Trump Slams Iran as "Dishonorable" for Blocking Oil Shipments as Talks Are Set to Begin in Pakistan

Summary

The Morning Meeting – April 10, 2026

Trump Slams Iran as "Dishonorable" for Blocking Oil Shipments as Talks Are Set to Begin in Pakistan

Host: Mark Halperin
Guests/Co-Hosts: Kevin Walling, Larry O’Connor, plus audience callers
Podcast: The Morning Meeting on 2WAY
Date: April 10, 2026

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Overview

This episode provides a real-time insider’s look at the media and political conversations shaping America’s understanding of another fast-moving international crisis: U.S.-Iran tensions over oil shipments and nuclear negotiations as historic talks, hosted in Pakistan, are set to begin. Host Mark Halperin and a rotating panel discuss strategic stakes, political narratives, and the broader implications of these negotiations, while also touching on domestic politics, global alliances, media coverage, and the shifting landscape ahead of the 2028 election.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. News Rundown & Setting the Stage (00:00–03:07)

• Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg Event
  Mark Halperin opens on site at the National Action Network, awaiting a high-profile conversation between Harris, Buttigieg, and Rev. Al Sharpton in NYC.

• US & Iran Talks in Pakistan
  Vice President departs for Pakistan, with hopes for constructive negotiations over oil shipment blockades and nuclear material.

  “As the president of the United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they're going to try to play us, then... not that receptive.” (VP remarks, 02:39)

• Current Events
  Inflation numbers surge (CPI at 3.3%); oil prices drop. Congressional leaders discuss legislative finesse; Artemis space crew to return.

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2. Washington's Goals vs. Iran’s Demands (04:23–06:07)

• Ceasefire Protocols and Trust Issues
  Discussion of improved adherence to ceasefire, but skepticism reigns over Iran’s intentions.
• US Demands:
  • Open the Strait
  • Turn over all nuclear material
  • Discuss oil money or sanctions
• Iran's Needs:
  • Sanctions relief to stabilize their fragile economy

  “They're not even paying a lot of their soldiers. They're probably flying coach to Islamabad to get there... Their economy, their currency is in shambles.” (Kevin, 05:26)

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3. Negotiating the Nuclear Issue (07:56–10:46)

• Is There Room for Compromise?
  Debate on whether the U.S. can accept less than total disarmament.

  “Can the president accept not disarming Iran’s nuclear program? Or is that a splittable baby?” (Mark, 07:56) “I think it's a splittable baby. The rhetoric is hedging a bit.” (Kevin, 08:24)

• Uranium Enrichment and Diplomatic Hedging
  Trump admin’s business-like appeal: “Pursuing nuclear enrichment has harmed you. It has been a loser strategy; now we can help you all make money.” (Larry, 09:16)

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4. Preconditions, Strait of Hormuz, and Meeting Dynamics (11:04–12:46)

• Security, Schedules, and the Blocked Strait
  Uncertainty about the start of talks and whether oil traffic will resume as a condition.

  “The strait sees 140, 150 boats every day. We're at seven or nine yesterday. That should have been a precondition.” (Kevin, 12:06)

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5. Media Narratives on Israel, Lebanon, and Iran (12:49–17:37)

• Coverage of Israel & Hezbollah
  Mark queries why U.S. media frame Israeli actions as ‘genocide’ rather than retaliation.

  “Why does the American media just cover this as genocide by the Israelis? Why don’t the stories say terrorists are trying to kill Israelis and so the Israelis are fighting back?” (Mark, 13:12)

• Prospects for Israel-Lebanon Talks
  Potentially historic, could distance Lebanon from Hezbollah—a rare hope in regional diplomacy.
  • Bibi Netanyahu’s objectives: regime change in Tehran more than just a nuclear deal.

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6. The Role of China and Pakistan as Host (19:01–19:36)

• Geopolitical Undercurrents
  Pakistan’s selection as venue is linked to China’s strategic interests and a recent Xi-Trump call.

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7. Broader Strategic Implications: Russia-Ukraine, Petrodollar, U.S. Debt (19:36–34:30; 53:56–59:40)

• Russia-Ukraine
  Ukraine’s growing leverage via drone/missile capability; Putin’s calls for energy ceasefires reflect real pain.
• Petrodollar and China
  Audience caller Steve links the Iran operation to U.S. interests guarding the Treasury-dollar oil order.

  “This is really... about China, to protect the petrodollar. It’s a Treasury dollar oil play... All we have to do is really disrupt [Iran] and wreck it.” (Steve, 53:56, 58:50)

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8. Domestic Political Spin & Media Maneuvering (24:51–34:45)

• Buttigieg’s Contentious TV Interview
  Notable for its heat and for Buttigieg’s combative tone—seen as a “fighter” by Democratic base.

  “He’s gone from relatable as everybody’s favorite gay nephew to being a bit of a smartass... trying to own the cons.” (Larry, 26:58)

• Kamala Harris’s Positioning
  Will today’s event show her as a forward-looking leader, or a lame-duck? Signs point towards her prepping for a 2028 run.

• On Populist Rhetoric
  Social media, polarization, and a tweet predicting only more “vulgar populism, blatant handouts, and incoherent conspiracies.”

  “Trump will never be off the stage... Strange bedfellows in coalition building, alignment and realignment.” (Kevin, 32:50)

• 2028 Candidates Who Rise Above Populism
  Names like Josh Shapiro (D), Marco Rubio (R), and J.D. Vance discussed for their tone and approach.

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9. Winners and Losers of the Week (34:52–41:10)

Winners:

• Ben Sasse (R-NE)
  For public grace in facing terminal cancer.

  “He’s using the last moments of his life to do some really, really good. That’s my winner of the week.” (Larry, 34:52, 35:14)

• Mark Rutte (NATO Sec. Gen.)
  For steadying the alliance despite Trump’s pressure.

• Unexpected:
  Nutella—for organic product placement on Artemis I.

Losers:

• Abigail Spanberger (VA Gov.)
  From media darling to one of the most unpopular U.S. governors.

• Wisconsin Republicans
  Crushed in a statewide Supreme Court race, indicating electoral peril.

• Chad Bianco (CA GOP)
  Likely knocked out of gubernatorial contention after Trump backs Steve Hilton.

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10. Audience Q&A Highlights (43:31–59:34)

Education (43:31–47:41)

• Caller Jennifer (NY teacher):
  Raises concerns about lack of discipline and impact of restorative justice policies. Discussion on local vs. federal control, teacher pay, and promising reforms (e.g., Arkansas).

  “We're losing so many teachers. They aren't being paid what they should be paid... The closer to the actual students, the better the governance.” (Kevin, 45:14)

Healthcare Costs (49:01–53:19)

• Caller Doug (Ohio):
  Outrage at medical device price gouging and the lack of Congressional action.

  “The ACA is seen as the scheme for insurance companies to get rich... Republicans need to get their crap together and help fix this problem.” (Larry, 51:56)

Petrodollar & Global Strategy (53:56–59:34)

• Caller Steve (Charleston, SC, by way of Canada): Connects U.S. moves in Iran, Venezuela, and elsewhere to long-game strategy to shore up the dollar and American energy dominance.

