7/9/26: Mitch McConnell Still Missing, Abdul Vs Stevens Debate, Senior Property Tax Breaks

Summary

Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar

Episode Date: July 9, 2026
Main Themes: Mitch McConnell “Missing”, Abdul vs. Stevens Michigan Senate Debate, National Wave for Senior Property Tax Breaks

---

Episode Overview

In this episode, Saagar, Krystal (briefly), and Ryan Grim dive deep into three major topics:

1. Ongoing speculation over Senator Mitch McConnell’s health and his conspicuous absence from public view.
2. The fiery Democratic Senate primary debate in Michigan between Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens, tackling issues from Israel policy to personal wealth.
3. The rapidly spreading political push—across both parties—for senior property tax freezes and abatements, and why the hosts see this as politically pragmatic but economically (and generationally) dangerous.

The show is true to Breaking Points’ voice: independent, skeptical of political establishments, fast-paced, and loaded with sharp banter and both policy and political analysis.

---

1. The "Missing" Mitch McConnell Saga

[02:33]

• Saagar opens with a provocative question: "Is [McConnell] alive? Nobody knows."
• The group reviews news and social media gossip about Senator Mitch McConnell's health and conspicuous absence following a weeks-long hospitalization.
• Multiple politicians and media figures claim to have spoken with him, but there’s a glaring lack of credible public proof (no photos, no live interviews).
• Scott Jennings describes his phone call with McConnell—"He was clearly keeping up with stuff, that made me happy...like everybody else I've been...in the dark about it." [03:05]
• Saagar and Ryan note how attempts to confirm McConnell’s health dissolve into a “he said, she said” of phone calls and tweets, leading to both memes and deep political speculation.

“That was a really long way of saying, no, I can't get him on the phone.” — Saagar [05:02]

AI Theories, Privacy, & Precedent

• Ryan floats the idea (citing their producer, Mac) of whether AI could be faking McConnell’s voice. Saagar refers to Congressional eldercare coverups (Feinstein, Cochran).
• They reference recent, similar incidents of political leaders’ health being covered up by staff and the reluctance for transparency in congressional ranks.

“Everyone knew that [Cochran] was gone...and nobody said anything.” — Sagar [05:56]

• Tweets about McConnell’s status (some satirical) circulate widely, highlighting the vacuum of verifiable information.
• Elaine Chao, McConnell’s wife, releases a carefully worded statement, which only fuels more questions.

Legal & Political Stakes

• The Democratic governor of Kentucky officially asks for proof of life/update.
• Under Kentucky law, the timing of a declared vacancy would significantly affect the special election process.

[Memorable Moment]

• Ryan reads a viral Hasan Piker joke tweet: "Just got off the phone with Mitch McConnell. We had phone sex." [08:13]
• Saagar: "Oh, so he could deny it." (pointing out the absurdity of current 'proof') [08:15]

---

2. Michigan Senate Debate: Abdul El-Sayed vs Haley Stevens

[13:55]

• Ryan recaps the Michigan Democratic Senate primary debate, focusing on Abdul El-Sayed (progressive, UAW-backed, public health expert) vs. Rep. Haley Stevens (centrist, big-labor/auto bailout resume, big corporate and AIPAC backing).

Israel, AIPAC, & Money in Politics

• El-Sayed presses Stevens on millions of AIPAC and outside funding in her campaign; Stevens insists nobody “owns” her.

“What I did when I served as chief of staff on the U.S. auto Rescue...what my opponent needs to answer is why is the GOP spending thousands...to prop up his campaign?” — Haley Stevens [14:35]

• Discussion centers around the awkward timing of Israeli PM Netanyahu attacking Stevens the same day—giving Stevens a defensive talking point in the debate.
• Ryan remarks on the suspicious "coincidence" of CNN, Netanyahu, and Stevens' coordinated messaging:

“It was a very fortunate turn of events for Haley Stevens.” — Ryan [18:56]

• The hosts (and Politico) critique the timing and media choreography, framing it as a tactical establishment move.

Corporate Money, Personal Wealth, and Tax Returns

• Both candidates are hit for personal wealth and delays on financial disclosures.

“If you really wanted to get wealthy and pay zero tax, you should just buy real estate.” — Sagar [21:02]

"Rich wife populism is as old as time..." — Sagar, defending Abdul and other reform-minded politicians who marry into money [22:24]

• The discussion turns to transparency, with Mehdi Hassan pressing both on extension requests for tax filings and accusations of hiding wealth.

Who "Counts" as a Doctor?

• Abdul’s credentials (MD but not practicing/board-certified) become a target.

“It's like if you went to medical school and got a PhD in public health...you're obviously a doctor here.” — Ryan [30:20]

Campaign Framing & Social Media Warfare

• Stevens’ campaign tries to brand Abdul as a “sexist podcast bro” due to friendly ties with lefty podcasters.
• Hosts criticize this as “cynical,” noting last year’s Dem talk was about needing more “Joe Rogans.”

"Democrats in a year have gone from ‘we need our own Joe Rogan’...to ‘he’s been on podcasts.’" — Ryan [31:43]

Political Forecast

• Saagar and Ryan agree: The winner of the Dem primary is strongly favored in the general, given Michigan’s broader voting trends.

---

3. Senior Property Tax Breaks: A Generational Battle

[36:11]

• Saagar launches an extended, impassioned critique of the wave of proposals nationally (including from Abdul El-Sayed, now in Michigan) to freeze or dramatically cut property taxes for seniors.

"If you are a senior and you pay off your home and...no longer have to have any property tax, there is no market incentive to sell, you will never sell, which means that these neighborhoods will not turn over." — Sagar [36:55]

• The result: scarce available housing, generational inequality, and higher tax or fee burdens for younger generations/homebuyers.

National Trend & Political Incentive

• Florida, California, Texas, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Boston, and Ohio all have recent or pending legislation in this direction—“sweeping the nation.”
• Saagar breaks down how these policies result in local budget crises, strained city services, conversions of school buildings into luxury senior housing, and ever-widening generational resource gaps.

“Two thirds of Florida voters support the property tax abatement. Two thirds...That's how selfish they are, the people who support these types of things. And that's why Abdul is doing this.” — Sagar [41:40]

Fairness and Policy Logic

• Ryan and Saagar argue it's irrational and unfair to grant tax relief to the generationally wealthiest even as younger/poorer residents are taxed more.

“To pay a different tax rate based on your age is crazy.” — Ryan [47:15]
“The whole idea of treating people differently based on their age is un-American. Maybe unconstitutional.” — Ryan [47:31]

Political Realities

• This is popular with elderly voters—a high turnout bloc. Neither party will resist it.
• The show predicts the trend will accelerate: "In the next five years...two thirds of the US population will be living under some kind of [senior] tax freeze." — Saagar [56:09]

Broader Implications

• A broader warning: If younger generations don't organize, America is headed for a society gridlocked by structural gerontocracy.

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• "I don't want to accuse him [Scott Jennings] of lying, but... this is so weird." — Ryan (on McConnell alleged phone call) [05:10]
• "Just got off the phone with Mitch McConnell. We had phone sex." — quoting Hasan Piker’s viral tweet [08:13]
• "Rich wife populism is as old as time..." — Sagar [22:24]
• "To pay a different tax rate based on your age is crazy." — Ryan [47:15]
• "It only works if we all fight back." — Sagar, on resisting the property tax trend [56:20]

---

Key Segment Timestamps

• Mitch McConnell Rumor Mill: 02:33 – 12:21
• Michigan Senate Debate: 13:55 – 33:38
• Senior Property Tax Policy Deep Dive: 36:11 – 56:14

---

Overall Tone

• Cynical about both parties: The hosts are unimpressed with Democrat and Republican pandering, but especially critical of “boomer socialism” and establishment manipulation.
• Info-dense and blunt: Dense with statistics, references to recent legislation, historical parallels, and social critique.
• Irreverent and humorous: Jokes, memes, and ironic asides abound—especially as the hosts skewer inconsistent political messaging or generational hypocrisies.
• Warning and Mobilizing: Subtext throughout: Younger generations must recognize when the deck is being stacked against them.

