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Hogan Gidley
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Mark Halperin
Morning everybody. Welcome to the morning meeting. Lots going on. Just announced reported by Reuters that the Secretary of State is going to be in France with the G7 ministers on Friday to talk amongst about amongst other things about Iran. That's a big development and overnight a lot of mixed reporting about what's going on with these negotiations. We'll talk all about it. Larry o' Connor's here. Hi Ma' am. Gidley Gentlemen, thank you all for being here. Let's just talk briefly. Give me a number if you think the talks are doomed or you think the talks will lead to a settlement. 0 to 10. 0 is doomed. 10 is a settlement. Jaime 7. 7.
Larry O'Connor
Hogan 5.
Mark Halperin
Larry 4. 4. 4. Jaime, tell me why you're so bullish.
Jaime
I'm in a hopeful mood today.
Hogan Gidley
I don't know.
Jaime
I had a good workout this morning. I'm feeling good, but I don't know, I it feels like this week could be a turning point on many fronts in negotiations, so I'm hopeful that this is going to be one of them.
Mark Halperin
Fascinating. We'll run through the daybook. Then we'll talk about Iran and a few other stories. There's a new anti Platinum Platinum ad that I'm eager to hear what everybody thinks and then we'll get to your questions and comments. If you're here on the platform and want to be part of the conversation, please raise your hand if you're watching on x or on YouTube. Please know smack in the chat. Larry, I'm going through a tunnel currently, so why don't you go ahead and do our cozy Earth spot and when you're done, I'll do the day book.
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Mark Halperin
There you go. President at the White House today. Eight o', clock, executive time. The First Lady's got an event at the State Department at 10. We see the president at 1031 30, White House pool participates in a swearing in ceremony for the new Secretary of Homeland Security. We'll see if he takes questions there. That's in the Oval 2:00 policy meeting closed press 4:00 policy meeting in the Oval closed press 5:00 clock signing time currently all closed press don't know what the Vice President's doing. Mentioned the first ladies event at the State Department attend Fostering the future Together Global Coalition Summit. Rubio is testifying in a trial of his former roommate, former congressman David Ribiera. It's been long running case charged there. I don't know. Tiffany knows Rubio a prosecution witness or a defense witness? I don't know but that's a weird way for him to be spending his day. Prosecution. Okay, thank you, Michael. The solution to the Homeland Security shutdown. We'll talk about that. It's Tuesday so the senators are having their separate weekly lunches and then press conferences. Senate also is still trying to figure out what to do with the Save America act. Mike Johnson 2:30 addresses the Hill and Valley Forum on Capitol Hill. That's defense and tech industries and sharing in ceremony. Mark Wayne well in on the Hill 3:30 House rules is taking up legislation to fund DHS at 4 o'. Clock. A few other things but we'll skip them. All right, let's go back to the peace talks. Larry, here's what I don't get. The President wants are nothing like what the Iranians want. The President wants no nuclear, no missiles. He'd like some regime change. He'd like some access to the oil. He'd like the strait opened up. The Iranians want reparations. They want the US to close all its bases in the region. I don't understand the basis of the negotiation here. So what's the heima more optimistic case that this leads somewhere?
Larry O'Connor
Yeah, you'll have to ask Jaime about that because it seems to me like they are a completely different poll polarized positions on this. And I've got to assume that Iran is publicly stating what their hopes are out of these negotiations just as a face saving measure in their culture they can't come in and say what they're really doing, which is begging us and Israel to stop and hope that they can salvage some semblance of their government. So I'm not buying anything that they say right now and I believe the President when he says that they're actually pretty close on some key things.
Mark Halperin
Could anybody tell me what what could they be close on? Name something they could be close on.
Larry O'Connor
Hogan, do you have no.
Hogan Gidley
Nothing. Nothing. No intimate knowledge of this negotiation? I don't know what I think there are plenty of things they probably should be closed on. But Iran, for whatever reason, you know, Iran's gonna. Iran. And it seems like what's happening now is they're. When their misinformation, disinformation campaigns, per our usual arrangement, when they said they weren't talking to the president, but it turns out they actually are negotiating with someone on our team. They said they didn't have inner, you know, intercontinental ICBMs. Is that what it is?
Larry O'Connor
Intermediate range. Intermediate.
Hogan Gidley
But they. Ballistic missiles. But they do. And they can go to apparently all the capitals in Europe. Look, I think for all their leverage that tends to be on the straits or having to do with oil, it seems as though the Trump administration has more leverage because they can do basically whatever they want to destroy and dismantle that country's not just political infrastructure, as it were, but also its brick and mortar infrastructure, too. And so I think they have them over a barrel a little bit here. But still, I just don't know where this goes with the negotiations starting to happen. I just don't know Iran is going to be able to agree to what the United States wants them to do. And quite frankly, it's what the rest of the world wants them to do as well. Even though they're not as involved as we are in this.
Jaime
Yeah, I think. Well, you guys just laid it out for me. I think they are running out of tricks in their playbook right now. So my optimism is not, because I think they're going to agree to all of these things that the President would like to put into place. And to Hogan's point, many other people in the country, I think they're just running out of choices. And I think to your, to your point, Hogan, we, America does have the upper hand right now. And when it comes to Asia and it comes to China in particular, and it comes to, you know, the other allies in the region who are starting to step up and enter this conversation and this mediation, they are all running out of choices as well. And they know that if this thing continues to escalate, it can get a lot worse for not only for Iran before, for much of that region and into Asia. And so I think the negotiation is going to become a little bit more pertinent today and over the, over the course of this week because of those allies who have to get involved and because Asia is realizing that this thing, if it gets any worse, it's going to be a lot worse for them than it is for, for this country.
Larry O'Connor
Yeah. And I think, Mark, when the President says they're close on some things. I think one of the things that they could be close on, my understanding is a lot of the lower tier people in the government who weren't part of the supreme leadership and who weren't part of the sort of supreme leader brain trust, they were always somewhat skeptical, suspicious and reluctant with the nuclear program. And I think my hunch is they've keyed in on a couple of those players who basically say, why is this worth it? Why have we been walking down this path? It's been nothing but trouble and they haven't gained anything by it. That's what the president, that's the brass ring. If the president can walk away from this saying it's over, we are now in control and we own all of their uranium and there's no more nuclear program, that's the biggest win he could imagine.
