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- [00:04]
A
Hello everyone and welcome to Amanpour. Here's what's coming up. Prince William in his own words from Rio de Janeiro, we bring you Christian's sit down interview with the Royal on climate and making a better world for his children. Then Mamdani's moment, we look at his historic win in New York and what the other election results tell us about the state of play today. Plus notes on being a man. Professor Scott Galloway talks to Hari Srinivasan about why he believes American men are in crisis. Welcome to the program everyone. I'm Bianna Golodrigo, New York, sitting in for Christiane Amanpour.
- [00:55]
B
Welcome.
- [00:56]
A
World leaders are heading to Brazil ahead of the upcoming UN climate summit there. COP30 will be held in Belem, the gateway to the Amazon, but comes at a worrying time for climate action. Two thirds of the nearly 200 countries that signed up to the 2015 Paris Climate Accord have failed to meet a deadline to publish new climate plans, with officials now admitting that the target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees above pre industrial levels is effectively dead. So is there somewhere to look for hope? One of the highest profile attendees is Britain's Prince William and he is in Brazil to attend the conference on behalf of the King. But before that, he's hosting his own gathering for his annual Earthshot Prize. It's in its fifth year and awards $1.3 million to each of five prize winners who are finding on the ground solutions to repair our planet. Today, Christiane moderates the Earthshot Impact assembly, speaking to finalists and world leaders making a difference. And as part of that assembly, she sat down with the man at the center of it all, Prince William.
- [02:01]
C
Well, I mean this has been very inspiring. A lot of incredible finalists, a lot of optimism and action and really hope you've been in the five years. This is a ten year action project. I mean, I think you've sorted through thousands and thousands of finalists, you've got hundreds of partners and apparently 75 actual solutions. What have these tangible efforts done? And are you satisfied with the progress so far?
- [02:28]
D
Midway Kishan I think it's days like today that there's a chance for a bit of reflection as to. I can't quite believe we are at the halfway mark of the ten year plan of the decade of change that Earthshot was there for. I'm so pleased and impressed by what the Earth Shots achieved, but most of all by the finalists, the winners and all the Earthshot community that are out here. They've risen to the challenge, they've managed to do everything that we've asked of them. They've managed to go and secure their deals, they managed to scale their products, they've managed to build networks between each other and people they've never seen before. And I think we've challenged them at every turn to be bolder, be better, be ambitious. Reach for the stars. The Earthshot's job around that is to really be the glue that holds it all together. And I think when we first started talking about this as a concept, optimism was the key word we always wanted to use, because, as you saw on the screen here, urgency and optimism equal action. And there's an awful lot of pessimism going around. And I think you can feel today that the positivity and the sort of feeling of. Of hope, and we can do this from every single person. I mean, they're the brains and they're the fantastic people who are going to do what we need to do and they're going to bring the planet into a better, healthier state than it's ever been before. So, you know, the transformational impact that these guys have had has been truly phenomenal. But we are only halfway and we've got another five years to go.
- [04:05]
C
You've touched on not just the optimism and the impact, but also essentially the community in it is a community that believes in the same thing and is motivated. I know you believe in the power of community. Tell me a little bit more about that. Not just for Earthshot, but in general.
- [04:20]
D
Yeah. I think this space needed somewhere to come together. It was very fragmented. And I think for those who want to do good and those who feel they can. And as most of the solutions are highly commercial, this is not a philanthropic activity. You need to find that space, that community, where everyone can feel that they've got the space to grow, they've got the support and they've got the direction. Many of these guys and girls, they got incredible solutions, but might need a little bit of help over here, they might need a bit of mentoring over here, they might need an introduction over here. The Earthshot provides that family to allow them to go on and be the best they can be.
- [05:02]
C
I'm interested in the inspiration and the motivation behind you taking on this mission. Essentially, it is a mission today. There was an amazing picture that's gone viral all over the UK of you standing at the statue of Christ the Redeemer. And they compare it to your mother standing there back in 1991. I want to think it was that year. And she, of course, was prominent in basically in humanitarian activities and mine clearing. But your father also was prominent and some would say, many would say ahead of the curve on climate, environmental, conservation. Did he motivate you, inspire you? Because it's interesting to know how you got to this point.
- [05:44]
D
I think it's a combination of all of that. I'm very lucky to be in this position and use my platform for good. And whenever I'm doing stuff, I'm constantly analyzing where best can I use my platform for the greatest impact. And talking about the Earthshot was always an idea that positivity and a positive message to anyone brings out the best in them. There's a lot of negativity, a lot of telling people off, don't do this, don't do that. It doesn't work. And as you can see, you give the right people the right tools and resources, they flourish and the impact they can have is truly phenomenal.
- [06:21]
C
What about storytelling? One thing I, as a journalist see is that many powerful leaders, both political and in fact, industry leaders, tend to roll back climate progress, tend to demonize it, weaponize it, let's say. Obviously they have a vested interest. But do you think there's a dearth of this kind of storytelling that we've heard today, these kinds of positive reinforcements? And I wonder what your view is on that and what you tell your own young children about climate and planet care?