---

Takeaways For Listeners

1. McConnell coverage dramatizes the dysfunction and secrecy in American gerontocracy—and media complicity or impotence.
2. Primary politics are rough: In Michigan, real policy disputes (war, wealth, labor) tangle with identity, optics, and media intervention.
3. Senior property tax breaks—while politically near-unassailable—represent, to the hosts, the latest in intergenerational economic injustice. Everyone is on board because “everyone wants to win,” but the costs will be real, and the trend is only accelerating.
4. All of this—whether elite secrecy, cynical campaign tactics, or economic policy—is shaped not just by who votes, but by whose interests get baked into the rules.

---

For anyone looking to catch up on the real stories driving the headlines behind the headlines, this episode’s blend of sharp cynicism, concrete examples, and generational challenge offers plenty to ponder and, perhaps, organize around.

Transcript

[Orderly Meds Advertiser]

This is an iHeart podcast, guaranteed human

[Lowe's Milo's Money Advertiser]

Milo's Money Days are here and we're making it rain for rewards members for the first time ever, when you make a purchase of $200 or more through July 12, you'll get up to $30 back in extra Milo's Money. Not a member yet? Join for free today because members get more at Lowe's. Milo's Money award varies based on status. Members in gold get 30, silver get 20 and bronze get 10. Milo's money valid for 30 days, restrictions and more terms at Lowe's.

[Orderly Meds Advertiser]

Summer is here At Orderly Meds, we know this time is a reminder that life is full of new beginnings. Whether you're celebrating the nice weather, starting a new chapter, planning a vacation, or simply looking ahead to what's next, this season can be the perfect time to invest in yourself and your health. If you've struggled with weight loss and are curious about GLP1 medications, orderly meds can help you learn about your options. Through a simple virtual process, you can connect with licensed medical professionals who can determine and whether treatment may be appropriate for you. Getting started is fast, convenient and happens online from the comfort of home. This summer, consider a new approach to feeling your best. Visit orderlymeds.com podcast to learn more. That's orderlymeds.com podcast orderlymeds.com podcast because every new season is an opportunity to take the next step forward, compounded medications are not FDA approved, eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[CarMax Advertiser]

Do you want to find a stress free way to buy your next car? Start at CarMax and shop your way. If you want to browse with confidence, get pre qualified online with no impact on your credit score and shop cars within your budget. From luxury cars to family rides, CarMax has options for almost every price range, including more than 25,000 cars priced under $25,000. So hey, want to get started? Just head to CarMax.com for details and get pre qualified today. Want to drive CarMax?

[Sagar]

Hey guys, Sager and Crystal here.

[Crystal]

Independent media just played a truly massive role in this election and we are so excited about what that means for the future of this show.

[Sagar]

This is the only place where you can find honest perspectives from the left and the right that simply does not exist anywhere else.

[Crystal]

So if that is something that's important to you, Please go to BreakingPoints.com, become a member today and you'll get access to our full shows unedited ad, free and all put together for you every morning in your Inbox.

[Sagar]

We need your help to build the future of independent news media and we hope to see [e-mail] turning now to Mitch McConnell. Is he alive? Nobody knows. Well, I guess some people.

[Ryan]

We have some great news for the audience.

[Sagar]

Yeah, well, according to Scott Jennings, he may certainly still be alive. And here he is on CNN where he claims that he spoke with Mitch McConnell for 20 minutes and he was totally cogent. But when asked, can we get him on the phone right now? Crickets. Let's take a listen.

[Scott Jennings]

Do you think he'd be willing to call into the show? Could we get him on the phone now?

[Al]

You know, I wasn't really expecting him to call this morning, to be honest. So when the phone rang and I was able to talk to him, I was, I was frankly pretty grateful. I mean, as I, as I said, I've known him since I was a teenager. If it hadn't been for Mitch McConnell and the McConnell center at the University of Louisville, you know, I would never have been able to go to college. He's been my mentor and he changed the trajectory in my life. So, you know, when things happen to him and happen to people in your life that you really care about, you just sort of naturally feel extremely worried. So when I heard his voice today and he was clearly keeping up with stuff, that made me happy to hear from him because like everybody else, I've been, you know, somewhat in the dark about it. But to hear him talking and to know that he's also talking to the Senate leadership, it made me pretty happy.

[Scott Jennings]

The MAGA media ecosphere, shall we say, has been driving a lot of the questions about where Mitch McConnell has been and what has happened to, to him. You, of course, are in tune with that in the role you have on your, on your radio show. Do you think they should put out a picture of Mitch McConnell that he should release more to the public to quiet this noise?

[Al]

Yeah, I think Al had a good point about McConnell's general disposition towards privacy. I sometimes wonder, like, if I were laying in a hospital bed, would I want a bunch of people around photographing me? Probably not. Particularly if I were an 84 year old person who's normally private about his health. Probably not. But look, I take the criticism, I think it's a fair question about transparency. I think it's a fair question about whether they've done enough. But ultimately, these officeholders, you know, they're in charge of their own operations and, you know, it may be somebody around him says, let's put out a picture and he doesn't want to do it. I think. I think that's a fair observation from Al. But all I can tell you today is all the rumors about him being dead or brain dead or, you know, being. His body's being hidden somewhere. I've seen all kinds of crazy things on the Internet. That's obviously not true because he picked up the phone and called me. And that was a good thing.

[Sagar]

That was a really long way of saying, no, I can't get him on the phone. Right.

[Ryan]

Yeah, or a picture.

[Sagar]

Yeah, or a picture that I could get you on.

[Ryan]

I don't want to accuse him of lying, but. Because that's an extraordinary thing to lie about, but that is. This is so weird. And now, obviously now.

[Sagar]

So our producer Mac, thinks that there's an AI campaign going on right now that's not confirmed. I'm just floating.

[Ryan]

It's Mitch McConnell's voice.

[Sagar]

He thinks that there's, like, somebody using it, which, I mean, it is possible in today's day and age. Who would put. Considering the track record, Feinstein. Of the guy who just disappeared for three and a half months during depression for, I mean, so many of these. Who was the guy walking around Senate with Alzheimer's and everybody knew and everything? No, Wicker. I think he's still all there. No, Thad Cochran. That's Thad Cochrane.

[Ryan]

Apologies to Wicker.

[Sagar]

Yeah, sorry. But Thad Cochran, everyone knew that he was gone. Everyone knew that and nobody said anything.

[Ryan]

He's walking around with a diaper.

[Sagar]

It was only afterwards, after, I think he resigned or something like that, that everyone was like, hey, yeah, we all knew that he had been out to lunch for a long time. Like, well, it would have been nice if he all said something. And so, you know, how could you put it above, really, like some sort of lying campaign? Again, I'm not alleging in any way that that's what happened. I'm more just saying, like, there are genuine questions here to be asked because the circumstances are so nuts. And these tweets that these guys have put out. Let's put them up here. This became a meme online is, for example, like, before Scott went on the air, he said, I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior senator from Kentucky, still recovering in the hospital. We talked just shy of 20 minutes about Iran, Ukraine, all caps. For some reason, the unfolding situation in Maine, all caps, my visit to the TR Presidential library, and even a little bit of Senate history. I told him we wanna see him back at work as soon as possible. And then there was also another statement that put out from Senator Barraso. Senator BARRASSO and Senator McConnell had a lengthy conversation early this afternoon. Their phone call lasted 20 minutes. They caught up about the latest news impacting Senate races, et cetera, et cetera. Senator McConnell is fully engaged, is fully eager to get back to the Senate.

[Ryan]

So and so.

[Sagar]

Right, so they claim. But now we have this new statement from the governor. We could put that one up there on the screen, guys, where the Democratic governor of Kentucky has now sent a letter to the office of Mitch McConnell requesting an update on his health and well being.

[Ryan]

They want proof of life.

[Sagar]

And amid growing concerns around the senator's ability to serve, we have not yet received that statement from the McConnell team.

