- 1 week ago
Tonight on The Cameron Journal Newshour, we're talking about the new hiring fiasco at ICE and their lax poilcies. We're talking about the re-opening of the 3 Mile Island nuclear plant and the generational divide between younger people who want things to progress and older folks who want things to stay as they are. Then we're talking about how Trump killed the inflation reduction act and how Democrats can message better to let people know about these policies that can turn into electoral wins. And a few other stories along the way.
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You can visit Cameron online at CameronJournal.com
Watch The Cameron Journal Newshour every Monday at 7 pm!
Part of the SOOPcast Podcast Network
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NewsTranscript
02:59Hello, and this is the Cameron Journal Podcast.
03:05My throat is already dry. That's not a good sign.
03:07Welcome, everyone, to the Cameron Journal NewsHour.
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03:27All the best and exciting information for you.
03:31So, this week, we discussed all sorts of things, including the big problem with the Somalis in Minnesota and all the online trolling.
03:39I have that story.
03:40I have that story. We'll see if we get to it.
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04:53So, that's all fun and well.
04:55Thank you all so much for stopping by.
04:56I really appreciate it.
04:58We're going to dive right into the headlines.
05:02And they are so entertaining this week.
05:05So, let me get rid of these boxes that I use for extra people when the guys are here from The Living Joke.
05:12Don't forget to stop and listen to The Living Joke on Wednesday.
05:15If you're watching this right now, you're on the right place.
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05:36And if you do notifications, we'll let you know when we go live.
05:39Now, let's talk about, this is going to be the start of a couple stories I have here.
05:47So, Caleb Hammer is the Gen Z Dave Ramsey.
05:52So, let's take a look at this first.
05:54He does this whole, well, here he is.
05:57He does this whole finances, financial podcast sort of thing.
06:01He's very popular, top 10 in the world.
06:04And, you know, as we see here, 84-month car loan.
06:07He's the new Dave Ramsey.
06:09And what's really funny is, like, I just have kind of found out about him.
06:13It looks like he's a little bit new.
06:15He's still, you know, kind of getting up to the top and everything.
06:21And someone's like, oh, Caleb Hammer is getting kind of insufferable on Twitter.
06:25You can see him being Puentes 2.0 in five to six years.
06:27So, it doesn't go that way.
06:29And he's reviewing, like, violent crime is bad.
06:31I want housing to be affordable and to have a strong, growing economy.
06:34It's like, yeah, but here's the thing.
06:36He says it kind of like the older Dave Ramsey in the worst, most insufferable way possible.
06:45I agree with him.
06:46Violent crime is bad.
06:46Housing should be affordable.
06:48And we should have a strong and growing economy.
06:50But as is so often the case with these guys, things tend to be rather, rather exclusionary.
06:58And even in the original tweet, you know, here, you know, he's trying to say that he's becoming Nick Fuentes, which is a little bit difficult.
07:11Nick Fuentes is blatantly racist sort of thing in a way that Caleb Hammer, I don't think, probably has been.
07:21And so, it's, you know, and this person could just have an axe to grind.
07:28But I was using, I was just kind of using this as a platform to kind of introduce this all to Caleb Hammer.
07:33Because my guess is, given his takes on finances and the economy and the social stuff and all this type of thing, we'll be hearing a lot more from this man in the nearby future.
07:43Because he's number one in finance and top view, listen, podcast.
07:47We're going to be hearing more about him, okay?
07:49Because he's getting to that type of level.
07:52He is enjoying that type of online attention.
07:57How many followers does he have?
07:58Yeah, 119,000 followers on Twitter.
08:01Yeah, like, we're going to be hearing much more from this man.
08:04And I think he also represents a certain center-right politic that's very popular among young people that are kind of like, yeah, let's clean things up and have no crime.
08:20I do want cheap housing.
08:22I want to have a strong growing economy.
08:23Although one can argue cheap housing and a strong growing economy are kind of antithetical to each other outside of existential circumstances.
08:30But we're going to be hearing a lot more from this man.
08:32However, this whole idea of things have to change for young people quickly and in a hurry is something that is definitely starting to be a bit of a theme, which is...
08:52I'm putting my phone on do not disturb because if I don't, we'll get interrupted.
08:54It's becoming a bigger growing theme and the calls for doing stuff specifically for young people are growing ever, ever louder.
09:09And I love this discussion because it dovetails quite neatly into some of the concepts I struggled with at the end of my book, America's Lost Generation, which is right here.
09:21America's Lost Generation.
09:23If you've not gotten a copy, you can get it at CameronJournal.com.
09:26Just click on Shop Cameron's Books.
09:28And that gets into our second story, which is actually something I talked about on the newsletter about things being temporary.
09:39And I wrote in the newsletter that that feeling of precariousness, and I even talk about it in the book, America's Lost Generation, available at CameronJournal.com.
09:48I even talk about in the book that that feeling of temporary, that feeling of precariousness is something that is really destabilizing for people.
09:59It says here,
09:59Why are young people so miserable?
10:02The overwhelming feeling of impermanence.
10:04They can't get a job in the city they want, so they temporarily live elsewhere.
10:08They can't live in the neighborhood they want, so they settle somewhere they don't want.
10:11They can't work in the field they want, so they settle for a job for now until they can do what they really want.
10:16Years go by, and these temporary compromises don't feel permanent.
10:20So they either accept that what they want is forever out of reach, or convince themselves it's all temporary.
10:28And I love the first comment.
10:32It says,
10:32And to add insult to injury, we're told that we have it better than our parents did.
10:36I'm somewhat fortunate, but I see that plight with my friends.
10:39And this is exactly true.
10:40One of the things that's unique about my book, America's Lost Generation, about millennials, is I actually took the time to go interview the correct people and talk to different millennials in different situations.
10:58And I tell people, I even included the plumber who wrote in and said, love the comment for your book, but I'm doing great.
11:06Like, my life is fine, but I love the vibe and love what you're doing.
11:08I just wanted to give you another perspective.
11:10And I put it in the book.
11:11I also put in the family who's doing very well.
11:13They own a house, picket fence, two kids.
11:16And they said, yeah, we're one major health crisis from losing everything.
11:19And there's this sense and this feeling of precariousness that did not necessarily exist before for everybody, but certainly seems to be incredibly common now.
11:29And the people who have a secure position are growing ever less, ever smaller.
11:34And this feeling of temporary is a constant thing.
11:37You can't get the job, so you temporarily live elsewhere because you can't.
11:41You might get the job, but you can't get the city.
11:43You can't live in the neighborhood, so you settle somewhere else.
11:45You can't work in that field, so you settle for this job over here.
11:49You know, and as the years go by, it doesn't feel temporary anymore.
11:55It feels like a permanent situation.
11:57And it's just like, you don't get anything you want.
12:00You don't get the...
12:02It's like, it's okay if you have a great job, but in a bad city.
12:06Or, you know, you have a great...
12:08You live in a great neighborhood or a great city, but the job's not so great.
12:11Or you work in a great city, but you're in the wrong...
12:14Whereas today, you don't get anything.
12:19You can't afford housing.
12:20You can't sometimes afford the job that you want.
12:23It's not...
12:24Everyone's kind of like, well, just live elsewhere, all this sort of thing.
12:26It's like, that's all...
12:27But that's...
12:28It's everywhere in your life.
12:30Everywhere.
12:32You know, and it leads to a feeling of helplessness, of powerlessness.
12:40And I think for a lot of people today, especially politically, I think they're starting to look
12:44around and wonder, well, who are we all doing this for?
12:47What's the...
12:48If we can't get anything we want, we can't get a decent job anywhere near anywhere you want
12:54to live.
12:55You know, you can't get a...
12:56You know, sometimes you find out, oh, your field doesn't exist anymore.
13:00It's been closed.
13:01There's no jobs.
13:01You didn't network enough.
13:02Didn't come from the right background.
13:04All this type of thing.
13:05And all of a sudden, you're looking around to be kind of like, well, what's the point?
13:10Why are we doing any of this?
13:12And I was writing about this in the newsletter, and then it ironically gets into this story,
13:17where you have the restarting of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant.
13:27And it says here, Trump and Microsoft want to reboot the Three Mile Island nuclear plant.
13:32Locals in their 30s are excited about the jobs it will bring in.
13:35But baby boomer retirees are mobilizing to stop it.