Jaime
No, I was gonna say I do think two things we have to be mindful of. I don't think Iran is going to hand over as much oil or any oil that the president want. And then secondly, I don't think this is going to turn into some grand Venezuela esque sort of project. So I think those are two things to be mindful of. But someone mentioned in the chat that the strait continues to be, you know, a leverage point for Iran. I think that's true. But we have to factor into the, their, their Asian allies and those who depend on that strait even more than we do. Those individuals are starting to get a lot bit, a bit more fraught in the way they are handling oil in their own country. So I think this thing's going to go a little bit quicker over the next couple weeks than we expected.
Mark Halperin
Let me ask you, let me show you something. 103, please. This is a story is the classic where you see stuff on Twitter and you say big if true. Here's one that's big if true. This is from the Saudi media TV network and website Pal Arabia. They say that Khomeini has approved the negotiations. Now some people aren't even sure the guy's alive. So big if he's alive, big if he approved the negotiations. But could it be that the deal is just basically for the nuclear material and that's that and that be good enough?
Larry O'Connor
Larry, I don't think that's that, but I think that's the, the biggest, as I said, the brass ring. I think that there will be more to that too. Especially you heard the president yesterday sort of fudging a little bit on the missiles. It's like, you know, I Forget the words he used, but it made it sound like they can retain a certain amount of missile potential, but not everything. So I think that there is wiggle room. But, but Hogan, my understanding, their economy, Iran's in tough shape and it's going to get tougher if we take Carg Island.
Hogan Gidley
Yeah, of course. And, and listen, you can't trust the, the Iranian leadership, you know, as far as you can throw them, obviously. So if they have a handshake agreement, whether it be the JCPOA or something else, and then continue to do what they do, as I mentioned before, Iran's going to Iran, that's going to be a problem. I do think now, again, two different military operations, one a full blown 20 year war, one, you know, we're a few weeks in here. Remember how Donald Trump after Iraq was saying one of the biggest problems was they didn't take the oil. What are we doing there if we're not enriching ourselves?
Larry O'Connor
Remember that.
Hogan Gidley
Because of it. Remember that.
Larry O'Connor
Yeah.
Hogan Gidley
Question would be, all right, is there a plan to somewhat take control of the levers of economic influence as it relates to oil with this negotiation? Because I think in his mind that's another clear victory because it helps us lower prices, at least to some degree here globally, but also it makes us even, even more feared, loved, respected around the globe with allies as well, to say, all right, they took control of it, now things are going to come down, prices are going to settle. I don't know because again, it's not the same war by any stretch. So I don't know that that's the same mentality he has here. But I do think oil is a component of it because I would imagine most people, when you think of Iran, if you polled most Americans that had any clue about Iran whatsoever, it'd probably be terrorism and oil would be the two things that came to their mind.
Mark Halperin
Let me ask this. If there's a negotiated settlement over the opening of the strait, that's not supposed to be short term, but long term, the Iranians are asking that they basically get a fee every time somebody goes through. What is a negotiated settlement over this strike, like this international committee. Is that what we're headed towards? Time up.
Jaime
You broke up a little bit. But look, just to answer your point, Mark, into Hogan's point, I do think what I was saying earlier, that getting the oil and that deal is going to be a lot more difficult than I think the President is portraying right now. And I do think, I agree that is going to be something that's going to be important. But look, we have to also put this into the prism. And I know this is what we do of politics and American politics. We're in the middle of a primary right now, and I think if the President's going to proclaim any kind of win, he's got to be very clear. We've already spent, you know, what, 15 to $20 billion, you know, we've lost, you know, all these Americans and those who are injured. So he's got to come back here with something to prove that he's either severely weakened the Iranians and their ability to terrorize the world or terrorize America. One, and then two, this DHS deal, whenever we're talking about in a second, is going to still be important as we put all this into context, because he's got to both also protect the homeland. He's got a new Homeland Security Secretary. Things have been a little bit more fraught on that front in the last couple of weeks. And so I think Americans are looking for him to come back either with some oil or some, some, some, some, some real, Some real deliverables. Deliverables, yeah, exactly.
Larry O'Connor
Some real deliverables. Jaime, just to follow up, because Mark's question had to do with the negotiated settlement on the Strait of Hormuz and what that might look like and how do they control access to this trade of Hormuz that would be to everyone's liking. Like, would there be an international body doing that or is that just a non starter from America's perspective?
Jaime
Well, I think it's a little bit of both. I think it has to be an international body on this. And this is what, look, we, while our, our costs are high and gas is going up a little bit, this is, this is, this is going to hurt the Asian market and those in the Middle east much more than America. So I don't know Hogan's going to make a point on this, but I do think that the Asian, the Asian continent is going to get really much more involved in this, particularly China. And I think that's where the negotiations on the Strait are going to have to happen.
Larry O'Connor
Hogan, if there are strings attached to the Strait, can the President sell that?
Hogan Gidley
I don't know, because it depends on the strings. I mean, listen, this point, though, I'm a little bit concerned by international bodies I'm typically leery of because they have no teeth. They're both basically feckless in a whole lot of ways. And you've seen this with the namby pambiness of these NATO countries, right? Now, in this whole situation, look, if Russia invades Ukraine, and I was told reliably by democrats for a long time, Ukraine was a corrupt country. Their leadership was all corrupt. And then, of course, now Vladimir Zelensky is Churchill. But whatever, we all rallied around Ukraine here. They sent how many untold billions of dollars from other nations to protect Ukraine from Russia? Everybody in that region, every European nation knows Iran is a serious problem and a serious threat and have all talked about it for decades. And somehow, some way, they're not coming to the help or the aid of the United States. We have the same moral kind of moorings, I guess, as a lot of those European nations. But the question then becomes, if they're an ally, we have to intel share, which we obviously do, but we also have to answer the call. When you have some type of military operation like this, Europe has not answered the call. So if I hear that there's some type of negotiated deal with some, you know, group of nations, part of this, it's like, this is going to be really a bad analogy, but it's the first thing that came to my mind. It's like that children's thing, Henny Penny, where she goes around asking everyone to help her make the bread and no one helps her make the bread. And then she comes back and everybody wants to eat the bread like we did all of this stuff. Now you're coming to us and we want to help you decide what happens with the straight, no, thanks. If we did it, we're going to have control of it.
Larry O'Connor
Mark, if you're keeping score here, that's a Henny Penny reference and Namby pambyness. That's. That's what the University of Mississippi journalism school gets you.
Hogan Gidley
Boom.
Mark Halperin
Got them both. Guys, what if there's no deal by Friday?
Hogan Gidley
Oh, I don't think there will be.
