JD Vance Describes His Conversations With Putin; California vs Texas Redistricting War Gets Hotter

Summary

2WAY Morning Meeting – August 21, 2025

Episode: JD Vance Describes His Conversations With Putin; California vs Texas Redistricting War Gets Hotter
Hosts/Panel: Mark Halperin (C), Larry O'Connor (B), Dan Turrentine (D), plus guests and audience callers
(Timestamps in MM:SS format)

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Episode Overview

This fast-paced roundtable episode dives into the U.S.–Russia dynamic (with a focus on Vice President JD Vance's insights into Vladimir Putin), the intensifying California vs. Texas redistricting battles, Israel’s push into Gaza, the state of the U.S. economy and tariffs, rising concerns over federal overreach—with lively, at times combative, debate and direct input from the 2WAY audience.

The show blends news analysis, pundit banter, and interactive audience Q&A for a behind-the-scenes view of how TV news execs and political insiders perceive the day’s most critical issues.

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Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. US–Russia–Ukraine Standoff: JD Vance and the Putin Conversation

Segment Start: 08:28

• Context: Russia hit multiple Ukrainian cities overnight. While peace talks are ongoing, Moscow refuses NATO-style guarantees for Ukraine and bilateral meetings with Zelensky.
• JD Vance on Putin (11:35):

  “He’s more soft spoken than you would necessarily expect...very deliberate, very careful. Fundamentally, he’s a person who looks out for the interests, as he sees it, of Russia… one of the reasons he respects the President United States is because he knows the president looks out for the interests of the American people.”

• Host Analysis:
  • Mark Halperin (C): Skeptical about progress, noting: “The whole challenge for every American president since Bush is you got to get leverage over Putin. That’s it. You got to get leverage.” (13:50)
  • Dan (D): Believes Trump is “0 for 3” on winning concessions from Putin: “Putin seems to have no interest in stopping...no interest in a true security guarantee... no interest in meeting with Zelensky.” (13:12)
  • Larry (B): Argues skepticism is warranted, framing Vance's comments as "statesmanlike," not intended to “force Trump into a bad position” (14:36) and noting Trump is still “trying to exhaust as much opportunity as possible” while seeking leverage via trade deals.
  • Consensus: Uncertainty whether the administration’s approach will break the stalemate; debate over whether Trump risks humiliation or is playing a deeper strategic game.

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2. Israel–Gaza Crisis Escalation

Segment Start: 16:11

• Update: Israel moves deeper into Gaza and advances West Bank settlements, seemingly defying international critics and ceasefire overtures.
• Larry (B): Predicts Netanyahu will follow through, now “promised to finish the job” with Congress away from Washington. (17:21)
• Dan (D): Raises concern about long-term outcomes: “Once you go in, you own it. Now who’s going to pay to rebuild it...ensure long-term security?” Notes risks of eroding U.S./Israel alliances.
• Notable: Gaza campaign discussed as one of many concurrent events flooding media bandwidth, possibly limiting U.S. debate and oversight.

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3. The Economy, "Big Beautiful Bill"/Tax Cuts, and Trade/Tariffs

Segment Start: 19:12

• VP Vance’s Georgia Visit highlighted as a White House messaging shift from touting legislation (“big beautiful bill”) to emphasizing “tax cuts for working families.” (19:12)
• Walmart Outlook: Retailer raises sales/earnings predictions but notes rising tariff costs. (20:12)
• Larry (B): Calls the economy “healthy”—market stable, inflation “stabilized,” tariffs haven’t derailed growth; credits Trump for fundamental trade changes. (21:01)
• Dan (D): Warns voter perception lags, inflation is still real for many, and GOP risks appearing tone-deaf:

  “The longer Trump...keep saying it’s the greatest economy ever..., you start to look utterly tone-deaf. And Karl Rove has started warning about this.” (22:11)

• Debate: Is the economy “booming or busting” by midterms? Both predict “booming,” but caveats abound. (25:21)

Audience Q&A – Trade & Tariffs (47:31)

• John (former Walmart employee) asks: What can Dems do to counter Trump's trade/tariff strategy?
• Dan (D): “We don’t have a plan on that front. That’s where we’re caught with our pants down.” (50:05)
• Larry (B): Pushes for reshoring, balancing trade, and sourcing from non-slave-labor markets.

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4. California vs. Texas Redistricting—The "War Gets Hotter"

Segment Start: 25:44

• Update: Both states proceeding with major redistricting plans, despite legal and political challenges.
• Mark (C): Calls out partisan hypocrisy—“didn’t hear Democrats all upset about voting barriers in New York or Delaware”; says both parties just “using their power.” (25:44)
• Dan (D): “I do not think [the California measure] will pass. I think Newsom’s going to get credit for trying, but he’s going to have some egg on his face...stop. Redistricting is as old as the republic itself. There’s nothing undemocratic or authoritative about what they’re doing. It’s hardball.” (28:27)
• Larry (B): Predicts Republicans will outspend Dems in California and “have a shot next year if they get the right candidate,” citing Newsom’s national ambitions and Dem nervousness. (30:37)
• Campaign Cash: GOP way ahead on both “soft” (outside groups) and party fundraising; DNC “almost 7 to 1” disadvantage vs. RNC. (32:02)

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5. Federal Overreach, DC Crime, and the Fed Controversy

DC Crime Takeover (36:14)

• Poll: 79% of D.C. residents oppose Trump’s federal takeover of Metropolitan Police; 65% say it won’t reduce violent crime. (36:46)
• Larry (B): Predicts Trump will extend federal intervention, arguing “crime stats...are going to improve exponentially.” (37:37)
• Dan (D): Warns the real question is what happens when the National Guard leaves; suggests next flashpoints could be Chicago, Philly, or blue cities in red states.

Crime in Low-Income Housing (52:13, Allison caller)

• Allison: “We have to crack down…these residents want a safe environment. We’re raising these children in bad environments and that’s just making them go that route versus a safer route.”
• Larry (B): BLM/defund police “fringe...had a huge voice and influence,” but the pendulum is swinging back toward law enforcement.

Fed: Trump Administration Targeting Biden-Appointed Governor (39:45)

• Mark (C): Outraged that the federal government is “rooting around in people’s mortgage documents” for political revenge:

  “This is not America, Larry. They're trying to kick someone off the Fed by rooting around in her documents." (42:20)

• Larry (B): Argues both sides do it:

  “I just lived through 10 years of the Russian collusion bullshit...Not one person went to jail for that.” (42:40)

• Dan (D): Asks if Trump admin should refer Ken Paxton (TX AG) for investigation if fairness is the goal.

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6. Audience Q&A Highlights

• Callers John, Allison, June brought perspectives on trade/tariffs, urban crime, and perceptions of justice for American victims of crime abroad (with a focus on disparities regarding Israel and Mexico).
• Show’s emphasis on bringing in new voices; strong community engagement.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He's more soft spoken than you would necessarily expect...very deliberate, very careful. And I think fundamentally he's a person who looks out for the interests, as he sees it, of Russia.”
  — JD Vance, on Vladimir Putin (11:35)

• “The whole challenge for every American president since Bush is you got to get leverage over Putin. That's it.”
  — Mark Halperin (13:50)

• “I think you’re a fool...if you’re not skeptical of Vladimir Putin given his, what, 25 plus year track record.”
  — Larry O’Connor (14:21)

• “The longer Trump...keep saying it’s the greatest economy ever..., you start to look utterly tone-deaf.”
  — Dan Turrentine (22:11)

• “Redistricting is as old as the republic itself. There’s nothing undemocratic...it’s hardball. Like Republicans did it in 2000, we did in 2010. Like, everyone squeezes the rag as much as they can.”
  — Dan Turrentine (28:27)

• “I don't want to live in a country where the reaction to that is let's go try to destroy the lives of people who Donald Trump doesn't like...This is not America, Larry.”
  — Mark Halperin, on politicized investigations (42:20)

