Gavin vs. Gavin; Dems rage against shutdown end; Scandal rocks Democrat rising star

Summary

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10 Minute Drill – Episode Summary

Podcast: 10 Minute Drill
Host: Matt Whitlock
Episode: Gavin vs. Gavin; Dems rage against shutdown end; Scandal rocks Democrat rising star
Date: November 13, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode delivers a brisk, pointed rundown of the latest turbulence in Democratic politics following the end of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Host Matt Whitlock dives into the internal party meltdown over reopening the government, exposes the shifting personas of California Governor Gavin Newsom, and unpacks a brewing scandal around rising Democratic star Jasmine Crockett’s campaign spending. Whitlock’s commentary is unfiltered, occasionally cheeky, and rooted in his insider political background.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Democrats in Disarray over Shutdown’s End

• Background: The House votes to end a record federal shutdown, but the fallout fractures Democrats, who had long blamed the GOP.
• Audio Clip: Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin [00:54] acknowledges the shutdown hurt constituents and admits dissatisfaction with political brinkmanship:

  “Cannot accept a strategy which wages political battle at the expense of my neighbor's paycheck or the food for his children.” – Dick Durbin

• Whitlock’s Take:
  • Democratic Ownership: Whitlock stresses that Durbin’s admission undercuts Democrats’ “Republican shutdown” narrative, essentially taking ownership of the crisis.
  • Senate Divisions: Only 8 Democrats voted to reopen, though others privately wanted the shutdown to end but balked at risking re-election (“many more who wanted it to end” [02:07]).
• Partisan Rhetoric:
  • Ron Wyden, normally seen as bipartisan, released an incendiary tweet (paraphrased):

    "Republicans have destroyed health care... people will die... priorities begin and end with helping billionaires." [02:30]

  • Whitlock accuses Wyden of hypocrisy, noting Wyden helped craft the very health-care system he now attacks, and suggesting this rhetoric destroys prospects for future bipartisanship.
• Activist Backlash:
  • Indivisible: The liberal group targets Democrats like Chuck Schumer for voting to reopen, backed by controversial foreign donors, according to Whitlock [04:36].
  • Whitlock:

    “They are taking foreign billionaire money to attack the Democrats that reopened the federal government so that needy people in America could get their food stamps.”

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2. Big Banks, Trump, and Regulatory Clashes

• Banking Investigation:
  • Florida Attorney General James Uthmeyer investigates JPMorgan Chase for allegedly providing confidential Trump Media data to federal authorities and “debanking” Trump’s family—including Barron Trump ([05:33]).

    “If there indeed was intentionality there and effort to tank the stock, we could be talking about serious implications.” – James Uthmeyer [05:52]

• White House & Wall Street:
  • Major bank CEOs, including Jamie Dimon, attended a White House dinner ([04:29]).
  • Activist campaigns like Save Our States argue against giving banks more control via CFPB regulations ([06:40]), with Whitlock summarizing:

    “Should the future of American banking belong to ordinary Americans or corporate elites?”

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3. Teachers Unions and Political Agendas

• Parents Coalition Warning:
  • Conservative parental rights groups warn the NEA and AFT are advancing far-left political causes over educational basics ([07:32]), including:
    • Emphasis on DEI
    • Pronouns/preferred names
    • Slavery reparations
    • Downplaying Holocaust specifics
• Whitlock’s Critique:
  • Asserts unions and activists drive Democrat politics but fail to improve educational outcomes.

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4. Which Gavin Will You Get Today? – Newsom’s Shifting Persona

New recurring segment introduced.

• The “Latinx” Flip-Flop:

  • Newsom mocks Democrats' use of 'Latinx' on the right-wing Charlie Kirk podcast:

    "Not one person ever in my office has ever used the word Latinx." – Gavin Newsom [09:35]

  • Montage follows of Newsom repeatedly using 'Latinx' in official statements ([09:43]).

• Climate Activist vs. Energy Realist:

  • Newsom has recently toggled between supporting fossil fuels (due to skyrocketing gas prices) and adopting the “climate hero” role ([10:00], [10:54]).

