Iran's Clock is Ticking, Dems' Race War Play, & the Fake Doctor Running for Senate | 10 Minute Drill

Summary

10 Minute Drill – Episode Summary

Podcast: 10 Minute Drill
Host: Matt Whitlock
Episode: Iran’s Clock is Ticking, Dems’ Race War Play, & the Fake Doctor Running for Senate
Date: May 19, 2026

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Episode Theme

A rapid rundown of the week’s political headlines. Matt Whitlock tackles escalating tensions with Iran, Democrats’ shifting strategy in response to redistricting losses, dramatic campaign theater, foreign influence on American policy, a Senate candidate with a questionable medical resume, and some awkward political moments.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Iran Tensions and Trump’s Decision-making

• Overview: President Trump is considering military action against Iran, following encouragement from U.S. allies to delay the strike in hopes of a diplomatic solution.
• Details:
  • Trump’s meeting with his National Security Council is anticipated to provide direction.
  • Trump cited requests from the Emir of Qatar, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and UAE President to postpone U.S. military plans due to ongoing negotiations.

    “...in their opinion, as great leaders and allies, a deal will be made which will be very acceptable to the United States...” (A, 01:30)

  • The UAE recently suffered an Iranian attack, giving them significant stake in the process.
  • Whitlock is skeptical, noting Iran has used negotiations to “run out the clock” for decades.

    “At some point, President Trump is probably going to get fed up with Iran not actually wanting a deal but continuing to run out the clock as they’ve done for 47 years now.” (A, 02:33)

• Timestamps:
  • [00:38] – [02:56]

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2. Democrats’ Redistricting Losses & “Race Card” Strategy

• Overview: After a series of electoral losses tied to redistricting, Democrats are regrouping by emphasizing racially charged rhetoric.
• Key Events:
  • The Supreme Court refused to take up an appeal on Virginia’s overturned redistricting referendum, in part due to basic errors in the filing.

    “...the appeal had multiple very embarrassing misspellings, including of the word Virginia and the word Senator. They also sent the appeal to the wrong Supreme Court.” (A, 02:56)

  • Whitlock argues that Democrats only filed the appeal to justify attacking the legitimacy of the Supreme Court.
  • Democrats now attempt to energize their base by leveraging race-focused messaging.

    “The Democrats’ calculus for the best way to remedy that is to play the race card.” (A, 03:18)

• Memorable Quotes & Examples:
  • Cory Booker referenced historical Supreme Court decisions to invoke racial injustice.

    “Some people in black robes try to deny or take away our rights. We saw it with Dred Scott, we saw it with Plessy vs Ferguson.” (B, 03:26)

  • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for the North to intervene in the South.

    “It is time for the north to pull up to the South.” (E, 03:49)

  • Ayanna Pressley criticized the administration as “hostile anti-black.”

    “There are people in this hostile anti black administration that would rather black Americans pick cotton than pick the President than pick their congressperson.” (B, 04:16)

• Whitlock’s Commentary:
  • Asserts that districts are now more competitive, which he frames as positive for democracy.
  • Lampoons Tennessee Rep. Justin Pearson’s dramatic shift in speaking style, comparing him to “Carlton Banks to Al Sharpton.”

    “In just a few years, he went from Carlton Banks to Al Sharpton. And the reason for that is Democrats know that this will help them turn people out.” (A, 06:14)

  • Concludes that Democrats invoke race for turnout, not principle, citing how they redrew Virginia’s districts to dilute black votes in favor of reliable liberal white demographics.

    “Because it is not about race. It’s about power.” (A, 07:28)

• Timestamps:
  • [02:56] – [07:58]

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3. Kamala Harris’s “No Bad Ideas Brainstorm”

• Overview: Harris proposes new radical policy discussions in the wake of these setbacks.
• Details:
  • Suggests open discussions about Electoral College changes and expanding the Supreme Court.

    “Say, look, this is a moment where there are no bad ideas. No bad idea brainstorm is what I’d like to call it.” (E, 07:58)
    “...we talk about what we need to do and think about doing around the Electoral College. We talk about the idea of Supreme Court reform, which includes expanding the Supreme Court.” (E, 09:02)

  • Host ridicules this as a recycling of unpopular 2020 positions, warning that such rhetoric “shifts the Overton window” and provides ammunition for GOP campaigns.