[Ryan]

So Thomas Massie has also come in and said that he has spoken with McConnell.

[Sagar]

Oh, has he?

[Ryan]

Yes, he posted. He said, I spoke to McConnell for about 20 minutes this morning. He said we should end the war with Iran, quit giving aid to Israel, stop spying on Americans without a warrant. And he's really sorry about how my primary turned out.

[Abdul El Sayed]

Right.

[Ryan]

Since then, McConnell has not disputed the characterization of Massie, of this alleged phone call. Hasan Piker Twitch streamer also said, I can read his post. He said, just got off the phone with Mitch McConnell. We had phone sex.

[Sagar]

Oh, so he could deny it.

[Ryan]

McConnell, of course, could deny this if it wasn't true.

[Sagar]

Yeah, McConnell should come out and he could deny it. Of course, we have not yet.

[Ryan]

And this tweet has 3 million views. So if McConnell is scrolling, he has seen this and has yet to deny it. Let's put C4 was producer Mac's producer Mac had a good one, too.

[Sagar]

Oh, I hadn't seen his Mac. You could send yours. And we'll read it here on the air after I read the statement from Elaine Chao. And so Elaine Chao, his wife, the daughter of a Taiwanese billionaire with deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party, who recently just took a trip to China while her husband was languishing in the hospital at 84 years old, two days after heart attack. Truly love to see a good love story here at the end. It's just like the Notebook. But she releases a statement saying the secretary was on a long planned trip to China to support her family's philanthropic endeavors. During the trip, she met with a number of people, including the US Ambassador. The senator's health did not warrant an immediate return to the United States.

[Ryan]

That can be read multiple ways. Yeah.

[Sagar]

They added Chao has since returned from her trip, is back in the United States, not in Kentucky. Back in the United States. Her staff did not say if she's been in contact with McConnell since returning home.

[Mehdi Hassan]

I can.

[Ryan]

You have to read Max.

[Sagar]

Okay. What is it? What has he got? He says, just got off the phone with Mitch McConnell. He told me. Ah, shit, it's hot. Fuck, there's so much fire. Oh, that's good. All right. I got a regain.

[Ryan]

Too soon, too soon. But it's not too soon because he's alive and well and recovering. The only reason this is funny is because we know that he's alive and well and recovery. Yes, that's right. Y.

[Ryan Reynolds]

It's a joke.

[Sagar]

It's a joke.

[Ryan]

And he will return to work. It's old form very soon.

[Sagar]

Let's put the letters. Let's put C5 up here on the screen inside the McConnell Health rumor mill. This is from Axios, so they're trying to report it with a straight face, unlike ICANN here. What they say is. Senate GOP leaders say they have spoken with McConnell. As speculation swirls among MAGA influencers about the Kentucky Republicans health. McConnell has been hospitalized for roughly three weeks. No information about his condition. Both the Senate Majority Leader and John Barrasso as well as Scott Jennings all claimed that they had spoken with him. They had lengthy and substantive conversation. However, influential MAGA voices have fueled speculation about his health status. Laura Loomer has claimed without evidence, the Senator is brain dead and hooked up to machines. She is now alleging a cover up. Glenn Beck says, we need the truth about Mitch McConnell now. It's unacceptable. The party spent four years criticizing Joe Biden's health is now silent on McConnell's. Under Kentucky state law, if the Senate vacancy were to occur before August 3rd, the special election would be held quickly to fill the seat. Whereas if a vacancy were to occur after August 3, then the senator would be elected in November as planned. And so obviously that's pretty important, especially in the midst of the EMS call cardiac arrest audio that we played for all of you. By the way. Trump is either in on it or doesn't wanna say. He was asked yesterday aboard Air Force One, do you know any about McConnell's health? And he said, I haven't spoken to him and I have no idea what's going on.

[Ryan]

Trump is at once the biggest liar on the planet, but also can't lie.

[Sagar]

Yes, sometimes. Yeah, he can't lie. Right. That was the most. In my opinion, that was a very revealing thing because if he actually was very healthy or whatever and was talking to people, you would assume he would call the president. Look, I have no idea. His wife is in China. It's weird. Cardiac arrest. You only got three people who claim to have spoken to him on the phone. I mean, you got no updates from his health. It's been three weeks in the hospital. It's an 84 year old man. It's all very, very sketchy. Sketchy. All right, let's get to Abdul Al Sayed.

[Orderly Meds Advertiser]

Summer is here, which means we all want to look and feel our best. A GLP1 may be right for you. Visit orderlymeds.com to learn more about which GLP1 you could be eligible for. Getting started is free, fast, easy, and happens virtually through telemedicine from licensed professionals. Check it out for yourself. Go to orderlymeds.com podcast that's orderlymeds.com podcast taking care of yourself feels great. Compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Hey, it's Ryan Reynolds here for Mint Mobile. Now. I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited premium wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it turns out that's very illegal, so there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a [e-mail] switch upfront payment

[Crystal]

of $45 for three months, $90 for six months or $180 for a 12 month plan required $15 per month equivalent taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes me slow when network is busy.

[HomeServe Advertiser]

See terms A burst pipe, a dead water heater, the AC calling it quits. Who do you call? HomeServe is an easy way to handle unexpected home repairs with plans covering stuff basic homeowners insurance usually won't. Instead of scrambling for a contractor, you make one call to get the repair process started. Join the millions of customers who trust HomeServe right now. Go to HomeServe.com podcast for 50% less your first year. That's HomeServe.com podcast savings compared to renewal Price Boyd in Florida.

[Ryan]

The two remaining Senate candidates for the Democratic primary in Michigan met for a debate this week. Abdul El Sayed pressed his opponent, Haley Stevens, on her fealty to Israel and her contributions from aipac. Let's take a listen to that.

[Haley Stevens]

The Congressman needs to answer is why has she allowed $40 million of outside spending, the bulk of it coming from AIPAC, to come into this race? I don't think Benjamin Netanyahu is attacking her to actually attack her. I think he's attacking her to try and steer away the stink of how staunchly she stands for their policy. So let's take that opportunity. Explain what you've given away for AIPAC's support in this race.

[Sagar]

30 seconds to wrap up.

[Abdul El Sayed]

No one owns my vote and no one owns my policies. Anyone who is contributing to my Senate campaign is doing so because of my proven record of fighting for Michigan. What I did when I served as chief of staff on the U.S. auto Rescue, saving 200,000 Michigan jobs, and what I have done to get the Chips and Science act passed and signed into law. What my opponent needs to answer is why is the GOP spending thousands of dollars to prop up his campaign, saying that he will make Mike Rogers the next US Senator?

[Ryan]

By the way, Haley Stevens work on the auto bailout is in fact her top calling card for that primary because it's extremely popular. What Rahm Emanuel said we should just let Detroit go bankrupt. And he was overruled by Obama.

[Sagar]

That was Romney. He wrote that op ed Romney.

[Ryan]

It really hurt Romney. Yes.

[Sagar]

Remember his campaign 2012 campaign?

[Ryan]

But internally, Rom Emanuel had said, just don't do it. There was a big fight over it. And Haley Stevens, to her credit, was on the side of we need to implement a bailout for Detroit.

[Al]

Right.

[Sagar]

But UAW endorsed Abdul.

[Ryan]

Uaw. Yes. That's a key point. So her number one thing is undercut by the fact that the UAW is behind El Sayed. Now, if you noticed in there, Abdul Al Said is referring to Netanyahu attacking her. Something extraordinarily interesting happened earlier that day right before the debate that people are frustrated about and suggesting that it was coordinated. So let's play this clip of Netanyahu on CNN with Dana Bash.

[Sagar]

Congresswoman Haley Stevens, she's running for Senate in Michigan, said Benjamin Netanyahu has made us less safe. He has frankly put Jews in an uncomfortable position across the country.

[Crystal]

Have you?

[Ryan]

Well, it's made her uncomfortable because she can't stand up for the truth. She's trying to probably excuse anti Semitism.

[Sagar]

You know, I, she's not.

