Trump Pursues "Serious Negotiations" With Iran, Urges Kentucky Voters To Dump GOP Rep. Thomas Massie

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Morning Meeting

Episode: Trump Pursues "Serious Negotiations" With Iran, Urges Kentucky Voters To Dump GOP Rep. Thomas Massie
Date: May 19, 2026
Host: Mark Halperin (2WAY), with Larry O’Connor, Kevin, and guests

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Morning Meeting dives into President Trump’s diplomatic maneuvering with Iran amid escalating tensions, his involvement in the Kentucky GOP primary against Thomas Massie, and the broader political and economic landscape heading into a big primary day. The program includes live interviews (notably Congressman Mike Lawler), economic analysis from David Bonson, real-time discussion of U.S.-Iran negotiations, campaign ads breakdowns, audience questions, and a fiery debate on campaign finance ethics and anti-Semitism in politics.

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Key Segments & Insights

1. The Daybook and Market Overview

[00:03–06:32]

• Presidential Schedule: Trump at the White House; major remarks at the Congressional picnic at 7:35pm; executive meetings and order signings through the day.
• Key Events: Mike Lawler hosting Trump in a pro-Harris district; NATO chiefs meeting in Brussels; significant court cases and hearings in the news.
• Market Commentary:
  • Bond Market Turbulence:
    • David Bonson explains rising global bond yields, dispels melodrama, and links volatility to broader economic stagnation and inflation rather than new concerns about debt.
      • “The notion in these reports that, oh boy, world markets are all of a sudden reacting to excessive debt and deficits is sort of crazy… As if the bond market did not know that we had $38 trillion of debt until last week.” (David Bonson, [04:16])
    • Reassures that 10-year yields have hovered in the 4–4.5% range for years, and the market is pricing in moderate nominal GDP growth.
    • Highlights: The concern is not yield spikes, but low real growth over 18 years.
    • Quote: “My concern is not that the 10 year is going to be at four and a half to 5%. My concern is that it’s not going to be… because real growth… has not been high enough.” ([05:36])

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2. Congressman Mike Lawler: Welcoming Trump to a Swing District

[06:37–15:55]

• Interview with Rep. Lawler: On his controversial (for a GOP’er) move to host President Trump in a Biden-won district.
  • Lawler frames the visit as honoring the presidency; touts his longstanding ties to the district, the local effects of recent tax policy, and the unique political dynamics of Rockland County (“moved furthest to the right in the country”).
  • Economic pain points: utility rates, immigration crime, energy shutdowns in NY, border security, and law enforcement recognition.
  • Defends Political Risk: “The idea that, you know, he’s deeply unpopular or people don’t like him or don’t want to come hear him is just not true. I can tell you I know my district very, very well.” ([11:31])
  • Downplays risk of association: “If the issue of Donald Trump is… the biggest issue driving [a voter’s] hatred… they’re never voting for me… So get over it and… run a race.” ([15:18])

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3. Iran Negotiations and the Prospect of War

[18:21–26:22]

• Iran’s Offer:

  • Tehran proposes: ending hostilities (incl. Lebanon), US troop withdrawal, reparations, sanctions relief—terms widely seen as unchanged or “worse” than previous versions.
    • “This offer looks not much better and in some ways worse than what Iran had previously put up.” (Mark Halperin, [18:55])

• US Stance & Analysis:

  • Kevin: Suggests the President is biding time at the request of Gulf allies, who fear Iranian reprisals if hostilities resume; Iran’s offers show no constructive movement.
  • Mark reads analysis from Hamidreza Azizi:
    • Constant US threats “only deepens distrust… eroding the credibility of US threats” and strengthens anti-concessions hardliners in Tehran. ([21:00])
  • Larry O’Connor: Rejects “cry wolf” criticism, seeing Trump’s tactic as “classic carrot and stick,” but points out Iran’s public admission of Hezbollah control as significant.
  • Consensus: Two outcomes likely—either economic pressure forces Iran to terms or direct military action will resume; little faith in current proposals.

• Quote:

  • “All their proposals are getting worse… This is the first time we’re really talking about reparations…” (Kevin, [19:54])
  • “We need to keep reminding them that we can blow them up…” (Larry O’Connor, [23:02])

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4. White House Press Dynamics & 2028 Shadowboxing

[24:27–27:43]

• JD Vance & Marco Rubio: Anticipation over their respective performances at podium, media handling, and implications for their standing in future GOP primaries.
  • Larry: “The fact that the press loves Rubio makes us a little suspicious… from our perspective that’s… a red flag.” ([25:24])
  • Kevin: Argues Vance will emphasize fraud topics; will benefit from being combative.

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5. Major GOP Primaries: Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama

[27:50–35:14]

• Kentucky: Betting markets now favor challenger Ed Gallerin over Thomas Massie (58–43%). Loomer’s scandal interview with a Massie ex described but dismissed as a non-issue.
• Georgia Senate Race: Three-way contest for Ossoff opponent—focus on tough-on-immigration messaging, Trump’s lack of endorsement surprises panel.
• Georgia Governor: Trump-backed Jones threatened by wealthy self-funder Rick Jackson; outcome seen as a test of Trump endorsement power.
• Alabama Senate: Trump’s candidate trailing; attributed to candidate quality, not Trump’s influence per se.
  • “I think he picked a bad candidate.” (Larry, [33:13])

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6. Political Ethics: Stock Trading & “Slush Funds”

[53:06–59:32]

• Listeners raise concern over President Trump’s personal and administration-related stock trades (3,700 trades, with 2,200 allegedly questionable), linking this to broader lack of accountability and reforms.
• Lively debate: Both hosts and callers criticize lack of a Congressional trading ban, point out issues with both parties, and spar over whether Trump’s “slush fund” (IRS lawsuit settlements) is unprecedented, necessary, or corruption.
• Memorable exchange:
  • Mark: “You, as someone who’s a guardian of my tax dollars, should be deeply concerned that a president of either party creates a giant billion dollar fund with no accountability.” ([59:32])
  • Larry: “We should also be deeply concerned about the power that the government has used to inflict pain on American citizens… That so-called slush fund is going to give reparations to people who have had their rights violated…” ([59:42])

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7. Audience Q&A: Anti-Semitism in Politics

[43:02–47:14]

• Haley, a listener, raises alarm about rising anti-Semitism in American politics, with fringe and openly anti-Semitic candidates across party lines.
• Kevin & Larry O’Connor both affirm seriousness of the trend, stress need to expose bigotry, and challenge the line between anti-Israel rhetoric and anti-Semitism.
  • Larry: “If you oppose Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, you have to ask yourself why you don’t oppose Pakistan’s right to exist as a Muslim state… If all your hatred and vitriol is toward Israel… you have to answer why.” ([46:14])

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8. Bipartisanship & Media Sideshow: Candace Owens Interviews Hunter Biden

[35:31–38:34], [51:20–52:31]

• Panel muses on the odd-bedfellows nature of the upcoming Candace Owens–Hunter Biden interview, with Mark Halperin describing their “paranoia of elites” as crossing populist lines on both left and right.
  • Mark: “This is one of the most important dynamics in America today.” ([36:16])
  • Mixed reactions: curiosity, skepticism over motives (was Hunter paid?), and recognition of anti-establishment crosscurrents.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Mike Lawler on Trump Visit (07:35–15:55):

  • “If the president of the United States wants to come to your district, you welcome the president… When I agree with the President, I say it. When I disagree with him, I say it. I’m not afraid to do that.” ([07:47])
  • “If the issue of Donald Trump is… the biggest issue driving them… they’re never voting for me.” ([15:18])

• On Iran Negotiations (21:00–23:36):

  • “The problem is that Trump apparently believes the constant threat of renewed war will force Iran into making concessions… In reality… it only deepens distrust…” (Read by Mark, [21:16], quoting Hamidreza Azizi)
  • Larry jokes: “I like it with a side of Tzatziki sauce and a really nice warm pita.” ([20:54])

• GOP Internal Tensions (24:27ff):

  • “The fact that the press loves Rubio makes us a little suspicious… that’s a red flag.” (Larry O’Connor, [25:24])

• Listener Haley on Anti-Semitism (43:06–44:41):

  • Expresses distress about normalization of anti-Semitism: “It just makes my blood boil… it’s becoming both sides.”

