One Nation w/ Brian Kilmeade 07-26-2026

Summary

"One Nation w/ Brian Kilmeade" — July 26, 2026: Episode Summary

Overview

This episode of "One Nation w/ Brian Kilmeade" centers on four major themes: the shifting American economic narrative as the election nears, concerns over socialism’s rising influence in the Democratic Party, a deep dive into technological infrastructure and data centers, and the unprecedented momentum of Major League Soccer in the post-World Cup era. Brian is joined by Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA), John Johnson (data center executive), Adam O’Neill (Washington Post Opinion Editor), and MLS Commissioner Don Garber.
The tone is conversational, lively, and at times combative, with an emphasis on political stakes, practical economic questions, media accountability, technology, and sports-driven cultural change.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

I. The Confidence Gap & The Pre-Election Economy

Main Points:

• The economy is forecasted to be the dominant issue in the upcoming election. Latest polls show only 33% approval for Trump’s team on economic performance, with just 24% believing the economy is in excellent shape (00:38–02:21).
• Kilmeade highlights the disconnect: positive macroeconomic stats (job growth, GDP) versus persistent public dissatisfaction and high prices.
• The Democratic Party’s leftward shift and bold proposals (abolish Senate/ICE, open borders, higher taxes) are under scrutiny. Kilmeade presents these as mainstream, not fringe, ideas (02:21–04:20).

Notable Quote:
“We think that the Senate should be reformed, that we should have a more democratic government system. Solidarity forever.” — Unattributed, from Democratic socialist perspective (02:58)

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II. Senator Dave McCormick on Socialism, the Economy & National Security

Segment: 05:35–11:45

Main Points:

• McCormick warns the Democratic Party is embracing "radical" philosophies: anti-military, anti-law enforcement, anti-business, anti-Semitic, and anti-American (05:35–06:45).
• Supports a “pro-growth agenda” under Trump, citing job growth among trades, but acknowledges persistent pain at the pump and in healthcare costs (06:45–07:59).
• Defense innovation: McCormick describes a recent summit to streamline weapons production with a focus on integrating emerging technology and public-private partnerships (08:22–09:49).
• He emphasizes leveraging allies (e.g., South Korea, Japan) to boost US defense manufacturing (09:49–10:35), and calls for stricter sanctions (the Graham sanctions, the DROP Act) to squeeze Russia and Iran (10:35–11:45).

Notable Quotes:

• “Capitalism is the idea that has raised the most people out of poverty. It’s created enormous opportunity and growth.” — Sen. Dave McCormick (06:02)
• “Our defense ecosystem has been lethargic. It’s gotten behind. Pennsylvania should be the point of the spear here.” — McCormick (08:22–09:49)

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III. The Data Center Debate: Technology vs. Community Concerns

Segment: 11:46–17:49

Main Points:

• Data centers are proliferating across American communities. Listener emails reflect both excitement and dread: clean infrastructure vs. noise, reduced property values, and loss of farmland.
• John Johnson (CEO, Patmos) explains that very large-scale (gigawatt-scale) data centers bring limited long-term jobs and massive public subsidies. He advocates adaptive reuse, no subsidies, and local engagement (13:40–15:06).
• Johnson emphasizes questions residents should ask of data center developers: subsidy asks, water/power systems, what’s getting bulldozed, and real economic/community value (16:43–17:49).

Notable Quotes:

• “After the plumbers and pipefitters and electricians finish the job, you’re going to be left with about the amount of jobs that an average Walmart has. On top of that, a ton of taxpayer subsidies.” — John Johnson (14:15)
• “There’s really no real economic value or purpose to anything above 100 megawatts. Every great application that is proven and profitable is happening in the 10 to 50, 100 megawatt zone.” — John Johnson (17:07)

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IV. The Changing Media Landscape: The Washington Post’s "Balanced" Opinion Page

Segment: 19:48–26:26

Main Points:

• Kilmeade notes that the Washington Post editorial board now champions "free markets and personal liberties" and features opinion diversity once absent (19:48–22:14).
• Adam O’Neill, Opinions Editor, frames the change as rooted in foundational principles, with the intent to provoke thought, not align with parties (20:55–22:14).
• Pushback and subscription losses reported, but O’Neill sees growing opportunity among readers (22:42–22:59).
• Using the "Medicare for All" debate as a case, O’Neill highlights the cost: $8.2 trillion, unsustainably high, and not covered by billionaires alone (23:52–24:38).

Notable Quotes:

• “We have two core principles. They’re the pillars of what we do: free markets and personal liberties. We think these are core American values.” — Adam O’Neill (21:02)
• “There’s a tendency for politicians to pretend that we can have this massive European welfare state without the massive taxes that come with it.” — O’Neill (23:52)

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V. Media Moments That Matter: Hot Takes, Viral Interviews, and Generational Jabs

Segment: 28:03–33:10

Main Points:

• Abby Hornacek recaps the week’s most talked about media clips:
  • CNN debate on non-citizens registered to vote—perceived as a larger issue by some, disputed as margin-of-error by others (28:28–29:47).
  • Elon Musk’s viral retort to the Economist: "I think a lot more people actually like me than don’t. And I think a lot more people hate you and the media more than you realize." (30:38–31:08)
  • Stephen A. Smith’s daughter joking she’d put him in a nursing home—light commentary on generational responsibility and familial bonds (31:26–33:02).