[Scott Jennings]

She's.

[Sagar]

I mean, I just want to explain. She's somebody who supports Israel. She supports funding Israel, which diminishing big time among Democrats and even some Republicans in the United States Congress.

[Abdul El Sayed]

It is very clear that Mr. Netanyahu has not made us safer, has not brought us closer to peace, and he's endangered Jews here in America and around the world. This is why he was just trashing me today on cnn. I Am not afraid of bullies. I am not afraid to stand up and I continue to stand up for humanitarian aid for the US to work with in the region and get aid into Gaza.

[Ryan]

And so Sagra in the lead into that question, Dana Bash had said a lot of Jewish leaders here in the United States believe that, you know, your behavior is making Jews in America less safe. For instance, Haley Stevens has said X

[Sagar]

this is the new line, by the way, is that this Rahm Emanuel Haley Stevens line is it's Bibi's fault. It's all about Bibi.

[Ryan]

Right?

[Sagar]

Yeah, Israel is good, but Bibi is bad.

[Ryan]

But Haley Stevens, by the way, is not Jewish.

[Lowe's Milo's Money Advertiser]

Right.

[Ryan]

A lot of people have made the claim, made the claim that Dana Bash is talking about and frankly, I think she's correct about it. Why did she pick Haley Stevens, who is not Jewish, as a stand in for Jewish leaders in the United States?

[Sagar]

Oh yeah, that's a good point.

[Ryan]

Because she had a debate that night against Abdul El Sayed. Stevens repeatedly referenced Netanyahu attacking her in that debate. It was her biggest defense against the axe, against the fact that AIPAC is spending millions of dollars to support her. And so even Politico reported on this in a rather straightforward like way is calling out the cynicism of it, of how direct the links seem to be, that this was, that this was being weaponized on her behalf.

[Sagar]

Zoom out.

[Crystal]

Right.

[Sagar]

Is that Dana Bash asked the question about Hayley Stevens. Bebe attacks her. Stevens uses that attack as a direct link and as a direct retort in the debate against Al Said's most potent attack against him. And maybe Danbach in a Democratic party.

[Ryan]

Yeah, maybe Dana Bash didn't know there was a debate that night. Maybe it was a coincidence. In any event, it was a very fortunate turn of events for Haley Stevens. Now she also takes an enormous amount of corporate money and Abdul El Said hit her on that. Let's roll D3 to get their way.

[Haley Stevens]

And now you can buy a cheap TV but you can't find a manufacturing job that can actually feed your family. That is the devastation of corporate bought politics. Is the only candidate who's never taken a dime from a corporation. You know I'm going to stand up for you. It's the reason again, the UAW nurses aft have all supported us because when it comes to the choice between working people and corporations, I will pick people every time.

[Abdul El Sayed]

Yeah, and it's the only reason you haven't released your tax returns. And 15 labor unions are endorsing.

[Crystal]

I yield.

[Lowe's Milo's Money Advertiser]

Rick.

[Al]

Yes, Amber has another. Sure, go ahead.

[Haley Stevens]

Quickly, very quickly. Yeah, I took the same extension that the congresswoman took every single year.

[Crystal]

I'm talking about your tax returns, Abdullah.

[Haley Stevens]

Every single.

[Abdul El Sayed]

You haven't released your tax returns.

[Haley Stevens]

All right, you don't need an extension. There's a process.

[Abdul El Sayed]

He's putting money in your pocketbook.

[Ryan]

So she's hitting him on having a filthy rich spouse, basically, and he hasn't put his tax returns out. Filthy rich people have very complicated tax returns, but also they have very embarrassing tax returns in a country that purports to believe in some sort of egalitarianism.

[Sagar]

Yeah. Seeing on paper, if you ever look at a super rich person's taxes, they're like this. First of all, it's like a book, but the top line where you see income and then you see what they pay. You're like, holy shit. You're like, wait, you got to keep what Right?

[Ryan]

What right exactly? I thought we had a progressive tax system. How is.

[Sagar]

You're like, wait, your effective tax rate's 15% and mine's like 40. You know, how does that work? I'm not talking about me specifically. I'm saying, you know, if you, if you like, if you factor in whatever the. What's it called, like the FICA and everything else compared to what some of these private industry barons are, I'm assuming. So he keeps alluding to his wife's real estate. That means they pay nothing, these real estate.

[Ryan]

Right. Because real estate guys washes all your

[Sagar]

constantly just doing depreciation and all this other. And you spend so much, they're paying nothing in tax. Yeah. So you know, he's got a low tax.

[Ryan]

That's why, that's why Trump paid nothing for like. Of course.

[Mehdi Hassan]

Yeah.

[Sagar]

That's what they all do. Everybody. That's what all of them say. It's like you actually really want to get wealthy and pay zero tax. You should just buy real estate.

[Ryan]

So many, many. Hassan, hit him on this a little bit. Let's. Let's go to D4. Here's El Sayed and Mehdi.

[Mehdi Hassan]

Haley Stevens has also attacked you and Mike Rogers for being millionaires, who she says conveniently did not file their 2026 personal financial disclosures. You sought an extension through August 13, I believe, which is after the primary. Was this to avoid transparency with your voters? Why not release them before the election?

[Haley Stevens]

No, just taxes get complicated. My wife and her family own property abroad. And so getting all those tax forms is a thing. And this is, by the way, the same extension that she said You're a

[Mehdi Hassan]

millionaire and you're hiding that.

[Haley Stevens]

Well, if you take my assets and my wife's assets together, then I guess they add up to something like that. But my career has never been about trying to maximize on money. Otherwise I would have just gone and been a surgeon. But, you know, my focus has always been on public service. And it's interesting to try and compare apples to oranges here. If you file on your own, then of course your assets look like one thing, which Congresswoman Stevens does. If you file with a partner, your assets might look like something else.

[Sagar]

Also, he's sitting on a boatload.

[Ryan]

Rich. Rich people always extend anyway. So they don't file until October like regular people file in April. Rich people file in October.

[Sagar]

Exactly.

[Ryan]

I mean, you have to pay in April, right? The rich people, but they don't pay, so.

[Sagar]

Yes.

[Ryan]

So there's nothing really to pay.

[Sagar]

Can I give a defense here of Abdul? I was telling you earlier, I've been telling the group Chat this for days. Rich wife populism is as old as time. If you look at some of the reformers throughout the 1800s and others, a man of letters needs a gentried wife whose father struck it rich, not her specifically needs a gentried wife so that he can pursue his letters in public service. This is a tale as old as time. And so you've got Rokhanna marries a filthy rich wife. You've got Abdul who marries a filthy rich wife, both Indian American, filthy rich wives, which is very cool. And then who else have you got? You got Rishi Sunak, right? I mean, he's not a populist, but you know, Rishi Sunak, who's the prime minister, he's married some Indian billionaire. Beto married a filthy rich woman as well. I think this is a tale as old as time is. To pursue public service, you need to marry into money. And so I have an extraordinary amount of leeway and defense for men who marry into very, very rich families. I think it's kind of a. It's a very lindy phenomenon going back all the way to the British Empire.

[Ryan]

Karl Marx's wife is doing pretty well. Yeah, her father. Her father had some.

[Sagar]

Was Lennon's wife. I forget. I don't think so.

[Ryan]

No. She was a revolutionary as well. But I mean, it doesn't mean you can't be rich. There was a. What do they call it, like the Red Duchess or something? A really rich, really rich duchess in Europe who funded a lot of the communist newspapers and stuff.

[Sagar]

Pretty common, right? You need a gentried rich woman to be able to support your dream as a man. What's wrong with that?

[Ryan]

Like Frederick Engels.

[Sagar]

Frederick Engels, you're exactly right. So, yeah, I have a total defense here of Abdul. Of Abdul. Of ro. Every time the RO trading figures come out, it's like, bro, it's his wife. It's not him sitting around doing this. But he's like, what is he gonna do? He's gonna tell her what to do. You can't be doing that. It's her money.

