← The Morning Meeting
The Morning Meeting
Trump and Democrats Spar Over SNAP Benefits Suspended by Shutdown; "Fake DeBlasio" Dupes UK Times
01:04:00
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- [00:01]
A
I'm James Patterson. I write way too many books. Welcome to Hungry Dogs. The title comes from my maternal grandmother, Isabel Zelvis Morris. Nan used to always say, hungry dogs run faster, James. And I've been running fast ever since. Here's what will be coming your way soon. And this is a really terrific list. I think you'll hear from some incredible people like Stacey Abrams. Yay. BJ Novak.
- [00:27]
B
Yay.
- [00:28]
A
Kathy Bates, Dolly Parton, Josh Gad. And Pope Leo. Okay, maybe not Pope Leo, but who knows? Maybe he'll show up. Hungry dogs run faster. Thank you, Grandma, for turning me into a hopeless, obsessive, compulsive. Listen to Hungry Dogs with James Patterson. That'd be me on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
- [00:59]
B
This is it.
- [01:00]
C
The world as you know it is over. Completely done.
- [01:03]
D
It's not about to be over.
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C
It's over.
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D
Some of the scientists who helped build AI are now sounding the alarm. I was selling AI as a great thing for decades and I was wrong. I was wrong. There is a longer term existential threat that will arise when we create digital beings that are more intelligent than ourselves.
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C
We have no idea whether we can stay in control.
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D
While others say that AI will usher in unfathomable abundance, I've always believed that it's going to be the most important invention that humanity will ever make.
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B
This really will be a world of abundance.
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D
And among these fears and these fantasies, we seek the story of our future. Listen to the last invention on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [02:19]
B
It's two Way.
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D
With Mark and Sean and Dan.
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C
This is the original A political freeway.
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D
You got a question, raise your hand with the presumption of grace to all. Peace, love and understanding during the call.
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B
Morning everybody. It is the morning meeting. Thank you for joining Sean, Dan and I here to run through the day's events with you. Take your questions, comments, concerns. We don't do tech support and happy to have you as part of the two way community. Great day here yesterday, Nicole. Inspiring so many of you to give to your local food bank or help in some other way. Loved, loved that and loved having on X and in other forums, loved having a conversation about the concept of a community helping out when the government is still paralyzed. We'll talk about the shutdown. We'll talk about the President's overseas trip. Some indications that Republicans are checking the President on Capitol Hill more than they have on a range of issues. Our favorite fake topic, the President's third Term and some election news on the Tuesday elections. And then finally a story about media coverage to Joe Biden that you won't want to miss. I love, I love fake teases. Gentlemen, welcome in. Sean, how's the president's trip going? Just your top line sense of it and we'll talk about it in detail in a moment.
- [03:55]
D
I think he's having the time of his life personally and then professionally, like being able to put all these deliverables out. So win, win.
- [04:03]
B
Yeah. Dan, thoughts on top line, thoughts on the trip?
- [04:07]
C
He looks joyful. He looks like he's really having fun. Know, whatever one thinks of the substance, he, he does seem to be having fun. And that's great.
- [04:16]
B
Yeah. Sorry, distracted by my, my monitor. Switching format here before, before, before we get started. Just love to ask Nicole, Nicole, how was your day?
- [04:32]
C
Yeah, there she is.
- [04:33]
B
How was your, how was your day yesterday, Nicole? Anything happened? Unmute, unmute, unmute. Any, any, any. We got, we got a lot of reaction. Just wondering if you did.
- [04:44]
C
We want to know if you have an agent now.
- [04:46]
E
I got a, I got a couple text messages that were like, don't agree to anything.
- [04:53]
B
What was, what was reaction like to what you said yesterday on the show? Besides, besides Martha McCallum showing you on FOX News?
- [04:59]
E
Yeah. Sobbing. That was great. No, I think that the reaction by the community of stepping up, going to their food banks, donating where they can, I think that is what America is about. I think that, you know, American culture is resilient. We are strong. We are based in small communities. I think when we zoom out and we look at the government for the, for the source of all the things that we want or we want to ask the government for, we lose sight of how the small community structure actually should support those needs. And I really think that it just strengthens America to be taking care of our neighbors in that way. So grateful and proud to be part of that message because I think that's, that's what unites us. Kind actions towards our neighbors is what heals broken hearts. And we have the ability to go against all of this negative rhetoric and do good, nice things for each other and that's what matters.
- [06:01]
B
Beautiful. Love having you part of the community and so well said. I agree. Also, don't, don't, don't sign anything of consideration.
- [06:10]
E
Did your first offer from Two Way gets the signature. That's all I'm saying.
- [06:14]
B
Awesome. Thank you for that. What, what does your family think?
- [06:18]
E
My family is really diverse. My mom is kind of liberal and so she was kind of like shocked to see it all. I, my close family is super proud of me. They feel like it's, they, they know my message in my small circle and I think that the two way community and the after show and everybody, they know what I'm about and so I think that, I think that it was great to be able to see it go out from there. And you know, my family is, is affected by this. You know, they were people that would never like, outwardly ask for help or anything, but listen, I mean, when you expect certain things and then they don't come, that's not the same as, you know, just not having it.
- [07:05]
B
Yeah. Amen. Your family's rightly proud of you. Just, just, you're so, such a great spokesperson for so many and, and so passionate and so honest and authentic. So thank you for being here and just keep us posted.
- [07:17]
E
Thanks, Mark.
- [07:18]
B
Okay, thank you. All right, so in a moment again, we'll run through the daybook, then conversation, then your questions. If you're here on the platform, want to get in on the conversation? We've had a bunch of new people already this week. If you've never raised your hand, today would be a good day. If you'd like to be part of the conversation, raise your hand. If you're watching on x or on YouTube, you can't be in the conversation unless you join on the two way platform, but you can follow along and you're able to write in the chat and all we'd ask is no smack. Don't put smack in the chat. Peace, love and understanding for all. Particularly at these times when the country is going through a little bit of a pressure and the shutdown is affecting so many. So stand by for that. A quick word from one of our sponsors, the good folks@lean.takelean.com use the promo code. Mark 20% off. Avoid fad diets. Yo, yo. Weight gain and losing. It's called weight cycling. It's when you lose ten pounds or more and then gain it back and it's not good for you, put tremendous strain on your organs and leads potentially to some serious health issues. Lean was created by doctors to help you control your appetite and cravings, give you healthy blood sugar levels and convert fat to energy. All of this possible with a product, again created by doctors. It's an oral supplement. It's not an injectable and the science behind it is solid. So if you want to lose meaningful weight in a sensible way with a healthy pace, go to takeclean.com make it part of your diet and exercise lifestyle. 20% off. Use the promo code mark@takelean.com Again, that's Mark. It's the promo code takelean.com for 20% off. Thank you for your attention.
- [08:51]
A
To that matter, I'm James Patterson. I write way too many books. Welcome to Hungry Dogs. The title comes from my maternal grandmother, Isabel Zelvis Morris. Nan used to always say, hungry dogs run faster, James. And I've been running fast ever since. Here's what will be coming your way soon. And this is a really terrific list. I think you'll hear from some incredible people like Stacy Abrams.
