Trump Arrives in China for Summit, Denounces Media for "Virtually Treasonous" Reports on Iran War

Summary

The Morning Meeting – Detailed Summary

Podcast: The Morning Meeting
Host: Mark Halperin (2WAY) with Kevin and Larry
Episode: Trump Arrives in China for Summit, Denounces Media for "Virtually Treasonous" Reports on Iran War
Date: May 13, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into a packed geopolitical news day, focusing on President Trump’s high-stakes arrival in Beijing for a bilateral summit with Xi Jinping, set against a backdrop of escalating tensions with Iran. The panel unpacks the administration's optimistic messaging on the Iran conflict versus increasingly dire assessments from news outlets and analysts—plus the domestic political fallout from these foreign policy choices in a volatile election year. The hosts also riff on media coverage, political maneuvering in D.C., and campaign intrigue, with their signature mix of insider insight and banter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Arrival in Beijing and the U.S.-China Summit

• Setting the Stage: Trump lands in "Peking" (as Mark jokingly calls it) with a high-powered White House entourage, including Secretary Marco Rubio—whose choice of leisurewear becomes an unexpected meme. First meeting with Xi set to take place in ~11 hours.
• Anticipated Agenda: The panel speculates possible summit outcomes:
  • Economic and tariff détente (Kevin, 28:44)
  • Possible energy deals, steering China’s oil sourcing away from Russia and Iran (Larry, 29:06)
  • Modest agreements on AI or technology, but skepticism about long-term Chinese adherence (29:27)
  • Taiwan: Bipartisan congressional concern over Trump sending ambiguous signals on One China/"Formosa" policy
    • Quote: “If there is any kind of ambiguity... that's a huge problem.” (Kevin, 30:57)
    • Mark doubts Trump’s rhetoric with Xi will affect real-world events, suggesting summit language is more about optics than substance (32:28).

2. War with Iran: Official Narratives vs. Grim Reporting

• Conflicting Assessments:
  • Official line: The administration touts military and economic progress, blockading Iran and degrading capabilities.
  • Media (esp. NYT) and think-tankers: Reports claim most of Iran’s missile sites remain intact, military capacity underestimated.
    • Jake Sullivan (Biden advisor) on Morning Joe echoes the “unwinnable war” theme: “We got into this war on completely faulty assumptions and now we're fighting it on faulty assertions...” (14:23)
  • Debate: Should the U.S. push for negotiation (Sullivan, Obama/Biden school), double down militarily (Eric Erickson, hawks), or seek a middle ground? (16:28–20:59)
• Panel Reactions:
  • Larry: Leans toward military resolution but praises Trump for exhausting diplomatic options. (19:17)
  • Kevin: Highlights risk of Iranian missile retaliation—naval blockades are risky, and Pentagon is wary. (21:02–22:19)
• Economic Effects:
  • Blockade is strangling global oil supply, spiking gas and inflation, with heavy midterm ramifications. (25:06, 28:06)
  • Polymarket odds suggest skepticism that the Strait of Hormuz will reopen soon (31% chance by June, down from 90%). (28:06)

3. Media Critique and Heated Rhetoric

• Heather Cox Richardson’s Substack:
  • Mark quizzes co-hosts on Richardson’s assertion that Trump is “mentally unwell”—which Larry calls “enemy behavior.” (02:35–03:19)
• Presidential Messaging:
  • The administration’s insistence that things are “going great” is met with skepticism, both among panelists and in the chat. (Mark, 24:24)
  • Quote: “It's not going great because Iran is not surrendering, and they're showing no sign of surrendering.” (Mark, 24:24)

4. U.S. Political Strategy & Midterm Dynamics

• Republicans’ Messaging Dilemma:
  • Affordability/inflation vs. culture war: GOP strategists are torn between running on economic pain points (gas prices, cost of living) and social issues (transgender locker rooms, etc.) (37:04)
  • Panel diverges: Larry sees traction in “culture war” issues in some districts; Kevin stresses the overwhelming salience of economic discontent. (37:36–39:35)
• State of Redistricting:
  • South Carolina’s reluctance to redistrict Democrat Jim Clyburn out of his seat invokes debates about political decorum, gerrymandering, and the need for a senior Democrat in a GOP delegation. (40:13–42:01)
• Midterm Outlook:
  • Quote (Kevin): “This is a terrible environment economically for the president... It will hopefully be a blue trickle [for Democrats].” (35:02)

5. Miscellaneous Segments

• Cabinet & Hill Happenings:
  • Multiple secretaries testifying on the Hill; Vice President’s anti-fraud initiative with Dr. Oz receives skepticism from the group about whether it’s political theater or real. (07:32)
• California Governor’s Race:
  • Xavier Becerra remains a Democratic frontrunner but faces a coordinated establishment backlash.
  • Matt Mahan and Katie Porter leverage viral moments in ads against Becerra. (45:11–46:40)
  • With jungle primaries, possibility of Republicans advancing increases if Dems splinter. (43:43)

6. Panel Interaction Highlights & Notable Quotes

• Humor/Banter:
  • Mark: “Maybe the president, who never sleeps, will spend the whole time on Truth Social posting about how Maggie Haberman should be in prison.” (00:03)
  • Marco Rubio’s “Venezuela Nike tech leisurewear” on Air Force One gets ribbed for “drip and swag.” (04:59)
  • Heated but playful disagreement about Scandinavia, LEGO, and the “true” definition of quality of life and healthcare. (60:00)
• Call-outs:
  • Larry on Richardson: “It is undermining of our Constitution and the presidency... that is enemy behavior.” (03:19)
  • Mark: “We can't have another Vietnam where we pretend that the government's always going to tell us the truth about the war.” (23:05)
  • On Biden: “Mashed potatoes for brains, with all due respect...” (31:48)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------|---------------| | Cold Open, Trump lands in China | 00:00–00:39 | | Heather Cox Richardson "Biggest Story" Quiz | 01:09–03:19 | | Daybook, White House/Capitol Hill rundown | 03:33–09:58 | | Inflation, economic news, market open | 27:14–28:44 | | Summit expectations: US-China | 28:44–33:36 | | Iran conflict: media vs. admin narrative | 12:36–26:05 | | Gas prices, war’s economic impact | 28:06–29:05 | | Party strategy: affordability vs. “culture” | 37:04–39:35 | | Redistricting, SC politics | 40:13–42:01 | | Hantavirus mini-panic | 42:52–44:33 | | California gubernatorial race drama | 44:32–47:18 |

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Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes

• Mark on The Stakes:
  “What I would tell the President is ... get real negotiators who are real experts on the Iran nuclear program, have them go sit down with the Iranians, maybe with third party mediators as well, and get that done.” (Jake Sullivan as paraphrased by Mark, 15:26)

• Larry on Negotiations:
  “Ultimately I think that it's a lost cause. I do think that there will be a military resolution before it's a negotiated resolution.” (19:17)

• Kevin on Iranian Threat:
  “If they've got 30 out of 33 missile sites along the strait still capable... those missiles are far more dangerous than the drones, than the naval forces, which we've decimated.” (21:53)

• Mark on Political Reality:
  “We can't have another Vietnam where we pretend that the government's always going to tell us the truth about the way.” (23:05)

• Panel on Summit Outcomes:
  "Tariff detente. I think... all on the economic front.” (Kevin, 28:44)
  “Energy deal would be great if they started getting oil from stable members instead of Russia and Iran.” (Larry, 29:06)

• Larry on CA Governor’s Race:
  “As Democrats feed amongst themselves... there's a window if, if everybody else gets knocked down, you could have two Republicans.” (43:43)

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Tone & Style

• Candid, informal, and sharply opinionated—a signature blend of wonky D.C. analysis, cable news snark, and panel chemistry
• Frequent use of inside jokes, playful ribbing, and call-and-response with the chat/community

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Conclusion

This Morning Meeting episode offers a sweeping, fast-paced window into real-time political strategizing as major world events unfold. With Trump entering a pivotal Beijing summit while fighting on the media and Iran fronts, the panel exposes the growing gap between White House messaging, media reporting, and the facts on the ground. The domestic reverberations—from inflation to midterms and statehouse shenanigans—are never far off, providing listeners a front-row seat to both the public spectacle and the behind-the-curtain calculations in American politics.

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For further detail, see segment timestamps. Key quoted lines are attributed above for listeners seeking direct context.