13:38It says here, the divide is partly generational, pitting some of those personally scarred by
13:42the troubled nuclear past against a younger population eager to embrace zero carbon energy
13:48and technological advancement.
13:52And the first comment is quite apt.
13:55The worst nuclear disaster in U.S. history had no fatalities and no injuries.
13:59This is Wall Street Journal.
14:01I don't know if we'll be able to read this.
14:02It might be paywalled.
14:03It is.
14:05But you know what we can do?
14:08We can take this and we can go down to the news app where I have a subscription and pop it in.
14:17Bingo.
14:17And it says here, Middletown, Pennsylvania, 46 years have passed since America's worst nuclear accident at Three Mile Island jolted the country and created skepticism of nuclear energy.
14:29Now, a plan to reboot the plant to help power Microsoft data centers has reignited resistance among some residents who believe they already know the answer to the question, what could go wrong?
14:38For them to reopen, it's devastating, said Beth Drozba, 77, who vividly recalls fleeing her home with her children during the 1979 crisis.
14:47A second reactor at the plant that was undamaged in the accident did run again, but proved too costly and closed in 2019.
14:53That is the reactor being revived, wearing opponents like Drozba, who thought that an era was over.
14:59Yet a palpable, optimistic counter-narrative runs through this blue-collar town.
15:04Another contingent anticipates jobs.
15:06Some 500 have already returned on site or revitalized downtown in a new period of opportunity.
15:11They view the accident's lingering impact as minimal, if they consider it at all.
15:16The divide is partly generational, pitting some of those personally scarred by a troubled nuclear past against a younger population eager to embrace zero-carbon energy and technological advancement.
15:26Jen Lyons, 33, stands firmly on the side of the future.
15:29Her hillside home looks over the Susquehanna River and offers a clear view of the plant's signature cooling towers above bare trees.
15:36Safety concerns don't trouble her.
15:39Lyons, a registered nurse, knows that her father works at a different nuclear plant, and her young son even has a Lego model of it.
15:45When people say, where do you live, I say, TMI is in my backyard.
15:49I wish they wouldn't have closed it to begin with.
15:52Championing a nuclear power renaissance, the Trump administration recently announced a $1 billion federal loan to Constellation Energy to restart the reactor.
15:59Constellation rebranded the site as Crane Clean Energy Center.
16:02Microsoft agreed to purchase electricity from the rebooted reactor for the next 20 years.
16:06The reopening marks a significant moment in the mini-boom that the artificial intelligence sector is driving across Pennsylvania, Michigan, Iowa, and Illinois.
16:12Major tech companies, including Microsoft and Amazon.com, are hauling nuclear reactors back to life at their energy-hungry data centers.
16:20In Middletown, businessman Justin Hoek, 37, said Constellation, which plans to restart the reactor in 2027, had already contacted him.
16:28They asked him about hosting happy hours for the company at the brewery and distillery he's opening downtown, which is now decorated with fall banners and hay bales.
16:35I think it'd be good for us, Hoek said, while hauling 55 pounds of malt.
16:38I don't get upset about all the hypotheticals.
16:43Middletown, a quiet borough of about 9,500 people, sits on the Susquehanna River, roughly 10 miles southeast of Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania capital.
16:49Though locally celebrated for its proximity to a scenic railroad and the Hershey Chocolate Empire, the town's identity was redefined in March of 1979.
16:57It was then that Middletown burst onto television screens worldwide and became synonymous with Three Mile Island.
17:02The accident stemmed from an equipment failure and compounding human missteps.
17:06A valve designed to drain water from the plant's fuel rods stuck open, yet operators mistakenly shut down water pumps, causing a partial meltdown.
17:13The reactor sent some radiation into the air over central Pennsylvania.
17:16Three days later, the governor advised pregnant women and preschoolers within five miles to evacuate.
17:20Tens of thousands fled.
17:22Businesses and schools closed.
17:23On the fourth day, President Jimmy Carter visited the plant to reassure a terrified nation the situation was under control.
17:29According to the Energy Department's website, the incident caused no deaths or direct health effects.
17:35Health studies have offered differing conclusions on whether residents experienced elevated illness rates.
17:39The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said investigations have found that the release of radiation, quote,
17:43had negligible effects on the physical health of individuals or the environment.
17:47The accident, which spawned congressional hearings, litigation, and a criminal probe galvanized opponents of nuclear power.
17:52Plans for new reactors were soon scrapped.
17:53The island's other undamaged reactor restarted in 1985, but ultimately succumbed to market forces.
17:59It closed in 2019, unable to compete with low-cost natural gas.
18:02About 700 jobs were eliminated.
18:04But a new era of voracious energy demand has arrived.
18:07Public sentiment has also shifted.
18:09Recent polling shows support for nuclear energy nears record highs.
18:13A Wall Street Journal poll last year found that first-time voters strongly favor the power source to curb carbon emissions.
18:18In central Pennsylvania, an intergenerational schism shadows the restart, said Eric Epstein, 66 of Harrisburg,
18:24who joined Three Mile Island Alert, a watchdog group in 1984.
18:28Some people look at it as an economic boom, he said, side of the reboot.
18:32Other people look at it as an albatross around their neck.
18:34Constellation said the undamaged reactor at Three Mile Island went on to become one of the world's safest and best-run nuclear plants.
18:40The restart will bring 3,400 jobs to Pennsylvania, including 600 at the plant, plus an estimated $800 million in state tax revenue,
18:47which will help fund schools and government services.
18:50We appreciate that some people are still haunted by memories of the past, the company said.
18:53But the U.S. nuclear industry evolved and improved.
18:56And I think that's a good point, that the other reactor went on to continue operating for another 45 years.
19:08Not a problem.
19:09People also forget, because everyone will bring up, well, what about Chernobyl?
19:13I'll tell you about Chernobyl, not a problem, let's talk more.
19:17The other three reactors at the Chernobyl site, just by the way,
19:22continued to operate until, I want to say, 2017.
19:29In 2018, they finally shut down the other three reactors, sort of thing,
19:35which I think was part of them putting the new cover over the reactor one that had exploded.
19:43And also, by the way, that type of explosion would have been contained in the U.S.
19:48because we have containment buildings.
19:50The Soviet Union didn't build them because it was too expensive.
19:53We also don't build RBMK reactors.
19:55That's the other thing.
19:56And again, this, the other reactor was running seven years ago, six years ago.
20:02What's to complain about?
20:05You know?
20:06But again, it's something where you're going to start,
20:09my point in bringing all of this up is as follows.
20:12There is a huge generational divide between what younger people are willing to do
20:20to get a job, get ahead, make something happen.
20:23And the boomer is kind of holding back on everything and trying to stop everything
20:32and trying to keep progress from happening.
20:38And I think the boomer concerns aren't necessarily wrong or misplaced.
20:43I think a lot of them make a lot of sense at a certain level.
20:51But I also feel, I would also tell the boomers, I said, you know what?
20:55That plant you're living next to, six years ago it was operating.
20:58If you've been living here for the last couple decades,
21:01you've been living with it from 1985 until now.
21:05You're still here, not glowing at night, radiation free.
21:09Everything's operating as normal.
21:10People were reviving a reactor that was online six years ago.
21:15You know?
21:16So, but this is the type of generational divide of older people
21:23who want to keep things as they are because it benefits them
21:26and younger people who want something to change because they're looking for a job.
21:31They're looking for their come-up.
21:32They're looking for their good job.
21:33They're looking for a salary that's going to get themselves ahead.
21:36This is going to keep happening over and over and over again.
21:42And the reason here is quite obvious, and I'll show it to you right now.
21:48This is a small town in Kentucky, 4,800 people.
21:53This is the line for the local church food bank.
21:56This was posted anonymously on Reddit.
21:58It says here 10% of the population of the town is waiting at the food bank.
22:03The line is up there.
22:06It's all the way back here.
22:10And this is why people are desperate.
22:12This is why people are desperate for a come-up.
22:15This is why people are looking for anything to get something moving,
22:21get something ahead because it's 34 degrees
22:23and there are people who are standing outside the local church food bank
22:26when they really should be having a cheeky shop at the grocery store and heading home.
22:30Instead, they're waiting in line for free food
22:33because this is how they're going to be able to eat this week.
22:36And now you know why I call this the Long Depression
22:40and why I've argued we never really recovered from 2008.