• “We have to crack down on this. We have to have consequences for this. We are raising children...in bad environments and that's just making them go that route versus a safer route.”
  — Allison (audience caller) on crime in low-income housing (53:35)

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Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Summary | |-------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 08:28 | Ukraine/Russia update, Vance on Putin | | 11:35 | JD Vance describes Putin conversations | | 13:12–15:41 | Trump-Putin-leverage debate (Halperin, Dan, Larry) | | 16:11 | Israel’s escalation in Gaza and West Bank | | 19:12 | VP Vance Georgia visit, tax messaging pivot | | 21:01 | Economic debate: effects of tariffs, inflation, and Walmart's outlook | | 25:21 | "Boom or bust" midterms predictions | | 25:44–34:49 | Redistricting: CA vs. TX, money in politics, Dem vs. GOP fundraising | | 36:14 | DC crime takeover, polling, federal overreach | | 39:45–44:41 | Fed controversy: Investigation of Biden appointee, political tit-for-tat | | 47:31 | Audience Q&A: John on tariffs, trade, and 2026 politics | | 52:13 | Allison's call on low-income housing/crime | | 55:08 | June's call on justice/immigration issues linked to Israel and the U.S. |

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Show Tone and Style

• Lively, unscripted, sometimes irreverent—battle of wits between hosts, guests, and callers.
• Frequent media and political references ("Hazel," 60s/70s sitcoms, direct jabs at other pundits/podcasts).
• Audience engagement central, with real-time Q&A and strong encouragement for new voices.

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Conclusion

This episode delivers sharp insight into the realpolitik of U.S. foreign and domestic policy, from delicate negotiation with Putin (and the realities behind closed doors) to the political trench warfare of redistricting in America's largest states. The panel scrutinizes the economic "vibes" vs. realities as tariffs bite, spotlights the politics and ethics of federal intervention, and repeatedly challenges each other's narratives with facts, polling, and perspective.

Notable throughout: A tension between calls for bipartisan restraint and a recognition of America's accelerating tit-for-tat political culture, whether at the Fed, in city crime fighting, or during congressional redistricting. The open-mic forum and verbal sparring invite listeners not only into the news of the day, but the messy, meaningful arguments behind how that news is made—and spun.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Oh, I do like the acapella moment there.

[C]

Yeah. Good morning everybody. We're just listening to one of the many theme song options for this program. Morning meeting. Big day here on a number of levels. And that's separate from the news where we've got a lot of news to talk about, which we will do with Dan and Larry o' Connor who's here. One of the reasons it's a big day, Sean, much deserved day off. Larry o', Connor, communicator extraordinaire. Those of you who've seen Larry on here before, we spent probably 20 minutes of one episode just talking about Larry's history. So I'm not sure. Larry, very happy to have you back. Larry does. How many hours a week of live do you do?

[B]

I do 25 hours a week of live.

[C]

25 hours we like. So we're just adding another hour. What's, what's an hour between friends rolling off 25 to 26. But very grateful to have Larry here today. And, and spoiler alert, Larry will be back tomorrow. We'll run through the day's news together and then as always, if you're here on the two way platform, we'd love to get your comments. Questions, please raise your hand. Today's the day three new people are the shows canceled and it'd be a shame to cancel the show today. And there's so many things going on that are good news. For instance, thanks to you, the vast worldwide viewing audience and members of the two way community, we reached this milestone overnight. Put up 104 please. 100,000 of you have subscribed to our YouTube channel. It's a big milestone. I'm told the folks at YouTube this is not a joke. They send you a plaque when you get to a hundred thousand. So we'll get a plaque. That'll be nice. But in addition they claim, and this is the power of the algorithm and main reason I'm talking about it, besides to thank you all on behalf of my colleagues and myself is they say that once you get to a hundred thousand, you go to 200,000 like lickety split. So we look forward to that. But again, very grateful to you all for subscribing there. And of course, we'll ask you also now, as we have been doing since we became a podcast this week, for this program in two way tonight, please subscribe to the podcast now. Larry, you haven't been here. You don't know. We've gotten as high as number seven in the news category. Here's, here's where we are now. This is, this is the current ratings 103. We've dropped down to number 11. And Larry, I'll say to you what I, what I'll say to Sean, which is how embarrassing for you to be. Be behind Tim Miller.

[B]

Yeah. No, it is humiliating. Yeah. So, Larry, behind, what would you say.

[C]

What would you say to folks about the importance of. Now that you're associated with the program here, what's the importance of passing Tim Miller for you?

[B]

Oh, well, again, I don't want to personalize it to Tim Miller.

[C]

Oh, no, that's what, that's exactly what we're doing, Larry.

[B]

No, frankly, the bulwark itself arouses so much bitterness and anger in my.

[C]

And just to be clear, you're behind again. I can never remember that lady's name. You're even behind the Pod Save America Bros. Larry. So again, just give a 22nd in your best radio voice exhortation of people to subscribe to the podcast.

[B]

Ladies and gentlemen, as much as we appreciate you being here live every morning, you do not want to miss one syllable of this scintillating and important, may I say, dare I say, vital program. Make sure you subscribe to podcast wherever you like it. Apple, Spotify. But I'm thinking Apple is the way to go so we can eventually overtake the New York Times as the number one podcast worldwide.

[D]

Mark, is it. It can't be a coincidence that we were on Megyn Kelly yesterday and she is now number two.

[C]

Yeah, there's something to that. She did move up. And then your, your catchy relationship with your relatives, your liberal relatives. Put that back up, please. Must be, must be very embarrassing for you to be behind Tucker and Ben, right?

[D]

Oh, God. I just. Even being. Being, being, being behind them will definitely, probably disinvite me for Christmas going home.

[C]

So again, folks, to keep the Tarantine holiday spirit high, please, right now subscribe to the podcast. If you haven't done it already. It's Available on demand shortly after the program ends. And we'd like you to be part of being able to, as that Larry said, access the show wherever you are on whatever device you have. Okay, a few more housekeeping items.

[D]

Wait, hold on, Mark, before you get going, just a serious note. Congratulations to you and the two way team for surpassing a hundred thousand. I don't want to let that just go by. It is amazing how far the company has come in a short period of time and you and colleagues deserve a lot of credit.

[C]

Thank you for that. More housekeeping today than Hazel on her first day back from vacation. Larry, what'd you think of that?

[B]

That is a timely reference.

[C]

Thought of that in the shower this morning.

[B]

I know Brand Drescher may have been a little bit more up to date, but.

[C]

I know, I know. Lost on some of our younger viewers. But anyway, I'm just going for my best Dennis Miller. So a few more housekeeping times. If you're watching on X or YouTube today, please don't put smack in the chat, please. Peace, love and understanding. For all Larry has heard, the program extends the presumption of grace hall. Wouldn't it be embarrassing if he glanced at the chat on YouTube and saw Smack? So please, for all of us do that and again, get the daybook. One more piece of housekeeping. A wise man once told me. Actually Larry told me. Mama Papa, mi cuerpo crece a un ridmo alarmte. Yes. It's been so long. How have you been? Hello.

[B]

I'm doing well.

[C]

Dave, why are you talking that way? Please say one for a compliment or two for a question. Yeah, this is weird. I think I'm gonna go. Talking with automated phone tree can feel pretty ridiculous. That's why when you call Pacific Source Health Plans, you'll get a real person to answer all your important questions. Pacific Source Health Plans. This is a real person. How can I help you? Human service, not automated phone trees. Find a plan@pacificsourcemembers first.com the three most important things in your life to be comfortable. Number one is your relationship with your on air co hosts. Number two is your bed and your bedding. And number three are your clothes. And the reason I bring that up is because another great thing about that you all have helped us with by building a big audience is our sponsors. And today's sponsor is Cozy Earth. Cozy Earth. Larry, you got any Cozy Earth clothes?