Transcript

[Mark]

Foreign.

It's the dapper morning meeting. Kevin and Larry are here. I'm here. And the president has landed in Peking and the summit begins in about 11 hours, 12 hours before the first meeting. So maybe the president, who never sleeps, will spend some of the time sleeping or he'll spend the whole time on truth Social posting about how Maggie Haberman should be in prison. We should watching us.

[Kevin]

Or Barack Obama.

[Mark]

Or Barack Obama. Don't even think we're behind the Chinese firewall.

[Larry]

Well, if you keep calling it Peking, that's a guarantee. What are you doing there?

[Kevin]

It's a, it's a callback to the original name for Beijing. I love it.

[Mark]

And it's. And it's the signature duck.

[Larry]

Will they reach an agreement on Formosa? That's the question.

[Mark]

Exactly. Thank you for being here. If you want to be on the conversation, raise your hand. A bunch of hands up already. I'll note their hands of people who previously raised their hands once or twice, who we love and we'll call on some of. But please, if you've never raised your hand, we've had some this week already. Please join the conversation. We're trying to make this as inclusive as possible. We don't want people to feel that if they've never raised their hand, they can't raise their hand. You have to eat. You have to eat liver for the first time. You have to, you have to, you know, whatever, everything. You gotta do everything for the first time. By definition.

[Kevin]

Suck it up, buttercup.

[Mark]

Yeah. We're starting with the quiz. You both know Heather Cox Richardson. You both know her, right? She's a historian and she's got very popular, not interest. Very popular substack. Some guy wrote in his substack a 4000 word essay about a half sentence I said about Heather Cox Richardson. The entire 4,000 word essay is based on this. Apropos. Not of that, but just in general. I'm going to read you the first sentence of Heather Cox Richardson's substack. And again, for those of you who don't know, she literally has the most popular politics substack of all substacks. This massive fun, she said. I call her the Rachel Maddow of substack. I'm going to read you the sentence.

[Larry]

High praise.

[Mark]

I'm going to read you the sentence and I'm going to leave a blank and you have to tell me me what's in the blank. Ready? Here we go. The biggest story in the country today and always is that the President of the United States is blank. Kevin, I'll read it again. The biggest story in the country today and always is that the President of the United States is blank. It's two words. Two words. Want me to read it again or. You got it.

[Kevin]

Don't have it.

[Mark]

Yeah, we make a guess.

[Kevin]

I had. I had one word.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Kevin]

Unpredictable.

[Mark]

Unpredictable. That's the biggest story in the. In the. In the. In the country today and always is that the president states. Is unpredictable. Larry, what are the two words?

[Larry]

Knowing the source, it would be something like an authoritarian or is mentally incapacitated or something like that.

[Mark]

Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. We have a winner. No more calls, please. The biggest story in the country today and always, according to Heather Cox Richardson, is that the President, United States is mentally unwell.

[Larry]

There it is. You're welcome.

[Mark]

Very.

[Larry]

Do I know the enemy?

[Mark]

Larry knows the enemy. Larry knows the enemy. Or maybe not the enemy. Maybe the.

[Larry]

The adversary. The.

[Mark]

The friendly adversary. Anyway, I'll read the daybook.

[Larry]

No, actually, you know what? I'm going to stand by enemy. If she is maintaining with her powerful platform that the biggest story is that the President is mentally unstable, that there is nothing to back that up. There is no evidence to it, and it is undermining of our Constitution and the presidency and our role in. When we're engaged in a military conflict and negotiations with China. That is enemy behavior.

[Mark]

In three years. In three. I hear you. In three years, you're going to read an extraordinary Jake Tapper book about how Donald Trump's.

[Kevin]

Without Thompson.

[Mark]

Without Thompson. Mental capacity.

[Larry]

Yeah.

[Mark]

Thank you all.

[Kevin]

He's a stable, stable genius. Stable genius.

[Mark]

Stable genius. No, smack in the chat. We'll get to you in a bit. And here's, ladies and gentlemen, the patented Morning Meeting daybook, brought to you by our sponsors, who I'll tell you about in a moment. The president. Here's footage of the president getting off Air Force One. He flew with senior staff, including. I'm going to actually look down. Including Secretary Rubio. More on that in a moment. And a bunch of reporters and a bunch of CEOs. And the first meeting he has with Xi is. Is in. You can turn the audio all the way off. Is in. Is in 11, 12, 13 hours. Sorry, the time difference is 12 hours. So right now it's. It's nine at night in Beijing, and the meeting is at 10:00am Beijing time. So tonight when we're on News Nation with Katie Pavlich, the president will have his first meeting, so we'll probably be preempted anyway. Marco Rubio made Waves on the plane for his attire. The same leisure wear worn by Maduro when he was, when he was taken. This is an incredible picture. And the White House comms director tweeted it out and says, secretary Rubio rocking the Nike tech Venezuela on Air Force One. Kevin, why do I find that picture so captivating?

[Kevin]

I want to ask you, how many takes do you think it took to get that. That face on him? So perfectly, kind of subtle. Do you think it was one and

[Mark]

done or is that one and one and done? He's a. He's a red light performer, Larry. Why am I so taken with this photo?

[Larry]

I don't know. I. I think I might want to talk to the.

[Mark]

The therapist. Yeah, I like. I like the cut of his jib.

[Larry]

It's the drip in the swag, my friend. Drip and swag.

[Mark]

He looks good. And again, this just feeds. The. Marco ascended. There was a poll yesterday from a Latin American pollster showing Rubio way up in.

[Kevin]

In that had an A rating too,

[Mark]

which is kind of as well, way up. Well, their, their presidential stuff was accurate anyway. Here's another picture of the President on Air Force One with some of the CEOs. I, I will say this. Why are you laughing at that picture, Larry? I know who's.

[Larry]

Now, who's wearing the swag in that one.

[Mark]

The.

[Larry]

The Nike.

[Kevin]

Oh, is that AI?

[Mark]

That's probably one of the most prominent voices in the conservative movement sent me that poll showing Rubio up double digits over Vance amongst Republican voters for 2028. And he's like, mark, this is real. This is real.

[Larry]

Yeah. All right. And, and what did you say back to Eric Erickson?

[Mark]

I said, I said Eric. No, it wasn't Eric Erickson. It's actually. I'll say it. I'll say. And then stop guessing because eventually you'll get it. And I have no poker face. It's someone as. As much, as much respect as I have for Eric and as huge a force he is, this is someone substantially bigger in the conservative movement than Eric. And Eric is a big deal in the conservative movement. We're going to talk. We're going to talk about both the President's political standing and the state of the Iran war, which are now inextricably linked. It made me think of this because Eric today paints a very, very dark picture about the status of the conflict with Iran, and his conclusion is need to destroy them. Other people are painting a very dark picture about the status of the American conflict and saying we need to withdraw or make the best deal we can and withdraw. And, and the President saying it's all going great. Anyway, the vice President today has an event at 2:00'. Clock. It's a press conference with the chair of the FTC and Dr. Oz to talk about the administration's anti fraud initiative. Boy, I hope this thing for the sake of America is not just, not just today's press conference, but the whole thing is real substantive, that they're, they're saving taxpayers billions of dollars. Kevin, do you think this thing is real or just a bunch of hoopla like that thing Elon did? What was that thing called? Doge, you think this is going to produce real results or be Doge Doji?

[Kevin]

I hope so in that I hope they look at red and blue states together because you've got a lot of fraud across both those, you know, jurisdictions. There was reporting out of Ohio run by Republicans, obviously in Minnesota. It can't be a partisan, it can't just be targeting blue states. If you want to go after this, it's got to be across the board.

[Mark]

Will it? But will you. But will it be? I know you hope that it is, but will it be, do you think?

[Kevin]

I doubt it.

[Mark]

You doubt it.

[Larry]

I disagree. I know that J.D. vance has already announced he took the recent Luke Rosiek investigative report from Daily Wire that dove into Ohio. Walter Kurt, also an independent investigative journalist, has been looking at Ohio State. J.D. vance announced. I'm going to use this as part of our investigation as well. If, let me put it, let me frame it this way. If Republicans want to win this November, they need to make fraud in these programs front and center for part of their campaign this November.