[Ryan]

He's literally trying to pass federal legislation,

[Sagar]

right, to stop his wife from trading. Ladies, you do what you need. If it's your money, keep doing what

[Ryan]

you need to do.

[Orderly Meds Advertiser]

Summer is here at Orderly Meds. We know this time is a reminder that life is full of new beginnings. Whether you're celebrating the nice weather, starting a new chapter, planning a vacation, or simply looking ahead to what's next, this season can be the perfect time to invest in yourself and your health. If you've struggled with weight loss and are curious about GLP1 medications, orderly meds can help you learn about your options. Through a simple virtual process, you can connect with licensed medical professionals who can determine whether treatment may be appropriate for you. Getting started is fast, convenient, and happens online from the comfort of home. This summer, consider a new approach to feeling your best. Visit orderlymeds.com podcast to learn more. That's orderlymeds.com podcast orderlymeds.com podcast because every new season is an opportunity to take the next step forward, compounded medications are not FDA approved, eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Crystal]

A burst pipe, A dead water heater, the AC calling it quits? Who do you call? HomeServe is an easy way to handle unexpected home repairs with plans covering stuff basic homeowners insurance usually won't. Instead of scrambling for a contractor, you make one call to get the repair process started. Join the millions of customers who trust HomeServe. Right now, go to HomeServe.com podcast for 50% less your first year. That's HomeServe.com podcast savings compared to renewal price void in Florida hey, it's Ryan

[Ryan Reynolds]

Reynolds here from Mint Mobile Now, I was looking for fun ways to tell you that Mint's offer of unlimited Premium Wireless for $15 a month is back. So I thought it would be fun if we made $15 bills, but it turns out that's very illegal. So there goes my big idea for the commercial. Give it a try atmint mintmobile.com switch.

[Crystal]

Upfront payment of $45 for 3 months, $90 for 6 months or $180 for 12 month plan required. $15 per month equivalent taxes and fees. Extra initial plan term only greater than 50 gigabytes. Me slow when network is busy. See terms.

[Ryan]

You also saw him say in the clip that if he really wanted to get rich, he would have become a surgeon rather than a public health official. And that was his. He was the public health official for the state of Michigan. He's. He was widely credited as having done a good job. That's been his kind of his calling card in the campaign. But that means he also has never been a practicing physician. Mehdi, the right wing has been beating him up on that. Haley Stevens consultants have been beating him up on that. I don't quite think that one lands. Mehdi went back and forth with him a little bit on that. Let's roll. D5.

[Mehdi Hassan]

You got attacked by your rivals for calling yourself a physician, not just a doctor, even though you don't have a valid state medical license in New York or Michigan, which apparently is what you need legally to call yourself a physician. Do you wish you just stuck to calling yourself a doctor, which you are to avoid all of this controversy and attacks on your physician status?

[Lowe's Milo's Money Advertiser]

You know, at the end of the

[Haley Stevens]

day, it's not about whether or not I'm a physician or a doctor. The question is, can you see a doctor? It's not about my education. It's about whether or not your kid gets good at education. So I'm just not spending time.

[Mehdi Hassan]

That's a good time. But people would say it's also about. Did you tell the truth?

[Haley Stevens]

Well, I would say that I was the health director for the city of Detroit and I've done more to provide more people health care or eliminate their medical debt than most doctors have done in their practice career.

[Sagar]

I don't know how I feel.

[Ryan]

Was it Detroit? I said statewide. I thought it was statewide. Maybe it was Detroit.

[Sagar]

Full tuition scholarship to the University of Michigan Medical School. Did two years there. He led the mission, then went on. Didn't you receive an M.D. yeah, did that. In 2014, he completed an M.D. at Columbia University. So he has an M.D. but he did not. What was it?

[Ryan]

He also went to Oxford.

[Sagar]

It looks like he did. Yeah, he did. Oh, he did. A Rhodes scholarship.

[Ryan]

A Rhodes Scholarship, too. So.

[Sagar]

So he is very highly educated. We'll give it.

[Ryan]

The guy's got the credentials.

[Sagar]

But he is not a doctor. Or if it's. No, no, sorry.

[Ryan]

He is a doctor.

[Sagar]

He's an md. So the doctors are going to be raising me. He's an md, but he's not a board certified physician.

[Ryan]

Right.

[Sagar]

Because he didn't do residency or he didn't complete residency. Remember this was a controversy with the Surgeon general woman who withdrew, Casey Means. Cause she also never completed residency and she was gonna be. These are the types of.

[Ryan]

Another Rhodes scholar. No doubt.

[Sagar]

Doctors get very upset about these types of things, about whether you cause them. But I get it. You all worked very, very hard. You know, just zooming out a little bit and looking at the polling before we go to the property tax stuff.

[Ryan]

Ryan, what is your PhD in? Public health at Oxford.

[Sagar]

That makes sense.

[Ryan]

But then also the md, what is your. So many credentials.

[Sagar]

What is your take here about these types of attacks on El Sayed? Because I mean, we shouldn't misrepresent it. Like they are tied virtually in polls. Right. It does seem to be a battle between the old and the young. Al Said's favorables with young people are astronomical. So he's got a lot of the activists on his side and he's trying to do some more crossover appeal with old people, which we'll talk about here in a second.

[Ryan]

He wants to win. Turns out he wants to win.

[Sagar]

He wants to win. But just before we do our fun segment about property tax, what's your read on the race as it stands now? Like, how do you think she came out of the debate especially? Look, he got some great hits on her, but these clips have been really boosted by the Republic. That's why we're showing it to you. These Mehdi Hassan clips, they're all over social media and Michigan, the Haley Stevens campaign as well, who are really using them to attack El Sayed's credibility. So I'm curious what you think.

[Ryan]

I don't. I mean, with enough money, everything makes something of a debt. And I didn't think that was a great answer. It doesn't. It was. He had this can line. It doesn't matter about my education. It matters about your kids education.

[Sagar]

Squirrely.

[Ryan]

It's like if you went. If you have a PhD and an MD and you went to Rhodes Scholar, you went to Oxford and University of Michigan Medical School. Go ahead and say that because they're going to imply like people are going to take away from that. Oh, he didn't even go to medical school.

[Abdul El Sayed]

Right.

[Ryan]

It's like if you went to medical school and got a PhD in public health and you were the city of Detroit's public health director. What are we talking about? You're obviously a doctor here. But now it's a head to head match and she's going to be able to outspend him through super PAC support significantly from United Democracy Project, APAC, super pac, plus the entire kind of world that doesn't want to see El Sayed politics dominate. They're trying to use Platner against him,

[Sagar]

which, yes, that's very much been happening because they shift because he's a man. Well, no, no, it's because he has the same type of online supporters. And actually that's the next thing I wanted to put up. Can we put up this NBC thing? I put it, I sent it to the chat. This was really fascinating. So the latest hit, according to this NBC News article, which is about inside the slugfest of the Senate primary, is Haley Stevens campaign wants to paint El Sayed, quote, as a sexist podcast bro. Because he's appeared on a show like ours, I think with. Didn't he campaign with Hasan Pike?

[Ryan]

Yeah, he did.

[Sagar]

Right. So it's things like that where they want to use the podcast bro image of MAGA from 2024 to basically smear him and say, oh, he's one of these online bro, you know, in this sphere.

[Ryan]

So Democrats in a year have gone from we need our own Joe Rogan because we need to reach out to men to he has been on podcasts.

[CarMax Advertiser]

Yes.

[Sagar]

And podcasts are bad.

[Ryan]

Podcasts are bad. All of them. He's a podcast pro and therefore he needs to be rejected. That is a victory that spells defeat if I've ever heard it.

[Sagar]

It's a cynical, cynical take. Well, I don't know, because it seems to me.

[Ryan]

Because it just spell defeat. Long term.