• Campaign Ethics Debate (58:23, etc):

  • Mark: “You cannot defend Donald Trump by citing Democrats.” ([58:44])
  • Larry: “You may be right, but as long as Nancy Pelosi is revered as some sort of icon of the party…” ([58:35], deflecting—classic episode dynamic)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Daybook & Market Analysis: 00:03–06:32
• Congressman Lawler Interview: 06:37–15:55
• Iran Negotiations Discussion: 18:21–26:22
• JD Vance/Rubio, Media Dynamics: 24:27–27:43
• Primary Day Preview & Kentucky/Georgia/Alabama Races: 27:50–35:14
• Candace Owens/Hunter Biden & Populist Crosscurrents: 35:31–38:34, 51:20–52:31
• Anti-Semitism in Politics (Listener Haley): 43:02–47:14
• Audience Q&A & Iran Sanctions Pressure: 47:18–51:20
• Campaign Finance & Insider Trading Scandals: 53:06–59:32

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Tone & Style

The show mixture of brisk, analytical banter and pointed, sometimes combative, audience engagement. The hosts humorously spar, highlight under-covered angles, and blend policy substance with punchy, real-world campaign and legislative insight.

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Useful For

Anyone seeking a rich, up-to-the-minute guide to U.S. political drama, power moves within the GOP, the global economic outlook, and where real grassroots anger and clout might next break out. Special value for those tracking Trump-era diplomacy, election news in key states, and the ethics of modern campaign finance and political rhetoric.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Larry O'Connor]

Foreign.

[Mark Halperin]

Everybody, welcome to the morning meeting. Lots on the schedule today. Thank you for being here. Larry and Kevin and I are going to walk you through the day, starting with the day book. The president United States is at the White House today. One of my favorite events closes the President's Day which is the Congressional picnic where the President's sure to have lots to say. But he starts with executive time. Now. Policy meeting in the Oval at 11, closed press 3 o' clock. Policy meeting in the Oval closed press 4:30. Signs executive orders in the Oval, closed press. So in theory, unless something changes, we won't see the President until he and the first lady deliver remarks at the congressional picnic at 7:35 tonight. 7:15 tonight the Vice President is taking his turn at the briefing podium as Caroline Levitt remains out on maternity leave. You'll recall the previous person who did this was the national Security advisor slash Secretary of State. So we'll talk about the implications of that. Archivist slash archivist. That's at 1pm Eastern time. So I'd be curious guys, you think there'll be live coverage on cable news of that?

[Kevin]

Oh certainly. All right, most definitely.

[Mark Halperin]

Todd Blanch on the Hill at 9:30 before the Senate approach Subcommittee. First time he's testified before Congress since taking over as Acting Attorney General and lots of topics for him. The House is out, although there's committee action. The Senate is in and they're still scrambling to deal with a bunch of stuff to try to resolve primary day. Main focus is on Georgia and Kentucky, but Alabama, Idaho, Pennsylvania all vote today in primaries. Polls close in Kentucky early 6pm Eastern and we'll see how quickly we get a result out of the Massey race. The President's probably hoping he can talk about that as a Congress.

[Kevin]

6:00pm Eastern remarks set for 7:00pm Eastern on exactly center.

[Mark Halperin]

American Progress has their meeting today hearing from Senator Gallego at 9, Governor Sherrill at 10, Hakeem Jeffries 1043 and Westmore at 4. Gavin Newsom 1230. Tyler Robinson, the man accused of murdering Charlie Kirk is in a court hearing today. Vladimir Putin in in Beijing and the military chiefs from NATO countries are meeting in Brussels. Stock market is poised to open lower. Oil is up and gas prices are up. And something we want to talk to you about which is the bond market from John Ellis's newsletter this morning says across the developed markets bond markets are staging a slow motion car wreck. Even Japan is joining. Now this is affected US Japan, UK and France. According to someone from Barclays, last week long bonds broke not one in One country and all of them simultaneously. Four countries, four different political systems, four different central banks, but the same trade. Get me out of duration. I don't know what any of this means, ladies and gentlemen, but I know who does. Our friend David Bonson of the Bonson Group is here. I don't know think about how bonds work, but David does and this is part of a concern in general about markets and whether the war could be causing some big economic dislocation around the world, not just inflation. David, thank you for being here. What does this mean that there's something going on with bonds, with what's causing it? What are the implications of it?

[David Bonson]

Well, Mark, thanks for having me. And there is something going on with bonds and it's noteworthy in markets, but I think that some of the melodrama around it needs a little moderating. The 10 year bond yield in the United States, what investors will get in interest to loan the US federal government money for 10 years has gone up to a whopping 4.86%. It was a little over 4% before the war began. It was about 4.3% a month ago. So it has moved up in the last week or so. And that's put some of the volatility in risk assets and stock market assets in the last couple of days. But I think when we include Japan in this, let's be clear, we're talking about it's gone up to a whopping 1.8%. So yes, Bond yields have moved higher. The notion in these reports that, oh boy, world markets are all of a sudden reacting to excessive debt and deficits is sort of crazy. As if the bond market did not know that we had $38 trillion of debt until last week. And as if 4.6% would be the punishment if that's what were happening. The oil spike is a part of it. The, the Fed buying less of the long dated elements because of their stopping in some of the quantitative tightening activity is part of it. But it happened in October of 2023, it happened in spring of 2024, it happened in January of 2025. The range has been between 4 and 4.5% for four or five years. And like I mentioned, four times it's gone a little bit above 4.5% and not moved. If it does make a move towards 5% and higher, that that becomes a bigger issue. I think, Mark, the bond market pricing in that the neutral rate, which is the shorter end rate, what the Fed actually controls, if that's going to stay level longer, then it might allow for a little bit of higher long end on the bond on the 10 year yield. But ultimately, what I want listeners to take away from what I'm saying is that the bond market in a 10 year for the US is measuring what markets and investors and economic actors believe about nominal GDP growth. The combination of inflation and real growth, 4.6% would be a very healthy number. If our economy had 2% inflation and 2.6% real GDP growth, that would be significantly better, better than we've had. My concern is not that the 10 year is going to be at four and a half to 5%. My concern is that it's not going to be because ultimately real growth in our country has not been high enough for about 18 years now to get a 10 year up at that level. So that's what we're fighting. In the meantime, higher oil prices have distorted a lot of markets.

[Mark Halperin]

David, thank you. Grateful to you. We'll see you soon. Thank you.

[Kevin]

Thank you.

[Mark Halperin]

Now here's something that broke this morning. 117 please. Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News reports that Congressman Mike Lawler, who represents the most pro Harris district of any Republican in Congress is going to host the president for an official event on Friday. Here's the tweet. Breaking news, Donald Trump is expected in Mike Lawler's district with the congressman this Friday for an official event on the economy, according to multiple sources. First glance you'd say, well, you have to be pretty dumb if you're in a pro Harris district and a Republican fighting for reelection to fight Donald Trump. But as we say in Kentucky, although Mike Lawler is not Jewish, she's very smart. There must be some reason that he wants to host the president. So ladies and gentlemen, we happen to have Mike Lawler right here. Congressman, welcome in. Thank you for being here. Unmute and explain what's the logic here of hosting the president in a district which is has a lot of voters who don't love Donald Trump, including the Clintons. Who are your constituents?

