Bill Clinton's Ties to Epstein Take Center Stage as He Faces Far Tougher Grilling Than Hillary's

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Morning Meeting Episode Title: Bill Clinton's Ties to Epstein Take Center Stage as He Faces Far Tougher Grilling Than Hillary's
Host: Mark Halperin (2WAY), with co-hosts Larry O’Connor and Kevin Walling
Date: February 27, 2026

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Overview

On this episode of "The Morning Meeting," the 2WAY panel dives deep into the day’s hottest political stories, focusing most notably on Bill Clinton's deposition regarding his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The discussion contrasts the scrutiny Bill Clinton faces with Hillary Clinton’s skillful testimony the day before. Other major topics include U.S.-Iran tensions, domestic political maneuvering, Paramount’s acquisition moves against Warner Bros., and contemporary media controversies.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Day's Political News Cycle ([03:44] – [06:43])

• Mark walks through the "daybook": President’s Texas visit, energy policy remarks, Senate Republican campaigns, and the Vice President’s recent activities.
• The discussion covers upcoming economic data, including Producer Price Index numbers, and major global stories such as the Tel Aviv marathon (“45,000 people...run in the Tel Aviv marathon this morning”) [07:46].
• The panel previews top stories: Iran, Bill Clinton and Epstein, J.D. Vance’s statements about MAGA, and Paramount’s corporate moves ([02:10]).

2. U.S. and Iran Escalation ([09:43] – [14:27])

• Tensions with Iran are dissected, with commentary on whether an imminent strike is likely.
  • Larry assesses: “I think we're at 50, 50 right now [on a strike this weekend].” ([11:30])
  • Kevin adds, “I'm taking the over potentially...We also know Midnight Hammer took place at Mar-A-Lago. So there's no limit as to where the president can conduct the war from.” ([11:40]).
• Mark questions if the administration has adequately justified action and recounts media skepticism: “They need to do more work to sell this,” referencing both Wall Street Journal and New York Times coverage ([12:23]).
• Kevin highlights Congressional maneuvers: “Democrats want to introduce a war powers resolution next week, specifically about Iran.” ([14:08])

3. Bill Clinton’s Deposition on Epstein ([14:24] – [29:31])

• Comparing Hillary and Bill:
  • Mark lauds Hillary’s performance during her testimony: “Secretary Clinton is one of the most underrated people I've ever covered in politics. She is just a skilled, brilliant...” ([15:29])
  • Plays archive clips of Hillary fielding scandal questions in the 1990s ([17:36] & [18:23]).
  • Kevin notes the Clinton team is “tamping down expectations” for Bill’s performance due to age ([19:12]).
  • Larry suggests: “I don't think Chairman Comer is a moron...They look like they're babes in the woods because they don't approach government in the same cynical way [as the Clintons].” ([20:39])
• Clintons’ “Spin” and Committee Competence:
  • Mark argues Republicans are “not a competent investigator...He [Comer] achieved nothing except to make Hillary look great.” ([22:06])
  • Kevin: “The political skills of the Clintons are unmatched. But...they've been doing this for 40 years in terms of the obfuscation and the spinning narrative.” ([23:45])
• Predictions for Bill Clinton’s Testimony:
  • Kevin expects “‘a nothing burger’...I could see the President spending hours talking about Clinton Global Initiative...spin this narrative that, OK, I took these plane rides to Haiti...” ([25:46])
  • Larry predicts: “He's going to be the good old boy, charming guy. Shucks, I had no idea if accepting a plane ride to feed a million children in Africa is the price of dealing with Jeffrey Epstein…” ([26:44])
• Discussion on Trump’s and Clinton’s Epstein Ties:
  • Larry: “...Bill Clinton, I think it's objectively fair to say and true that he had way more interactions, or it's been recorded that he had more interactions with Jeffrey Epstein than Donald Trump ever did.” ([26:57])
  • Mark counters with distinctions between “friendlike interactions” and actual friendship: “If you know anything about Bill Clinton and his relationships with people, he had friendlike interactions with people way more friendlike than... actual friends.” ([28:11])

4. Paramount – Warner Bros. Deal & Media Landscape ([29:31] – [38:18])

• Mark and co-hosts discuss Paramount’s expected acquisition of Warner Brothers and what it means for CNN’s future.
  • Larry predicts Barry Weiss will head CNN “before the midterm elections this year” ([29:54]), while Kevin and Mark suggest later dates.
• Notable joke about Anderson Cooper’s return to 60 Minutes: “Now he's...they own him again. Force him back on 60 like the mob.” ([30:25])

5. Pentagon-AI Vendor Standoff (Anthropic and Claude) ([31:35] – [34:33])

• The Pentagon is pressuring Anthropic to allow their AI (Claude) broader use in surveillance and autonomous weapons. Anthropic resists on ethical grounds.
  • Larry muses, “Who's in charge? Is it the military industrial complex...or is it the Pentagon and those who are answer to the American people? That's the crux of it.” ([32:37])
  • Kevin points out the stakes: “I could see this company just saying the hell with it...they’re spinning, getting the high ground of ‘we don't want to take part in human destruction’…” ([33:50])

6. Winners, Losers, and What To Watch ([36:06] – [44:45])

• Winners of the Week:
  • Larry: President Trump for shifting the narrative and strong polling ([36:06])
  • Kevin: Rep. Abigail Spanberger for a solid State of the Union response ([36:56])
  • Mark: Paramount’s David Ellison over the Warner Bros. deal ([37:34])
• Losers of the Week:
  • Larry: Senate Republicans, for prioritizing frivolous activities over legislation ([38:45])
  • Kevin: Far-left activists counter-programming the State of the Union dressed as inflatable frogs ([40:01])
  • Mark: Chairman Comer, for getting “owned” by Hillary Clinton ([40:29])
• What to Watch:
  • Larry: The rollout and impact of new “these people are crazy” Trump campaign ads ([41:53])
  • Kevin: The ongoing relevance of the State of the Union and SNL’s treatment ([42:34])
  • Mark: Possible U.S. strikes on Iran and seeking insider perspective at Mar-a-Lago ([43:25])

7. Audience Interaction & Israel-Palestinian Public Opinion Shift ([47:09] – [58:46])

• Listeners call in with reactions to the State of the Union and questions about media impartiality.
• Mark shares a new Gallup poll: For the first time, Americans’ sympathies for Palestinians have surpassed those for Israel ([54:51]).
  • Haley (caller): “…we have to take some blame for this and understand what we're doing wrong. And I don't want to put it everything on anti-Semitism…” ([54:51])
  • Larry and Mark agree that overusing the term “anti-Semitism” diminishes Israel's position.
  • Haley advises a more nuanced, self-critical approach to advocacy.

8. Final Thoughts and Epstein-Related Breaking News ([58:47] – [60:41])

• Mark highlights allegations of unreleased FBI interviews involving an accuser’s claims against Trump—emphasizing potential credibility issues and media hype ([58:47]).
• Larry, as a White House supporter, urges full transparency: “Just get it all out...nobody believes that Merrick Garland and Joe Biden had this information and didn't prosecute Donald Trump if it was credible.” ([60:41])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Hillary’s Testimony:
  “She is just a skilled, brilliant, skill savvy person, except in 2016 and yesterday. If you didn’t watch it, go watch it...she came out, she held a long press conference, just extraordinarily skilled and mocked the Republicans.” – Mark Halperin ([15:29])

• On Committee Tactics:
  “They look like…babes in the woods because they don't approach government in the same cynical way [as the Clintons].” – Larry O’Connor ([20:39])

• On the Clinton-Epstein Narrative:
  “The Clintons say here’s the bar: Did we ever go the island? No. Did we have any dealings with Jeffrey Epstein after he was sent to jail? No. …That’s where they set the bar. But…he took the plane rides…he’s got the photos.” – Mark Halperin ([24:21])

• On Pentagon and Anthropic Standoff:
  “Who's in charge? Is it the military industrial complex...or is it the Pentagon and those who are answer to the American people? That’s the crux of it.” – Larry O’Connor ([32:37])

• On U.S.-Iran Strike Odds:
  “I'd say…we're at 50, 50 right now.” – Larry O’Connor ([11:30]) “I'm taking the over…” – Kevin Walling ([11:40])

• On Israel-Palestinian Opinions:
  “41% of Americans have more sympathy for the Palestinians than for Israel at 38%.” – Mark Halperin ([54:51])

