10 Minute Drill: Democrats Fail Charlie Kirk Test of Humanity; Gavin Newsom Plays Tough Guy; Kamala Book Starts War

Host: Matt Whitlock
Date: September 23, 2025

Episode Overview

Matt Whitlock delivers a fast-paced, pointed commentary on three major political stories:

• The response (or lack thereof) from Democrats to Charlie Kirk’s assassination and memorial.
• California Governor Gavin Newsom’s performative politics regarding ICE agents.
• Revelations from Kamala Harris’s forthcoming "burn book" memoir, and its implications for her public persona and the broader Democratic Party.

This episode dissects political rhetoric, highlights hypocrisy, and serves up behind-the-scenes anecdotes—all with a sharp conservative edge and wit.

1. Democrats’ Response to Charlie Kirk’s Assassination

Main Segment: 00:00–06:53

Memorial Coverage & Notable Voices

• Host highlights the scale and gravity of Charlie Kirk’s memorial:
  “Over 100,000 people gathered in Arizona to pay tribute… wall to wall media coverage.” (00:36)
• J.D. Vance:
  “He loved God, and because he loved God, he wanted to understand God’s creation… the men and women made in his image.” (00:47)
• President Donald Trump:
  “The assassin failed at his quest because Charlie’s message has not been silenced. It now is bigger and better and stronger than ever before.” (01:02)
• Erica Kirk, Charlie’s widow:
  “That man, that young man, I forgive him.” (01:06)

Criticism of Democrats’ Response

• Host claims many Democrats used the occasion to criticize Kirk rather than condemn his murder, describing this as a failure of basic human decency—what he calls, “the Charlie Kirk test.”
• House vote: 58 Democrats voted against a resolution condemning the assassination.

Direct Quotes from Critics

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:
  “His rhetoric and beliefs were ignorant, uneducated.” (02:06)
  Host adds: “And sought to disenfranchise millions of Americans.” (02:11)

• Rainn Wilson (‘Dwight Schrute’):
  “Spoke to a couple of liberal friends… they were like, ‘you won’t find me shedding any tears’… Kind of a good riddance thing.” (02:49)

• Rep. Ilhan Omar:
  “Not wanting to honor any legacy this man has left behind… That should be in the dustbin of history.” (03:06)

• Rep. Jasmine Crockett:
  “If there was any way that I was going to honor somebody who decided that they were just going to negatively talk about me and proclaim that I was somehow involved in the great white replacement, yeah, I’m not honoring that kind of stuff.” (03:19)

Analysis and Criticism

• Host draws a stark line:
  “If your first reaction is to criticize the victim… you are justifying political violence.” (02:32)
• Host critiques moderate Democrat Mikie Sherrill for, “insane” claims regarding Kirk’s political agenda and linking her language directly to that used in the assassination:
  “That is the exact kind of language that was used by this shooter and inscribed on the bullets.” (04:20)
• Host’s central point:
  “Nobody is asking these Democrats to praise Charlie… You always have the option of just shutting up. And they cannot do that.” (04:30)

2. Mikie Sherrill and the New Jersey Energy Debate

Main Segment: 04:48–06:53

• Rep. Mikie Sherrill: Attempts to shift blame for spiking New Jersey energy costs:
  “Whether it’s President Trump rolling back some of the initiatives on Solar or adding $250 per family to your energy bill, everybody at the table is at fault… that is why I’m freezing rate hikes on the ratepayer.” (04:48)
• Host calls this “Democrat math,” blaming Democrats’ decarbonization policies for driving utility bills higher.
• Bethany Mandel’s op-ed is cited:
  “They took generation off before they brought generation on… shutdown of coal powered plants… higher prices [are] the result of a loss in electricity supply caused primarily by decarbonization policies.” (05:25)
• Host: “Democrats have attacked every reliable source of power generation and then… tried to blame everybody else in the world for those rising costs.” (06:15)

3. House Funding and the ‘Shutdown Blame Game’

Main Segment: 06:53–08:49

• House passes a “clean continuing resolution” to fund the government:
  Vote: “The A’s are 217… The nays are 212… The bill is passed.” (06:53–06:58)

• Host: Democrats “are making a crazy list of ransom demands” for government funding, asserting this is driven by far-left pressure.

• Speaker Mike Johnson:
  “Chuck Schumer saw that he returned a counteroffer that is filled with partisan wish list and poison pills and demands.” (07:24)

• Politico is cited to underscore the shutdown narrative:
  On one side: a minority using leverage; on the other: majority resists negotiation.