[Mike Lawler]

They are and I will happily invite them to join us if they'd like. Look, the fact is it's the president United States. And if the president of the United States wants to come to your district, you welcome the president of the United States, number one. Number two, this is a district in which Joe Biden won by 10 points back in 2020. Kamala Harris won by half a point. Rockland county, where I represent, is the county that moved the furthest to the right in the entire country in 2024 in terms of President Trump's support. He won Rockland county for the first time as a Republican in over two decades in a presidential election. It's my hometown home county. I've lived there my whole life. My family's been there 100 years. I know it quite well. And the issues that folks care about. The fact is, you know, when it comes to the tax bill, lifting the cap on salt had the single biggest impact on my district than just about anywhere else in the country. And my constituents were seeing refunds of anywhere from 5,000 to 20,000 as a result of the tax bill. So we're going to talk extensively about salt and other provisions of the tax bill now that, you know, tax day has come and gone and people did reap the benefits. Obviously, there are other issues in the economy, you know, that people care about, including gas prices. And that's something we're going to discuss. We're also going to talk about, frankly, some of the challenges in New York. When you talk about the issue of affordability, a lot of the problems stem from decisions that are being made in Albany. For instance, why are utility rates in New York up 58% over the last six years? Well, they shut down Indian Point, blocked natural gas, block pipelines, and they wonder why it is that they have to import energy from other states. So delivery charges are up astronomically. Talk about immigration. The fact is the President has fulfilled his commitment to secure the border. We've had nearly a year straight of net zero illegal entry into the country. My district was directly impacted by Joe Biden's reckless policies, inclusive of the fact that Sheridan Gorman, an 18 year old student who was killed Loyola University Chicago just two months ago, is from my district. Her family lives in my district. These are issues that matter to my constituents. 50% of households in my district have a cop, a firefighter, a veteran living in the household. I have the largest Jewish population of any district in the country. What's happening in the Middle east matters. People care about it. So, look, I'm happy to welcome the President as I've always done as a member of Congress. When I agree with the President, I say it. When I disagree with him, I say it. I'm not afraid to do that. And the President certainly respects that. And we've had a good working relationship, and I think that'll be highlighted at the event.

[Larry O'Connor]

Larry, thanks for being here. Congressman Lawler. And I'm curious, you said if the President wants to come to the district, you welcome him. Was it his idea or did your office reach out to him and ask for him to visit.

[Mike Lawler]

They've been traveling the country primarily to swing districts. That is certainly something that they've been doing. And so, you know, we had conversations with the White House about it and I'm happy to welcome him here. Look, I think so much time in the media is spent focusing in on kind of this, this bubble. I can tell you already, you know, in 12 hours we've had upwards of 4,000 people sign up to come. So the idea that, you know, he's deeply unpopular or people don't like him or don't want to come hear him is just not true. And I can tell you I know my district very, very well. I know the people in my district very well. The fact is the President has always hovered around 49, 50% approval and that hasn't changed. And you know, the makeup of my district is very different than some of these other swing districts. And I'd point out the fact again, Democrats control everything in New York just like they control everything in California. And there is significant blowback to the policies of Kathy Hochul of Zoran Mamdani. A lot of my constituents work in New York City. We are directly impacted by the disastrous policies in New York. So there's a reason I've won three times now in two to one Democratic districts. They don't vote the way that it may look on paper.

[Mark Halperin]

Kevin One more question for the Congressman.

[Kevin]

Yeah, real quick, Congressman, thanks for being on. We're just a month away or so from the primary June 23. Democrats are beating the crap out of each other on our side in terms of who's going to take you on. Who do you most want to run against just a month from now on the Democratic side?

[Larry O'Connor]

It's a trap, Mike. Don't fall for it, Mike.

[Mike Lawler]

So there's a five way primary, but really it's a three way primary between Kate Conley, Beth Davidson and Fe Philip Staley. They both have their pros and cons, all three of them. But the fact is, whoever comes out of it, the Democrats are going to pour in money. My race is going to be about a $60 million race. It's going to be among the most expensive in the country. It's entirely in the New York City media market. So whoever comes out of it, I'll be prepared for. The fact is, you know, I'm proud of my record. I have a very good record to run on. I've delivered for my district significantly during my three plus years in Congress. And those are some of the things we're going to highlight on Friday when President Trump comes to visit. But the fact is, any of the candidates that come out of it are going to be radically extreme. I mean, their whole objective is I hate Trump. And that's not an answer or a solution. And the fact is he's still gonna be president. How do you work to actually address challenges? Part of the reason I've been labeled the most effective member of Congress is because I can work across the aisle. My best friend in Congress is a Democrat, Josh Gottheimer. We work together all the time on issues. I've passed numerous pieces of legislation under a Democrat President, Joe Biden, and a Republican president, President Trump, and got them signed into law. I've delivered over $70 million to my district in community project funding. In three years, we've closed nearly 9,000 constituent cases and brought back over $50 million to constituents and benefits they're due. And I've done over 2000 events in person in district in three plus years. I work tirelessly. Nobody's ever going to outwork me. So frankly, I don't care who comes out of their primary. We're going to win in November.

[Mark Halperin]

Congressman, thank you. And I'll just say to your face before you go, you got all these Republicans around the country in districts that are more bred than yours and agonizing, should the President come, should he not come? And instead, all you just explained, people in your district care about issues and a lot of issues. They agree with the president and they agree with you. And so it's refreshing to see somebody just deal with it.

[Kevin]

Yeah.

[Mike Lawler]

Here's my fundamental view on this stuff. If that issue, the issue of Donald Trump is a issue for a voter, and that is the biggest issue driving them, their hatred of Donald Trump. They're never voting for me. And by the way, they're voting in this election. So get over it and, you know, buck up and run a race.

[Mark Halperin]

It's a good example. And again, for the next, you know, several months, we're going to see a bunch of your colleagues agonizing publicly and privately over this rather than just dealing with it as you have.

[Mike Lawler]

Congressman, look forward, don't agonize, own and move on.

[Mark Halperin]

We look forward to Friday. Thank you, Congressman. Grateful.

[Mike Lawler]

Thanks, guys.

[Kevin]

Thanks, Congressman.

[Mark Halperin]

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[Mike Lawler]

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[Mark Halperin]

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[Matt Ebert]

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[Mark Halperin]

On Iran yesterday, everybody knows the President simultaneously announced he was going to start the war today, but he's going to wait a couple days because the Gulf states asked him to. We've seen this act before. Here's what Reuters says about the Iranian deal 106 or what Iran is offering that's given the president to pause. It's a little confusing because this offer looks not much better and in some ways worse than what Iran had previously put up. Iran says peace deal proposals include reparations for war damage and US Troop withdrawals where the United States wouldn't be allowed to have troops in the area. This came from a top official in the Iranian government speaking to Reuters. Here's how John Ellis's outstanding newsletter that you should subscribe to. News items characterize it Tehran's latest peace proposed the United States involves ending hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. US Forces withdrawn from areas close to Iran, reparations for destruction from the US Israeli war, state media reported on Tuesday. In Tehran's first comments, the deputy foreign minister said Tehran also sought the lifting of sanctions, the recent frozen funds and an end to the U.S. marine blockade. The terms as described in the Iranian reports appeared little changed from Iran's previous offer, which President Trump rejected last week as garbage. Kevin, why is the president wasting time or spending time? I should say I don't want to prejudge the issue. Why is he spending a couple days not doing what he claimed he was intending to do for an offer that is once again insulting and far short of what would be acceptable?

[Kevin]

I mean, that's the question mark again. We've been going back and forth with Tehran for over a month, and it seems like all their proposals are getting worse in terms of what they're saying. This is the first time we're really talking about reparations for the damage we've inflicted on the regime. Maybe the X factor to all this are the three allies that you mentioned in terms of our Gulf state allies asking us to hold off, probably anticipating Iran's response being targeted towards them because we've seen that continue on with uae, Saudis and others specifically targeting their energy infrastructure. But this is a major question in terms of it doesn't seem like there's any kind of movement towards us by this regime. I know the president wants to continue to give diplomacy a chance, but at the end of the day, you know, we talked about this earlier. Maybe it's just some Connecticut activity that will move the Iranians in the right direction.

[Mark Halperin]

Larry, you a big fan of Hamidriza Azizi, by any chance?

[Larry O'Connor]

I like it with a side of Tzatziki sauce and a really nice warm pita.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah, it may be a, maybe a very, very cold Chardonnay. Anyway, he's a European policy wonk and here's what he put on Twitter. And Larry, I just want you to say, to what degree do you agree with this analysis? Because it's very concerning analysis. And the tweet he did. 105, please. And I hear this from a lot of people, but I thought he phrased it super well. Here we go. He says this. The problem is that Trump apparently believes the constant threat of renewed war will force Iran into making concessions. In reality, however, it only deepens distrust towards the diplomatic track on the Iranian side while simultaneously eroding the credibility of US Threats since they are repeated again and again without producing a real outcome. As far as the Iran military preparedness is concerned, Tehran has operated throughout the ceasefire in the assumption that the war could resume at any moment. This is why the security protocols surrounding high ranking officials, especially the Supreme Leader, have not changed at all. These types of threats could of course be effective, and indeed they were effective before the outbreak of the war, when Iran was still intent on preventing a destructive military confrontation. But now that the war has already taken place and from the Iranian perspective has not actually ended, but merely changed form, the continued repetition of such threats only strengthens the position of those in Tehran who advocate zero concessions to the United States. Their argument is reinforced, but what they see is the fundamentally untrustworthy and erratic nature of the current US President. Now, I'm sure Hakeem Jeffries and other Democrats would make that argument. But. But to me, Larry, this is an argument worth considering. These repeated threats, the president's made them several times now seem potentially at least have a deleterious effect on forcing the Iranians to the bargaining table. What do you think?