  “America first is now about protecting the dollar... all we have to do is disrupt Iran, disrupt Chinese infrastructure... The play’s the dollar.” (Steve, 53:56, 59:22)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Policy Negotiations:

  “If the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they're going to try to play us, then the negotiating team is not that receptive.” (VP remarks, 02:39)

• On Media Coverage of Israel:

  “If they hate Israel that much, they should lose their licenses to practice journalism.” (Mark, 13:31)

• On U.S. Political Future:

  “The structural incentives in American politics only point in one direction—down. Expect only more vulgar populism, blatant handouts, incoherent conspiracies from both sides.” (Read at 31:41)

• On Healthcare Inertia:

  “Congress really isn't ... we haven't seen a lot of action when it comes to health care reform and stabilization... It really needs to be Congress.” (Kevin, 51:56)

• On U.S.-Iran Talks Stakes:

  “Open up the effing straight. That’s the deal.” (President, quoted by Mark, 11:06)

• Poignant Moment:

  “‘Do you think you're ready to die?’... ‘I have confidence that... we get to approach the divine and call him Daddy, Abba, Father, that's pretty glorious.’” (Ben Sasse, 35:14)

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• Introduction & Context: 00:00–03:07
• What Both Sides Want in Negotiations: 04:23–06:07
• Nuclear Negotiation Prospects: 07:56–10:46
• Oil Strait Precondition Debate: 11:04–12:46
• Israel/Lebanon & Media Narratives: 12:49–17:37
• China’s Role in Talks: 19:01–19:36
• Russia-Ukraine Update: 19:36–20:59
• Buttigieg’s Fiery Interview: 24:51–27:56
• Social Media & Populist Trends: 31:41–34:30
• Winners & Losers: 34:52–41:10
• Audience Q&A: 43:31–59:34

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Recurring Themes

• Skepticism About Diplomatic Progress (Strait of Hormuz, Iranian motives).
• Erosion of Institutional Trust (Media, Congress, international actors).
• Blurring of Domestic & Foreign Policy (Petrodollar, realignment, 2028 election context).
• Desire for Political Leaders with Higher Ground (Discussion of future aspirants who can rise above “lowest common denominator” politics).

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Conclusion

This episode offers a layered, forward-looking snapshot of U.S. political, diplomatic, and media narratives as America faces critical tests abroad and systemic frustration at home. With high-level talks about Iran and nuclear nonproliferation linked to broader anxieties about the economy, competing superpowers, and the future of political leadership, “The Morning Meeting” frames the coming days as pivotal for both immediate crises and the larger American experiment.

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For further insights and live coverage, tune in to “Two Way Tonight” and follow along for updates on the developing negotiations in Islamabad and their ramifications for the U.S. and the world.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign.

[B]

Welcome to the morning meeting, ladies and gentlemen, as we say, Brett Musberg would say you're looking live at the National Action Network. I'm here this morning in midtown Manhattan. The reason I'm here is I have a policy. If someone who might someday be elected president, United States is doing a public event open to the media within two miles of my home, I am obligated to go. Later this morning, Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg will be sitting down and fireside chat style with Reverend A.S. sharpton on the stage right behind me. And that's why I'm here. And joined by Kevin Walling, Larry o', Connor. Gentlemen, good morning. Welcome in.

[A]

Good morning. Who goes, who goes first? Is the the vice president first?

[B]

Harris is first and she's listed on the schedule still as a special guest. So but, but it's her. Anyway, within the last few minutes, as they say type of things in the media, the vice president has departed for from Andrews Air Force, Andrew's Joint Base Andrews for Pakistan made some remarks. We'll listen to those. The surging inflation numbers came out, although if you take out energy and, and food, it's not so bad. But inflation's up and Pete just did an extraordinarily contentious interview on Squawk Box with the great cast of the of the morning of the Squawk. Anyway, Joe Kernan, thank you. Anyway, I'll run through the daybook, we'll talk about the news and then we'd love your questions and comments. If you're here in the platform to get in on the conversation, feel free to raise your hand and and we'll get to you before too long.

[A]

We've had we've had some new folks this week and we should continue that trend. Welcome for more voices.

[B]

All right. The president today has once again no public events on his schedule until he leaves this evening for Virginia. Right now, executive time at 8am 2:30 policy meeting, closed press. 3:30 policy meeting, close press. Then he departs an open press departure. Perhaps he'll talk to him at 3:30, 6:30, participates in a Maga Inc. Meeting in Charlottesville and then a roundtable dinner in Charlottesville. I don't, I don't remember many presidents doing big fundraisers in Charlottesville. I wonder what that's about. And then he goes from Charlottesville back to the White House where he arrives open press. So he could talk late at night, I suppose. Then tomorrow he's in Washington until he goes to Florida. Tomorrow night he's attending the ufc. UFC fight in Miami. And Then back to Washington on Sunday. The vice president, as we said, just departed. Here's the vice president at Andrews making remarks about his trip.

[C]

We're looking forward to the negotiation. I think it's going to be positive. We'll of course, see. As the president of the United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we're certainly willing to extend the open hand. If they're going to try to play us, then they're going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive. So we're going to try to have a positive negotiation. The president has gave us some pretty clear guidelines and we're going to see. So I hope you guys have a safe flight. We'll certainly take some questions later on, but for now, let's get on the plane and hit the road.

[B]

Thank you all. Some questions later on. I don't know when we'll see those because they can't feed video off of the plane. So who knows when we'll find out what the vice president said. Dow futures are up. Oil's down. Consumer price index for March, it was expected to surge and it did. It's up almost a full percentage point to 3.3%. But again, energy was obviously a big part of that. Congress remains out, although a couple of congressional leaders, Lindsey Graham and I think John Barrasso is that the other one, are going to the White House today to meet with officials there to talk about how they're going to finesse their legislative agenda in the rest of the year. The Artemis space crew returns tonight, scheduled a little before seven, as I said here today in just about an hour and a half. Kamala Harris and Pete Buttigieg and other Jim Kliber and I ran into him in the lobby here. They'll be speaking here and. Well, that's about it, guys. Let's talk about the talks. I like that talk about the talks. I heard on CNBC this morning that they don't expect this to go more than a day and a half. And I still think, as the vice president suggested, if the Iranians don't show up ready to have a serious conversation, I think the Americans could walk out. So, Larry, how are you thinking about these talks? What's on the agenda? What could be accomplished?

[D]

I'm a little. Well, yesterday I didn't think that happened. But there does seem to be a little bit more serious adherence to the ceasefire protocols over the last 12 hours. So that's a good sign. But what do I think will happen? I think if Iran steps in with their pretend 10 points that they think are gonna be the basis of the negotiations, then I think it's over before it begins. But if there is a serious discussion about what needs to happen to end this and resolve this, then I'll try to stay optimistic. But the problem, Mark, is that how do you trust who you're dealing with? That's the biggest problem is the trust issue. There's a whole lot of deception on the other side of the table.

[B]

Kevin, let me ask you this. We know what the president wants. The main package he wants is open the strait, turn over all the nuclear material without a scuffle, and then the heavy jumbo would be give us some oil money, right? We know what the president wants. What do the Iranians want? Like in terms of like a realistic thing, you know, not fully control the strait, but like to the extent there's any good faith on the Iranian side. What do they want?

[A]

They, they want and they need sanctions relief, plain and simple. Again, we talked about this yesterday in that, that Reuters piece and there's even more reporting too, Just, you know, John Ellis had a piece out this morning just about the fragile nature of the regime. They're not even paying a lot of their soldiers. You know, they're probably flying coach to Islamabad to get there. So they have some real serious issues when it comes to their economy, where their dollar is in terms of their currency. So I think number one on their agenda is some level of stabilization when it comes to their economy being the first consideration I think in anything that they're going to try and do in Islamabad.

[B]

All right, let me get a quick word in and then we're going to go back to talking about Pakistan. Speaking of which, four out of five vice presidents recommend the bubble cuddle blanket over other blanket possibilities.

[A]

We're still trying to get Dan Quayle on board.

[B]

He's the whole. That's on long flights. On long flights. On long flights. In Air Force Two, if you're looking for a little warmth, I recommend the bubble cuddle blanket from Cozy Earth. And even vice presidents are eligible for a 20% off discount. Go to cozyearth.com use the promo code morning for 20% off. And if you're looking for Mom's day gifts, ladies and gentlemen, this is your opportunity to buy a bubble cuddle blanket. Some, some slippers, maybe a bathroom or two. For the moms in your life. Go to cozierth.com make sure all the moms in your life get something they love. And I, I'll tell you anything you buy from Cozy Earth, they're going to love. Creates comfort, makes a house feel like a home. Go to cozy earth.com right now. Use the promo code morning for 20% off. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

[E]

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[B]

Okay, guys, want to ask you about, about the. Sorry, look at the wrong document. Give me a moment.