Larry O'Connor
I think Friday. Well, that's the five day deadline, right? That's the deadline. So then what happens?
Hogan Gidley
Yeah, but you can extend it, like as we've seen, right? I mean, Trump can go. All right. There's some benchmarks here we've seen privately that we really like. We like where this is going. But remember, he got attacked both ways. So when he was negotiating with him off the, off the rip with Kushner and Wyckoff himself, other administration officials, it was you. You can't trust Iran. What are you doing? What are you doing? And now he's getting attacked by the same people going, he really should be opening talks and talking. Okay, well, which is it? So, yeah, I think depending on what the negotiation or how it goes and what we're actually talking about that can be concrete, justified, verifiable. We'll wait and see. Because, as you know, the president likes to. To get those concessions and then talk about them publicly. He likes to kind of in real time see where the people are on these types of things. And so if it looks good, who knows? But. But I mean, I see a world in which they get five days down the road. And he goes, you know what? I'm not ready to strike again. But I think we're closer on some certain things. They telegraphs that to the American people.
Larry O'Connor
What do you think, Hammer?
Jaime
Yeah, no, I think that's. I think that's a fair point, and I think that's what I was trying to say earlier. I think he. He realizes that we're in the middle of this, of this, of this primary season, and if he's going to come back and proclaim a win, he's got to have some clear wins. And I think as we get to this Friday deadline, he's going to start figuring out what one or two wins look like to keep this thing going. Because I don't think that we're going to have a deal by Friday.
Larry O'Connor
Well, there's also a school of thought in D.C. that all of this that we're going through right now, the President's tweets giving the deadline, then suspending the deadline and his remarks on the tarmac, and we'll give it five days. It's all actually a distraction and buying time for more military to be in place for the next military action. I mean, that's happening right now as we speak. We know that.
Jaime
Yeah, I think that's fair.
Larry O'Connor
Oh, that might be it. I think. I think we have officially, the time that we've been waiting for has come. Mark, we have lost you, but you can go ahead and text me a few more questions if you like.
Hogan Gidley
There he goes.
Larry O'Connor
Now try. Can you repeat that, Mark? Oh, the answer is no. But he will. He will. He will text me the question and we'll follow up with that. Because I, I think the. The sort of coda here on the peace talks is if nothing happens by Friday, if there is an extension as military is being moved into place,
Jaime
what
Larry O'Connor
does that mean politically here with everything else going on? I'll start with. Oh, go ahead, Mark.
Mark Halperin
Is B.B. what is B. What is Bibi thinking now? Do you guys think.
Larry O'Connor
I think the BB angle.
Hogan Gidley
Yeah, listen, I think BB and his government as, as in support of these operations, as they are believe they're as close as ever to crushing the head of this snake. And I think they're going to try and do whatever it takes to make sure that happens, whether it be more deals with America, whether it be going out of their own and striking some things here that America doesn't know about or hasn't approved. I think they feel like they are as close as ever to protecting their homeland in perpetuity and they're going to try everything they can to do it. That's what I think. But I will say real quickly, Bibi does have a keen sense too, of the. Not politics necessarily, but of the public perception of how it looks, too. So he, he's. He's gotta be strategic in that. Should he decide to go ahead and strike a few lethal blows, maybe.
Larry O'Connor
I don't know. Jaime, since October 7th, he's been pretty YOLO about public opinion, hasn't he?
Jaime
Yeah, I was gonna say, I don't think. I don't think one BB cares what anyone thinks except Bibi and his. And his friends. And I think he's gonna keep. He's gonna keep going as far as, well, wait, wait.
Larry O'Connor
Or more charitably, he is putting the. Of his nation and the safety of his nation first to protect them despite public pressure in America.
Jaime
Sure, sure. And I think he. And I think he's going to go beyond that. And I think, you know, for, for Bibi, his, his goals and our goals. While there's a Venn diagram, I do think there is some divergence and he's going to continue this, you know, beyond what I believe deliverables for America will. Will sort of be over the next couple weeks, couple months. And I think he's okay with going full fledged with or without us. And I think he's happy that he has some partners in this case, but he's going to go as far as he needs to.
Larry O'Connor
Mark, it has been interesting to witness the parallel lines of these two missions from America's and Israel's perspective. And at times they're wavering a little bit, but they keep bringing it back to parallel. But how long that lasts, who knows? As we said before, I think Netanyahu and the Israeli government's biggest fear is that the President, for domestic political purposes, ends this earlier than they think it should be ended.
Mark Halperin
Yeah, they're still going to be better off than they were before, even if it ended right now.
Hogan Gidley
Sure.
Larry O'Connor
Agreed. Yep. So finally, politically, Hogan and Jaime, as this is playing out, of course, you've got the DHS funding showdown going on. And obviously this is going to be affecting the midterms. At what point is that? The breaking point is. And who's winning right now in Washington with this war hanging over the political realities domestically? Hogan, we'll start with you.
Hogan Gidley
I'm gonna give Republicans a slight edge on winning at this point only because Democrats now have stepped on themselves messaging wise, in multiple interviews up to and including Senator Murphy, I think, either last night or this morning, saying, you know, our number one priority are undocumented immigrants, which is insane for United States.
Larry O'Connor
It is, Hogan. But I got kind of, just so you know, I've seen that clip making the rounds. That's actually from 2024. It's still what they believe, I think. But. But that clip wasn't last night.
Hogan Gidley
Yeah, no, I think it's what they believe, too.
Mark Halperin
But.
Hogan Gidley
But also. Yeah, yeah, okay. But it posted last night. Yeah, but. But the long lines and the ad campaign by the nrc, which has been quite good actually, that, you know, our friend Bose Nerdly, Rush Limbaugh's producer, formerly put up a tweet showing this ad from the RSC saying, if you like these long lines, thank a Democrat. This is the political messaging that will inevitably occur moving forward. Democrats will say Republicans control everything. It's like, yeah, but you know, there are some rules there. Anyway, point being people, when they start to suffer, they do look for people to blame. And oftentimes that's the folks in control of DC which right now is Republicans in both the House, Senate and the White House. However, for the first time in my lifetime, Republicans have done a pretty good job beating back those allegations, explaining what's going on now. How far that holds is, you know, is anybody's guess, especially when the lines get longer and the wait times get worse. But right now, I think they're winning a little bit. And also depends on what happened. What's the outcome here. I think matters too.
