Can bruised Dems stop the Big Beautiful Bill? Dems try to find their Joe Rogan and also want you to eat bugs. - 10 Minute Drill

Summary5 min read

10 Minute Drill: Episode Summary Release Date: May 22, 2025 | Host: Matt Whitlock

1. Introduction In this episode of 10 Minute Drill, host Matt Whitlock delves into the pressing political battles shaping the current landscape. From the Republican push for the "Big Beautiful Bill" to Democratic strategies and California's unconventional moves towards alternative proteins, Whitlock provides a comprehensive analysis of today's most significant news stories.

2. President Trump's Rising Approval Ratings Matt Whitlock opens the discussion by highlighting a surprising trend: despite prevailing negative media coverage and criticism from the left, former President Donald Trump's approval ratings have been on the rise in recent weeks.

CNN Clip Insight [00:34]:

B: "Donald Trump's approval rating. His net approval seemed to be falling... he is rising from the dead."
(00:48)

The latest Reuters Ipsos poll indicates that Trump's approval among voters has increased by seven points since late April, reversing an eight-point decline.

Implications: This uptick in approval bolsters Trump's influence as he collaborates with Republicans to advance the "Big Beautiful Bill" in Capitol Hill.

3. The Big Beautiful Bill and Its Popular Components The "Big Beautiful Bill" garners substantial support due to its inclusion of widely favored measures, particularly the extension of middle-class tax cuts.

Tax Cuts Details [01:30]:
- Admin's Proposition: "It'll cut taxes for people making between $30,000 and $80,000 by 15%."
- Economic Impact: Wages could rise by $6,100 to $11,600 per worker, with typical families seeing up to $13,000 more in take-home pay.
- Service Workers Benefits: Tips and overtime for service and hourly workers, such as police officers and first responders, will no longer be taxed.

Public Support: A CNN report highlights that "60% overall say cut those taxes, baby." (01:37)

4. Democrats' Messaging Challenges and CBO's Report Democrats face hurdles in opposing the bill, largely due to its popular elements. A new memo from House Majority PAC advises Democrats to refrain from labeling the bill as "tax cuts for the rich" and to avoid hyperbolic language. This strategy arises in response to a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report claiming the bill benefits the top 10% while disadvantaging the bottom 10%.

Whitlock's Analysis: The CBO's credibility is questioned, recalling inaccuracies in past reports, such as the prediction that 13 million would lose health insurance due to the end of the individual mandate—a projection that proved unfounded. Moreover, the current CBO report does not differentiate among the bottom 10%, omitting those ineligible for program benefits cuts.

Focus on Program Reforms: The proposed reforms target Medicaid and SNAP (food stamps), aiming to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse by removing benefits from those ineligible, such as illegal immigrants and able-bodied individuals undeserving of assistance.

Trump's Strategy: President Trump emphasizes cutting fraud, waste, and abuse—a message with broad appeal. Republicans are poised to leverage this to challenge Democrats effectively.

5. Supreme Court Orders Reinstatement of Laurel Libby's Voting Rights A significant judicial decision saw the Supreme Court mandating the Maine legislature to restore Representative Laurel Libby's voting rights. Libby and her constituency were previously censured, stripping them of representation after Libby disclosed that a biological male had won a girls' high school track championship.

Whitlock's Commentary: This censure deprived Libby and her district of voting on critical issues, including Maine's policies on transgender athletes—ironically the very issue that led to her censure. The Supreme Court's intervention addresses the problematic precedent of silencing legislators based on their viewpoints.

6. Federal Charges Against Representative Lamonica McIver Federal authorities have moved to charge New Jersey Representative Lamonica McIver following a video showing her assaulting federal agents at an ICE facility. McIver was attempting to obstruct the deportation of individuals deemed dangerous or illegal.

Representative McIver's Defense [05:35]:

B: "This is political intimidation from the Trump administration... me being charged is absurd, you know, especially when I'm just there to do my job."
(05:35)
Whitlock's Input: McIver contends that her actions were a legitimate attempt to impede ICE's operations, aligning with her constituents' interests. Meanwhile, new polling underscores that deporting illegal immigrants remains a highly popular stance among Trump's base.

7. Democrats' Search for a 'Liberal Joe Rogan' In a bid to rejuvenate their image and appeal to a broader audience, Democrats are reportedly searching for a "liberal Joe Rogan." According to the New York Times, internal efforts include pitch decks, investor meetings, and a spreadsheet cataloging 26 different influencer proposals.

Whitlock's Observation: This strategy reflects Democrats' ongoing struggle to repair their brand and navigate low approval ratings without substantive policy shifts. The effectiveness of such influencer-driven campaigns remains to be seen.

8. California Democrats' Internal Conflicts and 'Original Sin' Revelations Tensions rise within California's Democratic ranks as former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villarrigosa criticizes high-profile officials like Javier Becerra and Vice President Kamala Harris. The criticism centers on a lack of transparency and accountability, as detailed in revelations from the book Original Sin.

