Primaries Confirm: Democrats Have Become a Radical Party

Summary

Brian Kilmeade Show | June 4, 2026

Host: Brian Kilmeade | Guests: Rep. Jim Jordan, RNC Chair Joe Gruters, Dr. Kevin Roberts (Heritage Foundation), Sen. Roger Wicker, Doug Schoen, Dick Stockton
Main Theme: The state of American politics heading into the 2026 midterms – featuring GOP strategy, radicalism in Democratic primaries, foreign policy challenges (especially Iran), election integrity, and sports commentary.

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1. Episode Overview

This episode dives deeply into national politics, focusing on:

• Turmoil and radicalization in Democratic primary races
• GOP confidence and strategy heading into the midterms
• Election integrity, mail-in ballots, and state-by-state reforms
• The Biden administration’s handling of Iran and recent U.S. military action
• The intersection of sports, society, and media changes

Throughout, the tone is punchy, combative, and rapid-fire, mixing hard-hitting political discussion with lighter sports analysis.

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2. Key Discussion Points & Insights

A. Election Integrity and Voting Reform

• Mail-In Balloting: Multiple guests criticize extended ballot counting in states like California, arguing it causes loss of confidence and opportunities for fraud.
  • Jim Jordan [02:52]: “Every election we wait days...when every other state seems to be able to...get us the results in a matter of hours after the polls close.”
• Comparison to Other States: Florida highlighted as a model for efficient and trustworthy elections due to absentee pre-counting and strict voter ID rules.
• GOP Lawsuits: Joe Gruters touts the RNC’s aggressive legal efforts (150 lawsuits in 32 states) challenging ballot practices and systems that they allege enable Democratic “cheating.”
• Upcoming Supreme Court Case: “Watson vs. RNC” is mentioned as potentially shaping how long ballots can be counted post-election day.
  • Gruters [27:44]: “It’s only allowed because they’re trying to cheat. We’re putting a stop to it.”

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B. Democratic Radicalization and the Candidates

• Emerging Far-Left Nominees:
  • New Jersey: Dr. Adam Hammaway, an Army veteran who previously worked as an interpreter/defender for the “Blind Sheikh” and spent time volunteering at a Gaza hospital linked to Hamas tunnel activity, is described as anti-Israel and “radical.”
    • Jim Jordan [05:26]: “…the once great party of FDR and JFK is now anti-Israel, anti-Semitic…and it’s scary.”
    • Kevin Roberts [39:33]: “This is a guy who ought to be investigated, not be on the cusp of being in Congress.”
  • Maine: Graham Platner, Senate candidate, faces a swirl of scandals—sexting, Nazi tattoo, abusive messages to women, and offensive comments to a Purple Heart recipient.
    • Doug Schoen [79:01]: “I think he’s pretty darn close to being against America and against our values.”
• Dem Party in Crisis:
  • Intra-party consternation over the rise of figures like Platner and Hammaway, with leaders like AOC, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren unwilling to fully disavow controversial nominees.
  • Fetterman [79:42]: “He’s definitely not a saint...he has an entire history of saying the most abhorrent things.”
• Effect on Down-Ballot Races: Republicans see opportunity for pickups as the Dems, according to guests, push unelectable candidates.

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C. GOP Outlook & Strategy for 2026

• House and Senate Races:
  • Joe Gruters [19:02]: “We’re getting our conservative warriors ready to go and we’re getting our lineup for November and we’re getting the matchups that we’re looking for.”
  • Confidence in retaking or holding both chambers due to redistricting, fundraising, and favorable candidate quality.
• Key Senate Battlegrounds:
  • Ohio: John Husted trailing Sherrod Brown, but party expresses confidence that, with spending, “poll numbers will go up.”
  • Texas: Despite big money challenges, “Texas is a ruby red state...we always end up winning.”
  • Maine: Comfortable that Susan Collins, “the ultimate survivor,” will win despite polling deficits.
  • California: Challenges in a blue-drifting state, but hopeful due to candidate recruitment and contrast messaging.
• Fundraising Superiority: $125 million in RNC war chest—touts spending parity or even overtaking Democrats this cycle.

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D. Iran, Foreign Policy, and War Powers

• Iran Ceasefire: Ostensibly a “two-week” ceasefire now in its eighth week; low-level hostilities continue.
  • Jim Jordan [08:41]: Strong support for decisive action: “You cannot let Iran get a nuclear [weapon]. You just can’t.”
  • Senator Roger Wicker [58:30]: Credits Trump for patience, but favors “finish the job and totally obliterate their military forces if necessary.”
• Congressional Oversight: Debate over war powers; some Republicans defecting to limit presidential authority in Iran actions; guests mostly oppose restricting Executive power in ongoing conflict.
  • Kevin Roberts [51:35]: “He’s a great negotiator...let the president land the plane.”
• Alliance Pressure: Gulf allies pushing for a decisive resolution as Iran continues attacks.

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E. Political Comedy, Media, and Sports

• Shifts in Media: Discussion of Scott Pelley’s exit from CBS in the context of broader media realignment and perceived bias at legacy outlets.
  • Kilmeade [72:46]: “...the arrogance in which we’re seeing. When Scott Pelly spoke up...you fire.”
• NBA Finals Insight:
  • Extended segment with Dick Stockton discussing Knicks’ playoff run, NBA’s renewed appeal (“athleticism and decision making”), and the cultural meaning of a New York championship.
  • Sports metaphorically presented as an antidote to political friction—“this is what I love about sports, when things just buck all logic.” [93:19]

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3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Election Delays:
  • Jim Jordan (02:52): “It just makes no sense when every other state...can get the results in a matter of hours after the polls close.”
• On Democratic Radicalism:
  • Joe Gruters (23:49): “But this is the Democrat party of today. They surround themselves with these radical woke leftists who, you know, have all these issues and who are Nazis, who are communists.”
• On Iran's Regime:
  • Jim Jordan (09:03): “...they’re so evil. We don’t care if he’s our star athlete...we’re gonna send a message. This is how evil they are.”
  • Sen. Roger Wicker (58:30): “I think the President has been very, very patient, really. He’s had the patience of Job in terms of dealing with people who are highly unreliable, who have lied every day for 47 years.”
• On Fundraising:
  • Joe Gruters (26:09): “We have $125 million in the bank. I think the DNC is -4. [...] This is going to be the first cycle that we actually spend on parity with the Democrats, or outspend them.”
• On Political Discourse:
  • Jim Jordan (13:35): “...we have far too many members who are focused on just getting attention and looking for the viral moment or the YouTube video...just do your job.”
• Sports & Culture:
  • Dick Stockton (105:54): “Basketball has been the sport in New York. [...] When the Knicks do well, the city is electric.”
  • Kilmeade (107:57): “You know, it’s so funny. It’s like interviewing you, I feel like I’m in the booth...it’s such a pro.”

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4. Timestamps for Key Segments

• Election Integrity, Mail-in Ballots – Jordan: 02:52–04:24, 27:44–29:19
• Radical Dem Candidates – Jordan, Gruters, Roberts: 05:26–07:05, 39:33–42:18, 76:17–79:01
• Senate & House Races – Gruters: 19:02–34:42
• Iran Debate, War Powers – Jordan, Wicker, Roberts: 08:41–10:38, 58:30–61:38, 51:35–54:13
• Media Realignment – Kilmeade: 72:09–73:47
• Sports Segment – Stockton: 93:19–108:11

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5. Additional Guest Highlights

Dr. Kevin Roberts (Heritage) [38:04+]

• Argues radicalization of Dems is a product of education/indoctrination.
• Points out societal risk: “These are Democrats who want to change the human person. They hate the United States.”
• Praises Trump’s Iran strategy and predicts economic rebound post-conflict.

Doug Schoen (Democratic Strategist) [77:02+]

• Admits deep worry for his party, denounces his own party’s radical nominees.
• On Jill Biden’s memoir/media blitz: “The best course of action for her would have been not to have published, or tried to be empathetic…”
• Advocates for moderate, centrist Dem leadership for party (and country).

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6. Flow, Tone, and Style

• Fast-paced, provocative, and full of banter.
• Brian Kilmeade drives vivid contrasts of “common sense vs crazy.”
• Guests bring both inside political baseball and blunt assessments; little patience for “woke” politics or Democratic inaction on scandals.
• Sports portions are both a metaphor (for resilience, teamwork) and an emotional release from political turmoil.

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7. Summary Takeaways

• The GOP projects bullish confidence heading into the midterms, banking on fundraising, candidate quality, and Dem overreach.
• Democratic radicalization and candidate controversies are seen as serious liabilities by both Republicans and moderate Dems.
• Foreign policy (esp. with Iran) showcases Trump’s tough approach and provokes debate over the president’s authority and military readiness.
• Election integrity and voting reforms remain front and center in GOP strategy, with lawsuits and legislative pushes.
• The episode blends pointed political commentary with cultural touchpoints—sports and media, portraying a country amid sharp debates (and in need of some competitive, unifying spirit).

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For complete, timestamped segments or more detail on any topic, see sections above. This summary is crafted to fully inform listeners who missed the episode, retaining the original voices and direct quotes where impactful.

Transcript

[Brian Kilmeade]

Foreign FOX News headquarters in New York City. Always seeking solutions, never sewing division. It's Brian everyone. So glad you're there. It's the Brian Kilman show coming your way. This hour we're going to be joined by the RNC chair Joe Gruders and Congressman Jim Jordan standing by. In a matter of moments we'll get to him. Keep in mind we got this great YouTube channel now. So if you ever missed the show on highlights of the show, YouTube.com/at the Brian Kilme show. We know the president's got an executive order today to emergency excavate and start implementing through an executive order coal. He says we need the energy. No doubt about it. Joe Biden would never would have done that. He tried to kill it. And we also know this Todd Blanch, the acting attorney general will be nominated as the attorney general. Will he pass? That's going to be interesting because I think he's doing a really good job. But the question is do the Republicans, many of which are lame duck, would they vote for him? We'll have to see. So before we get to Congressman Jim Jordan, let's get to the big three. Number three, what are your concerns about AI developers obtaining approval from the US Government? My understanding of the current EO is

[Kevin Roberts]

not that it's approval but early testing.