[Sagar]

Fair. Absolutely. It seems to me like whoever wins this is probably going to win. No, I mean Mike Rogers, like, I'm sorry, you're cooked in a wave election year where Trump, Trump. I mean, Michigan is what I would say one of his least strong states that he's. He won it twice. First time, 2016, it's like 10,000 votes. Second time around, or sorry, third time around, I forget exactly how much he won. It wasn't a lot. Like in terms of the margin, like he won Pennsylvania, I believe more than he won by Michigan. Michigan is a tough, tough place for Donald Trump. And so then if you factor in

[Ryan]

less than 100,000 votes, there you go,

[Sagar]

less than 100k votes. I mean, it's just not a lot of votes. 80,000 Michigan. So if you got. And Alyssa Slotkin was also able to win at the same time. So there's split ticket already and that's in a Republican wave election.

[Ryan]

Right. So win behind his back. He won by with the win behind his back.

[Sagar]

He barely wins, you know, that election. If Gaza doesn't happen or if Kamala does a bet, does a better job, she potentially wins Michigan.

[Ryan]

Oh, yeah.

[Sagar]

Just if those who come out to vote. So all those people are going to come out to vote for the Democrat, I think, no matter what. So then it's a big question of like, okay, so whoever the Democratic, Democratic.

[Ryan]

Does Dearborn come out for Haley Stevens?

[Sagar]

No, but I don't think, I don't think she'll need it as much as Kamala did just because of the way that things are this time around. So it's a very high, very high stakes primary. It really is. And I think the CNN stuff, the CNN manufacturer, whatever you want to call it, I'm not alleging anything.

[Ryan]

Right. But allowed her to blunt the most damaging attack on.

[Sagar]

You see lately. I have, and I say this with like no morality or anything. I admire the Democratic establishment. So it's fun, right, because they've taken so many Ls recently in all of these DSA elections. They're like, okay, we can no longer run on Israel itself. So what we need to do is manufacture other is like metoo with Platner here, not manufacturer as in they're paying her or anything. I'm just saying, like, they're certainly using it to great effect to get him out of the race and to take over the entire system. And then here they're like, oh, well, what we do is we get BB to attack her and then they use that as evidence that she's, you know, middle road or whatever on Israel. That may be enough, you know, for some, for some boomers who are out there, who are largely, it seems, to be her constituency.

[Ryan]

If you're a boomer watching, Abdul El Sayed wants to cut your property taxes.

[Sagar]

Yeah. Don't do it, Ryan. Don't do it. We are not, we are not stupid to that level. All right, let's get to property tax.

[Orderly Meds Advertiser]

Summer is here, which means we all want to look and feel our best. A GLP1 may be right for you. Visit orderlymeds.com to learn more about which GLP1 you could be eligible for. Getting started is fast, easy, and happens virtually through telemedicine from licensed professionals. Check it out for yourself. Go to orderlymeds.com podcast. That's orderlymeds.com podcast. Taking care of yourself feels Great compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Taco Bell Advertiser]

Introducing Taco Bell's New Jalapeno Citrus Salsa with Bright Citrus Real Red Jalapenos Guajillo chiles Usually you add sauce to the food, but when the sauce is this good, the food is just there to get the sauce to your mouth. That rolled quesadilla? Not a rolled quesadilla anymore. Now it's a sauce shovel. Taco Bell's Jalapeno Citrus Salsa get it with any item on the Cantina Chicken menu while it's here. The participating U.S. taco Bell locations for a limited time only while supplies last contact store for availability A burst pipe?

[HomeServe Advertiser]

A dead water heater? The AC calling it quits? Who do you call? HomeServe is an easy way to handle unexpected home repairs with plans covering stuff basic homeowners insurance usually won't Instead of scrambling for a contractor, you make one call to get the repair process started. Join the millions of customers who trust HomeServe right now. Go to HomeServe.com podcast for 50% less your first year. That's HomeServe.com podcast savings compared to Renewal Price Void in Florida

[Sagar]

so as Ryan alluded to in one of the most disappointing, disgusting, craven, repulsive statements ever uttered by an American politician, here is Abdul EL Sayed, who clearly wants to win, who says he wants to freeze senior property taxes? Let's take a listen.

[Haley Stevens]

I think we need to be freezing property tax for seniors. If you paid off your home at some point, we can't expect you to keep up with property taxes that are going up now, how do we pay for that? Well, again, if we tax billionaires their wealth, if we were to invest in the Department of Education so that we're paying centrally for public schools in an equitable way, there are a lot of opportunities for us to lift the burden off of seniors who've done their job, they've worked extra hard. They deserve a dignified retirement and we've got to be thinking about how to offer them that.

[Sagar]

They deserve a dignified retirement. They deserve a federal bailout of Michigan schools, and we're just gonna pay for it with these fancy billionaire taxes. And look, you know, I'm not some guy who's anti wealth tax or anything. I don't particularly care. You know, screw rich ultra rich people, whatever, use it as punitive cash. That's all fine, but ultimately this is about bailing out seniors and a false premise, which is if you've paid off your home, you deserve to live there forever. This is a literal violation of the American dream and specifically of the housing mechanics and the way that it all works, Ryan. Because first of all, it presumes that if you've paid off the house, that means you should no longer have to pay for any public services whatsoever, from the roads to the police to the fire department, when we actually know that old people are disproportionately using them. Also property tax, the vast majority of that funding goes to local education. Now, his presumption here that the federal government should bail out the state of Michigan and all of their localities actually is a conservative nightmare. And even if anybody cares about localities, it means that the feds are will have near total control over what you can and can't do in your schools. One of the best things about America, specifically our education system, if you want to say, is that if you live somewhere, let's say you disagree with something that's happening in your school because you pay in, you actually can change it. You really can. We saw this with anti woke or even woke if you want, whatever you want to do. Covid Mass. Parents actually got mad and in some cases they won. They beat the system whenever it came to a showdown. If it's all up to the feds, you have no power whatsoever. Right? And then just let's talk about the housing mechanics part because this is the part that really bugs me. And I'll be callous, I don't care, because I'm not a politician, which is if you are a senior and you pay off your home and then you no longer have to have any property tax, there is no market incentive to sell, you will never sell, which means that these neighborhoods will not turn over. And you have seniors who occupy the vast majority of the housing stock who have no financial pressure whatsoever, who will stay in these new homes, who will then not turn them over to the next generation. People say it's unfair because the property tax has gone up. The tax only goes up if the house value goes up too. And so if you did not pull yourself up by your bootstraps maybe and do enough saving over the course of your life, and you didn't plan for your property tax, why does that mean you get to hold a financially appreciable asset, pay nothing to be able to maintain it, receive all city services, give nothing back to your community, and hold up all of the housing stock that there is? This is sloppulism. That's what it is. It's a cynical way to win older voters who are not currently voting or supporting Abdul Al Sayed. That's what it's all about. And the unfortunate. And people are like, oh, Sagar, why do you care so much about this? It would be funny if it weren't literally sweeping the nation, which I'll prove to you all there is now, between California, Florida, which is about to abolish property tax, and Texas, which is just on the exemption, you will have nearly 100 million Americans by this time living next year in a boomer Reich system where they occupy all the housing stock. They don't pay as much as you or I do. If we own a home for a property tax and they are depleting the system, meanwhile demanding Social Security where they say they have fixed income, which is literally cost, which literally goes up by inflation. When is the last time you got an inflation adjusted raise? If you're under 65, when's the last time you got an inflation adjusted raise? In fact, you almost certainly got a decrease because the wages have not kept up with inflation since 1970 or whatever. So they get inflation adjusted raise, you get nothing and you get less services and you have to pay more in taxes. So I'm off my soapbox.

[Ryan]

You go the other thing that elderly homeowners would do with this property tax abatement and you could theoretically write in the legislation to try to preempt this. But what they would do is move out, go somewhere else and then rent this property that they now don't have to pay property tax on and then just collect the rental income on it. So what it does is it takes more housing stock off of the market, which drives up home prices and just makes it harder for people who don't own a home yet to buy one because they aren't selling it. Because think about it, if you sell it to somebody younger, that younger person now has to pay property taxes. If they wanted to rent it, the amount of profit that they would make by renting it is reduced by the amount of property tax they have.

[Sagar]

Correct?