- [06:53]
D
I think exactly on that last point, Chrisan, it's really important that the next generation believe there is change coming and there is hope that things can change and get better. I've always believed in that positivity and that positive message, but I think I'm inspired by these guys. That's what gets me up in the morning when I think about Earthshot. That's what's given me the motivation and the energy to keep going. And the community that's come around them has been truly phenomenal. I'd like it to be bigger. And at many points this is a rallying call for those businesses and those people who out there who may not have had contact with the Earthshot Prize before may be interested. They need to come and meet these people. Because once you've met them and you've heard them, you realize this is not anything, that it's not philanthropic, it's not a nice thing to have. They're commercial products that are going to make life better, they're going to create jobs, they're going to do incredible things for the planet, and they're going to make our lives better and healthier.
- [07:51]
C
You and the Princess of Wales are also very. You have another big project which is mental health. And I ask this in view of the children, your children, the world's children, who are forced to watch on their iPhones, wars, wildfires, destruction, all sorts of really difficult things that has affected them a lot. We even hear about children because of the climate disaster, not wanting to grow up and get married and having a family of their own. What do you think about trying to mitigate that fear for them? Is it something like the Earthshot? Is it the hope that you can tangibly show people the action?
- [08:32]
D
Definitely. Again, I think a world without hope and a world without positivity is a pretty depressing place. And I think it's really important that we produce solutions. We don't just talk about things the whole time, we're actually producing solutions. And these finalists, these winners are producing solutions that we all need to see and hear. Climate anxiety is a real thing. I hear about it wherever I go now. Lots of younger generation are saying, what kind of a planet are we going to inherit? And I think that that message needs to go wider and louder and the younger generations need to be heard more. I mean, I had a fantastic session with the youth of all parts of the world dealing in the environment, and their message was very strong, which is that, please let our voices be heard more. And we don't want to be a box ticked. We want to be actually heard and hear and seen and listened to. And again, that inspires me that I've got to find out ways to help them be seen and heard more, because there's a lot of noise out there, as you hinted at, and we have to find ways for these brilliant people who are going to ultimately save us and the planet, to restore and protect ourselves. We have to find a way to allow them to be heard more.
- [09:43]
C
So you know that you're somebody that people all over the world look to. They follow your every action, every word, including some of the stuff you've been doing recently, publicly. I've watched with great interest the encounter you had with the great writer and producer Eugene Levy. And you talked about a lot of things, and it looked to me like you were humanizing the monarchy. And it was very interesting to hear where you focused. But something that drew a lot of interest was when you said to Eugene, I think it's safe to say that change is on my agenda. Change for the good. I embrace that and I enjoy that change. I don't fear it. And you went on to say, you know, I want to make sure that this is a job that impacts people's lives for the better. I want to create a world in which my son is proud of what we do. And, you know, given the fact that, you know, there's been a lot of change in your own family recently, and you yourself have talked about this change, just talk about that a little bit. Where do you see the change? What do you think needs to happen?
- [10:39]
D
I think the Earthshot Prize is a classic example of change. Rather than talk about it, we're doing it. And that's where I want it to be, is that these people in here are the true action heroes of our time. And change will come by backing them, not by what I do. And so I want to surround myself with people who want to make change and do good in the world.
- [10:58]
C
Is that what you meant when you told Eugene that you want your son to be proud of that kind of change?
- [11:05]
D
Yeah, I think it's really important. Again, you have to provide a leadership and a vision that there's good things to come and that it's not all negative. And for my children, particularly, knowing that the planet's going to be in a healthier, better state because of the brilliant people in this room is something that I love to tell them when they go to bed. It's going to be great. Your future is going to be as bright as future's gone by. And that's a really important message for all of us to hear.
- [11:32]
C
So we heard from the mayor who gave you the keys to the city, Mayor Paish. We heard from the environmental minister, we've heard from the indigenous community. And you're going to Belem to give the COP speech on behalf of His Majesty the King. What do you think is special and why did you choose Brazil and this city particularly for the Earthshot Prize this year?
- [11:55]
D
Well, the mayor will kill me unless I do a big piece for Brazil here. But obviously Brazil, I mean, it's incredible. We've all seen it here. The natural beauty, the charm, the people, the environmental leadership that Brazil have produced is incredible. And you couldn't find a better place in Latin America to come to than Brazil for Earthshot. And Obviously them hosting COP30 is a big deal in Belem, in the mouth of the Amazon. I think we felt very strongly that there was no other, better contender to host the Earthshot Prize to give that platform and to give that mouthpiece. You heard from some of the indigenous leaders, you heard from the government. They really deeply care about the environment down here. And again, if we give them the tools and resources to impact that change, then Brazil and the world will be a better place.
- [12:45]
C
On that note, thank you so much. Your royal hand is Prince William.
- [12:51]
A
All right. A message of hope from Prince William there. Also today in Rio, Christiane spoke to one of the most outspoken world leaders on climate change, Prime Minister Mia Motley, whose country, Barbados, is on the front line of this crisis.