Larry O'Connor
We'll get more into some what we're learning about where these DHS talks are going. But really my question, just to wrap things up on the war right now is domestically in D.C. who is sort of winning the narrative on this? Because the Democrats are still. Are they? I don't know, Jaime. Is it still an illegal war? Is it still. There was no imminent threat. Is this. I mean, I don't even know what the Democrats position on this engagement is.
Jaime
Look, I think we've got it. We've got to back up and sort of deconflate these things for just one second. Yeah, I Think what Democrats have said and what Democrats are saying right now, one, they are the opposition party and that's okay. This country is allowed to have an opposition party. And as Donald Trump has made, the president has made decisions to either go to Venezuela or talk about Greenland or go in into Iran and do airstrikes. I think the Democrats have been very clear that the president, when he should, he should come to Congress either to ask for some sort of permission or to give some sort of idea of what he's going to do. And he hasn't done that in the past, particularly with this war. There were instances as this war started that Democrats believe that it was illegal to go that far. And they've articulated that. And so I think Democrats have been very clear now when it comes to the DHS funding. Democrats decided to go this route because I know we have a short term memory. But before there was the war in Iran, there was ICE in Minnesota and all over the country doing things that were, while wearing masks, killing three Americans, hurting others and just causing all kind of chaos. And so Democrats came to the table and said, if we want to continue to have some sort of immigration program, let's reform how ICE is engaging with Americans. And so the government was shut down because of that. And so I don't think anyone wins during a shutdown. So I don't think Democrats are winning or Republicans are winning. I think Americans are losing. As someone who's recently traveled, it's not great. And so when it comes to the war, putting those things together, I think what I don't think anyone, I still don't think anyone's winning. I don't think Democrats are winning or Republicans are winning. But I do think that this war does bring a second level to this conversation. The Democrats are allowed to say, hey, while President Trump is in Iran and all over the country, he's not focusing on bringing your costs down. In fact, they're going up and you're
Hogan Gidley
less safe here, here.
Larry O'Connor
Hogan, hold your thought because I promise the elements we're about to show you will, will add to, I think, what you want to bring to the table here. Let's start with number 111 here, new ad that just dropped that I think sort of encapsulates where the politics of this is going.
Hogan Gidley
Senior officials involved in negotiations tell Fox
Larry O'Connor
there could, there is a deal framed
Hogan Gidley
out to fund DHS and a vote could be as early as Thursday. It would not include ICE reforms or, or ICE funding roughly 6% of the budget. Senate Republicans would then attempt to pass the Save America act in a follow up reconciliation bill and restore that funding. For more, let's go to GOP Senator John Cornyn. Senator, I know this is a moving target, but can you expand on what we're reporting?
Jaime
Well, Democrats have been adamantly opposed to doing anything that would fund ice. But fortunately, as you know, in the one big, beautiful, beautiful bill, we provided about $75 billion for ICE and Customs and Border Protection. So what we can do is pass the rest. We can pay the TSA workers and
Hogan Gidley
the rest of the Department of Homeland
Jaime
Security and then do what we did this last summer, which is pass another
Hogan Gidley
reconciliation bill that will not only fund
Jaime
ice, but do so without, without handcuffing
Hogan Gidley
them and limiting their ability to enforce
Jaime
our enemy immigration laws. And we can pass the Save America act according to the budget rules.
Hogan Gidley
It's going to be a little bit
Jaime
of a procedural challenge, but I'm confident
Hogan Gidley
we can do it and we can't give up on this important issue. Right?
Larry O'Connor
Yeah. So that's the narrative this morning that was based on Fox's reporting with senior officials. Politico number 106 here. Politico also had an article detailing that this potential path forward. So with all of that said, Hogan, is this where the Republicans need to go? It is fascinating that they sent Cornyn out there to speak on Fox News about this, isn't it? What do you think? Is this the path forward here? Because it doesn't seem like the White House wants this to be the way forward.
Hogan Gidley
Interesting. Cornyn, of course, because he's in a difficult primary in his own state trying to gain some, some conservative bona fides here. Let me get, let me get there. But first let me say I made an interesting point, which is it's okay to have an opposition party. That is correct. Republicans are often the opposition party when they're in the minority as well. The question is, what are you opposing? So the Tea Party Patriots, for example, the Tea Party started because they were sick of being taxed too much. That's an opposition. I think politically that's good. And I think there's some shrewdness here being left on the table that ought not to be. If you're the party that's opposed to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, probably not the best position. If you're the party opposed to cleaning up our city streets, probably they're not. Not the good position. Now the argument they will make will be a different thing. It's not really about that. It's about other things. Fine. But that's that's the battle. That's the fun fight we have in these elections. And this DHS issue is one of those. I think that's quite frankly a good line of delineation, demarcation between where the two parties are and what they want to fund and how they want to fund it, what the purpose of these agencies are as well. And this particular shutdown is the third in a line of shutdowns that is designed, again, I can't understand the politics of this unless I'm just missing it, to protect illegal aliens, because Democrats in this decision to not fund also wants to defund Customs Border Protection, which again, would open the border. It was just how we got here in the first place. So I don't know if the White House is going to be warm to the argument that, hey, here's all we can get through and on top, give you the SAVE act, or make sure only Americans participate in American elections, or we'll do that later. Further down the road, which is, you know, kicking the can down the road in Congress basically means no ever. So I don't know where they're going to come down on this. I know Trump wants to get things done. I know he wants to fund these agencies. I know he wants the people to quit suffering. I get all that. I just don't know how much willing
Jaime
to give up, how far is he willing to go with this?
Larry O'Connor
So, so quickly? Because we just have some developing stories. So quickly. I just need an answer, yes or no. Will the funding for DHS be resolved one way or the other by Easter week for Easter travel?
Hogan Gidley
Yes.
Larry O'Connor
Hogan says yes. Hyma. All right, that's two yeses now. We did. Reuters is now reporting that Marco Rubio, Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio, is planning to attend the G7 meeting right outside of Paris. On the agenda will be Ukraine and the Middle East. This, according to reporting by Reuters. That's a different headline, I think, from Reuters. I don't know if you have this element. This just came in. It said that the principal Deputy spokesperson, Tommy Piggott said that the areas of focus here include Russia, Ukraine, war situation in the Middle east, these threats across the world to peace and stability. Well, that's a hefty agenda, isn't it? That meeting is gonna take place this Friday. Jaime, what does that tell you? That they're sending the Secretary of State to those meetings and all of that is on the table?