• On the Clintons’ Media Savvy:
  “The political skills of the Clintons are unmatched...they've been doing this for 40 years in terms of the obfuscation and the spinning narrative.” – Kevin Walling ([23:45])

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Timestamps for Significant Segments

• [03:44] – Daybook rundown (presidential travel, economic data, Israel marathon)
• [09:43] – Iran crisis analysis
• [14:24] – Clinton/Epstein investigation focus
• [17:36] / [18:23] – Archive press conference clips: Hillary Clinton, 1994 and 1996
• [20:39] – Panel on House Oversight Committee’s effectiveness
• [24:21] – Clinton testimony strategy discussion
• [29:31] – Warner Bros. and CNN corporate talk
• [31:35] – Pentagon vs. Anthropic (AI/acquisition)
• [36:06] – Winners, losers, and what to watch
• [47:09] – Audience calls and reflections
• [54:51] – Gallup: Israel-Palestinian public opinion
• [58:47] – Fresh Epstein allegations and possible impact

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Flow & Tone

As always, the show is fast-paced (“Friday flashback!”), combative yet collegial, and steeped in insider humor, energetic banter, and a mixture of political skepticism and admiration (“Why are we praising them for that, Mark?”). The panelists’ chemistry keeps even arcane subjects accessible for listeners.

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End of summary. For context on referenced clips or longer discussions, key timestamps are included throughout.

Transcript

[Larry]

High school.

[Mark]

Yeah. Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, here's the question for the day. Please put it in the chat. Whether you're watching on YouTube or here on the two way platform. Name a more famous real high school. Fictional high school doesn't count. Like where Archie and Veronica went doesn't count. Riverdale, I think they went to. Name the more famous high school in America than Beverly Hills High or Little Rock Central High, where Sarah Suckabee, Sarah Huckabee Sanders went. And Chelsea Clinton. Did Chelsea go there? Did she go to private school? I know when she went to D.C. she went to private school.

[Kevin]

I know she went to private school.

[Mark]

Yeah, but I know in Arkansas. Well, she went in high school when she was in Arkansas. Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the morning meeting. It's Friday. That means math. No, I mean famous, but not as famous.

[Larry]

There was some of it, remember, with Robin Gibbons. And I'll say again.

[Mark]

Yeah, preps. No, boarding schools don't count. Boarding schools do not count. DeMatha is a good one, though. But. And we could restrict it to public schools, I suppose, because Little Rock Central and Beverly Hills High are public schools, so maybe we do. I already said rock and Roll High school. Thank you. Anyway, at the end of the program, winners and losers of the week and what to.

[Larry]

You were reading the chat. I saw you. You were. You were not.

[Mark]

No, here.

[Larry]

That was reading.

[Mark]

No, here's what I did.

[Kevin]

I saw those eyes going too.

[Mark]

I glanced at it for a prolonged period of time. It's totally different than reading. No, smack in the chat, people. Peace, love and understanding and participate. And let's get at least one new hand in today. If you've never raised your hand, please do. Larry o' Connor is here. The powerful voice of WML Radio and the Larry o' Connor Review and Deluxe Extravaganza Extravagance.

[Kevin]

With a new backdrop, too. With a new fancy backdrop.

[Mark]

One of those items looks to me like a thing that would be in my gym. That has wipes in it. What is that yellow thing with the red lid? Does that have antiseptic wipes in it?

[Larry]

That is actually. That is a bag of Old Bay goldfish. Because it. It's a. It's a had tip to my Annapolis location.

[Mark]

Old Bay. Old Bay. When old. When you're in the mood for Old Bay, there's nothing better. And if you're not in the mood, it'll make you vomit. And Kevin Walling is here. Kevin, welcome in. Thank you for being here.

[Kevin]

Of course. Happy Friday, everybody.

[Mark]

All right, so I'll run through the day book in a moment. And then we're going to talk about what are we going to talk about today? We're going to talk about Iran. Iran. Iran, however you pronounce it. We're going to talk about Epstein and the Clintons and the President of the United States. The President's going to Texas. J.D. vance said some really interesting things about MAGA. Paramount, what the Paramount thing means, a few other topics. And then again, as I said, winners and losers of the week. But first, ladies and gentlemen, I need to remind you that being Friday, today's your last day to hear me tell you you need to buy something from Cozy Earth. Our friends at Cozy Earth, they love the dogs. You love the dogs. The dogs can cuddle in the bubble cuddle blanket with impunity. But so can you. The dogs cannot. Go on cozyearth.com and put in the promo code morning. Why is it dogs are great at a lot? They're not great typists? That's just a thing about dogs. So go on cozierth.com promo code morning save 20% off the bubble cutter blanket. The towels, the sheets, the pillows that come with the bed set, but then also the pants and the shirts, everything. 20% off cozyearth.com and it's an opportunity for you to give it a try because many of you tune me out when I do these ad reads and I try to get your attention. For instance, today I could sing the song Rock and Roll High School by the Ramones and snap you right back. But I won't. I'll just say, go to cozyearth.com promo code morning. 20% off everything on the site, including the bubble cuddle blanket. And if you think going into this weekend without owning a bubble cuddle blanket is good for you, I'm here to say you're wrong. Cozyearth.com promo code morning. This is it. The world as you know it is over. Completely done.

[Larry]

It's not about to be over.

[Mark]

It's over. Some of the scientists who helped build AI are now sounding the alarm.

[Larry]

I was selling AI as a great thing for decades and I was wrong. I was wrong.

[Mark]

There's a longer term existential threat that

[Jeffrey]

will arise when we create digital beings

[Mark]

that that are more intelligent than ourselves.

[Jeffrey]

We have no idea whether we can stay in control.

[Mark]

While others say that AI will usher in unfathomable abundance.

[Kevin]

I've always believed that it's going to be the most important invention that humanity will ever make.

[Larry]

This really will be a world of

[Mark]

abundance and among these fears and these fantasies, we seek the story of our future. Listen to the last invention on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you for your attention to that matter. All right guys, here's the daybook. The President United States starts his day in Washington D.C. ends his day in Mar a Lago, but in between he goes to the Lone Star State, lands there at late afternoon in Corpus Christi, Texas. I gotta say, Corpus Christi is one of the biggest and most famous cities in America. I've never been to been all over Texas, but I've never been there. He has an energy briefing at 4:05pm Eastern time. Which by the way, special episode of Two Way Tonight early time 4:00pm Eastern. So if the President's on time, we'll maybe take some of the energy briefing live. Then 435 makes remarks on energy in the port of Corpus Christi and then heads to a local TV interview. Anybody know who that's with? Don't know. It's not with, not with, not with WKRP in Cincinnati. I know that. Or WNDLNDC or wmndc. And then he goes to, then he goes to Mar a Lago. The remarks on energy will be attended by all three of the Republicans seeking their party's nomination to be senator in 2026, including the incumbent, John Cornyn. I stand by my prediction, which Jonathan Martin and Politico today kind of nodded to, which is Trump will endorse Cornyn in the runoff unless Cornyn is blown out on Tuesday. We shall see. Sorry, back to the Daybook. Vice president don't know what he's doing after his trip to Wisconsin yesterday on the flight on Air Force Two. He didn't interview at the Washington Post. What's that, what's that reporter's name? She's been on two way before. Lori. What's her name? Just blanking on her name. She's a very good reporter. Come on, somebody help me. What's her name who interviewed the Vice President? No, no, no. Her name is. I could picture. Anyway, he didn't interview at the Washington Post. Kevin, what's up with that? Does that surprise you? He didn't interview at the Washington Post?

[Kevin]

Not necessarily. Maybe he's throwing them a bone a little bit. Obviously they got to replace something like the three week old stories that are still on the homepage. So.