[Mark]

The Vice President's taking this anti fraud message on the road tomorrow to the key battleground state of Maine. Does anybody battleground in the Senate? Does anybody know Susan Collins going to appear with them? Anybody know? I don't, I don't see that. All right, we'll see. All right. Three cabinet secretaries on the Hill today. Secretary Wright, 9:30 Senate Armed Services talking about America's nuclear security and the federal budget. Doug Burgum, budget request, House Natural Resources and Lee Zeldin, Senate Appropriations. Those are all this morning.

[Kevin]

Lots of other soon to be Attorney General Lee Zelden. We'll see.

[Mark]

Maybe, maybe lots of other stuff going on on the Hill today. The House or the caucus had the Republican Conference, House Caucus. Democrats are meeting in their separate weekly meetings. The House meeting is not on cap, it's not in the, in the Capitol. It's in the Capitol Hill Club. So they could talk about the midterms because they're stickers for the law. Very good. It's just the right temperature and just the right amount of salt. There's another effort. Senator Merkley has the latest war Paris, Iran War powers resolution at 11:30 that will fail again. The House. I don't know. Are the caucus meetings this now or are they 1215? I thought they were now, but this says 1215. In any event, the head of CEO of Coinbase, Brian Armstrong, speaking to the Senate Republican Steering Committee lunch, Kevin Warsh, gets another confirmation vote in the process at 2 o' clock today. So far, only John Federman is voting for him. Do you guys think he'll get any other Democratic votes on final passage? Sounds like just Federman.

[Kevin]

I doubt it. Yeah, just.

[Mark]

But he doesn't need it. Yeah, doesn't need it to be confirmed thanks to the change in policy. And there's some other votes up there. And then the B9 group of NATO eastern block states holds a summit in Bucharest. That's a beautiful city. Bucharist, by the way. All right. The President again is in China. We'll talk about that. We'll talk about Iran and uh, a whole lot more in a moment. First, a quick word from a sponsor. Our sponsor today, Cozy Earth. Cozy Earth will give you 20 off everything in the site if you simply use the promo code morning. That would include allowing you to buy two items that we're talking about this week. I have them both. They're both great. The jogger set, made from Viscous from bamboo. Super comfortable. You'll find yourself reaching for it again and again when you're looking for something to wear around the house or out of the house. It's got a relaxed fit, but it's not sloppy looking. It's very nice looking. And you can wear it straight into your evening activities, from morning coffee to evening activities. And the clogs also wear around the house. Wear them outside. They're super comfortable and cushioned and they're soft. All these, these products and everything else really on the Cozy Earth site demonstrate their attention to detail. Everything. It feels like it's made to last. This is not some cheap stuff, ladies and gentlemen. It's high quality and affordable, particularly if you use the promo code 20 off. Using the promo code morning. Go to cozyearth.com promo code morning. Tell them you heard about it on the morning meeting right here. Because comfort lives here.

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[Matt]

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[Mark]

All right, as I mentioned before, there's just some really grim assessments of what's the status of the American conflict with Iran. One thing that's driving that is this New York Times story from yesterday that says the Iranians have an extraordinary capability. Left 109 says the Iranians have a very high percentage of their missiles left and 33 of the 33 missile sites it maintains along the Strait of Hormuz. This is not brand new. There's been reporting throughout the war that suggests that the President and Pete Hegseth have highly exaggerated. The extent to which the Iranian capabilities degraded doesn't mean we don't respect our service members. To read this story doesn't mean we don't think America can win the war. If we read this story doesn't mean that we haven't. The United States hasn't degraded a lot of their capability. But ladies and gentlemen, if the New York Times reporting is true, it means Iran is still a fierce enemy. And if the President renews warfare against them, it looks like Iran has plenty of capability to strike back. Jake Sullivan, one of President Obama, President Biden's top board policy advisors, advisor Hillary Clinton as well, was on Morning Joe this morning. I don't want to call this a victory lap, but Jake Sullivan's view is the war is lost and the best the President can do would be to hire Rob Malley or somebody to go negotiate with the Iranians to try to get a list, get something close to as Good.

[Kevin]

As the Obama noted Iranian apologist. Rob.

[Mark]

Exactly. Yeah, I slipped the Rob Molly thing in there. Only for about 150 of you, but you'll appreciate it anyway. Here's Jake Sullivan, first on the remaining Iranian nuclear capability and then on his advice to the President about how to get out of this pickle. 111 and then 110, please.

Ability. 90% of access to their underground facilities and 30 out of 33 of their missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz are now operational once again. And there's always been this big gap between the administration asserting that Iran's military has been rendered combat ineffective and the reality that Iran continues to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed. The ships are voting with their feet to mix metaphors. They're not going through because they know Iran hasn't been rendered combat ineffective. They can continue to threaten with missiles and drones, this vital waterway that has 20% of the world's oil going through it. And when you take a step back and look at this, we got into this war on completely faulty assumptions and now we're fighting it on faulty assertions. The assertion that we have somehow decimated Iran, when in fact the opposite is the case. And this has put Trump in a very difficult position right as he walks into this high stakes meeting in China. What I would tell the President is

[Larry]

that I would tell there was a

[Mark]

deal on the table before he launched this misbegotten war to put Iran's nuclear program in a box. It would require some compromise on the part of the United States, but we would be able to ensure that Iran didn't get a nuclear weapon. He did not take that deal. We can still get that deal. In my view, though, it's been made harder. So I would actually get real negotiators who are real experts on the Iran nuclear program, have them go sit down with the Iranians, maybe with third party mediators as well, and get that done so that we can get the straight back open, get energy flowing once again and get gas prices down. And I would put real effort into making that happen rather than continue to flail around thinking that if I just bomb them once more or I just continue the blockade one more day, all of a sudden Iran's going to blink. That assumption has not borne out. It will not bear out. And Joe, to your point, every expert on Iran has been saying that from the start. So President Trump, while he's unlikely to, should probably start listening to them.

So I know some of you say, well, Jake Sullivan's record is not so spotless that anybody should listen to him. And some of you will say listening to experts is what got us in all of our foreign policy problems over the many years. These are sensible positions. But, Larry, I am struck by. There are very few people, with the exception of maybe Scott Bessant and a few others, who I'm listening, who I'm hearing from, who say, stay the course, the economic pressure will eliminate Iran. You've got people like Jake Sullivan who say the war is a failure. Kagan said this, too. Bill de Blasio said it on two Way tonight last night. This is not gonna work. This is an unwinnable war. Make the best deal you can and get out. And then you have the Eric Erickson school, which says this is not being, this can't be won without eliminating Iran's leadership and everything they have, and that the only alternative is to, to, to, to, to, to bomb them back to the Stone Age. I hear more and more those two polls, and both are premised on something different than what the President claims, which is the President claims the war is going great, that we've already won. So, Larry, where do things stand now? Does the President have to choose between those two polls, or is this, Is that middle course still sensible?

[Larry]

I, I'm racking my brain to think of Jake Sullivan's single diplomatic or national security achievement in his entire career.

[Mark]

It's only an hour show, Larry.

[Larry]

Thank you. I'm sorry. I'm just still dumbfounded by the fact that he can go on a program like that and say what you just heard and pretend like he's a good faith actor and that he's trying to give advice to the administration or President Trump. And like he's doing it from any level of authority. By the way, he's citing this New York Times report, which, by the way, people that I've spoken to about the New York Times report say, yeah, what was leaked was part of an assessment. The same assessment also says, yeah, cross could be this, but it also could be this could be that they have half of that or even less than that. But the only thing gets leaked and published is the thing that of course damages the president's and the administration and our military's efforts over in the Middle East. And by the way, this is the same Jake Sullivan who engineered the 51 national security experts who said the Hunter Biden story was rushing disinformation so he has no credibility.

[Mark]

Well, Larry, okay, but Eric Erickson, your friend. I understand Eric's column is premised on everything that Jake just said. And Eric takes the New York Times report and says, all true.

[Larry]

I know he does.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Larry]

And let me just say it's impossible to answer the question with that setup, though, Mark, without exactly shedding some context into who Jake Sullivan is.

[Mark]

Okay, take Jake. Take Jake Sullivan out of it here. Take him out of it. Here's what I'm asking. Do you accept. Do you accept the premise that I believe that the Iran economy. The AP has another story today saying, yeah, is their economy battered? It is, but you're not going to bring them to their knees on the economy. They went through a war with. With Iraq. So do you believe the President has to find either a surrender or bomb them to the Stone Age?

