Podcast Summary: Bannon’s War Room Battleground EP 902

Title: Victory In Texas Against DEI; The Fight To Protect Teens And Children Online
Date: December 3, 2025
Host: Steve Bannon
Guests: Brian Harrison, Taj Gill, Joe Allen

Episode Overview

This episode of Bannon’s War Room Battleground focused on three main themes:

1. A “historic” grassroots win against DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) policies in Texas.
2. Geopolitical commentary on Russia, Ukraine, and U.S./European policy.
3. Ongoing legislative battles to protect children and teens online, centering on federal efforts such as COSA (Kids Online Safety Act) and recent hearings on Capitol Hill.

The episode features candid, forceful conversations with activists and experts, interlaced with characteristic urgency about the stakes for American values, sovereignty, and civic responsibility.

1. Texas’ Grassroots Victory Against DEI

Guest: Brian Harrison (Texas State Representative)
Segments: [01:59]–[14:13]

Key Discussion Points

• DEI Program Dismantled: Texas ended its largest DEI program, the HUBs (Historically Underutilized Businesses) initiative, under public pressure from conservative grassroots (“the posse”).
• Scope of DEI Mandates:
  • State contracts required fixed percentages (21–33%) to be awarded based on race or gender.
  • These mandates labeled as “facially unconstitutional.”
• How the Win Happened:
  • Traditional bills to end DEI failed in the Texas legislature.
  • Victory credited to direct public pressure, exposure via conservative media (including War Room), and mobilizing social media followers (dubbed “liberty bots”).
• Impact:
  • The defeat of the HUBs program is described as “the single biggest victory against discriminatory DEI in Texas history.”
  • Other wins cited: removal of the Texas A&M president over DEI/transgender issues, and ending DMV’s policy of issuing vehicle registrations to illegal aliens.

Quote:
“We delivered the single biggest defeat against DEI. The biggest victory for people against discriminatory DEI in Texas history.”
— Brian Harrison ([03:24])

Political Class Frustration

• Disconnect with Voters: Despite Texas’ reputation as a red state, Harrison claims its political class functions like Democrats under a shroud of secrecy.
• Transparency: “Transparency is like kryptonite in the liberal Austin swamp.” ([05:26])
• Need for Public Pressure: Every conservative victory “only happened because they were shamed and forced at the point of public humiliation into doing the right thing.”

On Democrat Walkouts (Quorum Break)

• No Consequences: After Democrat lawmakers broke quorum to block redistricting, no penalties were enforced (no seats vacated, no parking spots lost, etc.).
• Comparison to Other States: Democrats elsewhere “play smash mouth”; Texas Republicans do not hold them accountable, which sets a poor precedent for national GOP strategy.

Quote:
“I’m sick and tired of Democrats and leftists fighting harder for the future of our state and nation than so-called Republicans.”
— Brian Harrison ([09:44])

2. Geopolitics: Russia, Ukraine, and the West

Guests: Steve Bannon, Taj Gill
Segments: [14:13]–[25:09]

Key Updates

• Putin’s Warning: Quoting Reuters, Bannon reads Putin’s latest threat: “If Europe suddenly wants to start a war with us and starts it... it would end so swiftly for Europe that Russia would have no one left to negotiate with.” ([14:39])
• Ukraine Situation:
  • Russia is “grinding down” Ukraine in a prolonged battle of attrition.
  • Ukraine is running out of manpower—sending both teenagers and 65-year-olds to the front.
  • Every potential for peace is allegedly sabotaged, often to keep “the money spigot” open for Western aid.
• European Weakness:
  • Europe is described as having lost its identity and being incapable of withstanding Russian aggression without U.S. support.
  • Notable cultural anxiety: “Europe is now an extension of Arabia and an extension of North Africa… The whole European lineage is gone.”
    — Taj Gill ([19:51])

U.S. Policy and Burden

• Skepticism of U.S. Guarantees: Bannon strongly opposes security and sovereignty guarantees for Ukraine, especially given corruption concerns:
  “We cannot be giving sovereignty guarantees to a bunch of crooks. That's what they are. Yermak’s one of the great crooks out there, and Zelensky's a crook.” ([24:19])