[D]

I'm a little thrown by thinking of Kamala Harris wrapped up in a bubble called a blanket.

[A]

Yeah, it's not Kamala. It's Doug. It's Doug wrapped up in that blanket. He knows. He knows what?

[B]

Let's talk about, let's talk about the nuclear because something's going to be worked out on this, Drake, because the Chinese need it to be worked out. So eventually there'll be a straight solution. May not happen quickly, but there'll be a straight solution. The nukes thing, though, can the president accept, Kevin, anything short of full possession, whether it's in the United States possession, or we send it to Guatemala, I don't know. Can the president accept not disarming Iran's nuclear program? Or is that a splittable baby? Somehow?

[A]

I think it's a splittable baby. And you see the rhetoric, the interesting rhetoric both from the president and the vice president when it came to enriching uranium and the fact that they're almost kind of hedging their bets on that, just knowing how difficult it is to get to that material. So again, that was the first cause for all this operation. It's obviously why they struck Midnight Hammer just a few months ago. The main focus, it's got the best polling when it comes to. When Americans are asked why we should go into Iran in the first place. But again, it is interesting to see in these last couple of days and hours even a little bit of hedging from the administration on this. I think it's a non starter. I think it's, if they, you know, to your point, Mark, if they say this is, you know, we're not interested in talking about this, JD should just walk out of that room because again, that's, that's the key critical component here in terms of, of future relations with the the regime.

[D]

I couldn't agree more, Larry, 100%. I, I, I agree. I, I, the, the thing that is interesting to me, if you look at the President's remarks last week, is that he did mention, you know, listen, clearly they don't want to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes because they're not doing, you know, we offered to provide them that, a part of that, and they refused it. So maybe that's the, the wiggle room or the out that Iran can use to save face, that, okay, we're going to continue our nuclear program. We always said it was peaceful, and they continue and utilize peaceful nuclear power technology that we can help facilitate. The, the compelling argument I think that the Trump team is going to make, which they've made in a lot of their negotiations, is from a business perspective, this has harmed you. Pursuing nuclear enrichment has harmed you. It has made you a pariah. Put it aside. It's been a loser strategy and now we can help you all make money.

[A]

We've killed all of your scientists. You know, it's not a budding industry in your country anymore.

[D]

The biggest problem for me observing this and for a lot of people who, you know, are in support of this action is that a lot of the Iranians we've been dealing with up until this point don't think in those terms. They aren't rational actors. They don't think, think in rational ways that the President, they're zealots, they're theocratic, they're fundamentalists.

[A]

I mean, they are. Exactly.

[D]

The question is, have you drilled down to the level of leadership now where they're not quite as nuts?

[B]

How much faster does Air Force Two fly than a commercial jet? Anybody know?

[A]

I think it flies higher. So it goes faster than, in terms of the time difference, they're at like 50,000ft usually.

[B]

Do you know how long a commercial flight is from DC to Islamabad? 19 hours, I would guess.

[D]

19 hours. Around 15. Wow.

[B]

Now, interestingly, the Vice President's office has not put out a schedule. Ari Fleischer tweeted this morning, there's great deal of concern for the security. Pakistan's not the safest place. Who knows what the Iranians will do in the room, Right? So it's a little weird, but the meeting can't start for a while. Even if Air Force Two is twice as fast, we're not looking at meetings till tomorrow. So we'll see what happens with the strait today. The President has truth social said, open up the effing straight. That's the deal. If the strait is not open tomorrow when the talks are supposed to start. Will and should. Two separate questions. The vice president agree to meet. Larry?

[D]

No, neither.

[B]

Neither will. Nor should he should. But will he?

[D]

Unknown. I think after that trip, he might just feel ugly. But he shouldn't. I would hope he does.

[B]

Kevin. The street's not going to be open. They have no incentive to open the street. They just give a bunch of bullshit. We're going to open the straight. So will the vice president walk out of the room and let the straits open to the security?

[A]

I think they'll. Again, he's flying there. I think what will happen, There'll be behind the scenes conversations. It might not be the formal. We might not see a handshake or even if we get that, or them sitting across the table from one another, but, you know, the delegation doesn't fly there without some level of engagement. But again, I think this should have been a precondition. The fact that, you know, normally the strait sees 140, 150 boats every day, and we're at seven or nine yesterday, you know, and it's unclear, you know, if. If those tankers are paying tolls to the regime to get through. And there's just a lot of uncertainty about that question. That should have been a precondition before we even flew there for that to be wide open.

[B]

Well, it should be, but it's not, apparently. I mean.

[D]

Yeah.

[B]

Okay, let's talk about Bibi. And I want to start with the media question. Hezbollah has fired like 70,000 rockets at Israel, and I know Israel's responding, but why does the American media just cover this as genocide by the Israelis? Why don't the stories say terrorists are trying to kill Israelis and so the Israelis are fighting back? It's a serious question. I read all the coverage.

[D]

You're asking the wrong guys.

[B]

But what is it about the reporters? Do they. And then editors, do they hate Israel? Do they not know the facts? I'm asking a serious question. As someone who's worked in the media for a few years, I don't get it. Why.

[D]

I don't either. Political bias is the only thing I can think of.

[B]

Yeah, but I mean, if they hate Israel, if they hate Israel that much, they should lose their licenses to practice journalism. It's kind of crazy. Anyway, there's supposedly talks next week in D.C. and a lot of Israeli commentators are saying, hey, this could be a very Jared Kushner thing of. Take a moment of the opportunity. This can force a settlement not between Hezbollah and Israel, but between the Lebanese, between Beirut And Jerusalem. So here's the headline from the Times of Israel. Israel says peace talks with Lebanon to be in a asap, rejects calls for truce for it. So presumably we're going to see continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon. Last I looked, they were still happening the talk peace talks don't start till next week. But Kevin, will the, sorry, will the Iranians walk out if Israel's still attacking?

[A]

No, I don't think so. I think that, you know, they're trying to they're coming from a maximalist position and they're trying to sneak one in. In terms of the situation with Hezbollah and Lebanon. I'm hopeful for the conversations next week. This is the first time we've really actually seen, you know, conversations on this level between Israel and Lebanon. The most hopeful outcome is Lebanon distances themselves from Hezbollah and turns over some of those guys. It's not good for it's not good for Lebanon that Hezbollah is operating and their capital is constantly under bombardment because of the terrorists that that Israel is taking out. And let's also not forget, they've been in a de facto state of war, Lebanon and Israel, going back to 1948. So maybe one of the positive things to come out of this is this level of discussion, and hopefully folks in Beirut have just come, come to their senses and said this is not good for our country that we harbor these terrorists that, mark to your point, continue to fire missiles. They've got tens of thousands still. I mean, that's the big fear for Israel is that northern border. And I think, potentially, to your question earlier, obviously all the focus was on October 7th and Gaza and the fact that the northern border has just been simmering for decades. Right. And there's been Israel's gone in multiple times with ground forces. They continue to sustain rocket attacks nearly every day. We're seeing that go on continually. I think there's also laziness within the media that say, you know, this isn't this is something that's been ongoing. This doesn't have the eyeball factor as it did with Gaza and the situation there. Maybe there's only one explanation.

[D]

LARRY well, and gentlemen, please do correct me if I'm wrong, but the Hezbollah is not as ingrained in the Lebanese government as these terrorist organizations are in, like in Gaza, for instance, where Hamas literally was the governing body in Gaza after elections. I think the thought process from people that I know that watch these things pretty deeply is that the the overriding sentiment of politicians in Lebanon is that they fear Hezbollah just as much. The only reason that they've harbored them is because they're afraid of domestic terror attacks there. Israel could be helping them by, by getting rid of Hezbollah. And the attacks from Israel are not on Lebanon. The attacks are on Hezbollah. And there is a distinction there.