    “But it is also concerning because this rhetoric does shift the overton window of what Democrats see as normal policy.” (A, 09:18)

• Timestamps:
  • [07:58] – [09:35]

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4. Chinese Interference & Data Center Opposition

• Overview: Whitlock frames environmental opposition to data centers as being influenced by Chinese interests.
• Key Points:
  • China is allegedly funding left-wing protests targeting U.S. AI infrastructure for strategic gain.

    “...the Chinese Communist Party is funding left wing groups here in America to try and scare everyone into getting rid of fossil fuels... because it gives China a major advantage.” (A, 10:19)

  • Cites Kevin O’Leary’s comments:

    “The end of the day, who would want us to stop building our electrical grid?... There’s only one. It’s China.” (D, 10:53)

  • Cites an American Energy Institute report of $39 million in foreign funding.
  • Whitlock notes that opposition to data centers here is often manipulated by foreign actors but does allow that “legitimate questions” about local impact exist.

    “So much of the opposition to them is being funded by adversaries who have a vested interest in us not being able to compete in AI adoption and advancement...” (A, 11:26)

• Timestamps:
  • [09:35] – [12:37]

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5. Michigan’s “Fake Doctor” Senate Saga

• Overview: Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El Sayed is accused of exaggerating his medical credentials.
• Details:
  • El Sayed refers to himself as a physician and epidemiologist; records show he’s never held a medical license in Michigan or New York.
  • His own podcast describes him as “cosplaying as a doctor.”

    “He told the podcast in 2022 where he said his job was to be the like worst doctor on the team and he was cosplaying a doctor.” (A, 14:00)

• Political Fallout:
  • Rival Democrat Mallory McMorrow seizes on this, but her own polling nosedives after a widely mocked dancing video at a nominating convention—possibly more damaging than the attacks on El Sayed.

    “Mallory McMorrow took a big hit from dancing and being incredibly awkward and people not being able to stomach it. Take note Democrats.” (A, 15:05)

• Timestamps:
  • [12:37] – [15:10]

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6. Awkward Political Moments

• Segments Include:
  • PA Candidate Bob Brooks & Pete Buttigieg:
    • A forced, awkward campaign video where Brooks and Buttigieg rehearse being “normal” with obvious discomfort and fake beer cans as props.

      “We’re gonna have a really normal conversation with three cameras pointing at you. Everybody act normal.” (C, 15:16) “Pretend there’s no camera...remind me the district number we’re in…” (C, 15:41)

  • VA Gov. Abigail Spamberger:
    • Caught making a “hard turn” away from a reporter and featured in a viral, cringeworthy dance video.

      “My advice to politicians is never dance unless you absolutely feel like you can. And you can do it well.” (A, 16:20)

• Timestamps:
  • [15:10] – [16:30]

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Notable Quotes

• “At some point, President Trump is probably going to get fed up with Iran not actually wanting a deal but continuing to run out the clock as they’ve done for 47 years now.” (A, 02:33)
• “The Democrats’ calculus for the best way to remedy that is to play the race card.” (A, 03:18)
• “There are people in this hostile anti black administration that would rather black Americans pick cotton than pick the President than pick their congressperson.” — Ayanna Pressley (B, 04:16)
• “Because it is not about race. It’s about power.” (A, 07:28)
• “Say, look, this is a moment where there are no bad ideas. No bad idea brainstorm is what I’d like to call it.” — Kamala Harris (E, 07:58)
• “Mallory McMorrow took a big hit from dancing and being incredibly awkward and people not being able to stomach it. Take note Democrats.” (A, 15:05)
• “We’re gonna have a really normal conversation with three cameras pointing at you. Everybody act normal.” (C, 15:16)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Iran Updates: [00:38] – [02:56]
• Dem Redistricting & Race Messaging: [02:56] – [07:58]
• Kamala Harris’s Brainstorm: [07:58] – [09:35]
• China, Data Centers, and Influence: [09:35] – [12:37]
• Michigan “Fake Doctor” Campaign: [12:37] – [15:10]
• Awkward Political Moments: [15:10] – [16:30]

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Episode Tone

Smart-aleck, rapid-fire, cutting, with an emphasis on highlighting political absurdities and opportunism. Whitlock uses sarcasm, quips, and pointed soundbites to skewer both political and media theatrics.

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For political junkies and headline followers, this episode offers a brisk guided tour through the top controversies of the week, with a heavy dose of skepticism and wit.

Transcript

[A]

Breaking down the Democrats strategy after suffering so many embarrassing losses in the redistricting fight, what's coming next with Iran? Is this the week that we resume armed conflict and dancing Democrats looking at one of the biggest challenges Democrat candidates in the country are facing? All of 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.

[B]

I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you.