[B]

Not yet. You should.

[C]

And I'll tell you why. They're so comfortable and particularly when it's warm outside. So a little Warm here today, I have to admit. They're made from viscous from bamboo. They wick away moisture, heat. So comfortable. And the bedding is great. Comes with a warranty. You can return it after 400 days or if you keep it, 10 year warranty. But we're all about the pants, Larry. You'll know because you're here today and tomorrow all about the pants from the, from the everywhere pant. The bamboo joggers, the pair I have, I've been wearing them all summer. So comfortable. And again folks, you want to be comfortable in your clothes. You want to look good and affordable and that's the best thing because we're going to help you be able to buy your first pair of Cozy Earth pants or, or the sheets or whatever you want to buy. Upgrade now cozyearth.com use the code MORNING40. Why is it MORNING40, Larry, I hear you ask with your eyes because you get wondering 40 off their best what?

[B]

Not your typical 20 off or 2040.

[C]

It almost, it almost seems like too much, right? Yeah. Go to cozyearth.com Morning 40 is your code. Buy the pants. Whatever else you buy, buy other stuff. But buy the pants. Sleep cooler, lounge lighter. Stay cozy with cozy earth. All right. Thank you all for being part of the two way community. And as we said, Team 100,000, that's what I'm calling us now, the daybook. Once again, the president's got no public schedule. I don't know why that is. Ain't doing nothing. And the pool go back to the previous thing here, the new media front lines. Sean isn't here, Larry. Dan, you know what front lines is the new media pool.

[B]

I feel like I should know. But okay, somebody Google that's how new this new media seat is.

[C]

President gets his intel brief at 11. Bidenesque. You know in the olden days during the Cold War, you had to get that thing at like 8:30 before something happened. And then he's signing some executive orders at three currently closed. Press again. In the olden days of Trump we'd say well that's going to open up. But we haven't seen him so we may not see the president today. J.D. vance will talk about this is in Georgia, Peachtree City, Georgia to talk about the big, big beautiful bill and emphasize the tax cut portion. Marco Rubio at some point today is reportedly doing a call with his counterparts from the European countries involved in building a security plan for Ukraine. And when I say counterparts, I mean the national security advisors. Under covered story. Marco Rubio continues to have Both jobs National security advisor and Secretary of state. Congress still away. The initial job claims came out at 8:30. Anybody knows what they said? I forgot to look. Somebody will chime in with that. Jackson Hole Kansas City Fed continues to sponsor their annual boondoggle Day two of three. There'll be some speeches from various Fed officials but the big one is tomorrow when Chair Powell takes the podium. California assembly is holding votes and Senate are holding votes on their congressional redistricting plan. Courts last night state court last night denied a Republican attempt to halt that in Texas. The state Senate will follow on the state Houses move yesterday to move along their redistricting plan and the governor is expected to sign it. Maybe, maybe tomorrow I think. So guys, let's first talk about Ukraine and we'll get back to some of the stories I mentioned there in the daybook. But let's start with Ukraine. Overnight Russia, another big Russian attack. 105 this is while the Russians continue to say every spokesperson saying the same two things we said. The ball's in Putin's court on two issues. Will they accept this NATO style security guarantee for Ukraine as part of a deal and will there be a bilateral meeting? Here's the Kyiv independent Russian missiles drones rain on Ukrainian cities far from the front lines despite peace talks. Here's President zelensky's response to that. 106 well it's a long response but I thought it was shorter than that. In any event, you know, he's denouncing this and talking about how horrible is the Russians are doing this at a time when they're supposed to be negotiating. And here is well let me frame it this way. So for two days now the Russians have said on the two things that the ball was in their court on. Basically we're not ready to do bilateral or trilateral talks. And no, of course the Europeans aren't going to get to decide about Ukraine's security. Moscow will decide. I've heard nothing from any American official. No indication that President Trump's patience is wearing thin. And here is Trumpian, the vice President United States talking about, about Vladimir Putin the way I talk about Dan Turntine with deep and unabiding apparent affection. Roll 108 please. What's it like meeting Putin? What was he like? Just one on one.

[E]

So I've actually never met Putin. The president did that, that meeting. I've talked to him on the phone a number of times. You know, it's interesting. He's, he's more soft spoken than you would necessarily expect. You know, the American media has A particular image of him. He's soft spoken in a certain way. He's very deliberate, he's very careful. And I think fundamentally he's a person who looks out for the interests, as he sees it, of Russia. And I think one of the reasons he respects the President United States is because he knows the president looks out for the interests of the American people. And while they often disagree about issues, and obviously the president has been very critical of the, of Vladimir Putin, the president's also willing to work with anybody if he thinks it's going to accomplish an important goal for America. And we all agree an important goal is to stop the killing.

[C]

I try not to use profanity on this program, but lovey dovey, what was that, Dan? I've said by Labor Day, if the Russians haven't come around on these issues, the president's going to have to be talking again about sanctions and about arming the Ukrainians with European money and freeing them up to attack Moscow. I mean, what are we waiting for here?

[D]

So when you asked on Monday if I was bullish or bearish on a peace deal, I was bullish because I thought the Trump people knew something that the public statements kind of did not entail. But it sure seems like if you just look at the three main things, Putin seems to have no interest in stopping, as you said, he seems to have no interest in a true security guarantee, whether it's the US Or Europe. I think they propose that they provide part of the security, which is the ultimate hen in the hen house or fox in the hen house or China. And the third thing is they keep saying no interest in meeting with Zelensky, Putin. He keeps saying deputies will have conversations. But it's getting to the point now where it looks like Trump is over 3. And as you said, Mark, it would be humiliating. And Trump doesn't like to be humiliated. So I wonder if the silence is because there is something going on behind the scenes or Trump doesn't want to be in public because he doesn't want to be asked about this.

[C]

I sure as hell hope, Larry. And there I go using profanity again. But I mean, the whole challenge for every American president since Bush is you got to get leverage over Putin. That's it. You got to get leverage of Putin. So maybe, maybe the Russians are saying this for domestic consumption. Maybe they're saying it's negotiating ploy and maybe in the nick of time, Putin will agree to these things. But are you skeptical now or. I don't like to ask. Yes. No. How Skeptical, are you, Larry, that the president's made any progress with Putin in Anchorage and maybe this is all just a waste of time.

[B]

Well, I think you're a fool, by the way, potty mouth. I think you're a fool if you're not skeptical of Vladimir Putin given his, what, 25 plus year track record.

[C]

All right, Larry, I got to stop you. I got to stop you then. I'm sorry. What do you think of what had the vice president just talked about? Putin?

[B]

I think the vice president, first of all is being trying to be statesmanlike, number one, and number two, not. He's not going to extend himself with major criticism of Vladimir Putin if President Trump hasn't even done that. That would be folly. Why would the vice President do that? So he's staying in his lane as vice president. He doesn't want to make a headline. He doesn't want to force Trump into a bad position. He's getting out of the way of that. That's understandable. Russia wanting to have some sort of hand in Ukraine's security guarantees is ridiculous. It's a non starter. I don't think Trump's gonna go for that. And you're right, he is probably getting frustrated about all of this, but he's also trying, I think he promised he would do every possible effort to try to bring this war to an end because he hates war and he thinks that the war was a mistake in the first place because it happened under Biden and he's gonna continue to try to exhaust as much opportunities as possible. By the way, you also said try to get some leverage on, well, the EU trade deal that he's negotiating that involves a whole lot of American and non Russian energy purchases for Europe that is leverage on them right now. And he's still got more cards to play.

[C]

Yeah. All right, we'll keep watching. Two quick news items. Ian Sams, who was one of Joe Biden's comms people testifying on Capitol Hill today before Mr. Comer's investigation, and according to the Politico, Chip Roy is going to take his act out of Washington and run for Texas Attorney General. So. And he's been obviously a very visible member of the House and an opponent often of the administration's policies from the right. All right, Israel.

