52favor of kind of turning it

00:37:54down, especially because as

00:37:55I said, the tech industry is

00:37:57notorious for using and

00:38:00abusing.

00:38:00Just right now, Microsoft has

00:38:02laid out, laid off 9,000

00:38:03people.

00:38:04They put in 14,000 H1B

00:38:06applications.

00:38:07No!

00:38:08Hire back the 9,000 people.

00:38:11If you're laying 9,000 people

00:38:13off, you don't need 14,000

00:38:14new people.

00:38:15You do if you want to lower

00:38:16your labor cost.

00:38:17And that's the key.

00:38:18That's always the key.

00:38:19And I've always said this

00:38:20about immigration over and

00:38:22over and over and over again.

00:38:24We will never solve

00:38:25immigration in this country

00:38:26until we shut off the teat of,

00:38:27until we get corporate

00:38:28America off the teat of

00:38:29cheap labor.

00:38:30It's that simple.

00:38:31Corporate America is

00:38:32addicted to cheap labor,

00:38:33to improve their profit

00:38:35margins.

00:38:36They are getting, they're

00:38:39trying to make more money

00:38:40off of just increasing,

00:38:41of pressing down labor

00:38:42costs.

00:38:43And so people wonder why

00:38:44no one has money, they

00:38:46can't get a job, jobs

00:38:47don't pay anymore, hard

00:38:48work doesn't pay off.

00:38:49This is part of it.

00:38:50This is part of the story.

00:38:51As uncomfortable as it

00:38:52may be, this is part of the

00:38:54story, and it's part of the

00:38:56problem.

00:38:56It's time to shut off the

00:38:58spigot.

00:39:00Simple as.

00:39:01And I wanted to cover this

00:39:02story because we didn't get

00:39:02to it last week, and it's

00:39:03very important.

00:39:04It's time to shut off the

00:39:05spigot.

00:39:05Now, speaking of the

00:39:06economy, Goldman Sachs is

00:39:10getting worried about the

00:39:12economy.

00:39:14Oh, can I even get into

00:39:15this article?

00:39:17I think not.

00:39:19Well, that's okay.

00:39:21Goldman Sachs is getting

00:39:22worried about the economy

00:39:22because of consumer spending

00:39:23was what the article was

00:39:24about.

00:39:25So, that's fine.

00:39:26We'll move on.

00:39:27Because we have this one

00:39:28right here.

00:39:29Now, this thread was very

00:39:30interesting.

00:39:32Speaking of weak and soft

00:39:34economies.

00:39:35It says here,

00:39:36This man is a police officer

00:39:37who makes $70,000 per year.

00:39:39He says after taxes, he gets

00:39:41about $4,000 per month, but

00:39:42one-bedroom apartments are all

00:39:44$2,400 per month in his area.

00:39:48Mortgages are even more.

00:39:51After bills, he has nothing

00:39:53left.

00:39:53He's moved back in with his

00:39:54parents and sees no future.

00:39:56Quote,

00:39:56And honestly, I'm

00:39:57discouraged.

00:39:57I'm discouraged.

00:39:58I have a decent job.

00:39:59My job is inherently kind of

00:40:00dangerous.

00:40:01And before you're like, well,

00:40:02you can work overtime and

00:40:03details.

00:40:03Yeah, dude, I don't want to

00:40:04work my life away.

00:40:05I have a lot of things I like

00:40:06to do outside of my job.

00:40:07I want to spend time with my

00:40:08family and hopefully have my

00:40:08own family someday.

00:40:09And I want to actually see my

00:40:10kids.

00:40:11I just feel like I'm aft like

00:40:14I'm aft.

00:40:15The cost of housing is a

00:40:16national emergency in

00:40:17America and nobody in power

00:40:18seems to care.

00:40:20Sadly, here's the sad part,

00:40:22is no one in the comments

00:40:24was very, uh, sympathetic to

00:40:28his, um, to his plight.

00:40:31Um, yeah, like, nobody,

00:40:34nobody really, I mean,

00:40:37it's, you know, it's all

00:40:39about, I mean, the first

00:40:40comment, if he worked overtime,

00:40:41he'd make double his money

00:40:42probably.

00:40:43Yeah, but his point about not

00:40:45working his life away is

00:40:46certainly well taken.

00:40:49You know, and the, and then

00:40:51you have lots of, you know,

00:40:52oh, we need to deport this

00:40:53many illegals, deport this

00:40:53many illegals.

00:40:54We have, this, this is a

00:40:56structural issue.

00:40:58Salaries have not kept up

00:40:59with the cost of housing.

00:41:00Simple as.

00:41:01And when you have a public

00:41:03servant who cannot afford

00:41:04housing, and he probably is

00:41:06required to live in the city

00:41:07where he's an officer,

00:41:09that's going to be a huge

00:41:13problem.

00:41:13Um, and I remember, I'm very

00:41:14mindful, um, uh, years ago,

00:41:20um, I was attending an

00:41:22economics conference.

00:41:24Well, I wasn't attending it,

00:41:25I was running it, it was part

00:41:26of my job.

00:41:27I was going to this conference

00:41:28because of some place I

00:41:29worked.

00:41:30And this guy stood on the

00:41:31stage, he was talking about

00:41:32how good, and it was about

00:41:33the Seattle area, he was

00:41:34talking about how good the

00:41:34Puget Sound economy was, and

00:41:36things were growing, and we're

00:41:37building new housing, and he

00:41:38said, my, he's like, the

00:41:39concern I have, and this was

00:41:41in 2017, he said, the concern

00:41:46I have is that we're, we

00:41:48don't, we're not building

00:41:49workforce housing, we're not

00:41:51building the type of housing

00:41:52that firefighters, police

00:41:53officers, and teachers can

00:41:54afford.

00:41:55And he's like, I don't know

00:41:56in 10 years where the

00:41:58workforce for this city is

00:41:59going to live.

00:42:02And we're now not quite 10

00:42:04years away from that, we're

00:42:05eight years away from that,

00:42:06we're seeing the result, now

00:42:07this man isn't from Seattle,

00:42:08so I'm not seeing this as

00:42:09Seattle problem, but

00:42:10wherever he lives, and we

00:42:11don't really, I watched the

00:42:12video, he doesn't really say

00:42:13where he lives, you know,

00:42:15he's making an okay salary,

00:42:17but with that rent, it's

00:42:19impossible, you know, I

00:42:20mean, that's more than half

00:42:20your income.