[Brian Kilmeade]

But I think as these models get

[Senator Roger Wicker]

more powerful, there will need to be increasingly strong frameworks to ensure that we can meet the safety guarantees we want to meet.

[Brian Kilmeade]

That's really nice of them. I not a okay with lawmakers and many graduates as it promises to change every aspect of our lives. We talk about the regulation that does not stifle growth and advancement. Number two, we're going to have to stop them from having a nuclear weapon. That's what we've done and they've agreed to the by the way they I mean if they sign the agreement they will have agreed to we will not have a nuclear weapon. No one believes them but it might go to a memorandum of understanding. Frustration is the only way to describe a two week cease fire that now is in its eighth week. We have the latest on the talks which are highlighted by low level attacks.

[Joe Gruters]

Number one, it wasn't like I subpoenaed him.

[Brian Kilmeade]

It wasn't like the government brought him

[Joe Gruters]

in as a hostile witness. What he ended up saying on cross examination was that the blind sheikh talked about jihad all the time making war against the United states.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Yeah, Andy McCarthy tried the blind shake. Democrats primary season is reaffirming that this has become a radical far Left Party. We look at the radical in New Jersey, literally an unhinged maniac running for Senate in Maine, as we wait and watch the results in California, who can't even count ballots on time. Let's bring in Chairman Jim Jordan. Chairman, great to see you. I mean, first off on what's going on in California. Do you believe this? They just got 60% of their votes cast and everybody gets a ballot and they got about a week to count them all. How is that acceptable?

[Jim Jordan]

Well, it's not and it's. But it's, but it's become the pattern. I mean, every election we wait days and as you say, sometimes weeks to find out who the winner is. It just makes no sense when every other state seems to be able to, certainly Republican run states seem to be able to get us the results in a matter of hours after the polls close on election day, whether that's primary day or the general election day. So yeah, it is kind of frustrating to. This is why the President's right. This mail in balloting that goes on forever and ballots that get accepted after election day in certain states, that makes no sense whatsoever. So, yeah, that's why we need some of these, some of the election reform that the President's talked about, that we've talked about and we'll see if we can get that done.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Would the Save America act have anything to do with streamlining or fundamentally changing the way everyone does voting? Remember, Florida was the embarrassment of the country and now it's, it might be one of the best. They count their, they count their absentee ballots before the election. By the time it's done by midnight, they know who won.

[Jim Jordan]

Yep. No. And they thought Ohio was the problem. That was going to be the problem in the 2004 election. And ours went fine. You know, we used to be the bellwether state in presidential elections. So yeah, if you, if you do it right, you have this common sense rules in place. And in Ohio, you have to show photos when we go to the polls. You got to show your driver's license, you got to show who you are. Even though the person, maybe where I'm from, out in the little Mad River Township precinct that we go vote at, even though the person there knows you, has known you your whole life, you still show your id. That's just how it works. And we have a good system where we get results in a matter of hours right after the polls close.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So there's some radicals and we know what's going on in Maine. I'll touch on that. But this guy, Dr. Adam Hamowy, is a U.S. army veteran, Democratic nominee in New Jersey. Okay, sounds good. Until you find out his background. And this guy was an interpreter and testified on the defense of the blind sheikh who wanted to blow up every artery in New York City, including pot, and plan the 93 bombing. And then we find out that he's volunteering in Gaza in a hospital that's overseeing all these Hamas tunnels while running on the fact that he wants to cut off Israel, Israeli aid. Here he is, cut nine, trying to cut eight, trying to explain himself 30 years ago. He's a well known person in the community. He spoke all over New Jersey. And he was a blind old man that, you know, people, you know, volunteered when he needed, you know, some kind of service because he couldn't take care of himself. And so that's, that's, that's kind of all the association is. There's nothing, There was nothing back then and there's nothing now. He spoke about jihad all the time. I mean, what are your thoughts about this?

[Jim Jordan]

Well, the once great party of FDR and JFK is now anti Israel, anti Semitic, and it's, and it's scary. And frankly, we need to make sure none of that element ever gets in our party. But the fact that now, like there are all kinds of candidates who refuse to talk to aipac, take aipac, support, criticize our best friend and ally, the standard, it's really, it's really scary what you see on the other side. And again, I think it's real important that the other party, the Republican Party, the one that I belong to, that we push back on. We do not let this, and we're, we understand what a great friend and ally Israel is. So I'm very nervous about it. One of the reasons I'm getting so involved in primaries around the country and the Republican primaries, I want to make sure we have Republican candidates who are conservative but understand the importance of the state of Israel and our relationship with them. Yeah, I get real nervous about what I hear. The lady now, thank goodness she got beat last week in Texas. But the one lady who was talking just crazy stuff. I mean, it was anti Semitic craziness at ice centers, putting Zionists in ice. She said some crazy things, so thank goodness she lost. But here you got this individual in New Jersey again. I think it underscores just how radical the left has become and they now control the Democrat Party.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Well, I want you to, you know, by the way, she, he is backed by Bernie Sanders, aoc, Tommy Duckworth, Hasan Piker. Of course, that crazy podcaster couldn't be more anti Israel and anti American, I might add too. So I. Do you think the House is lost?

[Jim Jordan]

No, I think we can win. I do. The redistricting actually helped us on balance. It's going to be tough. The environment, you know, it's a little tough. But I think we got to go tell the voters what we, you know, what we've done in the big beautiful bill. Cut their taxes, secured the border. And frankly, I think if we're talking about the fact that this, this sanctuary jurisdiction and the crime that it now that happens in these jurisdictions, if we're talking about highlighting just how ridiculous the Democrat party has become, I think we can win. Now if we're talking about some other things, it's going to be a little tougher. But I do think we can win by highlighting they're crazy. We're not. You can go every issue, Brian, We've talked about this every the crazy to defund the police, crazy to defund ice, crazy to have sanctuary jurisdictions where the politicians tell local law enforcement not to work with federal law enforcement in enforcing federal law. Crazy to say men should compete against women in sports. Crazy to shut down the government 40 some days last fall shut down ice. Here they what, 90 days this spring. So you can just go issue by issue and talk about how crazy they are. I think that's real important we go tell the voters here's the contrast. Common sense versus crazy.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So the yesterday the House they voted to limit the President and the War Powers Act. Four Republicans defect and they basically trying to limit the President's ability to conduct war in Iran. Now it's got to go through the Senate. If it gets to him, he could always veto. And it probably not going to be, it's probably not going to be get 2/3 of a vote. But I think it just limits the President's ability overseas. They don't understand our system. They think the president no longer has the ability to wage war or beginning to erode support. That hurts the negotiation process. I don't get it.

[Jim Jordan]

Yeah, it's not ideal, you're right. But you know, my position is the commander in chief. The President's commander in chief, he gets to make these calls. I mean that's why we have a commander in chief. That's why we have separate and equal branches of government. And it's why the President of the United States is the commander in chief of the armed services. So that's how it works. Obviously, if there's a formal declaration of war. And we're going to make some full commitment to go, you know, troops and everything else. And that's a different question at some point. But that's not where we're at now. And I think the President's done a good job. I agree with the President 100%. The number one objective is you cannot let this, you cannot let Iran get a new nuclear. You just can't let them have nuclear capability. I mean, Brian, I think we may have talked about this in Iran. Wrestling is big. It is one of their key sports. And they took this 19 year old junior champion because he had protests against the government and they hung this guy in public. So they said they're so evil. We don't care if he's one of our star athletes, up and coming athletes, we don't care. We're going to send a message. This is how evil they are. They've killed Americans, Israelis, other people around the world, thousands of their own people, including this athlete. That's a regime. And they're going to get a nuclear weapon? No way. So I'm 100% with the president and I think as long as we keep stressing that and say President Trump's committed to achieving that objective, I think it's the right thing to do. And we just got to support him.

[Brian Kilmeade]

By the way, there was more hangings yesterday. So would you be in support if the President wanted to go back to full scale war?

[Jim Jordan]

I'm in support of making sure we achieve the goal. I leave that up to, you know, General Kaine, President Trump as Commander in chief, the Armed Services, Secretary Hegseth, they decide the tactics and strategy, the goal, everyone. And I mean, I just understand, you cannot let this regime, 47 years done the evil they've done. You cannot let them get a nuclear weapon. And if all our intelligence is telling the administration that they are close, you got to stop them. And so I support the President in achieving that, whatever it takes to get to that goal.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So I want you to hear some of the sparring that took place. I'm not sure if you are part of it, but Marco Rubio went to the House Foreign Relations Committee and it was just a circus. Here he is talking with and going back and forth with Democratic Congresswoman Sarah Jacobs, cut 27. Just like you won't admit President Trump is losing this reckless war of choice. And just like you couldn't admit that the shoes the President bought you were too big. I don't know what shoes she's talking about. What is she talking about? I Don't know about the shoes. I mean, he gave me some floor shine shoes.

[Joe Gruters]

They're actually pretty good.

[Brian Kilmeade]

They fit fine. I don't know. I don't know what she's talking about. And maybe that's what she's referring to.

[Jim Jordan]

Your shoes look very nice today, Mr. Secretary.

[Brian Kilmeade]

How can you see them? They're way down here. We're talking about shoes. Are you guys kidding me? I mean, is this the Foreign Affairs Committee, or is this like a circus? What is this, Congressman? What's the point, Chairman? What's the point of having him in front of you and just steamrolling all this stuff?