Memorable Moments:

• “What is your bar for [widespread fraud]? She said, and my bar is, I want no tolerance.” — Brian Kilmeade (29:27)
• “I would never put my parents in a nursing home. ... Mom and Dad, I would never do that to you. And they are going to stay with me forever.” — Abby Hornacek (32:51)

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VI. MLS & The Future of Soccer in America: Don Garber Interview

Segment: 35:32–42:02

Main Points:

• The U.S. World Cup delivered huge momentum for Major League Soccer:
  • Attendance, viewership, and cultural energy are at all-time highs (35:32–36:13).
  • The MLS is now the third-biggest U.S. sport in terms of popularity (34:40).
• Garber credits increased investment in stadiums, top-tier international signings (Messi, Lewandowski, Griezmann), and celebrity owners for the league’s rapid growth (37:24–38:48).
• Salaries remain below Premier League and other European leagues, but Garber asserts competitive pay and unique appeal of U.S. life can attract stars.
• Expansion plans: MLS may reach 32 teams but wants to focus on fortifying current franchises (38:48–40:10).
• Potential future stars: excitement about U.S. national team players eventually joining MLS, e.g., Christian Pulisic to NYFC (41:11).

Notable Quotes:

• “It’s a fulfillment of a dream. The entire world came here. They left us with this—almost like a love letter, Brian.” — Don Garber (35:38)
• “I do think the time will come when MLS will be able to compete with the rest of the football leagues around the world—on and off the field.” — Don Garber (37:24)
• “Pennsylvania should be the point of the spear here. We had all sorts of things happening at this summit, and the mandate's clear. Listen, we are falling behind. ... We're going to accelerate that manufacturing capability.” — Sen. Dave McCormick (09:12)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening Monologue & Economy: 00:38–04:20
• Senator Dave McCormick Interview: 05:35–11:45
• John Johnson on Data Centers: 13:40–17:49
• Adam O’Neill/Washington Post Segment: 19:48–26:26
• Media Moments (Hornacek): 28:03–33:10
• Don Garber/MLS Interview: 35:32–42:02

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Takeaways & Final Thoughts

• Kilmeade frames the 2026 election as a battleground of economic perceptions and radical political proposals, pressing guests to define the limits of acceptable reform.
• The episodes reveal deep anxieties about socialism, big tech, and how traditional American institutions must (or mustn’t) change.
• Data center expansion illustrates the push-pull between technological progress and local impact.
• The evolving Washington Post editorial page reflects a broader demand for ideological pluralism in media.
• Soccer has become a surprising symbol of American optimism — with the World Cup catalyzing both league expansion and civic pride.

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For listeners who missed the episode:
This edition of “One Nation” encapsulates America’s political divisions, the challenge of balancing progress with tradition, and the rise of soccer as a cultural force. It’s a snapshot of a nation in flux, told through the voices of politicians, media leaders, entrepreneurs, and sports executives, all guided by Kilmeade’s brisk, energetic questioning.

Transcript

[Don Garber]

This Memorial Day, as America approaches the 25th anniversary of 9 11, the Tunnel to Towers foundation paid off the mortgages on 26 homes for gold starved families and families of fallen first responders across 13 states. In tribute to the 343 FDNY firefighters lost on 9 11, Tunnel to Towers has committed to delivering 343 mortgage free homes this year. Their courage will never be forgotten. Join us be donate $11 a month at t2t.org.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Hi everyone, I'm Brian Kilmeade. Welcome to One Nation. I hope you're having a fantastic weekend. It's going to get better. Look at the show we have for you. Senator Dave McCormick, a rich military background. He's got a rich treasury background. And he wants to share with us his view on socialism in America. John Johnson, you're concerned about data centers. He builds them. He'll tell us the questions you should be asking before one pops up in your neighborhood. And finally, Don Garber. The World cup is over, but he's commissioner of Major League Soccer. He wants to build on that momentum. Is it possible? We're going to ask him. But first, the fastest, most impactful monologue in America. We begin with the confidence gap. The number one issue in America that will decide the election in November is drum roll please, the economy. And judging by the latest poll numbers, most Americans are not really that happy. In fact, 33% approve the Trump's team performance on the economy right now. As you see, they want that a little bit higher, was much higher over in February, while only 24% think it's in excellent shape now. If those numbers go up, the Republicans have a real shot at bucking history in November. If they don't, they could drown in a blue wave. But the administration remains supremely confident that the policies they've put in place are going to be a good story and set the foundation for for a surprise success story when it comes to the economy come November. Our economy has now averaged over 100,000

[Don Garber]

good paying private sector jobs. Let me repeat that.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Private sector jobs, not government jobs for the last four months. And real GDP has increased at a rate of 2.7% over the past four quarters.

[Don Garber]

More Americans are working than any time in our nation's history.

[Brian Kilmeade]

That might be true, and they are. But people are not feeling it yet. Which leads me to the next big question. If Democrats gain power, what would they do to fix the economy in their point of view, suffice it to say they would change absolutely everything. If socialists who seem to be taking over the Democratic Party have their way. It seems like they want to strip America down to the studs.

[Adam O'Neill]

I do support the abolition of the Senate. And this is not a new position within the Democratic Party.

[Marianne Rafferty]

I just want to ask you again. Do you want to abolish the United States Senate? Because you said you approve of Article

[Abby Hornacek]

1, but then you said you didn't

[Marianne Rafferty]

think the Senate works.

[Brian Kilmeade]

We think that the Senate should be reformed, that we should have a more democratic government system. Solidarity forever.

[Abby Hornacek]

Abolish ice.

[Brian Kilmeade]

We will not wait to abolish ice.

[Marianne Rafferty]

Do you think that billionaires have a right to exist?