- [09:16]
F
Yay.
- [09:17]
A
BJ Novak.
- [09:18]
B
Yay.
- [09:19]
A
Kathy Bates, Dolly Parton, Josh Gad, and Pope Leo. Okay, maybe not Pope Leo, but who knows? Maybe he'll show up. Hungry dogs run faster. Thank you, grandma, for turning me into a hopeless obsessive compulsive. Listen to Hungry Dogs with James Patterson. That'd be me on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
- [09:49]
B
And now the day book. The President remains in Asia. He's. He talked up a blue streak again. That's what these flights are for, to go from country to country. So Japan to Korea. He already got some nice presents. He got a crown. The Koreans obviously have a high sense of irony in the aftermath of no King's Day giving the President a crown.
- [10:09]
C
Not just a crown. That was gold crown.
- [10:11]
B
It's, it's, it's a serious crown. You know, Nobel Peace Prize nomination. They did everything and, and of course they played the President's favorite song on arrival. It's. It's a little hard to hear, but.
- [10:31]
D
They'Re playing in a.
- [10:42]
C
It.
- [11:07]
B
All right, enough of that. Okay, okay, okay. Not to be critical, but if I were the South Korean chief of protocol, I would have played Gangham style. Just. That's what I would have done. So when. When they say the President's meeting with Premier XI on Thursday. It's actually Thursday morning in Korea, So it's actually tonight. I believe somebody. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that's my read of the schedule. So actually tonight he'll be meeting us time he'll be meeting with Premier Xi. Vice President. No public events that we know of. Rubio, Hegseth, Greer, Bessant, Lutnick all continue on the trip with the President. Suzy Wiles as well. The House remains out. Mike Johnson adamant they're not going to bring them back until the Democrats in the Senate agree to open the government. He holds a press conference at 10 o'.
- [11:54]
G
Clock.
- [11:54]
B
Senate's voting on some things related to Biden era rules affecting Anwar at and some nominations. 11:30 Schumer holds a press conference on SNAP and Wick at 12:15. That'll be interesting. Bernie Sanders holds his own Press conference at 1:45 on Snap and the Peterson Institute is hosting a discussion on tariffs and trade at 5:30. Rand Paul and Tim Kaine and of course the Fed chair holds a press conference at 2:30 today after they are expected to cut another quarter point. Okay gentlemen, the trip, I mean the shutdown still, still the same dynamics. The only thing I saw in this news cycle suggesting progress as soon as there are more talks happening although it wasn't clear what those are and I don't know what they are. Republicans still seem Adam, the government has to be reopened. No sign that there's Democratic votes in the Senate to reopen it. So Sean, where are we on the shutdown?
- [12:52]
D
Status quo. Although I mean and I know that we brought this up the other day politically and I brought when I said this the other day I probably should have been clear. You can see the reaction just by the day book that you read off. Democrats are now becoming more increasingly concerned about the the effect of snap. Nicole obviously making a very personal plea and I think that she truly speaks for 40 million people who are going to be addressed not just and you know dealing with this. So I think that there's a pressure point that's coming sooner rather than later because of this SNAP thing. I will say one interesting little fun fact that never got any attention is obviously the government stopped functioning in October. First SNAP was able to send out its October payment because of a $300 million transfer of tariff revenue to to WIC which covered that month. I only say that because for all the people who hate the tariffs, just know that that's what kept people fed in the month of October and potentially could be a big problem too if how the Supreme Court comes down eventually on the use of ipa. But I just, it wasn't, you know, you wonder why it happened in October and not now. It's because they were able to make a transfer back in the early months, in the early part of the month.
- [14:13]
C
Dan I think the only thing that is on the Republican side that is kind of surfacing is just their divisions on healthcare. And I wonder if some of them are listening to Sean because you're now starting to hear some segment of the Republican Party say the Democrats messed, the Democrats made it. Why should we try to clean it up? Which of course creates another set of Problems, but there are mixed messages. And I was texting with someone on Capitol Hill yesterday. If I were the Democratic Party, I would reopen the government and push the health care front and center because once that talking point's gone, they are totally divided and you are totally united. And you would put them on the defensive going into the holiday season that, like, guys, there's a problem, you don't like the current status quo. What is your solution and center that the whole election, they have no plan.
- [15:02]
D
Well, you know, it's interesting, Dan, I, I quasi agree with you on this. I asked Ron Johnson this last night on my show and he had a really good answer. Actually, he has a plan. But, but I agree with you. I don't think, because I asked, I was like, hey, I actually think what you're saying makes sense. I don't know that he's got a consensus and that's the issue. Right. I, I will say, though, I kind of have been toying with exactly your idea for different reasons. Republicans should open it up and say, okay, guys, this is what Democrats want to do, is keep subsidizing a flawed system that's costing, you know, rising costs. Is that what you want to, like, we should have the debate because I think that exposes how bad Obamacare is, the choices that it took away, the exploding costs, et cetera. What I fear about it is kind of what we're talking about, which is, okay, but then what? But I almost feel like we need to expose how bad Obamacare has been for our health care system and all the issues it's masking. I just, I, I don't get the sense that we're ready to put the band aid on, you know, no pun intended.
- [16:06]
B
All right. Even though there, there is rhetorical unity and, and I think it's, I said this on two way tonight last night. I've never seen the Republican leadership in the White House have this level of message discipline as they've had in the shutdown. There's little cracks, but in the main, I think part of why they're, they're tied or winning the spin wars, and I think they're more likely to get their way on the outcome is they've showed a lot of discipline. However, in this news cycle, there's like 10 things where Republicans in the states and in Congress are checking the president. I'll tell you some of them. Congress, Senator from Missouri, Josh Hawley, op ed in the New York Times and a piece of legislation saying SNAP should be funded. You've got them pushing back on tariffs. You've got them pushing back on beef. You have them pushing back on where's my list? A bunch of stuff. And then, and then they're pushing back on redistricting in a lot of the states. They're not going to redistrict. And then Mike Johnson, semi publicly seems to have talked the president out of a third term. Now, I think, I think the right posture is probably these are aberrations or the exceptions that prove the rule. And in the main, it's still Donald Trump gets almost everything he wants. But Dan, is this, is this a trend or are these just a series of outliers?
- [17:19]
C
No, I think it's, it's that they're small things of individual members doing their own thing for their local politics. But what you don't have is the conference standing up and saying enough. Like the closest was the tariffs. For those who didn't see it, you mentioned Rand Paul and Tim Kaine, I think have an event with the Peterson Institute. Five Republicans, I think it was McConnell, Collins, Murkowski, Tillis and Paul voted to override the president's tariffs on Brazil. But what you don't have is like any real push, like the vice president was on the Hill yesterday. Tell the Senate to be quiet, like, keep your stuff inside the tent. Don't really go too public. Don't put any actual bills forward. So people speculate that Trump saying or teasing the third term, he just doesn't want to start becoming a lame duck. And the longer he teased it, even though most people rolled their eyes, it helped him with a little bit of power. But admitting it, I think, you know, we're not far from 2028 on the R side. It's going to start getting serious.