Notable Moment:

Bannon’s historic perspective:
“For 5,000 years, they've been pounding each other. Pounding each other. ... Nobody would ever get involved in the war. In World War II, in the Bloodlands, that was for the Russians and the Germans to pound it out... We cannot be giving sovereignty guarantees to a bunch of crooks.” ([24:25])

3. The Fight to Protect Children Online: AI, COSA, and Accountability

Guest: Joe Allen
Segments: [33:50]–[50:52]

Key Discussion Points

• Big Win in Congress:

  • Attempt to include an “AI amnesty” moratorium in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) defeated thanks to public blowback and activism.
  • Room to remain vigilant as “trade-offs” led to removal of protections like the GAIN Act (advanced AI chip export controls).
  • Emphasis on continued grassroots action ("put your shoulder to the wheel").

• State vs. Federal Approaches:

  • Congress is deadlocked on how to regulate online risks for children, especially regarding liability for tech platforms.
  • COSA (Kids Online Safety Act) criticized as watered down: companies obliged only to have generic “reasonable policies” in place, not to prevent actual harm.
  • Resisting federal “preemption” seen as wise, allowing states to set meaningful standards.

• Online Threats to Children:

  • AI bots and platform algorithms can now autonomously prey on children, not just expose them to human predators.
  • Parent advocacy described as critical but lacking federal political traction.
  • Emotional testimony from bereaved parents at hearings; frustration that their stories are overshadowed by industry voices.

Quote:
“Doing nothing is not even remotely close to due diligence. ... If you went to a town that was completely laissez faire and anything goes, and there’s literally no authority who can step in and say, okay, no, this is predation, it has to stop... Nobody wants that in America.”
— Joe Allen ([44:59])

• Bannon’s Perspective:
  • The rapid evolution of AI-powered agents and bots presents unprecedented dangers:
    “This whole thing about [AI] agentic activity, these bots, is so scary. And that has to be dealt with.” ([42:40])
  • Concern that the “regular order” of policymaking is too slow for technological risk.

Legislative Mood and Momentum

• Committee hearings are described as “arguing over the fine details” while parents wait in frustration; “the real power is in the hands of the people who are making the choices.” ([48:36])
• Positive affirmation that vigilant activism can effect change, but the fight is far from over.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Transparency is like kryptonite in the liberal Austin swamp.”
  — Brian Harrison ([05:26])
• “Zero consequences for the Democrats who broke quorum.”
  — Brian Harrison ([08:48])
• “Europe is now an extension of Arabia and an extension of North Africa... The whole European lineage is gone.”
  — Taj Gill ([19:51])
• “We cannot be giving sovereignty guarantees to a bunch of crooks. That's what they are. Yermak’s one of the great crooks out there, and Zelensky's a crook.”
  — Steve Bannon ([24:19])
• “Doing nothing is not even remotely close to due diligence.”
  — Joe Allen ([44:59])

Important Timestamps

• [01:59]–[14:13]
  Texas DEI battle and legislative stalemates; conservative grassroots strategies.
• [14:13]–[25:09]
  Ukraine/Russia commentary, the state of Europe, U.S. foreign policy cynicism.
• [33:50]–[50:52]
  AI and child online safety; Congressional wrangling over COSA; risks of AI bots; parent advocacy.
• [05:26], [09:44], [19:51], [24:19], [44:59]
  Key quotes with timestamps.

Tone & Style

The episode was urgent, blunt, and combative, marked by a sense of embattled activism. The speakers thrived on mobilizing listeners, calling for direct civic engagement, transparency, and holding both political allies and opponents accountable. The original language was vivid, evocative, and confrontational, especially concerning perceived threats from within (state politics, tech companies) and abroad (Russia, European decline).

For First-Time Listeners

This summary guides you through the most essential topics and arguments of the episode. If you want a sense of the War Room’s priorities—anti-DEI activism, skepticism of U.S. interventions, aggressive protection of children online, and disdain for establishment politics—this episode is a showcase. The podcast’s original tone is maintained: direct, polemical, and focused on “action, action, action.”