    “And to stand up to this bully. He's an invasive species.” – Gavin Newsom on Trump [10:54]

  • Attributes wildfires to climate change in Brazil speech:

    “You saw one of the most devastating wildfires in American history in the middle of winter in Los Angeles in January. Hundred mile hour winds attached to fire.” – Gavin Newsom [11:08]

  • Whitlock rebuts, citing leadership failures such as uncleared brush and empty hydrants [11:22].
  • Newsom frames climate as a “cost of living issue” ([11:50]):

    “It's a cost of living issue. Ask anyone in... California.” – Gavin Newsom [11:50]

  • Whitlock’s punchline: “The fight against climate change from the left is a cost of living issue, but not in the way that Gavin thinks…”

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5. Jasmine Crockett Scandal – Lavish Spending & Hypocrisy

• Fox News Report:
  • Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), recently celebrated by the left, allegedly spent $25,748 on luxury hotels and limousine services since January, including the Ritz Carlton and high-end resorts across the country ([12:10]).
  • Nearly $50,000 was spent in 2025 on private security, despite Crockett’s support for “defunding police.”
• Whitlock’s Takedown:
  • Accuses Crockett of “lov[ing] the lavish 1% lifestyle while pretending to be a working class hero.”
  • Mocking reference to viral incident:

    “Can you confirm that I just kissed your sneakers? This is sneaker. That's a pretty weird thing… we’ll have to talk about another day.” [13:30]

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Dick Durbin’s Concession:

  “Cannot accept a strategy which wages political battle at the expense of my neighbor's paycheck or the food for his children.” – Dick Durbin [00:54]

• Sheldon Whitehouse on Dem Divisions:

  “He also had a bigger number of senators to deal with than eight… another five or six… waiting in the wings.” – Sheldon Whitehouse [01:56]

• Ron Wyden’s Rhetoric:

  “Republicans have destroyed health care in our country. Millions will go without care and people will die. Yet again, Republicans have shown their priorities begin and end with helping billionaires.” (paraphrased) – Ron Wyden, as cited by Matt Whitlock [02:30]

• James Uthmeyer on JPMorgan & Trump Media:

  “If there indeed was intentionality there and effort to tank the stock, we could be talking about serious implications.” – James Uthmeyer [05:52]

• Gavin Newsom’s ‘Latinx’ Pivot:

  “Not one person ever in my office has ever used the word Latinx.” – Gavin Newsom [09:35] “Latinx of how impactful this has been…” – Gavin Newsom [09:43]

• Gavin Newsom on Trump:

  “And to stand up to this bully. He’s an invasive species. He’s a wrecking ball president.” – Gavin Newsom [10:54-11:03]

• On Pacific Wildfires:

  “You saw one of the most devastating wildfires in American history in the middle of winter in Los Angeles in January. Hundred mile hour winds attached to fire.” – Gavin Newsom [11:08]

• Jasmine Crockett Scandal:

  “Loves the lavish 1% lifestyle while pretending to be a working class hero to her Dallas constituents.” – Matt Whitlock [13:10]

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Segment Timestamps

• Opening & Main Theme – [00:00-00:34]
• Shutdown Fallout & Democratic Infighting – [00:34-05:01]
• Big Banks, Trump, and Regulation – [05:01-07:15]
• Teachers’ Unions and Politics – [07:15-09:35]
• Which Gavin Are We Getting Today? – [09:35-12:00]
• Jasmine Crockett Scandal – [12:00-13:40]

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Tone & Style

Matt Whitlock delivers a concise, punchy, and often sarcastic monologue, calling out perceived hypocrisy in Democratic politics, spotlighting intra-party drama, and skewering political rivals with humor and bluntness. The mood stays upbeat and irreverent, in line with the show's “fun, fast, and light” promise—even as it covers serious themes.

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Conclusion

This episode of 10 Minute Drill offers a rapid-fire, sharply opinionated tour through Democratic turmoil after the shutdown, the shape-shifting of Governor Gavin Newsom, and the embarrassment of Jasmine Crockett’s spending scandal. Whitlock’s unapologetic conservatism and inside-baseball anecdotes make it clear: the drama in American politics is as much about personalities and narratives as it is about policy.