[Larry]

I personally lean toward Eric's assessment of the situation, whether he agrees with the assessment from the New York Times or not, that ultimately there is not going to be a negotiated settlement because as the President keeps saying, he's negotiating with lunatics. Yeah, I do believe that that is. But I think that this president is so hesitant to do that and commit ground forces, even in a limited capacity capacity, that he is trying to go beyond the extra mile to work out a resolution here at the negotiation table. I admire him for that. I respect him for that. But ultimately I think that it's a lost cause. I do think that there will be a military resolution before it's a negotiated resolution.

[Kevin]

Kevin, you and others and that military. What will that military resolution look like? Thank you, Larry. Do you think.

[Mark]

Yeah, I don't know.

[Kevin]

Is it targeted or is it.

[Larry]

I don't wish to know because I think our Pentagon should probably keep those secret. And I trust this leadership at the Pentagon and our military and execution.

[Mark]

But we've talked about limited strikes. Take out some infrastructure, take out car, take out some leaders, and then sort of wait and see. What Eric Erickson and some others are

[Larry]

saying is, I know.

[Mark]

No, it. Waste of time. Go in there and destroy everything. Kill. Kill scores and scores of people. Take out every bit of energy and sugar. And if, If Iran, with its capability, hits desalination plants and the Ritz Carlton in Doha, you know, cost of doing, so be it.

[Larry]

I get it. With all due respect to my friend Eric, he's not the President, though, and he doesn't have to make those phone calls.

[Mark]

But he's not the only one. I know he's not.

[Larry]

I'm using him as an example. The President knowing the weight of a decision like that, knowing the results of a major military action like that, I think is reticent. He's prepared if necessary. But he wants to exercise every possible option first before he makes that decision.

[Kevin]

Kevin, one of the.

[Mark]

Go ahead.

[Kevin]

I was just going to say one of the, you know, we've been talking on the show about restarting the escorting of these ships, Project Freedom or whatever they were calling it now, this new reporting, and I was kind of under the assumption, well, why, why don't they do this? You know, it, it chokes off more of the Iranian economy. It opens up oil flows for tankers that are flagged by our allies. But now it seems if they've got 30 out of 33 sites, missile sites along the strait still capable to do destruction, those missiles are far more dangerous than the drones, than the naval forces, which we've decimated completely. I agree that both the air force, the Iranian Air force and the navy has been decimated. But that missile capability, it's seconds. And Larry, you know this well, too. It's seconds before that missile is launched, especially from a mobile site along the coast to when it hits the hull of one of our ships.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Kevin]

And I think that's the X factor with all this. The if we know there's 33 sites, 30 or so active, why don't we just go in and take out those 30 sites?

[Mark]

I reportedly. Right now, yes, sir, I reported this about five days ago. My senses that the reason they stopped the operation of the Escorts is not because the Saudis asked them to or they didn't have the Saudi airspace. It's because the Pentagon did it for a few hours and said this is more difficult and more dangerous than we thought.

[Kevin]

Right.

[Larry]

This has always been the most difficult and most dangerous part of it. And everyone at the Pentagon has been saying that from day one, that the Strait is going to be the trickiest thing and there's not an easy solution. I think also we need to be clear that there is a difference between the missile capabilities to harm Israel and United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia versus the very short range rockets that really can just affect the ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. And I don't think I've ever heard an assessment from the Pentagon saying that those very short range rocket options, the Strait of Hormuz, have been eliminated. They've always known that that capability has been.

[Mark]

Yeah, yeah. I don't read the chat. I glance at it. We're not beating up on Larry. There's an important moment in the national debate about where this thing stands because

[Larry]

I feel beat up on it.

[Mark]

Oh, I know you. I know. I'm just Saying, folks, when people like Eric Erickson or Vin Weber, who was on the show last night and others, other voices, publicly and privately who are strong supporters of eliminating Iran's nuclear capability through force, when they say this is not going well, we have to be honest. We can't have another Vietnam where we pretend that the government's always going to tell us the truth about the way. I agree. Yeah, it's not going well. Okay. I will also say the person doesn't mean it can't. It doesn't mean it can't go well. It just means that right now, right now, Iran, the plan was to get a settlement to not have to use overwhelming force. And the Iranian offer that came over the weekend was, was a clown joke. It was ridiculous. Iran wants. Iran says, I will gladly take your reparations money. I will gladly take our unfrozen assets. I will gladly take the sanctions coming off. I will gladly take a codification of our control of the strait. I will gladly take you scaling back on your presence in the Middle East. I will gladly take you ending Israel's attack on Hezbollah. All for negotiations on Thursday over hamburgers with wimpy and maybe some nuclear reduction.

[Larry]

Wow.

[Kevin]

So.

[Mark]

So again, I'm taking the president at his word, literally and figuratively. Seriously. He said it was. No, not about that. The president says it's going great. I can't take that seriously because it's not going great because Iran is not surrendering and they're showing no sign of surrendering.

[Larry]

Mark. I think it's important, Mark, to point out, though, when the president says it's going great, he's talking about the military execution.

[Mark]

But even that is not going great. And it's not, it's not ongoing.

[Larry]

Well, we're on a cease fire, right. That the blockade is going great. Actually, hold on, hold on, hold on. We have a military effort going on right now. It is an incredibly effective naval blockade which is strangling economically the Iranian regime and the world.

[Mark]

And the world economy.

[Larry]

Is that not working? That's not strangling the world economy. It's affecting gas prices. Is that strangling? Oh, Larry, The Iranian blockade is strangling the world economy.

[Mark]

It's on the. Some countries are already seeing big problems and we are weeks or months.

[Kevin]

We're somewhat insulated here.

[Mark]

Yes, but, but there are allies. Look at Australia, Japan, Australia.

[Larry]

Tanks, current airlines.

[Kevin]

Larry, it took an entire. Took an entire aircraft.

[Larry]

Keeping Spirit from merging with JetBlue is what tanks.

[Kevin]

Okay, well, that's part of it, too, for sure.

[Mark]

But all right, let's, let's.

[Kevin]

I will say. I will say we are not attacking Larry, but the chat is on his tie choice and I fully support. Thank you, Larry. And your tie choice.

[Larry]

At least I'm wearing it.

[Kevin]

So let's Haley, others, let's keep the personal attacks.

[Mark]

What's wrong with the chat?

[Larry]

What's wrong with the thing on this. One last thing on this, by the way. And it is important. You're right. And when you're raised. And we joke about Eric Erickson because we're friends and he's also on the program.

[Mark]

I'm not joking about him at all.

[Larry]

No, no, no. Well, we, I refer to Eric a lot. Let's just be clear. Eric is no huge fan of Donald Trump in the Trump administration.

[Mark]

Oh, but he'll, but he'll praise him when praises do.

[Larry]

I agree with that.

[Kevin]

And he was, and he was very supportive originally of the.

[Mark]

Ron, Larry, Larry, I understand, but, but

[Larry]

you always need to take a lot of this criticism within the context of where the criticism is coming from.

[Mark]

I say, I say respectfully. I don't think that applies to Eric and Donald Trump.

[Larry]

Potentially. Potentially. I, Eric and I have had friendly debates about it, and I think that oftentimes in the same vein of Jake Sullivan, that you cannot take any of his friendly advice to Donald Trump without also putting context of Jake Sullivan hating Donald Trump. I'm not saying Eric hates President Trump, but I also know that he has been at odds with Donald Trump probably more than he's been supportive of Donald Trump. I think that's fair to say.

[Mark]

I couldn't. I don't think it is. I just, I respectfully disagree with your characterization of our friend Eric, a member of the morning meeting, community and family, ladies and gentlemen, with me. Yes, ladies, we should. Next time. Next time. Kevin's got to go to the vet.

[Kevin]

I'll yield all my time to Eric. Yeah.

[Mark]

Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to speed through some topics. We spent more time on Iran than I thought we would, but that was important to do. The markets are about to open. April, wholesale inflation jumped bigly. The PPI number came out at 8, 30, and 119. Not great. Another indication, wholesale prices surged 1.4% in April, much more than expected. Even though Larry thinks the fundamentals of the economy are strong, others are concerned. Here's. Oh, sorry. One more on Iran. I meant to, meant to show you this. This is a polymarket about the reopening of the strait of Hormuz. 112. Will traffic return to normal by the end of June. So that's a month and a half away. 31% say yes. It used to be as high as 90%. You see, it's come down substantially since since April. Only 31% say it will be reopened.