[Mark]

Yeah. So all right. 11:00, President Clinton goes to his deposition at the Performing Arts center there in Chappaqua near the Clintons home. Natalie Allison, thank you very much. Natalie Allison of the Washington Post, great reporter, had an interview with J.D. vince, thank you. Chairman Comer said something not surprising yesterday. One of the few things he said that wasn't stupid. Sorry. But not surprising is I'll go with unstrategic. How about that? That President Clinton's testimony will take longer than Secretary Clinton's. Now Secretary Clinton's was interrupted for half an hour while they fought over a photo. But that means President Clinton will be there late into the night, presumably. And it should go longer because he actually has things he could possibly say that would be of relevance to the committee, unlike Hillary Clinton. So that starts at 11. Kamala Harris in Detroit City, 6 o' clock on her book tour. And then today in what happened, would we have the producer price numbers? They came out at 8:30. Do we have those? I forget. We'll look those up today in Israel in Tel Aviv. Biggest marathon in the history of Israel in terms of participation. One of the people participating, although he's not doing the full marathon. Here's a picture of our community member. Your fellow two wayer Michael Granoff is running 10k today. It's one of those races where you can pick what you run. There's Michael. Here's some coverage. Put up the coverage, if you would, of the. I forget what number that is. Where's our other marathon thing? There you go. Now the Israelis, they're badasses, folks, as this tweet points out. While foreign governments tell their citizens to run to the airport, which Mike Huckabee did. We'll get to that in a moment. Israelis head to the starting line. 45,000 people, that's a lot for Israel, decided to run in the Tel Aviv marathon this morning. This is Israel. Great photo. If you're watching on the podcast, you should jump over here to the platform or to YouTube because it's a great picture. So that that race is underway right now. I believe it started just a while ago. And here we go, Iran. If it, if there hadn't been out of the negotiations yesterday, the US Side has been pretty quiet. Even on background. They haven't said much. If there hadn't been from the Omanis and the Iranians words of encouragement. If they hadn't said there's going to be now technical level conversations and negotiations next week, we'd all be just saying is the attack starting tonight or tomorrow night? Because everything else that's happening suggests attack. Administration officials continue to say the Iranians are not, you know, serious. The, the thing that's on the table is a Partial agreement on Iran that is like the Obama deal, light. And nothing on terrorism, nothing on ballistic missiles. And then the most telltale sign is all over the region, there's evacuations. The Chinese evacuated some of their people. Mike Huckabee sent a letter this morning, an email this morning to the embassy staff saying, get a flight sooner rather than later to get out of Israel. And then a bunch of bases have been evacuated. You can go on Twitter, Instagram, and see all of this. And then, in addition, more military are coming in. More of these planes are going into Israel and elsewhere in the region. So, again, there's just mixed signals here. And of course, people wonder whether the military buildup and the evacuations are meant to pressure the Iranians or the opposite, that this is all real. And the Iranians can pretend they're going to negotiate next week, but if they're negotiating next week, it's going to be after they're bombed with all that buildup. Larry, where are you on all of this?

[Larry]

I think we're right where we were over the course of the last several days. I still make note that most of the leaks that we're getting right now are from the Iranian side, and it's the Iranians who are leaking to the media, saying, we're making progress, we're getting closer, we're getting closer. You're not hearing that from the American side. What you're hearing from the American side is they're not serious. And it seems to me that's a preemptive strike, if I can use those words to sort of have a narrative one. Once a military strike happens, I could be wrong. Kevin Unless you're seeing something in there that.

[Mark]

Kevin yeah.

[Kevin]

Kevin no, I mean, I think, you know, to Mark's point, you know, those notices went out to the embassy. That's something that happened about eight days before Operation Midnight Hammer. I do think we're on war footing here, obviously, with the assets moving in. There's reporting that the CENTCOM commander was actually in Washington, D.C. yesterday. Brad Brad Cooper, I think is his name. Navy admiral to go Navy beat army for Larry to brief the president and senior leadership. Obviously, he's the lead in terms of the region. So I do think we are headed sooner than later to some kind of military operation.

[Mark]

What percent chance would you guys put on a strike this weekend? Larry what percent chance this weekend? Whether small strike or big strike, just any sort of strike.

[Larry]

Any kind of strike. I'd say we're honest. I think we're at 50, 50 right now.

[Mark]

50, 50 for this weekend.

[Larry]

I do.

[Mark]

Kevin, you're taking the over. The under on that.

[Kevin]

I'm taking the over potentially. You know, Mark, as you just said, the president's going to Mar A Lago tonight. That also could be a head fake. You know, could be either way. Right. If he was going back to Washington, maybe military action. But we also know Midnight Hammer took place at Mar A Lago. So there's no limit as to where the president can conduct, you know, the war from. And that could also be a head fake to the Iranians.

[Mark]

He loves doing the wars for Mar A Lago. Makes him feel like, you know, whatever, like a Merryweather.

[Kevin]

It's very true.

[Mark]

Okay. The, the numbers that came out, the PPI numbers caused the Dow futures to fall 500. So let's remember at 9:30, let's check in and see what, what happens on the open.

[Larry]

What's your over under on the, on the strike.

[Mark]

I am totally flummoxed. I think, I don't think, I think, all right, I'll do this a cop out, but this is really how I feel. My head says it's not going to be this weekend, but my gut says it will be. They just, they leaned a little bit too hard into, you know, they're going to be technical negotiations and then, and then, and then the principles get back together. Here's, here's the thing. Trump doesn't want to strike without some justification. We've now seen both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times do pieces that say experts say they're exaggerating the US Is exaggerating the missile capability, they're exaggerating the nuclear capability and exaggerating a little bit on the current state of the terrorism capability. Right. So all of that suggests to me that they need to do more work. And I know some people in the administration are annoyed at those stories because they don't think they're true, but they need to do more work to sell this. Remember, Schumer seemed to be sold. Schumer seemed to be in the, after

[Kevin]

the private briefing, after that Gang of

[Mark]

Eight meetings, after the Gang of Eight briefing. So I don't think, I mean, unless the president wants to give a speech tonight, I just don't think they've made the case enough. And having not made the case to justify it to the American people, to the allies in the region besides Israel, all for it. Of course, having not done that, it's striking when the premise is negotiations are on the table. When the premises, the Iranians and the Omanis say There was progress. I just don't think it's ripe for a strike under those circumstances. But my gut says my Friday night's going to be taken up with trying to decide whether we do a special two way to watch the bombs fall.

[Kevin]

Mark, one other point. Mark, one other point on that front, too. You know, Democrats want to introduce a war powers resolution next week, specifically about Iran.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Kevin]

I think that could also be mute by this weekend if the president takes action. He probably doesn't want to have debate. Obviously, that act will probably fail because there's Democrats that won't support it and obviously Republicans won't. But he might want to preempt even that conversation happening in Congress.

[Mark]

That. And that's supposed to be Tuesday, that vote, I think the Senate votes Tuesday, I believe, anyway. All right, I want to talk about the Clintons and Epstein, but I want to start with the president, current president and Epstein. The Justice Department said yesterday they're going to investigate and maybe release these other FBI interviews with this accuser who claims Trump sexually assaulted her when she was a minor in South Carolina. Is that going to happen? Do we think they're gonna release that? And. Because if they are, Friday night, probably a good time to do it from a news dump point of view. But do you guys think they're gonna say, yes, we're gonna release these documents?

[Larry]

They should. They should release it. I mean, that's.

[Mark]

They think they're going to.

[Larry]

Yeah, I do.

[Mark]

Yes. Kevin, do you think they'll release them? Yeah.

[Kevin]

When you've got like, an institutionalist like Chuck Grassley out there making statements that they need to, you know, release this. I do think the pressure is mounting because again, if you think about it, it's.

[Larry]

It's bungled. This whole operation, the impact of it's been blunted by people screaming, my gosh, look what they're covering up. And then I think that there's already been sane, rational responses to that, so I don't see the negative impact at this point.

[Mark]

Have you seen this picture of. That's alleged to be Epstein and Lutnick on the island? Have you guys seen that picture?

[Larry]

No.

[Mark]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kevin]

Like cargo shorts.

[Mark]

Yeah. And it's a blue shirt. Yeah. To me, it doesn't totally look like gluttonic, but whatever. But. But if I understand this correctly, it was in the files, then they pulled it back. Now they've put it back up, but, like, again, all these things about too much redactions, too few and some documents not released, like, obviously part of this is just chaos. And incompetence. But the left thinks this is all a big conspiracy and we'll see what happens. The Clintons, you know, the smartest money going into Hillary's testimony yesterday and we're being forward looking, we're talking about Hillary to look forward to Bill today was that Hillary would eat their lunch because comer, he's a very nice guy, whatever. He's just not a competent investigator. And he's going up against one of the all time champions of handling difficult situations in under investigation, whether it's Congress or federal prosecutor. Secretary Clinton is one of the most underrated people I've ever covered in politics. She is just a skilled, brilliant, skill savvy person, except in 2016 and yesterday. If you didn't watch it, go watch it. She came out, she held a long press conference, just extraordinarily skilled and mocked the Republicans. And when that, when that transcript which could get released today, or video which could get released today, when that comes out, if her characterization of what they asked her is true, and I'm sure it is, they're going to look like bigger morons than they did yesterday because they're going to embarrass themselves. Now, I covered the Clinton since 1991 and I have extraordinary appreciation, as you can tell, for the skills of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Here are, if you need a reminder, two previous instances when after she dealt with investigations, she held press conferences and let it all hang out. And she's so good as she was yesterday. Ladies and gentlemen, a morning meeting Friday. Flashback. First, the pink press conference. 1994. 108, please.