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Transcript

[Host]

The end of the government shutdown has Democrats in some major disarray. We're going to talk about a major scandal around Jasmine Crockett and a new segment called which Gavin are you going to get today? All that and so much more today on 10 Minute Drill. Everybody get up. Get up. The story of America is the story of an adventure. I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you.

[Gavin Newsom]

We are a nation under God, and I believe God intended for us to be free.

[Host]

Last night, the House of Representatives voted to reopen the federal government, ending the longest shutdown in American history. A completely unnecessary shutdown that has led the Democrats to new levels of disarray. First, here is number two in the United States Senate, Dick Durbin, explaining why he voted to end the shutdown but.

[Dick Durbin]

Cannot accept a strategy which wages political battle at the expense of my neighbor's paycheck or the food for his children.

[Host]

So two important things there. First, this is the number two Senate Democrat, the whip for the minority, acknowledging what we knew all along, which is that Democrats had actively shut the government down. They've spent all 40 plus days of this saying this is Republican shutdown. Republicans shut this down. What does it say when the number two Senate Democrat acknowledges this was us? And the other thing that he says there is, he acknowledges the fact that their strategy was hurting people in need. It was hurting people who rely on food stamps, things like that. Again, this is what Democrats have been trying to blame shift very bizarrely for the entire shutdown. Number two Senate Democrat just basically took ownership over the entire thing. But another dynamic here is there's been a lot of attention on the eight Senate Democrats who voted to reopen the federal government. Sheldon Whitehouse acknowledged on MSNBC that there were more than just the eight who voted to reopen the federal government, who, who wanted the shutdown to end.

[Sheldon Whitehouse]

He also had a bigger number of senators to deal with than eight. Tim Kaine has said publicly that there were another five or six that were waiting in the wings and that were encouraging them.

[Host]

So again, to Whitehouse's point, there were far more than eight Democrats in the Senate who wanted to reopen the federal government, but only eight were willing to put their name on it because they're not up for reelection anytime soon and they were willing to take on their own party, but there were many more who wanted it to end. However, some Democrats are maintaining the bit and using language that I think will make it very difficult for them to work with Republicans in the future. Take for example, Ron Wyden. He is the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee that oversees most healthcare policy in America. He tweeted, Republicans have destroyed health care in our country. Millions will go without care and people will die. Yet again, Republicans have shown their priorities begin and end with helping billionaires. Americans won't forget it next time they go to the polls. This bothers me personally because Ron Wyden was the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee when I worked for Orrin Hatch, who was chairman of that committee. And he always preached about collegiality and working together in bipartisan ways. Now he's saying that people are going to die and he's saying Republicans destroyed our healthcare system when every healthcare bill that set up this current failing system has his name on it, has Ron Wyden's name on it. So if I'm a Republican, I don't know why I would ever want to work with Ron Wyden again after this kind of message. But the last point I would make on that, he's talking about Republicans only wanting to help billionaires. It's so important to remember that Ron Wyden and the Democrats shut down the government, cutting off food stamps for needy families to help people get health care tax credits who are making more than 400% of the poverty line. They are helping wealthy people get taxpayer funded subsidies. But let's go to John Fetterman on the View. Half a million Pennsylvanians that you represent, their health care costs will skyrocket.

[James Uthmeyer]

If you are wrong, and I believe.

[Dick Durbin]

You are wrong, I promise you this isn't a political game. It is viewed by that, by many of us. But the reality is 42 million Americans now not sure where their next meal's gonna come from. And because we vote like that.