[Larry]

Okay, I'm buying that, by the way. I'll buy that.

[Mark]

Yeah. I hope. Highest inflation reading since 2022. Stock futures are mixed. National gas prices 451, 4.51. Briefly on China, because we'll be talking about it tomorrow and there's not much to say within the realm within the yard lines of realistic. Kevin, what's the best story for the US Coming that can come out of the summit? What's, what's realistic where the president could say on Friday, here's what we got done. And that's good news both politically and substantively. Yeah.

[Kevin]

Tariff detente. I think we all economic right. We they've already agreed to buy our airplanes. Great. They're going to buy more of our ag stuff. It's going to be all all on the economic front. And that will continue this truce, somewhat of a truce that started in October in their last face to Face meeting overseas and that will continue through the summer.

[Mark]

Larry.

[Larry]

Yeah, add an energy deal to that. It'd be great if they started getting oil from stable members of the world community instead of Russia and Iran and Lord knows they can't get it from Venezuela anymore. That would be a great thing for them and for us and we'll have some agreement on AI but they'll adhere to it in the same way they adhere to, you know, copyright infringement and, and royalty that they've done over the

[Kevin]

past with the they sign it with their fingers like, you know.

[Mark]

Exactly. The president's secretary of state, national security advisor has historically been a big hawk on China overall, but certainly as it relates to Taiwan, a dozen of his former colleagues in the Senate wrote a letter, bipartisan group, saying please don't be squishy on Taiwan during this trip. The president.

[Kevin]

Yeah, but look, but look at those members right on the Republican side, sadly, it's, you know, Lisa Murkowski, it's Mitch McConnell, it's Tom Tillis. That's the coalition of the willing with the Democrats. Exactly. You know, I'd love to see.

[Larry]

You don't want to undermine the.

[Mark]

Exactly.

[Kevin]

Sure, sure. But I would love to see, you know.

[Mark]

Yeah, here's my question. If the president does blurt something out about Taiwan that Jake Sullivan and Richard Hoss make their hair go on fire, does it matter if he does that. Is there any consequence to that? As long as he doesn't let China invade, as long as we have access to the semiconductors. Do either of you think it matters if he says something that moves towards the China position?

[Kevin]

Yes, 100%. Because, again, because Xi Jinping's timeline originally was 2027 for action against Taipei, which is still during the. The Trump administration. So if. If there is any kind of ambiguity.

[Mark]

More.

[Kevin]

More so that Trump says something that gives a wink and a nod to Xi Jinping, which is he has been devoted to one China and retaking Formosa. To Larry's point earlier in the show, that.

[Mark]

That's.

[Kevin]

That's a huge problem.

[Mark]

So. But you say it's a huge problem because you think if Trump says something

[Kevin]

sloppy, it'll embolden some tacit. You know.

[Mark]

Yeah, but. But why. Why does it matter? Because it'll embolden xi.

[Kevin]

Yes, 100%.

[Mark]

Okay. Larry, do you agree with that?

[Larry]

I don't even agree with the premise because. Oh, what if Trump blurts something out that undermines 60 years of our policy with Taiwan? When has President Trump done something like that in the past? I think that he's a little more disciplined and better at negotiations than we're giving.

[Mark]

Well, but. But let's say he does. Okay, but let's say he does it on purpose, not that he blurts it out like. Like, like now the posture is we have no position. I. I can never remember this.

[Larry]

Well, because Biden. No, no, no. Our position has always been a one China policy, which is a very wink and this.

[Kevin]

But it's a very specific word choice, whether we recognize or understand or something like that.

[Larry]

Biden mashed potatoes for brains, with all

[Mark]

due respect, BMW that up three times. Three times he did.

[Larry]

Yeah. We'll never commit our military.

[Mark]

It's still not certified. Great.

[Kevin]

That's what we should do.

[Larry]

It's still not our policy, though.

[Mark]

No. It's still not clear to me to this day why three times Joe Biden said it and three times the staff walked it back. I really don't know. That's right. But. But here's my position. Shortly after the president got elected in 2016, he had a very friendly call with the president of Taiwan, and it freaked the Chinese out because I believe he talked to the president of Taiwan before he talked to Xi. It freaked him out. And Trump's view was, I know from reporting at the time, the American people don't care if I took a call from this guy or did a call. I forget who initially I Think to Taiwan.

[Larry]

I remember.

[Mark]

But, but the Chinese care. So I've set down a marker with, with Beijing. You know, we got flexibility here. Right. It's the same in, in the reverse. Now Trump needs stuff from Xi. Trump doesn't care about slicing the, the salami about. Does he say approve or no opinion? He didn't care. But the Chinese care. But the American people don't care. Except for Richard. Jake Sullivan. So my view, Larry, Kevin is the exact opposite of yours. What does it matter? What does it matter if he gives him some.

[Kevin]

I think there's a lot degree.

[Mark]

A rhetorical almond cookie.

[Larry]

No, rhetorical.

[Mark]

There's some steam.

[Larry]

Marco Rubio cares. I think the president maybe and I think Donald Trump cares. He's, he's said it.

[Mark]

I'm not saying he doesn't care about Taiwan. I'm not saying he wants to lose Taiwan. He can't. We can't lose him because the semiconductors. What I'm saying, what I'm saying is I'll make a, I won't be quite a prediction. I'll say it this way. I wouldn't be surprised if the president says something about Taiwan that is unseemly under the normal rules and Xi takes a victory lap over it. And then he gives us some. I wouldn't be surprised if that happened. And then he also.

[Kevin]

And then he takes Taipei in next year.

[Mark]

He's not going to take, he's not going to be more likely to take Taipei because Trump says something in a meeting. I just don't think he is. He'll take it or he won't. All right. Lots of stories. And the Politico exists for several reasons. One is to write stories about how presidents legislative agendas are doomed. That's what they do for a living. And so, and so today a stepped up brand of stories that say the president's got no sway anymore with Republicans and the housing. The president told the House to pass the housing bill that the Senate passed. The House committees of jurisdiction are saying now we're not really interested in. In the Senate bill, he says do a gas tax holiday. Speaker Johnson and Senator Th say yeah, maybe, but they clearly not jumping all over it. And then it's. And it's.

[Kevin]

But it's also creating the most odd of odd couples with Speaker Johnson and Maxine Waters.

[Mark]

Exactly.

[Kevin]

Working together to iron out some of the objections to exactly. These bills.

[Mark]

Exactly.

[Kevin]

On financial services.

[Mark]

And the president's poll numbers are horrendous. And then you got James Blair doing an interview with Politico. Saying happy days are here again, everything's coming up roses and going our way and we're going to keep the House and keep the Senate and maybe pick up seats. So just briefly because again, we went a little long on Iran, Kevin, which is it. Is everything great for Republicans in the midterms or disaster or somewhere?

[Kevin]

I think this is a terrible environment economically for the president. The fact that 70% of Americans disapprove of the president's handling the economy. In the CNN poll, 75% say the President's direct policies, whether it be on tariffs or Iran, is making life more difficult for me and my family is a really tough issues environment again. But you're also seeing some enthusiasm when it comes to fundraising, drawing these lines. And again, it's not going to be this blue wave. It will hopefully be a blue trickle. And we've talked about this. You know, maybe 10 to 15 seats would be a huge night for Democrats. But again, as Larry will say, and I will kick it to him, candidates matter as well as part of this. And we don't know necessarily who some of the candidates are on both sides that are running. Yeah, we got some indication of that last night in some of these primaries

[Mark]

in Nebraska, especially speaking of candidates matter, James Blair or people working on behalf of James Blair, mysterious, shadowy super PACs and New York Times reports are interfering in Republican Democratic primaries by spending money to try to nominate very unelectable Democrats, very progressives. This is something, by the way, Democrats did a few years ago in the media, celebrated it. So I've actually, Larry, I've got to say the New York Times, I think remembered celebrating the Democrats genius in doing this because this story is not that negative about it. It just says mysterious meddling in Democratic primaries has GOP fingerprints. James Blair in his interview, Larry, within Politico says we're going to attack, attack, attack. We're going to paint the Democrats as the party of sex therapists and anti Semites and, and at the same time, Politico says some Republicans would like an affordability agenda. You know, the president, he doesn't like the word affordability, does not like that word. So, Larry, I know sometimes the press sets up a false choice. It's not either or they're going to attack, attack, attack. But are they going to emerge with an affordability agenda? And if so, what would be on it? I think congressional candidates to run on.