22:46And what's even kind of sad is things get worse.
22:49There's been a couple reports bumping around.
22:51I don't have any stories this evening to cover it.
22:53We might talk about it on the newsletter on Saturday.
22:54But there's some reports coming around that right now we have more layoffs
22:58than we've had since 2008
22:59and unemployment may reach Great Depression levels.
23:03And we have Herbert Hoover in office.
23:05You know, sort of thing.
23:08In the form of Trump.
23:11This is what we're out here doing.
23:15This is what is happening.
23:19And this is why people are willing to reopen the nuclear plant
23:22and get the good jobs
23:23because this is the desperation that we are getting to.
23:31And it's all ages, all types,
23:34you know, all this sort of thing,
23:36but all have one thing in common.
23:38They're trying to get some food for the week.
23:41Have something to eat.
23:43It doesn't have to be this way.
23:46It doesn't have to be this way.
23:48Speaking of money-grubbing people,
23:51nuclear power,
23:51OpenAI is accused of using legal tactics to silence non-profits.
23:59Seven non-profit groups that have criticized OpenAI
24:02say it sent them wide-ranging subpoenas as part of its litigation against Elon Musk.
24:07It says here,
24:09OpenAI says it was founded with the goal of benefiting humanity,
24:13but several non-profit organizations say that the artificial intelligence behemoth
24:17has strayed from its mission,
24:18alleged that it has recently used intimidation tactics to silence them.
24:21At least seven non-profits that have been critical of OpenAI
24:24have received subpoenas in recent months,
24:27which they say are overly broad
24:28and appear to be a form of legal intimidation.
24:31All of the subpoenas are part of a legal battle
24:33between OpenAI and tech-type Elon Musk,
24:35with OpenAI suggesting that the subpoenaed non-profits
24:38are somehow connected to Musk.
24:39The organizations that received subpoenas
24:41had signed or organized open letters and petitions
24:43critical of OpenAI's ongoing efforts
24:45to restructure from a non-profit
24:47to a for-profit public benefit corporation.
24:49In one case, a subpoenaed non-profit
24:51had also sponsored a California bill
24:53that imposed the first wide-ranging regulations
24:55on leading AI companies like OpenAI.
24:57Six of the non-profits were not involved
24:59in the lawsuit between OpenAI and Musk
25:01before the tech company brought them into it.
25:03By issuing the subpoenas,
25:04and the remaining non-profit
25:06had filed a supporting brief in the case,
25:07but says it had not engaged with Musk.
25:09Three of the subpoenas issued to San Francisco Foundation,
25:12ECHO, Future of Life Institute,
25:14have not been previously reported.
25:15The non-profits of the subpoenas
25:16seem designed to extract private information
25:18about OpenAI's critics
25:20despite most of the organizations
25:21having no relation to Musk
25:22or the ongoing lawsuit.
25:23Robert Weissman,
25:24co-president of Public Citizen,
25:25a non-profit consumer advocacy organization
25:27that has been critical
25:28of OpenAI's restructuring plans
25:30but is uninvolved in the current lawsuit
25:31and has not received a subpoena,
25:33told NBC News that
25:34OpenAI's intent in issuing the subpoenas
25:36is clear.
25:37Quote,
25:37This behavior is highly unusual.
25:39It's 100% intended to intimidate,
25:41he said.
25:42Quote,
25:42This is the kind of tactic
25:43you would expect from the most cutthroat
25:44for-profit corporation,
25:46Weissman said.
25:46It's an attempt to bully non-profit critics,
25:49to chill speech
25:49and deter them from speaking out.
25:52The subpoenas,
25:53four of which were reviewed by NBC News,
25:56asked for a wide variety of documents
25:57and materials
25:58including all information
25:59about the organization's funders
26:00and donations
26:01in addition to all communication
26:02regarding Musk,
26:03Meta,
26:03and its founder Mark Zuckerberg.
26:05OpenAI had previously expressed suspicions
26:07about Meta
26:07and Zuckerberg's involvement
26:08in Musk's $97 billion bid
26:10to buy OpenAI in February.
26:12The subpoenas also asked for,
26:14quote,
26:14All documents and communications
26:15concerning the governance
26:16or organizational structure
26:17of OpenAI.
26:19OpenAI said in September
26:20that its conversion
26:21to a more traditional
26:23for-profit company
26:24would, quote,
26:25enable us to raise the capital
26:26required to accomplish our mission,
26:28unquote.
26:28The change is seen as a key step
26:30before the company
26:30could be publicly listed
26:31and would allow investors
26:32to hold valuable equity
26:33in the for-profits
26:34of just receiving
26:35a slice of profits.
26:37Critics of the conversation
26:38argue that a change
26:39could allow OpenAI,
26:40now the world's highest value startup,
26:41to pursue profit
26:42over its charitable mission.
26:45Well, obviously.
26:48They are in pole position.
26:53It gets into all the details
26:55which we're not going
26:55to read into here.
26:57It puts OpenAI
26:58in pole position
26:58to do an IPA.
26:59That's what they want to do.
27:00And they obviously think
27:01that Musk,
27:02who's been critical of that,
27:04has been trying to use
27:04other non-profits
27:05to criticize OpenAI.
27:07and they are in,
27:08they're at least trying
27:10to find out
27:10if there's anything to that.
27:12And it being read
27:13as bullying
27:13is a fair,
27:15a fair reading.
27:17It does say here
27:18that the controversy
27:21around the subpoenas
27:22exploded on Law and Friday
27:23as employees
27:24of several of the non-profits
27:25alleged on social media
27:26that the AI Titan subpoenas
27:28are hardball legal tactics
27:29that far surpass
27:30normal legal action
27:31and are often,
27:32and are irrelevant
27:33to the ongoing Musk lawsuit.
27:34The allegations,
27:35which included photos
27:36of several subpoenas,
27:37led to several prominent
27:38current and former employees
27:39of OpenAI
27:40publicly criticizing its actions,
27:42highly unusual
27:42for the tight-lipped company.
27:44This doesn't seem great,
27:45OpenAI's Joshua Akiyam,
27:46the company's head
27:47of mission alignment,
27:48said in an ex-Post
27:48Friday afternoon.
27:49Akiyam did not respond
27:50to NBC News'
27:51request for comment.
27:52Akiyam reports
27:54to CEO Sam Altman
27:55and is tasked
27:56with ensuring OpenAI's
27:57pursuit of smarter-than-human
27:58AI systems
27:59benefit all of humanity.
28:00Quote,
28:01We have a duty to
28:02and a mission
28:02for all of humanity,
28:03Akiyam wrote Friday.
28:04There are things
28:05that can go wrong
28:06with power
28:06and sometimes people
28:07on the inside
28:07have to be willing
28:08to point it out loudly.
28:09The subpoenas
28:10and tactics
28:10at issue
28:11in Friday's statement
28:12stem from a retracted
28:13and heated legal battle
28:14involving Musk.
28:15Musk sued Altman,
28:16OpenAI,
28:17and several co-founders
28:18last year,
28:18accusing them
28:19of breaching
28:19OpenAI's
28:20contractual duties
28:21by embracing
28:21a for-profit drive
28:22nested within
28:23its non-profit structure
28:24in what Musk
28:25alleged has been,
28:26quote,
28:26a textbook tale
28:27of altruism
28:28versus greed,
28:28unquote.
28:29Altman and OpenAI
28:30contend that Musk
28:31was one of OpenAI's
28:32early boosters,
28:32provided around
28:33$45 million
28:34to the company
28:35in its early years,
28:36is now jealous
28:37of the company's
28:37success,
28:38and is employing,
28:39quote,
28:39bad faith tactics
28:40to slow down
28:40OpenAI
28:41and seize control
28:42of the leading
28:42AI innovations
28:43for his personal
28:44benefit.
28:44Musk is also
28:45the founder and CEO
28:46of OpenAI rival
28:47XAI,
28:48which is quickly
28:48trying to catch up
28:49to other AI companies'
28:50capabilities.
28:51In response to a request
28:52for comment,
28:53an OpenAI spokesperson
28:54referred to NBC News
28:55to post on X
28:56from OpenAI's
28:57Chief of Strategy
28:57Officer,
28:58Jason Kwan,
29:00and we will not
29:00get into all of that,
29:01but yes,
29:02so it's going down
29:04on the OpenAI
29:06nonprofit profit.