[Larry O'Connor]

Maybe I'd want to take a look at his track record and how accurate he's been in negotiation at judging negotiations with Iran going back to the. The Obama's nuclear deal and where he stood on it, because I like to research what their point of view.

[Mark Halperin]

Well, but forget his, forget his tracker. What about his argument that the president once again says I'm going to blow you up, but someone else asked me

[Kevin]

not this cry wolf situation.

[Larry O'Connor]

I don't think it's cry wolf. I think it's classic carrot and stick. It's like, because we need to keep reminding them that we can blow them up and I think that's important. From Iran's statement, though, I found the most interesting aspect of this, that they're focusing on Lebanon. I mean that's that's not just a tacit admission. It's a full throated admission that they're pulling the puppet strings of Hezbollah. And I think that that's you know, again, they've denied it for years.

[Mark Halperin]

They take care of their friends.

[Larry O'Connor]

Their friends. Their friend. They're, they're puppets is what they are saying that that and that reinforces the righteous nature of this engagement with Iran

[Mark Halperin]

in this righteous but hopefully effective. Here's 108, please. This is Poly Market. Whether the president will announce the blockade will be lifted by I think it's by June 108 please. Yeah, by June 30, by the end of June. Will the blockade be lifted by the United States? 47% chance that it is lifted by then. Larry, are you feeling feeling again, just like to take the day temperature, you feeling we're headed towards war or are you feeling like the negotiations are going to bear fruit?

[Joe]

Fruit?

[Larry O'Connor]

No, I one of two things is going to happen. The blockade is going to be so effective that, you know, their oil industry is going to back up the way Scott Bessen has been warning for quite some time and analysts warn and they'll be forced to reach some resolution or we're going to hammer them. It's one of those two things. I don't see any other third way.

[Mark Halperin]

Gavin, where are you?

[Kevin]

Kevin I mean, I think that's also why the the press briefing with JD Vance is going to be so interesting, right. Who's been across the table from these folks and look for any kind of indications in terms of what he's saying from the podium in terms of where administration is moving.

[Mark Halperin]

I think certainly, yeah, it's going to be super interesting. Now let's just talk about the theatrics. I've been skeptical of those who say the president's treating Vance and Rubio like little play things and he's like pitting them against each other even though he talks about stuff like that. But I just think he's set up for failure here from the, from the not not in terms of the message he delivers on Iran, which matters extraordinary degree. But Larry, I just feel like he's the press corps is not going to be eating out of his hands. It's going to be hostile and it's just going to add to this narrative that Rubio's charming and effective and Vance is kind of uptight and tense. Like isn't isn't this just in the book I'm writing about 2028 and the storyline of Vance Rubio, isn't he set up for failure today?

[Larry O'Connor]

So from, from the Republican conservative maga, whatever you want to call it, perspective, the fact that the press loves Rubio makes us a little suspicious. Yeah, I'll be honest with you. Yeah, that's, that's, that's from our perspective, that's not actually a great thing. Oh, the media loves Marco Rubio. Oh, really? That's, that's a red flag, number one. Number two, Vance probably is going to try to focus 80% of his remarks and his statement and hopefully the questions on fraud, on what his point, his main focus has been for the last couple of weeks, the fraud in Minnesota and California and Ohio and cutting off Medicaid funding. So that's, that's his playground. That's his wheelhouse, his home turf. And it's a winning message for Republicans this November.

[Mark Halperin]

So I think no White House reporters are going to ask him about that.

[Kevin]

I was going to say, I was going to ask Larry how many, how many questions you think you're going to be about fraud after.

[Larry O'Connor]

Yeah, you're right. It'll give him a great opportunity to show how he can jiu jitsu and pivot and call. He's very good at calling out the media. He does it all the time, live in real time at his rallies.

[Mark Halperin]

I'll be curious, I'll be curious to see because the donors like Rubio. So you're right, Larry. Super MAGA will say Rubio is too close to the press and Vance dressed with them today, which he will almost certainly. But, but there is a constituency that likes how Rubio gets along with the media. Kevin, if you were staffing Rubio advance today, would you tell him, pick your spots and if you, if you find a spot to charm the press, do it, or would you tell him no, just, you know, be combative?

[Kevin]

Yeah, no, I think I, you know, to, to Larry's point, I think the vice president can be somewhat charming and self effacing and you know, the press likes that. So I, you know, I think he's going to jockey with them a little bit and I do think there'll be a fairly good exchange between them.

[Larry O'Connor]

The Republican base is not going to punish J.D. vance for being more combative with the media than Marco Rubio is.

[Mark Halperin]

It's quite right. But I agree with you about the base, but the donor class and, and some Republicans.

[Larry O'Connor]

Which donor class? Remember, J.D.

[Mark Halperin]

the Bundlers. The bundlers at the Orange. The bundlers and the super pac folks, a lot of, a lot of a lot of the RNC donors like Rubio, Moore right now.

[Larry O'Connor]

You mean, you mean all the same donor class that were lined up for Jeb Bush and Mark?

[Mark Halperin]

The exact, the exact same one, but. Yeah, but for sure, same ones. But they, but they have a lot of money.

[Larry O'Connor]

You think is going to want for money in the primaries if there's a primary against Marco Rubio?

[Mark Halperin]

No, but if they decide they could

[Kevin]

tip the scales though.

[Mark Halperin]

There's not going to be. There's not going to be any primary, Larry. I keep telling you, there'll be no primary. Just question.

[Larry O'Connor]

I agree with you. I don't think there will be either.

[Mark Halperin]

All right, let's talk about Cruz. Let's. Exactly. Let's talk about the primaries today. A lot of focus on Massey. There's no good polling data. The betting markets, however, have weighed in. The betting markets. Here's a poly market on the Kentucky 4 rates. 111 market wagers. For a while thought Massey was going to win. In the last couple days it's flipped over. You can see that. The guy running against him. How do you pronounce his name? Ed Gallran.

[Larry O'Connor]

Gallerin.

[Mark Halperin]

Gallerin. Gallerin. Gallerin is favored in the poly market. Betters give him a 58% chance of winning. 43% for Messi. We'll see tonight. I don't know. I don't know. There's much to say about this race. The two races I think have not gotten enough attention are in Georgia. First is the the three way. Effectively it's a three way primary to run against John Ossoff. Here are the closing ads. Some of the closing ads for the three main competitors in the Georgia Senate primary. 109 please.

[Matt Ebert]

When Biden's open border got Lake and

[Mark Halperin]

Riley tragically murdered by a criminal illegal alien. I took matters into my own hands.

[Matt Ebert]

I wrote the Lake and Riley act

[Mark Halperin]

so we can deport criminal illegals making sure this never happens again. Congressman Mike Collins.

[Kevin]

Mike, you were fantastic.

[Mark Halperin]

He loves his state and he took this very personally.

[Larry O'Connor]

President Trump and Buddy Carter are working to help Georgians keep more of what they earn by passing the largest tax cut in history. But while Trump and Buddy Carter were protecting our wallets, Mike Collins was a

[Kevin]

of the abusing them.

[Larry O'Connor]

Collins is under federal investigation for misusing taxpayer funds to benefit himself and his cronies. We just can't trust or afford Mike

[Mike Lawler]

Collins like we had.

[Mark Halperin]

One more question.

[Mike Lawler]

What makes you different?

[Mark Halperin]

D.C. politicians, they focus on getting rich

[David Bonson]

and famous and never on who hire which is you.