Jaime
Well, it tells us that there's probably already been more negotiation behind the scene than we Know, one, and then two, really, the Secretary of State has a lot of credence in this administration than with the president. So if you're seeing him there, it seems like there's maybe a step two to the negotiation. And, and there's some, some, some. I think something may. I don't know if there's going to be a full deal by Friday, but I think some next steps will come out of this, because I don't think Marco Rubio is going to leave without having something to bring back to the president.
Larry O'Connor
Hogan, does it, does it surprise you that Russia, Ukraine is in the headline on this one as well, considering everything that's going on in the Middle East?
Hogan Gidley
No, because I do think, as I point out at the beginning, and maybe this is what they're trying to do, there's so many, like, maybes, what ifs here. I don't know. But, but the jarring juxtaposition of the country rallying to a nation like Ukraine against Russia. Excuse me, the world rallying to them and then not doing it in this instance, there could be, like, a chance for Rubio to point out the obvious inconsistency there. And the, you know, the radical stupidity of, of saying we should protect this one place but not the other is. Is a little bit jarring, and maybe that's what he's trying to accomplish, kind of lump them together.
Larry O'Connor
You, you also probably can't get G7 to sit at the table unless you agree that you'll talk about Ukraine and Russia.
Hogan Gidley
I think that's in the charter.
Larry O'Connor
And then there's this. We have a full agenda, but all of this stuff is developing. During our morning meeting. The New York Times is reporting that the Saudi Prince, Ben Salman, is pushing Trump to continue this Iran war, saying that this is a historic opportunity to remake the region. I mean, Hogan, there's. There's no secret here that the Saudis and Iran have been at loggers. Everybody thinks in America, or a lot of people think that the Middle east is all just one big, you know, hegemony, but it's not. In fact, historically, the Saudis and the Iranians have been at each other's throats, and clearly Saudi Arabia sees an opportunity here. So they may be putting just as much pressure on Trump to see this through as Bibi is.
Hogan Gidley
Yes, possibly so. And for a long time, I think it's been an underreported story, but Saudi seems to be the. Oh, no, America, please don't do that. Please. No, stop right now, please. And then wink, wink. Hey, hey, here's an elbow. It'd be fine. Remember, one of the reasons we got the Abraham Accords in the first place was because Donald Trump in the first administration was able to rally the region around the thought that Iran's nuclear capability was a serious threat. Everyone in that region, well understood that, and they thought, all right, we're going to put our swords down at each other's throats for a minute and all come together around that fact. This is kind of another extension of that. I think that. That I think Saudi looks as, hey, maybe we could. We could stand not just to make some money here, but also get rid of one of our massive geopolitical adversaries in the process.
Larry O'Connor
Such a cynic thinking that the Saudis are just interested in more oil money. But, Jaime, does this give the president and the administration even more cover here domestically, as there are more international voices saying, stay the course?
Jaime
No, I don't think it gives more cover necessarily. I do think it will give him a little bit more fodder to continue. But I think, look, this is still gotta be in the prism of the midterm elections, and I think things are just gonna be a little different than they were last year or they will be next year for the president as he makes these decisions. And I don't think, quite frankly, Americans are looking at the Saudis for. For. For any indication to continue this war or not. I think if the president comes back with some clear deliverables and he can say that he's eliminated or close to eliminating the Iranian nuclear capabilities, then that will be more of a win than listening to the Saudis or the Israelis for that. For that fact.
Larry O'Connor
All right, we're going to get to questions from the community and bring you all into the conversation. In fact, I'm predicting it'll be a conversation like. But I do have two more quick things I want to hit here. First of all, I'm sure you saw the arguments yesterday before the Supreme Court having to do with mail in ballots, having to do with allowing ballots to trickle in after election day and counting. It's insane that we have, in my opinion, that we even have to have this debate. Hogan, based on your understanding of how these. The arguments went, how do you think this decision is going to come down? And will it affect the midterm elections?
Hogan Gidley
I don't know. I don't know that they can, you know, fix all this stuff, whatever the ruling is, by the midterms, because, as you know, you know, the states largely have control over their own election processes. You Know what?
Larry O'Connor
Yeah, but the, the Constitution says Election Day. And that the most of the arguments yesterday was, does Election Day mean Election Day?
Hogan Gidley
Oh, yeah. No, no, you're. Look, what works in Massachusetts doesn't work in Maine or Mississippi or Montana for election structures. But I will say Republicans and Democrats have been complaining about the outcome of elections and their validity for a very long time. 60 plus percent of Republicans do not believe that Joe Biden actually won that election against Donald Trump. But 60 plus percent of Democrats do not believe that Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump either. And rules like this are a large reason why it is not election year, it is not Election Month, it is not Election Week, it's not election season. It is Election Day. And if you can't get your ballot in by Election Day, one word.
Larry O'Connor
Tough. That is Hogan Gigley, that, that kind of talk is a. That sort of talk is a threat to democracy, and you know it. Jaime, will this decision impact the midterms? How do you think it's going to come down?
Jaime
I don't know. I don't know if they will. And I do think. I mean, looking at what this Supreme Court has done over the course of their tenure, I have no faith that they're going to uphold this. And they will. They will likely say that you have to vote on the mailing day and then whatever, whatever. But look, I think what the Democrats have said and what I fully believe in my heart, while we want these things to be safe and legal and we want all Americans who can vote to vote, this is about bringing more people into the democracy. This is not about excluding people from voting. If you are illegal and you have your shit together, you should be able to vote and it shouldn't be. And Hogan, look, I don't have kids, so I can vote on Election Day, but there are people who have kids, who have jobs, who have all these things. And the access to early voting, the access to voting when they can, with the deadline being Election Day, is far more greater than stopping people from voting. And so I think we need to figure out a way to make sure that these elections are safe, fair and legal. But making sure, look, look at those numbers down in Texas. While those Democrat numbers were fantastic and some of the Republicans are okay, there was still such a lower turnout for people who are registered to vote. And so I want to find ways to get more people engaged in the process to get more registered voters. So I. And so I don't want to keep putting up barriers to access. And so if we want people, we want people to have people, to have IDs and all these things. Let's look and make sure that they have access to getting those things. Let's not just put a rule up on Friday for Monday. Let's, let's make sure that we have the resources to bring more people into this process, not just exclude them.
Hogan Gidley
They're there. The process is there for more people to get involved. By the way, just because people don't show up to vote, it doesn't mean there was a barrier. They may not like any of the candidates. And quite frankly, if Jasmine Crockett and Talarico were on the ballot, I wouldn't be that motivated either.