00:42:22You know, so you're going to

00:42:23be with a roommate, you

00:42:25decide to get in with

00:42:25family, which is a

00:42:28perfectly acceptable thing

00:42:29to do, no judgment on any

00:42:31of that, but the reality is,

00:42:36to his point, if he wants to

00:42:38have a wife and a family,

00:42:39the math's not mathin'.

00:42:42This is the structural issue

00:42:44in the economy today.

00:42:47The only thing he can really

00:42:50do, and it would probably be

00:42:52really tough because of, you

00:42:53know, parents and family and

00:42:54all this type of thing, is

00:42:56look to a smaller, medium-sized

00:42:59city, probably in the middle of

00:43:00the country, where they're

00:43:02desperate for police officers,

00:43:03and make a little bit less,

00:43:06where housing prices are a

00:43:07little bit less crazy, and

00:43:09maybe find something, but even

00:43:12that's not a guarantee

00:43:14anymore.

00:43:15The cheap places are kind of

00:43:18all gone, especially since the

00:43:21pandemic.

00:43:21that's about all he could do, and

00:43:24even that isn't a guarantee.

00:43:29But, when the police officers are

00:43:32talking about the cost of

00:43:33housing, we have a structural

00:43:35issue.

00:43:36And, yeah, nobody in power seems

00:43:38to care.

00:43:39This is a huge problem.

00:43:40I wish people were more

00:43:41sympathetic in the comments, but,

00:43:44yeah, it's a lot of, you know,

00:43:49if he's in his 20s, he needs to

00:43:50shut up and work overtime to make

00:43:52things happen.

00:43:54It's like, that's, you know,

00:43:56I mean, that's a nice idea, but,

00:44:00you know, down the road, he's

00:44:03going to have to have exponential

00:44:04salary increases to be able to

00:44:06afford having a family of his

00:44:07own.

00:44:07And when you feel you can't

00:44:10make it on 70 per year, that's,

00:44:13and I know this story, I was not

00:44:15able to actually live in Seattle

00:44:18until I made $75,000 a year.

00:44:20And then I chose a very

00:44:22inexpensive apartment in an old

00:44:24building.

00:44:24I literally walked into the

00:44:25leasing office, and I said,

00:44:27what's the apartment that no one

00:44:28wants that you can never rent?

00:44:30I'm here to rent it.

00:44:32And I saved hundreds.

00:44:34But still, I mean, but that's

00:44:35the reality, you know, and even

00:44:36then, after, you know, other

00:44:39bills and everything else, it

00:44:41was a tight, every month was,

00:44:42you know, very careful.

00:44:46I couldn't get too loosey-goosey

00:44:47with expenses or anything.

00:44:49It was all very, like, okay, we

00:44:50have to be super careful.

00:44:51This is, and that was 10 years

00:44:53ago.

00:44:55Not quite.

00:44:56Like, seven years ago.

00:44:58Almost 10 years ago.

00:44:59So, it's worse now.

00:45:02This is a structural issue in

00:45:04our economy, and until we solve

00:45:06this housing issue, particularly,

00:45:10we're going to be struggling

00:45:11economically, and Goldman Sachs

00:45:13will be writing more articles

00:45:13that I can't read on CNBC about

00:45:15how bad the economy is.

00:45:17All right, we're coming up to the

00:45:18top of the hour.

00:45:20This was another story that we

00:45:23didn't get to last week, and that

00:45:25was about Jeffrey Epstein's little

00:45:26black book.

00:45:27And this is from Mother Jones.

00:45:28I love Mother Jones.

00:45:30If you don't know the story of

00:45:32Mother Jones and her advocacy in

00:45:34the American labor movement, you

00:45:35should go research that.

00:45:37I probably should do a video on

00:45:38Mother Jones someday, but you

00:45:40should.

00:45:40But they made this magazine after

00:45:41her.

00:45:42And it says,

00:45:43I called everyone in Jeffrey

00:45:43Epstein's little black book,

00:45:44What I Learned About Rich

00:45:45People, Conspiracy, Genius,

00:45:47Jelaine Stand-Up Comedy, and

00:45:48Evil from 2000 Phone Calls, by

00:45:50Leland Nally.

00:45:53This was back in October of

00:45:542020.

00:45:55We're not going to read this

00:45:58whole thing because it's long,

00:45:59but we're going to read some

00:46:00excerpts.

00:46:01And we'll start with the first

00:46:02couple paragraphs, and we'll go

00:46:03to the good bits.

00:46:05It says here,

00:46:06Jeffrey Epstein's little black

00:46:08book is one of the most cursed

00:46:09documents ever compiled in this

00:46:11miserable dying country.

00:46:13Totaling 97 pages and containing

00:46:14the names, numbers, and

00:46:15addresses of a considerable

00:46:16cross-section of the global

00:46:18elite, Epstein's personal contact

00:46:20book first turned up in a

00:46:21courtroom in 2009 after his

00:46:23former butler, Alfredo Rodriguez,

00:46:25tried to sell it to lawyers

00:46:26representing Epstein's victims

00:46:27for $50,000.

00:46:29Rodriguez described the book

00:46:30apparently assembled by Epstein's

00:46:32employees as, quote, the

00:46:33holy grail.

00:46:34It is annotated with cryptic

00:46:35marginalia.

00:46:36Stars next to certain entries,

00:46:38arrows pointing towards others,

00:46:40and names of at least 38 people

00:46:41are circled for reasons that

00:46:42aren't totally clear.

00:46:45There are 1,571 names in all,

00:46:48with roughly 5,000 phone numbers

00:46:49and thousands of emails and

00:46:50home addresses.

00:46:51There are celebrities, princes,

00:46:53princesses, high-profile scientists,

00:46:54artists from all over the world,

00:46:55all alongside some of the world's

00:46:56most powerful oligarchs and

00:46:58political leaders.

00:46:59People like Prince Andrew,

00:47:00circled, Ehud Barak, circled,

00:47:01Donald Trump, circled.

00:47:03Rodriguez was Epstein's butler at

00:47:05his Palm Beach mansion for many

00:47:06years.

00:47:06He was intimately familiar with his

00:47:08boss's sexual proclivities.