[John Johnson]

I don't think that we should have

[Brian Kilmeade]

billionaires because, frankly, it is so much

[Senator Dave McCormick]

money in a moment of such inequality.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You believe this guy? This is called a total revamp of American philosophies. This seems crazy to me. Perhaps to you, but not to some. We've already put in at least five people in Congress who have won primaries unlikely to go the distance. You got Dallas Avila Chevalier, who wants to abolish prisons, abolish the border, abolish police, and don't forget, wipe their hands with the American flag. And more races are still to come. No, some Democrats are actually rattled by this message, this agenda. Some actually sound like Republicans. The talking point is it's not communism, it's socialism. Okay. I've read the quotes from the DSA platform from their own mouths. Don't tell me I'm not seeing what I am seeing. I've been waiting my whole life to see a youth movement do what it's doing, but it's being hijacked by people who are putting in nutty ideas supporting terrorists. Nutty ideas saying we don't need cops in pr.

[John Johnson]

Socialism is a failed economic theory.

[Brian Kilmeade]

It's important to talk about the dangers of socialism, and that means whether it comes from Republicans or Democrats. And just as I'm proud to condemn it on the Democratic side. So instead of taking on the gop, the economy, they're turning to socialists who want to fundamentally change the country. They also want to. They actually wanted to fund the Pentagon, too. I should add that. But if they think they have a. If you think they have a well thought out plan to bring us the rest of the way, think again. I think if you have to work to pay your bills, I think that that is one definition of being a part of the working class.

[Abby Hornacek]

Someone making $250,000 a year is working class.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I mean, I haven't sat at home and asked myself where it starts and stops. You should have. It's called A plan. So how can Republicans change the narrative heading into the midterms? And what is the other Democrat plan, aside from the socialist plan? Joining us now, a self made success story. He rose all the way through business to be one of the CEO of one of the world's largest hedge funds. Combat veteran grad, West Point grad. And now the senator, the senator from Pennsylvania who also was working as an undersecretary at treasury before. Senator, what do you do when your opponent says things like that?

[Senator Dave McCormick]

Well, nice to be with you, Brian. I think what we've got to do is make sure these ideas, these radical ideas on the left are clear to everybody. The Democratic Party, it's not just the extreme, it's the mainstream of the party is embracing a philosophy that is anti military, anti law enforcement, anti business, anti Semitic and anti American. And, and these ideas, socialism, communism. When I was a soldier, we were, we were fighting in the Cold War. And I never dreamed for a minute when the Cold War ended and these ideas of socialism and communism went in the dustbin of history that they, they'd rise from the ashes and be what the Democratic Party is running on. Capitalism is the idea that has raised the most people out of poverty. It's created enormous opportunity and growth. It's made America the greatest economy in the world. And so we need to make sure the failure of these ideas is clear. At the same time, we got to tell the story of the great pro growth agenda that's underway in America under President Trump. We've seen 100,000 job growths. We see that in Pennsylvania. All sorts of new jobs are being created for welders and pipefitters, electricians. The economy is growing.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Right.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

We see that in wage growth. Listen, prices are still too high. Homeownership is still too distant for too many people. So there's still work to be done. But this economy is moving in the right direction and we've got to make sure we make that case to voters as well.

[Brian Kilmeade]

But it's not a matter. They got to feel it. And Senator, you talk to more people than most politicians will. Why don't they feel it?

[Senator Dave McCormick]

Well, there's a couple of things going on. I mean, we see lots of benefits that came through the Working Families Tax Cut act as an example where people got more money back in their taxes, their child care, tax credit. We see the benefits happening in the economy. We see the job growth. But listen, prices are still persistently too high. And gas prices in particular, people feel those every day. And so I just spent 11 days in Pennsylvania, 2,000 miles, 26 counties. And I heard about two things. I heard about the price of health care, particularly in rural, rural areas. And I heard about gas prices. And at the moment, gas prices are up, energy prices are up because of the conflict in the Middle east, something I support. I think President Trump is on the right path with Iran, but people feel that. And so they. They don't necessarily recognize all the benefits. At the same time, they're feeling that added pain at the pump.

[Brian Kilmeade]

All right, so, Senator McCormick, you had a great conference a couple of weeks ago, Defense and Innovation Conference over in Pennsylvania. It seems like everybody's frustrated with the pace in which we making weapons. What can we do to pick up the pace? Because even though we had almost $1 trillion to spend, it doesn't seem like we're getting the weapons fast enough. What's the resolve here?

[Senator Dave McCormick]

Yeah, well, this was. It was a great two days at Carlisle, at the Army War College. And, and really, there's. There's three things that are setting the stage here. Number one, the world's a dangerous place, more dangerous than ever. Number two, the face of warfare is changing with drones and AI and autonomy. And third, our defense ecosystem has been lethargic. It's gotten behind. And so this summit was about two things. It was about changing the players at the table, bringing in all these new emerging technologies. And second, changing the way we do business and streamlining procurement. We had the president there, his cabinet there, Secretary Hegseth, Chairman Cain. We had every CEO from the major defense industries. We had all the investors in these emerging technologies. We announced 5 billion. 5,000.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I know, Senator, but what have you done to pick up the pace? I know what you want to do. Well, how we pick up the pace,

[Senator Dave McCormick]

this is what it takes. You've got to get the right people in the room. You've got to lay out the mandate. You got to have skilled labor at the table. You got to have the politicians at the table. You got to. And that's what was happening here. This is what it takes to win, is to get the right folks. Pennsylvania should be the point of the spear here. We had all sorts of things happening at this summit, and the mandate's clear. Listen, we are falling behind. Just to give you an example, Brian, you probably know this, but in Ukraine, they're producing 10,000 drones a day, 3.5 million a year. We don't have anywhere near that capacity here. We're going to. We're going to accelerate that manufacturing capability in places like Pennsylvania.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And we got to let South Korea build our ships. Japan does great manufacturing. Give them the licenses to do it. You're going to give them the licenses to build Patriots over in Ukraine. They're going to give us some of it back. So until we get up, we should let our get up to get up to par. We should let our allies do this stuff. I hope the president does that, because the 1.5 trillion that you want. Go ahead.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

Yeah, just in Pennsylvania, just an example. I couldn't agree more. The Koreans, Hanwha bought the Philadelphia shipyard. We were making one ship a year in the Philadelphia shipyard. We're on a path to 20 ships a year in the Philadelphia shipyard. 5,000 new jobs. Because the President encouraged and Hanwha invested. That is part of the key is our closest allies building, particularly here in America.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Well, the last thing is Lindsey Graham. One of his goals was to put those crippling sanctions onto Russia. We're going to memorialize him this week as a tribute. Do you think we can get those strict sanctions and get that law passed, get it on the president's desk and get him to sign it?