[Jim Jordan]

I don't get it either. I think Secretary Rubio has done an amazing job. Well, several jobs he's done. Amazing. I mean, he's doing all kinds of things in the administration. I've been so impressed. I was impressed with him. I was. The United States Senator been impressed with him in his work in the administration. He always conducts himself, handles himself, I think, in an amazing way when he comes in front of these committees. And he's funny at some point, too. I think it was maybe the same lady who. Same member who asked him about. About Greenland. And I think his response was, well, for now, you know, just having a little fun as well. But, but. But a serious guy who's done a tremendous, I think, tremendous work for the country.

[Kevin Roberts]

Yeah.

[Brian Kilmeade]

With a bunch of jobs. He must get paid a lot of money. He's got like, five salaries, so he

[Jim Jordan]

might make as much as. He's not making as much as Brian Kilmeade. I know that.

[Kevin Roberts]

Yeah.

[Brian Kilmeade]

No one is. Yeah, I know, Jesse. And everybody's so jealous of me. So, Congressman, I want to bring you to something else. Al Green, who's an embarrassment to the people he's supposed to represent, thankfully lost his pr, decides to call Mark Wayne Mullen, Homeland Security Secretary. I think as classy a guy as you will ever meet. Listen to this exchange. This was peaceful protest, Mr. Secretary. Racists take offense at peaceful protests. A racist.

[Doug Schoen]

Mr. Secretary would do. What happened to Ruby?

[Joe Gruters]

Are you calling me a racist?

[Brian Kilmeade]

A racist. I'm asking a question. Reclaiming my time. Asking to shut up. That's a pretty.

[Jim Jordan]

Shut up.

[Brian Kilmeade]

It's my time.

[Joe Gruters]

I'm not gonna let anybody call me a racist.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Chairman. I never called him a racist. It's my time.

[Joe Gruters]

It is a violation of House rules to make statements that might be personally offensive to the president or vice president.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I ask that any person who desires to interrupt me, shut up. So he said six times to Mark Wayne Mullen to shut up. Come on, Congressman. I mean, do you guys have, is there any sense of etiquette I can understand losing six times. It's not losing your temper.

[Jim Jordan]

No, I know it seems like we have far too many members who are focused on just getting attention and looking for the viral moment or the YouTube video or the whatever. Just like, just do your job. Just like I always like, for what it's worth, I tell new members coming in, like just focus on you, do your job well, you get plenty of attention. You don't have to manufacture it. You have to create some moment. Just do your job, come prepared to committee, ask the appropriate questions. You can press a witness. There's an appropriate way to cross examine someone and there's a ridiculous way to do it. And it seems like what you've been showing me here are talking about here, Brian, are the ridiculous ways. It just doesn't make sense.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I want to get to two things. You want Roger Goodell to come to the Capitol and explain his TV deals. Because if you want to watch football, some say you got to get an Amazon subscription. Now you got to go get an Apple subscription and then you got cable subscription. So you have questions to ask him. But I don't think the commissioner of football wants to go and test it.

[Jim Jordan]

Well, he can't. He's not coming next week. And you know, I think he's out of town. And then there's also ongoing litigation. So. But look, here's what we know, constituents, consumers out there right now to watch every. If you want to watch your team play every week, you got streaming, you got cable, you got satellite, you got network. So excuse me, it's difficult to do. So it's tough to figure out where you got to go to find your team and watch the game. Not to mention the cost. I mean, I think estimates are like that. There's been some calculations, over 1,000 bucks a year. I mean that's real money for middle class families, of course. So we want to know the 1961 Sports Broadcasting act, as evidenced in the title, Sports broadcasting was designed to allow the league to collude and negotiate price so that you would have a league so that Green Bay would be equal treatment to the teams in New York and Chicago and la. I get that. But it was for broadcasting and now we're in a whole different world with streaming and satellite and cable. So, you know, we'll have to see. We're having a hearing next week and then you have that act and the concerns we have with the antitrust relief. We've given the NFL versus what some in college want to do for college sports is have a similar type of agreement. And so there's this tension there. So we're going to have a hearing and talk about all this and find out if there's a, if there's a solution there.

[Brian Kilmeade]

30 seconds. Just one on ActBlue. They have foreign investment into ActBlue. That's a huge problem for that super PA, isn't it?

[Jim Jordan]

Well, if it's happening, and it sure looks like it is, it's illegal. So. And they're raising billions. They're the juggernaut for the Democratic Party. They're raising billions of dollars. And we know that when we deposed, our committee brought in five of their people, four who had quit ActBlue after 24 election, one who was fired. They all took the fifth. They wouldn't answer any questions. And now we're bringing in the CEO who's in a fight with her old law firm because their old law firm said to her, the response you gave to Congress may not may have misrepresented things, which is a nice way of saying you lied to Congress. So we'll see when they come in next week.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Chairman Jim Jordan, very explosive time on Capitol Hill. Not a, not a dull moment. Congressman, thanks so much.

[Jim Jordan]

You bet, Brian. Thank you, buddy.

[Brian Kilmeade]

All right. We'll take a short time out. Come back, bottom of the hour. RNC chair Joe Gruders. Don't move. The headlines, the stories behind them and the people who make them only on the Brian Killmeade Show. Foreign. Kilmeade. Hey, got Joe Gruder's coming up next. Just a quick reminder, coming up, July 11th, if you're into patriotism on year 250, I want you to go to Pensacola, Florida. History, liberty and laughs. Go to briankilmead.com streamed on Fox Nation Right now, Our last show over Reno, Nevada. I think you'll love it. It's now archived on FOX Nation. So it's, you know, every time you're on stage, it's different. So you'll get that dynamic. And it's the first time we ever did it in the daytime. And then gradually, as the show went on, the sun set and ended up being night and it was outdoors. So not easy. But it would not I wouldn't say it's hard, but I would say it is very, very different. So we're looking at all that. So when we come back, the RNC has got the money, but they have history against them when it comes to holding on to the House and the Senate, although the Senate is going to be a harder lift for, for, I think, Democrats, much harder. In fact, it wasn't even expected. But there are certain, there are certain seats that are going to be challenging. There's a story today that now John Houston is trailing in Ohio, a state that Donald Trump won by 11 points. When you have states like that in play, I don't think Texas is necessarily going to be in play. When you have to defend states like that, that's when things get really dicey. We'll see, though. Long way to go.

[Joe Gruters]

A talk show that's real.

[Brian Kilmeade]

This is the Brian Kilmeade Show. Hey, we are back. RNC Chair Joe Brutus joins us now. Joe, great to see you. Your thoughts?

[Joe Gruters]

Thanks for having me.

[Brian Kilmeade]

What's your takeaway from primary day? I know the president had a phenomenal record, only lost one race by percentage points of the people he endorsed. But your thoughts, your takeaway right now, as you look at the matchups, Listen, we're excited.

[Joe Gruters]

We're getting our conservative warriors ready to go and we're getting our lineup for November and we're getting the matchups that we're looking for. I mean, if you look at some of these races, I mean, look at the, the Zach Nunn race where he's going against the wicked witch of Woke. I mean, we're getting all the primetime candidates that we want to run against. I think we're ready to go. And listen, we're ready to do battle and we're going to carry that flag of our candidates all the way to November.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Let's take a look at the Senate, if we could. It looks like, John, you said this big story today. He's trailing in Ohio, a state that Donald Trump won by 11 points against Sherrod Brown. Your thoughts about how much money you'll have to pour in there?

[Joe Gruters]

Yeah, listen, it's going to cost some money, but we're I'm confident that Senator Houston is going to win. You've got to remember he hasn't been on the ballot in years. He's been successful. He was appointed by the governor there to take the vice president's place. And what's going to happen there is once we start spending the money, you'll see those poll numbers naturally go up. He's going against a guy who is in public service there for decades and he has a record to run on. It's not a good one. He's a radical left leftist. That's not the right candidate for Ohio. We're going to be able to explain that story and who said it's going to do a good job? I'm not worried about Ohio.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Well, when you talk about what's happening in Texas, some say you have to spend between 50 and $100 million because Ken Paxton's going to take harder to drag across the finish line against Talarico than Cornyn would.

[Joe Gruters]

Texas is a ruby red state. He won by 400,000 votes in the primary. He's won statewide before, I think the last time by double digits. Paxton, I mean, look at Ted Cruz. He's a good conservative representing Texas. They always say they're going to make this a race and we always end up winning. I have full faith and confidence in Paxton's ability to win that race. We're going to be there every step of the way. But if it cost us a little bit more money, we'll spend it. But we're very confident in Paxton's ability to get it done. He was here, I met with him the other day and we talked about strategy, talked about what we're going to do together to make sure he's going to be successful.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So yesterday we had, we had Graham Platner who saw him on Capitol Hill trying to secure his Democratic support after a series of really disturbing allegations about his background of sexting. We know what he's actually said and posted on Reddit and we know about the Nazi tattoo. And suddenly an 8 point deficit for Susan Collins is down to 4. Make sense of Maine for me, Joe. With primary is Tuesday.

[Joe Gruters]

Susan Collins is the ultimate survivor. I mean every poll that in the last three cycles that she's been up, it's had her down 12, 8 and 8 and she always ends up winning by a decent comfortable margin. Platner is a completely disqualifying candidate on the left, but that's what the Democrats been giving us. And you could thank Mamdame, you could thank AOC and Bernie Sanders who has been inspiring these far leftist radicals to run for these seats. And they're winning and they're winning and then it's a dream candidate for Collins to run against. We're very, you know, I'm grateful that we get a, you know, it's not all the stuff that you've seen, it's not over. There's more stuff coming out where if you look at Susan Collins, she represents the mainstream middle America and she represents Maine. Well, I think that our matchups across the board are looking better and better and it gives us a real chance to hold the Majorities coming up.

[Brian Kilmeade]

All right, so when asked are you standing by platner? Here's what AOC said. Cut 5. The Democrats abandon Graham Plattner after these messages came out, these sexually explicit messages he sent to women. You know, I haven't waded into that primary.