00:47:09He claimed to have seen nude,

00:47:11underage girls at Epstein's pool,

00:47:12said that he would routinely wipe

00:47:13down and stow away sex toys in

00:47:15Epstein's room after quote-unquote

00:47:16massages, and alleged that he saw

00:47:18child pornography on Epstein's

00:47:20personal computer.

00:47:21In 2011, Rodriguez was sentenced to

00:47:2318 months in prison having tried to

00:47:24sell the book to an undercover

00:47:25agent after failing to notify

00:47:27investigators about its existence.

00:47:29Rodriguez said in court that the

00:47:30book was quote insurance unquote

00:47:32against Epstein who wanted him to

00:47:33disappear.

00:47:35Rodriguez died of mesothelioma

00:47:37shortly after serving his

00:47:38sentence.

00:47:39And I love this pull quote.

00:47:43I sat on my couch and phoned up

00:47:45royalty, spoke to ambassadors,

00:47:46irritated a senior advisor at

00:47:48Blackstone, and left squeaky

00:47:49voicemails for what must constitute

00:47:50a considerable percentage of the

00:47:51world oligarchy.

00:47:54And it says that Epstein's Little

00:47:55Black Book isn't little at all.

00:47:57It's gargantuan.

00:47:58It's defining features, its size,

00:47:59and thoroughness.

00:48:00There are just as many boring

00:48:01numbers as exciting ones for every

00:48:02Jordanian princess.

00:48:03There are three reflexologists from

00:48:05Boca.

00:48:05The listings are at times

00:48:06preposterously detailed, often

00:48:08containing additional names and

00:48:09numbers for people's emergency

00:48:10contacts, their parents, their

00:48:12siblings, their friends, even their

00:48:13children, all alongside hundreds of

00:48:15car phones, yacht phones, guest

00:48:16houses, and private office lines.

00:48:18Some individuals have dozens of

00:48:19numbers and addresses listed, while

00:48:20others just a single number and

00:48:21first name.

00:48:23Epstein collected people.

00:48:24And if you ever had any

00:48:25interaction with him or Jelaine

00:48:26Maxwell, his one-time girlfriend and

00:48:28alleged accomplice, you more than

00:48:30likely ended up in this book, and

00:48:31then several years later you

00:48:32received a call from me.

00:48:33I made close to 2,000 phone calls

00:48:36total.

00:48:36I spoke to billionaires, CEOs,

00:48:38bankers, models, celebrities,

00:48:39scientists, a Kennedy, and some of

00:48:41Epstein's closest friends and

00:48:42confidants.

00:48:43I sat on my couch and found up

00:48:44royalty, spoke to ambassadors,

00:48:46irritated a senior advisor at

00:48:47Blackstone, and left squeaky

00:48:48voicemails for what constituted a

00:48:49considerable percentage of the

00:48:50world oligarchy.

00:48:51At times, the book felt like a dark

00:48:53palantir, giving me glimpses of

00:48:54dreadful, haunted dimensions that my

00:48:56soft, gentle animal being was never

00:48:57supposed to encounter.

00:49:00At other times, it was nearly the

00:49:01opposite.

00:49:02Almost grotesquely boring and

00:49:03routine.

00:49:04Seeing at close range the mundanity

00:49:06of Epstein and his fellow elites,

00:49:07how simple and childish they could

00:49:09be, was a sickening experience of

00:49:10its own.

00:49:11The worst call by far was with a

00:49:13woman who told me she'd been

00:49:14groped by Epstein, an incident she

00:49:16said she didn't report at the time

00:49:17out of fear of retribution from

00:49:18Epstein.

00:49:20I had been aggressively counseled to

00:49:22remind the readers of Mother Jones

00:49:23that an appearance in the address

00:49:24book is not evidence of any crime,

00:49:26or of complicity in any crime, or any

00:49:27knowledge of the crime.

00:49:28They weren't all elites,

00:49:30thankfully.

00:49:31Sometimes I would have delightful

00:49:32conversations with normal people

00:49:33who'd claimed a car or given

00:49:34Epstein a facial, and only shared in

00:49:36my distaste for Epstein in his

00:49:37circle.

00:49:38Sometimes I would call a number that

00:49:39had changed hands at some point

00:49:41since the book was compiled, and

00:49:42instead of reaching the governor or

00:49:43a fashion designer I was looking for,

00:49:45I'd end up with this normal bloke on

00:49:46the line, some poor recipient of a

00:49:47torn of wrong number phone calls of

00:49:49the worst variety imaginable.

00:49:51Their fate was a twisted inversion of

00:49:52my own.

00:49:53The oligarchy wouldn't stop calling

00:49:55them.

00:49:57Yeah, man, people keep calling me

00:49:59asking for Muffy, and I'm like,

00:50:00you know, I'm just always polite,

00:50:01man.

00:50:02That's Elijah Hutch, a 22-year-old

00:50:03aspiring music producer who lives

00:50:04in Flatbush in Brooklyn.

00:50:06He has the old cell phone number

00:50:07from Muffy Potter, wife of world

00:50:08famous plastic surgeon Cheryl

00:50:10Astin, and the fourth greatest

00:50:11socialite in history, according to

00:50:12Town & Country magazine.

00:50:14They'll text me about some dinner I

00:50:15went to, or how it was great seeing

00:50:16me with so-and-so, and I'm always

00:50:17disrespectful, man, and let them

00:50:18know, hey, man, I think Muffy gave

00:50:20you the wrong number.

00:50:21Eli had no idea who Muffy was, or

00:50:22Epstein for that matter, and

00:50:23almost didn't want to explain it to

00:50:24him, but I did.

00:50:25The child sex ring, the princess,

00:50:26the presence, the suicide, the

00:50:28black book, everything.

00:50:29Out of all the people I spoke to,

00:50:30Eli had far, by far the most

00:50:32cogent analysis of the situation.

00:50:35Damn, man, this is all sounding so

00:50:36strange.

00:50:37Find Eli Hutch on SoundCloud here.

00:50:39The haunting lyrics of Go Away

00:50:41give you the strength as they did to

00:50:43me.

00:50:43Awake at my desk at 4 a.m. so I

00:50:45could call every pedophile in

00:50:46London.

00:50:50And it goes on, I mean, for a

00:50:53while.

00:50:53That was kind of the first part

00:50:55that I really liked.

00:50:58Some of the, I mean, some of

00:51:00these conversations are just, you

00:51:02know, crazy.

00:51:03That was Epstein's emo, Julie

00:51:04said.