• Host mocks blame-shifting:
  “Democrats said just last week, we are shutting down the government and we’re happy about it. And then now just a few days later [they are] saying Donald Trump is shutting down the government…” (08:19)

• Harry Nothing:
  “At this particular point, the Democrats are the New Orleans Saints of political parties.” (08:49)

4. Gavin Newsom’s ‘ICE Unmask’ Stunt

Main Segment: 08:55–10:25

• Newsom tweets: “Kristi Noem is going to have a bad day today. You’re welcome, America.” (08:55)
  Host suggests this was an empty, cryptic threat unrelated to any real policy.

• Newsom holds a ceremony to sign a bill forcing ICE agents to unmask:
  Newsom: “I’ll be signing a bill, the first in the nation, saying, enough ICE unmask. What are you afraid of?” (09:21)

• Host contends ICE agents face real threats:
  “Assaults… up 1,000%, largely due to the insane rhetoric of lawmakers like Gavin Newsom… massive risk of being doxed.” (09:28)

• US Attorney Bill Asali:
  “Is this even enforceable? No, and I want to be very clear about that. The state of California has no jurisdiction over the federal government. If Gavin Newsom wants to regulate federal agents, he’s got to win a federal election.” (10:13)

• Host lampoons Newsom’s “make believe” politics:
  “Just as Gavin Newsom’s all powerful bill to stop ice isn’t real, my son isn’t actually Donkey Kong.” (10:25)

5. Kamala Harris Burn Book—A Window Into Chaos

Main Segment: 10:30–End

• Kamala Harris’s upcoming memoir, previewed to journalists, has backfired:
  “It’s actually caused a second civil war in the Democrat Party.” (10:30)

Notable Anecdotes

• VP Selection:
  “Kamala Harris thought that Pete Buttigieg was too gay to be on a presidential ticket with her, so she picked Tim Walz.” (10:39)

• Election Night Cupcakes:
  “Harris social secretary peeled icing that read Madam President off the cupcakes that had been ordered… and sent them out to the campaign staffers along with wine.” (10:54)

  • Host: “I want to hear from the poor staffer that had to peel the icing off.” (11:14)

• Podcast Flub:
  “Kamala Harris went on a softball podcast… Dr. Mike asked, ‘Are you getting your seven to nine hours of sleep these days?’… Her staff likely thought this was going to be a very easy interview. Enter Kamala.” (11:32)

  • Harris (quoting the book): “What the f---, I said, my voice reaching a crescendo… that was a rhetorical question.” (12:02)
  • New running joke among staffers: ‘That was a rhetorical question.’ (12:19)

Host’s Take

• “It’s part Burn book, it’s part Kamala posting her Ls, but it also is a valuable window into all the things that we already knew.” (12:28)
• “She got flummoxed in a softball interview with a children’s doctor… flummoxed her with a question about if she’s getting enough sleep at night.” (12:53)

Notable Quotes and Moments

• “If your first reaction is to criticize the victim…you are justifying political violence.”
  Host, 02:32

• “You always have the option of just shutting up. And they cannot do that.”
  Host, 04:30

• “Democrats have attacked every reliable source of power generation and then…tried to blame everybody else in the world for those rising costs.”
  Host, 06:15

• “At this particular point, the Democrats are the New Orleans Saints of political parties.”
  Harry Nothing, 08:49

• “If Gavin Newsom wants to regulate federal agents, he’s got to win a federal election.”
  US Attorney Bill Asali, 10:13

Episode Flow & Tone

• Language: Direct, critical, laced with sarcasm and dark humor.
• Tone: Conservative, irreverent, unapologetically partisan.
• Pacing: Rapid-fire, minimal pivot time between topics, but with pointed segues.

Suggested Listening Points

• Charlie Kirk Memorial & Democrats’ Response: 00:36–04:30
• NJ Energy Debate & Blame-Shifting: 04:48–06:53
• House Funding & Shutdown Rhetoric: 06:53–08:49
• Gavin Newsom’s ICE Bill & “Make-Believe” Politics: 08:55–10:25
• Kamala Harris Book Revelations (Major Anecdotes): 10:30–12:53

Summary:
Matt Whitlock weaves together sharp critiques of Democratic leaders’ rhetoric and actions, laying bare political hypocrisy, especially in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination and memorial. He lampoons performative politics from California’s governor, and revels in behind-the-scenes stories from Kamala Harris’s upcoming book, arguing it exposes the flaws and fractures within the party. Each segment brims with memorable jabs, quotable moments, and the host’s conservative worldview—making this episode emblematic of the “10 Minute Drill” approach: brisk, barbed, and highly opinionated.