[Mark Halperin]

And as a football coach for 30 years. I can spot these Me first guys

[Larry O'Connor]

a mile away and we got to

[David Bonson]

get rid of them.

[Mark Halperin]

And as your senator, I'll never forget that you're the boss.

[David Bonson]

And they need accountability. Term limits, ban stock trading in these government shutdowns. And up there, I'm going to work with President Trump.

[Mark Halperin]

But for you. Now, the first two candidates are members of Congress. Dooley is a former football coach who has his support from the very popular governor who got him in the race. There's going to be a runoff because no one's going to get to 50. And Collins will probably be in the runoff. And I think there's a question of which of the other two will make it. Larry, who'd be the strongest general election candidate of those three and why?

[Larry O'Connor]

I think Collins, because I think he would love to make the election about Lake and Riley and about illegal immigrants and about illegal immigrant crime. And Ossoff is vulnerable there. So I think he would be. He also is the favorite of the base. What's interesting there in those ads, as you saw, the first two talk about their relationship with Donald Trump. President Trump has not endorsed anybody in this race. That's very interesting.

[Mark Halperin]

Kevin, do you agree that Collins would be the strongest general election candidate?

[Kevin]

Most likely, but also the coach, you know, running against Washington, you know, so again, if you're Jon Ossoff and you've got a record, the other two, Buddy Carter and Collins, both have a record as well. So in an era of anti incumbent, anti Washington fervor, especially on the right, I could see the coach making a stronger play in the general election.

[Mark Halperin]

If it's, if it is, as most people expect, a Collins dually runoff for a month, it's going to be a fascinating runoff for sure. And, and we'll see if the person can emerge stronger from it. The other big race, I don't know

[Larry O'Connor]

if being a Kemp Republican is necessarily a. Yeah, a good factor here.

[Mark Halperin]

I, I agree. It's going to be interesting to watch. Now, in the governor's race, it's another race where the president. I'm sorry, it's a race where the President has endorsed. He's endorsed Jones. Right. And I think so. He's endorsed Jones. He has. But, but this businessman, Rick Jackson, has spent a fortune and this is one of several races today around the country where the President's candidate could lose. We talk all the time about how he owns the Republican Party and his endorsements matter, and they typically do. But here's Jackson's closing ad. And again, this is a Business guy has never run for office before. Many people I talked to in Georgia believe he's going to win today. Here's the Rick Jackson closing A.D. 110, please. This election is not real complicated. If you want higher and higher property taxes, no income tax cuts and more

[Rick Jackson]

excuses from failed career politicians, vote for the other guy.

[Mark Halperin]

But if you want a conservative that knows how to beat the odds, who

[Rick Jackson]

will deport criminal illegals, cut the income

[Mark Halperin]

tax in half and slash your property taxes, then I'm Rick Jackson and I

[Rick Jackson]

am asking for your vote.

[Mark Halperin]

Kevin, if Jackson wins, and again, if I had to bet, I'd bet on him. What, what is it? Is it say something about the President's power? Is it just idiosyncratic? The guy spent billions of dollars and Jones isn't that great a candidate.

[Kevin]

Yeah, I think it's more the latter for sure.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah.

[Larry O'Connor]

Larry, I think that the Trump endorsement that's in danger in Alabama, in the Senate race, which I'm guessing we'll get to that, that's more of a potential reflection on President Trump's endorsement.

[Mark Halperin]

Tell us, tell us why we're getting to it now. Tell us why.

[Larry O'Connor]

Because he's been full throated in his endorsement of why would his candidate not win? Because he's down. The latest polls now show him down 10.

[Mark Halperin]

No, I understand, but what do you think is causing that the President's lack of influence, that he picked a bad candidate? I think, yeah.

[Kevin]

Candidate quality more than anything.

[Larry O'Connor]

I think he picked a bad candidate. Yeah, I think he picked a bad candidate. And, and also I think that they're in solid red states right now. I don't, especially when it's statewide district and for congressional district, I think it carries more weight statewide. I'm not so sure. Yeah.

[Kevin]

Larry, do you think it's a dynamic and this is why he's holding his fire in Texas where the mega base actually wants Ken Paxton and not John Cornyn, that maybe his political people recommended the out of step with maga. Right. In the President's kind of days.

[Larry O'Connor]

I also think Mr. Lassetera, I'm guessing it was Mr. Lacivita who sort of pushed the idea that he was about to endorse Cornyn right after that primary. He got out ahead of that and it caused some friction at the White House. So I think that's part of why he's keeping quiet about Texas.

[Mark Halperin]

I won't guarantee this, but if the President's candidates lose in either Georgia or Alabama today, I predict you'll see truth social posts trashing the People he endorsed in as being horrible.

[Larry O'Connor]

I'm surprised, though, that Jackson is only ahead by last average. I saw him ahead by about three points. It's not a slam dunk where it's not a slam dunk on Jackson.

[Kevin]

Of course there's going to be a runoff, too.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah. Just everybody I talked to in Georgia Republican politics tells me they think Jackson's going to win.

[Larry O'Connor]

About Jackson, he's a health care executive, isn't he? I mean that's made that's how he made his money. Democrats, Democrats are going to just trash him.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah. I'm not sure Democrats can win a gubernatorial race in Georgia right now, but.

[Kevin]

Well, yeah, what is it? KEISHA lance, bottom Last night.

[Mark Halperin]

Last night on yeah, she'll probably be the nominee, I think. Last night on 2A tonight we showed you one of the many tweets from Laura Loomer's interview with the woman who says she dated Thomas Massie. And it was not safe for work and we chose about the safest one we could. Laura Loomer's done this extended interview and, and as far as I know, Massey hasn't really responded and a lot of commentary on, on what it's all about. Kevin, is that story going anywhere or, or I'm the only one still talking about it?

[Kevin]

I think it's not going anywhere, especially Larry. Larry's maybe in right wing circles. I think our influence is kind of waning. But I'm, you know, I'm no expert

[Larry O'Connor]

on the right wing. Hunter Biden on Candace.

[Mark Halperin]

All right, let's move to that. Let's move to that. The interest in this interview, which drops in two days, Candace Owens sitting down with Hunter Biden is widespread. Kevin may not be interested, but Larry and I are. You know who else is interested? Kevin America's leading arbiter of what's interesting. 113, please. You want to know what's interesting? There's only one place to go. Used to be you'd go to maybe Johnny Carson.

[Mike Lawler]

Now there you go.

[Mark Halperin]

Marjorie Taylor Greene, she says about the upcoming interview between Hunter Biden and Candace Owens, which has been taped, but we'll play on Thursday. I'm so interested in this interview. Marjorie Taylor Greene says this is what real journalism looks like along with where the political underground of America is moving. Truly fascinating. Everyone I know is so disgusted with the two party system that's completely failed every single American. I am interested in this interview not just as a spectacle, because it reflects just on the clip they released the confluence between the conspiratorial Left and the conspiratorial right, the suspicious of power. Left and the suspicious of power right. This is one of the most important dynamics in America today.

[Larry O'Connor]

Wait, who's right and who's left in this equation?

[Mark Halperin]

Candace is right and Hunter is left. She is. She is. The fact that these two can find common cause not just in the. In the spectacle of sitting down together, but a lot of what they'll talk about is stuff that on the par. I said conspiratorial. On the paranoid left and the paranoid right, they have common cause against elites, all sorts of things. Again, they're both elites, so that makes it hilarious. But. But, Kevin, there's not a word written about this in any major American newspaper that I read today. And it seems to me that this is. This is a thing. Why is this being buried by you, your friends in the establishment media? This should be covered.

[Kevin]

Yeah, maybe it's a sideshow, you know, and. And to your point, it's the main event. It's not a sideshow main event. We'll see. But again, the clip that was released, you know, he's praising Candace Owens for asking all these questions about Charlie Kirk in terms of, you know, Erica's role in all this and things like that. And it's just. I think it's just disgusting. And, you know, I'm done. I'm done, done. I' clock for defending Biden and his choices, including his son.

[Larry O'Connor]

So I. I was. I wanted to take a shower after seeing the clip, but what I said, all we want to do is talk about Candace and Hunter. I was kind of being sarcastic, really.

[Kevin]

I mean, we'll all watch. We'll all watch it.