00:51:05He'd take some rich guy and

00:51:06introduce him to a girl.

00:51:07This is human trafficking at its

00:51:10finest, at its most explicit.

00:51:13I think the interesting thing about

00:51:19all of this is, if a Mother Jones

00:51:24reporter has this, which is

00:51:26basically a client list, compiled by a

00:51:29butler, you want to tell me that the

00:51:33government hasn't seen this already?

00:51:36Because if we know its provenance, it

00:51:38was confiscated from the butler who

00:51:40went to jail for not revealing it?

00:51:43You want to tell me a client list

00:51:44doesn't exist?

00:51:47Come on.

00:51:49Come on.

00:51:50I mean, and if yours don't even need

00:51:52the list, we'll just talk to this

00:51:53guy.

00:51:55You know?

00:51:56We've got, I mean, seems easy

00:51:58enough.

00:52:00But this one I love.

00:52:02Built into the premise of Epstein,

00:52:03the mastermind scammer is the notion

00:52:05that some kind of legitimate path to

00:52:06legitimate global aristocracy exists.

00:52:08There is no scam here.

00:52:10It's grifters grifting grifters all

00:52:11the way down.

00:52:15And I thought that was interesting.

00:52:19But this also, with the whole cover-up

00:52:22and the lack of the files right now not

00:52:24being released, it's kind of like,

00:52:26you're telling me that the government

00:52:30doesn't have this information.

00:52:32And it suddenly doesn't exist.

00:52:33If a reporter from Mother Jones could find

00:52:37something, you're telling me the entire

00:52:39U.S. federal government cannot manage

00:52:41to keep track of one list.

00:52:44Really?

00:52:47Really.

00:52:50We're not stupid.

00:52:51We're not stupid.

00:52:54Speaking of distractions from Epstein,

00:52:56we have the latest in the Tulsi Gabbard thing.

00:52:59Now, I wrote about this extensively

00:53:00on the newsletter on Saturday

00:53:01about the Russia hoax.

00:53:02It's not a hoax.

00:53:03And it says here, this is,

00:53:04we have a retort from Susan Miller

00:53:07who oversaw the 2017 intelligence

00:53:09assessment of Russia's efforts

00:53:12in the 2016 election.

00:53:13And it says here,

00:53:15the former senior CIA officer

00:53:17who helped oversee the 2017 intelligence

00:53:19assessment on Russia's interference

00:53:20in the 2016 election says,

00:53:22Director of National Intelligence,

00:53:23Tulsi Gabbard, in the White House

00:53:24are, quote, lying when they claim

00:53:26it was an attempt to sabotage

00:53:27President Donald Trump.

00:53:29Susan Miller, a retired CIA officer

00:53:31who helped lead the team

00:53:32that produced the report

00:53:33about Russia's actions

00:53:34during the 2016 campaign,

00:53:36told NBC News it was based

00:53:37on credible information

00:53:38that showed Moscow sought

00:53:39to help Trump win the election

00:53:40but that there was no sign

00:53:41of a conspiracy between

00:53:42the Kremlin and the Trump campaign.

00:53:44The Director of National Intelligence

00:53:45and the White House are lying again,

00:53:47Miller said.

00:53:47We definitely have the intel

00:53:48to show with high probability

00:53:49that the specific goal

00:53:50of the Russians was to get

00:53:51Trump elected.

00:53:52She added, at the same time,

00:53:53we found no two-way collusion

00:53:55between Trump or his team

00:53:56with Russians at that time.

00:53:57Yes!

00:53:58I have said it before.

00:54:00I have said it again.

00:54:01It was not Trump campaign

00:54:04and Russia working together.

00:54:06It was Russia and the FSB,

00:54:08also behind Cambridge Analytica,

00:54:10who was doing it for them.

00:54:11Trump didn't need to call Putin

00:54:13and ask for a favor.

00:54:14Putin was already doing it

00:54:15because Putin would benefit from it.

00:54:17That's always been the story.

00:54:18The media narrative

00:54:19has gotten all sorts of which way wrong,

00:54:22but that's always been the story.

00:54:24And the fact that that's never been bigger

00:54:26has always bothered me.

00:54:29We'll keep reading.

00:54:31Miller spoke to NBC News

00:54:32after Gabbard alleged Wednesday

00:54:34that the 2017 intelligence assessment

00:54:36was based on, quote,

00:54:37manufactured, unquote,

00:54:38information as part of a, quote,

00:54:39treasonous conspiracy, unquote,

00:54:41by the Obama administration

00:54:42to undermine Trump

00:54:42and tarnish his electoral victory.

00:54:44Gabbard started a 2020 report

00:54:46from Republicans

00:54:46on the House Permanent Select Committee

00:54:47on Intelligence,

00:54:48which she declassified

00:54:49and released this week,

00:54:50that asserted there was

00:54:51some insufficient information

00:54:52to conclude Russia had been trying

00:54:54to tip the skills in favor of Trump.

00:54:56Miller said, quote,

00:54:57it is clear that Trump and his followers

00:54:58have a script they want to follow

00:54:59despite the facts.

00:55:00She said that when her team

00:55:01briefed Trump and others

00:55:02about their assessment in 2017,

00:55:03they made clear there was no way

00:55:05to gauge the impact

00:55:05of the Russian information warfare

00:55:07on the vote

00:55:07and that Trump was the country's

00:55:09lawful commander-in-chief.

00:55:10Both me and my team

00:55:11readily acknowledged

00:55:12to Trump and others

00:55:13and the U.S. government we briefed,

00:55:15we could not say

00:55:16if this attempt by the Russians

00:55:17actually worked

00:55:18unless someone polled

00:55:19every single Trump voter

00:55:20to see if this disinformation

00:55:21was what led them

00:55:22to vote for Trump.

00:55:23Both my team and I,

00:55:24the DCIA director of the CIA,

00:55:27said clearly in our report

00:55:28to Trump himself

00:55:29and to the intel committees

00:55:30in Congress

00:55:30that Trump was our president.

00:55:32Trump thanked the CIA director

00:55:33for the briefing, Miller said.

00:55:35That part was left out

00:55:35by Gabbard, Miller said.

00:55:37The office of the director

00:55:37of National Intelligence

00:55:38dismissed Miller's comments.

00:55:40The CIA declined to comment,

00:55:42as they always do.