[D]

All right. Does Trump let his foot off the gas or chase him in the AG race?

[C]

I don't know. I don't know if he's got another candidate or not. I can't believe.

[D]

Or go find one?

[C]

I don't know. I can't believe Chiproy would run if there was a chance there'd be a Trump first candidate against him. All right, they may be happy he's going. 109, please. Israel is moving into Gaza in a big way. Two step process. First, surround Gaza City and then move everybody south with security checks to make sure the terrorists don't escape. New York Times headline with moves on west bank and Gaza City, Israel defies global outcry. Israel approved new settlements in the occupied west bank while its troops have reached the outskirts of Gaza City. The developments raised questions about the viability of a ceasefire proposal. The other day, Hamas accepted a ceasefire very similar to what Israel had been asking for. And I think the President and Netanyahu are well aware that Congress is away. So they have a little bit of time here to get this done without the additional outcry that would come if Congress were back. Larry, is this a mission that Netanyahu has a good chance to succeed in or is this problematic mission?

[B]

No, I think he's been on the verge of succeeding, but he's been held back from being able to do this. And I think you're right, partly because Congress is away. It's the middle of summer and I think that at this point he, he has promised to finish the job. He wants to finish the job and he's going to finish the job.

[C]

Dan, if you were a staff director for the anti Netanyahu caucus, what, what, what can be? What, how could anyone bring pressure on the Trump or Netanyahu right now to halt this if that's what they want to do? Because obviously there are a lot of people, if Congress were in session, you'd be hearing a lot of people denounce this. But it's very, except for the New York Times, there's not many people out there in a prominent platform pushing back.

[D]

Well, I think this is the ultimate case of the zone is so flooded right now between what's happening in Ukraine, what's happening in Washington D.C. and then Congress is gone and the redistricting fights. Like there's just only so much bandwidth to fill cable news and X in a given moment. I think the issue for Netanyahu and for Trump is then what? So if you clear it one, what are you going to do with all the people? There are all sorts of ideas being floated about where all these Palestinians are going to go. And then the second is once you go in, you own it. So now who's going to pay to rebuild it and ensure its long term security? I think the question is by the end of the year, does Israel have any allies left? I mean, I don't say that as someone who's rooting for Israel to fail. I just think there is a growing movement. Obviously the left is completely fractured. I'm watching the Michigan Senate race on that front because I think it really is the canary in the coal mine within the party and an ultimate swing state. But two, I continue to say, I don't think Trump has that much rope to continue to say. We're all in with you and we'll do whatever we need to do to help you.

[C]

Thank you both. All right, we're about halfway through. And again, we need three new hands up or the show's this last episode. So if you want Larry back tomorrow, if nothing else, please raise your hand if you've never talked on the program before. Vice president's going to Georgia today. The D.C. media is obsessed with the messaging and how they're shifting from talking about the big beautiful bill. You can put up one of 10, please. Fox 5 in Atlanta. Vice President J.D. vance visiting metro Atlanta on Thursday. That's today. You know, the messaging, not the big beautiful bill. But now they're talking about tax cuts for working families. And if John Ossoff had, you know, had his way, taxes would have gone up and working families. To me, this is a, this is a little bit silly because it's really about the economy, right? People in Georgia don't care about the mechanics of the bill. They just want the economy to be better. So where do we stand on that? Walmart today of reporting their tom, finding their, their earnings and, and talking about where things stand. 118, please. Obviously, you know, massive retailer, biggest in the world, I believe, or at least in the West. Walmart hikes sales and earnings outlook. Good news. Even as it says tariff costs are rising. Walmart, like Target, everybody else have done their best to not raise prices, not just because they don't want to piss off the White House, but because they don't want to lose their, their connection to their customers who expect everyday low prices. But they, they make it clear and they keep saying it. We're in the back to school, school buying now, then, then Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas. It's a really important time to get a sense of where things stand. And the president and the vice president have a lot at their disposal to, to be able to sell this. You know, they've got, they've got bigger coffers. They've got the megaphone of the White House. They've got lots of surrogates. So, Larry, how's the economy doing?

[B]

I think the economy, considering all of the, you know, panic attack that everyone has been over, been experiencing and screaming about and pulling all the fire alarms about since the tariff announcement, the tariffs have been in place. We've had a couple of months now where we're looking at a potentially a surplus. After June, we'll see what the July numbers are. Those numbers are fine. The market seems to be fine. Prices have stabilized, inflation has stabilized. Jobs are pretty much right where you would want them to be. This is a healthy economy. And despite the fact that he's actually been able to implement some fundamental changes on how we deal with trade issues with foreign countries, he's gotten results. And I'm thrilled that they're no longer calling this thing the Big Beautiful Bill. I've been saying forever, this is a tax cut bill. It's a tax cut bill. And emphasize the tax cuts and how money's going back into the economy in the hands of the American people, that's always successful for a Republican. So, I mean, I think things are flying high right now. And I remember watching this show and I was told that just wait till back to school comes and all those prices are going to be sky high. Well, it didn't happen, guys.

[C]

Well, but Wal Mart says it's going to happen. Dan. Dan Rain on Larry's parade. Be Mr. Gloom and Doom, talk down the economy.

[D]

I'm not going to be gloom and doom.

[C]

Root for America to fail.

[D]

Now, I think I'll talk realistically. Two things on the Big Beautiful Bill. I think what's interesting is, as you say, they're pivoting to the tax message. You know, the joke is obviously the two guarantees in life are death and taxes. Ozoff's response was, well, we've had 11 rural hospitals close in Georgia, full stop. So the whole campaign is going to be the access to hospitals and health care versus taxes. That's your frame. Which one do you kind of value more? And we'll see who wins that tug of war. As you say, the GOP has way more money and they feel pretty confident that polling shows that that message is, is a winner. And Democrats feel extremely confident of their messaging on the economy. I think the challenge that Trump has and the Republicans have is when, when Trump came in, in 1.0, for all of his talk that the economy was horrible from Obama, it wasn't. He inherited a pretty good economy and he made it better. So when he said things were great, it's, you know, we're doing terrific. He had facts and people felt it because they didn't feel that things were really bad before he got there. The problem now is he inherited a wobbly economy and it's still wobbly. So, Larry, when you say inflation is under control, one, the facts don't bear that out. Last month it went up almost a full point year in one month. Right. Two, voters don't feel that way. Now you can tell them, as Joe Biden tried to do, it's not that bad. But that's not how voters feel. And so the longer Trump and the GOP keep saying it's the greatest economy ever, things are, you start to look utterly tone deaf. And Karl Rove has started warning about this. It's a fine line between, hey, it's getting better. We're putting the pieces in place. Larry, as you said, the EU trade, okay, we have some details now. Still don't have a deal, but we have some details of the handshake. You gotta be careful. Voters don't feel it.

[B]

Yeah, well, they do feel it when they so much of the strategy here has been energy, all the energy costs that have been the root of so many of the inflationary disasters that we've felt over the last several years. Trump said this on the campaign trail. We start on day one with drilling bringing the cost down, becoming energy independent. That does not happen overnight. And by the way, I haven't heard Republicans or Trump say this is the best economy ever. I didn't say that. I said that he has it's stable.

[D]

It's the golden era. This is the greatest on the, he.

[B]

Said that on the first day of the president.

[D]

He said it just the other day.

[B]

And of course, he still says it because that's he's a leader and he's giving us a vision to strive for. But I think it's the best ever. We're moving in that direction. And energy costs, the American people are feeling that on a regular basis. And that's do you remember a summer like this where gas prices actually went well?

[D]

But Larry, Larry, you summer vacation want to hang your hat on gas prices that move like the stock market like this, right? They were low for a period under Biden. Then they were high for a period under Biden again. Larry, you're they were only low under.