Jaime
Well, I mean, they were pretty, I mean, I mean, the numbers in Texas were pretty high. So the Democrats are pretty motivated. It seems like the.
Hogan Gidley
And I will say can't have it. You can't have it coming and going. You can't give body somebody a month ahead of time to vote and then give them seven days after Election Day, too. Like, it's not giving them seven days.
Jaime
If they have it postmarked by that date. That's all you're giving them. You're not giving the ballot.
Larry O'Connor
Supreme Court is going to decide this instead of you two. It's not seven additional days.
Jaime
It's just.
Larry O'Connor
All right, finally, we'll do this quickly and then go straight to the community. But I, I, we got to play this ad. It's from Governor Mills, caught in a very, very tough primary fight against Graham Platner. Let's take a look at this.
Hogan Gidley
I made a lot of comments that I'm not, that I'm not offend, that I'm, I'm not, like, ashamed of.
Jaime
What comments has Graham Platner made?
Larry O'Connor
Platner wrote that women worried about rape need to, quote, not get so f ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don't mean to. Platner wrote, to avoid rape, women should,
Jaime
quote, act like an adult for sake.
Larry O'Connor
And called people who disagreed with him.
Hogan Gidley
And I made a lot of comments that I'm not, that I'm not, that I'm, I'm not, like, ashamed of Graham Platner.
Jaime
The closer you look, the worse it gets.
Larry O'Connor
I'm Janet Mills, and I approve this message. Don't f with Janet. All right, so you've got three players involved here for this primary coming up the first week of June. You've got Governor mills, you've got Mr. Platner, and you've got Senator Collins. I want you to rank 1, 2, and 3. Who is helped most by that ad Hyma.
Jaime
I mean, we're in the primary, you know, so I don't want to, I don't want to get too down on, on, on Governor Mills for, for going this route. I mean, it's not as bad as Cornyn was. And in Texas against Ken Paxton, I think in some ways Susan Collins. This helps Susan Collins in some ways because she's able to continue to run her race while the Democrats are fighting it out like they're doing in Texas. And so I see Susan, then the governor and then. And then Graham and Mr.
Larry O'Connor
Platinum. All right, Would you rank it in that order as well, Hogan?
Hogan Gidley
Probably.
Larry O'Connor
Without mentioning Texas and John Cornyn and Ken.
Hogan Gidley
Yeah. Colin stands to gain most from that for obvious reasons, not being involved in that mud and that muck. I will say, what a devastating ad. Because in large part, if you can ever use a candidate's own words against them, it's usually the really difficult thing to spin your way out of. And I've not seen Platner try to spin his way out of it, which is also interesting, too, doubling down, which again, only a few candidates I've ever seen can do that and be successful. One of them's names, Donald Trump.
Larry O'Connor
What's worse, using his words against him or that video? I still don't have the explanation of the video of him in the dingy gray boxer briefs in a bar showing off his Nazi tattoo.
Jaime
Both are perfect together. It's, it's, it's. Look, I have to say this, though, you guys and we, we've said, and people have, have really come for Governor Mills and her age and her ability to be a formidable candidate against Susan Collins. But this is a second at that. She's continuing to prove that she's got some fight left in her, and so I got to give her some kudos for that. Yeah, well.
Larry O'Connor
Or is this a sign that regardless. Oh, go ahead, Mark.
Mark Halperin
Regardless of who the nominee. Regardless of who the Democratic nominee is. You guys, who do you guys make the favorite in that race right now? In the general,
Jaime
I still say Susan Collins as a State. Collins,
Larry O'Connor
100% Collins.
Mark Halperin
So this is what my monologue. This is what my monologue is about on Next up. If Democrats can't beat Susan Collins, they can't take the majority. They have to be there to take the majority. And none of us think she's going to lose, right?
David
Yeah.
Mark Halperin
Yeah.
Larry O'Connor
Well, that's correct as of now.
Jaime
Look, just, just, just about two months ago, Democrats weren't even talking about even gaining much in the Senate. So I'm not going to waste my time on taking the majority in the Senate. I think we're going to take back and we're going to figure out ways to make inroads in the Senate and go for 20, 28. But I think talking about taking the Senate is a fool's errand right now for the Democrats and they've got to talk about each of these races individually.
Larry O'Connor
All right, you're going to turn it over.
Mark Halperin
This. The conventional wisdom is different.
Larry O'Connor
All right, Mark, it is Marcus still here? So I wanted to make sure he got his. And I agree with you. We'll get to the community in just a moment. But first, did you set a new budget for the new year? Was that one of your New Year's resolutions? You're going to live by this budget. How's that working out for you? Did you get all of those holiday credit card bills coming in with all of your Christmas and Hanukkah and your righteous Kwanzaa presents coming in? Are you. You're paying the bills off, aren't you? And now your budget is blown away. Well, that's why there's Upside. The Upside app works by connecting users with personalized cashback offers. Gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, you know, all the things that cost way too much right now. It lets you earn real money on everyday purchases by claiming deals in the app, paying with a linked card or with the app itself, and then cashing out earnings via bank, PayPal or gift card. It really is that simple. There's over a hundred thousand participating locations and that means cash back opportunities are everywhere you already go. That's the secret here. These are stores and places that you're already buying stuff from. Why not get some of that cash back? You open up the app, you claim an offer, you pay with your card like normal, and. And then cha ching, you get paid. That's it. And I'm talking about. Well, let's get you right to the deal because Upside has already given back a billion dollars to its users. I want you to find out how much more you can earn. What you want to do is download the app. It's free. It's the Upside app. Use the promo code Mark M A R K. Just like the gospel. You'll get an extra 25 cents back on every gallon on your first tank of gas. 25 cents back on every gallon on your first tank of gas. It's like the war never happened with that kind of deal. Use promo code Mark Right now download that free Upside app and get started today.
Hogan Gidley
Are you stuck staring at your W2?
Larry O'Connor
Are tax refund worries holding you back?
Jaime
You probably have FOMO.
Larry O'Connor
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Jaime
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Hogan Gidley
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Jaime
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Larry O'Connor
All right, gentlemen, let's get to the community. First up, hold on, I've got my notes here. They're feeding me information. First up is David. David, welcome to the community. This is your first time. David, tell us where you're from and how you found the morning meeting.