[Senator Dave McCormick]

Absolutely. I made a speech on the floor of the Senate. We need to pass the Graham sanctions legislation. There's also a second bill that I've introduced, the Drop Act. The idea is to absolutely squeeze out anybody in the economic system that is supporting Russia and buying Russian oil, supporting Russia as a trading partner. That's the way to give the President the leverage he needs. Russia is falling behind. They are not keeping up. Ukraine has turned the tide of this war. They're not asking for troops on the ground. They're asking for our support to put additional pressure on Russia. And this would be the greatest tribute to Lindsey. His voice. His voice is going to be missed.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And word is you're going to get Iran in that sanction thing, too, which would be great. And on top of that, Ukraine is going to help us with some of the unmanned naval vehicles. So get some drones in the water to help us in the. In the. In the strait. Senator, always great to talk to you. Thanks so much.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

Thank you.

[Brian Kilmeade]

There's some things about AI that frankly worry me to death, but data centers, to me, it feels like the latest thing we're supposed to be scared of,

[Don Garber]

and I just don't get it.

[Brian Kilmeade]

There are 5,000 data centers in the country right now. We've been living in a data center world for the last 30 years. So last week, our conversation with Mike Rowe about artificial intelligence, data centers and the future of American jobs struck a nerve. You're Interested? We heard from viewers across the country, emails pouring in from people who praised the technology, questioned the rapid expansion, voiced concerns about what these massive facilities mean for their communities. Mary F. Wrote me and says whose son is building a data center in Arizona. She says they're clean, quiet, attractive, well maintained, have a closed loop water system and don't bring traffic congestion to neighborhoods. But Lisa, a different experience in Michigan. She says they are getting ready to build a data center near me. There is always a constant hum. It brings property values down. I also don't know if data centers are toxic. Andrea P. From Granger, Indiana wrote, Microsoft is building a data center less than 300ft from my neighborhood. They're taking up farmland and putting these facilities way too close to residential areas. Obviously that's negative. And Frank C. Told us we're not fighting it because we oppose data centers or AI. We oppose having these massive megastructures shoved down our throats and our neighborhoods build them in desolate land instead. So tonight we're going to continue the conversation. We're lucky enough to have John Johnson with us, the CEO of Patmos, an infrastructure company hosting company. And he does this for a living. John, we had a great conversation on radio. I want to continue it now. You heard some of those concerns. Are the concerns legitimate for you? For a guy in the business,

[John Johnson]

a lot of the concerns are legitimate. The real question is about scale and great to be back, Brian. There's no doubt that infrastructure, data centers, technology campuses are a part of the fabric of our economy that's here to stay. But I think, you know, data centers have been around as long as there have been computers, right? And nobody's really noticed until mega corporations and technocrats started building at the gigawatt scale and above. And that's where it gets really dicey. You know, if you look at the project in Louisiana that Met is doing, they're tearing down thousands of acres of farmland, basically spending $50 billion, you know, the GDP of Cambodia. And in return, after the plumbers and pipefitters and electricians finish the job, you're going to be left with about the amount of jobs that an average Walmart has. On top of that, a ton of taxpayer subsidies. And I think there's a lot of wise concerned citizens, municipalities, city councils who are saying, whoa, whoa, whoa, what are we really getting out of this? And there is a much better approach. There is a way to build at a right scale, at a right economic scale where the, where the financials really make sense and these can be built, sustainably and in those cases, communities are thrilled to have the economic engines of factories in their backyard, as long as they're not tearing down farmland, begging for subsidies, and really replacing with zero net new jobs.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Yeah, I know that one of your philosophies is you build on existing structures, you have your own water system, and you don't ask for subsidies. The president says, I know people's concerned about power is an issue when they build these data centers. Here's what he said about it. Listen, there's no way of producing that kind of electricity, the kind you need, and they want to do it themselves. And honestly, they're coming up with some plans. Bring your own power with the data center. Are you okay with that?

[John Johnson]

I love that. I think it's a step in the right direction. It's totally voluntary in this case, and there's probably not a lot of teeth in the deal. And so we'll see what happens. And I think a lot of that is going to be worked out on the municipal, at the municipal level. But the reality is you still need an interconnect. Even if you're bringing your own power, generating your own electricity, you need backup power, and you need to interconnect to the grid wherever possible. And our grid is not ready for the amount of demand that it presents to us right now.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So you're building a new facility. Do you want to announce it?

[John Johnson]

We are our next facility in contract and underway on three new facilities across America's heartland. The next one is coming to Independence, Missouri. So another adaptive reuse, multi use technology campus. Economic power of a data hall with multiple clients, including nonprofits there, in a mixed use technology campus. But that scale is not tearing down any farmland. It's not breaking into the power grid in a way that's unsustainable for a community. We're using a building that's already there and it's less than 20 megawatts, so residents won't know it. And the ones who know what's going on, they're very excited about it.

[Brian Kilmeade]

John, real quick. For people, for people in their town that here they're going to build a data center. You said go to the town hall and some of the questions you should ask, you know, what are you asking in terms of subsidies? What is your water system, obviously, what is your power system? What else? If you were just a townsperson, you're in your city, you hear about someone coming down to build a data center. What other questions should we ask?