[B]

Biden when he tapped into our strategic petroleum reserves. Dan. And you know, all right, exit question.

[C]

Mandatory exit question on the eve of the midterms, 2026, will the economy be booming or busting? Booming or busting. Dan Turntine.

[D]

I honestly don't know. I, I Mandatory prediction, I'll say booming, but I don't know.

[C]

Larry o', Connor, boom or bust.

[B]

He does know booming.

[C]

Okay, well, that'll be interesting if true. All right. Redistricting said before California proceeds, Texas proceeds. The person I feel most sorry for this morning, in all honesty, is the floor manager at Morning Joe who has to clean up the crocodile tears of Claire McCaskill who went on and on about what a tragic thing it was that Texas was redistricting in a gerrymandered fashion. And I searched the archives. Strangely, some PA has removed all the video of Claire McCaskill similarly upset about Illinois and Massachusetts. This goes back to Jim Crow on steroids when again, didn't hear Democrats all upset about voting barriers in New York or Delaware, these other blue states I see in the chat, not the same. It's the same. You can say mid, mid decade is some magical line of morality. It's all the same. They're just using their power to redistrict. Okay, so there's that. In, in California, Gavin Newsom's folks put out this poll showing a good chance that it will pass. Now, this is unusual. Sometimes these ballot measures are in the works for years and people are raising money and putting stuff together for years. This is all happening on the fly. I still don't see how it's legal because it seems to violate California law, but at least one court so far is letting it proceed. Last night, on a little program available on A podcast at YouTube called Two Way Tonight, Karen Skelton, one of the smartest, most well connected operatives in the Democratic Party in California, I said to her, gavin Newsom's people have a, their, their polling, they say, shows this has got a good chance to pass. The public polling is a lot more questionable. Here's what California Democratic insider Karen Skelton said. The Newsom people say to me and others, see this poll we did, it shows it's likely to pass. Should Gavin Newsom be trusting his own pollsters on this, or shouldn't he be looking to the more independent points of view? Karen, I don't know if we know whether Gavin Newsom only had one poll. Yeah, because I, I've understood that the internal polling shows it very, very close. Yeah, shows it up, but very, very close. So I'm not sure that the internal poll that they showed other people is the only poll. Dan, I've just arrived to host this program on a turn up truck. Do people in politics really do that? Is it possible that they did two polls and they put out the one that was more favorable to create a sense of momentum. And in fact, they know what I know to be true, which is this thing I say. Again, my favorite metaphor I've ever come up with, it's not a half court heave, but it's not a layup. It's a well guarded three pointer.

[D]

Yeah. I actually believe it's not that they had two polls. You got to go back and look at that story about the poll out. What it said was it was popular when voters were informed of the messaging. So the other half of that poll is when you just said, you know, do you approve or support or oppose changing it? Yes or no. Do you support or oppose if told that Donald Trump is doing da, da, da, da, da, Right. And then maybe you move. So it's the same mark. I agree with you. Everything I've heard, it is extremely close. I do not think it will pass. I think Newsom's going to get credit for trying, but he's going to have some egg on his face because he's, he's flexing his muscles, literally and figuratively in memes. Look, I just want to add, for all the Democrats, stop. Redistricting is as old as the republic itself. There's nothing undemocratic or authoritative about what they're doing. It's hardball. Like Republicans did it in 2000, we did in 2010. Like, everyone squeezes the rag as much as they can. Right.

[C]

Do you need Claire McCaskill's number? Because I'd like.

[D]

Yeah. I mean, it's just insanity. I will say I think the real thing is move on from Texas, move on from California. Now watch Florida, Ohio, Indiana and Missouri. I think Republicans may pick up another net of six, seven seats.

[C]

Yeah. So, and of course, now that the Democrats are doing it, they can't cry foul in these other states. Or they can, but it won't be as effective. Larry, the Winklevosses are putting millions into a super pac. I think one of the biggest stories in politics now is 2026 is going to test the soft money, dark money, big money capacity of both parties. And you'll see that in House and Senate and governor's races, but you'll see it in full force in this California initiative. I would imagine, because this is a priority for the White House. You're going to see lots of money from that industry, from what do you call that industry? But, I mean, Elon Musk could. His peace offering to the part to Donald Trump could be put 200 million himself in there. So would you expect the Republicans to outspend the Democrats on this?

[B]

Yes. And by the way, I don't know if you noticed, but Kevin McCarthy has announced he's still a very connected and prominent and popular Republican in California, especially in the Central Valley, and he's announced that he is joining that effort and putting together.

[C]

And Schwartz and Schwarzenegger.

[B]

And Schwarzenegger, who remains popular. Yeah. And Dan is right. And I can't even add much to it other than the fact that also recognize that there is an open governor's seat there coming up next year in the midterms in 26. This sets the stage for that. So, yeah, Gavin Newsom might get credit nationally, but it's going to harm the Democrats where they're focusing on this and raising money for this instead of for retaining the governor's seat. I think things are so bad in California, Republicans do have a shot next year if they get the right candidate. And one last thing. I used to live in California. For 20 years I've lived in California. These Democrats right now, the way they're acting in Sacramento, they don't seem confident. I've seen them confident. I've seen them when they're able to just roll over and do whatever they want. This seems like they're following Gavin Newsom into the battle because Gavin Newsom's leading them, but they're not in it.

[C]

And they. And they may raise $100 million that they might as well just burn. Like a draft card or a bra. That's right. I mean, because they're going to be.

[B]

Outspent and again, big with the 60s references today, that's impressive.

[C]

Is Hazel the 60s or the 70s?

[B]

Oh, no, Hazel was the 60s black and white. Wasn't Hazel black and white?

[C]

I think it might have transitioned. I think it may have been one of those shows that started black and white and win color. But that would be the 60s.

[D]

Mark, can I just add, because you asked Larry about the money, I want to flag, for those who haven't seen it, that the federal committee reports just came out and we've been talking about the money discrepancy and we're talking about on the soft side. So the unlimited checks and the Republicans advantage, that may be 10 to 1, 6 to 1. But the DNC is now at a almost 7 to 1 disadvantage to the RNC. They have about 13 million on hand. The RNC has close to $90 million on hand. The DCCC, God bless them, and Susan Del Vene and is slightly above the Republicans.

[C]

Right.

[D]

But you add up the RNC advantage, the outside advantage, and then you add potentially this net of, let's say, 10 House seats. The road's getting a lot steeper for Democrats to retake the House. And you know, it's a long shot in the Senate, but there's, there's potentially a path if they get a few more recruits. This money disadvantage is becoming.

[C]

Let's go super inside. Let's go super inside baseball on that because you've predicted twice here that we might see the greatest fundraiser in the history of the Democratic Party. Mr. Hyperbole himself, Terry McAuliffe could step in his chair. But let's say since you're a veteran fundraiser, let's say chair. What's the guy's name? Ken Farmer.

[D]

Ken Martin.

[C]

Ken Martin, thank you. Let's say Ken Martin called you and said, dan, I'm not stepping down. I'm going to be chairman. We got to raise more money. What should I do? How could that guy raise more money? So the DNC is not select.