[Joe Gruters]

I don't believe the primary has occurred yet.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So I would kind of, you know,

[Senator Roger Wicker]

again I don't weighed in on that.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I haven't waited on that race. Here's Elizabeth Warren. Cut six. What about his conduct though? You have to be concerned about his conduct, don't you? No. The people of Maine are dealing every single day with economic issues that are flattening them against the wall. Aren't you worried about war coming out about his past that could damage his chances? What I'm worried about is another day of war in Iran. Are these accusations disturbing to you? What is disturbing to me is what's happening in this economy and how right now the Republicans just sign off on it. So Nazi tattoos and abusing women and verbally abusing women, talking about how if they're raped, you know, stop drinking and taking a purple heart recipient and saying he should have been killed by the Taliban. And now we find out he's sexting with at least six women. Does it matter? Because we're in Iran and she thinks we're losing.

[Joe Gruters]

Yeah, listen, Platner's a sinking ship. They know it. That's why they don't want to say anything positive about him. But this is the Democrat party of today. They surround themselves with these radical woke leftists who you know, have all these issues and who are Nazis, who are communists. It's amazing the candidates that they're putting up versus. When you look at our candidates and who the presidents endorse, you had it right at the beginning where he's basically undefeated. He is undefeated in the congressional races and you look at the candidates we're putting up. These are candidates that could win these districts. They're going to be well funded and, and so all these things combined gives us the momentum in the real opportunity to win.

[Brian Kilmeade]

What about the affordability, Joe? The President says it's temporary with Iran, but people, the people are paying a lot for gas. Farmers are paying a lot for fertilizer if they can get it. Airlines are cutting back on flights and Joe Gruders is running the RNC with the RNC have the House, the Senate and President they're saying it's your guys fault.

[Joe Gruters]

Yeah, listen, people forget how much gas was under Biden. It was more under them than with the conflict that we're experiencing now with Iran. And I talked to Trump. I was, I was with the President last week at the White House and we were talking about the affordability issue specifically. And he knows it's an issue he feels for the American people. He wants to get prices down, he wants to get gas prices down. And he's trying to, to make sure that we have a successful outcome in Iran. Then he's going to get out. And he says, Joe, he says, listen, we're going to make sure prices come down for gas. His focus has been on affordability since day one. Of course, that's why he went after the no tax on tips over time and Social Security. That's why he's bringing record investments to make sure he could protect the American workers not only today, but for years to come. But he has empathy for the Americans that are experiencing the pain. And what I want to tell people is, listen, short term pain for long term gain. We're going to get out of this. The world will be better off. And I'm thankful that we have a president that's willing to make some of these tough decisions regardless of the short term political risks that are out there.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Well, so in terms of money, I think you guys are dramatically outraising the dnc. What is your target goal?

[Joe Gruters]

Well, listen, we have I think $125 million in the bank. I think the DNC is -4. Where this is really going to play out is when the coordinated campaign limits comes in to play. And that's going to allow us to fully direct and coordinate with our House and Senate candidates. And it's going to allow us to spend at the candidate rate, which is going to be a complete game changer. People have no idea what a big deal that is. It's a great time to be chairman of the party because we're going to be in command, we're well positioned and to use it to our benefit. And the DNC is asleep at the wheel, thank goodness for us. But it's not just the rnc. It's the entire collective on our side, all the resources we have. And I go back to, we have the right candidates in these races. We have the resources we need. This is going to be the first cycle. People don't know this either. The Democrats almost always outspend us as a collective. This is going to be the first cycle that we actually spend on parity with the Democrats or outspend them. And then of course we have the president is messaging and the fact that he's the best showman that's ever lived. And he's going to go out there and barnstorm the country. We're down to 20 competitive House seats. We're about five U.S. senate seats. He's going to go to these districts. You saw him up in Congressman Lawler's district last week. I think he's going to be in Pennsylvania soon. He's going to keep on pounding the pavement all the time to make sure these candidates win.

[Brian Kilmeade]

All right, so let's talk about California before we go. Why do they need a week to count ballots? I mean, what can you do as the RNC chair? I don't care who wins, but we just want the right person to win. Everybody gets a ballot. They take a week to count it. Come on, Joe.

[Joe Gruters]

It's out of control. The Democrats are cheating. They cheat every day. The RNC has spent two years fighting this. We actually have one of the biggest Supreme Court cases in the history of the party. I think we're going to win it. Hopefully decision comes out. It may even come down today. But it's our Watson versus RNC case. It will make Election Day election day. The fact that they can count ballots and send ballots out seven days after election Day is completely mind boggling. It's only allowed because they're trying to cheat. We're putting a stop to it. We sued. I think we're going to win and it's going to be a massive change. You know, Brian, there's 14 states in the District of Columbia, maybe 13 states right now that count ballots after election Day in some of these states will have these elections open until they win. We saw this in California with some of these House raises. We saw this in some of these other states. This has been, this has given them the opportunity to go out there and cheat after the fact, after they can't win. And if we win this, it's going to be a massive victory for good. And it's just another way we're going to stop the Democrats from cheating. We have 150 lawsuits right now in 32 different states. And I say, you want to know where we spend a lot of our money? Think about 150 lawsuits. Those clocks ticking. We have to. And we're doing that because we're being proactive in our approach and we're going everywhere to make sure we stop these guys from cheating because if we didn't, they would cheat on everything. But this is one of the, this is egregious. And the fact that they can count ballots and it Keeps on going, going, going is to me it's disgusting.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So 60% voters in only 60, Steve Hilton's up by two points on Javier Bechira, a failed HHS secretary and a terrible congressman, Tom Starr, $212 million he spent individually. He's got 19% of the vote. So when it comes to a one on one matchup, they say Steve Vilton's only got maybe a 10 to 20% chance of winning. What can you do for him knowing that if you're too conservative or too tight to Trump, that'll actually hurt you in California?

[Joe Gruters]

Listen, Steve, he's a phenomenal candidate. I think he has a story to tell. And listen a lot of the Republicans. I was talking to somebody yesterday who lived in California, California, saying how Steve Hilton doing, what are we going to do to win? And she told me that she moved to North Carolina last year. Not only her, but 20 of her friends left to. A lot of conservatives have left California. But what we have to do is we have to. And what Steve has to continue to do is show that contrast decline is an option. Spencer Pratt has put it perfectly. Some of those ads that they're running out there, we don't have. They don't have to live in filth. They can have, you know, a future. They could have safe streets, they could have clean streets. They just have to vote for it. And Steve Hilton's gonna have to make that contrast with the left wing liberals out there and hopefully attract enough independent voters to join the Republicans to put him in office. We're gonna be there to help him. We already have staffers on the ground and we're gonna do what we can.

[Brian Kilmeade]

All right, and so you talk about what you just mentioned, the mayor's race. So you have Bass with 35, Pratt with 30, and Rahman with 20 or 23. It looks like what is the success that Pratt's already have shown you? What does it show you in the big picture that you might relay to other candidates across the country?

[Joe Gruters]

Well, shows we need that type of energy and enthusiasm and truth telling in ads and commentary. Spencer Pratt has done an amazing job of highlighting what's wrong in their community. The fact that, you know, 70% of the people voted against Pratt in that primary, to me, tells me that these people like to live in filth. They like to live in a dysfunctional government. And it's a. But he has to keep on fighting. I think he's doing a good job of exposing what's out there. And again, it's all about contrast, giving people A choice. Saying you have options, decline is a choice. We could do things right. Let's move forward and let's clean it up and make things better.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Do you feel it's your job to recruit candidates like him?

[Joe Gruters]

100%. I think that's one of the most important things and that's going to be the big difference maker in this cycle. We have recruited candidates across the country and we don't get involved in primaries. But what we do do is we find candidates that can win, that are good candidates. We give them off to the White House and James Blair and then ultimately the president. These guys go vet them and make sure they're the right candidates. And then they, if they endorse them. I see. If the president endorses you, it's like a golden ticket. You go right to the front. Obviously, in these congressional races, undefeated, he is the leader of our party. They're picking candidates that can win and on the left they're allowing it to play out. And these radical leftists are, you know, getting nominated. And yes, as a result, some of these races are going from toss up or lean are to, you know, to likely are. It's because of the fact that we have the right candidates and it's the fact that they have candidates that can't win.

[Brian Kilmeade]

All right, thanks so much, Joe. I know you got a busy job and it's going to be a sprint over the next six months. I say this, I don't think anybody. People say the House is lost or so in play. I don't think either is none done yet. I don't think you've locked up the Senate. I don't think you've lost the House when the doors and there's no I know you what you want, but when the doors are closed and the cameras are off and the jackets off and the tie is loose and you talk to the rnc, do you believe the game still has to be played yet in both chambers?

[Joe Gruters]

Oh, yeah.

[Senator Roger Wicker]

We're.

[Joe Gruters]

We're fighting every single day. We're building the massive ground operation, massive election integrity operation just like we did in the last cycle. You know, I spent 23 years as a chairman. I think organizing is the way to go. We've done a lot of things that haven't been done before and we're going to use that organization, use every, all the other advantages that we have and we're going to. I think we're going to crush these guys. I think we're going to defy history. I think it's going to be the fifth time in 150 years that the majority party holds on. It's going to be the first time outside of some monumental event. And we're going to do it because we have the best president, United States. He's working every day and we have a party that believes in him. We're united and we have the right candidates to make it happen.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So a couple of things. Just one last thing before we go. How many House seats do you think are in play? And the DNC would probably agree with whatever number you have because how many do you actually think are in play? 35.

[Joe Gruters]

20 seats.

[Brian Kilmeade]

20 seats. So that's it. And that's it.

[Joe Gruters]

And we're starting because of redistricting, we're starting with, let's say 2 10, 2 11, 212 safe Republican seats. So we need to win six out of the, out of the 20 seats remaining to hold the majority. When you think of it like that, we're not, we're not talking about 10 years ago. There was 100 competitive races. Now we're down to 20, 20 seats. We have better candidates. We have more money. We have the president. We're going to crush these guys.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And you just got Alabama, got another couple of seats out. Alabama, redistricting. All right, Joe, you got your hands full, but it's very interesting talking to you. I love getting into the strategy of it all. And you let our audience get inside that. We appreciate it. Thanks, Joe.