[C]

We are a nation under God and

[D]

I believe God intended for us to be free.

[A]

First on Iran. Now later today, President Trump is expected to hold a meeting in the Situation Room with his National Security Council. We've all been waiting to see where this might go, especially after the China summit in which President Trump secured a acknowledgement from China that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon and Iran can't control the Strait of Hormuz. Most of us expected that President Trump might hold off on on any further military activity until after that meeting. However, yesterday President Trump posted this on Truth Social. I've been asked by the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahihan, to hold off on our planned military attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was scheduled for tomorrow in that serious negotiations are now taking place and that in their opinion, as great leaders and allies, a deal will be made which will be very acceptable to the United States of America as well as the countries in the Middle east and beyond. Now, part of the reason that President Trump wants to defer to the UAE on this is the UAE suffered a major attack from Iran over the weekend. And so if they are suggesting we should hold off, cuz there's actual potential here for a deal that makes some sense. However, President Trump has allowed a lot of other countries to suggest to us that we should hold off, whether it's Pakistan ending Operation Freedom or whether now it's Qatar and other countries. And at some point, President Trump is probably going to get fed up with Iran not actually wanting a deal but continuing to run out the clock as they've done for 47 years now. So we'll see over these next couple days if this actually leads to anything. However, it seems that at the same time, President Trump is making all preparations to resume armed conflict when this inevitably falls apart. On Friday, the United States Supreme Court very predictably rejected Virginia's appeal of the Virginia Supreme Court's decision to overturn their highly illegal Highly irregular referendum that had set the 10 to 1 congressional districts in the state of Virginia. It was predictable because as we've outlined here quite extensively, first the appeal had multiple very embarrassing misspellings, including of the word Virginia and the word Senator. They also sent the appeal to the wrong Supreme Court. Again, Jay Jones, Attorney General of Virginia, in addition to wanting to kill children, is not a very good lawyer. So it was not a surprise. And as we predicted, Democrats only sent this appeal to the Supreme Court as a pretext to attack the legitimacy of the Supreme Court. Along with that, we're seeing a new strategy forming among Democrats of how to re engage their base. If I'm a Democrat voter or a Democrat donor and I just saw my party, I light $80 million on fire on something that they knew was likely illegal, I'd feel a little bit less enthusiasm. The Democrats calculus for the best way to remedy that is to play the race card.

[B]

Some people in black robes try to deny or take away our rights. We saw it with Dred Scott, we saw it with Plessy vs Ferguson.

[A]

Now Spartacus will never miss an opportunity to shine, perform, do a soliloquy. But again, these only get more absurd. Here is Alexandria Ocasio Cortez with her plan.

[E]

It is time for the north to pull up to the South.

[A]

Good idea AOC because it's never gone wrong before. Now just as we go through these, consider how many of these Democrats come from bright blue states that are incredibly gerrymandered like New York. Here's another one, Ayanna Pressley from Massachusetts. There are people in this hostile anti black administration that would rather black Americans

[B]

pick cotton than pick the President than pick their congressperson.

[A]

Now these Democrats are going to the south because they're furious that following the Supreme Court ruling that racial gerrymandering is now illegal, they no longer have a built in number of seats in the south that were not competitive. And what this really means is there will be more competitive districts in the South. There won't be a baseline number of of Democrats. Everyone is going to have to compete, which is an incredibly positive thing, but terrible news for someone like this.

[D]

They're colonizing Memphis.

[A]

Now the great irony of this is first Steve Cohen is a deeply unserious Democrat. He's also a white male Democrat who is representing the area around Memphis who was going to lose his seat to a black Republican woman. And so when you hear him say they're colonizing Memphis, consider he's calling this black Republican woman a colonizer. Now cognitive dissonance is something you're allowed to get away with if you are a Democrat. But the dynamics here are bizarre. We've also seen a lot of Democrats opine that they might not be able to elect another black person in South Carolina if they redraw those maps. As you can see from these clips, both the rhetoric and the theatricality is out of control. And Democrats have put on their theater kids shoes for the fight of a lifetime. And one person that represents that incredibly well is a Tennessee state representative named Justin Pearson. I want to show you a video of Justin just a few years ago. Justin J. Pearson, and I'm running for president of psg. There are a few reasons that we're running this campaign this year. Now that is Justin Pearson running for class president just a few years ago. But fast forward just a tiny bit. Here is Justin Pearson now as he has seen an opportunity to do a little bit of theater here.

[B]

You've had three strikes laws, mass incarceration denied us of who we are, and we are still here. And today you will take the only majority black district from us.