- [13:05]
D
We're going in the right direction, but not fast enough. This is a climate crisis, not just an emergency. And the reality is that it takes cash to cure. It takes cash to build. You already know that. We didn't cause it, but we're the ones who will be increasing our debt to be able to fight it. You only have to look at what you saw in Jamaica, in Cuba, in Haiti with Melissa.
- [13:32]
A
And you stay with cnn. We'll be right back after a short break. Hey, friends, this is Audie Cornish, host of CNN THIS morning and the assignment. And guess what? Every story you care about, every angle you want unpacked is now streaming on cnn. That means you can catch my show or other CNN programming whenever you want on your favorite device. And a subscription also gets you access to exclusive video series and unlimited articles. So subscribe to CNN.com subscription well, next we turn back to the US where the Democrats had an impressive sweep of election results across the country last night. By far the most notable was the victory of Zoran Mamdani. And about Democratic socialists who will become New York City's first Muslim mayor and its youngest in more than a century.
- [14:31]
E
Conventional wisdom would tell you that I am far from the perfect candidate. I am young, despite my best efforts to grow older.
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B
I am Muslim.
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D
I am a Democratic socialist. And most damning of all, I refuse.
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B
To apologize for any of this.
- [14:59]
A
In less than a year, he emerged from relative obscurity to topple the Cuomo political dynasty, offering a campaign that focused relentlessly on affordability in New Jersey and Virginia. Mikey Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger both defeated their GOP opponents for governor, though with a much more moderate and centrist message than Mandani. We're going to follow Lady Liberty speaking. We're not going to give in to our darker impulses here in New Jersey. We know that this nation has not ever been, nor will it ever be, ruled by kings. We sent a message to the whole world that in 2025, Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship. We chose our commonwealth over chaos. Let's bring in two guests well placed to assess this all. Brian Lear is a longtime journalist and radio host on wnyc, a familiar voice to so many of us New Yorkers. And Ron Brownstein, another familiar face for all of our viewers, a veteran journalist and political analyst. Welcome, both of you. And we're all going to become familiar with the faces we're going to be discussing in this next segment. But let me start with you, Ron, because you wrote last night that this question, quote, sent an unmistakable warning to Republicans. What was the number one metric that you took away from last night's results that convinces you this wasn't perhaps just a blue state or even purple state one off, but a real message to.
- [16:38]
F
Republicans.
- [16:40]
E
The role of Donald Trump in the results? I mean, this was an election that showed that despite all the oddities that surround Trump, the fundamental things apply in the 21st century. Bian without question, the dominant force in the outcome of off year elections has been voter perceptions of the incumbent president. And all year strategists in both parties have questioned whether that relationship would hold this year because voters are really down on Democrats. Democrats had their weakest public image probably since the late 1980s. What we saw last night I think confirmed what I've written and what we've seen in other views of the party out of the White House don't matter nearly as much as assessments of the president who is actually in the White House. In Virginia, 58% of voters said they disapproved of Trump and over 90% of them voted for Abigail Spanberger. In New Jersey, it was 55% disapproving of Trump. And again, over 90% voted for Mickey, Sheryl. Even Jay Jones, the scandal tarred Virginia attorney general candidate, won 89% of voters who disapproved of Trump. And what that says to Republicans is that if you're in a red state where Trump is popular, fine. But if you're in a purple or blue state where his approval rating is well below 50%, you are going to face the conventional headwind that candidates face when a president from their own party is that unpopular. That's the message to Republicans. They really don't want to hear it. But I think it's pretty inescapable after last night's results.
- [18:11]
A
And Brian, from your perch, which notably is in a blue state and a blue city, nonetheless, what are you hearing from viewers and listeners and do you agree with Ron's takeaway from last night?
- [18:26]
F
I do agree with Ron's takeaway. I think we saw it very much here. Mikey Sherrill, the governor elect of New Jersey, was on my radio show today for a little victory lap segment and she definitely hung the fact that she exceeded the polls. It was supposed to be a very close race and she won by like 13 points on the fact that her opponent, Republican Jack Cittarelli, hugged Trump so closely in their last televised debate. They were each asked to grade the president's performance in office so far this term. She gave him an F. Citarelli gave him an A. And I think that very much worked against Cittarelli, especially as the government shutdown has worn on and people's snap benefits are being cut off. Trump also said he was terminating an important rail project between New York and New. And I think those things came back to haunt the Republican, even though he argued that he would be better positioned to work with Trump because he was in his party.
- [19:30]
A
Yeah, Ron, New Jersey is an interesting case study here because though it went blue last year, in 24, it was closer than many Democrats would have liked to see. And thus there was a lot of concern within the party as to how this race would end up. And as we just heard, you know, 13 points is a significant win for Mikey Sherrill. And you suggest, and I think you're right here, it does show, especially in a state like New Jersey where we did see more black men, Hispanic men, lean towards Trump, independents as well in 24, that their votes are still up for grabs.