29:07We're going to do
29:08an IPO
29:08because we want
29:09trillions of dollars
29:10fight,
29:11and yeah,
29:12I think,
29:13I think Sam Altman
29:14is right about Musk.
29:16Musk is trying
29:17to keep OpenAI
29:18busy with a lawsuit
29:19in the hopes
29:20that his AI service
29:21can catch up
29:22and that,
29:23you know,
29:24I think,
29:25I think Musk
29:25starting his own thing
29:26rather than just
29:27enjoying
29:28being part of
29:28Sam's thing
29:29doesn't really
29:29make any sense
29:30other than
29:31Musk wants
29:32his ego involved
29:33and he wants,
29:34you know,
29:35AI-powered spaceships
29:36that go to Mars
29:37and land themselves
29:38and you'll drive
29:39to the launch pad
29:40in your AI-powered
29:42Tesla sort of thing
29:43and,
29:43you know,
29:44and I think
29:45he doesn't want
29:46to just own some of it.
29:47I think he wants
29:48to own it all
29:49and I think
29:50this is Musk's way
29:51of competing
29:51by keeping Sam
29:52and company busy
29:53and,
29:54narratively speaking,
29:55because I am
29:56the news narrative guy,
29:56narratively speaking,
29:58narratively speaking,
30:00this then creates
30:01a whole new PR problem
30:02for open AI.
30:03You know,
30:03what should have been
30:04a quiet conversion
30:05sort of thing
30:06is now becoming
30:07a public thing
30:07and you know how I know?
30:09Because we're talking
30:09about it.
30:10So,
30:11when it comes
30:12to business competition
30:13and all this type of thing,
30:14narrative,
30:14publicity,
30:15PR,
30:15what people know,
30:16what people are saying,
30:17all this type of thing
30:18is important
30:19and the reality
30:20is this is a really
30:23great way
30:23to cause a giant
30:24distraction
30:25that keeps
30:26open AI
30:27busy with many
30:28other things
30:28and give
30:29Musk's ex-AI
30:31some runway
30:32to catch up.
30:33And I don't think
30:35this lawsuit's
30:35going to go forward,
30:36but I don't think
30:38its job
30:39is to go forward.
30:40I think its job
30:42and what open AI's
30:42lawyers are doing,
30:43I think what its job
30:44to do is distract
30:45open AI
30:46and become a bit
30:47of the money sub
30:47because lawyers
30:48to deal with this
30:49don't come cheap.
30:50So,
30:51let's move on.
30:55Oh, it's good.
30:55We're only at 7.30.
30:56We might get to,
30:57I actually get
30:58to all the news tonight.
31:00So,
31:01so a while ago,
31:03several months ago,
31:04I had mentioned
31:05that down there
31:06at the Immigration
31:07and Customs
31:08Enforcement Service,
31:09ICE,
31:10which is part
31:12of Homeland Security,
31:14they just hire
31:14an annual body
31:15and this story
31:18came from the UK.
31:19It's Daily Mint.
31:20We call it the fail
31:21among my UK friends.
31:22It's the fail,
31:24but this new story,
31:27Christy Noem's ICE
31:28hiring chaos laid bare
31:29as fat, illiterate,
31:31and violent misfits,
31:32quote,
31:32not ready to tie
31:33their own laces,
31:34are recruited.
31:35It says here,
31:36the Trump administration's
31:37frantic push to hire
31:3810,000 new deportation
31:39officers by year's end
31:40has spiraled into
31:42what's inside
31:42is described
31:43as a national embarrassment,
31:44with lax vetting
31:45and assigning bonus
31:46up to $50,000
31:47luring a wave
31:48of woefully unfit recruits.
31:50An exhaustive
31:51Daily Mail investigation
31:52has exposed
31:53how Immigration
31:53and Customs Enforcement
31:55has lowered standards
31:56so dramatically
31:56that the new cohort
31:58now includes
31:58recent high school
31:59graduates and applicants
32:00who can,
32:01and I'm quoting now,
32:02barely read or write,
32:03unquote,
32:03as well as those
32:04who lost basic
32:05physical fitness
32:06and even have
32:06pending criminal charges.
32:09Most of the new hires
32:10in the $30 billion
32:11initiative
32:12are retired law enforcement
32:14who are receiving
32:14virtual training
32:15and being repurposed
32:16for desk duty.
32:18Meanwhile,
32:19total novices
32:20are being fast-tracked
32:21into Federal Law
32:22Enforcement Training
32:23Center in Georgia
32:23where instructors
32:24have been left
32:25astounded
32:25at the levels
32:26of incompetence.
32:26Quote,
32:27we have people
32:28failing open book tests
32:29and we have folks
32:30that can barely
32:30read or write English,
32:31one Department of Homeland
32:32Security official
32:33told the Daily Mail.
32:34We even had
32:35a 469-pound man
32:36sent to the academy
32:37whose own doctor
32:38certified him
32:39not at all fit
32:39for any physical activity.
32:41Insiders say
32:42the vetting process
32:42has been so rushed
32:43that officials
32:44didn't even wait
32:45for drug test results
32:46to come back
32:46before hiring recruits
32:48and flying them
32:48off to Georgia
32:49only to discover
32:50afterward that the
32:50test came back
32:51positive.
32:52DHS Secretary
32:53Kristi Noem
32:54told President Trump
32:54on Tuesday
32:55the department
32:55will hire
32:56its 10,000th ICE
32:57officer within 10 days.
33:00A department
33:01spokesperson said
33:02the hiring surge
33:02is advancing
33:03while maintaining
33:03its high fitness
33:04and training standards.
33:06They added
33:06ICE has received
33:07more than 200,000
33:08applications
33:08from patriotic
33:10Americans
33:10who want to join
33:11ICE law enforcement
33:12to help us
33:12remove murderers,
33:13rapists,
33:13gang members,
33:14pedophiles,
33:14and terrorists
33:15from our country.
33:16The vast majority
33:16of new officers,
33:17more than 85%,
33:18brought on during
33:19the hiring surge
33:20or experienced
33:20law enforcement officers
33:21who have already
33:22successfully completed
33:23a law enforcement academy.
33:25But staff at the
33:26Georgia Academy
33:26tell a different story.
33:28In one shocking
33:28incident,
33:29they were left
33:29shaking their heads
33:30when one student
33:30asked to be excused
33:31from class
33:31so we could attend
33:32a court date
33:33on a gun charge.
33:34other recruits
33:43were even discovered
33:44to have tattoos
33:45associated with
33:46gangs and white supremacists
33:47when they stripped
33:48off their shirts
33:49during workouts.
33:50Reports from FLETC
33:52include incenses
33:53of violence,
33:54disruptive behavior,
33:55and allegations
33:55of sexual misconduct
33:56on campus,
33:57most handled internally.
33:59One recruit,
33:5929-year-old Darren Coleman,
34:01was arrested
34:01by county police
34:02for allegedly exploding
34:03at an FLETC bus driver
34:05and smashing his phone,
34:06according to records
34:07obtained by the Daily Mail.
34:08He was described
34:09as a known problem
34:10on campus
34:11who had just resigned
34:11when he demanded
34:12a ride from the driver.
34:13Sources say
34:14another male recruit
34:15after hitting the bars
34:16was caught barging
34:17into a female dorm
34:18and hitting on the occupants
34:19another groped woman
34:20in class.
34:21It wasn't like,
34:22oops, I touched your boob,
34:23one source said.
34:24Nope, he went full on
34:25to predator mode
34:26while he was doing
34:27the defensive tactics training.
34:29Since the recruitment
34:30campaign began in July,
34:31584 recruits
34:34have failed out
34:34of the academy
34:35as of December 1st,
34:36according to records
34:37obtained by the Daily Mail.
34:38Over the same period,
34:39figures show
34:40that 558 graduated
34:41and another 620
34:43were still in training.
34:48So, yes.
34:50And here's some of the,
34:51here's some of the,
34:52this is the guy
34:52that hit that bus driver.
34:55I was going to say,
34:55like, here's some
34:56of the miscreants now.
34:58But yes, of course,
34:59there's pictures
35:00and photos
35:01and, um,
35:03and he says,
35:04apparently it's also,
35:05it also feels like
35:06it's rushed.