[Joe Gruters]

Thanks, Brian.

[Doug Schoen]

Bye. Bye.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Back in a moment. Giving you everything you need to know. You're with Brian Kilmeade.

[Jim Jordan]

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[Brian Kilmeade]

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[Jim Jordan]

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[Dick Stockton]

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[Kevin Roberts]

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[Joe Gruters]

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[Brian Kilmeade]

A radio show like no other. It's Brian Kilmeade. It was a tie game with about 2 and 15 to go.

[Joe Gruters]

Just what was the difference in those last two minutes?

[Brian Kilmeade]

I think just sticking together. It wasn't really our night, wasn't really my night most of the night. But we kept finding a way, kept chipping away. I just like how resilient we were tonight. Yeah, you guys were down 14 in the third quarter.

[Joe Gruters]

Just what started to turn things around,

[Brian Kilmeade]

honestly just think of chemistry is knowing that we have each other's back. There's a lot of things excellent roles wise. We could have done better but I think most importantly our togetherness really stuff was really the biggest difference. What's going to be your mindset as

[Jim Jordan]

you start thinking about game two?

[Brian Kilmeade]

We gotta go back and just watch the things we could do better. It's a long journey but I think there's a lot of, a lot of things that we can do better.

[Jim Jordan]

So.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Jalen Brunson was unbelievable, 30 points. Hurt his ankle, they hurt his knee in the first first half. Didn't know if he was coming back out and got off to his relatively slow start after hitting a first three and ends up with 30 points. The guy six foot two going through the middle through Victor Weminyama who is seven five, he ends up with 26 points. Here's what he said about the home loss. Cut 46. Every team guards differently. You know, I'm going to figure it out. It's. Yeah, I mean I was bad tonight. It's not more complicated than that.

[Joe Gruters]

You guys were up 12 or 14

[Brian Kilmeade]

or whatever it was midway through the third when did you feel like things were slipping a little?

[Doug Schoen]

Was it quick or was it just

[Joe Gruters]

simply just they just started making more shots. Was it something just simple?

[Brian Kilmeade]

It was quick. I think, I think we let that one go maybe.

[Joe Gruters]

From the FOX News radio studios in

[Brian Kilmeade]

midtown Manhattan, it's the fastest growing radio talk show. Brian Kilmeade.

[Dick Stockton]

All right.

[Brian Kilmeade]

From 48th and 6th in Midtown Manhattan heard around the country. Around the world. So BRIAN KILMEADE show We're watching a lot of moving parts today. The president's going to sign an executive order refueling coal. We need it for energy and he says we have a clean way of doing it and he's getting everyone behind it. So that's going to, that's going to put some jet fuel to it. We're also going to discuss what's going on with AI in the executive order because it's got a lot that has a lot of ramifications this hour. Be joined by Senator Roger Wicker. And with me in studio right now is Dr. Kevin Roberts, the Heritage foundation president. Kevin, great to see you.

[Kevin Roberts]

Good to see you live and in person, Brian.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I know. Can you believe it? First off, what is your takeaway on And I'm worried for the country. I forget about Republican Democrat of the left wing zealots that are emerging on the left right now.

[Kevin Roberts]

Yeah, I see the same way. I mean, let's put Republican and Democrat off to the side. You and I both grew up at a time when there were not only common sense Democrats, but Democrats that conservative people like you and me and your audience could vote for. Right. I grew up in the Deep South. Democrats were pro life, they were pro gun. Now, it isn't just that they're not those things. These are Democrats who want to change the human person. They hate the United States. And the problem for us as a civilization, put the election off to the side is that these people are as crazy as Marx and Lennon themselves, and they're winning elections, as you know all too well here in New York City.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So one of these. One of these candidates, as we were just going over in a previous hour, who was basically an interpreter for the Blind Shake and for people that don't know in New York City, the Blind Shake not only plotted and planned 93 bombing, but he wanted to blow up the Lincoln Tunnel, the George Washington Bridge, and the Midtown Tunnel. And they had plans to do it. Thankfully, it was unwound. This was his interpreter. Now he is in a bright blue district, wins the primary by at least 10 points and is likely as a doctor. He's a doctor and who just served in Gaza at a hospital, volunteering where there were tunnels underneath where Hamas was using. And now he looks like he's gonna be serving in Congress.

[Dick Stockton]

Yeah.

[Kevin Roberts]

This is a guy who ought to be investigated, not be on the cusp of being in Congress. It's very likely because of the district that he will be elected. You know, you and I, over the years, Brian, have talk about, you know, what's upstream of this. In other words, what's the origins of this kind of nonsense. It's our terrible education system. You know, it isn't just that we have put poor kids of all ethnic backgrounds in zip code discrimination in bad schools where they aren't learning math, they aren't learning reading. It's that in addition to that, we've used those schools and this noble promise we make to the American people. We're going to educate everybody well, and we've indoctrinated them. And so that's why someone like this joker in New Jersey could have this profile, this proximity to the Blind Sheik actually win the Democrat primary by 10 points.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So here is. His name is Adam Hammaway, and he's a doctor, US army veteran, and Democrat nominee. So here he goes. He spent time at Gaza Hospital, which Israeli Officials said was connected to tunnel activity during the Israel Hamas war. Who else was there? Sinwar. That's where he was killed. People backing him up. Bernie Sanders, AOC Tammy Duckworth said our life was saved by him. So let's just assume that in battle that he did his job. But what he did when he's not at battle is even more problematic. His explanation for being with the blind sheikh, who by the way was prosecuted by our own Andy McCarthy, was. He was just an old man that needed help. Nobody describes him as an old man that needed help. Cut eight, 30 years ago. He's a well known person in the community. He spoke all over New Jersey. And he was a blind old man that people volunteered when he needed, you know, some kind of service because he couldn't take care of himself. And so that's, that's, that's kind of all the association is. There's nothing, there's nothing back then and there's nothing now. I don't know. They could have called a general service. He didn't have to be his interpreter, go to court with them and defend him in court.

[Kevin Roberts]

He, yeah, he had free will. And the distance that he's trying to create now really belies the truth. I mean, this is something that you wish could be taken care of in the general election. It's highly unlikely. Because what's happening as the Democrat Party nominates more and more of these radical leftists is that the rank and file voters in the Democrat Party, even if they think that this is ridiculous, that he's the nominee, are more willing to vote for people like him. Or for that matter, James Tallarico, the guy who says there are six genders. Where in the state of Texas. This isn't Hawaii, it's not California, it's not New Jersey in the state of Texas. The point is, it isn't unfortunately limited just to this guy who probably should be investigated for sedition. It is something that is a huge trend. We see it in Washington all the time. And it worries me deeply. Even if you put the labels of Republican and Democrat off the top.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And then when you look what's going on in Maine now, suddenly Susan Collins trailing by eight. We know she's under polled. Everybody knows it. She's never winning a poll before she wins an election. She's the last senator in the Northeast that's a Republican. So people that are saying, well, who cares? It matters a lot because you need a moderate in there or center left in there, or you just lose a seat that's probably going to happen when Susan Collins after this cycle, unless something radically changes. But he's running against. She's running against a guy that just got caught in a sexting scandal. And that's not the worst of it. Telling a purple heart recipient should have died. Talking about seeing a film. Horrible things about women if they. If they don't want to be raped, stop drinking. So they're still. He is still getting. He's still getting backing, but from everybody or they're just ignoring it. Listen to AOC cut 5. The Democrats abandoned Graham Platner after these messages came out, these sexually post explicit messages he sent to women. You know, I haven't waded into that primary.

[Joe Gruters]

I don't believe the primary is.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Has occurred yet. So I would kind of, you know,

[Senator Roger Wicker]

again, I don't weighed in on that.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I haven't weighed in on that race. So is that a good explanation for someone who wants to be president?

[Dick Stockton]

No.

[Kevin Roberts]

And I'm sitting here chuckling because if you read between the lines, I think that's AOC saying in so many words, I'm trying to get as far away from this guy as possible. And of course, imagine if that guy were on our side at Heritage, Brian. He would be toast. But I want to underscore something that you said about Senator Collins. To state the obvious. Her voting record, according to our Heritage Action scorecard, is not very conservative. But we are so grateful for her for two reasons. The point that you made. She's the most conservative person who can be elected there. But the second thing, I think it's really important for us to emphasize this in America 250 as we try to be unabashed conservatives at Heritage, but also be civil about how we talk about things. She's a gentle lady. She's a statesperson. Yeah, she really is. And so when there some disagreements, sometimes it's never personal. It's always professional. And to her credit and her staff's credit, she always listens. It's really important for strident conservatives who say, well, we can let Senator Collins go away, realize we have to have that vote in order to get good legislation passed.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Right? And we'll see what's gonna happen. Because they got a big decision to make by Tuesday because they say the word is just about everyone, that it's gonna get worse for him. So with the Nazi tattoo, you wouldn't think it's gonna get worse, but he said, oh, I got drunk. How many people, you know, get drunk, get a tattoo and leave it, or get drunk and get a tattoo?

[Kevin Roberts]

Well, and Then you know all of this nonsense about this, this guy being on this sordid website for teenagers dressed only in a towel. I mean, you say, what could be worse? But the chatter in Washington, for what it's worth this morning, is that there's another shoe to drop today or tomorrow. And it'll be interesting to see if AOC or Schumer or Bernie or Senator Warren actually continue to basically stand up for this guy or if they're going to cut bait.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So, evidently, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that behind the scenes, Bernie says, is it flat out, Is it going to get worse? He and he said, no, that's it. Platner also said, there's nothing else. Elizabeth Warren also attended the meeting, followed up and said there was a big difference between marital issues and allegations of sexual assault. The people said Platner agreed and denied any credible allegations of assault were forthcoming. Went on to say, it's not a secret. I've had a messy, complicated life. He told the senators, One of the people said the worst of the rumors we've all heard are not true. Well, I don't know. Tell me what that is.