[Archive Clip]

Some of the opponents of health care have certainly tried to use Whitewater as a proxy for their opposition to health care. I think that in the last several days, some of the leading opponents of healthcare have even said things which seem to suggest that I find that very regrettable.

[Mark]

She sat in the East Room to answer questions about the billing records, which is one of the most outrageous Clinton scandals of all time. It's right up there with the cattle futures, $100,000. But she answered every question. She just sat there and let it all hang out. And then two years later, she left the federal grand jury. Extraordinary phenomena. First lady of the United States goes and testifies before a criminal grand jury. And she came striding out, not in pink, but in black this time and did this.

[Archive Clip]

I was glad to have the opportunity to tell the grand jury what I have been telling all of you. I do not know how the billing records came to be found, where they were found, but I am pleased that they were found because they confirm what I have been saying. Well, I looked forward to being able to tell the grand jury what I know to be able to answer their questions. I, like everyone else, would like to know the answer about how the document.

[Mark]

Did she talk? Did she talk going in? I thought she talked when she came out, but that suggested going in. In any event, she was masterful in her press conference again yesterday. First question, Kevin. Will President Clinton, after his grand jury appearance late on a Friday night, will he speak to the press as well?

[Kevin]

I think he does. Obviously, she set the precedent. The interesting thing I've seen on the Clinton, the Bill Clinton front is AIDS around him, kind of tamping down expectations with his performance. Right. Saying that he's gotten a little older. He's, you know, there's a little bit, you know, he's, you know, maybe missed a few steps here. Obviously, Hillary is still firing on all cylinders, as we saw. And part of the equation, too, is just look at who's on the opposite side. Right. I mean, I think Nancy Mace tweeted out a photo of her and Anna Paulina Luna and James Comer in the car, you know, heading to the deposition. We're not dealing with, you know, rocket scientists on the other side. And Hillary obviously, you know, worked her magic with them. And we'll see how President Clinton fares now, again with that expectation setting. It's kind of interesting to see that kind of preempt by his team.

[Mark]

Yeah. Larry, CNN reported that when they showed Hillary pictures of Bill Clinton in the. I don't know, is it a swimming pool or a hot tub? Which is.

[Larry]

It's a pretty big swimming tube.

[Mark]

Okay. In the swimming pool, when they showed pictures of him of her, Bill Clinton in the swimming pool. When they showed her pictures of Bill Clinton getting the back rub on the plane that Hillary, they said, and one of the members said, how do you feel about that? CNN and someone else reported Hillary said, I'm not here to talk about my feelings, which is a pretty fucking good answer. Sorry to use profanity, but I moved to in this instance. But, Larry, what is Bill Clinton going to say today when he's asked, tell us the circumstances of your being in that swimming pool.

[Larry]

It depends on the definition of what a swimming pool is. I mean, listen, I don't think, first of all, I don't think Chairman Comer is a moron. I don't think that the Republicans on the Oversight Committee are morons or in some way, you know, lack intelligence. I think that in comparison to the Machiavellian approach that the Clintons take to everything in their public life. They look like they're, you know, that they're babes in the woods because they don't approach government in the same cynical way. The words you used. But Mark,

[Mark]

I need to correct.

[Larry]

Oh, I'm sorry, you're correct me and tell me James Comer is a moron.

[Mark]

No, I'm going to correct myself. I shouldn't have called him a moron. I think he's extremely unskilled at leading investigations if his goals are both political and substantive. Larry, what a goal? What goal did he achieve yesterday for his side and for the American people, politically and substantively?

[Larry]

Well, I think that he may naively think that he's trying to get to the truth of this matter and trying to get to.

[Mark]

But they, they asked her about pizza gating UFOs.

[Larry]

Well, according to Hillary Clinton, they did. And by the way, you don't know.

[Kevin]

We'll see if they get that trans.

[Larry]

That.

[Mark]

Yeah. Larry, I'll say again, I'll say again, what release. What did he achieve, Larry? What did he achieve?

[Larry]

Think about the words you used to describe Hillary Clinton. Not once did you say that she was forthcoming, honest and transparent. You said she was skilled. She is skilled. She's skilled at obfuscation and parsing and threading the needle of saying things without actually saying. Okay, but Larry, that's why the American people don't trust her.

[Mark]

I understand, but if the goal of the hearing was either to score political points for the Republicans or to play defense for President Trump or to get to the bottom of the Clinton's involvement in this, he achieved nothing Yesterday. He achieved nothing except to make Hillary look great.

[Larry]

This is a 1, 2 in your eyes, perhaps not in my eyes. There are plenty of people who don't think Hillary Clinton looked great yesterday. Here's the important thing. This is a one, two punch. What Bill Clinton says today, in contrast to, and in comparison to what Hillary Clinton said, is really what this is all about.

[Mark]

Okay, I agree with you 100%, but here's my question. Kevin, let me just ask Larry one more question. Do you think they'll do a better job today, both in the room and afterwards with Bill Clinton than they did with Hillary Clinton?

[Larry]

It depends on what you consider a better job. I'm not looking at what kind of job.

[Mark]

They do achieve an objective, either a political objective or substantive objective.

[Larry]

The question should be will, will Bill Clinton be honest and will their stories consistent? Why do you think Hillary Clinton went first it was so she could lay down the marker of what the testimony was going to be. And they spent all night briefing Bill saying, don't say this, say this. We can all see through this, MARK

[Mark]

Kevin, one of the brilliance of the Clintons is they come up with a line of spin that doesn't actually engage on the answer.

[Larry]

That's right.

[Mark]

On the true question and they just repeat it. So here's where they set the bar. Never went to.

[Larry]

Why are we praising them for that, Mark?

[Mark]

Well, Larry, we're praising their political skill and that's let. We're praising it, but we're also saying the Republicans need to take this into account if they want to achieve their objectives. They need to be as good or better than the Clintons. Kevin would say they never, never went to the island. Yeah, no, hold on.

[Kevin]

Never went to be the peacemaker here. But, but you're actually both right, like the political skills of the Clintons are unmatched. But to Larry's point, they've been doing this for 40 years in terms of the obfuscation and the spinning narrative. Excellent.

[Mark]

Don't take on world.

[Kevin]

Don't take them on.

[Mark]

Exactly. You can't manage it. But Kevin, here's my question.

[Kevin]

And what did Hillary Clinton get out of this yesterday? An agreement almost by comer to get Trump Cabinet members to now testify.

[Mark]

Correct.

[Kevin]

Given Howard Lutnick, the first thing for this is to do no harm.

[Mark]

He testified on it. Not in front of an investigative committee. He testified because he was testifying on Commerce Committee business, appropriations, the Clinton spin. And again, Larry, Larry's right. Maybe it's too cynical for me to praise this, but the Clintons say here's the bar. Did we ever go the island? No. Did we have any dealings with Jeffrey Epstein after he was sent to jail? No. I forget what the third thing. Oh, did we know about his illegality at the time? No. That's where they set the bar. But, but Bill Clinton, at a minimum, at a minimum, he took the plane rides from the guy. At a minimum, he's got the photos and, and at a minimum, he took them to a wedding. Like he had a relationship with those with Maxwell and Epstein. And whether he saw or did anything illegal is different than the question of did he aid and abet the operation. Right. So my question to you, Kevin, is what will the headline be out of Bill Clinton's testimony today? Because the testimony out of Hillary's was they asked her a bunch of irrelevant questions and she swatted them away. What will the headline be? Yeah, no, According to all the comments. Larry. Larry, Ivan, I haven't seen a single conservative media outlet or person on Twitter say anything about yesterday that was good for your side. I haven't seen one.

[Larry]

But because the, the characterization of what was asked is Hillary's characterization of it. We don't know what was asked.

[Mark]

She's, jeez, we're telling the truth. Kevin, what will the headline God forbid

[Larry]

Hillary Clinton not tell the truth about something.