[Larry]

I think there will be an affordability message in those districts where it's going to be important to emphasize that sort of thing. But this whole Idea that Republicans have to have an affordability agenda actually cedes the the terms of battle to Democrats, I think, and I don't think that's necessarily an appropriate thing for Republicans to do for some of those districts that are still being drawn. The fact that Democrats can't confirm that a man is incapable of being pregnant and that 14 year old that says

[Mark]

unaffordability, gender, I understand that.

[Larry]

What I'm saying is that's not going

[Kevin]

to really resonate, you know, when people.

[Larry]

You bet your ass it will. Absolutely. That will.

[Kevin]

Maybe on the margin. Maybe on the margin.

[Larry]

We are not doing a nationwide 50 state referendum on Republicans versus Democrats. We're having 435 different campaigns and really we're going to have about 19, maybe 20 different campaigns that will make the difference. And in some of those districts it won't be affordability, it will be whether a 14 year old girl sees a naked man against her consent in the locker room. And Democrats can't say that that's the wrong thing to do.

[Kevin]

Kevin well, this Democrats.

[Mark]

Kevin. KEVIN My family, like the Duffies, took a road trip. We were last two days ago. We were in Green Bay. I was filling up.

[Kevin]

Did you have, did you have sponsors behind it?

[Mark]

We did.

[Kevin]

We did. I would donate to fund that if I could watch it live.

[Mark]

I was filling up the Winnebago at, at a gas station outside Green Bay. The gas prices were extremely high. But all anybody Kevin was talking about, talking about around the gas tanks was whether there'd be a man in a woman's locker room. That's all anybody, you know, all anybody was saying.

[Larry]

You remind me, you remind me of Jen Psaki and Rachel Maddow laughing about illegal immigration being an issue in Virginia, saying oh yeah, because Virginia is a border state. And then what happened in 2024 over illegal immigration in the border. You guys go ahead and joke about it.

[Mark]

Larry, All I is when I talk to Republican strategists who have races this cycle, they say this war better end by June 1st or we will be wiped out because of gas prices. That's what they say.

[Larry]

I'd love to know which districts they're talking about. I would say this. You're right. The climate, as always, for the president's party in an off year election, but it's.

[Mark]

Sorry to interrupt. I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's not just that. It's that the president started a war by his own choice that has raised gas prices so extensively that for the first time in several years, household income is, is Growing insufficiently to keep up with the rate of inflation.

[Kevin]

Inflation is already now outpacing.

[Larry]

I don't think those numbers.

[Mark]

That's true in every district in America.

[Larry]

Cut that. Every American just got number one. But number two, the terrain for this election has changed because of redistricting. That's why, Mr. Blair, 100% bullish right now.

[Mark]

100.

[Larry]

And that's why.

[Kevin]

And a lot of credit and a lot of the credit to the Republicans who are so far better at this than the Democrats in terms of planning years in advance. I mean the court cases and things like that have been in the works. The way that you the fact that we lost 900 state legislative seats under Barack Obama because you focused on local races, school boards and we just focus on national politics. I give a lot of credit to the Republicans and Democrats. Got to get wise.

[Mark]

Kevin, why is that?

[Larry]

Democrats don't have much room to work with. I mean, where are you going to find more Democrat seats? You've already gerrymandered the completely Republicans out of New England. Well, forgive, I reject your premise that we're so good in advance. We're catching up to your party at this point.

[Mark]

Kevin. Kevin, why is Henry, why is he. Why is Henry McMaster not all enthusiastic about redistricting Jim Clyburn out of a job?

[Kevin]

I think these are old school pals that realize that. And what, you know, Clyburn was saying is when there's a Democrat President, hopefully in 2028, there's got to be somebody in the delegation that that phone call will get picked up under. Under Biden and Obama, it was Clyburn running point on saving the port of Charleston, expanding that, getting federal dollars. And because of his leadership and his seniority in the House, in order to do that, his Republican colleagues would credit him for that. South Carolina is not Georgia or not North Carolina or not Jim Crow 2.0. We passed a voting bill unanimously with the black Caucus in Columbia, South Carolina, with Republicans, white Republicans. So it's a more of a genteel state and a gentleman state. And Henry McMaster is a gentleman and I think he realizes what's going on. And a lot of states will say this, but national pressure doesn't really work in South Carolina. There's a lot of pride in this state and I'm a newcomer to it. Alex, my husband has been here his whole life. So I think that's part of the dynamic at play.

[Mark]

Larry, do you agree that McMaster is not doing some say have told me McMaster's not wanting to do it because he agrees with the analysis of some legislators that this would imperil seats rather than guarantee an increase to put more in play. But Kevin's saying it's because it's a state that believes in a little decorum and also because McMaster's view is they need a powerful Democrat in the delegation. These are interesting things. I don't know if they're true. Do you agree?

[Kevin]

I mean, go back to John Spratt, go back to others, senior Democrats that have brought home, yeah. Huge resources to the state.

[Larry]

I would defer to Kevin on South Carolina politics. Obviously, it would be hubris of me to suggest that I know better. Although I would suggest that if I've heard that analysis, that if Republicans did this, they'd actually lose three seats. If that's the case, Democrats would be whipping for this right now and wanting it to happen. I'm all for the districts being drawn so that Mr. Clyburn can stay in the House. How about we not draw it based on the color of people's skin, considering the fact that that's just been ruled unconstitutional? And finally, I would just throw this into the mix as to the reasons why the gentleman from South Carolina opposed this. Maybe he's afraid of being called racist. Maybe he's afraid of being called a Klansman, because that's the rhetoric we're seeing from Democrats in other states. And it's ugly and it's wrong.

[Mark]

All right, let's Polymarket this. Number 116. The hantavirus pandemic, or the Hana virus, rather. Will it be a pandemic this year? Will it turn into a pandemic this year? This is 116, please. 9% chance. You see, it spiked a little over a week ago when there was some stuff in the news about what was going on on that ship. We looked at some polling last night on two Way tonight from Harris X about how people would feel about if there's a pandemic. Are you guys worried about this based on what you've seen? Should people be concerned about it, or is this going to be isolated?

[Larry]

Well, I don't want anyone to take medical advice from me because they'll probably end up dead. I'm a radio host. That said, my understanding is that this thing is not spread by, you know, sneezing and coughing in people's faces. It's, I believe, rodent feces, which like

[Kevin]

animal to human, right?

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Larry]

So, I mean, I don't know. I don't know what was going on that ship, but I assure you that if you go to LarryCruise.com and book passage on the Town Hall Gulf of America cruise this November where we'll celebrate the Republican victory in the midterms, we are not going to have any rodent feces contact as part of the agenda.

[Mark]

That's good to know. Should I, should I, when I, when I go to my, my wet market, should I not be getting any rodent feces appetizers? Is that what you're telling me, Kevin? Are you worried about this thing? Should people be?

[Kevin]

I'm not, I'm not into Larry's point. I'm not a doctor either. Certainly we play some on tv, but the, the bar to entry in terms of its commutation is not, is much higher than what we saw with COVID Yes, so. And it seems I'm not a doctor

[Mark]

either, guys, but I dispensed a ton of public health advice during COVID Lastly, lastly.

[Larry]

And look what happened.

[Mark]

Lastly. Mr. Becerra, by many standards, many measures, many, many bits of analysis, remains the front runner for California governor. At the same time, he is under siege from attacks by Democrats who say this guy could lose to Larry's candidate. This guy would be a horrible governor. There's just a lot of Democratic elites who do not like Mr. Becerra. And Mr. Becerra is doing his best to remind people why they think he wouldn't necessarily be the right person to nominate. Here he is in a widely discussed, widely shared moment in an interview with a reporter who he was under the impression was going to do a profile piece of.

[Kevin]

Mr. A little puff piece.

[Mark]

Yeah, yeah. By the way, this is a profile piece.

This is not a gotcha piece.

Right?

[Kevin]

Well, look, I think these questions are fair.

[Larry]

It's in order to learn about you as a candidate. So long as about the profile.

[Kevin]

I don't know how you define profile,

[Larry]

but I'd like to begin the interview.