[Mark Halperin]

That means

[Larry O'Connor]

both of them to be such odious individuals. And my. My take away from the clip was Hunter Biden saying to Candace Owens, I listen to you. And I go right on. And it's like, okay, that. That's all I need to know between

[Kevin]

the two of them.

[Mark Halperin]

Can we dip into Karl Rove talking about Massey? Carl knows Kentucky really well. Can we dip into that if we can't throw that up? The thing about. The thing about Hunter is I know why Candace did the interview. I'm so curious as to why. Hunter.

[Kevin]

You want to know why?

[Mark Halperin]

Why would Hunter.

[Larry O'Connor]

Why did heighten.

[Mark Halperin]

Hunter. Hunter could be on shows. Why would he be beyond with Candace? Because

[Kevin]

what it's gonna be. It's gonna be a love fest between the two women in the most bizarre way.

[Mark Halperin]

But what does he get out of it? What does Hunter get out of it? So it's his metric of success.

[Larry O'Connor]

You know, I'd be fascinated to see if money was exchanged, to be honest.

[Mark Halperin]

All right, let's listen to Carl

[Rick Jackson]

Al Wright's last name. It's like, okay, he's. He's the not Trump guy. He's the Trump guy, and the other guy's the not Trump guy. But, you know, there is a. There is a risk to this for the President. There are two risks, actually. One is it expense a lot of resources in battle, in battles inside the party that could be spent in the general election. And second of all, you know, there gets to be a point where people say, you know, Mr. President, I don't need to be with you 100% of the time. Look, there were people who voted against the Bush agenda. One of them was an Indiana congressman who voted against the prescription drug benefit. His name was Mike Pence. But we would no more have thought about going after Mike Pence on that than the man in the moon, because you're going to need that vote another day. And we saw this earlier this year. Thom Tillis in the Senate, for example, said, okay, I'm not running for reelection. The President made it clear that if I did, he wasn't going to be for me. So I'm free. And what I'm going to do is give him a heartburn on the issue of the Federal Reserve chairman.

[Mark Halperin]

Okay. Although Kevin Warshnow is, I think, going to be sworn in this week. Can we go to Texas? We'll see. We'll see what happens. So interesting to see. Let me just ask you about Massey,

[Kevin]

and I will say that the narrative is already out there about what now, Bill, we talked about it. What Bill Cassidy is going to do now as a free man. Right to Carl's point. And he can hold up a bunch of stuff in terms of the health validates.

[Larry O'Connor]

What.

[Kevin]

All which you said yesterday. Correct. But yes. Yeah.

[Mark Halperin]

On Morning. On Morning Joe today, they said that the reason the President's going after Massie is because of Epstein. I think he's going after Massey because Massey votes against him, like, all the time.

[Larry O'Connor]

He does more than votes against him. He blocks things.

[Mike Lawler]

Yeah.

[Larry O'Connor]

Exeth made this point yesterday at that questionable political event that he participated in where he said it's one thing to oppose the President on principles and certain issues. It's another thing to actively obstruct the President's agenda. And that's where Massie is now.

[Kevin]

Well, and I think he's. I almost think he's a true. I mean, he's a true conservative, quasi libertarian in all of this. And it is not, you know, you know, his vote isn't calculated with Speaker Johnson's calculation on any vote, whether it be the debt, whether it be spending, whether it be, you know, FISA and surveillance and things like that.

[Larry O'Connor]

Programming note on my nationally syndicated morning radio program tomorrow from 6 to 9, I will have Speaker Mike Johnson on for an exclusive. And I think it will be his first on the record reaction to the messy prime.

[Mark Halperin]

What, what time did they get?

[Larry O'Connor]

I think it's the 8 o' clock hour Eastern.

[Kevin]

All right, well, we'll play Was money Was money Exchanged.

[Mark Halperin]

Candace didn't book that for me. All right, well, Larry, thanks for telling us.

[Larry O'Connor]

And people get hunted by everybody.

[Mark Halperin]

Everybody, congratulations, everybody. Promote it. And we'll have a clip here as well. Quick, we're gonna drop two topics. I want to get to hands because folks have hands up. So raise your hand if you want to get in the conversation. A quick word from a sponsor and then to your questions. Shopify will give you a free trial for $1 a month. What does Shopify do for you? Like so many people around the country, around the world, use it to use their tools to promote whatever it is you got. Small business, medium sized business, new podcast newsletter. Whatever you're doing, if you want to monetize the great work you're doing, start with Shopify. Shopify allows you to get the word out. Millions of businesses around the world use it. 10% of all E commerce in the United States is conducted over Shopify.

[Kevin]

Why is that?

[Mark Halperin]

Because they have hundreds of ready to use templates, AI powered tools, inventory analytics, payments, all under one roof and 24 hour customer service. So if you think it's time to do something different, to put something out there in the world to make sure everybody knows about it, it's time to turn those what ifs into cash money dollars with Shopify. And right now they'll let you try it for a dollar a month. That seems crazy. I don't know. I question their business judgment. $1 a month? Yes. Try Shopify. Go to shopify.com mark and try it out for $1 a month to see if it works for you. All in one platform. For everything you need to do to make a business succeed with 24 hour customer support, go to shopify.com mark in order to turn your big hopes and dreams into what everybody needs. Cash money. Thank you for spending money to this matter. Haley. Good morning, Good day. Welcome in tell folks who don't know where you are and what's on your mind for Larry and for Kevin. And Mike Lawler is not Jewish, just so you know,

[Kevin]

although he's been accused of it. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[Haley]

That's funny that you mentioned that, Mark. Hi, guys.

[Kevin]

Love you.

[Haley]

So I did want to basically talk about, you know, Jewish things, unfortunately, because I feel like now it's kind of evident that things are becoming, you know, both sides type thing with the anti Semitism. And I wanted obviously to bring up the incident with Rand Paul's son and Mike Lawler, how that kind of, you know, was in the news. I also wanted to ask, basically there are a lot of anti Semites running for Congress slash Senate. And I feel like we're in type, this type of environment where we now have people running as Republicans. We have the guy in Florida running as a congressman, Dan or whatever his name is. We have what's going on in Michigan. I feel like we're now in like, you know, we're just openly going to start electing anti Semitic people. Like, obviously, I, I know that the long shot for the guy in Florida to win is very, very low, but the fact that they can even start running for, like, Congress that, like, yeah, we're just now gonna accept that anti Semitism is here to stay and that it's a cool new thing and like, let's run on these anti Semitic platforms and it's just abs. It just makes my blood boil. It makes me sick. And especially someone who is a very, very vocal critic of my own country of Israel. I can't kind of, you know, turn the page and be like. And look at, you know, some of these people running for Congress and say that, no, they're just critical of Israel. It's just not true anymore.

[Mark Halperin]

Thank you for that, Haley. Kevin, thank you for that. Kevin. How is this happening and what's the solution for it?

[Kevin]

Yeah, I don't know why it's happening. And it is this kind of continuous spectrum that we talk about conspiracy theories on the left and right and then uniting people that the. And Haley's right, it's moving beyond just, okay, I don't support an arms package. I don't support economic assistance to the nation of Israel. It is moving into the anti Semitic direction, especially when we see a rise in anti Semitism in terms of attacks, in terms of people being called out. I see it on Twitter all the time because I am a Zionist and I defend the state of Israel. I'm with Haley. I don't agree at all with the current administration, but there's got to be a difference in the administration and your support of the people in the nation. And I think it's a huge problem. And I think one of the solutions is to continue to call it out and to change the incentive structure as to why these candidates are getting elected or running in the first place. And if you change the incentive structure and make it less palatable for these folks to do it, hopefully you'll see a change in some of these people and their success.

[Larry O'Connor]

Larry yeah, listen, we talked about this in the after show yesterday at length, and I think it was a really important conversation. So let me present the opportunity to say that I don't think anybody believes that the two front runners for the Republican nomination, J.D. vance and Marco Rubio, if they come out with a full throated support for the state of Israel and for Israel's right to exist and their condemnation of Hamas, that will negatively affect their ability to get the nomination for president from the Republican Party. You cannot say the same thing about the leading Democrat nominees right now. And I think that's a problem. And it shows that we're different. And for everyone who says, oh, you can be anti Israel without being anti Semitic, let me just explain something. If you oppose Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state, you have to ask yourself why you don't oppose Pakistan's right to exist as a Muslim state. Because both those countries were were approved by the United nations at the exact same time and their borders were defined in the exact same year politically. And both of those nations were were founded for religious freedom and to protect the religious identity of the people in those countries. The difference is it's a lot easier to be a Christian or a Muslim in Israel than it is to be a Christian or a Muslim or a Hindu, excuse me, a Christian, a Jew or a Hindu in Pakistan. And if all of your hatred and vitriol is toward Israel and not toward Pakistan, you have to answer why.