- [20:07]
E
Yeah, look, I think New Jersey was the most important outcome last night because as you suggest, Bianna, it really encapsulated what happened in 2024. The most important gains Trump made in 2024 were among groups working class, minorities, non white voters without a college education and among young people. And he significantly improved among both groups in New Jersey in 2024. Well, those gains rolled back all across the country last night. You know, those non college, nonwhite voters were exhibit A for Republicans after 24 who wanted to argue that Trump had executed a lasting realignment in the electorate. Well, last night Mikey Sherrill won 76% of those non college nonwhite voters according to the exit polls. And Abigail Spamberger won 85% of them in places like Passaic and Perth Amboy and Union City, Newark with large Hispanic and or black populations. The gains Trump saw in 24 were completely erased. Sheryl equaled or exceeded the Democratic advantages from before that 24 election. Something very similar in Virginia doesn't mean those voters are necessarily reliable Democrats. Again, it does mean though, I think think that the predictions of realignment were premature and they are now swing voters available to whichever side they think will do better at improving their lives. And right now they don't think they're getting that improvement in their daily finances that they voted for and expected under Trump.
- [21:40]
A
Okay, let's talk about the earthquake just a few miles over a bridge or under a tunnel from New Jersey to New York. And that is the victory for Zorin. He went from a little known assemblyman with not much experience at all to mayor elect of the largest city in the country with more than 50% of the vote and huge, huge turnout. And as we've been discussing throughout this campaign, he has embraced his being called a Social Democrat. He's taken pride in that and really focused on shifting where the party was headed, at least here in New York City and running an effective campaign not only because of his charisma, but also because of the issues that he chose to run on. Ron, first to you. What, if anything, do you think Democrats are picking up nationwide from this win? Is this a New York alone story or is this something where we're going to see others trying to mirror what he did?
- [22:39]
E
So I think in two respects, it's a bigger than New York story. The generational change aspect of what happened last night is unavoidable. Democrats want younger, more energetic leaders. Second, a common theme between Mandani, Sherrill and Spanberger is they focus on affordability, cost of living issues. The same issues that boosted Trump in 24 are now buffeting him and other Republicans. I don't think this means you are necessarily going to see socialist candidates running and winning all over the country or even in the 2028 Democratic primary. What it says to me is that there is a lane for that kind of candidate in the 2028 Democratic nomination field. I mean, Mondami clearly touched a chord among a segment of particularly younger Democrats. And what it says to me is that if a centrist is going to win, which I still think is the most likely outcome, they're going to have to win. I mean, they're going to have to run a good race because I think this shows there is an audience for this kind of message, even if I am skeptical, still skeptical that it is a majority of Democratic primary voters nationwide, much less in some of the purple states they'll have to win in Senate and contest next year.
- [23:46]
A
Okay, Brian. Well, for Bondani, the hard work begins in just a few weeks time for him because the honeymoon will be relatively short. His term starts January 1st. He's taking charge of a $100 billion plus budget, about 300,000 city employees. Albany drops its budget in April and then we'll see what sort of support he gets from the state. He did get an endorsement from the governor. But if he doesn't get his core policies funded, everything that he's promised on the campaign trail, what does that mean for him in his tenure?
- [24:22]
F
I agree that success is going to be the measure of whether Mamdani style candidates pop up more around the country, as you and Ron were just discussing. But I also agree with Ron that affordability trumped, if you will, just about every other consideration in this election in New York, as in New Jersey. And so Zoran Mamdani may be a democratic socialist and Mikey Sherrill more of a moderate, but in a way they won the same way. You know, I had all three New York City mayoral candidates on my show yesterday on election day for closing arguments. And I asked each one of them, what's the one signature policy that you would like last minute undecided voters to keep in mind of yours when they enter their polling places? And Andrew Cuomo said, I'll add 5,000 police officers to the NYPD. Zoran Mandani said, I will work hard to achieve universal free childcare in New York City. And I think that was really emblematic, or let's say the result of the election was really emblematic in how in a hope versus fear, hope and affordability over concerns about crime definitely carried the day to your question about the state legislature. Mamdani did, by the end, have the governor and the two legislative leaders, the leaders of the two houses of the New York State legislature behind him. And I would think that they will try to help Mamdani achieve that number one goal, universal free child care. Maybe they will even do what Andrew Cuomo as governor did when Mayor Bill de Blasio back in 2014 was seen as audacious when he proposed Universal 3K and Cuomo adopted it and said, oh yeah, Universal 3K for New York City. I want credit for this. I'm going to give it to the whole state. Maybe Governor Hochul and the legislative leaders will do the same thing. But we'll see. And only if it succeeds, may you see more democratic socialist candidates popping up to successfully, I think, challenge moderates in Democratic primaries for Congress next year.
- [26:50]
A
Well, perhaps de Blasio was ahead of his time, but no one is defining him as America's mayor or New York's mayor. We know where his popularity stood. And on the issue of hope versus fear, you'll recall it was just a few years ago at the height of the pandemic, where this city was really plagued by February fear and concerns about crime. So on the one hand, while Mandani today may be saying his focus is on affordability and free childcare, there are concerns even though he walked back his defund, the police support. But now, you know, this is going to become his own problem. How does he balance that?