Key Revelations:
- Kamala Harris' Role: Minimal mention in Original Sin, except when defending President Biden, portraying her as less informed.
- Javier Becerra's Oversight: Notably confused by President Biden with DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, highlighting communication gaps.
- Ron Klain's Influence: Depicted as the de facto decision-maker in Biden's administration, with President Biden acting as a figurehead.

Implications: These internal disputes and revelations could impact the prospects of individuals like Harris and Becerra if they pursue gubernatorial ambitions, as suggested by discussions in the episode.

9. California's Select Committee on Alternative Protein Innovation Highlighting California's forward-thinking approach, the state has established the Select Committee on Alternative Protein Innovation, colloquially dubbed the "Select Committee on Eating Bugs."

Whitlock's Explanation: Climate activists have long targeted traditional farming and protein sources for their carbon footprint. California's committee, with a $5 million investment since 2022, explores alternatives ranging from plant-based proteins to insect consumption.
University of California's Perspective: Advocates for alternative proteins assert environmental benefits and sustainability. However, the emphasis on entomophagy (eating insects) has sparked debate about consumer acceptance and dietary shifts.

Conclusion Matt Whitlock wraps up the episode by reaffirming the interconnectedness of these political developments and their implications for the future. From legislative battles and shifting approval ratings to internal party strategies and innovative environmental policies, 10 Minute Drill offers listeners a succinct yet comprehensive overview of the day's most impactful stories.

Notable Quotes Recap:

B: "Donald Trump's approval rating... he is rising from the dead." (00:48)
B: "This is political intimidation from the Trump administration..." (05:35)

Stay Informed: For those who missed this episode, 10 Minute Drill ensures you're up-to-date with the latest in news and politics, delivered in a fun, fast, and light format every Tuesday and Thursday.