[John Johnson]

What's getting bulldozed? What's got to go for this thing to be here. What sort of power demand do you really have and what condition is our grid and is it able to sustain it? And finally, who's the client? Right? And I think that's what it really comes down to is that the four or five companies building at a gigawatt scale are building in a way that is really scary. People in their and they're in game. You should listen to what they're saying like why are they building at the gigawatt scale. There's really no real economic value or purpose to anything above 100 megawatts. Every great application that is proven and profitable is happening in the 10 to 50, 100 megawatt zone. So ask those questions about the end game of the clients really coming to your town.

[Brian Kilmeade]

John Johnson, thanks so much. Best of luck with your company. Thanks for explaining this. It's the hottest issue in the country right now and you know it inside now. Best of luck John. Meanwhile, still to come on this show, Elon Musk is questioned about his involvement in politics. His response goes viral. I'll share it. Plus the Washington Post bringing more balance to its opinion pages. When did that happen? The opinion editor explains the changing media landscape that he's bringing to this game. Also, be sure to catch me on tour this fall with Uniting the States book. It's the United States stage show Red Bank, New Jersey of course in Westbury, Long Island. Back to back days, Clearwater, Florida Jacksonville, Florida. Then we end in the St. Louis area November 21st. You will see it streamed on Fox Nation. Get your [e-mail] don't move.

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[Senator Dave McCormick]

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[Brian Kilmeade]

So one of the biggest changes in media for my money raising perhaps the most EyeBrows Since President Trump's second term is the balanced approach to a notorious target of President Trump's ire. And that's the Washington Post. Yes, Trump may still have problems with the reporting he always will. But on some level, he has to be pleased by the balanced editorial page. For example, check out some of these headlines of late. You wouldn't expect him in The Washington Post. 25 reasons to be optimistic about America's future. Hey, good AI standards don't need and new government bureaucracy behind them. Really, how to avoid routine government shutdowns. Wouldn't that be great? And in this article, New York's teachers unions are telling on themselves. You read it? Well, the editorial board writing this, the best ways to improve a lagging institution's performance are competition. Last year's federal tax bill tried to encourage competition in education. That's in the Washington Post. Joining us now to expand on the changes at the Washington Post is the opinion editor himself, Adam o'. Neill. Adam, this is a big change. How would you describe this balanced game plan?

[Adam O'Neill]

Thanks for having me on, Brian. And it is a massive change. But it's actually, when you boil it down, it's pretty simple. We have two core principles. They're the pillars of what we do. It's free markets and personal liberties. We think these are core American values. And that's what we're advocating every day. We're not aligned with the party or any movement. We just have our principles and we interpret the news through that and try to give our readers and our viewers, wherever they're finding us, a balanced interpretation of the news through what what we think is important and how it affects them.

[Brian Kilmeade]

What's the, what's the response been? Because not many people expect to get that. You don't get that. The New York Times. And in the past, you haven't gotten it from the Washington Post.

[Adam O'Neill]

Look, it's, I have a pretty large sample size. I've been on the job for a year now. And I'd say that initially a lot of people were really surprised. And some people were saying, oh, is this the right, right thing to be doing? You know, that's a kind of a huge change. But I'd say overwhelmingly, just when I hear from people privately, they're pleasantly surprised and they didn't know what we were up to at first. And now we've got a body of work and we can really stand by it and we're proud of it. And I'd say internally and externally, it's an opinion section. It's always going to be controversial. We want to be provocative. We want to start conversations. So I won't pretend that everybody's always thrilled about with us every time, but we wouldn't be an interesting opinion section if that were the case.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I hear you. It used to be Mark Thiessen and everybody else. And even speaking to Mark, he's like, I have some company now. Is that the goal?

[Adam O'Neill]

Yeah. We want a wide range because free markets and personal liberties, it's a big tent. There are people you might think of as on the left, people more on the right. If you're aligned with our values in a basic sense, we can have these debates within there, you know, there's not a exact answer on every policy question. And we want people to get in the weeds and nuances and have that debate with us.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I love seeing the balance. You want us to get all opinions. Meanwhile, you have some people that say that you've lost subscriptions because of it. Have you lost subscription because of the balanced approach?

[Adam O'Neill]

Well, I think that you need to look at the overall question. Right.

[Don Garber]

News.

[Adam O'Neill]

The news business is tough. There are ups and downs. Maybe some people don't like having their views challenged, but whatever day to day loss or gain there is, there's a much wider sea of opportunity. And I think people who might not have thought about looking at the post who are now giving us a second look. So fundamentally we won't get distracted by any day to day issue. And we're just looking at the long term. And we see a huge audience out there and the returns are in and they're responding to it.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So, Adam, I love your editorial this week because every Democrat that gets on a stump, I don't care if they're liberal or this new socialist trend, they say Medicare for all.

[Don Garber]

Medicare for all.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Well, you did the math. And Medicare for all means taxes for all. You do the math, it's going to cost $8.2 trillion. People are going to lose all their private health insurance, and there's a belief out there that billionaires will pay for it all. You have a different conclusion?

[Adam O'Neill]

Yeah. You know, look, I lived in Europe for a few years. I got to know it. Food's good, very beautiful buildings. But one of the tough things about Europe is there's not dynamism. People aren't excited. And the reason that's the case is because they have a massive government. They have free health care that's paid for by massive taxes, not on just the rich, but on everybody. And so I think there is a tendency for politicians to pretend that we can have this massive European welfare state without the massive taxes that come with it. And in the editorial, we just looked at the numbers, and, you know, it depends which actual Medicare for All program you're looking at, because not all of them are even able to calculate how much it would cost because it's so unprecedented. This expansion of government could be trillions, could be even more than that.