- [27:29]
E
RON well, I think one thing left of center Democrats have learned in urban settings across the country is that ensuring public safety, and not only public safety, but public order in the broken windows kind of sense is kind of the is kind of the ante for beingfor the voters allowing you to do anything else. I mean, you cannot really be seen as failing to prioritize that mission. That doesn't mean giving the police unions everything they want, but it does mean, I think, keeping a front and center focus on people feeling safe and making progress against the inevitable, you know, problems, problems of crime and disorder in big urban settings. And I think Mamdani, I think the evidence is very clear from coast to coast, whether some of the progressive DAs or some of the mayors who have been defeated. If you take your eye off that ball, it almost doesn't matter what else you achieve. But if you achieve that, these kind of left leaning electorates in urban centers will give you a lot of rope to do the other things you want. And we'll see whether he has the political skill and kind of shrewdness to recognize that and to kind of follow the course that I think that has been laid out more in the negative by other mayors who have failed to do so.
- [28:45]
A
BRIAN one more question before we move on on Mamdani, because obviously his foil here in this election was Donald Trump. And there's a complicated relationship between New York City, his hometown and this mayor and this election here. Cuomo, I'm not sure, embraced that endorsement that he got begrudgingly a couple of days ago on the eve of the election from President Trump. But we also know that President Trump has not held back in terms of characterizing the entire Democratic Party as Zoran Mamdani and his campaign and his platform calling him a communist. Mamdani last night in his acceptance speech spoke directly to Trump. Here's what he said.
- [29:27]
B
New York will remain a city of.
- [29:29]
D
Immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered.
- [29:35]
E
By immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant.
- [29:57]
D
So hear me, President Trump, when I say this, to get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us.
- [30:09]
A
BRIAN A powerful statement, but is that a smart one or do you think this just gives President Trump even more opportunity or ammunition to do what he has pledged to do if he doesn't like what he sees from the mayor of New York City, and that is withhold federal funds from the city and overall just make life more difficult for everyday New Yorkers.
- [30:31]
F
Well, it's a really good question, and you definitely captured the tone of Mamdani's victory speech with that clip. And he even went further, and he spoke directly to President Trump and said four words of advice, turn up the volume. And I take that to mean as he's really saying, bring it on, you know, he's spoiling for a fight. How Trump is going to respond to that certainly remains to be seen. What levers Trump actually has to hurt New York City in the name of hurting Mamdani and making the whole Democratic Party look bad next year remains to be seen. But he may have many, and this may or may not work out well for the new mayor. I do want to say that I thought that Trump's endorsement of Cuomo may have been. I can't prove this, but I have a theory that maybe it was kind of three dimensional chess aimed at turning voters against Andrew Cuomo in New York, where Trump is very unpopular and helping Mamdani win, rather than actually trying to help Cuomo win. Because Trump may see more to gain in having Mamdani as a foil next year for the midterms than he has to lose in seeing Mamdani as a Democratic socialist, be elected mayor of New York.
- [31:52]
A
Yeah, I've heard others really toy with that idea, too. I mean, it's a complicated one because it's not that Cuomo and Trump are close allies by any means, but they have worked together. They've known each other for many, many years. And some would say, listen, Trump really cares about New York City. It's a city where he comes from. But at the end of the day, you have a point, too. The man just wants to win. And if that means that it's against a foil like Maidani, you know, Cuomo will be damned. We'll see. Ron, let me turn to the bigger dynamic within the Democratic Party, because no doubt a victory, but it's still undetermined what these victories mean for the direction the party is headed in or should head in, because you had these two governors races where moderate candidates won. We obviously talk about what happened here in New York City, and it's crazy how quickly time flies because I was telling our producers this morning, I remember hearing sound from Abigail Spanberger, which I thought came last year after the election, where there was audio released of her speaking to other Democrats about lessons learned for the party and that they shouldn't go too far left and should not use the word socialist at all. Let's play that sound. It actually was from 2020.
- [33:06]
E
We want to talk about funding social services and ensuring good engagement and community policing.
- [33:12]
B
Let's talk about what we are for. And we need to not ever use the word socialist or socialism ever again.
- [33:20]
A
Because while people think it doesn't matter, it does matter. And we lost good numbers because of that. I would venture to think her views haven't changed much from that statement, Ron. So what does this say about the fight for the soul and the future of the Democratic Party that we're about to see in the months and years to come?