[A]

Wow. In just a few years, he went from Carlton Banks to Al Sharpton. And the reason for that is Democrats know that this will help them turn people out. The most immediate audience for this is actually middle aged white women. But you're going to see across the board between now and November the most racially charged rhetoric you have ever seen. Because Democrats know that without the structural advantage they had built for themselves with things like these racially gerrymandered congressional districts, they need the turnout engine of the race card. And so beware of what is coming on that. However, if you are tempted to believe them that this was about race, consider what happened in Virginia. Virginia Democrats drew their dream map, the 10 to 1 vision of what they would get if they could get anything they want. And in that map, they, they steamrolled majority minority districts. They diluted black votes in districts like the lobster. As you look at that lobster, consider the fact that Democrats diluted black votes in that 7th district, replacing them with more reliable, high income, liberal white women in Fairfax County. Because it is not about race. It's about power. When Democrats believed they had all the power in the world, they steamrolled these majority minority districts. And now in the south, they're losing these because of the law saying we're no longer going to use race as the only predictor of congressional map making. And they're simply trying to hold onto power. So do not be fooled, ladies and gentlemen. Kamala Harris is back in the news and there's times where I see her and I think they did this just for me because this feels like a really fun one. Kamala Harris said last week that she wants to hold a very special kind of meeting.

[E]

Say, look, this is a moment where there are no bad ideas. No bad idea brainstorm is what I'd like to call it.

[A]

Now, for those of you at home who watched the 2020 election, you may already think that was the Kamala Harris no bad ideas brainstorm. When we heard all sorts of great ideas like this.

[E]

Do you ban plastic straws? I think we should. The doctor says, well, I don't know if your insurance company is going to cover this. Let's eliminate all of that banning.

[A]

Classic straws. Getting rid of private health insurance, taxpayer funded sex change surgeries for detained illegal immigrants. In 2020, Democrats were so desperate to show a rejection of President Trump that they lined up around the craziest ideas in the world. And you'll remember in 2024, one of many things that really doomed Kamala Harris was those crazy positions she had taken and people saying, wait a sec, I am not for this insanity. And. And she took major hits with independent voters. Well, Kamala Harris is not well known for learning lessons. And she is back at it again, as she said, with this no bad ideas brainstorm. Here's a few she wants to bring up this time.

[E]

And in that no bad ideas brainstorm, we talk about what we need to do and think about doing around the Electoral College. We talk about the idea of Supreme Court reform, which includes expanding the Supreme Court.

[A]

Now, again, Republicans will use this type of content to create all kinds of ads. And in 2028, if she decides to run, which would be insane, we'll have plenty of stuff to use against her. But it is also concerning because this rhetoric does shift the overton window of what Democrats see as normal policy. While the conversation about taxpayer funded sex change surgeries for detained illegal immigrants sounded like a punchline, it's something that's actually happening right now in California. California is currently giving out taxpayer funded sex changes to homeless illegal aliens. So again, it is concerning that every time Democrats suffer any kind of setback, their first reaction is to tear down institutions. Kamala Harris is having this conversation about packing the Supreme Court and getting rid of the electoral College specifically because she is seeing the setbacks Democrats are facing in this redistricting fight, in part because in states like Virginia, they didn't do the basic legwork. They fudged it, they lost, and now they want to tear everything down. And at some point they will be successful. But they're giving us a lot of ammunition of exactly what to run against as we remind people that they will destroy the country. One dynamic of President Trump's trip to China was a lot of conversation about all the different ways China is working against the United States. We've talked here extensively about things like climate change and the fact that the Chinese Communist Party is funding left wing groups here in America to try and scare everyone into getting rid of fossil fuels, not to fix the climate or to save the planet, but because it gives China a major advantage. Another issue area this has been discussed is the fight over data centers. Here is Kevin o' Leary talking about this on Fox Business.

[D]

The end of the day, who would want us to stop building our electrical grid? Who would want to stop us from having compute capacity to develop AI and which adversary would want that? There's only one. It's China.

[A]

Now, it's notable that a lot of the protests we're seeing on the ground are being funded and organized and in many cases informed with misinformation from groups that take a lot of foreign funding. That's incredibly notable. Also, CCP aligned Neville Singham, a person that we've talked about quite a bit here, who's also been involved in no Kings rallies, things like that, is leading the charge here. Now, you may have legitimate questions about data centers in your neighborhood. I think that's very fair. We're seeing a very rapid adoption. We're seeing them pop up all over the place and there's not a lot of public engagement about what's happening with them. So those questions are fair. But it's also important to know that so much of the opposition to them is being funded by adversaries who have a vested interest in us not being able to compete in AI adoption and advancement and things like that. And there's been a number of helpful voices out there who have tried to separate fact from fiction like this.