David
Not the first time on 2A, but for some of the morning meeting. David from LA My comment question concern is kind of separate to all this, but also embedded in all this, which is anti Semitism. A few weeks ago, two weeks ago, there was a attack in a Michigan synagogue. And immediately after reporters like Ryan Grimm, other people started saying that, oh, well, Israel killed his brothers and that's why he did it. Israel, Hezbollah and Lebanon all confirmed that the guys killed were terrorists, part of Hezbollah's unit that were launching rockets in Mokona's district. There were people that were attacked for speaking Hebrew on London on Monday. There was a bunch of ambulances that were torched. Community service, ambulances to the Jewish community. They serve everyone, not just Jews, so yet they were torched overnight. And this seems to be like a rising trend. And not a lot of people really are concerned or talk about it except for the Jews. And this is just a growing trend that you see kind of rising more where violence against Jews are justified or excused, as this is what could be expected when you attack people in other nations. Even though this doesn't happen to any other community, you don't see Muslims being attacked. And definitely it's not excused if they are attacked. And if we just look at history, this is something whether it's approved by the government or not approved by the government, it always incites mobs, it always incites violence, it always incites persecution. And I'm just really worried that as this continues to go on, more of this type of stuff just continues happening. And I don't really see anyone really concerned or talking about it except for the Jewish community in general.
Larry O'Connor
All right, David, thank you for that. And it's a really good sort of an overview of all of the events that are. And your little munchkin is the cutest thing in the world. So extra points there. Say hi, hi, hi, Jaime, respond to what David had to say here and I guess sort of voice what you think should be done or should be articulated either by our elected officials, by our media or both.
Jaime
Look, as a black American from the South, I understand this very well and my heart continues to go out to Jewish Americans who are having to answer for what's going on in Israel and what Bibi Netanyahu is doing and to be taken the task for that. And I think that's unfair across the board. And so I think there's not much to say is that we call it out and we try and do our best to stop it.
Hogan Gidley
I think a couple of observations here and this has always been fascinating to me and David, thank you for the question. It's thoughtful. And there are some concerning pieces to this for sure. One of which is colleges and universities. If you were gay on a college campus and people circled around you and started hurling anti gay slurs or slogans at you, the university would shut down, there'd be an investigation, there'd be listening sessions and all this stuff. Rightly so. If you were black on a college campuses campus and you were surrounded by KKK members or some type of other group and yell that, there'd rightly be a shutdown and things happen. If you're Jewish though, there's some kind of weird carve out where that's okay, we're going to keep allowing this to happen. That's just free speech. And when you've seen these attacks in America recently on American soil by anti Semites toward the Jewish community, you know, I've not heard a single imam or a single mosque come out and say that was wrong, that we're actually a religion of peace. Guys, what are you doing? If someone were to go in the name of Christ and kill somebody or throw a bomb at somebody and say that's what God is all about, every pastor across this country would come out immediately and say, no, that is not what God is about. This is a lie. This is heresy. This person is completely manipulating the Bible, which is based on a religion of trying to get people to love each other and love Christ. You don't hear that in the Islamic community with attacks on Jews. And I think that's a real problem. And I would argue in this election. I've said this to Mark Halperin, our fearless leader before. I think two issues in this upcoming midterm campaign will be the new men and women sports, the niche issues that allow people to go out there and vote for Republicans. Fraud of these crazy billions of dollars being spent in the Somali community, in the hospice community in California, the Medicaid fraud, et cetera, and radical Islamic terrorism against Americans, whether they be Jewish or any other faith. I think those two issues are going to be kind of under the surface. And if Republicans play their cards right, I don't know that the blue wave is going to happen as bigly, if at all.
Jaime
So can I, can I say one thing, Larry? I think we have to be, we have to be. We have to be mindful of two things. One, we have to not. Muslims are not the only anti Semitic people. And so there are Christians and atheists and others who are anti Semitic. And so we've got to be careful to, when we're talking about anti Semitism to not cross over to Islam, anti Islamophobia, you know. So I think you don't have to be one or the other. You can say, I don't want the Jewish people to be persecuted and I also don't want Muslims to be persecuted and I also don't want Christians to be persecuted. And so you don't have to switch it, you know, so I just want to be mindful of those two things.
Mark Halperin
Yeah,
Hogan Gidley
If you're Christian, you're not anti Semitic. They're incongruent.
Jaime
I don't think that's true.
Hogan Gidley
Whereas that's the teaching of Islam.
Jaime
That's not true.
Hogan Gidley
That's different.
Larry O'Connor
Hogan, you've worked with both the president and I think you know him personally and you also know the ambassador to Israel and you've worked with him rather personally and you know their hearts when it comes to our support for the Jewish people and for Israel. Is this an opportunity for the president? Because he hasn't spoken about it much. He has grandchildren who are Jewish, his beloved son in law who is. And his daughter are Jewish daughter. Is this an opportunity that the President should be using his bully pulpit to advance these ideas? I understand you think it is political benefit. And yes, of course, everything that happens is for a political benefit at the end of the day, I guess. But he also could make a big impact if he spoke on these issues a little bit more. Is this a missed opportunity?
Hogan Gidley
I don't know it's a missed opportunity yet. I do think it is an opportunity for him though, to have that conversation and be honest with the American people and kind of articulate, as I mentioned, the things that I believe will kind of help determine the outcomes of these elections. Because as a president and as someone, again I know it's hard. I know he loves the Jewish people, of course, But President Trump does not like death and destruction, period. No matter where it is, no matter what the reason irrationality, as wrong headed as may be around the country or the world is articulated, he wants peace. And him coming out and having those conversations directly to the American people where he's best, I think would be a good thing for him to do.
Larry O'Connor
David, you want to give us a closing statement on that?
David
Yeah. I don't think if you are Christian that that makes you anti Semitic, though. If you look at history, a lot of persecution has happened because Jews didn't accept Christ as their savior. And that is very far in the past. So I don't want to make it sound like that's even remotely recent or even some. Whatever. But there are a lot of reasons why people ultimately hate Jews in, in. Or have prejudice against Jews. In 2022, when Kanye made his comments about, about Jews, you saw a massive spike in antisemitic incidents in New York following up until October 7, which caused another massive spike in antisemitic incidents. So it just seems like this is not something that's related to religion. It just seems that when people have prejudice against Jews, a lot of people don't really want to talk about it or care about it. It just is kind of left to its vices.
Larry O'Connor
Thank you. Thank you, David. I appreciate it. Have a great passover next week. David, you and your whole family. Do we have time to fit in one more member of the community here? What do we think, guys? Yeah, go ahead and throw it in there. I think we can do it if we keep our responses pithy. Give me who's next up?
Hogan Gidley
I see what you did there.