- [33:40]
E
Well, I think it's going to be fought out like on the field, on the ballot box. You know, I mean, Mandani is no more the leader of the Democratic Party today than Rudy Giuliani was the leader of the Republican party in the 1990s and the early 2000s. The mayor of New York City and what works to get elected in a primary and a general election in New York City is very different than what will get you nominated much less elected statewide in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Nevada, kind of the last swing states in American politics. You know, as I said before, I think in 2028, I think the evidence is pretty clear that there is an audience in the Democratic coalition for the Mandani style politics, AOC style politics. It's not at all clear that is a big enough audience to win a 2028 presidential nomination, but it is big enough to kind of be the foundation of a candidacy. So if there is going to be a more centrist nominee in 2028, they're going to have to find a way to run and win a big enough coalition, sort of the way I think Gavin Newsom, by the way, is doing it by combining fighting Trump really hard with moving to the center on a lot of issues, what I call confrontational centrism, and basically betting that if you are seen as standing up to Trump enough, it will liberate you from the obligation to have to check a lot of left litmus tests in the primary process. But Bianna, this is going to be decided in democratic primaries in 2026. It's going to be decided above all in the Democratic primary for president presidential nomination in 2028. And you know, that's where it will be F we'll see which side prevails. I will bet that the nominee looks more and sounds more like Spamberger and Sheryl than Mondani today. I mean, I think that's a fairly safe bet, but there's no guarantee. And, you know, someone actually has to deliver that on the field in some way. This debate is kind of exhausting and abstract, I think, because this will be decided state by state based on the nature of the Democratic coalition in those states and what Democratic voters think can win in those states. James Carville once said to me, every voter is now a political consultant. You know, they're not only wondering about, they're not only deciding on who they want, but particularly in these swing states, who they think other people will accept. And I think that's a factor that could limit the appeal of someone like Mandani.
- [36:00]
B
Yeah.
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A
Okay. We got through so much. We still didn't get through Prop 50 and redistricting. So we'll talk about that in the days to come. Brian Lear, Ron Brownstein, thank you so much. Really enjoyed this conversation.
- [36:10]
E
Thanks for having us.
- [36:12]
A
We'll be right back after this short break.
- [36:18]
B
Hey, fans, it's the King of Christmas.
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E
If you're suffering from ornament overload, it's.
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A
A little messy in here.
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E
If you have blow molds on the.
- [36:27]
A
Brain, what I need in my life.
- [36:28]
E
Right there, you might just be a holiday hoarder.
- [36:31]
B
I'm a collector.
- [36:32]
G
We'll use the C word instead.
- [36:34]
D
If it's kind of ugly, why don't.
- [36:36]
B
We get rid of it?
- [36:36]
E
Would you get rid of an ugly child?
- [36:39]
A
I knew you were crazy about Christmas. Not this crazy.
- [36:43]
E
Courting for the Holidays Special Series Tuesday, November 11th at 9 on HGTV.
- [36:53]
A
Now is Society experiencing a crisis of masculinity? Our next guest argues that a host of cultural and economic issues have promoted unhealthy perceptions of masculinity, resulting in toxic behaviors and relationships. NYU professor and podcast host Scott Galloway joins Hari Srinivasan to discuss his new book, concentrating on where conversations around masculinity have gone wrong.
- [37:17]
G
Bianna, thanks. Scott Galloway, thanks so much for joining us. You just wrote a book called Notes on Being a Man about the crisis affecting young boys and men. And on a recent podcast, you said no group has fallen faster in America than young men. Lay out the kind of problem case for us. Why is this book necessary for young men today? I mean, why aren't they being prioritized?
- [37:39]
B
Hari, always good to see you. Thanks for having me. So the data is pretty stark. If you go into a morgue and there's five people who've died by suicide. Four are men. They are three times more likely to be addicted, three times more likely to be homeless. So when we say we have a homeless problem and an addiction problem, it would be fair to say we have a male homeless and a male addiction problem. One in seven men are now referred to as neets, and that is neither employed in education or in training. Only one in three men under the age of 30 is in a relationship, and two in three women under the age of 30 are in a relationship. Think, well, that's mathematically impossible. It's not because women are dating older, because they want more economically and emotionally viable men. And the result is, I believe, that we're slowly but surely producing or evolving a new breed of or a new species of asocial, asexual males. It's as if we're planning our own extinction. And if you look at the most violent, looking to the ramifications here, if you look at the most violent, unstable society in the world, they have a preponderance of one thing, a disorder, amount of young men with a lack of economic or romantic opportunities. So I think it's a real problem. And unfortunately, I think that the unearned privilege of men of my generation has resulted in a lack of empathy for young men who don't have the same opportunities that I had.
- [39:03]
G
You kind of break down parts of your code into three roles that men should be playing. They should protect, provide, and procreate. Break that down for us.
- [39:13]
B
Well, I think at a capitalist society, when I talk not necessarily about the way the world should be, but the way it is, I think men need to be economically viable. And I think a decent place to start as a man is to bring the focus and energy and discipline and pursue certifications such that you can be economically viable. Show the discipline that you can make some money and save more than you spend, and assume that you should take economic responsibility, which sometimes means to get out of the way and be more supportive of your partner, who might be better at this whole money thing. Because I think, unfortunately, our society disproportionately evaluates women on their aesthetics, and it disproportionately evaluates men on their economic viability. But the whole shooting match, the whole reason you get strong, smart, certified, and establish some prosperity, is that your default operating system should be to move to protection. And that is, if you think about the most masculine jobs, whether it's a fireman, a cop, or someone in the military, at the end of the day, what they're really doing is protecting And Hari, I know you have kids. I feel most at ease and most as if I have purpose when I know my kids are safe, my partner feels noticed and I feel good about myself. I protect myself, I protect my family, and then I can move to protecting the community, protecting the country. And then the ultimate expression of masculinity, I think, is to plant trees, the shade of which you won't sit under. And then the final thing is procreation. And this is more controversial, but I stand by it. I think we have pathologized men's interest in romantic and sexual relationships when it should be celebrated, and that is that fire of wanting to have a relationship, wanting to have sex, wanting to have children can be channeled, and it usually is, into very positive ways. Wanting to be fit, wanting to dress well, wanting to groom, wanting to have a plan, wanting to demonstrate the ultimate secret weapon of mating from a man's perspective, in my view. And there's research to show this, have a kindness practice. So we've pathologized men's interest in romantic and sexual relationships, but I think it should be celebrated as long as it's channeled the right way.