[Ryan]

You don't have to pay the property tax. So your incentive then to rent it and then just go somewhere else and buy another one that you also don't have to pay property tax on.

[Sagar]

Well, they'll claim all kinds of nonsense about primary home and all this to get around this. But look, even in the primary you

[Ryan]

could Airbnb it and live there for six months because you're traveling to the Danube, right?

[Sagar]

Because I will say what nobody else wants to, which is sometimes you will have to Sell. If your property has gone up from 170 grand to 2 million and you're drowning in property, then sell the home, move into a million dollar house, take the profit. You can keep your property tax forever. Oh, and by the way, somebody else can buy that home and maybe raise their family in it. You know, the most heartbreaking thing is in localities across this nation. The neighborhood I grew up in is a good example. Full of kids. No longer full of kids. Why? Everybody still lives there, there, right? Same people still live there. Kids are grown and gone. Guess what kids, they all live in another neighborhood now. It was a nice neighborhood. I liked it there. And this is happening across the nation. You got elementary schools closing because the fertility rate is down and because in a lot of the traditional suburbs nobody wants to leave. The rich people, rich boomers are all staying there. And then people who are in families, they got nothing. They're either in the renter class or they got to go somewhere else and try and do something. And look, you could say, well, oh, that's just the market reality. And the boomers are always coming back to me. It's like, well, we had 15% interest rates. I'm like, and same question I always ask, what was the wage? What was the price income ratio? What was the price to income ratio? It is like 2 or 300% more than it was even 25 years ago compared to the current median home price. And that's 485,000 today is the median home price. But that factors in all of these lower cost of living areas. And if you were living at medium or high cost. We talked about San Francisco in our last show. It's 1.7 million. That's an extreme example, I get it. But in many higher cost of living areas, talking about millions of dollars, literally millions of dollars. And that's why the average first time homebuyer is anywhere between 37 and 45. And that the average buyer of a home today is age 50, right. Is because they're the only people with the cash to be able to do so. So that's ultimately what Abdul is trying to set in. Let's put E2 up here on the screen. I took this from his website and this is again, it's the worst possible thing. On his website. He says we will freeze, follow the senior, not the property. The assessment freeze does not transfer on sale or death. When the home changes hands, it will reassess at market value. This preserves local tax based integrity over time. So as I write, if a senior sells the property to an under 65 person, they will then be hit with a property tax reassessment to current market value. Now, here's why I think it's safe, because this people took this the wrong way, saying, well, anytime somebody sells a house that they get reassessed at market value. You're right. But the freezing of a property tax means that there's no appreciation or incentive to sell. This is what happened with California Proposition 13. It is exactly why California's housing market is as messed up as it is today. There is no incentive for people who bought between the 1980s and the 1990s at very, very low values, who have frozen property tax or stepladder increases to sell, even though their homes have appreciated in some cases by two, three, four, five hundred, even a thousand percent in places like Santa Monica. So what do you do? What you have to do is it means that the younger buyer has to have more cash on hand and budget at a much higher price than the senior who gets to live there, which locks the housing stock up forever. It has destroyed the California housing market. Now, this would be a proposition because Abdul, frankly, he's running for United States Senate, so he wants to do this nationally. All right? I mean, technically he doesn't have the authority, but somebody could preempt that type of behavior. And I just want to show you all what happens when states start doing this stuff. Let's go to the next one. This is from Florida. Just happened yesterday. All right, so Tampa, the city of Tampa, how many years now you and I been hearing, oh, all these families are moving to Florida. It's such a great place to live. It's cheap and they don't have to wear masks. And you have all this freedom. Well, here's part of the freedom that you're all about to have. So in Florida, counties are now preparing for the total elimination of property tax or a phase reduction. Hillsborough county, that's where Tampa is. Here's what they write. A lengthy list of possible responses to the elimination will include eliminating or reducing county services like parks and aging services, closing underused facilities and increasing or adding new assessments such as higher fuel tax and more park fees. So that means, Ryan, you got four kids. I assume you live at that park because it's nothing else to do, right? It's easy, it's free. Take them there, you let them run around, burn some energy. Kids just started walking. So this is. We're in that phase right now. Now, every time you go though, pay up, you gotta pay, say sorry. Cause these boomers over here they don't want to pay property tax. You, when you take your kid to the park, you got to pay. All right, fuel tax. You want to go somewhere, take your kid to the park. Sorry, it's going to cost you. All right, there's toll roads everywhere in Florida. So this is what happens. You got no income tax, you got no property tax. Now where's the money going to come from? It's going to come from somewhere. The Disney cruise surcharge is about to be $500 for every person who comes out of state. And for the people who live there, it's going to be hell.

[Ryan]

Should the fuel tax not apply to elderly people too?

[Sagar]

Sure, why not? Oh, they drive less, so why? Oh, they don't use it. All right, so this is what leads to this type of logic where elder people when they were young.

[Ryan]

To pay a different tax rate based on your age is crazy.

[Sagar]

Yes.

[Ryan]

Also for the age cohort that has more wealth to pay less tax.

[Sagar]

I know.

[Ryan]

Than the age cohort that has less wealth is completely insane.

[Sagar]

Right.

[Ryan]

The whole. The whole idea of treating people differently based on their age is un American. Maybe unconstitutional. Like, what about equal protection?

[Sagar]

And like, of course, what you think they're gonna. They're gonna have anyone.

[HomeServe Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Sagar]

How can we even challenge it? And the young person, to show you about the sloppyism point, you can't even conceive how popular these things are. If you were to tell the two areas I get the most hate on weed and this actually maybe more energy about this. I've received actual death threats over weed, but I'm waiting for my real death threats that are coming from just saying, hey, we shouldn't have unequal tax codes based on age. Let's put E4 up here. Take a look at the polling. This just happened yesterday. Two thirds of Florida voters support the property tax event. Two thirds. So you got the old. With this old state, you know, and they're all like, yeah, why not? Why should we have to pay? Screw them. I don't use a park anyways. Not my business, not my problem. Schools, my kids are grown. Doesn't matter. Who cares about the next generation or my grandkids? Doesn't matter. That's how selfish they are, the people who support these types of things. And that's why Abdul is doing this. And that's why it's sickening. Because, you know, guys like him there, they talk so big game about principles and all that, and I'm sure, you know, take a lot of hits, but, like, ultimately they're politicians he looks at his poll numbers, he wants to win. And this is overwhelmingly popular. And just in preparing for this segment, I found four different state and localities. Actually five. Another one this morning. E5, let's put it up here. This from Boston, Michelle Wu, who is supposedly some lefty great person. Mihir Michelle Wu signed city order to expand property relief for older homeowners. Okay, so to provide relief for these older homeowners. Let's go to the next one. What do we find? Indiana, Indiana. Governor Braun eyes property tax breaks for seniors and assessment changes. Quote, once you get to 65, maybe you ought to have some relief from your own government to not have property taxes after that, he said. So I'll be looking for enterprising legislators to see if they're hearing that too. The other thing I hear is once you've paid off your mortgage, why should you then have a fixed cost? Generally that's gonna be later in Life. With a 25 to 30 year mortgage, you'll be approaching retirement. He says he doesn't want to starve local units of government, but said that those expenses shouldn't rise beyond what taxpayers can afford. And we could make up the revenue elsewhere. Hmm, let's go to the next one, shall we? Pennsylvania Democrats. All right, Pennsylvania House. It votes to fund property tax cuts for seniors by levying targeting big tech companies. Now, I don't care about big tech companies. That's totally fine, tax them. I don't care, give a shit. But what does this mean is you have a property tax cut, they will take that revenue and only make up for the property tax of seniors, not for any of the other younger home buyers. And that's, that's, you know, right now I'm just fighting for parity. But if, if I were really fighting, what would I say? Let's say who the people who got

[Ryan]

the money cut the property tax for the first time home buyer.