[Mark]

What will the headline be? Kevin, what will the headline be?

[Kevin]

That it's a, it's a nothing burger and that, okay, these two now have testified, so what happens now with the President? What happens with cabinet members and things like that, I think don't also doubt even though he's older and they're, you know, they're drawing down expectations that they've agreed to one day of testimony in this depth position. And I could see the President spending hours talking about Clinton Global Initiative, all the things they did together to spin this narrative that, okay, I took these plane rides to Haiti to the doctor to do this, this important work. And again, you know, Larry, you make an excellent point about the, the strategy behind Hillary going first. Right. And those folks in the room recording that conversation, Nick Merrill, others, and then now briefing the President to be even better now, starting at 11:00'.

[Mark]

Clock. Larry, one more question on this. We'll move on. Hillary was defiant in her opening statement, in her testimony, as far as we know, and in the press conference after, will Bill Clinton be defiant?

[Larry]

Nope. This is, this is how they work it. He's going to be the, he's going to be the good old boy, charming guy. Shucks, I had no idea if accepting

[Mark]

a plane ride to feed a million children in Africa is the price of dealing with Jeffrey Epstein.

[Kevin]

Exactly. Right.

[Larry]

Just remember, let me just say Bill Clinton, I think it's objectively fair to say and true that he had way more interactions, or it's been recorded that he had more interactions with Jeffrey Epstein than Donald Trump ever did.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Larry]

And yet in 2006, it was Donald Trump who told the chief of police in Palm beach, everybody knew what this guy was doing. And Bill Clinton still claims he had no idea. If the American people need to reconcile those two facts.

[Mark]

Well, the only thing I'll say about that, Larry, is we really don't know how much time Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein.

[Larry]

I just said based on what we know, based on the record, Bill Clinton had way more interactions than Donald Trump.

[Mark]

I'm not sure. Just, just that one thing at Mar

[Larry]

a Lago with the Based on what we know. Well, we can only base our opinion on what we know.

[Mark]

I'm not sure. Here's why I differ from that. Bill Clinton, as far as we know, to use your framing, took some plane rides from the guy and took them to a wedding. I believe that's the sum total of what we know. And they were involved in the global initiative.

[Larry]

And they were involved in the global initiative. And there were shoulder rubs and there were swimming pools.

[Mark]

Yeah, but Trump was friends with Jeffrey Epstein. They were friends. He had a favorable quote in New York magazine.

[Larry]

Oh, so Bill Clinton traveled with him, hung out in swimming pools with him, went to prison parties with him, took his money, but they were never friends.

[Mark]

Correct. If you. If you know anything about Bill Clinton and his relationships with people, he had. He had. He had friendlike interactions with people. Way more friendlike than that of people who were not his friends at all.

[Kevin]

It's a bit more transactional with.

[Mark]

Yeah, yeah.

[Larry]

I don't think those were the only transactions.

[Mark]

I don't. Boom. I don't read the chat, but I glance at it. I know some of you felt we spent too long on this point of personal privilege. For me, the Clintons were the first politicians I ever covered. And when they're in the news, I just. I just lose it. I just get. So whatever. All right, we're quick on this stuff. Larry, Will. Will any of the three Republican Senate candidates in Texas today get a more favorable shout out from the president? Or we just say they're all great and I love them all.

[Larry]

I think he's staying agnostic until there is a runoff, and then it'll be very interesting.

[Mark]

Okay, Kevin, Will any of the candidates get to speak? Like, will he call on Cornyn to speak because he's the incumbent, or. Or he'll treat them all equally? I doubt it.

[Kevin]

I mean, this is like the Apprentice on steroids, and the President loves this stuff. Interestingly, though, you saw Chris Lacivita, Tony Fabrizio, both pro corny people, helping the Reelect with Susie Wiles last night at dinner. We'll see if that conversations there. Susie obviously has some sway over the President. If there's any action towards Cornyn today.

[Mark]

That's a great restaurant they went to, by the way.

[Kevin]

It is.

[Mark]

Okay, we're going to skip a few things because when we get to your questions again, if you're here on the platform, want to get in the conversation, please raise your hand. Assuming, as I think you both probably do, that Paramount will succeed in taking over Warner Brothers. Give me the date that you think Barry Weiss will take over cnn. Larry, what's the date when Barry Weiss will take over cnn?

[Larry]

Soon enough. But let's say again, I don't know the legal ramifications of this, but let's say by before the midterm elections this year.

[Mark]

Right?

[Larry]

I mean again, I don't know how what the legal ramp. The second, the second the deal is done, I think she gets it.

[Mark]

And Kevin, first what's the date? And second, will they keep CNN as a standalone or will they like Merge it with CBS?

[Kevin]

Keep seeing CNN as a standalone six months from now? August 27th is when Labor Day.

[Larry]

I was thinking around Labor Day.

[Mark]

Oh, I think it, I don't think it happens till next year. Maybe I'm wrong. What happens to poor Anderson Cooper who quit CBS in a huff and now he's, now they own him again. Force him back on 60 like the mob.

[Larry]

The mob is going to be phenomenal.

[Mark]

Yeah, it really is. Right? All right, Anthropic, this is a fascinating fight. Five o', clock, 5:01. I don't know. They set the deadline at 501. I've never heard of that. 501 today. If the, if Anthropic doesn't give in to the, to Pentagon's demands that they be allowed to use Claude unfettered, then they're going to not only fire them as their AI agent but they're going to say Claude can't be a contractor for I believe the entire federal government. The two things that the Claude people, and they're very, I'll say arrogant slash confident CEO will not give in on is they, CLAUDE should not be used to surveil the American people which is something the Pentagon's not supposed to do anyway. And that Claude shouldn't be used to operate autonomous weapon systems so that, so that the same person who designs a photo of me, of Kevin as a, as a, as a Mouseketeer is not firing drones off into space.

[Kevin]

Those photos are, those photos are already out there, Mark.

[Mark]

I don't need the photos anyway. Incredible war of words. You see up there the kind of the press release from the CEO of Anthropic. But on Twitter at least two Pentagon officials have just tweeted. Just extraordinarily I would say mean spirited but very, very forceful responses. This one up now from Jeremy Lewin who's this Pentagon undersecretary at the Pentagon is, is, is kind of principled. There's another one that we don't have up but that was basically just like, like the dozens, like really going after the guy. So let me ask you first, Larry, on the merits. If, if Anthropic says it's not safe to have weapons systems be run by us, it's a misuse of it, and we're not comfortable with that. If they, if the vendor says that, should the Pentagon be demanding this? In other words, is their concern trumped for you by the Pentagon's view, which is our vendor can't tell us how to use the product. Right.

[Larry]

Well, that's, that's what I'm sort of sorting through here. Because who's in charge? Is it the military industrial complex, as Oliver Stone would call it, or President Eisenhower for that matter, or is it the Pentagon and those who are answer. Answer to the American people? That's sort of the crux of it. I know that it gets a little complicated because it's artificial intelligence, and you think that we're about to get into the Matrix zone here with robots taking over. But ultimately that's the fundamental question. And I think the Pentagon has to have the fundamental final say, don't they? Because they answer to us.

[Kevin]

Yeah.

[Mark]

Thoughts, Kevin?

[Kevin]

The interesting thing to me, and to your point, Mark, is just how personal it's gotten, right? You know, where people are being called out by name. You got like the deputy undersecretary, as you mentioned, obviously the CEO. This, this program is a $200 million program, I think with Claude and Anthropic, that's a drop in a bucket for an AI company like that. I think, Mark, to your point where, you know, it might affect their relationships across government, not just with the Department of Defense war. You know, I could see this company just saying the hell with it, obviously, in terms of the narrative that they're spending, getting the high ground of we don't want to take place in human destruction, which I don't know why, going into a relationship with the Department of War, they're not going to use it. What is the.

[Larry]

Was going to.

[Kevin]

They're not going to create massacre, Mark.

[Mark]

Yeah, yeah.

[Kevin]

And we know from the war between Ukraine and Russia just how important AI has been on the battlefield. So again, it's surprising me that they're throwing up red flags that we don't want to be part of. Maybe the American surveillance element of it. I get that. But, you know, missile defense, that's part and parcel what we need AI for.

[Mark]

Very well said by both. Either of you think this will be solved by 501 Eastern today?

[Kevin]

I doubt it.