[Brian Kilmeade]

It's crazy. It sounds good. Let's listen to Democrats telling everyone what's coming their way.

[Don Garber]

People who have health care under Medicare

[Brian Kilmeade]

fraud will have no premiums, no deductibles, no CO payments, no out of, out of pocket expenses. Yes, they will pay more in taxes, but less in health care for what they get.

[Marianne Rafferty]

It covers everyone.

[Brian Kilmeade]

It's fully paid for. And independent economists have verified it's doable.

[Marianne Rafferty]

There's actually a lot of different ways

[Brian Kilmeade]

that you can pay for this.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

Imagine right next to that card, there is a Medicare card. It says Medicare on it. You get it the day you're born. It doesn't expire until the day you expire. You don't have to pay a dime for it. You don't have to worry about a deductible. You don't have to worry about a copay. And it's good everywhere. There's no network.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You, you cited his, his philosophy makes absolutely no sense. And what they're asking for has never been done.

[Don Garber]

That's.

[Adam O'Neill]

It's sort of. That's the fantasy. Right. Even if you look at Europe, where they have some version of what they would call universal health care, what you just heard from that politician, that doesn't exist anywhere. They ration care. They limit the kind of care that you can get.

[Don Garber]

Yes.

[Adam O'Neill]

You don't necessarily get the best technology because there are limits to the supply of health care and they can't just provide everything.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Yeah. One of the excerpts says US billionaires have 8.2 trillion in wealth this year, according to one estimate. Even assuming that taxing it would be constitutional, which it isn't, and that the government would liquidate it all without destroying the economy, which can't, 8.2 trillion would cover a little over 13 months of federal spending at this year's level. So when you're watching the debate stage and everyone says that, keep in mind the editorial page in the Washington Post. Adam, I think you guys are doing a great job. Truly appreciate you coming on and explaining the philosophy with us.

[Adam O'Neill]

Thanks, Brian. Great to talk to you.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Coming up next only on One nation, Abby Hornacek is here with the media moments that matter most to her and hopefully you also. A quick note, check out my YouTube channel. Everybody's talking about it YouTube.com@the Brian Kilmeade show. And that's me first all week. It's time to play gonna get a little bit sideways.

[Adam O'Neill]

Cheers to America's 250th birthday. Get 20% off your first purchase at foxnewswineshop.com with code FNRADIO20. 20% discount excludes wine club offers and cannot be combined with any other promotion. Expires July 31, 2026. Must be 21.

[Reba (Realtor.com spokesperson)]

Order to order.

[Adam O'Neill]

Please drink responsibly.

[Marianne Rafferty]

This is a FOX NEWS Alert. I'm Marianne Rafferty. We're following breaking news out of Seattle, Washington, where multiple people have been shot. Police say it happened near the Space Needle during the city's annual Bite of Seattle Food festival. It features hundreds of local vendors and live music performances. Right now, it's not clear how many victims there are. Again, if you're just joining us, we're following some breaking news out of Seattle, Washington, where multiple people have been shot. Police are saying it happened near the Space Needle and there was a festival going on called the Bite of Seattle Food Festival, featuring hundreds of local vendors and live performances. Right now, it isn't clear how many victims there are. Stay with FOX NEWS for the very latest on this developing story. For now, I'm Marianne Rafferty. Now back to programming already in progress.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Media moments that matter. Now for everyone's favorite segment. I mean, everyone. So this week I gave my only vcr, my TV Guide subscription, all my chords in my tape stock to FOX Nation host Abby Hornacek because she gives it back. And that's why you invited back.

[Abby Hornacek]

Sometimes I don't want to.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Right. And you always rewind. And I appreciate this. Now this week, I asked you to come up with three different examples of media moments that matter. Did you do any of it?

[Abby Hornacek]

I did because you told me to. And it was such an honor to get your vcr. So we'll start with the first topic that you might have missed. It's going to take us to cnn. There was this big clash over the fact that about 6,600 non citizens were registered to vote. That is a lot, right? Well, on cnn, they had a little bit of a fight about it. Take a look.

[Brian Kilmeade]

But I mean, you're just. You just said it's widespread. So where's the proof that it's widespread? 6,600 non citizens voted on the voter rolls. That is.006% of registered voters in the state. Widespread. Yeah. 6,600 non citizens made it onto the voter rolls.

[Marianne Rafferty]

That's pretty bad.

[John Johnson]

I think.

[Marianne Rafferty]

Hold on.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Widespread also dispute the idea that there's any proof that this is wide. I think there are thousands of noncitizens on the voter rolls in New Jersey and I'm pretty concerned about that.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

I would call it a widespread problem.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I think the bigger problem here is that. What's your definition of widespread, by the way? Is it 1%? Is it 2%? I don't know. More than 100. Is it widespread? Absolutely.

[John Johnson]

Over 6,000.

[Brian Kilmeade]

What is your bar for? She said, and my bar is I want no tolerance. Do you believe this?

[Abby Hornacek]

Have you ever heard the word widespread?

[Brian Kilmeade]

So many times it's unbelievable. Because they want. They don't want to prove President Trump. Right. He's really concerned about illegals voting. And they won't expose their voter rolls just to clean them up. Did people die? Did people move? They don't want to let anyone know. Why wouldn't they want the right person to win? And 6,600. Blaming the data company. The data company goes, no, no, no, don't blame us. We gave that. We have our own program. We gave it to motor vehicle. That was their decision. So now they're blaming the previous governor.

[Abby Hornacek]

Yeah. And also, don't you think that just one person who's not supposed to vote, who is registered to vote, that's a big deal. It doesn't matter if it's widespread. That's a huge deal.

[Brian Kilmeade]

All right, let's talk about the most controversial, most interesting man in the world.