[Host]

So again, as you listen to Sonny there, Sonny makes millions of dollars a year on tv. She is arguing that Democrats should have kept the government shut down. Keeping food stamps from low income people, keeping military families from their paychecks because she wants rich people to get subsidies for their health care. I think that is freaking crazy, but that is where we are right now. And with that, the group behind the no Kings protests, Indivisible, is now out leading the call for primaries against Democrats who voted to reopen the federal government. They're also taking particular, particular aim at Chuck Schumer. I would note that as we've talked about here, Indivisible, the far left dark money group, takes money from foreign oligarchs like Hans Jorge Wies, the Swiss pervert, or people like George Soros. They are Taking foreign billionaire money to attack the Democrats that reopened the federal government so that needy people in America could get their food stamps. One thing we've talked about here on 10 Minute Drill is the power of a few left wing aligned big banks like JP Morgan Chase, bank of America and others. Last night the White House hosted JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and several other bank leaders for a dinner. With that dinner as a backdrop, earlier this week, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeyer announced an investigation into JPMorgan Chase for their debanking of President Trump and his family.

[James Uthmeyer]

We're aware that JP Morgan bank solicited tons of information from Trump Media unrelated to their business practices and we believe provided sensitive banking information to the Department of Justice. So if there indeed was intentionality there and effort to tank the stock, we could be talking about serious implications.

[Host]

So the Florida Attorney General is making some very serious claims there specifically against JPMorgan Chase and the fact that they may have intended to tank the stock of the Trump Media Group pretty soon before going public. But he also talked in the interviews about this investigation, about the debanking of the Trump family, where JPMorgan Chase went even further than they were pressed by federal prosecutors and even debanked poor Baron Trump, which is fairly outrageous. At the same time this is going on, these banks are lobbying the Trump administration to give them more control over everyone's day to day financial usage of tools like Venmo, PayPal, any crypto platform through the CFPB. As these CEOs were at the White House, a group called Save Our States ran a campaign warning the White House not to cozy up too much with these banks because of their nefarious intentions. Don't let big banks charge a toll on our data. Big banks want to crush Trump's innovation agenda. Save Our State's founder Trent England wrote in Breitbart. As the Trump administration reviews financial regulations, it faces a simple question. Should the future of American banking belong to ordinary Americans or corporate elites? Rule 1033 is about freedom, competition and the right of every American to control his or her own financial destiny. So as Save Our States and a number of other groups have highlighted, the dichotomy here is very, very important. Open banking is about letting people use whatever kind of tools, apps and things they like, versus letting Jamie Dimon, who was willing to debank Baron Trump because of his father's political views. Should they be in control or should normal people be in control? And that's where this regulatory fight comes down. A parental rights group released a warning about teachers unions and their political agendas from Fox News Parents rights group releases scathing lookout warning targeting top two teachers unions the American Parents Coalition warning hits the National Education association and the American Federation of Teachers for pushing a variety of far left causes, including boycotts in support of dei, legal and activist campaigns against the Trump administration denouncing a Supreme Court ruling that enabled parents to opt their children out of age inappropriate and one sided LGBTQ content and climate activism Teachers Unions undermining education with political agendas We've talked quite a bit about the role of teachers unions within the larger orbit of Democrat activism. The fact that teachers unions were front and center in the no Kings protests, the protests against doge, these staged protests against Republican town hall meetings. The lookout here from American's Parents Coalition is getting deep into exactly what these teachers unions are pushing on kids. One thing they specifically highlighted was the National Education Association's 2025 handbook which touted the use of preferred names and pronouns as of the utmost importance, calls for slavery reparations, downplays the Holocaust by talking about victims of different faiths without mentioning Jewish people, and blamed white supremacy culture as the primary root cause of institutional racism. As you see all these different things that teachers unions are focused on, particularly in the political realm, it's easy to see why they're having zero impact whatsoever in helping kids across America learn to read and write. One theme that we Enjoy here at 10 Minute Drill is the many faces of Gavin Newsom. Today we're introducing a new segment called which Gavin Are We Going to Get Today? When Gavin Newsom first started to realize that his party's brand identity was in the trash and he wanted to pivot a little bit to the right. He went on Charlie Kirk's podcast and made fun of the fact that that Democrats have used words like Latinx.

[Gavin Newsom]

Not one person ever in my office has ever used the word Latinx.

[Host]

But as CNN reported, Gavin Newsom himself has a rough history with the word.

[Gavin Newsom]

Latinx of how impactful this has been on the Latinx community. Latinx community, the Latinx and black communities. You've got politicians that are banning not assault rifles but the word Latinx. They're not even serious.