[B]

Larry, what do you think? Larry, well said. What do you think BB hopes happens in the talks in Islamabad? What's Bibi's hope for outcome?

[D]

I think he hopes to convince the governing bodies of Lebanon and the people that he's.

[A]

No, no, no.

[B]

I'm talking about, I'm talking about the

[D]

U.S. i'm talking about the U.S. i apologize. Yeah, listen, I think Bibi's always been about regime change. He, he wants these people gone. And, but does he, but does he

[B]

want the Iranians to be recalcitrant and for, and for, for the Vice president to storm out? Is that his preferred outcome?

[D]

I, I, I, I think that's a cynical view here. I don't know if, if Bibi is rooting for more war, I think that I would give him the benefit of the doubt that if we can reach a negotiated settlement that meets Israel's needs, then he would be happy with that.

[B]

I don't think it's cynical. I think it's just a practical reality that the Israelis don't feel this thing's done. He said as much. He said the war is not over. Gavin, what do you think Bibi is hoping the outcome is in Islamabad?

[A]

I do think, you know, that we continue to get a pound of flesh from the regime in Tehran and that this likely continues. And again, I think to Larry's point, Bibi's interested in regime change. Not just the nukes, not just the missile program, not just the Revolutionary Guard. These are all positions that the current regime is not interested in whatsoever. These are non starters, just like the plan that Tehran put out in terms of their positions of no American forces in the region, sanctions relief and funding refunding of destroyed property in the country. I think Bibi certainly, and I think too the interesting thing is we've left, according to the reporting, Bibi out in the dark on a lot of this stuff. The original outreach. The facts that these conversations are happening, you know, I think is a level of frustration, certainly for the, for Jerusalem.

[D]

We all agree that he wants regime change. Do you really believe that he would prefer it through violence versus through some

[B]

sort of negotiated deal? I don't think he thinks there is a negotiation for regime change. He thinks they're all a bunch of crazy fanatics. So if he wants regime change, it's the only way he's going to get it. You guys want to talk about Pakistan and how radical they are and why they're posting talks are too boring.

[D]

Well, I mean, it's certainly a subtext here, isn't it?

[B]

Yeah, the President likes the Pakistani army Secretary, he likes the Prime Minister. But this is a weird host country, isn't it?

[A]

Weird host country. And Mark, you kind of teased it a little bit too, the role of China in all of this. The fact that Xi Jinping and the President had a phone conversation and then the next day, this kind of joint offer between the CCP and the Pakistanis to host this or to put this on, I think is an unspoken, unexamined element of this whole story.

[B]

Let's talk about Russia, Ukraine, before the Iran war started by sources and other people reporting this, they were pretty close to a deal. And now the Ukrainians today say, yeah, we actually could get a deal. Nobody I know thinks it's going to happen before the war ends. But Kevin, what's your sense of the contours of an agreement between Russia and Ukraine and how quickly it could happen after this ends?

[A]

I think the interesting change that we've seen is a little bit of a change in the posture of Putin. I mean, he's been the stumbling block for all of this. The Ukrainians have been more than willing to compromise on a lot of things, including territorial integrity, which is something, in my estimation, that's beyond the pale. But the fact that you have Putin out there saying let's have a ceasefire on targeting energy facilities, to me says that Ukraine has brilliantly taken the upper hand in all this with their ability, with their drones and missile program, to really bring pain back to the motherland in Russia and bring Putin to his knees to some degree. The fact that they've degraded so much of their oil exporting capabilities, the only way that Putin's able to prop up his corrupt regime is through oil speaks volumes to me. That he's willing to say, let's have this ceasefire, please stop attacking me while he's still targeting innocent women and children on the streets of Ukraine is an interesting change that we've seen in the last couple of hours and days.

[D]

Larry, my handsome democrat friend is absolutely right there. It is a remarkable untold story.

[A]

I praise to your producer. You got to put us in. You got to put us in touch. For those that weren't on the pre

[D]

show, it's at a time when oil prices are soaring. So this is a time when Putin can actually be replenishing his coffers and actually retaining money. And don't think, you know, listen, as, as, as powerful a strong man as Putin is, he's still got to answer to the oligarchs. They're stay. He's. He's still got a constituency. It's a very small one. But people, these Russian oligarchs want to make some money right now and.

[A]

Very powerful constituency.

[D]

Yeah. So it's a pretty big. The question is, Mark, and maybe you know, that, I'm sure you know this, who's, like, representing the US in these talks? Are we out of it? Because obviously we're all focused with, with the Iranian discussions. Do we have.

[B]

Wycoff is still there. Wikoff is still there.

[D]

Virtually unbelievable.

[A]

Interesting.

[B]

Yes. And Jerry. Larry, why did Melania Trump come out and talk about Epstein for six minutes yesterday?

[D]

The timing was interesting. I found it fascinating, and it was a really, really impressive presentation. I don't have any inside knowledge here. It looked like she had heard enough and she had stayed silent long enough. She was very passionate about the idea

[B]

that

[D]

Epstein had something to do with her first introduction to Donald Trump and some of the really disgusting things that had been said about her being sex trafficked by Epstein and such. But it could have also been timing with regard to Pam Bondi saying that she didn't want to testify. And they try to work out the timing there with, with what that showdown is going to look like, but I don't have any more insight into it than that.

[B]

Kevin, what objectives? I do. Kevin, what objectives do you think she achieved yesterday?

[A]

You know, again, we don't often hear from the first lady, certainly. So when she speaks out, I think it makes a great deal of news. I'm with Larry. I thought it was a very powerful statement, especially for her support of the victims and calling for open hearings and testimony from them and having their day in the public square certainly was, you know, took the White House pool by surprise. They teased the announcement the night before. And the president, you know, has spoken to a few reporters where he said, I didn't realize, you know, she was really going to do that. Which was an interesting element, too.

[B]

It's all hocus pocus. If, if the president says that everything thinks a hoax and everybody should move on, why is it calling for hearings?

[D]

No, because, no, what she specifically said was, basically, if I can, you know, sort of summarize it, enough with the innuendo, enough with the political attacks, enough with using this as a weapon. These victims deserve to be heard.

[B]

So let's bring the Victims in and

[D]

have them tell their story under oath.

[B]

Her husband has. Her husband, you mean because she thinks they may not be willing to testify under it. Her husband has a gambit her has. Her husband hasn't met with the victims, the alleged victims. Her husband's former attorney general wouldn't turn around and look at them. All right, we'll come back to that.

[D]

You've got grandstanding congressmen who do press conferences with the victims and speak on their behalf. What she, she is basically, it's a, it's a, either it's a game of bluff or she is very confident that a lot of this is politicized. And if the victims, the victims are the key here, have them come in under oath. I think that's a very, very smart move.

[B]

I think you've unlocked the secret.

[D]

Is that Reverend Al, do we need to bring, can you, can you tilt over and bring us the ref.

[B]

I'll bring him over. A couple more topics and then to your questions, please raise your hand if you want to get in on the conversation. The vice president, former vice president, United States is speaking here in a little bit. And people judge. Here's a little bit of buttigieg on walkbox in a very contentious and very long interview from a little while ago.

[A]

This is some wild stuff right here.

[F]

And last year, the president assured us that he ended their nuclear ambitions. If he wants to come clean with the American people that he failed to do that, then he has to say that before he launches a war.

[G]

Democrats, Democrats at that time said, no, you haven't. And then you haven't clearly that he hadn't. So then we needed to go, we needed to go back and take care of it. Unless you really think it's okay for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

[F]

But again, they don't have a nuclear weapon. They weren't about to get a nuclear weapon.

[G]

How do you know? Why do you keep saying they weren't about to go? Steve Witkoff said they had enough vision, visible material for 11 bombs.

[F]

Are you acknowledging the president lied when he said, I don't know what?

[G]

No one knew what happened.

[F]

He didn't know where he was lying.

[B]

Okay, which is it?