[Kevin Roberts]

I guess the point is, to your great point, we already know enough to know that this guy should not be on the cusp of joining the US Senate.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So there's a few things boiling out there. First off, first story in media today is that Sherrod Brown is now leading John Newstead in Ohio, a state the President won by 11 points. Kevin Roberts, does that concern you about the trend? Because you lose the Senate, the president's not going to get anybody confirmed, let alone a Supreme Court justice.

[Kevin Roberts]

Yeah, it's concerning. You know, I was talking to Senator Husted a couple months ago.

[Brian Kilmeade]

He's a great guy.

[Kevin Roberts]

He's a tremendous guy. We're lucky to have him in the Senate. Very thoughtful guy on policy. So I hope he stays there a long time for that reason. But I was talking to him, and he was concerned about the race a couple of months ago. The good news is, as you said, that this is an increasingly red state. President Trump remains relatively popular. I think what's going for Senator Husted is that Vivek Ramaswamy, who's also in a tight race for the governorship, actually looks like he's got a slight lead in that same poll. He's down by 1. But the polls that we're seeing show that both of them, Ramaswamy and Houston, are actually doing better. I think that by the time we get to Labor Day, if two things happen that they're going to be okay. And then in fact the Republicans will hold the Senate. You know that Heritage full throat supports the Iran incursion by the President. We also know that there are economic and potential political consequences if it's still going on on election day. I think the president has earned the benefit of the doubt to land this plane. I think he's going to do so in Iran in a satisfactory way that shows we've denuded the Iranian military by 20 years. If we do that and we have Congress actually an economic recovery agenda, what we call the American opportunity agenda at Heritage this summer as they go into the August recess, I think housted will be fine. I think Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee in Michigan actually is a sleeper candidate for a Senate pickup. And I think some of the embattled incumbents, like Senator Collins, not because of anything she's done wrong, because of the nature of Maine, actually could end up winning their races. Republicans might pick up a seat or two.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Now Democrats feel as confident in North Carolina. Should they be?

[Kevin Roberts]

They should. And it's not because I want to endorse Roy Cooper, which I would never do, but it's just a recognition that he, the Democrat nominee, two term governor is a very successful statewide candidate. Michael Whatley, the Republican candidate, great guy, as you know, really solid candidate. But between the fact that North Carolina is a purple state for all intents and purposes, Roy Cooper has won a couple of statewide elections and remains popular. I think that's one where the Republicans are going to have to do a

[Brian Kilmeade]

lot of investing handicap. Georgia forum.

[Kevin Roberts]

Georgia, I actually think is we shouldn't call it a sleeper state for Republicans because it still is leans to be a red state. I think that there is a real decent shot that the Republican nominee wins there. Jon Ossoff, although I disagree with everything about him and his politics, has done a very good job as some of these other radical leftists have, of presenting himself as a moderate. But I think there's going to be enough money for advertising to prove that that hasn't been the case when you look at his record. So as I look at the map, Brian, bottom line, I see a lot of, well, a couple of pickup opportunities for Republicans and I see some of these races where we're trying to hold a seat. For example, the new Republican nominee for the Senate in Texas, Ken Paxton, I actually think is going to win by at least six points because of the radicalism of the Democrat nominee.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Kevin, can you stick around?

[Kevin Roberts]

Absolutely.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I will take a short time out and come back a lot more to talk about, including what's happening with the president, United States and what he should do next in Iran. We'll go a little bit deeper because the word is that the Iranians have said, okay, we'll come together and we'll get the uranium out that's been buried after since 2025. We'll see how that goes and see if anyone on the Iranian side wants to dispute that like they seem to always do, because they're fighting with each other even more than they're disagreeing with us. Don't move. Newsmakers and news breakers, hear it first on the Brian Kill me Joe. The more you listen, the more you'll know it's Brian Kilmeade. So the president's got it tough to. We're with Kevin Roberts, Heritage foundation. And Kevin, President's got a tough decision to make. He says he's talking to some elements with Iran. And there's no doubt about it, economically, they feel the enormous pressure. And I hear from every everyone, this blockade on the blockade has been unbelievably effective. And blowing out engine rooms of chips that try to beat it have been great. Every time they try to hit us, we're able to fight that off. And then they go and hit the Gulf states, which is not good either. But the president's got to make a decision and he knows it. Here he is yesterday, cut 12. The negotiation itself has gone very well, actually. Very well, Mr. President. It could have. Even if it happens and it might not happen, who knows? But if it happens, it could happen, like over the weekend.

[Kevin Roberts]

What do you think's gonna happen? Look, I have to start by saying this from a historian's point of view. I think Donald Trump is already one of our historically great presidents, just in terms of legacy, especially in this second term and because of what he's done in foreign policy. He approaches this as, you know so well, Brian, not really wanting to intervene in these situations, but just being overwhelmed by the injustice and the evil of a regime like Iran. And so I give him tremendous, tremendous credit for having the courage to do what he's done. And I'm very supportive, as we are at Heritage. Having said that, there's this other good that's competing on the calendar and it has to do with the midterms. And it's because there are real economic consequences of this particular conflict that are beginning to show themselves or manifest themselves in public opinion surveys. I happen to think there's still time to land this plane. Our experts at Heritage say if the war ended today that we've already denuded Iran's military by 20 years. We would love for the whole thing to be complete. Right.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Three years. They cannot make manufacture, cannot make ballistic missiles for three years.

[Kevin Roberts]

Yeah, that's right. And look, this is a win, no doubt about it. We have to also recognize that he's having to negotiate, in essence, with the devil. And so if you decapitate the Iranian regime, which we've done in essence twice, what that system does is regenerate those 86 slots in that Supreme Council that they have. That's the reality that Trump is dealing with. But look, again, to give him credit and congratulations, he's a great negotiator. I think this president, of all of our modern presidents, has earned the benefit of the doubt to have the summer to figure this out. And so the Republicans in particular, who voted for that ridiculous War Powers Resolution ought to be embarrassed of themselves because first of all, the executive has authority, as we've said at Heritage for 53 years to wage war for quite a while. But the real point is this peace negotiation is close. It's been close for weeks. Let the president land the plane. And let's also sit back just to make one concluding point, Brian, and know that when the president has concluded this conflict conflict, he's going to get back to focusing on the economy and his policies, especially this term, thinking about Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, Kevin Warsh at the Fed, they are going to generate real economic growth. I think what his base is saying is, sir, we love you, we support you. We of course, support our military. We want this very good conflict to come to an end so we can get you back focused on the economy. He's going to figure that out. It's only early June.

[Jim Jordan]

Right.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And Cuba's going to be next. And that's going to be maybe people be indifferent about that. It's transformational. It's going to give a first time to have no Chinese or Russian footprint in our, our hemisphere. Really. I mean, it's unbelievable. It's happened in Central and South America, but that's not the most sexy thing you vote on. I get it. In November, do you expect the debate stage in 28 to be as crowded as the Democratic debate stage? The Republicans be as crowded as the Democrats or just going to be. J.D. alone?

[Kevin Roberts]

Yeah. You know, there will probably be a few more candidates in addition to the vice President. I take Secretary Rubio's. Take him at his word. He's a good man. He's been a great leader that he's not going to run if the vice president does.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I thoroughly believe that.

[Kevin Roberts]

I completely believe that. No knowing Rubio. And so I think you could have a couple of niche candidates. You're always going to have that. But I think if the Iran conflict comes to a conclusion and people have two and a half years to realize, my gosh, this administration deserves so much credit for establishing real peace in the world, to say nothing of what's happened in our own backyard in Latin America already, potentially in Cuba. And very importantly, Brian, the economy begins to roar, as Our chief economist Dr. E.J. antoni says it will. Once the conflict has come to a conclusion, then I think that the vice President walks to the nomination.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Where is immigration now? The Minneapolis optics weren't great, but I understand the approach. I think Mark Waymoan's an unbelievable choice.

[Joe Gruters]

Great.

[Brian Kilmeade]

But what do you think? What do the polls tell you about illegal immigration?

[Kevin Roberts]

That the administration's a victim of its own success. That they've been entirely, categorically successful in closing the southern border, zero border crossings. And they've even been modestly successful on interior enforcement. Even though you have all 4 million out. Yeah. Sanctuary cities and counties and states standing in their way. Our mutual friend Tom Homan's been remarkable in that regard. I think if they continue this pace and there aren't any of these blow ups that the left can use, can exploit to undermine this effort, then I think that this is a very historic presidency. Also on immigration, which is important for us and our American identity.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Right. And what is the focus in the last 30? What's heritage been focusing on?

[Kevin Roberts]

The economy. The economy. The economy. So we've got an idea. We've been working with leaders in Congress called the American Opportunity Agenda. Health care, transparency, some permitting reform, some additional tax reform. We think that it's a jump ball of 50, 50 shot at getting done. This would be called reconciliation 3.0. We're pushing like heck for this. Great credit to Speaker Johnson for making it happen. We just need the Senate Republicans to play ball.

[Brian Kilmeade]

All right. Kevin Roberts, always at the hub of it all. It's going to be an interesting six months and a great time to celebrate. 250, right. Coming up July 4th. You're listening to Brian Kilmeade show. Don't move. Senator Roger Wicker is next, Chairman of Armed Services. A rare appearance in multimedia operations Foreign.