35:07Some instructors
35:07privately griped
35:08to HQ staff
35:09while recruits
35:09have vented to their families
35:10about what they were experiencing.
35:11One young recruit,
35:12a college grad
35:13who's seeking to follow
35:14in his father's footsteps
35:14by becoming
35:15a deportation officer
35:16likened to a circus.
35:18Quote,
35:19my son called me
35:19and told me
35:20in the middle of class,
35:22officers came in
35:23and removed two
35:23of his classmates
35:24for, quote,
35:24stolen valor, unquote,
35:25the father told
35:26the Daily Mail,
35:27referring to individuals
35:27who falsely claimed
35:28to have military experience.
35:30He said his son
35:30also complained
35:31about the training
35:33seeming rushed.
35:34Quote,
35:34there's a lot of frustration,
35:35he said,
35:35you've got kids there
35:36that don't have the aptitude
35:37to pass basic tests
35:38and are flunking.
35:39And on the other side,
35:39you have students
35:40failing PT
35:40because they couldn't
35:42run or do sit-ups.
35:43The academy recently
35:44eliminated the sit-up requirement
35:45because so many students
35:46couldn't handle them
35:47and subbed in
35:48a sprint challenge.
35:51The former instructor
35:51said his greatest concern
35:52is that the modifications
35:53to training
35:54will produce
35:54less experienced officers.
35:56Stephen Miller
35:57and Corey Lewandowski
35:58want what they want
35:59and they're going to do
35:59whatever they have to
36:00to get people through.
36:00The father said
36:01referring respectively
36:02to DHS advisor
36:03and nom's de facto
36:04chief of staff.
36:05But once you've prostituted
36:06your hiring center,
36:07you've prostituted
36:07everything, he added.
36:08Everyone from ICE
36:09sees what's coming
36:10into the field
36:10and they're absolutely petrified.
36:12The DHS official
36:13sounded a similar alarm.
36:15We do have some new recruits
36:16that are fantastic
36:17but we're not bringing people
36:18in who shouldn't be hired
36:18at all into any
36:19federal government job.
36:20Definitely not one
36:21that has a badge and a gun.
36:23We have kids who graduated
36:24from high school in June
36:24and are at the basic academy
36:25now, the source added.
36:27Even with these older folks
36:28that we're hiring,
36:28they're not people
36:29who need to be out
36:29in the street
36:29with a badge and a gun anymore.
36:31This isn't the Department
36:32of Baking Cookies,
36:33the source said.
36:34This is the Department
36:34of Homeland Security
36:35where you can be deported
36:36from the country.
36:37And now we're employing people
36:38who are not equipped
36:39to tie their own shoelaces.
36:40This whole thing
36:41is a complete disaster
36:42beginning to end.
36:46And so I read this
36:47and I saved this away
36:48because I wanted
36:49to talk about it
36:49because this is
36:50an extensive investigation.
36:52But, you know,
36:54these things get written.
36:57How true is it?
36:59What's really going on?
37:02And it's the fail.
37:03However, we are so blessed
37:07here at the Cameron Journal
37:08NewsHour.
37:09I got an email this morning
37:11from Marty France.
37:13Now, if you're not
37:14a long-time listener
37:14to this show
37:15and don't know
37:16who Marty France is,
37:17Marty France is a former
37:18Air Force colonel,
37:21general sort of thing.
37:24High-end military.
37:26High, high-end military.
37:27Very competent.
37:27And Marty France,
37:31former Air Force guy,
37:34decided to apply
37:35to be a deportation officer.
37:39He says here,
37:40I applied to ICE last summer
37:42on a whim
37:43just to see if they'd
37:44take a 60-plus-year-old.
37:45I completed the full application
37:47on USA Jobs' website.
37:48I received a job offer
37:49a few days later,
37:50undoubtedly after a background check
37:52had confirmed
37:52my Arizona football legacy,
37:54contingent upon me
37:55being able to pass
37:55a physical exam
37:56and a physical fitness test.
37:59If they had done
37:59a real background check,
38:00they would know
38:00that he's a former
38:02military officer
38:04sort of thing.
38:05And it says,
38:06and so here's,
38:07he has a letter here.
38:08Right here.
38:11It says,
38:11please click on this link,
38:12position title,
38:13direct hire authority,
38:15duty in Denver,
38:16Colorado sort of thing,
38:17tentative,
38:18and the pre-employment
38:19physical fitness test
38:21self-assessment.
38:23It says,
38:23you will not be considered
38:24for the next phase
38:25of the selection process
38:25until you have notified ICE
38:26you have achieved
38:27the level of fitness
38:28listed below.
38:29Please complete the chart
38:30below and sign
38:31the self-assessment.
38:32For deportation officer
38:33applicants,
38:33the self-assessment
38:34must be submitted
38:34along with your physician exam
38:36and clearance assessment form.
38:38For criminal investigator
38:38applicants,
38:39self-assessment must be
38:40submitted to your
38:40PFT administrator
38:41prior to your taking
38:43the PFTP.
38:44And they are as follows.
38:46Sit-ups,
38:4632 within one minute.
38:48I'm fat and haven't been
38:49into a gym in almost
38:50a decade,
38:51I could do that.
38:5222-yard sprint,
38:53max 47.73 seconds.
38:56I'm out there.
38:57Push-ups minimum,
38:5822 within one minute.
39:00I could probably
39:00take that on.
39:01And 1.5-mile run,
39:03max 14 minutes
39:05and 25 seconds.
39:06You can achieve that
39:08with a brisk walk.
39:10In fact,
39:10I have a funny story
39:11from college about that
39:11I'm not going to tell
39:12right now,
39:12but that's a real thing
39:14they sent out to a real
39:16applicant sort of thing.
39:17It says here,
39:18if you know me,
39:19you probably realize
39:19that even at 66 and a half
39:21with a revised steel hip
39:22on the right side,
39:23this is a pretty low bar.
39:2522 push-ups
39:25and 22 sit-ups?
39:26Ooh, scary.
39:28At a rippling 162 pounds,
39:30I'm probably 30% or more
39:32under the median
39:32ICE agent weight,
39:33though.
39:33They need to special order
39:34my uniform.
39:36Watching some of the
39:36Keystone cop-style ICE arrests
39:38we've seen on the internet
39:39tells me that even these standards
39:40can be waived if you can fog a mirror,
39:42eat a dozen donuts at one sitting,
39:44wear a mask comfortably
39:45even if it caused you
39:46untold agony to do so
39:47during COVID,
39:48and of course,
39:48at least feign intent
39:49to tackle a brown person.
39:51I almost immediately
39:52sent a declamation letter
39:53to DHS
39:53including some colorful comments
39:54on my assessment
39:55of their mission execution.
39:57A few weeks later,
39:58I applied again
39:58just to do a little bit of
39:59my side to waste
40:00more of their time.
40:01Hashtag good trouble.
40:02Now it appears
40:03they're on to me
40:04and will no longer
40:04consume me for any
40:05future applications.
40:06My story must have gotten out,
40:07but how it reached Gary Trudeau
40:09I'll never know.
40:10My wife, Becky,
40:10and I have a daily
40:11Washington Post reader
40:11found today's dunes
40:12very rather amusing.
40:14Coincidence?
40:14You be the judge.
40:15because as a cartoon
40:18that was a very similar situation
40:21to him.
40:23But yeah,
40:23I mean,
40:23so it's something kind of like,
40:25okay,
40:25it was an interesting
40:26just kind of coincidence
40:27that all of this
40:28came together
40:29in exactly this way,
40:31but this is,
40:33I had heard rumors
40:35about this sort of thing
40:37and I had heard
40:38that this was a problem
40:39and it appears
40:40it is definitely real.
40:41So that's on the immigration front.
40:45You will be somewhat tackled
40:47if they can catch you
40:48by a barely literate ICE agent
40:50somewhere near you soon.
40:52If you're brown.
40:54I'll have to keep an eye out
40:55for wandering ICE agents.
40:57Although even I,
40:59a chubby asthmatic,
41:00may be able to outrun them.
41:05News breaking out today.
41:07Trump has unveiled
41:08his $12 billion farm aid package
41:11due to falling exports
41:13due to Trump's tariff wars.
41:15And the closing of USAID
41:17where farmers sold a lot of food
41:19to be shipped overseas.
41:21And in his press conference,
41:23he said that it was,
41:26it was revenue from tariffs
41:27and revenue from abroad.