[G]

Is that really the, the, the point?

[B]

Whether or not Michigan are paying for

[G]

whether or not he was being knew it was obliterated or not is not the point. If it wasn't obliterated, then you have to do something. You can't go back and say, well, you lied about this so that we can't. Now we can't actually do what we

[F]

need to do, Joe, America is weaker because the President launched.

[G]

Well, that's, that's your opinion.

[B]

That's not. No, no, but it's clear. And I'm all for imitations, but I thought that mocking imitation was a little much. With all due respect to Joe Kernan, Kevin, if you're a Democratic donor or activist looking for a presidential candidate for 2028, how does that performance impact your thoughts?

[A]

I think, you know, the base wants a fighter against this administration. I think Pete did himself a lot of favors because the fact that we're all talking about it, you had a lot of other presidential contenders across the morning shows today because everyone's in New York. And the fact that we're only talking about Mayor Pete, I think, speaks volumes to that interview. I don't know about the major donor element, but the grassroots certainly like to see someone fired up like that.

[B]

Larry, I often talk in my 8 for 28 about the nomination, but I want to ask you a general election question. Would conservatives, would Republicans look at that interview and say, that guy could be a formidable general election candidate or would they, as they typically do as Bernard, mock him

[D]

somewhere in between? I think that Pete Buttigieg's superpower is that he engages and he pushes back and he's very good at communicating and he's very good at sparring. The problem is, over the course of the last several years, he's gone from appearing and, and being relatable as everybody's, you know, favorite gay nephew, you know, to being a bit of a smartass, you know, that leaning in.

[B]

Just, just to be clear, I've got two gay nephews. They're, they're one and one is well.

[D]

And that again, it made him very relatable. Everybody sort of knows a Pete Buttigieg.

[A]

Just ask Amy Klobuchar about him.

[D]

But, but you know what I'm saying. He's now sort of pushing into this smart ass mode where he's trying to own the cons. And that is, I think, sort of mockable and a little repulsive to some people. Just be in terms of the spread, everybody tries to be Trump and they don't understand that only Trump can be Trump. That's the problem. And it all seems a put on for other people.

[B]

All right, let's talk about Harris. She's done a lot of events in conjunction with the various phases of her book tour. The thing she's doing today here, I would argue, because of my New York centric view of the world, is one of the biggest events she's done most high profile events she's done and she's, she's, she's putting herself in a position by appearing at this event. Newsom's not here, although he did an event with Sharpton a couple weeks ago before. But almost every other potential major candidate has come and kissed the Sharp in the ring. What do you guys think of her decision to, I would say lower herself but put herself on the same level with everybody else? Is that a surprising decision, a good decision? I'm a little surprised.

[A]

I think it's, you know, she's got to do it right. She's got to check that box. You know, she's, she's headed to my adopted home state in a couple of days in South Carolina doing some big fundraisers for the state party down there. She wouldn't be necessarily doing that. Obviously it's part of her book tour. But if she wasn't actually really thinking

[D]

about 2028, I think Kevin's right and I think it really, if you tell us, Mark, after you watch it. And I look forward to two way tonight. Tonight because she's either going to come across as somebody sort of doing a victory lap, pat on the back. Thanks for trying. Love ya. And sure we'll buy your book kind of appearance or is she going to sound like a forward thinking candidate ready to engage? She's got to be one or the other. And depending on which Kamala shows up, it's, it's going to, it could very well put her at the top of your list of 8 for 28.

[A]

What is interesting thing in the interesting thing in South Carolina is we had an event with President Biden a few weeks ago. The ticket price for that was lower than the ticket price for an evening with Vice President Harris, which is kind of funny to me.

[B]

What is, I know her message is on social media is typically anti Trump. What is her forward looking message if she does want to run? What is the forward looking message?

[A]

Any idea that the world would look different had she been elected? And that contrast message with Trump, I mean that's, she, she relishes that. She's also still getting protested funnily enough by the Gaza folks, which is insane to me. You know, that, that they're still going after for that instead of actually, you know, targeting, you know, folks actually in power right now. But I think she relishes that, that split screen with the president.

[B]

One more topic.

[D]

Ask that question of all the candidates right now. I mean I know they're anti Trump 100%.

[B]

Except, except maybe for Rahm or Shapiro, but she was vice president. She's the nominee, you know. But I take your point. I've been talking about that a lot. One more topic then, by the way,

[D]

real fast, if I may. If she's smart, she will focus mostly on foreign policy right now because she actually has an upper hand over the other candidates because she was vice president of the United States. And it's kind of a hot topic. But I don't know if she will in that forum.

[B]

Good point. One more topic than Winners and losers of the week, what to look for then to your questions. Again, if you're here on the platform, I see a couple of new hands up, which is great. Please raise your hand if you'd like to be in the conversation. I want to show you a tweet. This is a response. Ro Khanna, as he's been for months, is out and about talking a lot about the Epstein class and talking about, talking about populist issues. Here's a tweet that caught my eye. This is number. Where is that tweet? You know which one I mean? There you go. It says, I don't even know who the, the tweeter is, but I want to read it aloud. And then I want you guys to comment. The structural incentives in American politics only point in one direction down. You can't expect. You can expect only more vulgar populism, blatant handouts, incoherent conspiracies from both sides. Those who fled from the GOP or the Democrats thinking the other side was immune will learn this. This to me is as incisive a perspective about the post Trump era as anything I've seen. It's not a brand new point that social media has caused this. Digital has got this. But Larry, thoughts on this tweet and what it means for our future?

[D]

Well, and I think that it is an important insight. And if you notice, part of the commentary is not just about Ro Khanna, but also about the comment on Ro Khanna coming from Richard Spencer and the, let's just say, remarkable, inexplicable political journey that man has been on. I think when you put that observation in conjunction with President Trump's remarkable post on Truth Social about Tucker and Candace and Megan, you know, we're sort of reaching the apex here of the Trump era with regard to commentary and with regard to political jockeying. And I think that it's going to benefit people who are sort of finding a new path in a new way. At least I'm hoping that that's the case.

[B]

Kevin, does that tweet spook you or worry you or you think that once Trump's off the stage, people will rise above those dynamics?

[A]

Well, Trump will never be off the stage. You know, it just shows. Ro Khanna really, really wants to be president. He's been wanting to be president for a long time. He spent a lot of time in South Carolina in the past. And again, I think to Larry's point, it also speaks to this kind of strange bedfellows that we're seeing in terms of kind of coalition building and where there's different alignment and realignment. And we'll see how that plays. I think less so into 2026, but more so obviously into the presidential race.

[B]

All the people who might run for president in 2028 on both sides, who do you think has both the aspiration and the ability to take us away from that lowest common denominator, populist, you know, just exploit, exploitative rhetoric? Who would you say wants to do that and can do that?

[A]

For me, it's, it's, for me, it's Josh Shapiro. Right. Again, we talked about it yesterday, 60% approval rating, a lot of Republican support. He talks and, you know, he gets, he gets made fun of sometimes for, you know, ascribing to, like the style of Barack Obama. But I do think a lot of his remarks and speeches are aspirational and, you know, and he wrote about in the book in terms of conversations with Donald Trump when, you know, the arson burned the governor's mansion, you know, and kind of moving past some of the rhetoric, even though they throw it at each other and rising above Larry, I,

[D]

I, I'm so reluctant to choose between Rubio and Vance because I like them both. But based on the question you asked, you got to lean toward Rubio just because he has a longer track record. He has a successful career pre Trump era, and I think that he threads the name.

[B]

The other reason I think you'd have to choose Ruby over Vance is Vance has been a child on Twitter at times. Vance's Vance has tweeted just invective and, and mock, mockery and things that really have surprised me that he's played well. Ruby Rubio had his even as vice

[A]

president, and he's continued that on as vice president.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah. All right, winners and losers the week. Larry, who's your winner this week?