[Larry]

I don't know.

[Kevin]

Not given how that meeting, it seems a little so terribly.

[Mark]

Yeah, yeah.

[Larry]

It seems a little more complicated and involved than that, doesn't it?

[Mark]

Yeah. I mean, I'd listen to Andrew Ross Sorkin talk to a guy about AI and this, this issue, a former Pentagon official on Squawk this morning. And it was, it was unintelligible. I mean, it's just this, a complicated thing. What's the name of the company that just fired 40% of their workforce because of AI? You guys know what I'm talking about. One of the Twitter guys runs a company that had like 60,000 employees square. Is that what it is?

[Kevin]

Or block. People were saying blockchain.

[Mark]

It's block. Block. Had like block. They have like 100,000 employees and they fired 40,000 or something. And they said, we're just moving it all to AI. It's all going to be better. And they talked about that in Squawk 2. And once again, Joe Kernan is concerned about truck drivers and travel agents. But this is all I've just, I say it every show I do. Just this whole AI thing is just so much bigger than anybody can comprehend because there are people who know about politics and don't know much about AI and people know a lot about AI and don't know much about politics. You have to know about both folks to be talking about this stuff.

[Larry]

Well, and to me, this anthropic issue, I mean, what's interesting to me is that Elon, have you noticed. I haven't noticed if Elon Musk has been all over it or not, because usually he's like playing plugged in, has very, very strong opinions on this stuff. And the fact that because he has a lot of contracts with that building, that five solid building over there, and one wonders if he is a voice in the room, he it.

[Mark]

I know this is the talk of Silicon Valley because everyone I know in Silicon Valley is messaging me about it and asking me what's going to happen. All right, one more winners loses what to look for. And then to your questions. So please raise your hand if you're here on the platform. Larry, Winner of the week.

[Larry]

It's obvious. President Trump, take a look. This was the moment.

[Jeffrey]

Nobody stands up. These people are crazy. I'm telling you, they're crazy.

[Larry]

As Selena Zito wrote in her column this week at the Washington examiner, the campaign the Democrats should fear the most this midterm is the these people are crazy campaign. And President Trump was able to shift the narrative this week. The polls show that the American people liked that speech big Time and now say 64% of Americans say that President Trump's policies will advance this country. The midterms began this Tuesday, and right now the Republicans got a huge boost.

[Mark]

Kevin, winner of the week.

[Kevin]

My winner, similarly to Larry, and obviously we've got our political stripes on, is Abigail Spanberger for the response because the bar is so low for a response that she cleared it. Where no one is going to make fun of her on snl. There's going to be no bits about her. She did no harm. So we're not talking about Marco Rubio sipping that water or Bobby Jindel or Katie Britt or terrible, you know, Stacey Abrams, where folks talked and made fun of that response. She did what she had to do, took the fight to Donald Trump. She's my winner this week.

[Larry]

Wow.

[Mark]

The Dow is way down, right? The dow is down 500 points.

[Larry]

Talk about a low bar.

[Mark]

Keep, keep monitoring that.

[Kevin]

It is a low bar. But she cleared it, Larry, because no

[Mark]

one's just put up CNBC with no audio. And let's just watch the numbers and the graphics. My winner of the week is David Allison and Team Paramount. They were confident from the start. The corporate, the media, the business media just failed you all on this story. It was obvious to anybody paying attention that there was no way Paramount was going to lose this. They were going to make a better offer in the end for a variety of reasons. The deep pockets of the Ellisons and the regulatory issues. And so Ellison gets what he wanted. But again, everyone in the business press, go read the coverage. 95% of it was it's in the bag for Netflix. And it was obviously wrong.

[Larry]

And so viewers of this program knew,

[Mark]

yes, we've been talking about it.

[Kevin]

And they played the politics. It's a new game. You got to play the politics much better. And he was at the. David was at the State of the Union. That's how things are getting done in Washington.

[Mark]

And they both hired a lot of good lobbyists, many of whom are my friends. But Allison hired really great lobbyists, and that made a big difference as well. Okay, Jim.

[Larry]

Jim Cramer is panicking. Jim Cramer is panicking.

[Mark]

Calm, Jim. Calm, Larry. Loser of the week.

[Larry]

The loser of the week are Senate Republicans because as they claim that they don't have time to take up the Save act and engage in an actual filibuster, this video reveals they have time for a dog parade.

[Mark]

What? You haven't been hanging around to sit at one, Larry. There's always time for dog parade.

[Larry]

Yeah, yeah. Here's the real.

[Kevin]

Is that baby dog is that baby dog right there.

[Larry]

That is baby dog. It is. And I love baby dog, don't get me wrong.

[Kevin]

But here's the 101st. Yeah, don't come after the 101st center there, Larry.

[Larry]

My issue is that in California, baby dog can register to vote, and that's the problem. And it's why we need the SAVE Act. And Republican senators, they had a bad week for their. For their base.

[Mark]

Are you guys surprised to hear that the United Kingdom has an embassy, a staffed embassy in Iran? Does that surprise you?

[Larry]

No. Europe's been very soft on Iran. Ambassador Grinnell, that was one of his biggest headaches when he was ambassador to Germany.

[Mark]

This one's.

[Kevin]

I know the French certainly do this.

[Mark]

This won't surprise you either. The UK has just evacuated its diplomatic staff from Iran. And they didn't do that. Didn't do that for fun. Didn't do that for fun. Kevin. Loser of the Week.

[Kevin]

Loser of the week are all these clowns on the far left of my party that dressed up as inflatable frogs to counter program the State of the Union. I don't understand what that was trying to do. There's no way you can compete with the State of the Union, whether it's a Democrat or Republican, given that address. And this just makes us look silly and stupid and people just screaming their heads off at this State of the Swamp rally, which doesn't make sense to actually win elections. And message to the middle, I'm going

[Mark]

out on a limb. Even though he could redeem himself today and say Larry's close friend, Chairman Comer is the loser of the week, what he did yesterday, it was so obvious what was going to happen. We talked about it here, and he just let Hillary Clinton come in and just completely own him. And it's incredible. Just incredible. Larry, what are you looking for this weekend?

[Larry]

You know, I was going to make Susan Rice the loser of the week. Because of Netflix. Because.

[Mark]

Because, yeah, I was sure that would have been a good.

[Kevin]

She's. She's still on the board, though.

[Mark]

She's still on the board. Now they can make all the. They can make all the Obama documentaries they want.

[Larry]

I'm throwing a flag. Kevin, you will bet on our group chat. Mark cited Losers of the Week in the Netflix Paramount story. So he was clearly waving me off of it.

[Mark]

Larry, do you know? Do you know?

[Kevin]

It was a head fake? It was a head fake, just like Iran.

[Mark]

The people who should be the most angry about Chairman Comer's performance, not just on this, but on the Biden stuff, too. Are people on the right? You all should be outraged at how poorly he is handling that gavel. He let, he let, he let Hunter Biden skate free. Politically, the law had different thoughts.

[Kevin]

Everybody's asking, what's Trey Gowdy up to? Talking about a great oversight.

[Mark]

Larry, what are you looking for this weekend?

[Larry]

Here is what I am looking for this weekend. It sort of ties into my winner of the week. Watch this ad.

[Jeffrey]

If you agree with this statement, then stand up and show your support. The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. These people are crazy.

[Larry]

That's the first of many ads that will be rolling out this weekend and I can't get enough of them. I'm looking for these ads not just on social media, but I want to see what kind of buys they're doing in what states and in what districts.

[Mark]

Yeah, Kevin.

[Kevin]

Well, I had one planned, but our dear friend Haley in the chat reminds me that Connor story from Heated Rivalry is hosting snl. So I will be watching that tomorrow night.

[Mark]

Is snl. Is SNL back? Thought they were still.

[Kevin]

Yeah, it's back on.

[Larry]

It's back on tomorrow nighting to the chat. Shameless pandering to the chat.

[Kevin]

Hey, and to my heartstrings with Heated Rivalry, what I'm watching actually this weekend is do we actually, to Larry's point, keep talking about the State of the Union beyond just this week? You know, you're putting down the marker that this, the midterms are on, you know, viewers. You know, we got 36 million viewers last year, 33 million this year. Skewed Republican, obviously, in terms of folks watching. Does that actually move the needle whatsoever on the president's numbers on all those key issues, or do we just put it by the wayside and it was a blip like every other State of the Union recently?