[D]

Oh, boy. There's so much damage for him. Now. There's two problems. The Democratic Party brand is bad and he's done nothing to fix that, but only added to it. And his brand is terrible because he has been so weak and because of David Hogg and because he's been caught on video complaining. So he, his challenge is he has to immediately both create his own brand and strengthen it, which would require getting out there and amongst all the battles within the party, trying to establish himself as a firm leader with a vision and at the same time try to corral and get the support of the Terry McAuliffe, the Jeffries, the Schumers, those looking at 2028. And none of them want to help him because they think he's a dead man walking. So, yeah, I would tell him, you know, I would. My actually advice to him, Mark, would be you need to bring in somebody as co chair who has the respect of donors and let him or her go forth and you just stay in Washington and just take credit if they're. If successful.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

If the extent of the problem with the party is the, is fundraising, then sure, Terry McAuliffe will fix that. Although there's always strings attached with McAuliffe, buddy, and those what comes with it. But what's really happening with the Democrats and you touched on it yesterday with the New York Times report about registration in states that do party affiliation. They're underwater in every single one of those. They're not underwater, but they're being defeated in every other one of those states. The problem is they've made this lurch to the left and they continue lurching to the left. The problem with Mr. Martin is that he threw down with Mamdani and said, yeah, sure, there's room for him in our big tent. And the center of gravity for the Democrats are moving to the socialist side so far that they're leaving this wide gaping hole for the middle. Republicans are seizing the middle political realm in this country right now because Democrats have abandoned it. And they're willfully doing it by embracing this guy who, what, how many votes did he get for the Democratic nomination in New York? It was, it was a primary and they've decided he won the primary. Therefore, this is our future. And so they're leaving the middle wide open for Republicans to take.

[C]

All right, two topics to go and then two housekeeping or two little notes. And then we're going to go to your questions, folks at Walking Duck. How many new hands are up right now? I see a lot of familiar faces. Five new hands. New hands. Yeah. Are you serious? I am.

[B]

You're welcome, America.

[D]

Way to go, Larry.

[C]

You're not, you're not Hazel. 1961. Larry was right. 1961 to 1966, not even close to the 70s. All right, we'll get to your questions in just a minute. Let's guys, let's do these two topics quick. So we get a lot of questions. DC Crime, new Washington Post poll out. I think this is largely driven by partisanship because people in D.C. it's like the most anti Trump jurisdiction in America. Here's the way the folks at Morning Joe dealt with the New York Times, the Washington Post poll.

[F]

D.C. residents overwhelmingly opposed President Trump's federal takeover of the city's police department, and they do not believe his efforts actually will reduce crime in the District. That's all according to a new poll from the Washington Post and George Mason University. The poll finds 79% of people surveyed in D.C. oppose the president's takeover of the D.C. police Department and the deployment of the national guard. Only 17% support it. 65% of D.C. residents say Trump's efforts will not reduce violent crime. When it comes to Congress passing a law to extend the federal takeover, an overwhelming majority, 77%, say they oppose it.

[C]

No surprise, but but not nothing. That is the people of the jurisdiction in question. Larry?

[B]

Yes.

[C]

What happens next on this story?

[B]

I think that the 30 days run their course and I think Trump tries to double down and extend the 30 days and in the meantime, the crime stats, the most important number. Forget about the polls. Look at the crime stats. They're going to improve exponentially. It's been over a week since there's been a homicide in Washington, D.C. that's a huge development in the middle of the summer especially. And on that poll, by the way, 17% are in favor of it. You know that Trump got 6% of the vote in D.C. so he's kind of tripled his support in the District. That's impressive. And, you know, I know you have a lot of respect for Drew Holden. He dug deep into the numbers on this poll. 90% of the respondents in this poll from the Washington Post characterized their neighborhood as either safe or extremely safe. So what does that tell you about.

[C]

Are you serious? That I missed. Is that true?

[B]

Drew Holden has. Well, Drew Holden did it, I trust.

[C]

All right, Dan, what happens next on this story?

[D]

I think the question is, then what? So what happens after 30, 60, 90 days? And I think the second thing is, what city is next? And I'm watching Chicago and I'm watching Philadelphia just happen to have two governors thinking, running for president. Do they move in? And I keep saying to the Democrats, if I were to try to outflank them on this, then what happens once the National Guard leaves? What are you doing to keep cities safe?

[B]

Can I. Can I address real fast the other cities that this might happen in? It's going to be a red state with a very blue city. Look at Houston, maybe Dallas. That's what the governor will ask the president for assistance because the city is unmanageable because Democrats have been in charge for so long. And that should be interesting for a.

[D]

Southern state to ask Federal National Guard come in. Okay.

[B]

Because the Democrats ruined the city real.

[C]

Quick on the Fed. I don't see five new hands up. So you guys are gonna have to bring in people you think are new, but I think you're wrong about some people. We'll see. But we need three new. The Fed. The president's threatening to fire Lisa Cook, a Biden appointee who's supposed to be on the Fed for another, like, 15 years. How long are the fed terms?

[B]

10 years.

[D]

I thought, well, she's still 20, 38. So is it?

[C]

Yeah, 23.

[B]

14 years.

[C]

14 years.

[B]

I need a gig like that.

[C]

Right? Like. Like, you know, Larry, she's gonna be more familiar with the vending machines at the Fed than you are with the wma, honestly. In any event, the president said he's gonna fire both Paul Gigo and what's the guy, the NBI and squawk box. Andrew Kernan. Kernan this morning, very upset about using the power of the federal government to investigate people. He quoted Jim Carrey saying if you. Well, not Jim, no, I mixed up the two lines. They quoted the line saying, if you follow, if you follow. Warren Buffett says, if somebody, if a cop follows you for 500 miles, they're going to be able to arrest you for something. And then Kearney quoted Jim Kerry saying, the officer pulls him over and the officer says, do you know why I pulled you over? And he says, it depends on how long you were following me. It was all very funny and light, but, but the reality is this is very upsetting. Yeah, you just, nobody could look at this. They could say, well, look what they did to Donald Trump. And of course, that's what MAGA people will say. But Larry, you can't, you can't like the federal government officials, political appointees rooting around in people's mortgage documents, can you? I mean, that's, if Barack Obama did this, you would be screaming from the rooftops. It's an abuse of power.

[B]

I guess you pick your poison. Do you, do you not like the alleged abuse of power of federal officials doing that? Or do you get repulsed by the idea that a woman with a 14 year permanent job in D.C. with so much control over our lives that the Fed is guilty of mortgage fraud?

[C]

Well, so as Becky Quick said, I'm curious to know, I'm curious to know if she's actually guilty. If she's guilty, great. She should be investigated and prosecuted.

[D]

Well, let me ask you this then, Larry.

[C]

But, Larry, but. I'm sorry, but Larry, what are they doing looking at her mortgage documents? Documents?

[B]

I don't know. Did they get an anonymous tip about it? I, I honestly don't know.

[C]

Well, so now they've gone after Adam Schiff and the Attorney General of New York and a Biden appointee on the Fed. I mean, again, Larry, go back to Warren Buffett. You follow somebody for 500 miles, you're going to find something. This is the exact same thing that MAGA was out. Justifiably outraged by people, Alvin Bragg and the Attorney General of New York running, saying, I'm going to get Donald Trump. They were right to be outraged. But I don't want to live in a country where the, where the, the reaction to that is let's go try to destroy the lives of people who Donald Trump doesn't like. I just did your poker face. I'm going to, I'M going to get faux outrage. Your poker face about this and your sophistry about it. This is not America, Larry. They're trying to kick someone off the Fed by rooting around in her. In her documents. Now, you're right. If she's guilty, it's a happy coincidence for them. But you don't know that she's guilty. And I'm stunned, truly, that your first reaction is, hey, tit for tat. Maybe she's guilty.

[B]

Well, you know, I just lived through 10 years of the Russian collusion bullshit. If I can borrow Larry Mouth.

[D]

No, no, no.

[B]

And not one person.

[C]

Answer, Larry.

[B]

One person went to jail for that.

[C]

Respond. But, Larry. Respond. Respond with that reference to the past. Just live in the present. Do you want to live in an America? Donald Trump calls his friend Pulte and says, get this woman off the bed.

[B]

And I'll tell you why. Because I know exactly what will happen when the next Democrat becomes president. You want unilateral disarmament on this. And I'm sorry, I don't want you.

[C]

I don't. You know what I want? I want bilateral disarmament.

[B]

If you want.

[C]

Larry.

[B]

Reform.

[C]

Larry. Larry, I want bilateral disarmament of this police state. An abuse of power.