- [18:23]
B
So, Sean, Sean, why, why did he admit it?
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D
I think. Well, so, so I, I think he admitted it because it's. The Constitution's. The 22nd Amendment doesn't have any ambiguity.
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B
Yeah, you know what? It didn't have an ambiguity for the months. He didn't, he wouldn't let it die. I'm just confused. I, we know all the reasons because.
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D
Look, it wasn't, I've said this before, but like, there's a difference between something that Trump says and something that Trump reacts to. Right. So, so he wasn't out there doing this as much as having fun with it because other people were saying, like Steve in particular, he should run in 2020, he should do this. And I think he was like, fine, I'll ride the wave. I, I think he wrote it as far as he could. I made this point the other night on Australian television, but like everybody initially made the assumption that he was just trolling the left in the media and he was. But to Dan's point, this is something that I said the other night is that part of this is keeping the right in check. And that means everybody who thinks about running for president, whether it's J.D. vance or anyone else, he made sure that he froze the field and said until I say no, you can't say anything. And it does prevent discussion of a lame duck administration.
- [19:32]
B
Okay, I don't want to sound argumentative. I just really want to try and understand. I agree with everything you're saying. It's still, I don't understand why this was the breaking point. Like I would have thought he would have played this out through the midterms for all the reasons we know he wanted to do it. It keeps him from being a lame duck. It, it makes him feel important. It, you know, it throws everybody off base, off balance. Like what?
- [19:54]
D
I'm not sure that it's done right. Meaning he, it was an offhanded comment to the pool in the back of the plane. I could see him tomorrow equally saying, you know, I got a call from many people said good point, good point.
- [20:06]
C
What Good point. You know what doesn't.
- [20:09]
B
But Mike Johnson. Mike what? Mike Johnson makes me think that he Trump told him he's done and that Johnson convinced him. That's what, that's how it reads to me because Johnson was quite definitive.
- [20:19]
C
And I wonder if they didn't. The NRCC hasn't tested this and it's like a red flag of like the idea he needs to be checked that he's out of control. He's going to. Everyone knows that amendment can't run for a third term. I just wonder if he said you've got to be definitive.
- [20:35]
B
Dude, dude, you might have cracked the code on that.
- [20:37]
D
Yeah but the interesting part about this.
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C
In a broken clock is right twice.
- [20:41]
D
A day Johnson said that he had this call with him before the, his, his daily 10am yesterday, you know, said, I just talked to the President. I, I here's the problem. I have, I've seen these conversations happen on various subjects. I don't know how it goes. Which is Mr. President, I see you joking about 2028. God, it's killing us in the polls and him going, you know what, Mike, you're right, I'll stop saying it. That just doesn't, that conversation doesn't ever happen.
- [21:07]
B
But just to amplify on what Dan said it is historically and in this cycle a big closing argument for the party that doesn't control the White House, which is be a check on the president because the country loves divided government. And if Trump is talking about running again, you know, the capacity to stop him from violating the Constitution would to some extent rest with the Congress that's about to be elected. It would also rest with the new Congress. But nonetheless, it could be like in.
- [21:40]
C
Primaries it was going to start popping up where like the most MAGA person is like, Trump should have a third term. And incumbents were like, you got to take this off the table and. Yep.
- [21:48]
B
Yeah, yeah. All right, Good point.
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D
Can I make one quick point back real quick that I think is interesting because you asked about when we're talking about the shutdown. CNN had a really interesting poll that Harry Entin was animated about on TV yesterday, saying when you look at the brand, right, Republican Republicans in the House since the shutdown have actually gone up five points. And which is, I couldn't believe it. I thought they might not be doing as bad as Democrats, but this is actually emboldening. People at least are saying, yeah, keep, you know, Republicans are on the right side. That's got to make them feel very good about what they're fighting for. And the tactics and Democratic unity has.
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C
Been pretty good, too. I mean, it is. And in fact, the fact that there's off ramps being kind of floated and the base isn't going apocalyptic tells you there's some little bit of wiggle room there that like, okay, you guys are gonna have to ultimately end this.
- [22:41]
B
Yep, all good points. All right, the trip. Just talk a little bit more about the trip. On the, on the flight from Japan to Korea, the president maybe prematurely announced the trade deal with the, with the Koreans. It's been long standing. The Koreans, you'll recall in the early coverage after Liberation Day, or as we say in the media, so called Liberation Day, that the president, Alex, you briefing her on the show, letting her know what this is? Yeah. Okay. Is, is the Koreans, the Koreans really wanted an early deal. They wanted to be like at the front to say, you know, we get one. And they haven't. But he announced. The Koreans have sort of confirmed it, although they've used fuzzy linkage. But it looks like there'll be a deal, a bilateral trade deal while he's there. Here's the lunch menu for the lunch he had earlier. 106, please. Just so you know, they serve like Russian dressing or Thousand island dressing or some.
- [23:31]
D
Thousand Island.
- [23:32]
B
Thousand island crazy lives. Yeah. Anyway, there's the side dishes, kimchi grilled mini beef patties with ketchup.
- [23:42]
C
I don't know, it's US Beef.
- [23:44]
B
It's a weird menu. Yeah. US Beef. Anyway, there's the menu for those of you, if you're, if you're listening on the podcast, you know, sorry, but there's just a bunch of foods. That's my summary.
- [23:53]
C
Here's I like mini beef patties with ketchup, very Korean.
- [23:58]
B
Ketchup, very Korean. Here is, here's the headline about the meeting. So it's 13 hours to Seoul and, and D.C. so and the meetings at, at I think 10:00am or 11:00am Soul time. So the meeting is going to be tonight, 10 o'. Clock. Here's the, the CN the Wall Street Journal. Sorry, CNBC headline 108 please. Then we'll do the Journal. Trump says he expects to lower fentanyl related tariffs on Beijing, discuss farmers with China's Xi. It's interesting, the president also said on the flight, oh, he was asked are you going to talk about Taiwan? He said, I don't think so. I don't know any reason to talk about Taiwan. NBC News is reporting that four administration officials, at least four are concerned that the president's going to give, give the farm away on, on, on Taiwan by changing the language. So that's one to watch is whether Taiwan comes up or not. I bet, yes, based on what I've been told. And here's the Wall street journal headline 109 After Demolishing the US China Relationship. I think that might be overstated. Emma Tucker but after demolishing the US China relationship, Trump is rebuilding it his way. A summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping marks renewed engagement in a long term superpower rivalry. I would totally write that headline if I were at the Journal in any event. And the President also said no Rocket man summit focuses on the Chinese. Who knows why he made that turn after several days of touting the prospect of an ad hoc on the fly U.S. north Korea leader summit. So Dan, how's the trip looking to you both the last day and projecting forward to Xi, the Xi meeting?
- [25:34]
C
Well, I think in terms of Korea and what he did down in Malaysia, you know, we've talked now for months about bringing those countries into our orbit to help try to encircle the Chinese. And I've just the irony again of that was what TPP back in 2015 was all about. And here we are, full circle. I do continue to say that if the big get from the Chinese Is fentanyl. Is that what all of this has been about? All of these tariffs, all the disruption? I mean, it obviously isn't, but if that's what victory looks like, I'm not sure there's as much there, but we'll see. You speculated, is there something they're saving in their back pocket to have the big wow and the big aha to drive the headlines? We'll have to see.