[Mark]

Yeah, I can't, I can't reveal why I'm saying this for source purposes, but lean more into an attack this weekend by the US Than, than I did before the hours started. Based on what I was just told. There's just more, more indications that there's going to be an attack this weekend on Iran. Not a sure thing, but lean more into it. I am going to be in Palm beach this weekend and what I'm looking for is to see if a Mar? A Lago member will bring me to lunch tomorrow. I've got a breakfast, but I need a lunch. So if you're, if you're a member of Mar? A Lago and you'd like to take me to lunch in Mar a Lago tomorrow because I want to be there when the President starts the war. Feel free to reach out. That's what I'm does.

[Kevin]

This program,

[Larry]

social calendar.

[Mark]

It's not social. I, I love history. I love. This is work.

[Kevin]

This is work.

[Mark]

I've got to be right there with a buffet. It's a buffet. I'm going to be right there. I'm going to be right there and the President's going to walk by my table and he's going to say, have the meatloaf. The meatloaf is incredible. Have you had the meatloaf? It's so good. It's the best meatloaf. This is the best meatloaf. And then he's going to say, excuse me while I. Or what did Bush say with the swing? Now watch me while I watch.

[Larry]

Now watch this.

[Mark]

What is he saying?

[Kevin]

Now watch this drive. Now watch this drive.

[Mark]

Now watch this.

[Kevin]

Now watch this drive.

[Mark]

Trump's going to say, excuse me. Now watch this drive while I go upstairs to the ornate conference room. And he'll say that, okay, that o'

[Larry]

Connor kid is really good. He's taller than that other guy.

[Mark]

Yeah. Yes, he's going to say that. All right, ladies and gentlemen, so concludes the portion of our chatter. In a moment, your questions. If you want to be in on the conversation, raise your hand. If you've never raised your hand, today'd be a good day to do it. Reminder that you can get shirts like this. Doesn't look very good where I'm sitting here in this tiny booth in the Sky Club, but you get shirts from our partners at Fairway. And green golf shirts, beautiful quarter zips. It's all incredibly way made stuff with or without the two way logo. And our catchphrase is all available to you at a discount. Very generous discount. Go to Twoway TV Fairway to get 20% off. Is it 20% now? I think it is. Anyway, you get a discount and it's the most beautiful golf apparel you've ever had the pleasure of owning. Go to Twoway TV Fairway, as they say in our partnership. Classic style joins Bold Conversation. We're in charge of the Bold Conversation. There's classic style and it's just so well made. Every time, every time I wear it out in public, if somebody sees me wearing it though, that they, they'll ask if they can touch it, like Touch my monkey, like Peter Sellers. And, and they just say, my goodness, it's, it's so, so soft. So wonderful. Beautiful looking stuff. Two way tv. Faraway. All right, here we go.

[Kevin]

Talk about bold conversation. Talk about both Conversation. Husband Alex tweeted me. Larry has definitely had his Wheaties this morning. He texted me earlier.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Kevin]

With that passion coming through that screen in that new studio.

[Mark]

Larry. Did I, did I. Was I too hot with you on. On the Clinton stuff and Comer stuff?

[Larry]

This is nothing. None of this is personal. We're here.

[Kevin]

This is what this is all about.

[Larry]

I was ready an apology. I was. You owed James Comer an apology.

[Mark]

I, Well, I took it back. He's not, he's not stupid. He's. He's, he's ill equipped to take on Hillary Clinton.

[Larry]

I rarely see you characterize a Democrat as a moron or stupid. That's. As a Republican. I just, I have an ear for this. We're always called. Called stupid.

[Mark]

I don't, I don't, I don't, I don't typically call very many people that at all of either party.

[Larry]

Okay.

[Mark]

But I mean, I'll say again, your side should be so outraged at Comey's incompetence. Comers and competence. It's, it's just, it just what if. I mean I'm at some. Take some time. I'll maybe write an article about just. He doesn't know how to do this. Does not know how to do this. Jeffrey. Jeffrey. Jeffrey. Welcome in. Tell folks who don't know where you are. If you're, if you're a member of Mar A Lago, let us know that. And, and what's on your mind for Larry and for Kevin. Jeffrey?

[Jeffrey]

No, I am not a Mar A Lago alumni.

[Mark]

Where do you live, Jeffrey?

[Jeffrey]

I am from Appleton, Wisconsin. Originally an alumni of original native New Yorker from Queens, one of the outer boroughs. I am also incredibly grateful and excited to be on the morning meeting speaking to the greatest country in the history of the earth, the United States of America. And I want to talk about the State of the Union. But I am a faithful nexter and I can't wait to go out and buy James Rosen's incredible book. What an incredible interview.

[Mark]

Incredible book. Jeff. He's Anton. James Rosen's great. Yeah. Jeffrey, I recommend it to you. It's a great book. Jeffrey, what's on your mind about State of the Union

[Jeffrey]

when just the most incredibly staged State of the Union I've ever seen. For me, what you do, Mark, with two way is what the left says speaking truth to power. You do by having conversations.

[Larry]

Thank you.

[Jeffrey]

And being open minded and just admitting wrong when you're wrong.

[Mark]

Yeah. Thank you for that.

[Jeffrey]

Authenticity and vulnerability is so huge, Jeffrey.

[Mark]

If Chairman Comer does a great job today at 4 o', clock, I'll just be singing his praises. I'll revise him. I'll make him winner of the week.

[Larry]

Mark, that is right.

[Kevin]

We are equal opportunity. Are equal opportunity.

[Larry]

Jeffrey. It's so true that I have interacted with a lot of giants in the media who have, you know, done at the highest levels what Mark's been able to do. And I could not talk to them the way I, we're all able to interact with Mark. It really is, it sets him apart from everyone else and very kind of,

[Mark]

it's been very kind of you. Thank you. I appreciate that.

[Kevin]

And I think at a time when everyone is just to Jeffrey's point, everyone's retreating to their silos. No one's engaging new polling that, you know, no one wants their kids to date someone from the other party or anything like that. This shows even more important to have authentic conversations across the political spectrum and to hear from folks like you, Jeffrey, as well.

[Jeffrey]

Yes. When a highlight for me and there were so many highlights at the Medal of Honor winners, but the, the, it made me made me cry. But when the hockey team was walked down through the press corps.

[Larry]

Yes.

[Jeffrey]

And the press corps did not, nobody stood up to applaud. I was like in shock.

[Mark]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jeffrey]

And yes, the press corps, the corporate press corps. I've completely cut cords because I no longer listen to major media. I used to be Fox, CNN no longer because I, I have to get facts from, from, from on my own.

[Kevin]

Yeah.

[Jeffrey]

Anyway, how could you not celebrate?

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jeffrey]

One of the greatest events.

[Mark]

Yeah. Jeffrey, great question. You guys are not reporters. But Kevin, if a reporter friend of yours said in advance, I'm going to be in the hall and I'm not supposed to applaud at political events, but we know the hockey team's going to be there. Should I applaud? What would you tell a reporter friend?

[Kevin]

Yes, yes. And you saw a bunch of reporters not in that room saying what the heck are you guys doing? And applaud for the hundred year old World War II Korea War veteran getting the Medal of Honor, you know, after an incredible, incredible missions in Korea that are now just coming to light bipartisan approval on all of that. You stand and you applaud and you, you give praise.

[Mark]

Larry, I have to say, just being honest, I hear what Jeffrey and Kevin are saying, but I would, I would be, if I were in the hall, I would be as I would be reluctant to stand and applaud anything, really, because it's a political event and I'm there as an observer and a chronicler. I'm not saying that's right. I'm just saying historically, like, if I were, let's say. Okay, I hear that. So, guys, let me ask you a question. Let's say you were in an event at the White House and Donald Trump's doing an event or, or Barack Obama and a little girl is brought up on stage and she tells a heartwarming story about, you know, overcoming adversity in the East Room. Should reporters stand up and applaud that?

[Larry]

I would.

[Mark]

No, you can't.

[Larry]

I would. I'm a human.

[Mark]

Because it's a politics. Well, it's. But it's a political event reporter.

[Kevin]

Larry.

[Mark]

Reporters are not human beings.

[Kevin]

That's. Our.

[Mark]

Reporters are not human beings. That's the, that's your first, first thing

[Larry]

I'll have to respond to you. First of all, from my perspective, if Joe Biden were giving the State of the Union and he had the women's World cup soccer team come down, something tells me those same reporters would have stood. Okay, I could be wrong. I'll never be able to prove it, but I think it's great.