[Mark]

The way I describe profile is you talk about all the things that I've

[Larry]

done, things I want to do, and

[Mark]

along with some tough questions. But not only tough questions. All right, kudos to that reporter and to the crew for rolling. I think this is a pre taped interview for a recorded package. And that crew did what every crew I work with, I say same thing the minute where they set up start,

[Kevin]

we're hot, baby, we're hot.

[Mark]

Roll, roll. Because the guy or gal could walk in and we don't want to miss a minute. Kevin, how, how, not just that moment, but in general, how precarious is the Becerrage freight train Right now, is he still on track to make the finals?

[Kevin]

It seems like there's a real new concerted effort with his former colleagues from the Biden administration, former House colleagues that are really kind of sounding the alarm on this guy. Matt Mahan's campaign spliced up an ad with that interview and Katie Porter's disastrous walkout with that reporter when tough questions are asked. But we'll see again, ballots are in people's homes right now. If this is actually breaking through with

[Larry]

everything going on, Larry, I'm enjoying watching it all happen. And boy, it sure looked like the memo went out yesterday.

[Kevin]

You got the popcorn from the Capitol Hill Republican Club.

[Larry]

Well, because let's be clear, just to remind everyone, remind everybody that it's a jungle primary. There's no party distinction. So as Democrats are now going after the front runner, Becerra, and by the way, your guy Matt Mahan also went after Tom Steyer. Katie Porter's going after Tom Steyer as Democrats feed amongst themselves and Hilton, Hilton, Hilton. And, and Bianco. Don't forget, Bianco is in third right now. But there's a window if, if everybody else gets knocked down. You could have two Republicans.

[Mark]

Is there another? Is there, are there more debates? Are we done with the debates? There are more debates.

[Larry]

I've lost track. I'm not sure.

[Kevin]

Michael. So many back.

[Mark]

Michael, see if you can find out if there's more. All right, quick word from the sponsor then to your questions. If you're on the platform, you've never raised your hand. Raise your hand. If you have raised your hand, raise your hand. Here we go. True Work. Extraordinary clothes. For if you're working outside, whether you've got a professional job that requires you working with your hands outside and lifting and dragging and everything else, or just work around the house, work around the yard. True Work makes clothes that will be perfect for you, particularly if it's inclement weather, particularly if you got to do a lot of work and strain. True Work is T R U E W E R K T R U E W E R k. Go to true work.com use the promo code two way for 15% off. This is a performance workwear brand, ladies and gentlemen, that's just perfect for working outside, stretching, bending, kneeling, climbing, water resistant finish to shed rain and just loaded with pockets. So many pockets on there. As I said yesterday, I asked, I challenged my son to fill all nine and he ran out of stuff to put in there. This is not cheap stuff. It's well made and it will work. Well, for you as you work outside, go right now to truwerk.com, t r u E W E R K and Upgrade to the T2 work pant. Stay comfortable no matter what the day brings. Promo code is two way for 15% off. Truway built like it matters because it does. Some follow the noise. Bloomberg follows the money. Because behind every headline is a bottom line whether it's the funds fueling AI or crypto's trillion dollar swings. There's a money side to every story. And when you see the money side, you understand what others miss. Get the money side of the story. Subscribe [e-mail] professor can I get one

[Kevin]

point, can I get one point of personal privilege before Professor Kenny joins us? So Alex husband, Alex, expert on South Carolina politics, is fiercely texting me that I'm off message in that Governor McMaster actually does want and supports this redistrict redistricting effort and is likely to potentially call a special session to try and make it happen in the coming days.

[Mark]

I think Alex might be right. What's interesting is not the governor, it's the gunner. I think. No, no, no. He can call a special session to have him consider it.

[Kevin]

The Republican Senate leader is the one that derailed it on the floor.

[Mark]

Just, just as, just as Larry, Larry would defer to you in South Carolina. I defer to Alex, of course, but I was surprised at how lukewarm McMaster sounded yesterday. He wasn't, just wasn't super enthusiastic. But I think Alex is right. That's my suspicion. I mean Henry McMaster used to be the party.

[Kevin]

Alex is always right and he was the former party chair for sure.

[Mark]

Chairman McMaster was like the most, like one most partisan people I ever talked. He's a geneal guy. I interviewed him the other day for something very genial guy. But he's not going to leave a seat on the table if they can have it. In any event, I will tell you, Professor Butch, casting the Sundance Kid is one of my all time favorite movies. And as I like to say, the next time somebody says let's go to Bolivia, let's go to Bolivia, sir.

[Alan]

Thank you. Hi Kevin. Hi Larry. Hi Mark and hi two way community. Come join the post shows. We start the chat at 10am and the official post shows at 11. We have marks showing the background in my little advertise. And I put the phone number there for Mark show so you can call. And don't forget Allen C show tonight. He's on after Mark's two way Tonight.

[Mark]

So, yeah, and these post shows, for those of you who've not heard of it before, extraordinary effort by members of the community, especially Alan and Professor Kenny, but others to keep the conversation going, to get me out of the way so you guys can have a real conversation and, and to just do what 2A is supposed to do, which is build authentic community around shared interests. So we couldn't be more grateful to Professor Kenny Allen and others for keeping that going.

[Alan]

And thanks for all your support. Nicole Rios is our co host today. So just to let everybody know, okay, so I have Butch and Sundance up there as a facetious example of the United States getting ready to charge the Iranian federalis. It's just so ridiculous. This, this, that guy, that, what was his name, Sullivan, Was that The guy that was 33 missile get up. You know, give me a break. So, so the premise is Israel and the United States invaded Iran, right? Attacked Iran with no pushback at all, no defense, didn't shoot down any planes, we didn't use any, we didn't lose any soldiers in Iran, you know, during this attack. But yet they're the ones who we have to be worried about, that they have all the power and all the, all the control. It's utterly ridiculous. The narrative is terrible. Now, what I will say on the other side of it is I don't know what Trump's doing, so we'll see what he, what, what happens after China, which, by the way, we're going to come away with nothing. And, you know, the idea that we're going to make an oil deal with China is ridiculous. They get 12% of their crude from Iran, so they're not going to just go and say, well, we will bypass Iran and buy it from the United States. That's not going to happen. So I just think this whole rhetoric is just ridiculous. And I just think. But Trump's actions create this rhetoric. So that's why we're in this state that we are. And everybody's second guessing and everybody's a pundit and knows everything. Baloney. Action speak louder than words. Iran did nothing to defend themselves. When we went in there with Israel, nothing.

[Mark]

Kevin. Kevin.

[Kevin]

Yeah, I mean, professor, you're right in that their air defenses have all been decimated early on in this conflict. We had air superiority supremacy over those guys. They couldn't defend it. I would say, you know, and, and Larry made this point earlier. These leaks, these intelligence leaks are all part of one, usually one individual's purpose of affecting policy change, which is what they happen is why Susie Wiles was out there, you know, just saying, we can't be doing this because again, that then also sways the narrative. But again, the core problem is a lack of actual intelligence on the ground in terms of what's happening and the fact that again, there's estimates that they're on their knees economically or they've got four months to go in terms of reserves and things like that. The problem really is just that lack of fundamental understanding of what the actual situation on the ground is. Are there 30 mobile missile sites that are still active despite taking out 13,000, 15,000 different individual targets? As a question, are they really on their knees economically? Are they rationing water? We haven't seen people in the streets at all because of this. Even though the ceasefire is on and the bombing of these territories has stopped. Where are the Iranian people now? They've stepped up their execution, something the President has begged them not to do, and they seemingly are continuing to do it, including executing women on the streets of Tehran and other provinces. So again, sorry, that was a whole diatribe and I'll yield the rest of my time to the gentleman from, from Maryland.

[Larry]

Larry, my Listen, the executions in the streets and the tyranny against the citizens is not a result of the military action the United States and Israel engaged in. They've been doing that for decades. That's not going to end until these people are defeated. And I repeat, I lean, Kenny, more toward the idea that ultimately this is going to be a military resolution, not a diplomatic deal. That's done. But the President, President is trying to hold out hope. That said, you make a good point here about the so called missile capability that the New York Times is reporting that Iran has. If that is true, it does strike me as odd that they haven't utilized that capability. Why, why, why aren't they striking out more? Why aren't they attacking us? Why aren't they attacking their neighbors more than they are they, they do a little bit here and there, just a touch. But what are they waiting for? Why, why haven't they done more?