- [26:27]
B
I think there is. By the way, Sean, Spidey sense.
- [26:31]
D
For a good chunk of America, this soybean deal is huge. I mean, even in a good chunk of Virginia. I didn't realize how much soybean growth farmers there were in Virginia. I mean, but this is a big deal for a good chunk of America and obviously politically speaking, Trump America. So if you can schedule some kind of multi year deal, that's huge for a group of people who have struggled, obviously the fentanyl thing is big. But look, I feel like you asked how's the trip going? I think like this has been an A optically and deliverable wise. But this is one of those things where you're, you know, if you're, if you ask your teacher what's the, what comprises your final grade, it's like tests and quizzes are 30% and the final exam is 70. And to me, this final exam is this meeting with she. If, if he can score a big thing, he gets an A for the trip. But if this thing goes to hell in a handbasket, all the tests and quizzes don't matter.
- [27:32]
C
The one thing about the soybeans though is, and this is like this Japanese investment fund of 550 billion is if it's over 10 years like we saw in the first term, the Chinese didn't follow through on half this stuff. So he will get the headline of they agree to buy it, but they now have another chip to say, if you do anything that upsets us, we'll just turn the spigot off and we'll stop buying soybeans. And this is another bargaining chip. Yeah, it's hard to get too excited.
- [28:00]
B
I want to ask you a simple question, Sean, with I think a complicated answer. You know, for the last couple decades there's been a bipartisan consensus that China is the enemy. And, and, and it's an existential threat. And there's a congressional bipartisan House committee that is extremely hawkish on China. And if Barack Obama were meeting with Xi and all this stuff was discussed, it would be people on the right and some on the left would be saying like you're dancing with the devil here. I don't hear any of that in the conversation. And, and, and most people seem to think there's going to be a deal and the markets will soar. Why is Trump on this trip, on this summit, seemingly immune from any concern, public concern, that, except for, except for this NBC story, that, that, that he's, he's giving, he might give away too much. That even meeting with Xi is kind of a bad thing for moral, morally bad thing.
- [28:53]
D
I think, I mean, first of all, like, you can argue rightly that she is a, like China is horrible, whatever, but we're, we're linked. I mean, you can't. Not, we can't just until we have a plan.
- [29:06]
B
But that's, but that's been, but that's been true, though, this whole time.
- [29:09]
D
But that's why I'm saying I don't, I think the, the talk about him, meeting with him is fairly muted. I don't think anyone of substance says you should never meet with President Xi. I mean, that's. But to your point, I think if the Taiwan thing were to materialize, that's going to be a very different subject. And that will, to be honest with you, they could buy every soybean that we have. If they make a deal about Taiwan, I think that will overshadow everything.
- [29:35]
C
I agree. I've thought this. It was mentioned, Mark, you mentioned earlier in the week, back in the 1945, it was who lost China, it would be on Trump's watch that he traded Taiwan away. Yeah, that would be.
- [29:49]
B
Yeah.
- [29:52]
D
You know, this is like another one of those, to Mark's point, about this being a complicated question. Ask anyone. For real, we've played war game about defending China.
- [30:01]
C
Oh, I get it.
- [30:02]
D
And guess what? You know, who doesn't win that one.
- [30:05]
B
Yeah.
- [30:05]
C
So I know.
- [30:06]
B
I get it. 99 out of 100, we lose if.
- [30:09]
C
Kamala Harris made the deal.
- [30:11]
D
And.
- [30:12]
C
Right. I think we hear there are certain.
- [30:15]
D
Things that, you know, politically, like we've talked about before.
- [30:19]
H
Ethnicity.
- [30:20]
D
Ethnicities can make fun of themselves. Right. So if you're Jewish, you can make Jewish jokes. If you're Catholic, you make Catholic jokes. If you're black, you can, I mean, we all have these. And it's the same thing with, like, politically, Republicans have a lot more, like, Runway on issues of national security and national defense and that Democrats have a lot more on issues like, you know, abortion. I mean, like, there are social issues that they can play strong. And the reason you're not getting that pushback is that Republicans have a lot more institutional political strength on these kind of things. That's. But I do think that the Taiwan thing, it's. No one actually wants to have the conversation about what will happen to Taiwan. But if he does have it, I think it's going to fray really quick.
- [31:04]
C
Sean, Mark, what will MAGA say though, if the idea of the reshoring is really shelved, if this is about access to China, not bringing all the manufacturing, the guy from Pennsylvania making the toys, bringing it all back to, you know, Allentown? Does the base say this? Okay, great.
- [31:23]
D
Well, I think you're right, except for look at what he's been doing. And this is what the brilliance of what Trump, he's dropping Easter eggs all over the place. So you made that announcement in Japan. There'll be something, I'm sure, in South Korea. But as long as people believe that there is additional US Investment coming back. Apple talking about making the glass in Kentucky. And I mean, like you hear enough of the noise. As long as you're hearing we're bringing it back, we're bringing it back, we're bringing it back. I don't know that you always care about where it's coming back from, if that makes sense. It's like he's sort of like, don't look at China anymore. Look at Japan, look at Europe, look at like it's all coming. It's just don't worry about that one place.
- [31:58]
B
Yeah. All right. New Jersey governor, Virginia governor. I think the general sense remains New Jersey could go either way and Virginia is more likely to go Democrat. But it's a little, you know, there's a little volatility there on the New York mayors race. Some interesting developments. First of all, polling. Steve Kornacki did a big presentation saying this thing's tightening. Don't assume this is over because this thing's tightening. There's been some endorsements for Cuomo. Cuomo's had some positive events. Weird thing last night where the Times of London quoted Bill de Blasio saying saying that the that the authorities numbers, Mandami's numbers don't add up. Bill has told people and put on Twitter, never talked to the Times of London Times London took the story down and apologized. So there's a little bit of mystery there about how did at Times London reporter find themselves on the phone with somebody they thought was Bill de Blasio and quoted them or how that happened. And here is Andrew Cuomo's closing ad chooses not to go negative but to stress his connection to people and issues and make a subtle comparison between him and Mondami. I should say implicit life in New.
- [33:08]
C
York is tough right now. Candidates who need on the job training can't fix it. I see a new day just over the horizon with 5,000 more cops on the beat, the homeless off the streets, and 500,000 new affordable homes bringing New Yorkers together by unifying, not divided. Join me and let's build a better New York starting on day one.
- [33:38]
B
One more tidbit for you. Some very wealthy New Yorkers have seen data and are thinking, even though the clock Runway is short here, are thinking of pouring a lot of money in to try to stop Mondavi because they see data that leads them to believe that the odds are not as long as the poly market and other. Other betting markets would suggest. So, dan, odds. Cuomo wins. Percent chance. Percent chance Cuomo wins. The betting markets would tell you it's 10%.
- [34:05]
C
35, Sean.
- [34:10]
D
I can't believe I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna. I'm gonna Split the baby 23%.