00:55:45Quote,

00:55:45out of respect for the office

00:55:46of the presidency,

00:55:47our office does not

00:55:48normally dignify

00:55:48the constant nonsense

00:55:50and misinformation

00:55:50flowing out of this White House

00:55:52with a response.

00:55:53Patrick Roden,

00:55:53Bush's spokesman

00:55:54for former President Barack Obama,

00:55:55said in a statement

00:55:56this week,

00:55:57because they're also

00:55:57referring Obama

00:55:58for criminal prosecution

00:56:00for trying to

00:56:01undermine Trump

00:56:02in 2017.

00:56:03not that it worked.

00:56:08You know,

00:56:09it's that Miller was,

00:56:10and it also says here

00:56:11that Miller was never

00:56:11charged with any crime,

00:56:12and she said she was never

00:56:13disciplined in any way

00:56:14over the intelligence

00:56:15assessment.

00:56:15She retired during

00:56:16the Biden administration

00:56:17after 39 years

00:56:17with the CIA.

00:56:20And this,

00:56:22much of this,

00:56:26and I said this

00:56:28in the newsletter

00:56:28on Saturday,

00:56:29one,

00:56:31it's a distraction

00:56:32against the Epstein thing,

00:56:34and it's kind of working

00:56:35because the narrative

00:56:35has shifted.

00:56:37But two,

00:56:38and in my mind

00:56:39more importantly,

00:56:40it's going back

00:56:43to the central premise

00:56:44of Donald Trump's

00:56:45political career.

00:56:47And I said this

00:56:48at the time,

00:56:49how did Donald Trump

00:56:49get into politics?

00:56:51Birtherism.

00:56:52He was the biggest promoter

00:56:53of the Obama

00:56:54was not born in the U.S.,

00:56:56he doesn't have

00:56:57a birth certificate

00:56:57sort of thing.

00:57:00No other president

00:57:00had ever been

00:57:01asked for the birth certificate

00:57:02ever before,

00:57:04as long as someone

00:57:05was like,

00:57:05oh yes, yes,

00:57:06they were born in the U.S.

00:57:06It was kind of

00:57:07word-of-mouth verification.

00:57:09But that's how Trump

00:57:10got into politics

00:57:12in this iteration.

00:57:14That was the entree.

00:57:16Trump's beef

00:57:17was against Obama,

00:57:19and he never really

00:57:20had a chance

00:57:21to run against Obama.

00:57:22So this is the

00:57:23next best thing.

00:57:25Accused Obama

00:57:26of undermining him.

00:57:27Trying to stop him

00:57:28from taking office.

00:57:29Which no one did.

00:57:31Trump tried to stop

00:57:32himself from leaving office

00:57:33many years later,

00:57:34but no one did.

00:57:35And so that's

00:57:36the constant

00:57:37through line.

00:57:39He's got to go

00:57:40after Obama.

00:57:42And this is the

00:57:42perfect time

00:57:43to release this

00:57:44and distract

00:57:45from the Epstein mess.

00:57:47That's what this is.

00:57:49Now,

00:57:50if, uh,

00:57:52Ms. Gabbard,

00:57:53the N.I. Gabbard,

00:57:54wants to come out

00:57:55with much more

00:57:55compelling evidence

00:57:56of some great

00:57:57conspiracy,

00:57:58I'm welcome

00:57:59to hear it.

00:58:01Um,

00:58:01if they want

00:58:02to come out

00:58:02and show how,

00:58:04you know,

00:58:05the, um,

00:58:07the Obama administration

00:58:08was actively trying

00:58:09to prevent Trump

00:58:09from taking power,

00:58:10I'm welcome

00:58:11to hear it.

00:58:12But based upon

00:58:12her own letter

00:58:13that I read last week

00:58:15in silence

00:58:15because of my

00:58:16sound issue,

00:58:17that's not what

00:58:18they're doing.

00:58:18at all.

00:58:21And so,

00:58:21in my mind,

00:58:22this is a giant

00:58:23distraction

00:58:24that's incredibly

00:58:24disingenuous

00:58:25from,

00:58:26and especially

00:58:27considering Gabbard

00:58:28is a former Democrat.

00:58:30This is depressing

00:58:31on,

00:58:32on multiple levels,

00:58:34but most importantly,

00:58:34it's a giant distraction.

00:58:36And I think

00:58:36Susan Miller

00:58:38is an important,

00:58:39an important voice

00:58:39in the discussion.

00:58:41And I,

00:58:42I will be surprised

00:58:42if this actually

00:58:43goes anywhere,

00:58:44but I don't think

00:58:45it really,

00:58:46it,

00:58:47it really will.

00:58:49Oh,

00:58:50we're coming up

00:58:51to the top

00:58:51of the hour.

00:58:52Um,

00:58:54we're going to read

00:58:54through a few,

00:58:55a few more,

00:58:56a few more things.

00:58:58Um,

00:58:58this thread from

00:58:59Will Stansel

00:59:00I thought was

00:59:00rather interesting.

00:59:01He says,

00:59:02we're quite literally

00:59:03living through the

00:59:03most radical

00:59:04presidential administration

00:59:05in U.S. history

00:59:06and no one in our

00:59:07political media

00:59:07notices it

00:59:08because being a

00:59:09Republican means

00:59:09you're a conservative.

00:59:11They are dramatically

00:59:12transforming the way

00:59:13our government

00:59:13and Constitution

00:59:13works in a way

00:59:14with no American

00:59:16precedent

00:59:16and gleefully

00:59:17shredding dozens

00:59:17of institutions

00:59:18that have helped

00:59:18make the United

00:59:19States the most

00:59:19powerful and

00:59:20prosperous nation

00:59:21in human history.

00:59:22They're doing this

00:59:23because they

00:59:23hallucinate a conspiracy

00:59:24of domestic

00:59:25political enemies

00:59:26made up primarily

00:59:27of racial,

00:59:28sexual,

00:59:28ethnic,

00:59:29and religious

00:59:29minorities

00:59:30lurking behind

00:59:30every institution.

00:59:32They'll burn the

00:59:32country to the ground

00:59:33to find it.

00:59:34In their fevered

00:59:35fantasies,

00:59:36this conspiracy

00:59:36must exist

00:59:37because it is

00:59:37the only way

00:59:38these groups

00:59:39could have secured

00:59:39a role in

00:59:39American public life.