[D]

My winner of the week is former Republican senator from Nebraska, Ben Sasse, who a few months ago revealed that he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer, which is a death sentence. And he's using the last moments he has on this planet to do some really, really good. Take a look at this quick clip from his interview in the New York Times podcast.

[A]

Do you think you're ready to die? Do you feel ready?

[H]

I don't feel ready. But to whom would I go? I have confidence that when Jesus says to the disciples, he didn't want to be identified as the Messiah yet. Keep these crowds away. You know, don't tell about the the water into wine miracle at the feast. How amazing is it that Jesus first first miracle is a big ass party. Let's drink more together. But he says, you can't keep the children from me. And we're told that we get to approach the Almighty, we get to approach the divine and call him Daddy Abba, Father, that's pretty glorious. And I know that that's what I need.

[D]

Ben, sorry.

[H]

Happy to get him to open up a campaign.

[D]

You got me at the end. Got me.

[B]

Ben Sasse, thank you for joining me.

[H]

Thanks for having me.

[D]

Opened up a can of heads. Yes. That's my winner of the week.

[B]

Yeah, he's a great guy, always has been a wonderful man. And the strength he's showing now is inspirational to everybody, truly. Kevin, winner of the week.

[A]

You know, I just want to seed my ground back to Larry on that. It's a beautiful choice and what a gift for all of us. It's a ministry really, that the former center is giving us in the last moments of his life. It's a real gift and it's sad to see a young guy like that. My, my last winner compared of the week is Mark Ruta, the NATO Secretary General who is navigating as brilliantly as he can the relationship here with Trump. Sat in the Oval Office, took a lot of incoming from the President. We're still in NATO and I think you saw a little bit of a tampering of the rhetoric from the president after that meeting. He's obviously got to go back and corral the Europeans for some of the things that they talked about, especially the airspace and base support. But he is my winner of the week for keeping the alliance as strong as possible.

[B]

My winner of the week is Nutella. You get great product. You get, you get great product placement in life, usually by paying for it. The folks on Artemis love Nutella and you had this incredible shot we're seeing after watching the, on YouTube. They just got, they just got Nutella floating through the screen. They didn't pay a dollar for it. It just was organic product placement. And It's a huge win for a food, by the way, I think is revolting. I know I'll take a lot of heat for that. I don't like Nutella at all, but my hat's off to their Tom's department for getting nice free, free product plates. Larry, Loser of the week.

[D]

I am with you on all counts because I hate Nutella as well, but well done. That's brilliant. My loser of the week is former darling of the Democrat party in the media, Abigail Spanberger. We were told that she was the most transcendent political figure of our age and that she was on the short list to be president. And three months into her time as governor of Virginia, she is now the least popular governor in the 21st century this far in. And her agenda is actually making her a bit of a pariah as they are 10 days away from this, this referendum on the gerrymandering scheme that she opposed and then embraced. And then to speak about her falling poll number, she said this,

[I]

ma', am,

[A]

earlier this week there was a pull up that had your numbers a little unfavorable. And then your predecessor Glenn was making a podcast run earlier this week to taking a couple jabs at you, I guess, overall on your numbers. What do you tribute that to? And then what would you say back to Glenn? I would say, if everybody hated me,

[J]

why is everybody putting my face on

[I]

their mailers for the referendum?

[D]

Yeah. Okay, guys, this is the mailer for the referendum. They're using her face because she's so hated that they're trying to stir up opposition by, by associating her with the gerrymandering. It's the Republicans who were using her face. This could keep an eye on this because if Republicans pull this off and they oppose this referendum and win, that's the game changer for the midterms that could actually juice up Republicans going forward

[B]

will be a very big deal. Kevin, Loser of the week.

[A]

My loser of the week are Wisconsin Republicans. They got a shellacking this past week, not losing by 5, 10, 15, 20 points statewide in this state Supreme Court race. It kind of flew under the radar. But this is, you know, Wisconsin is the, the, the tightest bellwether, I think, for 2028. And the fact that you saw this 20 point spread speaks volumes in the Badger State.

[B]

My loser of the week is Chad Bianco, the California sheriff who was one of two Republicans who had a good chance to make the finals in the California gubernatorial contest. The president endorsed Steve Hilton and we can say sayonara. To Mr. Bianco, who put a lot of effort in and now I believe has no chance to make, make it into the top two and maybe even we'll drop that, which could produce an interesting result because Steve Hilton, who may well still finish first despite the Trump endorsement in California. If Steve Hilton consolidates all the Republican votes and the Democrats divide the vote 5, 6, 7 ways, it'll be interesting, I'll say, just parenthetically, watch Tom Steyer. I think Tom Steyer may end up being the Democratic nominee and the next governor of California because of the weakness of everybody else running. Larry, what are you looking for this weekend?

[D]

Artemis Reentry tonight. It's the most dangerous part of the entire mission. It'll be breathtaking. Got to hope that heat shield holds. They got to hit the right trajectory at the right time and we'll have six minutes of no communications. It's going to be quite a scene. And then splashdown off the coast to San Diego.

[A]

KEVIN all fingers crossed. We're going back to the F and moon. It's been so incredible to watch. I'm watching the Masters this weekend, of course, a tradition unlike any other and I'm sure a lot of folks are watching it too. It's a wonderful sports tradition. I'm breaking the rules in terms of the sports pick, but everyone obviously loves the Masters.

[B]

When we came up with, when we came out with the tagline for two way conversations like no other, it was explicitly an attempt to get the Masters to sue us for the publicity. Hasn't happened. Hasn't happened yet. But fingers crossed.

[A]

We all need to put on green jackets.

[D]

We should all wear green jackets.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I'm, I'm assuming the talks are going to blow up and then I'm looking to see if the vice president hangs around Islamabad at the Islamabad Holiday Inn or he gets on Air Force Two and leaves. I'm serious. I don't think the talks are going to go well and I'm looking to see if there's a break. Does he leave or does they stick around and see if they can open the, open the straight, et cetera? We'll take a look. All right, quick word from a sponsor and then to your questions, please raise your hand if you want to get in. Last sponsor of the program is True Work. True Work makes a performance workwear, a brand that's designs technical for durable appeal or durable apparel rather built for demanding job sites. Right now go to true work.com that's t r u e w e r k.com for 15% off using the promo code two way if you're working outside this spring and you're looking for stuff that's great in the rain. Great if you got to bend and twist and reach. This stuff is made for you. Cotton blends that don't restrict your movement. Four way stretch for bending, kneeling and climbing. Water resistant to keep the rain off of you. Lots of pockets go right now. Take a look at it on the website and I think you'll see these are the kind of pants you want to wear when you're working outside. Whether you're working at a job site or working on your own. Go to truwerk.com t r u e w e r k.com use the promo code two way for your discount. True work.com built like it matters because it does. Pepsi Prebiotic Cola in original and cherry vanilla that Pepsi taste you love with no artificial sweet sweeteners and 3 grams of prebiotic fiber. Pepsi Prebiotic Cola.

[J]

Unbelievably Pepsi.

[B]

Okay, to your questions as I unmute, you tell me, tell us where you are, what's on your mind. Jennifer, we'll start with you and grateful to you for being part of two way Unmute. Tell us where you are and what's on your mind.

[A]

Hey Jennifer.

[J]

Hi everyone.

[D]

Hi Jennifer.

[J]

I am from Westchester, NY and I want to talk about an often overlooked topic from both parties. K12 education.

[D]

Great.

[J]

Yeah, I mean it's just negligent at this point from both parties. One ruined it, one's trying to fix it, one's doing nothing. It's the lack of caring. I think. I think Lindsey McMahon is a complete failure. They're not going after these disciplinary, these racial justice, you know, all of this nonsense. And teachers are leaving in droves. So does anyone have any information on what we can see? Anything coming down the pipeline?

[B]

Great, great topic, Jennifer.