41:29I would remind people
41:30that tariffs again
41:32are not paid by other countries.
41:34they're paid by us,
41:37the customer,
41:38because the companies
41:39pay the government
41:39for those things
41:40when they are imported.
41:44It,
41:44and so this was kind of
41:46the original story.
41:47I wonder if there's an update.
41:50Hope doesn't look like it.
41:51In the press conference,
41:53Trump mentioned
41:53that it was,
41:55it was,
41:55there was going to be
41:56taken from tariff revenue,
41:57but there would be
41:58a $12 billion farm aid package.
42:00Now, again,
42:00this is the second bailout
42:01for farmers Trump has done
42:02because of his trade wars.
42:03The first one
42:04was when he got
42:05an issue with China
42:06in his first term
42:07over soybeans
42:08and trying to stop
42:09buying American soybeans.
42:10That also cost
42:12$16 billion back then,
42:13so we're down $4 billion.
42:15Um,
42:15but there'll be
42:15a $12 billion farm aid package
42:17for farmers
42:18for unsold crops,
42:19falling crop prices,
42:21missing crop,
42:22it's all this sort of thing.
42:23So,
42:25yeah,
42:26um,
42:27it's a thing.
42:29Keeps happening.
42:30I do love the roasting
42:31in the comments.
42:32Is this socialism
42:33self-inflicted?
42:35A socialist bailout?
42:36Again?
42:37Why can't they
42:37pull themselves up
42:38from their bootstraps?
42:40Like,
42:40um,
42:44so,
42:45and this one,
42:46farmers don't want
42:47a handout,
42:47they want their markets back.
42:49Stupid tariff wars
42:49need to stop.
42:51Um,
42:52yeah,
42:52this is,
42:53I mean,
42:53it's not entirely tariffs,
42:54it's a lot of factors together,
42:56but it is,
42:57it is rather entertaining
42:58that Trump starts
42:59a whole trade war,
43:00China stops buying things,
43:01opens up new markets,
43:02all this type of thing.
43:03American farmers
43:04are left holding the bag
43:05and then now we're paying
43:07for the privilege.
43:08So,
43:09that's,
43:10that's a news story
43:11you'll see floating,
43:11floating around
43:12and I imagine
43:13it will become
43:14a bit of a joke,
43:15yet another farmer bailout
43:16from Trump,
43:17as we already see
43:18in the comments,
43:19the comments section here.
43:20Um,
43:22the other
43:24kind of
43:25set of stories
43:26is,
43:27uh,
43:29big changes
43:29in legislation.
43:32Um,
43:32so,
43:34uh,
43:35well,
43:35that gets into the,
43:36the cabinet meeting
43:38and
43:39the
43:39cafe
43:41car standards
43:42and K cars
43:43and we'll,
43:44we'll start with
43:44the Inflation Reduction Act.
43:46So,
43:46um,
43:47the Inflation Reduction Act
43:482022 to 2025,
43:49um,
43:51it was far too easy
43:52for Republicans
43:52to kill the Inflation Reduction Act.
43:55Where did those
43:55who crafted it go wrong?
43:57In late 2024,
43:58an operative for the
43:59right-wing gotcha group
43:59Project Veritas
44:00clandestinely filmed
44:02his Tinder date
44:02with a 29-year-old
44:03EPA employee.
44:05The employee
44:05who talked freely
44:06about his work
44:06distributing grant funds
44:07allocated by the
44:08Inflation Reduction Act
44:09at one point
44:10compared that process
44:11to throwing gold bars
44:12off the edge
44:12of the Titanic,
44:14dispatching grants
44:15quickly before
44:15the proverbial iceberg
44:16Donald Trump
44:17took office
44:18and clawed back
44:18the funding.
44:19A few months later,
44:20Lee Zeldin,
44:21the new head of the EPA,
44:22announced a remarkable discovery.
44:24My awesome team at EPA
44:25has found the gold bars.
44:26Shockingly,
44:27$20 billion of your tax dollars
44:28were parked in an outside
44:29financial institution
44:30by the Biden EPA.
44:31There were no actual gold bars,
44:33of course,
44:33and Zeldin probably
44:34didn't need a team
44:34to find them.
44:35Those $20 billion
44:36were part of the
44:36$27 billion
44:37Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund,
44:39or GGRF,
44:41a program that was meant
44:42to help low-income communities
44:43finance and develop
44:44renewable energy projects
44:45with IRA-funded grants
44:46to non-profits.
44:47The EPA had used
44:48Citibank to transfer the funds,
44:50nearly $7 billion
44:50went to a single
44:51far-left activist group,
44:53in Zeldin's description
44:53called Climate United.
44:55Among those supposedly
44:56radical plots
44:56the non-profit
44:57planned to finance
44:58with that money
44:58was pre-construction
44:59on a University of Arkansas
45:00solar project
45:01predicted to save the state
45:02at $120 million
45:03in energy costs,
45:04in a red state,
45:05no less.
45:06Alleging fraud,
45:07the EPA and FBI
45:08demanded that Citibank
45:09freeze those funds
45:10and referred the case
45:11to the Justice Department.
45:12While such requests
45:13are normally granted
45:14only with a court order,
45:15Citibank complied.
45:16Just days after
45:17Zeldin's initial announcement,
45:18FBI agents started
45:19showing up at the homes
45:20of Climate United employees
45:21who faced tongue-lashings
45:22by right-wing news
45:23to outlets and subpoenas
45:24from Republican-controlled
45:25congressional committees
45:26that initiated
45:26their own investigations.
45:29The DOJ's investigation
45:30found no evidence
45:31of criminal wrongdoing,
45:32however,
45:32and GGRF grantees
45:34remained locked
45:35in a legal battle
45:35with the EPA
45:36that may eventually
45:37end up in front
45:37of the Supreme Court.
45:39This spring,
45:39the EPA informed
45:40Climate United
45:40that it had terminated
45:41its grant
45:42not because of fraud,
45:43but rather because
45:43of a change
45:44in administrative priorities.
45:45We briefly joked
45:46about renaming
45:46our organization
45:47Gold Bars LLC,
45:48said Phil Arnault,
45:49Climate United's
45:50Chief Strategy
45:51and Partnerships Officer.
45:52The ordeal was
45:53a sign of things to come.
45:54Since Trump took power,
45:55his administration
45:56has waged a multi-front war
45:57on its ever-growing list
45:58of political enemies.
45:59In July,
46:01Republicans'
46:01One Big Beautiful Bill Act,
46:03or OBBB,
46:04repealed much
46:05of the inflation reduction
46:05in exceedingly
46:06$400 billion worth
46:07of climate and energy-related grants,
46:09tax incentives,
46:09and loan guarantees.
46:11While the OBBB
46:12stopped short of a full repeal
46:13of the IRA,
46:14it took a sledgehammer
46:15to the parts predicted
46:15to drive down the most emissions.
46:17Subsidies for residential customers
46:19on leased solar and wind
46:20ended immediately.
46:21Consumer-side incentives
46:22for purchasing electric vehicles
46:23and residential energy efficiency
46:24upgrades expired in October.
46:26Generous tax credits
46:27for wind,
46:27solar,
46:28and hydrogen projects,
46:28as well as wind manufacturing,
46:30will be phased out
46:31years ahead of schedule.
46:32The Trump administration's
46:33war on the Inflation Reduction Act
46:35and all things climate
46:35embodies the horrors
46:36of Republican rule.
46:38A paranoid lawless crusade
46:39waged by extremely online ideologues
46:41who are using their control
46:42over every branch of government
46:43to stoke culture wars,
46:44settle scores,
46:45and please their deep-pocketed donors.
46:46Quote,
46:48I don't feel scared
46:49about being targeted,
46:50unquote, Arno told me,
46:51but I'm scared for our country.
46:53I know what they can do
46:53if they want to target
46:54their political opponents.
46:55They can steal our money
46:56from our bank accounts.
46:57They can try to get us fired.
46:58They can drag us
46:59into the congressional committees.
47:00They can open up
47:00sham DOJ investigations.
47:02They can drag our names
47:03through the PR machine
47:04and Fox News.
47:05The Inflation Reduction Act
47:06was a perfect scapegoat
47:07because of how it encapsulated
47:08democratic governance.