[Mark]

It's a great hypothetical. True.

[Larry]

But number two, I'm sorry, I will remember in the. I covered the 2012 presidential election for Breitbart, and I was in the press room for the debate at Hofstra, and I took a foot. It was the national anthem. And they played the national anthem before the debate. And I stood and I read none of the reporters stood for the national anthem. And I snapped a picture of it.

[Mark]

That I, that, that I do. Of course. Of course, I knew that.

[Jeffrey]

There is a mental illness. There is. This is a mount. You've covered that, Mark. And I can, I admit I've been in recovery now 10 years. I admit my, my, that I, when I, I was in denial for 40 years. Over 40 years. I, I believe that they're in denial. And I was in denial. I had Biden. I had Biden derangement syndrome for four years.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Larry]

Eds.

[Mark]

Jeffrey, thank you for coming on today, and thank you for being part of two way. Very grateful to you.

[Kevin]

Thank you, Jeffrey.

[Mark]

While we bring Haley and put up the Gallup poll, if you would. Where is that? Well, you guys know where it is. It's a new Gallup poll about attitudes towards Israel. Here comes Haley. Hey, Haley. Welcome in. Can you put that up? Yeah. Here we go. Israel is no longer ahead of American Middle east sympathies. The question is, in the Middle east situation, are your sympathies more with Israelis or more with the Palestinians? And this goes back to 2002. Gallup's been asking this question and Israel again, if you're watching, you can see the lines, but I'll talk it through here for people on the podcast or SiriusXM. Israel, it was way ahead. Israel was like almost above 60 and the Palestinians were down as low as 15. And now the lines have crossed. And now 41% of Americans have more sympathy for the Palestinians than for Israel at 38%. We talk all the time about how this is an issue that divides both parties. We talk all the time about whether a Democrat who's perceived as pro Israel can be nominated for President in 2028. We talk all the time about how in this midterm year you may see primaries won by Democrats who have a much worse chance of winning the general election because within the Democratic electorate, there's much more sympathy. These numbers would be even more pro Palestinian than Israel if it was just a Democratic electorate. And then here's Haley, who must look at this poll number as a supporter of Israel and as a citizen of both the United States and Israel and not feel happy. Haley, sorry to hit you with bad news. I'm wondering what you think of that poll and then ask us whatever you want.

[Haley]

Not surprised. I'm going to be honest. I mean, the trends have been for months for, since I want to say, October 7, been trending that way. So this is not a surprise. It's very, very sad. And I might be an outlier in my community, but I do think that we have, we have to take some blame for this and understand what we're doing wrong, because we are doing, we are making a lot of mistakes here as well. And I don't want to put it everything on anti Semitism, which is obviously a huge, huge problem. But I also think that our reactions to some things are a little. Are making more problems where there shouldn't be.

[Mark]

Larry, you have a question you'd like to ask Kaylie or Kevin?

[Larry]

Well, I mean, when you say that. I do. And Haley, shabbat shalom to you. When you say that the state of Israel or the government of Israel is partially to blame here, can you be more specific? What do you think?

[Haley]

I don't mean. I don't necessarily mean the state or the government. I've come on here. I'm not a supporter of the current government as an Israeli I've been very vocal about that. I don't put it on the state of Israel. I put it on more of the influencers that represent the pro Israel community. I think we make sometimes enemies where there aren't enemies to begin with. I think we throw around the word antisemitism very, sometimes too much.

[Mark]

Yeah, I agree. I agree with you on that.

[Larry]

Mark and I had a little debate about this over coffee, actually, a couple.

[Haley]

I want to be honest here. I think in the last year, we've made enemies where there haven't been and we've kind of pushed people towards rabbit holes that they shouldn't necessarily have been down to begin with, just in our reaction to the way people have been speaking about Israel.

[Larry]

And like I said, but coming off of the October 7th massacre, I think that's natural. I mean, I'm sorry, that's what's so devastating to me about that poll. When you look at the graph, It's. It's post October 7th, suddenly people say, yeah, the Palestinians have a point. What, are you kidding me?

[Haley]

I, I was, Listen, I know people who have. I know intimately people who have lost family and friends on October 7th. I was, you know, we're all directly affected. Every Israeli is directly affected by what happened on October 7th. And there was a very. In our community, in the Israelis, I'm not speaking for the Jewish, I'm speaking for Israelis. There's a very. There was a sense of revenge, let's say, for a very long time. However, things have shifted. And the, the image that that is coming out of, like I want to say the influencer class is we have to switch. Like, we have to be able to switch with the times. And we're not. We're no longer. In the aftermath of October 7th, things have changed. The war has ended, the hostages are home. So we're now in a different stage. And we have to be able to talk about what's going on in Israel honestly, as Israelis. And we can't just throw around the word anti Semitism all the time. I am, like I said, I am against the Israeli government. I think that they have done a lot of harm to the state of Israel, but I will never, you know, forsake my country. I'm pro Israel to begin with, but we have to be honest in our discussions. I do think the other side doesn't take nuance. And that's the problem with debating, let's say, pro Palestinians and people who are more sympathetic with the cause. But we also have to sometimes see that we're Making some mistakes. So that's where I am on that.

[Mark]

Haley, thank you. I gotta interrupt you just because we're getting close to time and there's some things I need to update everybody on. So, Haley, thank you for that. Grateful to you.

[Kevin]

Thank you, Haley.

[Mark]

Okay, the Dow continues to be way down. We'll watch that. I meant to bring up what's going on between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is war with one country that's got nuclear weapons. We just don't have time to talk about it. But we'll certainly follow that till 4 o' clock for two way tonight. And again, remember, two way tonight is special time today on the platform at 4 o', clock, 5pm on X and on YouTube. Do you guys know the journalist Jacqueline Sweet? Do you know her? She's worked for Politico and a bunch of other places. She tweeted this as a scoop about this alleged accuser for whom three of her interviews with the FBI are missing from the Epstein documents. And again, I'm not saying this is dispositive or I can't confirm the reporting, but it matches what I've been told generally. Here's what she says about the woman who accused President Trump of rape. I say what the accusation is because they talk about it on Ms. Now about every hour and they're all hyped up about it. They're all like, this is a silver bullet. Donald Trump raped a girl when she was underage. Here's what it. Here's what she says. Her allegations in these interviews with the FBI contradict what is known about Epstein's life in the early 1980s. The accuser has faced several fraud and theft charges in Washington. And in 2023, a felony charge for the exploitation of an elderly person in Georgia accused of stealing the money of a terminally ill man, save for his family to pay for his own funeral. So we don't know why those interviews are missing. And we talked earlier in the program about whether they'll be released. But. But this is what I've heard about this person and the level of credibility she might be seen as having when these are released. And like so much of what happens with Hillary yesterday and with Donald Trump, historically, the attacks on him over Epstein may backfire is what I'm saying. Because. Because the Ms. Now talks about this every hour. A gentleman.

[Larry]

But. But I'll say, as a supporter of the White House, just get it all out. Because the bottom line here is nobody believes that Merrick Garland and Joe Biden had this information and didn't prosecute Donald Trump if it was credible. So they've got that, that obvious fact on there.

[Mark]

The only member of Team Trump who might disagree with you would be maybe Howard Lutnick right now. Turn over to SiriusXM. Somebody sent me a series of emails saying I can't believe the show's no longer free on YouTube and I don't have SiriusXM or free on the platform. We're right here, folks. I don't, I don't know how they missed it. 9:00am Eastern time. We're right here every day. We'll be back Monday. And then right now on Sirius XM channel 111, you can listen to the program another hour of the morning meeting every, every Monday through Friday, 10 o'. Clock. As I said today, I will see at 4. Might be a lot of news. Bill Clinton will probably still be in his deposition, but we might have some updates out of that and of course the latest on what's going on with Iran. And, and then we'll be back Monday, 9:00am Eastern time. Very grateful to y' all for being part of the two way community. Kevin and Larry just couldn't, couldn't enjoy being on with you two more. And thank you for being part of two way. We're all very grateful to you because you make the show and we say conversations like no other. And that's in large part testament to you all. Thank you all very much. I'll see you at 4 Eastern Time today. Take care. Lifelock. How can I help? The IRS said I filed my return, but I haven't. One in four tax paying Americans has

[Larry]

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[Mark]

What do I do?

[Haley]

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