[B]

I'm sorry.

[D]

Hold on, Larry. I want to ask.

[C]

Go ahead.

[B]

Yes, it is privileged position.

[C]

If Joe Kernan and Paul, you can. Well, then.

[D]

All right.

[G]

Well, then.

[D]

Hold on, Larry. Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas, is alleged to have done the same thing on three homes. Should that. Should Ken Paxton be referred to the doj? He's the Attorney General of the State of Texas. He is running for the United States Senate. Should he be referred for full criminal prosecution?

[B]

I think if people violated the law, they should be investigated and prosecuted under.

[D]

Okay, so I look forward to the fact. I look forward to. To Ken Paxton being referred for criminal investigation. Thank you, Larry, for supporting that movement.

[B]

But again, as speaking as the conservative voice on this panel, the fact that no one has felt any repercussion over one of the biggest violations of federal law, of FISA laws, of internal spying, of fake investigations, of anonymous leaks.

[C]

We have to stop learning.

[B]

No one has felt any repercussions for that.

[C]

They should.

[B]

You want to know what MAGA thinks? That's what. Megan.

[C]

I know exactly what Maggie thinks. But I'm asking him to think rise above their tribal instinct for revenge. Which.

[B]

Revenge. That's not revenge.

[C]

All right, Larry, here's the more important thing. I was wrong about Hazel being on the seventies. You know what? You were wrong about what? You know, how many seasons were in black and white, Larry? Mr. I know TV history. I know when colors started. Yeah, try one. Larry wrong about the Fed, wrong about Hazel. 1961, black and white, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, full living color.

[B]

LARRY Unlike John Brennan, I will admit that I was wrong and I will take my punishment.

[C]

All right, I'm going to bring in the people one by one who are said to be new. And I have to say, you guys might be right. If you're not new and you come in, fess up.

[B]

We're going to look at your mortgage application.

[C]

Don't be like, look like Larry or we'll have you investigated. John Warren, you ever been on this show before?

[G]

I, I have not. Can you hear me okay?

[C]

We hear you. Great. Don't crash like your hat. Tell us where you are. What's on your mind?

[G]

For Dan and Larry, I just, I just had our we just had a kid four days ago. So this is my only congratulations.

[D]

You just got to keep driving.

[C]

JOHN do you know how to swim?

[G]

I am just going to keep driving.

[C]

Do you know how to swaddle?

[G]

I do. I do. This is our third, so I'm, I'm remembering some stuff.

[C]

But you said you just had a kid, like it was your first. How old are the older two?

[G]

Four and a half and two.

[C]

And what has their reaction been?

[G]

They have been very, very loving, actually. I was bracing myself, but they've been great.

[C]

That's fantastic.

[G]

So, but yeah, so my question, I actually, it's funny enough you brought Walmart. I actually just, I worked at Walmart for the last three years and I just started a consultancy for Walmart advertisers.

[C]

Great.

[G]

So I hear a lot about the tariffs all the time. And Dan, I actually agree with you. I think there's kind of an unspoken bubble. I mean, I talked to sellers who are largely importing product from China. They are not developing new product because of these tariffs. And then at the same time, you know, a lot of the average order values and the average unit price sold is going down. So I think something's got to give. And I do think that, you know, although I voted for Trump the last three times, I think that there's an opportunity there for Democrats, you know, to kind of fight against some of the tariff stuff. But the question I have is I hear a lot of, you know, I think we all hear a lot of, oh, what Trump is doing is bad, but there's just no solution. I know that Joe Scarborough on your show Mark had had some, some, you know, some ideas, but I guess like if I were to use sort of like Mark, what you say, like if you were to be a political consultant, what would be the policy to kind of combat Trump's policy? Which I think even though if it doesn't work, I think that at least the American people perceive him as trying something. And so I think specifically on, you're.

[C]

Talking specifically on tariff and trade.

[G]

Exactly. And then the second piece is sort of unrelated but somewhat related is, you know, how things have moved so quickly. You know, like, I think perhaps trade is going to be one of the biggest things in the midterms in the next election. And it seems to me that they've, the, the Republicans have effectively moved on Epstein thing and I just find it to be, have no legs in the next kind of cycles. And so I'm just curious, like, do you agree with that perception that, that Epstein has sort of kind of come and gone and, and maybe won't really be as, as to have as many much teeth as it may have had even three weeks ago?

[C]

You're thinking a lot about, you're thinking a lot about America in the world for a guy who just had a kid. Dan, address the two topics then, Larry, what could Democrats be doing on trade to kind of compete with the president who's doing something and, and what, and what. And the other, and the Walmart question and then, and then the other one John just asked.

[D]

Yeah, so, so John, I think, I think two things. One, as you say, one of the things that Home Depot said in their earnings call was it sounds like a lot of companies rushed in April and May to get as much inventory as possible ahead of the tariffs. And they're, they're, they're, that's burning out, right? It's, it's selling out and now they need to restock and prices are higher. And so now they're kind of facing this dilemma of like, do we start to pass it on? They can only not pass it on for so long unless something materially changes before they have a fiduciary to their shareholders that they're going to have to start raising some prices. So I think it is a crossroads. I think the challenge here on all of this is you're trying to undo a world order that's been in existence for 80 years and to suddenly say we're going to fix the wrongs in Europe, in China and all these different places that we import products and various things from at once is a shock to the economy and I go back to Trump never ran on. It's going to be a 6 to 12 to 18 month set of pains or 24 months to ultimately get to where I think we want to be. Americans did not sign up for that. On the opposite, he was kind of told, like, this is easy and I'll get it done and it'll be the golden era. So I think there is a challenge there. And I think for Democrats, the challenge is if you say you're against the tariffs and how are you trying to get jobs back here, how are you trying to rebuild the working class? We don't have a plan on that front. And that's where we're caught with our pants down a little bit on this issue. And then I think the second thing, I don't think the Epstein thing is dying. And I go back to it is not Democrats, it's the MAGA base. There's a reason Republicans are all saying, when we come back, we have to vote on this and we're likely going to vote more to open more files because it's what they're hearing about at home.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

I don't disagree with Dan on the Epstein thing, although, again, the Trump administration keeps going to court saying, we want to release this, we want to release that, and judges are saying no. So it'll be interesting to see what that pivot point is. But I got to disagree with Dan. This has not been 80 years in the making. 80 years ago, we weren't making cheap T shirts and underwear in China with slave labor. We were making them in North Carolina. We were making them in textile plants here in America. 50 years, maybe 50 or maybe a little less, actually. And listen, I think one of the things that's come through, especially with the EU deal, is you had the president of the EU or the chancellor of the EU actually admit, yeah, this has been imbalanced for a while. And so we're gonna do this to try to bring more balance to the trade differential between America and Europe. Everyone denied that there was an imbalance or denied that there was a problem with the imbalance up until now. So it has exposed that there's no more lying about it. The question is, how do you remedy it? China's still being negotiated. Let's see what ends up happening. But smart manufacturers in America are doing more manufacturing here in America, but they're also looking at other Asian countries. There are other countries that you can make your iPhones in and make your, you know, routers in that don't utilize slave labor, which is tantamount to slave labor and enriches and empowers a country that's basically gonna be our biggest enemy on the planet.

[C]

John, thank you.

[D]

Still, even that EU trade deal, you have 15 tariffs remaining in place. At some point. Again, Larry, it's not me, it's not Democrats.

[B]

At some point.

[C]

Guys, guys.

[B]

It's going to be factored in.

[C]

Got to move on. Guys, guys, guys. Got to move on. Allison, welcome in. Are you, are you new to the program?

[H]

I'm new, thank you.

[C]

Welcome in, Allison. Where are you calling from? What's on your mind for Dan?

[H]

Coastal Carolina.

[C]

Beautiful. Welcome.