- [34:15]
B
Yeah, it's 35 and rising, ladies and gentlemen. 35.
- [34:19]
D
By the way. Can I make one? One? I'll be interested in you guys.
- [34:21]
B
Hold on. Let me, let me. Sorry, Curtis. There's some indications. Curtis. Numbers are cratering, which would have to happen for.
- [34:27]
D
I'm telling you again, I hate. This is like my yard sign thing when people call me Sean. I've seen a lot of yard signs. It's like, oh, my God. But I have gotten more text from people in New York. You're going to. Don't kill me. I voted for. I mean, like, it's. Yeah, the message is getting.
- [34:42]
B
Michael, Mike. Michael Goodwin's New York Post. Com today said the same thing. Said, I never thought I'd vote for Cuomo, but I am. It's that it's an existential essential. The early voting continues to be much more elderly than it was in the primary, and Cuomo is going to lose the youth vote by a lot. So again, Cuomo is not the favorite. Let's don't overread what I'm saying, what we're saying. But I'm just telling you, every bit of available data suggests that this race is tightened and that Cuomo could win. Could win.
- [35:11]
C
Other thing is, every. And Mark, you probably have it in your area too, people, whether they vote in the New York mayoral. It's always kind of a little bit of a shoulder shrugging. Everybody I know is, oh, I'm voting like, I mean, I'm yes, yes. And you see the stickers, like, everyone is like, oh, I'm gonna nail it in. I'm gonna go Saturday. I'm doing whatever I have to do to vote. And that is different than anything I've experienced.
- [35:35]
B
And if it gets towards 2 million turnout, Cuomo will win almost certainly. And again, that's where it is. Right? That's another piece of available data. Turnout seems like it's headed towards the higher end. Mondami wins if it's small or medium turnout. Cuomo has a chance to win if it's large turnout. So, again, we're not telling you Cuomo is going to win, but every available piece of data suggests not just that he could, but that things have moved that direction. And again, there could be a big infusion of money coming in this race, so stand by for that. Lastly, hold on real quick. Yes. Yeah, sorry, of course, go ahead.
- [36:07]
D
No worries. I think to our point, this is a timing issue that we talked for months about how, you know, could people coalesce around Cuomo? The money, the ads, whatever. I just wonder if it's too. Too little, too late. And that might be. He might be just shy, you know, I think he's gonna do better than anyone expected. The question is, does he have enough time? Two, this is an actual text that got put out to a vote, you know, to. To people, cuomo murdered my husband, and I'm voting for him. That's how bad things in New York are. And then the text says, we know what she means, and if she can do it, you can do it, too. You'll defeat Mondami together. Early voting has started. Visit httpvote.newyork to find your polling place. And, and that gets to the. To my. My message question. I wonder if, if. If Cuomo needed to tweak his message a little, which is, guys, you may not like, kind of what? You know, you. You may not like me, you may not like, whatever, but our city's worth saving, and this guy's going to take it off a cliff. He's hanging around with, you know, communists and terrorists. We need to save it. Vote for me to save New York. I almost feel like he's got to get to the point where he goes on to that appeal that says, I may not be the perfect person, but I'm better than this guy.
- [37:20]
B
Yeah. You know, I don't read the chat, but I glance at it and I just, as somebody, say, mondami is inevitable. All you're looking at, unless the person who put that in there is, is A pollster with a $5 million budget. All you're looking at are the public polls and the betting markets. That's the only basis you would have to say such thing. Maybe you think the number of Mondami volunteers they claim to have is persuasive too. I'm just telling you this is the irrationality of professional and amateur punditry. You do not know. You do not know. He's not above 50. Right. So how low will Curtis's number be? Curtis's number could drop very low. There still could be Trump robocalls even though early voting started. Most people haven't voted yet. All right, lastly, and then we're going to get to your questions. Please raise your hand if you want to be in on the conversation. This immediate story is again, very confusing to me. Hoping you guys can explain it. I know the parade has largely moved on from the question of Joe Biden's cognitive abilities and who knew what went. But even in the Tapper Thompson book, they don't really name names. They refer to the Politburo, but there's no actual description in that. In that celebrated book about the COVID up and who did what. Now you have two days ago reported this. We talked about it yesterday, but I thought today the New York Times and Washington Post would be covering this. They have not. Here's, here's from acts his two days ago based on Jeffrey Zients, who was Biden's second and final chief of staff, his testimony to the panel, the House panel investigating this, Zion says that the national security advisor, the secretary of State, who's one of Joe Biden's closest aides and friends, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, the Veterans Administration Secretary Denis McDonough, all expressed concern about Biden continuing his reelection campaign after the debate. Zients told the lawmakers that, quote, within a few days after the debate Biden was aware of my view that I thought it was prudent to consider getting out of the race. Now let me tell you two things about this. Based on my reporting, contemporaneous reporting. These at least I can confirm that at least some of these people felt that way in real time. And I can confirm to you that other people and senior felt this way too and expressed it at the time. And I don't think Zion was quite totally forthcoming about what he was actually saying. So my point is this is a massive story. You had senior people saying to Biden, again, stronger than what they admit, you got to get out. You can't do this. You're going to lose, and you're going to bring down Democrats up and down the ballot. This is a massive story. It's an interesting story. But as we say, 25th Amendment, the fact that they were. Let him stay, continue to be president. How can the Washington Post, New York Times not be covering this? Sean?
- [39:59]
D
So, first of all, let me just. That was written by Alex Thompson, right?
- [40:03]
B
I think so, yeah.
- [40:04]
D
Yeah, I assume so, because he's probably the only reporter that can, in all honesty, write a story because he actually kind of covered it. But to answer your question, the reason is, quite frankly, the Washington Post, the New York Times were complicit in this. So for them to write a story undermines the narrative that they helped perpetuate. Alex Thompson is probably one of the only reporters that did anything on this matter, and therefore, he's got some clean, you know, cleaner hands than the rest. But if you remember, when he accepted that award at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner, he actually said, we collectively as a media didn't do enough on this story. I think the Washington Post can't cover it because they never covered it. And they'd have to admit that they missed it in the first place.
- [40:45]
B
Place. Can somebody check to see if it's Alex Thompson? I think it is, but I don't know. Dan, thoughts on why this is not just a massive story getting a ton of coverage?
- [40:53]
C
It's a great. It's a great point. I. I don't know. And I think I mentioned this yesterday. I. I believe, and I. I did some insight on this, that there were some people who discussed whether he should step down.
- [41:05]
B
Yeah.
- [41:06]
C
Not running from the actual job.
- [41:08]
B
Yeah.
- [41:09]
G
That.
- [41:09]
C
And that he really could not get to the finish line. You know, for the good of the country. All right. For the good of the country, not the party. Not for the good of the country. He probably should not be president anymore. Yeah. And that. What's the two way. What's the. I don't know.
- [41:24]
B
Just. I'm just getting ready. No, I'm getting ready for the next.
- [41:27]
C
Okay. I thought it was like a Biden 28, you know, sign or something. And that is. And we talked about this a year ago. Like, that is a huge story that we literally had a president that the senior staff thought was not capable of being president. Our national security.