[Host]

You may have heard Gavin Newsom referred to as a lizard person because he can change his face, his stripes, his identity. That example Latinx is just one of many. The one that we're gonna highlight today is about Gavin Newsom the climate activist and Gavin Newsom the sort of pro energy realist that we've seen over these last Several months. You may remember a few months ago when it was reported that Gavin Newsom was making a pivot towards oil and gas and fossil fuels. How big oil got Gavin Newsom to change his tune? Now he wants you to believe that he changed his tune because his policies have driven out oil refineries and led to Californians are expecting gas prices of $8.50 next year. Gavin appears to be leaning back into that climate hero brand. Politico called him the climate president in waiting, referring to his visit on a private jet down to Brazil where he could lecture the entire world about climate change and attack President Trump.

[Gavin Newsom]

And to stand up to this bully. He's an invasive species.

[Dick Durbin]

He is.

[Gavin Newsom]

He's a wrecking ball president.

[Host]

In one part of his remarks, he blamed the Pacific Palisades wildfire on climate change.

[Gavin Newsom]

You saw one of the most devastating wildfires in American history in the middle of winter in Los Angeles in January. Hundred mile hour winds attached to fire.

[Host]

Now you'll recall the Pacific Palisades wildfires had a lot to do with failures of leadership. There was brush that meant to be cleared in the pathway of those wildfires in what they call Wildfire Alley. There wasn't water in the tanks and hydrants to put it out. So for Gavin Newsom to go on this giant stage in Brazil and try and tell everyone again that these wildfires are the result of climate change is absurd. But in an interview around this trip to Brazil, he talked about climate change as a cost of living issue.

[Gavin Newsom]

It's a cost of living issue. Ask anyone in, you know, places like the coast of New Jersey or down in Florida. Ask folks in Louisiana or in my home state, California.

[Host]

Now, our point here is the fight against climate change from the left is a cost of living issue, but not in the way that Gavin thinks it is. It is a cost of living issue because people like Gavin Newsom push terrible policies that make everything in our lives more expensive. Policies that chase out oil refineries, that drive up the cost of gas, that make it impossible for people in the east coast to heat their homes. They do it saying they are fighting for climate change, when in fact they're having little to no impact on the actual climate. So again today as we wrap up this, which Gavin are we going to get? Looks like we're back to left wing climate activist Gavin for our you can't make it up segment. Today, we are featuring a story from Dem firebrand Jasmine Crockett, who many on the left this week have touted as a new face and national leader for their movement. But Fox News reports far left firebrand spends eye popping amount of campaign cash on luxury hotels and top tier limo services Crockett's filings show luxury hotel and transportation expenses in Martha's Vineyard, Chicago, New York City, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles among other major cities. Despite representing Texas's 30th congressional district which includes Dallas in total, Crockett's filings show her campaign spending $25,748 since January on high end hotels and limousine services. The hotel expenses include $4,175 at the Ritz Carlton and 2,300 at the Luxury Collection. Other hotel expenses include $5,300 to the West Hollywood Edition in Los Angeles, 1,100 to the Times Square edition in New York City, over 2,000 to the cosmopolitan and Aria resort in Las Vegas and 2,700 to the Edgartown Inn in Martha's Vineyard. Rep. Crockett has also spent nearly $50,000 on private security in 2025 despite supporting defunding police. I will leave it to the delusional lunatics willing to give campaign cash to someone like Jasmine Crockett or kiss her feet. Can you confirm that I just kissed your sneakers? This is sneaker. That's a pretty weird thing that happened this week that we'll have to talk about another day. But suffice it to say for this reason Jasmine Crockett may be the perfect face for Democrats in 2025. Loves the lavish 1% lifestyle while pretending to be a working class hero to her Dallas constituents. Loves to tweet, make TikTok videos, attack and use crazy rhetoric while having zero substance whatsoever. If you ask Jasmine Crockett to explain the intricacies of the American healthcare system to you, you would be dead out of luck. That is all the time we have for today. Thank you so much for joining us here on 10 Minute Drill. Please like subscribe, leave us a review, tell a friend, have a great day.