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Transcript11 lines

[00:00]
A
Republicans are pressing forward with the big beautiful bill. What's holding things up? What comes next? Democrats are looking for their own Joe Rogan. And are Californians about to force people to eat bugs? All of that and so much more today on 10 Minute Drill.
[00:15]
B
Everybody get up. Get up.
[00:19]
A
The story of America is the story of an adventure.
[00:23]
B
I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. We are a nation under God, and I believe God intended for us to be free.
[00:35]
A
On Tuesday, we talked about the interesting trend with President Trump's approval rating that despite a lot of doom and gloom, media coverage and attacks from the left, his approval rating has actually been on the rise the last few weeks. Here's a quick clip from CNN talking about this.
[00:48]
B
Donald Trump's approval rating. His net approval seemed to be falling. He seemed to be, adios, amigos, people were writing his political obituary. He is rising from the dead. Look at this. Hello. Trump's net approval rating among voters. This is the Reuters Ipsos polling. Look at this. In late April, he was eight points underwater, but look at where he was in the most recent poll among voters, he's up seven points.
[01:08]
A
That approval rating rise is particularly helpful for President Trump as he takes the fight over the big beautiful bill to Capitol Hill to try and work with Republicans to move this forward. What helps President Trump and Republicans the most is the fact that many of the components of this bill are overwhelmingly popular. Here's CNN talking about the popularity and support for extending those middle class tax cuts.
[01:30]
B
Cut taxes even if the deficit increases. Look at this. 60% overall say cut those taxes, baby.
[01:37]
A
Here's how the administration is describing this. It'll cut taxes for people making between $30,000 and $80,000 by 15%. Wages will increase by $6,100 and $11,600 per worker. The typical family will see up to $13,000 more in take home pay tips will no longer be taxed for service workers. Overtime will no longer be taxed for hourly workers such as police officers and first responders. Meanwhile, Democrats are seeing their own messaging challenges against the popular components of this bill. A new memo from House Majority pac, the group supporting House Democrat campaign efforts, is calling on Democrats to stop using phrases like tax cuts for the rich or and also to stop using hyperbolic language. This comes as CBO released a new report saying that this bill will help the top 10% while it hurts the bottom 10% of Americans. However, one this is the same CBO that argued 13 million people would lose their health insurance when Republicans ended the individual mandate. Which turned out not to be true. It also argued that the Inflation Reduction act would actually reduce deficits. It did not. It ballooned deficits. So CBO has a little bit of a credibility problem. But the other thing here is CBO has not parsed out among that bottom 10% of people who are gonna lose benefits, who is ineligible for for losing those benefits. Because the focus of the reforms to these programs, particularly Medicaid and food stamps and snap, those cuts are coming to people who should not be on those programs. We're gonna talk a lot more about that next week. But just to reiterate, we've talked a lot here about Medicaid and the incredibly popular work requirements that will help Medicaid extend for a long time by getting people off of it who should not be on it, who should not be getting those benefits. SNAP has that same issue on food stamps. Like Medicaid. SNAP has a major issue with overpayments and benefits going to illegal immigrants and able bodied people who should not be on these programs. So again, we'll get into more of that next week because that seems to be where Democrats are focusing a lot of their fire, arguing that Republicans are cutting benefits for the poorest Americans who need them, when in fact those cuts are primarily focused on people who should not be on those programs in the first place. President Trump ran on being a change agent who would cut fraud, waste and abuse. Cutting fraud, waste and abuse is incredibly popular. And so Republican Republicans will now go on offense on this message, really putting Democrats in a tough position for fighting against reforms that will help SNAP and Medicaid serve the people who actually need them. On Tuesday, the United States Supreme Court ordered the Maine legislature to reinstate Representative Laurel Libby's voting rights after they previously censured her and took away both her and her constituents representation in the legislature after she revealed that a biological male had won a girls high school school track championship. This decision came after an emergency application from Libby and her constituents which read Libby and her district, had no vote on the state's $11 billion budget, had no vote on a proposed constitutional amendment, and will have no vote on hundreds more proposed laws, including most ironically, whether Maine should change its current policy of requiring girls to compete alongside transgender athletes. So again, Maine Democrats took away Laurel Libby's right to vote and took away her constituents representation on the legislature, which as this complain notes, ironically took away her ability to vote on the very issue that she had highlighted in the first place. And if a state legislature can silence somebody based on their views on an issue and take away their vote on that particular issue. That is a major problem that the Supreme Court has now remedied. Federal authorities have announced that they are bringing charges against New Jersey representative Lamonica McIver, who We now have talked about quite a bit here, was caught on video assaulting and bowling over federal agents at an ICE facility. They were trying to stop and deport dangerous criminal illegal immigrants. Democrats are already fundraising off of McIver's actions and she's defended herself on TV.
[05:35]
B
This is political intimidation from the Trump administration. I mean, me being charged is absurd, you know, especially when I'm just there to do my job.
[05:43]
A
Apparently, Rhett McIver believes that her job is to physically impede the ability of ICE agents to deport illegal immigrants. This comes at the same time as new polling once again reiterates that deporting illegal immigrants is one of the most popular things President Trump is doing. The New York Times reported this week that Democrats are on a frantic search to find the, quote, liberal Joe Rogan Democrat. Mega donors are debating plans to spend millions of dollars on a range of influencer plans to find the liberal Joe Rogan. New York Times has pitch decks, investor meetings and more internal documents. One Democrat has a spreadsheet of 26 different proposals. This has been a common theme since the November election for Democrats. How to fix their damaged brand and their incredibly low approval ratings without making any actual changes to their policies or ideas. We'll see how that goes for them. According to Politico, knives are out for the California Democrats who came from the Biden administration. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villarrigosa took Javier Becerra and Kamala Harris to task. Voters deserve to know the truth. What did Kamala Harris and Javier Becerra know? When did they know it? And most importantly, why didn't either of them speak out? This cover up directly led to a second Donald Trump term and as a result, all Californians are paying the price. This came after new revelations from the book Original Sin, which has been making news all across the country. I'd note that Villaraigosa and Kamala Harris and Javier Becerra have all discussed potentially running for governor. A couple quick notes on this that are interesting. Kamala Harris is not really pictured throughout this book, apart from when she comes out to forcefully defend Joe Biden and some of his mistakes, which then later made Kamala Harris look very bad because she didn't have the full story. Most embarrassing for Javier Becerra, his only mention in the book comes when President Biden mistook him for DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, which again highlights the fact that President Biden likely wasn't having a lot of communication with his HHS secretary. Another particularly notable revelation from Original Sin had to do with Biden's first chief of staff, Ron Klain. Ron Klain got a lot of attention early in the Biden presidency for being referred to as the Prime Minister because like the uk, like Russia, a lot of other countries, sometimes there's power sharing agreements where you have a figurehead with no power who does nothing and a prime Minister who is all powerful and makes all the decisions. That was the exact dynamic in the Biden White House where Prime Minister Ron Klain was making all the decisions and President Biden was acting as a figurehead. What Original Sin found is that Biden staffers also preferred to Ron Klain as Prime minister. This week, California launched a Select Committee on Alternative Protein Innovation, or as some have called it, a Select Committee on Eating Bugs. We've known for years that climate activists were targeting farming and traditional protein as a source of carbon emissions that they needed to get rid of. You'll remember the original Green New Deal targeted cow flatulence for the methane emissions and what it would do to the climate. California appears to be following the lead on that full speed ahead by investing $5 million in alternative protein research back in 2022, which can mean a number of things, plant based proteins, all sorts of goo and things like that. But it also means eating bugs. As the University of California talked about why you should consider eating bugs. They are a recipient of that $5 million from the California Legislature. That is all the time we have for today. Thank you so much for joining us. Please have a great Memorial Day weekend. Like subscribe Tell your friends. Thanks very much.