[Sagar]

For the first time home buyer. We'll even means test it. I don't care. All right, you know, that's fine. Of the three things, by the way, that I just read, only one of those was means tested for lower income seniors, which is Boston. Even then I'm against it just because. Yeah, I think it's unfair. It's like why do you lower income single mom doesn't get a break but lower income senior gets a break. Which one do you think needs more of a break? If it is binary, ultimately, because the government, I mean you can Google in these states. Indiana, what have they done for a young family in the Last three months, nothing. Pennsylvania, same thing. Find me, find, find me something and I will read it here on the show. All the energy. And then finally ea, let's put it up here. Republicans. So this is bipartisan. Ohio lawmakers approve 350 million in property tax relief for seniors. So it's because they vote. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about.

[Ryan]

It's not just that they vote, it is definitely that they vote. It's also a function of the population decline.

[Sagar]

Absolutely.

[Ryan]

The number, like the number of people graduating high school has declined the last couple of years. And this is something we can project with certainty basically with immigration being the only variable because we know who was born 18 years ago and who wasn't and the population and the birth rate are going down. And as a result the young people in the voter pool who participate at a much lower rate anyway are much fewer to begin with relative to the biggest generation now. Now the boomers are not going to be here forever, but they're going to be here for a long time.

[Sagar]

Right, Last one. I just, I literally found this one this morning because a friend of mine overnight texted me this. Let's put it up here on the screen. One of the leading candidates for governor in South Dakota, his name is Toby Dodin, he says space out property tax. Guess what? South Dakota, they don't even have income tax. Just like Florida. Who's going to pay? Where's the money coming from?

[Ryan]

It's south sales tax.

[Sagar]

They have a low sales tax already.

[Al]

Yeah.

[Sagar]

Where's it gonna come from? From the people who drive through the state who go to Mount Rushmore. I mean, where is the money coming from?

[Ryan]

You're gonna be driving your soybeans on dirt roads, Right? Exactly.

[Sagar]

So you read through and you're like, oh, okay, so how's he gonna make up? And he said, oh, maybe we'll do a luxury tax. A luxury goods tax. I'm like, okay, I'm fine with me. But ultimately what they write, cuz the South Dakota papers went through the proposal, it's not gonna make up the $1.8 billion. So where's the.

[Ryan]

Not a lot of luxury goods being purchased in South Dakota, it turns out.

[Sagar]

No offense to South Dakota, no offense whatsoever, it was a beautiful state, but it's like even in these states, and this is what I mean, when it's sweeping the nation, you got Florida, Texas, California, literally three out of the four most populous states, I'm sure New York, I haven't checked. I'm sure they have some sort of BS exemption that's already here, which is on the books. Now you've got the senator potential from Michigan who wants to enact this. Nationally, we're talking about trillions of dollars in bailouts. If that were to become the policy of the United States or even the smaller states now they're like, oh, let's hop on the bandwagon. Vivek Ramaswamy, Ohio, guess what? He picked it up. Yeah, let's pay no sales tax.

[Ryan]

Everybody wants to win.

[Scott Jennings]

Why not?

[Ryan]

They want to win.

[Sagar]

Win, Win as in win for the boomers, win for the politician. It's sickening. And you know, last thing, last thing is I say I don't even have this one here in the show. But I read this Wall Street Journal story last night and it was about schools. And as you just said, with population decline and fertility rates, you got all these schools were just rotting, nobody's even using them. So they're now converting them into luxury senior housing. That's a monument. People say, don't you want them to move? Yes, you're right. Thank you for moving and for going to senior housing. You're right. But is that not emblematic of the problem that we have here? This is Japan. This is what it's all gonna look like 20, 30 years from now. You know, the whole economy is gonna be like this in terms of healthcare and aging services. We're already getting there. But 20, 30 years from now, that's what the whole thing is going to look like.

[Ryan]

My elementary school, shout out to Wharton Elementary School in Kent county is not a luxury condo yet, but it is shut down. They wouldn't be able to sell luxury condos there. My middle school was called Chestertown Middle School. It is now called Kent County Middle School. In other words, it is the only middle school in the entire county. My high school was called Kent County High School. It still exists. It's like half the population that it was before. And people say, seniors will say, well, we don't use the schools. You rely on the people who go to school to wait on you at the restaurants, to mow your lawn for home health aides. I don't think society that produces.

[Sagar]

Well, we live in a society, we live in a society, period. It's like the meme, yes, you have to pay for the next generation. People are always like, oh, just cause you had a kid and you want money now from the government, you exempt me, put me in the legislation, I will get nothing. I don't want anything. It's rough People, you know, it's just. By the way, I just checked College Hills Elementary, Shout out and College Station looks like it's still going.

[Ryan]

So there we go.

[Sagar]

All right, we got something. But Texas is one of the few places you can probably buy a home. Cause it's cheap or at least or cheaper than it's overall, nationally. Sad, man. It really is sad. And it's sweeping the country. And you're just gonna see more and more and more of this. I just showed you five examples, literally, from across the political spectrum. Six actually, including Abdul El Sayed. And it's just gonna. It will continue to sweep the. I predict 2028. You will see mass freezing and. Or elimination of property tax in. I'm gonna call half the states in the Union. Half the states in the Union and probably the two thirds of the US Population in the next five years.

[Ryan]

As a politician, if you say no

[Sagar]

to this, you're dead.

[Ryan]

Your opponent's gonna be like, well, I'm gonna cut your property tax rates.

[Sagar]

Exactly.

[Ryan]

People are like, all right, well, good. Sweet. You're not gonna do anything else, so at least I'll take that.

[Sagar]

It only works if we all fight back. All right, thank you very much for having me, Ryan. It's been a lot of fun, bro. Show. Chris will be back next week. Emily.

[Ryan]

Emily will be back as well.

[Sagar]

Emily will be back. Emily restored.

[Ryan]

Very convenient that they all traveled this week, isn't it?

[Sagar]

That's right. Sticking us with the Platner situation. It's okay. That's fine. I stuck them with. I'm sure something bad happened whenever I. I was gone as well. All right, we will see you guys tomorrow. Friday show. See you then.

[Orderly Meds Advertiser]

Summer is here, which means we all want to look and feel our best. A GLP1 may be right for you. Visit orderlymeds.com to learn more about which GLP1 you could be eligible for. Getting started is fast, easy, and happens virtually through telemedicine from licensed professionals. Check it out for yourself. Go to orderlymeds.com podcast. That's orderlymeds.com podcast. Taking care of yourself feels great. Compounded medications are not FDA approved. Eligibility required and determined by a licensed provider. Individual results may vary. See website for details.

[Sagar]

It's called soccer. It's called football.

[Haley Stevens]

Soccer.

[Mehdi Hassan]

Football.

[Sagar]

Domino's Best deal ever. Lets you get any pizza, including stuffed crust, with any toppings, for 9.99. Okay, we can agree on that. Yeah, fully.

[Taco Bell Advertiser]

So.

[Sagar]

So pineapple.

[Haley Stevens]

Don't ruin it.

[Sagar]

Get any pizza, including stuffed crust, with any toppings for $9.99.

[Haley Stevens]

Finally, something everyone can get behind.

[Sagar]

And if the refs disagree, that's between them and Domino's. Which means the only thing left to

[Ryan]

fight over is who's ordering Dom Mano.

[Sagar]

Price is higher for some locations.

[Haley Stevens]

Excludes XL and specialty pizzas. Select this offer from $6.15 to $7.26 online only. Size availability varies by crust Tank, Nixon and New York style crust.

[Sagar]

Minimum purchase required for delivery.

[Haley Stevens]

Prices, participation, delivery area and charges may vary.

[Sagar]

MM's popped caramel do sound different.

[CarMax Advertiser]

Oh, no.

[Sagar]

People are gonna be obsessed. What do you mean? People hate the sound of chewing. Maybe they won't like the crunch. Maybe we're saved. Wait a minute.

[HomeServe Advertiser]

Yellow.

[Sagar]

Have you been eating them this whole time?

[Abdul El Sayed]

Mmm.

[Sagar]

So tasty. Hands off us. M&M's popped caramel. It's more fun together.

[Orderly Meds Advertiser]

This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.