[D]

I completely agree with you. And I can tell you on my DC based show, we cover the school systems in our area. Fairfax, Loudoun County, Montgomery county, quite a bit. So I'm right there with you. I am curious as to listen. Optimally, I believe that our schools should be. Our public schools should be managed at the local level, state level, county level, district level. And I don't want Linda McMahon to be in charge of the schools or whoever happens to be the Secretary of education. But I am curious, what do you want her to be doing right now? More of

[J]

anything? I mean, right now we're at nothing. I know they backed off a lawsuit. They dropped lawsuits against New York City about the DEI stuff. But I'm like this restorative justices is just destroying schools and no one seems to be doing anything about it local or federal at this point.

[A]

Kevin yeah, Jennifer, it's a really good point. You're seeing it play out a bit right now in the governor's race in California, for example. There's a lot of questions about Gavin Newsom and the rankings now that the fact that you're seeing such an improvement in a state like Louisiana, for example, and some of the Deep south states run by Republican governors. I give credit, a great deal of credit to Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders actually in Arkansas. You know, kind of surprising thing coming from the Democrat on this show. But she, she's made the cornerstone of one of her efforts is raising teacher pay to make it more competitive because to your point, we're losing a lot of teachers. They aren't being paid what they should be paid. And that's a key factor. The fact that we're losing so many of them. And she's made it a priority to raise standards and to raise pay, I think is something that a lot of states have to look at. And I agree with Larry. You know, the closer to the actual students, the better in terms of actual government and governance of these school districts.

[D]

And Jennifer, you should know, the restorative justice stuff that you're talking about, it's not replicated in other states. I mean, your, your sight should be set on your governor and on your local school board if, if the school board is not independent enough that they can free up, be free of the state board of education's dictates on those things because other states aren't dealing with it. It was set up under Obama, but, but I, I believe it's been reversed already. Obama originally set up those protocols, but I think it's been reversed, hasn't it?

[J]

Oh, it's still going strong, whether, whether it it's public or not. You know, they have all of these circles, these restorative the behavioral discipline code in New York City hasn't changed since 2018. So that's still going, I mean, things that are illegal on the street.

[D]

I'm just saying that's not a federal, that's not the federal Secretary of Education's. But aren't they, they can say stop doing it, but the locals can still do it.

[B]

Right?

[J]

But there was an executive order that gave them till April of last year to stop it, and there's been no enforcement.

[B]

Jennifer, do you have kids in public schools now?

[J]

I am in public School.

[B]

Do you have. Do you have kids in public school?

[J]

I don't.

[B]

You don't. What's the teacher?

[A]

But, Jennifer, are you a teacher?

[J]

Yes.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Do you teach?

[J]

I am dual certified in Spanish and enl.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

What's the single biggest change you'd like to see in the schools where you work?

[J]

Discipline code.

[B]

Yeah. Great. Jennifer, thank you for being part of 2A. Thank you for coming in, Jennifer.

[A]

Thank you for raising this issue, Jennifer. Of course.

[D]

Do you bring this up with your union? Do you bring this up with your representatives who negotiate contracts? Because the teachers can push that for the collective bargaining agreement and say, we're not going to keep working unless you actually start, you know, fixing the disciplinary code. You guys have a lot of huge issue.

[A]

It's a huge issue. Yeah.

[J]

But we're run by Michael Mulgrew that marked. He would be a great guest. Michael Mulgrew.

[B]

He would. Thank you for the recommendation, Jennifer. Thank you for being part of two

[A]

for coming on and thank you for teaching.

[B]

Yeah. Okay. Let's go to Doug. Doug, welcome in. Tell folks where you are and what's on your mind.

[A]

Yeah.

[K]

Hello, everybody. I'm in Medina, Ohio, kind of the middle between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. And this is the first time I'm on two Way. I've been watching two Way for the past year. And I'm just thankful because I get all kinds of different opinions that have help me, you know, think through things that are going on. I'm conservative, but the Democrat, Democrat ideas sometimes make me think a little more. And I just appreciate that.

[A]

That's what we're here for. That's what we're here.

[K]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. We're gonna. We're gonna win you, but we're gonna win you back slowly and surely.

[B]

Thank you for. Thank you for being part of two Way. And thank you for raising your hand today. And we're honored to have you here. And the floor is yours.

[K]

Well, I appreciate that. Yeah. You know, it's funny, Jennifer just brought up education. I was going to bring up. Bring up health coverage and, you know, with the war going on and just so many distractions, I feel like some things are just the America first is kind of getting lost in all of this. And one of the things I always hear is, is that Congress kind of kicks things down the road for later. And I know at one time the conversation was medical coverage, and I don't know where that's going. A good example is I have to have a. I'm on Social Security and I'm Thankful for that. But I just received something for my ankle, my foot to be straightened out. And what it basically is a piece of metal on the bottom for my foot, some a couple straps with Velcro attachments and, you know, whatever material it is. I got the bill and it was $8,000. I could go anywhere and probably make that myself for, I don't know, 20 bucks.

[B]

And it's, I just Doug, have you submitted, have you submitted for insurance on that yet?

[K]

It's, it came back that I would owe now, my insurance covered most of it, and I owe, out of all that, $118. But my point is I would be embarrassed by the insurance company to charge $8,000 for what I let's, let's, great point.

[B]

Let's let the guys comment on that. Kevin, thank you.

[A]

Yeah, no, Doug, it's a huge issue and we see this all the time. You know, I see cases all the time with folks in the hospital paying, you know, $18 for one Tylenol, for example, you know, the huge amount of overcharging, something that the Biden administration targeted and something that the Trump administration is targeting, is that negotiating not just the cost of prescription drugs, but, to your point, medical devices, too. And that's a key driver of a lot of these costs. The fact that the speaker promised at the start of the year, healthcare was the focus of why the Democrats fought so hard during the shutdown last fall, and the talk of subsidies and strengthening these programs and the speaker put out this is going to be a key focus of the new year. And it's kind of fallen by the wayside, obviously, with a lot of other things happening. And you're so right to bring this up and to continue this conversation, the fact that Congress really isn't we haven't seen a lot of action when it comes to health care reform and stabilization. You're seeing administrations do it, Democrats and Republicans through executive action. But it really needs to be Congress.

[D]

Larry I agree. And listen, the, it's great that I think after all of these years, the Affordable Care act is seen as the scheme for insurance companies to get rich at the backs of taxpayers and the backs of people who need health insurance. Doug, I think that it's great, Frankly, I take great pride in Republicans being vindicated on that. Yet at the same time, I have just as much shame in Republicans for not offering a viable option. There are viable options. There are ideas, but they are just as beholden to the interests in this. And it's going to break. It's going to break our government's budget. And it's going to break individuals who have to pay for these premiums without subsidies at some point, and the entire thing's gonna fall apart. And Republicans need to get their crap together and actually help come up with a solution to fix this problem. Otherwise the Bernie Sanders and the AOCs are gonna win and we're gonna have a Canadian healthcare system.

[K]

Yeah. And I hope so. I mean, I hear that, that we've got to. We've got to, we've got to. And I really hope, you know, because there's just always seems to be another distraction for Congress, you know, and I just.

[D]

If they can avoid making a tough decision, I guarantee you that's the one thing you can always bet on in Washington.

[A]

Exactly. Exactly. On both sides.

[B]

Doug, thank you. Very grateful to you. Thank you for coming on.

[A]

Thank you, Doug.

[B]

Steve, can we get you to unmute?

[D]

Steve just, he just walked off the ninth green at Masters to give us

[A]

a. Steve is going to. Steve is going to be watching. Steve is going to be watching this.

[D]

He's playing.

[A]

I can tell.

[D]

He looks like a pro.

[B]

Steve, how's your, how's your Bill Murray Caddyshack imitation?

[A]

Do you do that one Cinderella story? I, I wish, but I am in

[I]

Bill Murray's hometown of Charleston, South Carolina.

[A]

Hey, all right.

[D]

Kevin, you bring the Charleston crowd.

[A]

I love it. We got a lot of South Carolina folks that. Come on.