47:09A Frankenstein-ish vehicle
47:10for progressive economic ideas,
47:12emissions reduction,
47:14justice geopolitics,
47:15and the idiosyncratic donor
47:17informed beliefs of lawmakers
47:18who enjoy outsized power
47:19thanks to the party's
47:20razor-thin congressional majority.
47:22Initially envisioned
47:23as a decadal project
47:24of national renewal
47:25that could build enthusiasm
47:26for the party
47:27and its ideas
47:28across partisan lines,
47:29the IRA,
47:30a much narrower law
47:30than its architects had hoped,
47:32was instead gutted
47:33without much fanfare
47:33less than three years
47:34after it passed.
47:36Many people I spoke to
47:37for this piece
47:37who played significant roles
47:38in the bill's creation
47:39thought it might prove
47:40more durable,
47:41not least because
47:42many of the provisions
47:42stood to benefit red states.
47:44While the IRA
47:45wasn't designed
47:45to funnel more money
47:46into Republican districts,
47:47nearly three-quarters
47:48of the investment
47:49spurred by the bill
47:50flowed to states
47:50that swung for Trump
47:51in 2024.
47:52As of May,
47:53$642 billion
47:54of the private sector
47:55clean energy investments
47:56announced since the IRA passed
47:58were in Republican-controlled
47:59congressional districts,
48:01compared to $187 billion
48:02of announced investments
48:03in Democrat-controlled districts.
48:05Reasonably enough,
48:06one White House deputy
48:06reported having been
48:07quote,
48:08very hopeful
48:08that because these
48:09clean energy investments
48:10were going to red places,
48:11that would create
48:12some bipartisan buy-in,
48:13unquote.
48:14A few Republicans
48:15resisted repealing it.
48:16However,
48:16just 18 Republican
48:17House members
48:18sent a gently worded letter
48:19to House Speaker Mike Johnson
48:20asking him to preserve
48:22some portions of the bill
48:23even as they supported
48:24axing others.
48:25Every signatory
48:26who was in Congress
48:27when the OBBB
48:27came up for a vote
48:28backed it.
48:29On one hand,
48:30the reasons this happened
48:32are simple.
48:33The GOP is dead set
48:34against anything
48:34it considers to be
48:35climate policy,
48:36but as Democrats
48:37grope around
48:37for a viable strategy
48:38to win back power,
48:39it's worth taking
48:40a closer look at
48:41why one of the
48:41Biden-year signature
48:42legislative achievements
48:43could be cut down
48:44so quickly
48:45and unceremoniously.
48:47Only 35%.
48:49And this
48:49gets into the problem
48:52with the Biden years.
48:54Listen carefully,
48:54everyone.
48:56Only 35% of voters
48:58surveyed by the Yale
48:59Program on Climate
49:00Change Communication
49:01last spring reported
49:02having heard
49:02quote,
49:03a lot or some
49:04about the
49:04Inflation Reduction Act.
49:06Even more remarkably,
49:07less than half
49:09of self-identified
49:10pro-climate voters
49:11either hadn't heard
49:12of the IRA
49:12or had only heard
49:13a little about it.
49:14For all the many
49:15successes of the IRA,
49:16$100 billion in grants,
49:17330,000 jobs,
49:19and $400 billion
49:20in private investment
49:21in nearly every state,
49:22the law and its supporters
49:23failed to make the case
49:24for its continued existence.
49:26How did the IRA happen?
49:27What did its architects
49:28hope it would accomplish?
49:29And what could a more
49:30successful governance agenda
49:31look like for a country
49:32plagued by climate change,
49:33inequality,
49:33and authoritarianism?
49:35Where, in other words,
49:35did we go wrong?
49:36And how do we find
49:37our way back?
49:40And that
49:41gets into
49:43various and sundry
49:45details that go
49:46all the way back
49:46to 2008,
49:47and I'm not going
49:48to focus on them
49:48right now
49:49because I want
49:50to jump over
49:50to the outcome
49:53of some of this,
49:54which is
49:55Trump has reduced
49:58the emission
49:59and cafe standards
50:00for cars.
50:00and the headline
50:04is a bit vapid.
50:06Trump returns
50:06to gasoline
50:07as fuel of choice
50:08for cars
50:08gutting Biden's
50:09climate policy.
50:10The president said
50:10he would weaken
50:11Biden-era mileage standards,
50:12which were designed
50:13to increase
50:13electric vehicle sales,
50:15calling them,
50:15quote,
50:15a scam.
50:17President Trump
50:17on Wednesday
50:18threw the weight
50:18of the federal government
50:19behind vehicles
50:19that burn gasoline
50:20rather than electric cars,
50:22cutting one of the country's
50:23most significant efforts
50:23to address climate change
50:25and thrusting
50:26the automobile industry
50:27into greater uncertainty.
50:28Flanked by executives
50:30from major automakers
50:31in the Oval Office,
50:31Mr. Trump said
50:32the Transportation Department
50:33would significantly
50:34weaken fuel efficiency
50:35requirements
50:35for tens of millions
50:36of new cars
50:37and light trucks.
50:38The administration
50:38claimed the changes
50:39would save Americans
50:40$109 billion
50:41over five years
50:42and shave $1,000
50:43off the average cost
50:44of a new car.
50:45The Biden administration's
50:46stricter efficiency standards
50:47were designed
50:48to get more Americans
50:49to go electric,
50:50but Mr. Trump said
50:51they forced automakers
50:51to build cars
50:52using expensive technologies
50:53that drove up costs,
50:55prove up prices,
50:55and made the car much worse.
50:57This is a green news scam
50:58and people were paying
50:58too much for a car
50:59that didn't work as well.
51:01For the past half century,
51:03the efficiency standards
51:04have compelled automakers
51:05to increase the distance
51:06their vehicles can travel
51:07on a gallon of gas,
51:08reducing fuel consumption
51:09leading to innovations
51:10like electric and hybrid cars.
51:11The announcement on Wednesday
51:12was the second part
51:14of a one-two punch
51:15against policies
51:16promoting electric cars,
51:17a central pillar
51:18that President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s
51:20strategy for fighting
51:20climate change.
51:21Transportation is the largest
51:22source of greenhouse gases
51:23in the United States
51:24and Mr. Biden
51:25adopted a carrot-and-stick
51:26approach
51:27to reducing his emissions.
51:28He offered tax credits
51:29to encourage motorists
51:30to buy electric cars
51:30while requiring
51:31that automakers
51:32meet stringent fuel efficiency
51:33standards to pressure them
51:34to sell more
51:35non-fluting models.
51:36Mr. Trump and the
51:37Republican-controlled Congress
51:38got rid of the tax credits
51:39earlier this year.
51:40They also eliminated fines
51:41for automakers
51:42who violate the fuel efficiency
51:43standards,
51:44and now the standards
51:44themselves will be watered down.
51:46While auto executives
51:47publicly praised the announcement,
51:48they have privately fretted
51:49their being buffeted
51:50by conflicting federal policies.
51:52During the Biden administration,
51:53they invested billions of dollars
51:54and reoriented their manufacturing
51:55to produce electric vehicles
51:57and batteries.
51:58Now, the Trump administration's
51:59tariffs on steel
51:59and imported car parts
52:00have lobbed billions of dollars
52:02from automakers' bottom lines
52:03while disrupting supply chains.
52:05Inflation has also made it difficult
52:06for many people
52:07to afford new cars.
52:08The plan announced on Wednesday
52:09would require automakers
52:10to achieve an average
52:12of 34.5 miles per gallon
52:13for cars and light trucks
52:14in the model year 2031,
52:16down from the standard
52:1750.4 miles per gallon
52:18set by the Biden administration.
52:20The Biden administration rule,
52:22finalized in June 2024,
52:24assumed that manufacturers
52:25would simply comply
52:26by increasing their sales
52:27of electric vehicles,
52:28which use no gasoline
52:29and would help boost
52:30the average fuel efficiency
52:31across their product lines.
52:32Biden administration officials
52:33estimated that the rule
52:34would lower fuel costs
52:35by $23 billion
52:36while preventing more than
52:37710 million metric tons
52:39of carbon dioxide
52:40from entering the atmosphere
52:41by 2050,
52:42the equivalent of taking
52:43165 million cars
52:44off the road for one year.
52:47Mr. Trump,
52:47who refers to climate change
52:48as a hoax,
52:49initially promised to repeal
52:50the rules and end
52:51what he falsely called
52:51an EV mandate.