[Abby Hornacek]

Yes. Elon Musk. So speaking of clash, he sat down with the editor in chief of the Economist, and she said, people really love you. Listen here.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Do you see why this makes people think that this man who has all this power, he's the world's richest man, he thinks he has a right to influence our politics. It's why people loathe you. I mean, some people do loathe you.

[Don Garber]

Yes, some people do.

[Brian Kilmeade]

But do you understand why the fact that as you pointed out, a quarter

[Don Garber]

billion people follow me is that I

[Brian Kilmeade]

think a lot more people actually like me than don't And I think a lot more people hate you and the media more than you realize. Wow. Listen, can you blame him? You don't want to get in a verbal sparring session with the smartest man in the world. That's what I usually back out on that.

[Abby Hornacek]

He's like, check out my stats.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Right?

[Abby Hornacek]

241 million.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Is that hate? You do a lot of hate following? That's a lot of hate following.

[Abby Hornacek]

I have so much hate. You know what I love, though? I can come on this show and I can say, everyone loves you. Brian. I would never say people loathe you.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You know, Matt, here's the problem. She's way too nice to me. That's not what you should be doing. And this is a different smart guy. Stephen A. Smith.

[Abby Hornacek]

Yes, that's right. So Stephen A. Sat down with his daughter and you think it's going to be a sweet little exchange, but his daughter kind of laid into him and said, I think I'm going to put you in a nursing home.

[Marianne Rafferty]

Take a look.

[Brian Kilmeade]

When I'm older and I have nothing.

[Reba (Realtor.com spokesperson)]

Nursing home.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And I need you to take care of me.

[Marianne Rafferty]

Nursing home.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You can't do that.

[Abby Hornacek]

Nursing home.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You're not going to do that. Two words, dad.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

Nursing home.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So you'd put your dad in a nursing home.

[Don Garber]

Nursing home.

[Brian Kilmeade]

What else would I do? Take care of you myself. How about that? Or put me in your home and have 24 hour nursing assistant in my house? Yeah, why not?

[Abby Hornacek]

With my kids

[Brian Kilmeade]

and my car and my husband in my pool, in my guest room. I'm just your dad.

[Marianne Rafferty]

Exactly.

[Brian Kilmeade]

The one that made it all possible. I would love you from a distance.

[Adam O'Neill]

Ouch.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I don't know how much. I think they're putting us on a little bit. But she has her dad's paws. You know, when dad, Stephen A.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

Said something, he wait.

[Abby Hornacek]

Yeah, think.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Oh, did I lose audio? Did I lose reception? And they'll continue. She. She's got her dad's paws.

[Abby Hornacek]

You're right. She is.

[Marianne Rafferty]

She.

[Abby Hornacek]

I feel like she's trying to be controversial here because what kid would not allow their parent in a. To stay with them when they're older?

[Brian Kilmeade]

I have a question for you.

[Abby Hornacek]

Yeah.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Your dad is older, theoretically. And he comes up to you and says, can I live with you? Can I live with you 20 years from now? Can I live with you, Abby? Or should I go to a nursing home? What will you say?

[Abby Hornacek]

I will never. Oh, that's a nice picture. I will never put my parents in a nursing home. Mom and Dad. I would never do that to you. And they are going to stay with me forever. So whoever I marry better be down with that.

[Brian Kilmeade]

They should pay a little rent. I think it's a good lesson.

[Abby Hornacek]

Well, what goes, they've, they've blessed me my whole life. So I think I can, I think I can handle it.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Free ride. Okay. Abby, thanks so much. It was great to see you. By the way. I'm really pumped up. We have an all new season, season nine of Parked, America's favorite series that everybody wants to host, but only you get to do it only on FOX nation. Now it's time for your sneak peek of the week. Funeral services for the late Senator Lynn Lindsey Graham is going to be taking place in Washington. And then on Wednesday they're going to have ceremonies in South Carolina. The president spoke to supposed to speak in D.C. also, President Trump speaking of him. He's going to have a huge week. He's going to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Vladimir Zelensky. Separately, he's trying to land that plane, finish off Iran at the same time, finish off Ukraine. You know, I think they're going to get peace because Ukraine is actually winning. Meanwhile, the president also said to go to a rally in Michigan as early in person voting begins in that battleground state. They have a big primary on the Democratic side. It's Mike Rogers on the Republican side already for that empty Senate seat. And there's a powerful meeting powering artificial intelligence going to take place on Thursday. Yeah, we all want to use it. We're all a little worried about it. We also want to get some data centers built responsibly. So that's an important, important week. Meanwhile, next on this important show, the World cup shattering attendance records and revenue records. So the bigger question, how can American soccer, Major League Soccer build on that momentum? I have commissioner Don Garber in the green room. I'm going to say hello to him. So Major League Soccer is back, ready to finish strong for the second half of the year. Now MLS looking to turn the biggest event in the sport into long term momentum behind happened here in America. And the numbers suggest it's already happening. Prior to the World cup viewership before the games was up an incredible 62%. Yet nearly 8 million people watching live matches each week and almost 5 million fans have packed stadiums throughout the first three months of the season. Yep, attendance is averaging about 22,000 fans, the second highest start in league history. And keep in mind the stadiums about 25,000. So the question is how does Major League Soccer Build off the World cup and grow the game even further in America. Is this now. It is now the third biggest sport in the country. I talked to the FIFA president after the game. He says it'll beat the NFL. Does Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber agree? Don, welcome. Congratulations.

[Don Garber]

Great to be here.

[Brian Kilmeade]

It was great seeing you at the games. I saw you at the week one. What, what was it like for you watching this happen?