[C]

First, landowners are selling or leasing their land to the project. It's not being given. Second, it doesn't make sense to think about percentage change in employment across the whole state. The data center is not being built across the whole state. It's being built in Box Elder County, Utah.

[A]

So as we've identified in a report by the American Energy Institute, $39 million in foreign funding against data centers from four different foreign donor countries. And I think that it's very concerning that any other foreign countries would be trying to dictate American domestic policy about Something that's so important. A funny story out of Michigan we have covered the Abdul Al Said phenomenon. The fact that this sort of Zoran acolyte who loves Hassan Piker and has all sorts of terrible things to say about Israel, Jewish people and things like that is actually surging in the state. But one story from Politico could potentially change that. Michigan Senate hopeful El Sayed calls himself a physician, but has little history treating patients. His LinkedIn profile currently says he's a physician. And late last month he called himself a physician and an epidemiologist at a Council of Baptist Pastors debate in Detroit. But according to a review of Michigan and New York state medical records, and he's never been granted a medical license in those states. El Sayed hands on experience treating patients appears to be a short clinical rotation called a sub internship at a small hospital in Manhattan for four weeks at the end of medical school. He told the podcast in 2022 where he said his job was to be the like worst doctor on the team and he was cosplaying a doctor. Oh, man. So he is on the campaign trail talking about being a doctor and an epidemiologist and in the role that he's using to tout that he said he was cosplaying as a doctor. And who would have thought that people would lie on their LinkedIn pages? This is a bad one. But one funny dynamic that has come from this sort of catch me if you can campaign story is the fact that Mallory McMurro, another candidate in this race, has really attacked him for this and has made attacking El Sayed sort of the centerpiece of her campaign because those two have really been neck and neck at the top. And a lot of Democrats in the state, probably mostly El Sayed fans, have said this is the reason that McMorrow support is cratering. Take a look at this. This trendline chart from Nick field shows when McMorrow has seen some support crater. However, I need to point something out here that's incredibly important. You see both of this go up and down. One of the biggest drops for Mallory McMorrow actually came at a very different event. This is Mallory McMorrow dancing at a state party nominating convention in Michigan, which was widely mocked and decried as cringe. Now take another look at that chart and let's zoom in with some features I've added. That red line is the date of her dancing video. And if you look at that light blue at the top trend line, the massive drop happened after that window. So again, Mallory McMorrow took a big hit from dancing and being incredibly awkward and people not being able to stomach it. Take note Democrats. Now on that same subject of awkward Democrats trying to act natural, which Mallory McMorrow obviously failed at. For our Can't Make it up segment today, we have a funny video about a Pennsylvania House candidate.

[C]

We're gonna have a really normal conversation with three cameras pointing at you. Everybody act normal.

[A]

That is Pennsylvania Democrat House candidate Bob Brooks sitting with Pete Buttigieg trying to plan a video in which they need to repeatedly be reminded to act normal.

[C]

And we can just address each other, right? You can just do like, I'm here with Bob.

[B]

You're just talking to each other.

[C]

Pretend there's no camera, and remind me the district number we're in these.

[D]

Seven.

[A]

Seven.

[D]

Yeah, seven.

[C]

Seven. Okay.

[D]

All right.

[A]

Well, cheers.

[D]

Cheers.

[A]

There's a few funny things about that. First, the chairs there. Now, reportedly those beer cans are fake and were there to be props to try and make these guys look more normal. But you also have Peter there asking the congressman or the candidate to what district they're there for that he's actually running in. So he went all the way there to campaign for him. Doesn't even know what district he is, which is a little bit funny. But the ultimate all star of looking awkward on video may be Virginia Governor Abigail Spamberger.

[C]

Any comment on Senator Serval saying you're going to veto the collective bargaining bill?

[A]

That hard turn made me laugh for like 10 straight minutes, which says more about me than about her. But she does feel a little bit like a Chuck E. Cheese animatronic of like, a camera is here. But she also was caught in a viral video dancing. My advice to politicians is never dance unless you absolutely feel like you can. And you can do it well. But you are under no obligation to be caught on video looking this awkward. That is all the time we have for today. Thank you so much for joining us on 10 Minute Drill. Please leave us a review like, subscribe, tell your friends and have a great rest of your Tuesday.