[B]

Steve, welcome and thank you. Thank you for being here, man. Tell us what's on your mind.

[I]

Well, I read an article today on Real Clear Politics that sort of. It was more of a report that sort of pulled on a few things that I was thinking as to why this is going on. So you might say to yourself that it's not necessarily America first, that a country 6,000 miles away might be developing weapons that can go 2,000 miles. But this article. But you also might say that America first might be $36 trillion in debt and the potential threat to the dollar. I would say that probably is America First. And so this sort of pulled on that idea. And that if you look at the broader picture, from Greenland to Venezuela to Canada to what's going on in Tehran, that this is really. And along with the stablecoin legislation and things like that, that this is really a play ultimately about China to protect the petrodollar. Really, it's a Treasury dollar oil play. I've never really heard anyone state a broader picture rationale as to why Tehran fits into all of this activity we're seeing going on.

[B]

Said brilliant Analysis and spot on. And we've talked here at times about how the long term plan about America's self sufficiency, America standing up to China in a mutually agreeable way is, is animates, it animated Venezuela, it animates what's happening in Cuba and it animates this. But your analysis is very consistent with what a lot of people, including people close to the president, say. Let's let the guys comment on it, Larry.

[D]

Yeah, I mean, Mark's right. I think we've talked about a lot of those things, but not encapsulated in one. In fact, do you know who wrote the column? I'm looking at Real Clear Politics right now because I would like to.

[I]

It was on yesterday. It was a report, report from all places, a Canadian investment firm.

[D]

Oh, Canadians. Well, they, they get it right sometimes. Well, they're very, I think that that's spot on. And, and I don't see any, I've never seen how, despite what some of my colleagues that do what I do for a living have suggested, I see this mission in Iran is absolutely America first, considering the 47 years that we've endured. And I think that knowing that Iran had its hooks into things in this hemisphere and China has hooks in this hemisphere, I think there are a lot of advisers in the Trump administration with regard to foreign policy who are sort of very big on sort of revisiting the Monroe Doctrine and making sure that America is dominant in our backyard in our hemisphere. And knowing that China and Iran to a certain extent had a major presence in the Caribbean and in Latin America, it sort of became a bit of a domino effect here as we sort of reassert our dominance in our hemisphere, number one. But number two, honestly, I think that the president, he sees himself as what he is, which is a transformative figure and a bigger than life presidency. And when given the opportunity to actually maybe finish this once and for all, he seized on that opportunity because I think, because he, he wants to be able to say I solved this thing that no one else could.

[B]

Kevin before you jump in, Steve, they're gonna put in the chat a six minute commentary from a British analyst that is very much in line with what you said and it's getting a lot of attention on X. So do you take a look at that? I'm jumping over to SiriusXM rolling into our second hour here. Please join me over there at 10 Eastern Time on SiriusXM 111. And then tonight on Two Way Tonight, full coverage of what I see here. So looking forward to that I turn it over to Larry and Kevin. Gentlemen, wish you have a great weekend. Steve, thank you again. I'll see everybody in just a moment.

[D]

Brilliant job keeping your focus with all the. I've done that before and it is very hard to focus with all that going on in the background.

[A]

Move over, Mark Ruta. Mark Halpern might be my new winner of the week for balancing all that with everything going on in the background. I will. I agree with a lot of what Larry said. Steve, to your point, the one thing that you raised that's critical about the American first mentality is the debt situation. And it used to be the case that we actually cared about it. Republicans campaigned on it. You know, Democrats would get blamed up and down about it. Now that's gone out the window. And you just look at the president's budget that he submitted last week, you know, a trillion and a half for the Department of Defense, other agencies. And again, that's going to be the most critical thing when it comes to actually the health and safety of the Republic is the debt situation. And no one seemingly wants to really talk about maybe beyond Rand Paul. And that's going to be a critical, critical problem for this country going forward.

[I]

See, if I may, what was interesting about this was that, you know, really all you have to do at a baseline is sort of wreck Iran, disrupt Iran and disrupt technology, Chinese technology and infrastructure in Iran to sort of sideline ability, China's ability to use Iran for oil and use it as, you know, a broader proxy. And so all we have to do is really disrupt it and wreck it. We don't have to conquer it or anything else.

[A]

Occupy it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, right.

[D]

That's sort of the idea.

[I]

And we don't really even, you know, that anything like nuclear, of course, is important, but it's not really the play. The play's the dollar.

[A]

Yeah, that's a good point. It's a good point. Steve, thank you for being part of the community.

[D]

Are you Canadian and relocated in Charleston? I heard of Boo.

[I]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Nailed it.

[I]

Nice call there.

[K]

Love it.

[D]

Thank you, Steve.

[A]

We'll see you in Augusta. Steve, thanks for the Masters. Thanks for the comments and question. Well, we've reached another end of the week, Larry.

[D]

We have Kevin, congratulations to you. Congratulations to all of us. And it should be noted, by the way, I made a passing comment to it, but I keep hearing from people in my life that Kevin Walling is a very handsome man.

[A]

You've got to put me in touch with that with your great, beautiful, fantastic producer.

[D]

Yeah, it's just, I just, I don't need that in my life. I have enough rivals right now. I don't need to add you to the mix, but I value our interaction. I'll leave it at that.

[A]

Right back at you. Well, everyone should go join Mark over on Sirius for the next hour. And of course, I think it's already out. Mark's next up with Jonathan Turley talking about his new book. I was watching a little bit of that last night and there's some amazing clips about it.

[D]

Yeah, that's on my list to watch this weekend. Absolutely. Or listen to probably.

[A]

I also love. I also love and I think this might be new, but the 8 for 28 hate. So Mark is part of that next up conversation. Read a lot of tweets with a lot of thoughts from two Way community members on his lineup in terms of where folks stand for the Democratic nomination. So you definitely want to watch that for sure.

[D]

Does it concern you that anyone who wants the nomination has to go and kiss the. Everyone says kiss the ring. It's really kissing the butt of Al Sharpton. Is that, I mean, honestly.

[A]

But you all got to do it, you know, at CPAC and all that with the schlaps and kissing the ring and all that kind of stuff.

[D]

Equating CPAC with the National Action Network,

[A]

really, there's plenty, there's plenty of kiss in the ring situations on the right over there, too, that you gotta, people gotta go through, you know.

[D]

Happy to be on my side. Two Way Tonight is live at 5pm Republican spokesperson Elizabeth Pipko. And you'll get Mark's firsthand reporting of what he sees at the National Action Network with the aforementioned Reverend Al Shad. Is he really a reverend? What? What?

[A]

Yeah.

[D]

Really?

[A]

I think so.

[D]

Doesn't SEEM Very reverential.

[A]

80s Rev is a lot different than now. STATESMAN Rev.

[D]

Oh, I'll say.

[A]

I'll say.

[D]

Yeah. And that is it.

[A]

And of course, everyone, Sirius right now. And then of course, Professor Kenny and the after show with trivia today. You won't want to miss out on that. The chat is open right now on that front. And then of course, that show kicks off at 11 following mark on Sirius.

[D]

And if, if past his prologue, you'll see Kevin Walling all over Fox News Channel for the rest of the day. Good Lord, sir, you're gonna have to get a bedroom.

[A]

Tune in to tomorrow night, Fox News Saturday night. I'm hopping a train right now to New York, so should be a fun show.

[D]

And of course, I'll be live noon, as I always do on my town hall. On my town hall show. I'll be live at noon today. And I hope you all have a great weekend. And did I mention that Michigan won the national championship this week? I don't think I mentioned that.

[A]

Go, Wolverines.

[D]

Yeah, Michigan. Michigan. Wolverines. Go blue. Thanks for watching. Have a great weekend. And say a prayer for our men and women over in the Middle east wearing the uniform. Thank you.

[A]

Amen. And our crew from Artemis, too. Safe recovery.

[D]

Amen.

[A]

Yes. Thanks, everybody.