[Joe Gruters]

If you're interested in it.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Brian's talking about it. You're with Brian Kilmeade, everyone. I'm Brian Kilmeade. Welcome back to the Brian Kilmeade show And at about 15 minutes, I'll be able to take some calls. But right now, in a matter of moments, we'll be working. Welcoming the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Senator Roger Wicker of Missouri. Special thanks Kevin Roberts, for coming in, bringing us up to date on the ramifications of the primaries where I, I do not revel in the results of the primaries on the left. Even it makes, even if it makes Democrats more vulnerable in the general because some of these people that are vying for Senate seats like the one in Maine, some of the people that got the, basically it's a, in a very Democratic district, this radical that was with the blind shake that looks like he's gonna win, won by 10 points in the primary, supported by AOC and company and the Socialists that are out there. I think it's crazy, the divide. That's. I think it's crazy and I think it's dangerous what's happening out there. So we'll see what's going on. So yesterday Marco Rubio went to Capitol Hill for the second straight day. This time, he went in front of foreign relations. He went in front of foreign relations to tell everyone whatever questions you have, but focus mainly on the Iran war. And here is some of the exchanges yesterday. This is with Gregory Meeks of New York cut 20 yes or no, did you warn President Trump before the Iran war began that this conflict would drive up cost on gas, food, travel? And yes or no, the president and the full administration was aware that there would be consequences to action. But the consequences consequences having a nuclear

[Joe Gruters]

weapon were did you.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And so, yeah, go ahead. If you just want to ask hostile questions, go ahead. Do you think for a second the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio didn't full wasn't fully aware of the upside and downside of taking on Iran? First time that anyone's directly dealt with this instead of directly trying to get some type of deal that nobody else could verify, like the jcpoa. Pretty sure no one's ever really done that. So I want to bring in Senator Roger Wicker right now, who's got his hands full. It's very consequential week on Capitol Hill. Senator, welcome to Brian Kilmeicho.

[Senator Roger Wicker]

Hey, Brian, thanks for having me on. It's good to hear you.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Same here. I appreciate it. And so there's a lot of interplay. Yesterday. Marco Rubio and the day before, first in front of the Senate, then in front of the House, had to deal with a lot of antics and a lot of hostility towards The Iran war. Senator, where do you stand about this conflict? Now we're in the eighth week of a two week pause. Where does Senator Roger Wicker stand?

[Senator Roger Wicker]

Well, I supported the President when he bombed the nuclear facilities months ago and I very much appreciate it and support it publicly when he went in and decided finally we needed to take kinetic action. I think the President has been very, very patient, really. He's had the patience of job in terms of dealing with people, people who are highly unreliable, who have lied every day for really 47 years. And I don't think anybody that just really looking at it fairly could blame the President for giving up on negotiations and returning to the kinetic action based on everything that we've seen.

[Dick Stockton]

So

[Senator Roger Wicker]

I've been supportive of the President and he's been great to talk to us. But I do think that possibly he's entertaining in his mind whether we should just go back and finish the job and totally obliterate their military forces there in Iran.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So on armed services, you can only tell me so much, but for the audience, Senator Wicker, how are we doing with armaments? How are we doing with munitions? And is that part of the reason the President's holding armaments?

[Senator Roger Wicker]

Well, it's something that we, we have to be careful about, but we are in good shape with, with munition and armaments. Clearly we, every time we decide to take an action that has to be factored in. And I think the President is doing that and, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, but, but we are fully capable of, of doing what the President decides he needs to do if he finally concludes that these talks are going nowhere. I mean, if you think about it, we are supposedly in a ceasefire and yet even day before yesterday, Iran is sending ballistic missiles to target American forces in Kuwait. The Iran backed Hezbollah is intent on killing Israelis. So it doesn't look like it's not the kind of ceasefire that I think historians would have said is a ceasefire historically. There is a lot of attempted death and destruction going on right now.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Well, we're watching in real time. They say the University of War is happening in Ukraine and the use of drones in real time. The Thaad missile system, which is awesome, and the Patriot missile system, which is great. They say it's being overwhelmed by cheap drones. And even though you can only stop a missile with that, are we watching a changing warfare? And do you think the needs of the Pentagon has changed in real time, Senator, over the last 18 months?

[Senator Roger Wicker]

Well, I think maybe the last 18 months has accelerated that, but we realized that we need to change the way we do business and the way we acquire weapons and missiles and defensive armaments. And that's why we put so much of my forged act in last year's National Defense Authorization act, the NDAA as we call it in shorthand. So we are absolutely utilizing 5, 6, 7 new startup defense companies who are agile, who can do it quickly, and who are learning from our allies in Ukraine how to do things quickly and less expensively. And that's going to be a major part of the face of warfare from now on. Also, I just have to commend the patriotic people of Ukraine for fighting for their own country. We all thought Russia would overwhelm them in a day or two or a week or so. And actually Ukraine has now become the most powerful army in Europe because they've had to and they've had the resolve to do it. So this is a study in warfare that they'll be talking about not just for decades, but for centuries, the way Ukraine has rallied together and gotten their industrial base together. And of course, we have learned. We've learned a lot from them.

[Brian Kilmeade]

We have. And they're asking for patriots. Do we have them to give them?

[Senator Roger Wicker]

We've got some. We don't. Yes, we could do that to a certain extent, but. And that's a calculation the President has to make. But there are so many other things that could be used. Also, our delivery of patriots is not the end all and the be all. There are a number of ways we can help them. And of course, you know, we've been helping them with funds so that they could purchase armaments from their neighboring NATO friends. So their help is getting through and I hope some more will.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So I think it's very important what you brought up that we're no longer depending on the big four companies. Anduril, Zone 5, Lidos, Coaspire. We watch Joe Lonsdale's group. We're Palantir, of course. So you've immediately interact. You basically broadened it out. So we have other companies we could go to to maybe have these companies compete with each other. I know. I guess historically, Bill Clinton decided, told everyone to coalesce and come together and make it easier. And what it did is it wiped out competition in a sense of deadline. And that hurt us, didn't it?

[Senator Roger Wicker]

Well, there's no question about it. Yes, it's been an amazing turnaround. And also they've shown they could do it quick and adapt quickly at lower cost. And yes, I mean, you're absolutely correct. We don't need to be spending half a million dollars to shoot something down that costs 30,000 or to that scale. It's a new day in warfare. And it favors those that are nimble. But also, I tell you, it favors a country who has resolve. I honestly think, I think the Russians against Ukraine are losing their resolve. And I think public opinion, to the extent that Putin pays attention to it, public opinion is turning against him. Now, of course, the, the ayatollahs in Iran and their heirs are not paying attention to the people because the folks there really, frankly don't have the wherewithal to rise up and overturn this oppressive regime. If the Iranian people had found a

[Dick Stockton]

way

[Senator Roger Wicker]

to do so and actually represented the mainstream of opinion there, Iran could be one of the more modern countries in that section of the world. But they don't have the, they don't have the weapons and the guns just yet.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Senator Roger Wicker, our guest. So, Senator, what have we done to help the Gulf states defend themselves? Should we go back to warfare? Evidently, obviously, Iran thinks the best strategy is to hurt our allies and try to break them away from us and Kuwait. Having 65 hurt two days ago is not going to help.

[Senator Roger Wicker]

In Saudi Arabia missile attacks toward Kuwait and we're doing our best to intercept them will. You know, it seems to me, Brian, that our Gulf allies were more supportive later on. And as the talks wear on and we don't seem to be making any progress, I think our, our Gulf allies are beginning to think that they just need to get the best deal possible because we're not going to be able to actually end Iran's capability. My view, on the other hand, would be get back to full scale attack on taking down the military capability of this outlaw regime. And then I think it's a lot more inviting to have Saudi Arabia lead the region in joining full fledged the Abraham Accord and moving into the 21st century. 26 years too late. But that's what we need to do. And Saudi needs to take the lead there. But to me, the length of time that we bent over backwards with these fruitless negotiations, I would just understand fully if the president decided enough is enough.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Good. And you have a lot of power, Senator.

[Senator Roger Wicker]

Long enough.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And Senator, for Roger Wicker to come out and say that, I think that would mean a lot because it's hard for people to say, well, he just does whatever Trump wants. No one thinks that about you. You've been there before and we'll be there.

[Senator Roger Wicker]

Thank you for saying that. We've been working shoulder to shoulder with President Trump and Secretary Exit and yes, as a team. And I appreciate that. And so there's discussions on both sides of the issue, pros and cons are very much a part of it.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So, Senator, I just want to get you yesterday it was announced that Bill Polti is going to be the act and a lot of people are upset by that because he seems to have absolutely no experience. Are you somebody that would have trouble with that and would hope the president rethinks it or whatever?

[Senator Roger Wicker]

Well, first of all, this is an acting position and it will not come before the Senate for confirmation. I don't know the individual. And so my default position is at first blush to trust the judgment of the president. But I really don't have that much information. And I'm working on trying to get our NDAA bill before the committee this coming Tuesday and getting it passed. I'm concentrating on that and I really have not done very much background checking on Mr. Pulldeam. And that being the case, I'm withholding my comments as someone who just needs more information.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So, Senator, what could you tell us about getting the DHS funded and the is there any way to do that while financing the security portion of the ballroom or is it true that that's been gutted, that's been taken out?

[Senator Roger Wicker]

Well, we are in the middle of our very first vote of probably we'll take a couple of dozen today and I do not know where that will end up. But the thing is we actually very much need, we need to get the Department of Homeland Security open. It's a shame that we have to do it in this unusual reconciliation way which the American people have a hard time understanding because it's frankly so complicated for us. So I hope we can get it open. I do not believe that these other expenditures have to be to be linked, but we'll see where the votes are. But the main thing is we need to get a very important department of the government open and running as it should have been, frankly, last October 1st.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You would think especially with the World cup here and the Olympics a year away. Senator Rod, your wicker always great to have you on. We should have it on. We should have this happen more. I know you're busy this week. Thanks so much for the time.

[Senator Roger Wicker]

Thank you, Sir.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You got it. 1-866-408-7669 don't of it's Brian Kilmade. Radio that makes you think this is the Brian Kilmeade Show. Scott Pelly is a pompous kind of A Simpsons character? Yeah, with a jaw like this.

[Senator Roger Wicker]

Tell me how.

[Brian Kilmeade]

It's like you're from Texas, dude. He lashed out at Nick Bilton, the

[Kevin Roberts]

new boss of 60 Minutes, screaming at

[Brian Kilmeade]

your boss in front of everyone, then

[Jim Jordan]

leaking that to the press.