52:53But on Wednesday,
52:53Mr. Trump said he was
52:54motivated to weaken the rules
52:55in order to lower prices
52:56of new cars.
52:57The cost of living
52:58has emerged as a major
52:59concern for voters
52:59and a political vulnerability
53:01for the president
53:01and his party.
53:03Quote,
53:03perhaps grudgingly,
53:03the president has
53:04increasingly realized
53:05that inflation,
53:05affordability,
53:06and the economy
53:06are real concerns
53:07across the partisan spectrum.
53:09Unquote.
53:09Said Barry Rabe,
53:11a professor emeritus
53:12at the University of Michigan.
53:14Left unsaid on Wednesday
53:15was the fact that
53:15analysts expect
53:17the president's tariffs
53:18on cars and car parts
53:19to increase the price
53:20of automobiles built abroad.
53:21The average price
53:22of a new car
53:23in the United States
53:23has now exceeded
53:24$50,000 for the first time,
53:26according to Kelly Blue Book,
53:27an automotive research company.
53:29It attributed the increase
53:30to tariffs as well as
53:30low loan rates
53:31and new electric vehicle sales.
53:33Mr. Trump has aggressively
53:34repealed dozens
53:35of federal climate protections.
53:36The rollback
53:36of automobile standards
53:37comes as the administration
53:38is also lifting restrictions
53:39on greenhouse gas emissions
53:40from power plants
53:41and oil and gas wells,
53:42while making it easier
53:43for fossil fuel companies
53:44to extract and burn
53:45more coal,
53:46oil, and gas,
53:47the main drivers
53:47of climate change.
53:51So,
53:52this is where we are.
53:55Mary Barra,
53:56the chief executive
53:56of General Motors,
53:57said on Wednesday
53:58her company would continue
53:59to seek significant improvement
54:00from a fuel economy perspective.
54:02Regardless of the federal rules,
54:03she said people should buy
54:04electric cars
54:05based on their merits,
54:06not because of government incentives.
54:07People choose an EV
54:08because it's a better performance vehicle
54:09and it fits their life,
54:10Mrs. Barra said
54:12at the New York Times
54:12deal book summit
54:13before the White House announcement.
54:16At the White House event,
54:17Jim Farley,
54:18the chief executive
54:18of Ford Motor,
54:19pointed out that his company
54:20was second in EV sales.
54:21We can make real progress
54:22on carbon emissions
54:23and energy efficiency
54:24while still giving customers
54:25choice in affordability.
54:27He said,
54:27Antonio Filoso,
54:28the chief executive
54:29of Stellantis,
54:29said the move would
54:30realign mileage standards
54:32with real-world market conditions.
54:33Well, Stellantis,
54:35be happy you can sell a car.
54:37Don't care about the standards.
54:38Be happy anyone is buying
54:40the terrible cars
54:41that you're building right now.
54:42Like, that's all.
54:44For more on shitty Dodge products,
54:47turn into the living joke
54:48on Wednesday.
54:49Like,
54:50but I thought this was an interesting,
54:54a lot of times,
54:57narratively speaking,
54:59and all this type of thing,
55:00a lot of people
55:01don't understand
55:03what the differences are
55:04between the parties.
55:06They don't understand
55:06how policies change
55:07and how these changes
55:09can affect your real life.
55:10And the reason why
55:11I want to talk about this
55:12is this is an example
55:13of exactly that happening
55:15and where,
55:17you know,
55:18things just don't go on.
55:19Who you vote for
55:20really matters.
55:21And this gets into
55:23that.
55:25And it also gets into,
55:26most importantly,
55:27all the ways
55:28in which Democrats
55:30fail
55:31over and over again
55:32to have a real conversation
55:34about their policies,
55:35a real conversation
55:36about what they're doing,
55:37announcing what's happening.
55:39And it happens.
55:40The Obamas were bad about it.
55:41Bill Clinton was not.
55:42The Obamas were bad about it.
55:44Biden was bad about it.
55:46People just don't know
55:48that a lot of this stuff
55:49is going on.
55:50But guess what?
55:51When people know,
55:52it gives them something
55:53to vote for.
55:54It gives them something
55:55to hang on to.
55:56And quite frankly,
55:57for those of us
55:58in the commentariat,
55:59it makes our job easier
56:00because we can talk about
56:01good things about you
56:02rather than just going on
56:04complaining about
56:05all the things you don't do
56:06and all the things
56:06that you do not talk about.
56:09So that's why
56:10I want to talk about that
56:10and also talking about
56:12the changes in car standards.
56:14These stories
56:15didn't necessarily have it,
56:17but there is a rumor
56:18that because of
56:19changing standards,
56:20small trucks,
56:22the K trucks from Japan
56:24that are very small,
56:25will start to be legal
56:26in the U.S.
56:28That's a rumor right now.
56:30That's kind of
56:30what's being talked about,
56:31that the lowering standards
56:33will allow those
56:34to be practical here.
56:35We'll wait
56:37and reserve judgment
56:38on that,
56:39but that is also
56:42another part
56:43of Trump changing
56:44the safety requirement,
56:46and it's mostly
56:46the safety requirements.
56:47The safety requirements
56:48and emission standards
56:49will supposedly allow
56:50small trucks
56:51to be sold here,
56:52it might allow
56:53the Toyota Hilux
56:54to finally come to America,
56:55and a bunch of other vehicles,
56:56maybe manufacturers,
56:57that are not sold
56:58in our markets
56:58because we have,
56:59quite frankly,
57:00the highest vehicle
57:01safety standards
57:02in the world,
57:02and we have usually
57:03the highest emission standards,
57:05except for maybe
57:06some of the EU standards.
57:08And so,
57:09this is the situation,
57:10but there's a lot of
57:11great and interesting cars
57:12that I think people
57:13would love and like
57:14that are not available
57:15in this market,
57:15and this may change that,
57:16and so people are excited
57:17about that.
57:21So, yeah.
57:23Anyway,
57:24it's 8.03.
57:24We're basically at the hour,
57:27and I'm not going to get
57:29into Trump's disastrous
57:30cabinet meeting,
57:31and we can save Tim Waltz
57:32and the Somalis
57:33for the newsletter
57:33because I already wrote
57:34about it on Saturday.
57:35So,
57:35if you want to find out
57:37how Tim Waltz
57:38has managed to lose
57:38$6.5 billion
57:39to Somali organizations,
57:42including some stuff
57:43that went to the
57:43Al-Shabaab Terrorist
57:44Organization,
57:45CameronJournal.substack.com,
57:46or head over to
57:47CameronJournal.com
57:48and click on
57:49This Week on the Cameron Journal,
57:50and you will find
57:51the newsletter
57:52from the weekend
57:53where I write all about that.
57:55So,
57:55I'll send you there for that.
57:57My name is Cameron Cowan.
57:58Thank you for listening
57:59or watching
58:00the Cameron Journal News Hour.
58:01I really appreciate it.
58:03Please find me online
58:04everywhere you can think of
58:05at Cameron Cowan
58:06on Instagram,
58:08Twitter,
58:09LinkedIn,
58:10at Cameron Journal
58:10on TikTok,
58:11Facebook.com
58:12slash Cameron L. Cowan.
58:13Just search my name.
58:14You'll find me.
58:15I'm the one with this face.
58:17And I look forward
58:18to seeing you
58:19next week
58:20for the Cameron Journal News Hour.
58:21I look forward
58:22to seeing you Wednesday
58:23for the Living Joke.
58:24And this week's interview,
58:26where is today's date?
58:27Today is the 8th.
58:29We have an interview
58:31yesterday from
58:32debut mystery author
58:33John David.
58:34Tomorrow we have
58:35an interview
58:35with Stan Lai,
58:37who's the most famous
58:38playwright in all of China.
58:39So you need to
58:40definitely watch that.
58:41And we also,
58:42on Friday,
58:42had an interview
58:43with Canadian author
58:45Cinda Galt
58:46about a historical fiction
58:49set in Western Canada,
58:50which may soon
58:52become part
58:53of the United States.
58:55We'll talk about
58:56that next week.
58:57My name is Cameron Cowan.
58:59This is the Cameron Journal News Hour.
59:01Have a wonderful evening.
59:02Good night.
59:02Good night.
59:17...
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