[H]

I wanted to talk about. We're not getting anything here. I'm too far south, but so that's good. I wanted to talk about the crime thing because I know people are upset and they don't want a city taken over, but I, I have been working in low income housing for 25 years and I've seen crime get much worse in this type of housing because we've had to relax standards of letting people in. And these residents don't want that. They want a safe environment. They want to be able to raise their children in a safe environment. They want to give them good examples. And I lived in D.C. 20 years ago and I've lived in many major cities and I think it's really important that we focus in on those cities. There are things that we can do to help these children and to give them a good environment. But we have to crack down on this. We have to have consequences for this. We are raising children. And I can tell you from seeing these, these buildings and seeing these apartments, we're raising these children in bad environments and that's just making them go that route versus a safer route.

[C]

Alison, you're speaking for tens of millions. Larry.

[B]

She is. And you know, again, back to the Washington Post by the, the fringe that pushed the blm, defund the police, reimagine policing in our community, send in social workers instead of cops. That was a small minority that had a huge voice and huge influence in the major cities in this country and in the elections for districts attorney. And now we're seeing the repercussions and ripple effects. This same Washington Post poll that everyone's talking about, the majority of Washingtonians hate this idea. Well, there was another question in that poll. I pulled it up here. Do you think increasing the number of police officers patrolling communities would reduce the amount of violent crime in D.C. 63% of all adults, 65% of black residents said, yes, that's.

[C]

But that's Police, not federal troops.

[B]

Understand that. But the Metropolitan Police Department, under this mayor and under this district council, they're not hiring new police. They're undermining the police. So the only way to get more police.

[C]

Yeah. Their budget was cut, and. And the president could go to them and say, I'll get Congress to send you more money if you'll hire more cops. They could do that.

[D]

Exactly.

[B]

They could do that. But in the meantime, the emergency efforts. But again, Allison's question is about other cities around the country.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And there is. The pendulum has swung back in favor of law enforcement and in favor of cops.

[C]

Allison, thank you. Really appreciate you joining. Being parted two way. Thank you. June, are you new to this program? I am, yeah. How do you feel. How do you feel about having saved the show?

[I]

I mean, apparently there are five new.

[C]

People, so it would. Lucky, take it. You're number three. June, thank you for joining. Grateful to you. Thank you for being part of two. I tell everybody where you are, what's on your mind. Yeah, sure.

[I]

So I'm in Connecticut, you know, I don't think.

[C]

Which part of Connecticut.

[D]

Yeah.

[I]

Are you familiar? I grew up in Bridgeport. I'm not sure if you're familiar with.

[D]

I went to Fairfield Prep. We played hockey at the end of Land of Ice.

[G]

Yeah.

[I]

Actually, both my sisters went to Fairfield University, so I know that school very well.

[C]

Welcome in, sir. Tell us what's on your mind again. Thank you for being part of it.

[I]

Yeah. So I think one of the things that I was thinking about why I want to come on was because yesterday night, and I think two days ago, you had two people bring up the Israeli cybersecurity person connected to pedophilia. But I kind of want to present a little bit more context as to why I think people are bringing this up. I think it has to do with, like, this understanding of the social contract of citizenship and being an American, because I think the Jewish community watch from 2014 started to track Jewish Americans who are fleeing America, who were connected to pedophilia, going to Israel. And it's this understanding of, like, why.

[C]

It's a.

[I]

It's a feeling of fairness and justice, similar to Newsom and the French Laundry, you know, rules for the. But not for me. And I think that context is important because that feeling of not getting justice for, you know, American victims. And at the same time, you. You also find that Americans who go to American citizens who go visit their home in the west bank, they get murdered, but there's no.

[C]

Any.

[I]

Any form of justice, whereas when you look at what happened in Mexico in 2023 where I think there were like the five American or four American tourists who were captured, two of them died and the cartel literally, you know, brought in their own people, five of their own to say we're sorry. So I think that's what this is. It's a, it's a sense of justice for our own citizenry. And I think that's where this feeling is coming from.

[C]

June, thank you. Well said. And you've raised a bunch of super complicated over overlapping issues. Right. There's a history not just in this country, but diplomats in general often will commit crimes in their in the host country and then leave. And they have diplomatic immunity. And that's clearly rules for the not not for me issue. Dan, you want to make a quick comment on any part of what June raised?

[D]

I mean just it is fascinating that the gentleman who raised it the other day and then there's been more in the press about it and I think Mark just hit the nail on the head. I mean this goes to even after 911 when some of the Saudis flee that I think it was that afternoon or the next day on a private plane in the let them out of our airspace to go home.

[C]

Yeah. June, thank you. Appreciate you being part two way. Thanks for raising and I, I appreciate the subtlety with which you did. All right, a bunch of stuff to tell you about in our in our moments here. First of all, two episodes, the group chat today that you can be part of that Dan and his colleagues are doing 2:30 today, 2:30 Eastern. They're going to be talking about crime and and all the issues connected to this debate about crime. This is an episode that will air later but you can be part of the experience on the two way platform. So go to two way TV or my substack to get that link to be part of that conversation. 2:30 Eastern and then at 4 a live episode. So it'll stream on YouTube and X live as well as on the two way platform. 4:00 regular day, a regular episode of all the news a day with Emma, Joe, Nina, Robbie, Dan and Bacha. Two way tonight, six o' clock tonight. Aaron Parnas will be my amongst my guests. We'll have a roundup of all the day's news and then Michael Moynihan on the Moynihan Report. 7pm Larry Charles, author of comedy Samurai 40 Years of Blood, Guts and Laughter on next up which will drop later today. Two guests. One is former senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas who went to the same high school I did. We're going to talk about some of the issues facing the Democratic Party from a state, Arkansas, that doesn't have any elected statewide Democrats anymore. When his dad was a senator from Arkansas, both senators were Democrats and of course, the governor, Bill Clinton. So we'll talk about the Democratic Party and paths to perhaps competing in what are now solidly red states. And Michael Caputo, longtime advisor to President Trump, extraordinary battle with cancer. And he and I will walk through what he faced and how he confronted it at a time when he was in a very senior job in the Trump administration in the first term. So really incredibly gripping story. And Michael is, as Larry said, he's a great guy. And he's a, he, he was simultaneously dealing with cancer and being canceled. And very few people have to do both at work. So incredible. And my reported monologue is on why you folks who don't like Gavin Newshin should stop hating on him. You don't have to agree with his policies. But, but what's happening with Gavin Newsom now has significance for not just whether he'll be the nominee in 2028, but it has significance for how Democrats can and might confront President Trump over the next three years. And it also has significance for how you lead, particularly in politics in this day and age, how you use technology, particularly to communicate in order to get attention. And we'll talk about action, attention and the capacity that Gavin Newsom is demonstrating. Not everybody can do it, but we're going to look at all the lessons of that. And, and so my reporting about how other Democrats feel about what Gavin Newsom's doing. So that's on next.

[D]

I can't wait for that.

[C]

That, that'll drop later today on YouTube and, and podcasts as well. And we'll be back tomorrow in 23 hours and one minute. Larry, unless this experience of the hazel humiliation has turned him off, Larry will be back and very grateful to the three new people. And again, when I do the new people thing, no disrespect meant to those of you who raise your hands frequently, some of you every day. But it's important to get new voices on the platform. That's, that's what this is about. But, but also, as you know, we'd like to hear from our regulars as well. So grateful to you all new and, and returning. And again, thank you for getting us to 100,000 on YouTube. Please go subscribe to the podcast now. So tomorrow morning, Larry and Dan can say with pride that they passed those villains in front of them.

[D]

I want to go home for the holidays.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Thank you all for watching.

[C]

Larry. Thank you for making time. Really appreciate it.

[D]

Larry.

[C]

Have you on talk to everybody. See you tomorrow. I'll see you at 6. And I'll see you tomorrow. We'll all see you tomorrow.

[D]

Foreign.