Larry O'Connor
You decide next up. There it is. Joshua Johnson with his epic beard. Joshua, thanks for being part of the community. Remind everybody where you are and why you have a leopard, a cheetah on your wall other than that's your hoodie.
Hogan Gidley
Yeah, I've.
Jaime
Because I've got a big. I've got a big leopard print problem. That's, that's really the. That's, that's really the end of it right there.
Larry O'Connor
We'll leave the rest your imagination. Go ahead.
Jaime
Yeah, just, just do that. Nice. In solidarity with, with Hogan Gidley today, little B Boy Love.
Hogan Gidley
All right, B Boy Love. Save Act.
Jaime
I think the issue with the Save act, and I don't think it's going to pass. Issue with the Save act. It like, like so many things that Republicans try to pass. Even, even you Know, with, with abortion bills at, at state levels, they, they'll do this. They put in things that are extra and don't talk about them. Okay. The SAVE act is not a voter ID law. The SAVE act includes a private right of action to sue by a member of the public who thinks that an election official has violated the law. Okay, That's a big poison pill because. Because that's not a criminal law. That's a civil right of action. So civil right of action has a lower judicial evidentiary standard called preponderance of the evidence. And that's a big problem. Like, that's a big problem for me, someone who appreciates voter ID laws. We have voter ID laws here in Virginia.
Larry O'Connor
Joshua, thank you. And just because we're crunched on time, it's a good point. Although if it's such a poison pill, it's interesting Democrats don't raise that issue. Instead, they make it sound like women don't know how to get an id. But, Jaime, will. Will the SAVE act pass? If not, what will the Republicans Plan B, B, B, B?
Jaime
I don't. I don't think he will. And I think they'll have to figure out a way to go state by state.
Hogan Gidley
Hogan, I don't think it passes either unless I do a really, really stripped down version of it and then try to claim victory for that.
Larry O'Connor
I think you may be right there, Hogan, on getting a stripped down version. Maybe photo ID only, but also keep an eye. They're going to make an attempt to do this in reconciliation. I don't think they can, but they're going to make an attempt.
Hogan Gidley
No, and I don't think, I don't think that falls into reconciliation because it's not budgetary and I don't know how the parliamentary.
Larry O'Connor
I agree, but, but based on, based on some of the Senate. I just interviewed one of them this morning and she made it sound like they were going to try to fit it into reconciliation. It won't get through the parliamentarian. All right, Mark, are you heading over. You are not heading over to Sirius XM's Megyn Kelly channel 111. That would be.
Mark Halperin
I'll be there. I'll be there.
Jaime
How are you?
Larry O'Connor
Oh, I see.
Mark Halperin
Trust me, trust me. I gotta, I gotta. I've got a scheme. I'll be there.
Larry O'Connor
All right, then everyone head on over to Meg and Kelly's Channel to pick up the morning meeting from this point forward for the next hour. And then of course, the after show with Professor Kenny and Also of course, two way tonight. Live at 5pm you don't want to miss that. And. And if you're interested in being an investor in 2way or sponsor 2way, please reach out to us and give us all your information. Investuay tv. We're growing, as you can see. We're international. We can even do this on a train. Sounds like don't forget to not going to do that.
Mark Halperin
Don't forget the new episode of Next up drops later today, one hour, breaking down the nine Senate races that will decide control of the of the body. And again, this conventional wisdom that Democrats are going to take the Senate. It just, it's just not right right now. If you go race by race.
Larry O'Connor
I did forget, but thank God you were there to clean it up. Thanks, Mark. Travel well and be safe.
Mark Halperin
Thanks greatly to you three.
Larry O'Connor
Appreciate it.
Jaime
Right.
Larry O'Connor
Gentlemen, what an honor and a pleasure it was as always, to have a conversation with you. Morning meeting. We'll be back tomorrow. Hogan, are you going to cpac?
Hogan Gidley
I'm not this year. It's my first time not going and I can't even tell you how many decades, but I can't make it.
Larry O'Connor
I will be heading to cpacs and I'll give you a full report from Dallas as the week develops.
Hogan Gidley
You will bring down the House, most assuredly. Me too.
Larry O'Connor
All right, gang, thank you to the community as always. We'll see you tomorrow morning. Daily commute doesn't have to be boring.
Hogan Gidley
TikTok brings podcasts, news, highlights, mini learning clips.
David
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Larry O'Connor
Turn traffic time into upgrade time.
Mark Halperin
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Date: March 24, 2026
Host: Mark Halperin (with Larry O’Connor, Hogan Gidley, and Jaime)
This episode centers on breaking developments in the Iran-Israel conflict after reports that Iran’s Supreme Leader has approved direct talks with the Trump administration, despite ongoing Iranian missile strikes on Israel. The panel unpacks the geopolitical, domestic, and political implications of these talks, the diverging objectives of the United States and Iran, the role of global stakeholders (especially Israel, Europe, and Saudi Arabia), and what any potential deal would or could look like.
Conversations also branch into U.S. domestic politics, with a side discussion about the DHS shutdown, the Save America Act, and the war’s effects on Republican and Democratic strategies before the midterms. Community questions address rising antisemitism in the West and election integrity legislation.
(Relevant Segment: 01:01–14:44)
Initial Poll — Success Odds:
The hosts each give a “0-10” score on whether Iran talks could lead to a settlement:
Positions Are Far Apart:
Mark Halperin details fundamental divides:
Iran’s Real Motives & Leverage:
Larry O’Connor argues Iran’s public posturing masks desperation:
What Are They ‘Close’ On?
What Could a Deal Look Like?
Politics at Home:
Deliverables from talks must be concrete for the domestic audience and upcoming elections:
(14:16–16:46)
(18:44–20:53)
(21:45–23:47)
(24:19–26:40)
(29:01–30:46; 38:08–40:42; 58:24–60:29)
(35:40–38:08)
(48:55–57:27)
(42:31–45:59; 61:32–61:54)
The conversation maintains a political-insider’s frankness, mixing analysis, occasional dry humor, and pointed skepticism about both diplomatic and domestic outcomes. Panelists challenge each other while noting the deep uncertainties and realpolitik infecting every angle of the Iran talks — and the complexity for both American and Israeli leaders, especially given the pressure of looming elections.
For listeners seeking a guiding thread on today’s world events, the path of U.S.-Iran talks, and the impact on both international security and the U.S. political landscape, this episode delivers a candid, multi-perspective slice of the daily news agenda — plus a sharp look at how these issues may drive the upcoming midterms.