[Kevin]

If they are, in effect, Larry, doing so, if they launch one of these missiles and it successfully strikes one of our destroyers, the three that they targeted over the last weekend, I mean, heaven help that regime. I mean, good Lord.

[Larry]

Thank you for answering my question. Yeah, Kevin.

[Kevin]

Because that's, which is one of the reasons why they are, you know, which means in their estimation they're winning the longer that they can delay and. Yeah, I think so. In their, in their estimation, in their

[Larry]

estimations, that tells me if shot through the lens of a, a military campaign and a military endeavor. I'm trying not to use the word war. We have the military upper hand. Iran knows we have the military upper hand. And regardless of what capabilities they may have, they know that if they utilize that military capability, it's over for them. So to me, that means the U.S. is in A, in a power position here.

[Mark]

Professor, thank you. I was told by a Pentagon official that we should refer to it as a military thingy.

[Kevin]

Military.

[Mark]

I'm hoping we, I'm hoping we have time or you guys have time to go back to more community questions. But before I go over to SiriusXM for the second hour to be followed by my appearance, my weekly appearance on Michael Smish's show to be followed by the three of us later convening on News Nation. Before all of that, I just want to mention two things. First of all, new episode of Next up is on now and I urge you to listen to it. Mitch Modell and Trish McLaughlin are my guests. But my report, a monologue on angel moms and how the Democratic Party talks about people in this country who've been killed by illegal immigrants. I urge you to listen to it. I did a lot of reporting for it, very proud of it. So listen to that if you want Game shows. We've talked to you about our game shows. Some of you have participated in the game shows two ways for conversations like this. But it's also for anything that can bring people together by being online together and interacting. And those of you who haven't seen this, I want to show you before I go. Just a little sizzle reel of some of the pilots we've done, including some members of the community. This is our new program Race to Win which you're going to see a lot of in all sorts of different topics and platforms. But here's a little bit of what the two way game show looks like. This is Race to Win.

[Larry]

Think you know your favorite shows, teams and pop culture moments better than anyone else. I'm lovin it is the slogan for what fast food chain?

[Mark]

Gabe McDonald's. McDonald's is correct.

[Larry]

Race to Win is a fast paced interactive game show powered by two way buzz in first. Answer correctly and you stay in the game. What country is home to LEGO's global headquarters?

[Kevin]

Sweden.

[Mark]

No.

[Larry]

Miss it and your opponent can steal. I'm gonna guess Norway. Nope, sorry, it is Denmark. The goal is simple. Keep winning and stay in the game as well as long as you can. What is the shape of the scar

[Mark]

on Harry Potter's forehead.

[Larry]

It's actually a lightning bolt.

[Mark]

Like. Yeah, of course.

[Larry]

We have 20 seconds left. All you need is your phone or laptop, your knowledge of the things you love, and the nest to hit the buzzer.

[Mark]

Hit or missed.

[Larry]

What president was elected four times?

[Mark]

Fdr. FDR is correct.

[Larry]

And with that, you are actually the winner. Race to win.

[Mark]

Powered by two way. All right, we're still. We're still tweaking things.

[Kevin]

That's awesome.

[Mark]

When you guys, when you guys see it, it's so exciting. It's a. It's gonna, it's gonna. You're gonna love it. Anyway, if you want to participate in some pilots, you can go to once today at 1pm and then tomorrow at 8pm if you want to participate, go to HT2 way TV game shows. And the link to that's in the chat. And you, you can sign up to participate.

[Larry]

Larry, I know for a fact that each and every one of us have dreamed to be a game show host. And other people. How, how did Joe get the job?

[Mark]

Joe's just. Joe's just. Joe's just doing the pilots. Larry, you. Larry, you're going to have a Broadway one. Kevin's gonna. Kevin's gonna have a Democratic history one. I'm gonna have one on Taylor Swift. We're all gonna host game shows. It's gonna be incredible. Yeah. Anyway, check that out again. Sign up if you want to participate. And thanks to those who have already. And with that, I turn it over to you gentlemen. Thank you both. Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow and seeing everybody once Larry and Kevin are done with you over on Sirius XM for the second hour of the morning meeting. Thanks, guys.

[Larry]

Thank you, Mark. Thank you, Mark.

[Kevin]

I'm excited for that game show that.

[Larry]

Does that look good?

[Kevin]

I cannot wait to challenge you on general knowledge trivia.

[Larry]

Bring it.

[Kevin]

Bring it. And the winner. And the winner pays. Pays for dinner or the loser pays for dinner.

[Larry]

How did two of our community not know that Harry Potter's birthmark was a lightning bolt? That.

[Mark]

That's just.

[Larry]

You know, I'm, I'm disappointed with all of you people. Every single one of you.

[Kevin]

But did you know where LEGO is headquartered? I knew that. We had two smart guys. It was a Nordic country.

[Larry]

That was the greatest American moment. I don't know. One of those Scandinavians. Who gives a crap? They're all the same. We don't know.

[Kevin]

They all eat, they all have free health care and yeah, a lot of.

[Larry]

Oh, yeah, that free health care that costs you 70% of your income to prop up from the government. Why are you debating with me, Kevin? I'm dumb. You know, you all were very mean to me today.

[Kevin]

What country has the highest quality. What country has the highest quality of life? Ding, ding, ding. I think all three of them up there.

[Larry]

Yeah. I'll tell you what, Kevin.

[Kevin]

All right. You want to engage?

[Larry]

I will trade their health care policies and other quality of life things for their immigration policies and their border control. You ready to make that trade?

[Alan]

Because.

[Larry]

Because they may have a higher quality of life, but, boy, their immigration policies

[Kevin]

are a lot different than what your

[Larry]

party want here in this country.

[Kevin]

I can just see you and Meredith down at Epcot boycotting sweet little Norway in their log flume ride with. With signs.

[Larry]

It's not log plume anymore. They converted it to frozen.

[Kevin]

It's frozen. I know it's frozen.

[Larry]

Stand in line here. That's song over and over and over and over. And that freaking snowman. I just. Oh, I want to just. That snowman needs to Josh Gad.

[Kevin]

Is that Josh Gad?

[Larry]

It is Josh Gad.

[Kevin]

The great Josh Gad. Is he all right? So. So obviously Mark previewed his next up, which is live with Trisha McLaughlin, Mitch Modell. Great, great monologue as part of that two way tonight again at 5pm Great conversation yesterday as Mark was talking about with those with Vin Weber and Bill de Blasio. And then, you know, do we have.

[Larry]

We don't have guests on. On tonight's two way tonight yet.

[Kevin]

We're gonna find out who they are.

[Larry]

All right.

[Alan]

And then as Mark mentioned, Alyssa derosa and Mark Bednar.

[Larry]

There you go. Melissa derosa.

[Kevin]

The great Melissa derosa.

[Larry]

Yes. A lot of people lamenting Melissa derosa's absence from the morning meeting. So there you go.

[Kevin]

She's very much active in all of this, 100%.

[Larry]

And that's it. The replay of my morning radio show on the Salem Radio Network will begin right now on my YouTube channel. It's a condensed version without commercials. So go check it. Oh, I interviewed chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Jason Smith today. And Kevin, he is all in on relieving the gas tax. That's a very, very prominent voice in leadership.

[Kevin]

Well, he would be one of the key people to make it happen. We'll see what Richie Neal says about all that too. The incoming. Watch that once.

[Larry]

I still predict it will happen.

[Kevin]

Share of ways and means. And then again, I just shared again the race to win with those dates. The 13th today at 1pm and tomorrow the 14th at 8pm and you can sign up on that website. And then again, we had Professor Kenny on making a great plug for the official after show chat is open for that. Log on to Sirius right now and then and we'll see you tomorrow. Joining the conversation on 11 at 11. And we'll see you tomorrow. Hopefully with a new tie.

[Larry]

You know, I'll wear different. Tell me what color tie you want tomorrow and I'll try. I have pretty much every color. But let me know. Go at me at Larry o' Connor on X and I'll, I'll accommodate your demand for a tie.

[Kevin]

That's all I. There we go. Man of the people right there.

[Larry]

Very much. And maybe Kevin will even wear a tie.

[Kevin]

We shall see. Thanks, everybody. We'll see you tomorrow morning.

[Larry]

See you tomorrow.