[Mark Halperin]

Haley, thank you. Thank you for being part of the community. Thank you for the question.

[Larry O'Connor]

Thank you.

[Mark Halperin]

Joseph, welcome in. Tell folks who don't know where you are, name of the dog and what's on your mind For Larry, thank you for being here.

[Joe]

Hey guys, I'm Joe from Coral Gables, Florida. Long time. I've been on the show before. Right when you started last year's election. I want to thank you again for this platform. Amazing. What an amazing response to the world gone mad and media gone mad. And this is the perfect platform at the perfect time. So Mark, kudos again.

[Mark Halperin]

Thank you sir, if you'd been more on camera, we'd put you in a promo.

[Joe]

But anyway, well, it's his time now. Him and I, this is our ritual of the morning. So it's really about him right now.

[Mark Halperin]

What's that pup's name?

[Joe]

His name is Brutus. He is a Staffordshire Brutus terrier.

[Kevin]

I love that.

[Joe]

Yeah. And he is a very good boy. He's. He's beautiful. He's kind of ruler of the neighborhood right now.

[Larry O'Connor]

Yeah.

[Joe]

And. Yeah. So a couple quick things.

[Mark Halperin]

Yes, sir.

[Joe]

One, and I'd like to get your perspective on this. Look, our perspective about where we sit in the war seems to me, and, And I understand, Mark, when you. And I'm a lawyer, so I understand giving your opponent its best day.

[Mark Halperin]

Right.

[Joe]

When you're analyzing the argument, you give your opponent its best day in court and you analyze. And I understand that. I think that's very wise to do. But let's. Let's give us ourselves the best day in court. Remember, we have zero problem finding and eliminating the very top, top people, including the leader of the country. That hasn't changed. So at any moment, these people that are. Appear, you know, we claim to be so emboldened about their positions vis a vis us. Remember, we know where they are. They can be eliminated. And between us and Israel, we know that it's proven Right. So it's not exactly. When I hear that they're so emboldened by their position and they feel like they can wait us out, I think there's more pressure on them than that. And I think that they. They truly will feel the. The pressure on their economy, not to mention pressure on their. On their personal safety.

[Mark Halperin]

Yep, understood. So, Joseph, hold on. Hold on, hold on. Joseph, hold on one second. I want to let Kevin and Larry in, but I'll just say you might be right, but the proof's in the pudding. They made another insulting offer. Whatever economic pressure they are, whatever fear they have of being killed, it hasn't had results yet. But you're right, it might eventually. Larry, thoughts on Joseph's first point?

[Larry O'Connor]

I don't disagree with him. I still believe, especially after redistricting, that although there is political pressure on the president right now, it's not as much as the economic pressure on Iran right now. And I think that the time is on our side at the moment.

[Mark Halperin]

Kevin. Kevin?

[Kevin]

Yeah, I agree, Joe. I think again, and we've talked about this before, the problem is this is a tyrannical fundamentalist regime that doesn't react normally to other pressures. That we've seen that work with other world leaders in other countries. Again, that they care so little for their own people and the economics of their own situation right now. They have just this fundamentalist view of themselves. They obviously weren't supposed to come to power in 78, 79, weren't supposed to win a stalemate against Iraq during the 80s. So this has all shaped this regime that doesn't react to normal pressure, whether it be their own physical safety. We know that's the case too. Their. That they think themselves as martyrs. And while they'd like to live, they're perfectly happy being killed as well if it's in service to the regime. So, again, I agree with you. But this is a regime unlike any other that the world has dealt with in recent memory.

[Mark Halperin]

Joseph, before you bring up your next point, I'll just say it's possible also that they've learned how to hide better. It's possible they're not as susceptible to being found by Israel in the United States. I'm not predicting it or saying it's true, but it's possible. Second point, Joseph, if you could quickly.

[Joe]

Yeah. Oh, yeah. And. Well, second point. I. I found. I share your interest in the. Candace.

[Mark Halperin]

Thank you. Thank you, sir.

[Kevin]

Thank you.

[Joe]

I think it's ironic. Is this. Is this what bipartisanship looks like in this age? Yes. Yes, it is a bridge to get people from left and right who might share kind of a. Some common ideas to, I don't know, work together. I mean, what's the. You know, let's give this argument its best day. Mark, what do you think happens if this is somehow successful in terms of putting forth some perspectives that maybe we've never seen in this way before?

[Mark Halperin]

Doesn't help us. How can you love dogs so much and have such a dark heart, Joe? Understand. Yeah, I mean, look, I'm a little. I've got a little bit of a confidence conflict because we are in negotiations with Candace and. And. And Hunter and Hunter to have their own show on two way. You know, I am kidding. It would. It would be called A Match Made in Hell. Joseph. Thank you, sir. Please come back. We love having you on. Grateful to you.

[Kevin]

Thank you, Joe.

[Larry O'Connor]

Coalescing around.

[Kevin]

And thanks to Brutus, too.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah. Don't think Match Made in Hell is a good name for a show, though. Pretty good, yeah.

[Larry O'Connor]

It's a reality show.

[Mark Halperin]

Lance, welcome. Thank you for being here, sir. Love having you on. Tell everybody who doesn't know where you are. Did Lance freeze?

[Kevin]

No, but that's a.

[Larry O'Connor]

He's got a headroom in that shot.

[Kevin]

I just need to unmute.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah. Lance. Lance, can you unmute? Let's see.

[Larry O'Connor]

I think we got a herky jerky wi fi.

[Mark Halperin]

Yeah, I'm sorry, Lance. Let's go to Russ. Russ, welcome in. Thanks for being here. Tell folks who don't know after you unmute where you are what's on your mind.

[Russ]

Hey, Mark. Hey, guys. How you doing today?

[Larry O'Connor]

Welcome.

[Russ]

I'm in Kansas City, recipient of Go Chiefs. Lucky recipient of the redistricting. We, we haven't talked about Donald Trump's 3, 700 trades that.

[Larry O'Connor]

Yeah.

[Russ]

Come out, including 2200 that meet the threshold for insider trading.

[Mark Halperin]

Yes, sir. It's a good topic and we should have talked about it. Tell us what you think about it.

[Russ]

Well, I think it's endemic in his administration, whether it's Sean Duffy doing reality TV or, or all of the other insider trading that's going on. I guess my question is at what point do we start holding them accountable?

[Mark Halperin]

It's a great question. And part of it is, of course, they do so much stuff like this. There's a little bit of people getting nerd to it in the media, maybe not in the widespread public, but. Kevin, thoughts on. On what? If there's a breaking point here for any of this.

[Kevin]

Yeah, Russ, it's a good point. Listen, I, I work with a bunch of Democrats, especially running for the House in.

[Russ]

Oh, and I don't think the Democrats are any. Are any better, don't get me wrong.

[Kevin]

Well, no, what I will say is, you know, in the past, a lot of folks, you know, again, freshmen, you're never going to be Commerce or Appropriations or things like that. But the one committee that so many of these challengers want to be on is oversight. To your very important point, just in terms of the sheer nature of this, and it's not just obviously the stock trading, it's the crypto element. It's the settlement obviously with the IRS that's making a lot of news in terms of this weaponization fund with the president suing the irs. The IRS being an agency under the executive that he runs.

[Russ]

Billion dollar slush fund.

[Kevin]

Exactly. Exactly. Right. So I think there's a real desire for a real genuine oversight. And again, we, the fact that we can't pass a stock trading ban for Congress and you, you point out that there's problems with Democrats too. And there are. But then the, just the sheer magnitude of it that we're just basically getting an understanding of through, through, through the press, let alone actual, actual, genuine Oversight, which is Congress's role in all this, is pretty stunning.