[Don Garber]

You know, it's a fulfillment of a dream. And I have to say, you and I know each other a really long time, and you've been around the sport at its earliest days. And now to see 30 teams, 26 stadiums. The entire world came here. They came here for the World cup and they left us with this. Almost like a love letter, Brian. Like we're here to see what soccer can be in this country that we worked so hard to build a soccer nation. And we saw them rowing, we saw them cheering, they drank all the beer in Boston, and we had the most successful World cup of all time.

[Brian Kilmeade]

But I also think the takeaway was the US Team and packed stadiums, sing alongs at the end. The whole country, non soccer fans or non soccer players pulling for these guys. The top celebrities in the world watching these guys.

[Don Garber]

They did. And listen, this is a group of guys that represented our country so well, represented our league so well, and they, you know, they lit up, you know, the entire culture in the United States. And I think, Brian, even around the world, not the best and final outcome, but, you know, that's soccer. You know, you have. You have setbacks and you have comebacks, and so many of those guys will be part of the future of the U.S. national team for years to come.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So we look at the leagues and you compare the mls, like the biggest leagues in the world are soccer leagues. The Premier League, on average, they are earn about 3.8 million euros per salary. The MLS average, about 688,000. Syria, the Italian League, 1.8. You have the Bundesliga, 1.9 million. Do you think in order for MLS to compete with the biggest leagues like the Premier League, you have to match them in salaries?

[Don Garber]

You know, match is not really the objective. It's being able to have an economic model that could attract the best players in the world, Brian. And every country is different. We didn't have to pay Leo Messi here in Miami what the Saudis were going to pay him. So we can take advantage of living in our great country and having cities that can support them and their families. But clearly we need to have a market that can deliver more value for our players, for our fans. We're investing billions in stadiums. I do think the time will come when MLS will be able to compete with the rest of the football leagues around the world, on F, on and off the field, both what they're going to make and then, more importantly, having it be a league of choice where they could further their careers and feel like if I play in New York, if I play in Cincinnati, if I play in Columbus, or I play in L. A, that's going to enhance my reputation, allow me to be a better national team player, more marketing money, and ultimately be very competitive.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I think it looked great that Messi came in his late 30s and everyone goes, well, he's just going to watch his game go down and he'll never be a factor in the World Cup. And he had a unbelievable World Cup. I think it makes the MLS look great. Yet over 40 players playing in these games that qualify for various different teams. So in this way, 30 teams. What's your vision? How big should this league get? What? How many more franchises are you looking to add?

[Don Garber]

Well, now we're by far the largest soccer league in the world. The other major leagues, Brian, you know, some of them are going to go to 32. Most of them are either at 30 or 32 for a lot of different reasons, schedule, makeup and the like. I don't see us going beyond 32, and I'm not sure 32 is coming anytime soon. It is about making what we have bigger, better, stronger, capturing this cultural moment. And all those people who believed in soccer looked at America as a soccer nation. And now we're saying, o', Brien, like, you loved it. And now we'll take it. We'll take it from here. We'll convert you even more into an MLS fan. Last night we had 15 games. Our attendance is up 20% just in our first comeback from the World cup break. I think that's going to continue the momentum. But now the real work starts. How do we ensure that we're building our youth market? How do we get all those celebrities that came to the sea of the Americans team play, come support a local MLS team? You know, we have Matthew McConaughey as an owner, we have Magic as an owner, Kevin Durant as an owner, David Beckham as an owner. So now it's getting all of them to help build the cultural excitement. And this just shouting to the world that being MLS fan is no different than supporting Norway rowing their boat up and down Times Square.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So do you look to get more Messi like players. There's only one Messi. I got it. Ronaldo is in his 40s and probably done. But are there other players that have approached your league because you're a single entity league and, and said I'll come.

[Don Garber]

Robert Lewandowski, one of the leading scorers in Europe last year, was on the field yesterday in Miami. And I, I do think the question, Brian, is will always attract the top names in the sport. And whether that's Ronaldo tomorrow, Messi today, Lewandowski today, Anton Griezmann, so great French player, scored a goal last night for Orlando. It's about how do you get those guys in their 20s, how do you get the best American players, the best South American and European players to be the core of our rosters? And I think we've got a better chance of doing that now.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Last question. New York's going to get their first. NYFC is going to get their first stadium just right next to Citi Field. A lot of people are saying Christian Pulisic will join the New York team when they change stadium, when they get their own stadium and leave AC Milan. Can you confirm that?

[Don Garber]

Well, I got to bring it real for you and I. You grew up in the area a little bit further east than I did. I grew up Long island in the shadow of Citi Field, what was, you know, Shea Stadium back in the day. We worked for 10 years to build a stadium that I think will be among the best in the world. And I hope that they could sign a Christian Pulisic. I believe he would be great in our league and I believe, I believe would be great for him. Give him an opportunity to do what Landon Donovan did. Come to Major League Soccer. Spread your wings, be a star. Be just up the road from your family in Pennsylvania. I hope they get it done.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Well, Commissioner, you went from 10 to 30 teams and the franchises worth over a billion dollars, worth about 40 million when you took over. You've had an incredible track record. I'm so happy you're at this place in your career in broad soccer, where it is. Thanks so much for joining us.

[Don Garber]

Thanks, man. I really appreciate it.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Appreciate it. Meanwhile, that's it for us tonight. By the way, pre order my book comes out in October. I'll give you a discount, Commissioner. United in the States. I can't give it free. Six crucial moments, that of Ford's the American Miracle. I think you'll love it. And be sure to catch me on radio from 9 to noon tomorrow. We're gonna have Karl Rove on the RNC chair as well. And watch me on Fox and Friends in a few hours. I'll jump in the shower and I'll look fresh for you. As always, two philosophies. Stay within yourself and keep it right here on Fox News. I like your soul, baby. You got that heart and made it go, baby, I'm gonna love you till I'm old, baby.