00:59:41What could possibly

00:59:42explain the presence

00:59:43of immigrants and

00:59:43black people at

00:59:44colleges,

00:59:45media,

00:59:45positions of power,

00:59:46except a conspiracy?

00:59:53And honestly,

00:59:55no better thread

00:59:56to read after

00:59:57the Gabbard story

00:59:58because as I said

01:00:00in my newsletter

01:00:01on Saturday,

01:00:02this is the central

01:00:03issue.

01:00:05And I've always

01:00:06said,

01:00:07Obama's election

01:00:08broke the country

01:00:09in a way that I

01:00:10don't think anyone

01:00:11understood.

01:00:11good.

01:00:12And Trump

01:00:13was a reaction

01:00:14not only to

01:00:15Obama's complete

01:00:16failure to deliver

01:00:17on any of the

01:00:17hope and change

01:00:18he promised in

01:00:182008,

01:00:19but also,

01:00:22and I said,

01:00:23there's a core

01:00:24group in this

01:00:25country who is

01:00:27not going to

01:00:28accept a

01:00:30change in the

01:00:33composition of

01:00:34who is in

01:00:35public life and

01:00:36who has cultural

01:00:37power.

01:00:38And when I

01:00:40read this,

01:00:41it was like

01:00:41looking in a

01:00:42mirror,

01:00:43like,

01:00:43yes,

01:00:44yes,

01:00:45for once I

01:00:46agree with the

01:00:46Will Stansel

01:00:47thread,

01:00:47yes,

01:00:48yes,

01:00:50it's got to be

01:00:51considered,

01:00:51because there's

01:00:51no way that

01:00:53the,

01:00:53you know,

01:00:54other,

01:00:55the undesirables

01:00:56could have this

01:00:57much power,

01:00:58this much place

01:00:58in public life.

01:01:00And it starts,

01:01:01I think it really

01:01:02starts with

01:01:02Barack Obama.

01:01:04A brown guy

01:01:05got elected,

01:01:06and this country

01:01:07has never been

01:01:08the same.

01:01:09And I think

01:01:10that's an

01:01:11underrated part

01:01:12of what's

01:01:13happened in

01:01:14this last decade.

01:01:15We're still

01:01:16working that

01:01:17out.

01:01:18And I,

01:01:20I think it's

01:01:20quite interesting

01:01:22that,

01:01:22and I think,

01:01:23I mean,

01:01:23he's right,

01:01:23I don't think

01:01:24we're necessarily

01:01:24talking about

01:01:25Trump in the

01:01:26way of rewriting

01:01:27American society,

01:01:28although in my

01:01:29coverage of BBB

01:01:29we talked about

01:01:30that,

01:01:31but they are.

01:01:32We are rewriting

01:01:32the rules of

01:01:33this country,

01:01:34and it is in

01:01:35favor of a certain

01:01:35group over another.

01:01:36We're going

01:01:37back to the

01:01:37way it used

01:01:38to be.

01:01:38Because,

01:01:39as I said

01:01:39many years

01:01:40ago,

01:01:41in 2015,

01:01:42we are going

01:01:42through the

01:01:43death of the

01:01:43white Christian

01:01:44heteronormative

01:01:44narrative,

01:01:45and a lot

01:01:46of people are

01:01:46not ready to

01:01:47give it up

01:01:47yet for a

01:01:49more pluralistic

01:01:51narrative that's

01:01:52slightly more

01:01:52inclusive of

01:01:54people.

01:01:56And this is

01:01:56the result.

01:01:57So I thought

01:01:58this thread was

01:01:58quite,

01:01:59quite,

01:01:59quite good.

01:02:00Yeah,

01:02:06let's do

01:02:07talk about

01:02:08this briefly,

01:02:08but we're

01:02:08going to

01:02:08start here

01:02:09first.

01:02:09So,

01:02:10polling,

01:02:11Wall Street

01:02:12Journal poll.

01:02:15The Democrats

01:02:15are so

01:02:16underwater it's

01:02:16not even

01:02:17funny.

01:02:18Republicans

01:02:18are doing

01:02:20better,

01:02:21but the

01:02:22bar is on

01:02:23the floor.

01:02:25So,

01:02:25here we are

01:02:27and we have,

01:02:27you know,

01:02:28favorability

01:02:29is down.

01:02:31The Democrats

01:02:31are a lost

01:02:33cause.

01:02:35Way down

01:02:35here.

01:02:36Republicans

01:02:37are trending

01:02:38downward,

01:02:39but,

01:02:40I mean,

01:02:41basically,

01:02:43nobody likes

01:02:43either of

01:02:44these parties

01:02:45is the moral

01:02:46of the story.

01:02:47They just

01:02:47like Democrats

01:02:48much less.

01:02:50Net

01:02:51favorability

01:02:51is Republicans

01:02:52are down

01:02:5411.

01:02:55Democrats

01:02:55are down

01:02:5630.

01:02:57lowest

01:02:58in 35

01:02:59years.

01:03:01I think

01:03:01to go

01:03:01back to

01:03:02find

01:03:02something

01:03:02lower,

01:03:04you gotta

01:03:05go back

01:03:05to the

01:03:0680s,

01:03:07or at

01:03:08least the

01:03:08early 90s,

01:03:09perhaps.

01:03:11Lowest,

01:03:12I mean,

01:03:13just

01:03:13depressingly

01:03:14said of

01:03:15Democrats.

01:03:16According to

01:03:16the poll,

01:03:17people trust

01:03:18Republicans to

01:03:19handle illegal

01:03:20immigration more,

01:03:21plus 24,

01:03:22immigration,

01:03:23plus 17,

01:03:24inflation,

01:03:25plus 10,

01:03:26tariffs,

01:03:26plus 7,

01:03:27foreign policy,

01:03:28plus 8.

01:03:28The only two

01:03:29things Democrats

01:03:30are going for

01:03:30them are

01:03:30vaccine policy,

01:03:32D plus 8,

01:03:33and healthcare,

01:03:34D plus 14.

01:03:39I don't know

01:03:40how Democrats

01:03:40take themselves

01:03:41out of this.

01:03:42I had kind

01:03:43of mentioned

01:03:44that I felt

01:03:45like Democrats

01:03:45would be

01:03:46locked out of

01:03:47power for the

01:03:48foreseeable future,

01:03:49and it's not

01:03:51looking great,

01:03:53not with

01:03:54these numbers

01:03:55going around.