[Mark Halperin]

Larry, if you could, if you could. Larry, I'm sorry, but if you could address restless concerns without any reference to Joe Biden or Barack Obama, I'd appreciate it.

[Larry O'Connor]

Absolutely. In fact, I will reference a prior president, though. First of all, we should point out what the IRS did to President Trump to compel the settlement and to compel the lawsuit because they released him to

[Russ]

pay for him to pay.

[Larry O'Connor]

Force them to pay taxes on his tax returns.

[Mark Halperin]

But, Larry, that's. That this is not the normal remedy for someone being, being. Having their privacy violated that way to create a slush fund.

[Larry O'Connor]

We're not allowed to sue the irs. I mean, no, but you can.

[Mark Halperin]

Bill, let him sue the irs. But, but then win in a court and then creating a sludge fund, I

[Larry O'Connor]

mean, should be calling it a slush fund. That's a majority description, which adds.

[Mark Halperin]

It's the nicest thing I could call

[Larry O'Connor]

the money from the settlement. People would say, oh, he's getting rich from the.

[Mark Halperin]

Larry, Larry, if Barack Obama worked with his Justice Department to create a fund with no accountability, no congressional oversight, to give money to whoever he wanted, avoiding

[Russ]

judicial oversight, the only reason people are

[Larry O'Connor]

going to get that money is because the federal government has violated their rights. And they don't know that.

[Mark Halperin]

You don't know that. There's no oversight.

[Larry O'Connor]

The government should stop violating people's rights.

[Mark Halperin]

They should. They absolutely. They absolutely should. But there's no such thing normal as a remedy where the President works with his, the Justice Department, he controls to use my tax dollars to create a slush fund to give whoever he wants with no oversight.

[Larry O'Connor]

There's no such thing of it being a slush fund. Number one, take out. Let's go back to the original question, which is the President trading and, and benefiting. There is no law against that. You may not like that, I may not like that, but there isn't a law against it. And I will reference a past president. This is actually kind of fascinating. Remember the Whiskey Rebellion? Well, you don't remember it, but you probably remember hearing about the Whiskey Rebellion, where American citizens rose up against the federal government because a tax on producing whiskey was employed, and it was a flat tax. Whether you were a giant conglomerate whiskey producer or whether you were a guy just making some whiskey in your barn, you all had to pay the same tax, and the American people hated that. And the President at the time, George Washington, actually utilized our military to stamp down the Whiskey Rebellion.

[Russ]

Hold on.

[Larry O'Connor]

And who was the number one producer of whiskey in America at that time.

[Russ]

President George Washington and I appreciate 250 year old historical accounts, but what we're talking about is he's hollowed out the, the regulator, right? He's, he's obviously doing insider trading. I mean, 2200 out of 3, 700 cases where he made a trade. He either talked it up prior to an announcement or made an announcement after his trade.

[Mark Halperin]

Larry. Even if he, even if, Larry, the president had nothing to do with it, the people doing his trades did a disservice to the president and to the country by trading on stocks where the president's feeling favorably about him.

[Larry O'Connor]

You may be right, but as long as Nancy Pelosi is revered as some sort of icon of the party, you

[Mark Halperin]

can't defend I just say you cannot defend Donald Trump by citing Democrats.

[Larry O'Connor]

No, but you cannot employ a double standard in a not one.

[Mark Halperin]

I'm not, I'm the other.

[Larry O'Connor]

I'm not legal from this side. It is not available for the other side. If you want to make it illegal legal across the board, let's talk about that and let's pass that law.

[Russ]

It's not about, it is illegal across the board. It's not about insider trading.

[Larry O'Connor]

Then he should be.

[Mark Halperin]

I'm critical, Larry. I'm critical of both. I'm critical of both. I've been critical of Nancy Pelosi's blocking changes, about accountability for members of Congress trading stocks and about the way her portfolio has been managed. But I'm also critical of the president's and I'm really critical of what I won't call it slush fund. But you, as someone who's a guardian of my tax dollars, should be deeply concerned that a president of either party creates a giant billion dollar fund with no accountability.

[Larry O'Connor]

And we should also be deeply concerned about the power that the government has used to inflict pain on American citizens. Concerned about that we should certain about that too. Concerned about president, totally concerned about those things.

[Mark Halperin]

For that there hasn't been for that there hasn't been in the media's fallen down on that. But all I'm saying is you cannot say that just because that happened that therefore the president can create an unaccountable

[Larry O'Connor]

fund is that I'm going to we cannot pick and choose who we're going to be outraged about.

[Kevin]

And if you, if you're interested and if you're interested in this, in this conversation continuing, join Mark on serious

[Mark Halperin]

I just have to say before I go, Larry, I'm not picking and choosing. I'm condemning both Both, you're not condemning both, you're just condemning the Democrats by changing the subject.

[Larry O'Connor]

That's not true.

[Mark Halperin]

I'm just giving the president, the president for the slush fund.

[Larry O'Connor]

Goodbye, Mark.

[Kevin]

We'll see you on SiriusXM. Russ. Larry, thank you very much.

[Russ]

All I gotta say is, Larry, if, if you want to hold the Democrats and the Republicans accountable, then you have to have oversight hollowing out. What Doge did to the insider trading cops, so to speak, prevents that. Right?

[Larry O'Connor]

Russ, we have an entire media conglomerate that does nothing but hammer the president on issues like this and things like this. I am one guy who was just saying why are we only doing this and looking over here when we've got all of this other garbage going on and all of these other things that have happened, number one and number two, we should not lose sight of what has happened to innocent Americans, citizens, not just the President of the United States. That, that so called slush fund is going to give reparations to people who have had their rights violated by the infringement of the federal government and they have no recourse.

[Russ]

They have without judicial review.

[Larry O'Connor]

Russ, Russ, how many. You remember when the George Floyd riots burned down Lafayette Square park in front of the White House and the president had to go into a bunker and the St. John's Church was burned down to a crisp on the inside? How many people got arrested for that insurrection that lasted three days in front of the White House? Russ, how many got charged? Do you know?

[Russ]

No idea. No idea.

[Larry O'Connor]

One person got charged with a crime.

[Russ]

Now, now what does that have to do, what does that, what it has

[Larry O'Connor]

to do with is look at what happened on January 6. People who were arrested for walking through a door in the Capitol building that was held open by a Capitol police officer. Their lives were ruined and that so called slush fund is going to give them some restoration. So until we start employing the law equally in this country, regardless of political affiliation and regardless of political identity and ideology, we are going to have this situation.

[Russ]

I appreciate the conflation of J6 with insider trading.

[Larry O'Connor]

No, I'm two different things. No, this is the money.

[Russ]

Two different things.

[Larry O'Connor]

Well, all right, fine, Russ, we'll have to agree to disagree. If you are being so obtuse. You don't see the point that I'm making.

[Russ]

Oh no, I see the. I see the point that you're making.

[Larry O'Connor]

I'm not making.

[Russ]

I agree. I agree that broken windows is the right way to treat insider trading right. Just like it is. Just like it is

[Larry O'Connor]

to be a part of the morning meeting conversation to condemn what Nancy Pelosi has done for 30 years in Congress on insider trading.

[Russ]

I didn't feel the need because it was being talked about.

[Larry O'Connor]

Okay.

[Kevin]

All right, Russ, thank you so much. Obviously, we will continue this conversation.

[Russ]

See you guys.

[Kevin]

I think Larry's in his arguments are mostly obtuse about all this, but we will continue on for a new episode next. Just as he's leaving the drops today, two great Americans are joining, Cabot Phillips of the Daily wire and Rob O', Neill, author and former US Navy Seal. So tune into that conversation again, dropping tonight two way. Tonight is live at 5pm Obviously, more information likely out of the Kentucky race and some other races that Mark will cover tonight with his guests. And we will see you tomorrow.

[Larry O'Connor]

And I am all fired up for my noon show.

[Joe]

So let's.

[Kevin]

Yes, you are. Heaven help us. There you go.

[Larry O'Connor]

Back tomorrow if Kevin will.

[Kevin]

I'm on team Team Russ taking on corruption, but you know, and fighting the man that is Larry o' Connor side

[Larry O'Connor]

of taking on all corruption.

[Kevin]

All right. Thanks, everybody. Have a great.