- [41:45]
B
Most. The most senior staff. And. And again, they all lied at the time. Right. We now know. Some of us knew in real time. There was. But. But off the record, I can use it. Most senior people. Tony Blinken, who's known. But Worked with Joe Biden for a quarter century or more. They knew. And yet at the time, what were they saying? Publicly, he's fine or they were silent. That's a. That's a. That's a massive scandal, and it's a massive abrogation of professional responsibility to be the secretary of state, the national. The White House chief of staff and a cabinet member with doubts so grave that they say the president should consider not running. And they say silent.
- [42:25]
C
Well done. It is.
- [42:26]
B
And yes. And. And had Nancy Pelosi not pulled off a masterful act of political hardball, Biden would have been the nominee.
- [42:36]
C
Or if she had the balls to just actually try to do it, because she was the only one.
- [42:40]
B
Yeah.
- [42:41]
C
I'm telling you, though, was Obama's cheapest. He wasn't just cabinet secretary. The dude knew how to run government.
- [42:48]
B
Correct. Correct.
- [42:49]
D
There's two issues here. One, God forbid that there had actually been a national crisis. We would have been really screwed. Number two, though, this, as much as this isn't coming up, I will be interested to see. You know, you want to start pitting people against each other. If I were Gavin Newsom, I'd start to go to Kamala Harris or Pete Buttigieg and say they were complicit. You literally. I mean, there's. I was in California. I didn't see the guy, but, God, what I hear now is that you guys. I mean, this could be a big 2020-28 issue.
- [43:19]
C
Well, and that's where that poll the other day we didn't talk about in New Hampshire of Buttigieg being the leader, you know, who started to. Josh Shapiro has started making comments that. Well, when I talked to him when he visited Pennsylvania, I said to him, you need to think. You can see that he's laying the groundwork to turn around and say 100%.
- [43:38]
B
But as you know, I think it's all bullshit because A, they all had C span. They all had C span and saw it. And B, they said nothing publicly. So, you know, they've all got dirty.
- [43:46]
D
I mean, that. That is that I didn't have any access to Biden and I saw it, so don't tell me that.
- [43:51]
B
Exactly. Exactly. All right, a quick word from a sponsor and then to your question. So please raise your hand. Sponsors Poncho on over my fairway and green morning meeting golf shirt. I'm wearing one of my new shirts from Poncho. These are incredibly comfortable Poncho. As you covered classes like denim and flannel and also new styles like the Western polo and the tough thread comfortable. I can attest to that. Durable. I assume it's durable, but I've only just started wearing it. And versatile. Absolutely. Wear whatever the season brings. They make jeans, flannels. This stuff is incredibly soft. My son has the softest clothes I've ever seen. And I asked him, I asked him to feel my shirt today. He's like, yeah, dad, that's softer than mine. So take it from my son. These are soft stuff. The premium Pima cotton soft, strong and breathable. Wrinkle resistant collar. I think so. Comfortable. Works well after work as it does in the field. Dan, you spend a lot of time in the field these days. I don't know what that means.
- [44:53]
C
Central Park's a field. Yeah.
- [44:55]
B
Yeah, we got fields here. Anyway, poncho products, free shipping, free returns, free exchanges to make sure you get the right fit. They stand by every shirt. Gear up for fall now. For all your needs, go to poncho.com. i'm sorry. Poncho outdoors.com, poncho outdoors.com, enter your email to get 10% off your first order. Again, poncho outdoors.com mark free shipping. And there'll be a little box that pops up to ask you how they. How you heard about it. Put in the morning meeting so we all get the credit because we're all bad credit here. Thank you for your attention to that matter. Here we go, ladies and gentlemen, time for your questions. As we bring in, please tell us where you are. What's on your mind? Alex, tell us what was going on that little tableau. What was going on a little earlier there in your household?
- [45:44]
F
Yeah, I was debriefing with my. My wife, showing her what we're all about here at 2a.
- [45:49]
B
Has she ever heard of the more. Has she ever heard of the morning meeting?
- [45:52]
F
Only from me, but yeah, from you.
- [45:54]
B
All right, enjoy.
- [45:55]
C
There you go.
- [45:56]
B
Welcome in this. When Alex says he's hanging out with his friends, he really is. Alex, where do you all live and what's on your mind? And thank you for being part of two way.
- [46:05]
F
Yeah, we live in Austin, Texas. I figured you'd ask. Favorite barbecue, so I'll just say it's LA Barbecue in East Austin. It's. It's.
- [46:13]
B
How long's that been there?
- [46:15]
C
Oh, a While.
- [46:16]
F
At least 6 years.
- [46:18]
C
Have a French name for a Texas barbecue?
- [46:25]
B
It's better than. It's better than Franklin's. Let's just cut to the chase.
- [46:27]
C
Or what is it? Iron works. That was down by the water there. That, that, that flooded. Had the Franklin.
- [46:34]
B
Franklin's the gold standard. You're telling me it's better than Franklin? Is it hard to get into? Do they run out by noon?
- [46:39]
E
Yeah.
- [46:40]
F
Yes, yes.
- [46:42]
B
Is there a trick? Is there a trick to get in?
- [46:44]
F
No, you just gotta wait in line.
- [46:47]
C
You know.
- [46:48]
B
Alex, what time do they, what time do they open, Alex?
- [46:51]
F
I believe 11:00am 11:00am all right, Alex.
- [46:53]
B
Next time I'm there, you and I are gonna go at nine. We'll bring, we'll bring, we'll bring some Wordle or Parcheesi or Uno or something, and we'll just set up a table and we'll do it. One last barbecue question, because I'm starving. What do you get there, Alex? What's your favorite?
- [47:07]
F
The brisket's the best, but they also have the best sides. They have like a bacon Mac and cheese. It's, it's top notch.
- [47:16]
B
All right, tell us one more time the French name of your barbecue place.
- [47:19]
F
La Barbecue.
- [47:21]
B
La Barbecue.
- [47:22]
F
When Austin City Limits was going on, a lot of different celebrities were showing up there. I think.
- [47:28]
D
In the chat.
- [47:29]
B
Barbecue. Is barbecue feminine? I would think barbecue would be masculine.
- [47:33]
F
It's actually woman owned.
- [47:34]
B
It is. Ah, okay. La Barbecue. And are you an Austinite by birth?
- [47:39]
F
No, I grew up in West Virginia, kind of outside of the Pittsburgh area.
- [47:43]
B
Got it. All right, well, welcome in. We're glad to have you both here. We'd love to know what's on your mind.