01:03:56I mean,

01:03:56when right

01:03:56now,

01:03:57you know,

01:03:58a bulk

01:03:58of the

01:03:58country

01:03:59still's

01:04:00feeling bad

01:04:01about Democrats,

01:04:02what's your

01:04:02argument for

01:04:0326?

01:04:04What's your

01:04:05argument for

01:04:0528?

01:04:06Not much.

01:04:08The Republicans

01:04:09don't have to do

01:04:10that much better

01:04:10than you,

01:04:10they just have

01:04:11to not be

01:04:11you.

01:04:15I've always

01:04:15said it's

01:04:15going to be a

01:04:16long time

01:04:16before Democrats

01:04:17win anything

01:04:17again,

01:04:18and certainly

01:04:18the White

01:04:18House.

01:04:19It's going

01:04:19to be a

01:04:19long time,

01:04:21and this

01:04:22person is

01:04:22absolutely

01:04:23correct.

01:04:24If the

01:04:25GOP could

01:04:25come up

01:04:25with a

01:04:26more coherent

01:04:26plan for

01:04:27health care

01:04:27policy,

01:04:28it would

01:04:28be very

01:04:28hard to

01:04:28beat going

01:04:29forward.

01:04:29Yep.

01:04:32Yep.

01:04:34I don't

01:04:35know how

01:04:35Democrats fight

01:04:36their way out

01:04:36of this.

01:04:37And there

01:04:38was this

01:04:38thing over

01:04:38here,

01:04:39and to

01:04:39that point,

01:04:40this post

01:04:41was relevant,

01:04:42many Democrats

01:04:43have vision and

01:04:44agenda,

01:04:44but the

01:04:45coalition is

01:04:45coming apart,

01:04:46and so the

01:04:47party cannot

01:04:47have a vision

01:04:48as a unified

01:04:48whole.

01:04:49The situation

01:04:50now is

01:04:50similar to the

01:04:50situation in

01:04:511968 to

01:04:521992 when

01:04:53the New Deal

01:04:53coalition fell

01:04:54apart.

01:04:55Back then,

01:04:55it was racist

01:04:56Southern Whites

01:04:56who were leaving

01:04:57the party and

01:04:57tearing it apart,

01:04:58but since 2016,

01:04:59it has been

01:04:59Northern and

01:05:00Urban Whites

01:05:00who are

01:05:01threatening to

01:05:01leave the

01:05:02party,

01:05:02unless the

01:05:03Democrats are

01:05:03willing to

01:05:03nominate

01:05:04populists,

01:05:04which the

01:05:05Democrats

01:05:05cannot do

01:05:06if the

01:05:06Democrats are

01:05:07going to

01:05:07hold on to

01:05:07racial minorities

01:05:08as a core

01:05:08constituency.

01:05:12And I

01:05:13have said

01:05:14for a while

01:05:16that Democrats

01:05:18to win

01:05:18elections will

01:05:19dump the

01:05:20issues of

01:05:21minorities by

01:05:232028.

01:05:24That's kind

01:05:26of what's

01:05:26going to

01:05:27happen.

01:05:28And this

01:05:29was kind

01:05:29of in

01:05:30response to

01:05:30a threat

01:05:30about this

01:05:31polling here,

01:05:32which is why

01:05:33I had them

01:05:33together.

01:05:35Democrats

01:05:36cannot both

01:05:37represent racial

01:05:38minorities and

01:05:39keep them as a

01:05:40core constituency

01:05:41and nominate the

01:05:42populace that

01:05:43half the party

01:05:43wants, which

01:05:44means I'll tell

01:05:45you what's

01:05:45going to

01:05:46happen.

01:05:47It's very

01:05:48simple.

01:05:49Racial

01:05:49minorities will

01:05:50get dumped in

01:05:51favor of

01:05:52Northern and

01:05:54urban whites

01:05:54and populism.

01:05:56And we kind

01:05:56of already see

01:05:57that with

01:05:57Zoran Mamdani

01:05:58in New York

01:05:58City.

01:05:59I'm telling

01:06:00you, and

01:06:01that even

01:06:02goes into

01:06:03the Will

01:06:03Stansel

01:06:04thread of

01:06:04just like,

01:06:05as I said

01:06:06in the

01:06:07newsletter on

01:06:07Saturday,

01:06:08there are

01:06:08too many

01:06:08loud women,

01:06:10too many

01:06:10loud browns,

01:06:11too many

01:06:11loud queers,

01:06:12too many

01:06:12loud everybody.

01:06:13And the

01:06:14reality is

01:06:15no one

01:06:16wants to

01:06:16hear it

01:06:17anymore.

01:06:18It's over.

01:06:19And it's

01:06:20all going to

01:06:20get dumped

01:06:20in favor of

01:06:23populism,

01:06:25even Peronism,

01:06:26you know,

01:06:26really kind of

01:06:27leftist populism,

01:06:28which I think

01:06:28is actually

01:06:29sometimes worse

01:06:29because it

01:06:30can be

01:06:31economically

01:06:31devastating.

01:06:32Ask

01:06:32Argentina.

01:06:35This is the

01:06:36harbinger of

01:06:39the future.

01:06:39I mean,

01:06:39it's a long

01:06:40time to

01:06:412026.

01:06:41Things can be

01:06:42different next

01:06:42year.

01:06:42It's a

01:06:43long time

01:06:43to 2028.

01:06:44It could

01:06:44be even

01:06:45different by

01:06:45then.

01:06:46But the

01:06:46way things

01:06:47are going

01:06:47now,

01:06:48it's not

01:06:49looking good.

01:06:50It's not

01:06:51looking good

01:06:51at all.

01:06:53We're going

01:06:54to wrap up

01:06:54this evening.

01:06:56We're going

01:06:56to save

01:06:57these stories

01:06:59for next

01:06:59week because

01:07:00they're kind

01:07:00of evergreen.

01:07:01But I want

01:07:01to stop on

01:07:02this one.

01:07:03A judge

01:07:03indefinitely

01:07:03blocks

01:07:04withholding

01:07:04Medicaid

01:07:04funds to

01:07:05Planned Parenthood.

01:07:06A federal judge

01:07:06in Boston

01:07:07ruled that a

01:07:08provision in

01:07:08President Trump's

01:07:09policy bill

01:07:09targeting the

01:07:10organization

01:07:10most likely

01:07:10amounted to

01:07:11retaliation.