- [41:14]
G
When someone hears the procreate portion, the pillar here, they're going to say, well, what is the role of women in the world? According to Galloway, what is his suggestion to young men on how they should interact with and perceive of the other half of the species?
- [41:29]
B
Well, I mentor some young men, and when I know they've come off the tracks is when they start blaming immigrants for their economic problems and when they start blaming women for the romantic problems. And to the right's credit, they recognize the problem with young men before anybody. But their solution was to conflate masculinity with coarseness and cruelty and take America back to where it was in the 50s, where non whites and women had less opportunity. They've somehow decided that there's an inverse correlation between women's ascent and men's descent, and that's just not true. I think we have to teach our young boys that we should be celebrating. And men, our sisters and our mother's ascent, it's absolutely wonderful. No group has ascended faster than women. Globally, more are seeking tertiary education than men. And I think, unfortunately, because of these algorithms and certain trends, popular trends in the media, the genders have done a great job of convincing themselves that it's the other gender's fault. Men, a lot of men, unfortunately, in the manosphere, want to blame women for their problems. Again, that's toxic and just totally Incorrect. But also, quite frankly, there is a bit of a zeitgeist and an unhealthy theme online among young women that young men don't have problems, they are the problem. And also on the far right, while they conflate masculinity with coarseness and cruelty, the far left's answer to the masculinity crisis is to tell young men to act more like a woman. I don't think that's helpful either. So I think the ultimate alliance is the following. I think men protect, I think women heal. And I think together they create wonderful, happy households and more humanity. And I also feel compelled to say, Ari, that masculinity and femininity, which should be celebrated, both of them are not sequestered to the people born as males or females. I think there's some women who demonstrate wonderful masculine features, and I think there's men that demonstrate wonderful feminine features. So let's celebrate femininity, let's celebrate masculinity, and let's restore the greatest alliance in history. And that is the alliance between men and women.
- [43:28]
G
You talk a lot about your own life and the disadvantages and advantages that you had. And I can see a recent college grad watching our conversation. And when it comes to economic opportunity, they can say, you know what, I read that book, Scott, and that's pretty nice. But. But you were able to afford an apartment. You didn't have massive college debt hanging over your head. You didn't know whether or not AI was going to completely consolidate a lot of entry level white collar positions that I'm applying for today. How much of this is this disillusionment? I guess for young men today, a circumstance of the climate that we're living in.
- [44:07]
B
My response to that would be that you're 100% correct. I'll just run through it. I got assisted lunch. I got into UCLA when there was a 74% admissions rate. I was one of the 26% that didn't get in. I applied again and I got in. The admissions rate this year will be 9%. I got Pell Grants, immigrants built my companies. I came of age during the Internet. If you look at 1945 to 2000, 5% of the population in America registered a third of the economic growth globally. And then all of that massive prosperity was crammed into one third of the population that was essentially white heterosexual males. Let me be clear. I had unfair, unprecedented historic advantage, historic wind in my sails. But that's no reason to hold. A 19 year old is paying the price for My privilege. So we have a debt on a couple levels. One, we have an obligation to get involved in the lives of young men that aren't ours. The single point of failure for a young man coming off the tracks is when he loses a male role model. And they're super easy to find young men without a male role model. Just ask around your office for single mothers. You don't have to be a CEO. You don't have to be an adolescent psychiatrist. Does the kid want to come over and watch a ball game with me? Would he be interested in coming over and hanging out? They are young men and boys everywhere and it is so easy to add value. And then part of that debt also is my generation to start paying it forward or paying it back, if you will and stop these economic policies that keep transferring wealth from young people to old. The two biggest tax deductions in our tax code are mortgage interest rate tax deduction and capital gains. Who owns homes and stocks? People my age. Who rents and makes their money from current income. Young people. They're the scariest statistic in our society right now. Hari and the epicenter of I think the majority of what ails our nation is the following. For the first time in our Nation's history, a 30 year old man or woman isn't doing as well as his or her parents were at the age of 30. These are solvable problems. Tax holidays, minimum wage of $25 an hour. National service tax deduction on current income as opposed to capital gains. Universal child credit, universal childcare, which I think would help young families. The $40 billion tax credit stripped out of the infrastructure bill. Well, the $120 billion cost of living adjustment in the Social Security plan flies right through Congress. We need to stop. Old people need to stop putting their hands in the pockets of young people. This isn't rocket science. Tax credits 8 million homes in 10 years bring the cost of education down. And a tax policy that is truly progressive and stops stealing from young people.