- [47:46]
F
Yeah, I wanted to talk about the economy and I'll try to make this quick, but, you know, we always hear the promises made, promises kept. I think one of the biggest promises that pulled in a lot of independence was around Doge and kind of stopping waste, fraud, and abuse. Feel like we started the show with that topic every day for like a month and you don't hear anything about it. And I think it's kind of funny that, like, Elon has just fallen on the sword there. A lot of that's self inflicted, but seems like Trump's kind of washed his hands of that and, you know, not. Not his problem anymore. But I, I wonder what kind of JD Vance would have to say about that when he's kind of starting to put together his campaign. But, you know, like the current state, if you go on their Twitter account, they tweet like once a month and it's like, yeah, we saved $36 million cutting underwater basket weaving programs in the Sahara desert. So it just kind of wanted to talk about how, like, I think the real reason why that program isn't kind of taking off is that if it actually did, we would be in a further recession. I think government spending has kind of propped up the economy over the past four or eight years, and I think the economy is probably already struggling, especially without kind of all these, like, AI companies that are propping up the stock market. So, like, as the government continues to take on this debt, there's really only one way out, and it's money printing. And I find it fascinating that nobody's really talking about how much the Trump family, Howard Lutnick, all these bitcoin treasury companies are just piling into bitcoin. I think it was reported recently that Trump has, like, over 700, $800 million in Bitcoin. It is a scarce asset. I'm not like a crypto bro, but as I've kind of read more and more about it, I'm like, well, if Trump is going to pile into bitcoin and his sons are going to pile into bitcoin, and there's only so much bitcoin, and there's all these companies that are issuing equity just to buy bitcoin, I'm finding it pretty fascinating that it's just not talked about that that's kind of where it seems like they're heading in terms of we can print money and just have this be like our other nest egg.
- [49:57]
B
So, yeah, I have one piece of advice for you, and then one question, then turn you over to Sean and Dan. The piece of advice is, if you don't want people to think you're a crypto bro, don't wear a black T shirt. And the other is, if you don't mind, how many general election votes have you cast for Donald Trump?
- [50:15]
F
Zero. I voted down ballot, but I did not vote in this election.
- [50:22]
C
Did you vote for.
- [50:23]
B
I am. Look at that. Oh, I love the bill. I love the building. I love the, the, the oven. Did you vote for Trump in 16 or 20?
- [50:30]
C
No.
- [50:31]
B
No. Okay, Sean, turn you over to Alex to ask him questions or, or go on bit gold while I go on gold belly and see if I was just doing that.
- [50:40]
D
I mean, listen, I would say I want to check the cost of bitcoin right now.
- [50:44]
F
Yeah.
- [50:44]
D
I think there's two issues that you bring up. One is, look, I. I will say Doge might not have been pitch perfect in terms of the process, but we're 30. We literally just crossed the line of $38 trillion in debt. This is unsustainable. I believe that our debt is probably our biggest national security threat, because at Some point you get owned. And I just, I think that the idea that we're not looking at government spending, overall, programs, entitlement issues, like, I mean, it is amazing to see the lack of real attention that this deserves. It's unsustainable, it's wrong, it's morally reprehensible to build up this debt and pass it to, you know, future generations. It used to say, passing it on to your children. This isn't. This is like your children's children's children's grandchildren now. That's how bad this is. So I wish that it had a very, a much more renewed effort. This should be bipartisan because there are too many inefficiencies, too many horrible ways in which we are dealing with government spending and programs, etc. On the crypto thing, I will tell you that the interesting thing to me is I believe this is one of those moments between crypto and AI that if you want to talk about the next generation of really wealthy people, it's happening right now. And the question is, are you getting in it or are you avoiding it? Because, you know, all I know is that I need to find more ways to get involved in both and from. From both a usage standpoint and understanding and an investment. But that this is the. This is the Microsoft of now, you know, the Apple of now. Looking back and saying, you know, people are going to say, I wish I had invested in, you know, AI and crypto, because I don't. I think in five, 10 years, we look back and that ship sailed and you either were in it or you weren't.
- [52:43]
C
I'll just say, I love Sean, but Sean is not a financial advisor. I'm joking. I'm joking.
- [52:49]
D
No, it's true.
- [52:50]
C
I'm joking. I'm joking. You know, Alex, I think one of the more fascinating things when Mark Halperin writes his book about the first or the second Trump term here is Trump didn't really run on Doge. Like, I talked about this at the time, you know, if you went to his rallies, it was not like the first thing. And like, as soon as we get in office, the number one thing I'm doing is Doge. Like, it came about through Elon Musk and stuff at the end, and I never really thought that he believed in it. But they wanted to show action. They wanted to try to dominate the conversation and have headlines and as everything else was getting stood up and it takes time to kind of formulate stuff, those were something that they could kind of point to a lot of the statements they made turned out to not be true. Even on their own website. Savings that they said in public they would document were 1/10, 1/50 the size. And the reason that it kind of collapsed is because they never had Congress on board, because they never socialized it. It was incredibly divisive. And because they don't believe in it, they just dropped it. So, I mean, to your. No, it's not going to go anywhere. I don't think J.D. vance is going to turn around and touch this thing. Because most government spending is not wasteful. If you want to deal with the debt and deficit, we always say it's three things. Defense spending, Social Security and Medicare, and Medicaid, 75% of the budget. Everything else, trimming condoms to Mozambique isn't doing much. That's it.
- [54:12]
D
Is there any scenario, Dan, which you could envision a commission of some sort or an effort that Democrats would join Republicans to say, we need to look at the size and scope of the federal government?
- [54:25]
C
Just as I think only Trump could sell off Taiwan, I think only a Democrat could do that. And I think at some point somebody will, but not right now.
- [54:35]
B
All right, we're only doing bearded men today. Just so you know, the menus, the menu's ridiculous. Some of the things are extremely affordable. Alex, I love the barbecue here. The cookies are $6. I can't understand that. But then I. But then I get to. Pickles, Spicy garlic dill pickles, pickled red onion, pickled jalapeno. Done in house. These are. These are an extraordinary menu, Alex. Thank you for bringing it to our attention.
- [54:58]
C
Alex, where's your wife's favorite barbecue? I get to sense she may have a good. Is it also.
- [55:03]
E
Mine's definitely LA barbecue.
- [55:05]
B
Okay. All right, Alex and Mr. Mysterious lady with Alex. What is that? I can't find that on the menu. But that's in the video.
- [55:14]
F
That's gotta be just like a cocktail.
- [55:16]
B
I don't know, a frozen drink. Frozen drink. All right. I don't see it on the menu.
- [55:21]
C
With sugar.
- [55:23]
B
Yeah, with a lot of sugar. All right, thank you both for joining, but stay with us, because we're doing. We're doing bearded guy segment. Stephen and Jason both welcome in.
- [55:33]
C
I'm ready to barbecue.
- [55:34]
B
We're up against the clock, so just. Stephen, tell folks where you are. Dog's name, what's on your mind? Then Jason will do the same, and then Sean and Dan will respond. And, Alex, tell us about the barbecue.
- [55:42]
H
Yeah, so this is Mr. Murph. I have. He's A businessman. I'm from Austin, Texas.
- [55:48]
B
I'm a native.
- [55:49]
H
And I moved out because of all the imports. And I will be very clear that law barbecue is not the best barbecue in Austin, Texas. It's in Driftwood. It's called the Salt Lick and it's been there for 50 years. That's a fact.
- [56:00]
B
Yeah. So I love. I love. I love Salt Lick, but it's not as good as Franklin's.
- [56:07]
C
Better vibe.
- [56:08]
B
Yeah, I hear you.