01:07:12A federal judge

01:07:15on Monday

01:07:15indefinitely

01:07:16blocked the

01:07:16Trump administration

01:07:17from enforcing

01:07:17a policy that

01:07:18would prevent

01:07:19many Planned

01:07:19Parenthood clinics

01:07:20from receiving

01:07:20federal Medicaid

01:07:21reimbursements if

01:07:22they continued to

01:07:22offer abortion

01:07:23services.

01:07:24The order,

01:07:24issued by Judge

01:07:25Indira Talwani

01:07:26in federal

01:07:26district court in

01:07:27Massachusetts,

01:07:28extended a

01:07:28temporary block

01:07:29and placed on

01:07:29the government

01:07:30earlier this

01:07:30month.

01:07:31She found that

01:07:31the policy

01:07:32retaliated against

01:07:32Planned Parenthood

01:07:33in violation of

01:07:34its First Amendment

01:07:35rights and could

01:07:35amount to an

01:07:36unconstitutional

01:07:36legitive punishment.

01:07:38The lawsuit

01:07:40filed earlier this

01:07:40month came in

01:07:41response to a

01:07:42provision that

01:07:42introduced in the

01:07:43struggling policy

01:07:44bill that

01:07:44President Trump

01:07:44sent into law

01:07:45earlier this month.

01:07:46The bill imposed

01:07:47a one-year ban on

01:07:48state Medicaid

01:07:48payments to any

01:07:49health care

01:07:49non-profit that

01:07:50offers abortions

01:07:51and receives more

01:07:52than $800,000

01:07:52in Medicaid funding

01:07:53in 2023.

01:07:55Many clinics

01:07:55affiliated with

01:07:56Planned Parenthood

01:07:56which provide a

01:07:57range of services

01:07:58unrelated to

01:07:59abortion immediately

01:07:59faced a choice

01:08:00between altering

01:08:01their operations

01:08:02and retaining

01:08:02millions of

01:08:03dollars in

01:08:03funding or

01:08:04facing a

01:08:04potentially

01:08:04catastrophic

01:08:05loss of

01:08:05revenue.

01:08:06Because almost

01:08:07no other

01:08:07non-profits

01:08:08or national

01:08:08networks meet

01:08:09the $800,000

01:08:09threshold set in

01:08:10the bill,

01:08:11Judge Talwani

01:08:11found it was

01:08:12easily ascertainable

01:08:13that the provision

01:08:14was targeted

01:08:14and intended to

01:08:15force Planned

01:08:16Parenthood's hand.

01:08:17Federal law

01:08:17already prohibits

01:08:18the use of

01:08:18federal Medicaid

01:08:19funds for

01:08:19paying for

01:08:20abortions,

01:08:21and Judge Talwani

01:08:21previously found

01:08:22that the provision

01:08:23was designed to

01:08:23indirectly squeeze

01:08:24clinics into

01:08:24dropping such

01:08:25services using

01:08:26Medicaid payments

01:08:26as leverage.

01:08:28She noted the

01:08:29expansive role

01:08:30that Planned

01:08:30Parenthood's

01:08:31umbrella organization

01:08:31plays in

01:08:32political organizing

01:08:33saying that the

01:08:33provision could

01:08:34also threaten

01:08:34expressive activity

01:08:36including advocating

01:08:36before Congress,

01:08:37supporting candidates,

01:08:38and communicating

01:08:39with voters.

01:08:40In withholding

01:08:41funding from the

01:08:41independent clinics

01:08:42that make up

01:08:42the organization's

01:08:43network, Judge

01:08:44Talwani wrote that

01:08:44the provision

01:08:45effectively held

01:08:45the potential to

01:08:46minimize the

01:08:46organization's

01:08:47footprint across

01:08:48the country.

01:08:49In many states,

01:08:49it could force

01:08:50clinics to vastly

01:08:50reduce services or

01:08:52close.

01:08:55Yeah, and they've

01:08:55appealed.

01:08:56That's going to

01:08:56SCOTUS, I

01:08:58guarantee you.

01:08:59That's going to

01:08:59the Supreme Court.

01:09:00Well, they'll

01:09:00probably uphold

01:09:01President Trump's

01:09:02position.

01:09:05But, in any case,

01:09:07that was kind of a

01:09:08late-breaking news

01:09:09that I found this

01:09:10afternoon that I

01:09:12thought was

01:09:13interesting.

01:09:13In case you thought

01:09:14they'd really given

01:09:15up the whole abortion

01:09:15thing, they haven't.

01:09:18They're just being

01:09:18more quiet about it,

01:09:19as they always want

01:09:21to do.

01:09:21All right, we'll

01:09:22save Tragic Mulatto's

01:09:24Apple hiring former

01:09:25Israeli spies in the

01:09:27boy crisis for next

01:09:28week, because those

01:09:31are, um, those are

01:09:34always fun, those are

01:09:36evergreen stories, my

01:09:37voice is tired, it's

01:09:38also time for dinner.

01:09:39So, I'm going to go,

01:09:41thank you all so much

01:09:42for watching, we had a

01:09:43great group tonight, I

01:09:44appreciate it.

01:09:45My name is Cameron

01:09:45Cowan, you can find me

01:09:47online at Cameron Cowan

01:09:49on Twitter and

01:09:49Instagram and

01:09:50LinkedIn, you can also

01:09:52get all my links at

01:09:53CameronJournal.com, and

01:09:55if you want to find

01:09:57other ways to watch

01:09:57the NewsHour, that's

01:09:58CameronJournal.com

01:09:59slash NewsHour.

01:10:00Um, the Living Joke

01:10:01podcast with Connor and

01:10:03Will will be, uh, on,

01:10:05out on Wednesday, so

01:10:06we'll be recording at

01:10:074 p.m.

01:10:07Eastern Wednesday, so

01:10:09make sure to come by

01:10:09for that, we'll be on

01:10:10all the Cameron

01:10:11Journal channels at

01:10:13that time, we have a

01:10:15lot of great content at

01:10:16our substack, the

01:10:16livingjoke.substack.com,

01:10:18so make sure to check

01:10:19that out as well.

01:10:21I will see you next

01:10:22Monday for the

01:10:22Cameron Journal NewsHour.

01:10:24Thank you so much, have

01:10:25a great night everyone,

01:10:26bye-bye.

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