- [46:56]
G
You talk about your dad who passed away earlier this year and how difficult that process was. And I wonder if just the process, the act of writing this book was hard for you, having to kind of rethink about the relationships that you had in your past with your mom, your dad. And you lay out also that his life is a cautionary tale.
- [47:21]
F
Why?
- [47:22]
B
Yeah, this isn't an easy thing to say about. Your father recently passed away. My father was not a high character person. He was married and divorced four times. He left his last wife when she was in late stage. Parkinson's, a year away from passing away. My sister and I. My father passed away about three months ago. My sister and I were going to have a service for him, and then we realized nobody would come. He didn't have a single friend. So he left me and my mom when we were eight. He could have made our lives a lot easier, and he chose not to. So he was a flawed person. But what I would say is a huge unlock, not just for men, but for anybody, and has been a huge unlock in my life, is that about 20 or 30 years ago, I decided to put away the scorecard. And instead of thinking, was my dad good or not good to me, meaning that should dictate what kind of son I am, I just said, all right, what kind of son do I want to be? What kind of partner do I want to be? What kind of. Of boss do I want to be? What kind of friend do I want to be? And then hold myself to that standard and not have a scorecard. And I decided I wanted to be a loving, generous son, and I was that. And I got huge reward out of my relationship with him the last 20 or 30 years. And also my father checked an evolutionary box for all men. In that is he was a much better father than me, as bad as he was than his father was to him. And he evolved and he tried to get better. But it is a cautionary tale, Hari, because as many blessings as my father had, he essentially, had it not been for his sister or for his son and his sister, he would have died under bright light surrounded by strangers. So it's a cautionary tale that if you don't invest in relationships and you don't give of yourself and you're selfish, you run the risk of leaving this world alone and of failing. And he kind of made the fatal mistake around raising children. And that is, I do believe that the best thing you can do for your sons is to treat their mother well. And my dad didn't do that.
- [49:27]
G
You end your book with essentially a letter to your sons. And I guess, what do you want them to know about the relationship that you had with your parents and how that informed you as a parent to them? Because as you just talked about your dad, you're very tender with what your mom, the role that she played in your life, and especially the end of her life when you had a far greater role as really a caregiver, which is a completely different dynamic that most kids think will never happen to them.
- [49:59]
B
I'm grateful I had my mom when she was diagnosed with cancer for the third and final time. I moved in with her. And it's something towards the end of her life, it's something that I will cherish the rest of my life. What I want my sons to know is the following. That first and foremost, I love them immensely. And something I got from my mom is I think if you in small and little ways, explicitly, implicitly tell your kids you just think they're wonderful, and my mom did that, I don't think they can help but start to believe that themselves. And I think that's the key to success, is at the end of the day, after being fired, after being rejected by a potential romantic partner, after losing money, you can look in the mirror and think, I can add value to a company. I can make someone very happy and things will work out for me. But also to recognize that they have a debt. They have a debt. They were born in America, which gives them unprecedented agency. They were born into wealth, which means they have an obligation to ensure that the ladder is not pulled up behind them. And finally, I end the letter with the following. Take care of your mom. That's it. That's the whole shooting match. That was one of the. They are the thing I'm most proud of. I'm proud of my economic security. But that's just a means the ends is the following. And what it means to be a man is to move from prosperity to protection. And that I hope that they recognize someday that that protection initially manifests itself in taking care of the mother. And then also what it really means to be a man on a broader level is what I call surplus value. Do you absorb more complaints than you complain? Do you notice people? Are you the kind of person that feels as if when someone cuts you off in traffic, you have to speed up and cut them off? When someone is rude to you at the ticket counter at Delta and I'm describing me as a younger man and I'm not proud of this, do you feel you need to get back in their face to restore harmony to the universe because you're so damn important? When you get to the point where you notice more people's lives than you notice your own, you create more economic value than absorb. You listen to more complaints, you break up more fights than you start, you add surplus value. That's what it means to be a man. And that's what I hope for my boys. And again, see you above. Take care of your mother.
- [52:09]
G
Entrepreneur, podcaster and author Scott Galloway. Thanks so much. That book is called Notes on Being thank you, Ari.
- [52:18]
A
And finally, as leaders gather for the Earthshot Prize in Brazil, discussing the ways to repair our planet, scientists on the Mediterranean Ocean and Mediterranean coast are assessing the damage not with high tech equipment, but with nature. Analysts at the Hellenic center for Marine Research released thousands of mussels into the seas of Greece to detect growing microplane plastic levels and measure the health of the oceans. The muscles reveal just how pervasive the plastics are while providing a crucial tool to inform public safety measures, showing the innovative ways people across the globe are approaching environmental crisis. Well, that is it for now. If you ever miss our show, you can find the latest episode shortly after it airs on our podcast. And remember, you can always catch us online, on our website and all over social media. Thanks so much for watching and goodbye from New York.
- [53:16]
B
News Fatigue. Have I Got News for you? Is the cure and also the disease. CNN's Comedy Quiz show is back, making sense of the mayhem and definitely adding to it. Have I Got News for you? Saturday at 9 on CNN.