- [56:09]
H
I have a quick question, two quick questions, and we can do this a different time, but, Sean, you had Steve Bannon on, and we were talking about Clapper and Comey and all of the, you know, the indictments that should come. The question is, how does the left, you know, just the left. How does the left come to actually believe that any of those things are true? Because they've just been told the exact opposite for so long, the media has run cover for them for so long. And the question for Dan is, Dan, when does the left go too far? And where is Yalls line?
- [56:39]
C
Right?
- [56:40]
H
Like the line on. On, on. On the right is, hey, we're not Nazis, we're not racist, but where's the line on the left? Like, we're socialists. Like, we'll usher in all this kind of stuff. Like, where do you all draw your lines at?
- [56:51]
B
All right, good question. Stand by, Jason. Go ahead, please.
- [56:54]
G
Well, as fit would have it, I am a native Austinite now living in Nashville, Tennessee, and I've been back several times. And the best barbecue in Austin at this point is Leroy and Lewis in South Nashville. It is South Austin.
- [57:07]
B
South Austin or South.
- [57:09]
G
Yeah. Michelin star rated barbecue restaurant, if you could believe that.
- [57:12]
B
Say the name of it. Say the name of it again.
- [57:15]
G
Leroy and Lewis.
- [57:17]
B
All right, Alex, you know that place?
- [57:20]
F
I've heard of it. I've never been.
- [57:22]
C
Oh, you gotta go.
- [57:23]
G
I've never made it to beef, but they're the things to get, apparently.
- [57:26]
C
But the Wagyu.
- [57:27]
G
The Wagyu brisket is incredible.
- [57:29]
B
All right, Alex, you're in charge. Go, go check it out. Let us know. Jason, is there better risk? Yeah. Is there a better restaurant in Nashville than Husk?
- [57:40]
C
Oh, I've been there.
- [57:43]
G
My palate is limited. That'd be a better question for my wife. I am not a foodie. I'm a barbecue fan.
- [57:48]
B
All right. And. Yeah, you just told us what the best barbecue is in Austin is, and it's unrated. Yeah. Jason, what's on your mind besides food?
- [57:56]
G
I'll try to make this quick. Anecdotal story. My wife got diagnosed with breast cancer at the beginning of the summer. It's okay, she's doing great. We had ditched traditional insurance at the beginning of last year and went with a DPC and health share and everything was going fine. It was a little more work on my end to do all the paperwork and call to get self pay discounts. But ultimately we were pushed by the oncologist to join TennCare, which is Tennessee's Medicaid, because there were no income limits and they covered breast and breast cancer and cerebral cancer no matter what. And I hated the idea of it because I got off traditional insurance because of the scam it is. I wanted to unplug from that system. And I have two thoughts on why they did that. One, because it was going to be easier for the oncologist and two, they were going to make more money on the back end. There was a lot of paperwork that had to be dealt to get self paid chemo treatments. It was just an absolute mess. I have two questions, mainly for Dan. One is do you, you know, Sean keeps saying we're having to subsidize these, the marketplace plans because Obamacare doesn't work or hasn't worked or hasn't helped. One, do you agree? And two, how does somebody like Bernie Sanders not look at the insurance in Big Pharma as the problem, instead gets away with blaming the Republicans for wanting to keep people from having health care. Like.
- [59:27]
B
All right, go ahead.
- [59:31]
G
Yeah, go ahead.
- [59:31]
B
Well, just got to stop you because we're up against the clock. So. Yeah, I think we get the point. Thank you for that. Thank you, Stephen. Sean. And then Dan, respond as you wish to both gentlemen.
- [59:40]
D
Stephen, I, I'm just, I was looking for a little more clarity. Are you asking what our lines are? Is that I. Because I think you laid out.
- [59:48]
B
No.
- [59:48]
H
So super quick. So you know, if Bannon's right and these indictments come for code or Jack Smith.
- [59:54]
B
Right.
- [59:55]
H
You would. How does the. How do we sell that truth to the folks of the left, to the demagogues of the Democratic.
- [60:03]
D
I don't. Yeah, okay. That's what I thought. There is no selling it. It either stands on its merits or not. I mean like, and that's what will be up to DOJ is to say this is what they did, this is what we have. And, and my guess is the tribal nature of where we are right now, there's a bunch of people that will say I don't believe that and then something.
- [60:19]
B
So.
- [60:20]
D
But I think the, the point that I would make is that hopefully we can just be very clear on what the merits are.
- [60:26]
B
That's it, Dan.
- [60:27]
C
Yeah. I just for the Democratic Party, what are our lines? The voters will decide that. It's not for the party, you know, leadership to say what should or should not be. The marketplace will decide it. And I think, Jason, as far as you go, look, Obamacare was based through the private insurance companies because Republicans, you know, there was no appetite in the broader country to nationalize the health care program. It was the Mitt Romney plan for Massachusetts written by the Cato Institute that was the foundation for it's why the Obama people were incredulous when Republicans attacked it instead. This is a partisan liberal plan. Healthcare is a mess. And how, you know, where we go from here. It's a great question.
- [61:11]
B
Yeah. Gentlemen, thank you all. Grateful to you for your food recommendations and participation in the program. Sean, what do you have?
- [61:18]
D
I'm drafting off of what Stephen asked because there's a lot going on with DOJ right now in terms of referrals and questions. John Solomon's going to join the show tonight, give us the latest on what he's been able to dig up on all of it.
- [61:29]
C
Can I just say, by the way, the Letitia James news that her mortgage document actually said she could rent it out.
- [61:35]
B
Allegedly.
- [61:36]
C
I allegedly.
- [61:37]
D
No, no, no, it doesn't. I know what it says, what people are saying. It says. I have actually read the language on that. There's the question's going to come down to how the court interprets short term rentals.
- [61:48]
B
Yeah. It'll be interesting to see. I Sean's correct on that framing. Exactly right. All right. I'll be on with Michael Smerconish in a moment. That was indeed an Alex Thompson story for those keeping balls and strikes at home. Megan McCain, Noon Citizen McCain Interview Horror screenwriter of Sinister and the Black Phone. See Robert Cargill join them at noon. Amongst my guests tonight on two way tonight is one of the smartest people I know, Karen Skelton, Democratic strategist. Join us at 6 o' clock Eastern Time from California. And then Bridget Fedesy of Real America. Here's a quick preview of that.
- [62:26]
I
The New York City mayoral election is getting a lot of attention because proclaimed socialist candidate Zoran Mamdani looks like he's going to win. What does this mean for New York? What does this mean for you? What does it mean for the country? Why is he the only politician talking about the cost of living? Does your average normie care about this? Is there anything in his message that speaks to you or repels you. Join me Bridget Fedacy on Real America Wednesday, October 29th at 7pm Eastern, 6pm Central. We will be live discussing this and I want to hear from you. You can register to join the conversation at 2way TV BridgetZoom or you can simply watch the episode at Real America Fantasy on YouTube.
- [63:22]
B
Megan at noon, Sean and myself separately at 6, Bridget at 7. We will see you at 9am tomorrow. Please send Gold Belly gift certificates at your leisure. Have a good day everybody.
- [63:32]
C
Take care of.