[Kevin Roberts]

And Nick Bilton says, do you want to take this private? This seems like getting, like, a little heated right now. And he's like, no, we're going to

[Brian Kilmeade]

do this public right now for me, you and the New York Times. This guy just took a job. He's not an ideologue.

[Jim Jordan]

Right.

[Brian Kilmeade]

He has no background as being an ideologue. And he's like, you have no experience. Like, how dare you. Derating supersede general politeness to a new boss and berating them because you want

[Jim Jordan]

to record it, send it to the New York Times.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Make a hero of yourself. You're not welcome here. It's like, you're not my real dad.

[Doug Schoen]

It's like, okay, relax.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So that's the Fifth Column broadcast. And that is Michael Moynihan, Camille Foster, Matt Welch talking about the choice by Scott Pelley to put on a show and then get fired and then say, I wanted to keep my job. And they came out and said, no, you didn't. You clearly wanted to do this the whole time. And they claimed. They said, Barry Weiss is lying because behind closed doors, he did try to keep his job. No, still wasn't. And you don't act like that and try to keep your job. You go out because you made $25 million a year, maybe more, for 40 years, and you decided that I'm gonna leave because I don't like the direction CBS is going. Well, guess what else? Oracle founders. Oracle just bought CBS. It's been buried in third place for 25, 30 years. 60 Minutes is a success, but nobody looks at it as balanced. It's an interesting magazine with a great legacy, but nobody says, wow, Donald Trump's getting a fair shot there today. I mean, it's basically in Oregon. Look at Leslie Stall. Never apologized for what she did. And they don't like the direction. So Scott Pelly's gone. Good readings. From high atop Fox News headquarters in New York City. Always seeking solutions, never sewing division. It's Brian Kilmeade, everyone. So glad you're there. It's the Brian kilmeade job from 48s and 6amid diamond hat Manhattan. A lot going on. Everyone's talking in New York, where I'm located, about the Knicks go to San Antonio, play against the favored San Antonio spurs, who just beat the defending champions and they beat him after trailing at halftime significantly. Dick Stockton's got to be joining me at 11:30. One of America's finest sportscasters ever. And Doug Schoen, former Clinton adviser, Democratic strategist and pollster. And because one of the great reason with Doug, he's a moderate Democrat and they're gone. You know, Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema. I think Fetterman would be the last one. I don't even think Fetterman would call himself a moderate. I think he's just a common sense guy. Well, what has happened to that party? Let's get to the big three. Number three, what are your concerns about AI developers obtaining approval from the US Government? My understanding of the current EO is

[Senator Roger Wicker]

not that it's approval, but it's early testing.

[Brian Kilmeade]

But I think as these models get

[Senator Roger Wicker]

more powerful, there will need to be increasingly strong frameworks to ensure that we can meet the safety guarantees we want to meet.

[Brian Kilmeade]

All right, that was good from Mr. OpenAI not a okay isn't with lawmakers, many graduates as it promises to change every aspect of their lives, aren't happy. We talk about the regulation that does not stifle growth and advancement and the EO that's coming our way. Number two, we're going to have to stop them from having a nuclear weapon. That's what we've done and they've agreed to that. By the way. They, I mean if they sign the agreement, they will have agreed to we will not have a nuclear weapon. Democrats primary. Excuse me. Frustrating is the only way to describe a two week cease fire now in its eighth week with Iran. We got the latest on the talks which are highlighted by low level attacks.

[Joe Gruters]

Number one, it wasn't like I subpoenaed him.

[Brian Kilmeade]

It wasn't like the government brought him

[Joe Gruters]

in as a hostile witness. What he ended up saying on cross examination was that the blind sheikh talked about jihad all the time making war against the United States.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Democrats primary season primary season is reaffirming that it has become a radical far left party. We look at the radical in New Jersey that just got elected. An unhinged maniac running for Senate in Maine. And we wait and watch the results in California who can't even count their ballots. It is so frustrating. And by the way, if you ever missed the show, YouTube.com the Brian Kilmeade show, it's got highlights in the complete show after and other things that I'm doing throughout the network. Let's bring in Doug Schoen, former Clinton Adviser, Democratic strategist and pollster. Also a key adviser to Mayor Bloomberg when he was running for president and retaining that mayor slot. And he did a fantastic job as mayor. Even when you look back now, you appreciate him more and more after you see the incompetence we're dealing with now. Hey, Doug, are you worried about your party?

[Doug Schoen]

I'm very worried, Brian. We've had these conversations for a lot of years, but I've never been more worried. How can somebody who thinks like I do support Graham Platner, the guy in New Jersey? I guess it's homoway or there Dr. Hamaway or thereabouts. I mean, he was a confederate and confidant of the Blind Sheik. I can't say he was complicit, but he was pretty darn close to being complicit. Why he would deal with a man like this, I can't say why people would nominate him is beyond my ability to reason.

[Brian Kilmeade]

But he's going to get in office because it's a bright blue district. So he won the nomination. So that means he's going to go in. Here's Andy McCarthy who prosecuted the blind shake cut nine.

[Joe Gruters]

It wasn't like I subpoenaed him.

[Brian Kilmeade]

It wasn't like the government brought him

[Joe Gruters]

in as a hostile witness. He volunteered to testify for this guy. He knew exactly who he was. Was what he ended up saying on cross examination was that the blind sheikh talked about jihad all the time and in fact at that conference had talked about making war against the United States. So everybody knew who this guy was.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So, I mean, you can't even duck it that's any credit. Said he volunteered and testified. Here's what Hammawi said. Cut eight, 30 years ago. He's a well known person in the community. He spoke all over New Jersey and he was a blind old man that, you know, people, you know, volunteered when he needed, you know, some kind of service because he couldn't take care of himself. And so that's, that's, that's kind of all the association is. There's nothing, There was nothing back then and there's nothing now. So by that explanation, he also volunteered in the Gaza hospital. Underneath that hospital were tunnels where Hamas was getting in and out. He wants to shut off the Iron Dome and wants us to stop supplying any type of military weapons to Israel. So another anti Israel catapult.

[Doug Schoen]

Well, I think he's more than anti Israel given his association with the Blind Sheik and the fact that he doesn't even say that it was A mistake. Given what's happened both then and now, Brian, I think he's pretty darn close to being against America and against our values.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So I'm going to let you hear Fetterman to make you feel a little bit better.

[Doug Schoen]

I hope so.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Yeah. So he. We were talking about the main candidate, Graham Platner. So we know now that he was sexting on a teen dating site. And he said, well, I have ptsd. You know, I went through rough times. I went to counseling. Here's Senator John Fetterman.

[Joe Gruters]

People say, well, I'm sure he's not a saint. It's like, yeah, definitely. He's definitely not a saint. Clearly, he has an entire history of

[Brian Kilmeade]

saying the most abhorrent things. So that's here.

[Joe Gruters]

As a Democrat, that's, you know, the last time we really got all in on a guy that was sending vulgar and inappropriate and sexual kinds of things.

[Brian Kilmeade]

That was Swalwell.

[Joe Gruters]

So I feel like we've been warned.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And a guy that just a couple

[Joe Gruters]

months ago said, oh, oh, there's no more scandals.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And here we are now. And now, oh, no, no, now we

[Joe Gruters]

don't have any more now. Well, clearly he lied back then, so he's been dishonest through the entire thing.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So now people are saying worse is gonna come out. And the Wall Street Journal reports behind closed doors that they asked Platinum flat out, Bernie Sanders. Elizabeth Warren is more coming. So he's got a week until the primary. What are the mechanics of this? Doug, you've been through so many things. Remember with Bill Clinton, all the scandals had popped up when he was governor, so. And you know what it's like to be entitled. You don't know if you're to be in part of a campaign. You don't know if it's gonna implode or not. He ended up becoming president twice. So what's happening in that campaign office, do you think?

[Senator Roger Wicker]

Sure.

[Doug Schoen]

Well, what's happening is Warren and Sanders, his principal benefactors, are saying, look, if there's more, we will call on the Democrats in Maine and around the country not to support you, to disavow you, and to encourage you to drop the rates. If that happens, it'll be very difficult, if not impossible, for Platner to continue. Not beyond the realm of logic that he would, but as a practical matter, if his major supporters and the party abandoned him, I'd give Susan Collins a very clear nod. My own take is everything I've seen, and I'll be personal about it. About Senator Fowler, Senator Fetterman Moved to the center after election and a mental health crisis, which he freely acknowledged and he was hospitalized for. To me, that's courage. But his staff, who was far left, quit and all, said he was crazy. Well, I mean, you can't have it both ways. You can, as he says, do what Swalwell did and what Platners did, done and get away with it. And it isn't that you're crazy if you move to the center, but you're forgivable if you are on the far left. So I hope Platner abandons his candidacy. I feel better. I think the Democrats would feel better, and the country would be better off.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Okay, so the other big story is Abu. And the Democratic side is Joe Biden's got his memoir coming out, and Jill Biden's got one now, at which time when she gets on all these interviews, no, Republicans are forcing this. This is her. She's trying to rewrite history, in my view, knowing full well what she's saying is not correct, about not getting up in the morning, not knowing who won the election, fully believing that Kamala was gonna win and that Joe would be able to have beat Donald Trump, and that. I thought he was having a stroke. He hasn't acted catatonic like that before or since. And then out of nowhere, while she's trying to explain herself and no one's buying it, at the 92nd Street Walk, Joe Biden just stands up and starts yelling at her. Listen to this. Cut 50.

[Jim Jordan]

Thank you, Joe.

[Joe Gruters]

Yeah.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Oh, Joe has a question like you

[Joe Gruters]

couldn't ask it later.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Who do you love most in the whole world? Whoopi. And he kept shouting it over and over again, and he looked like he was in a. In slow motion. So your thoughts about why Jill Biden's doing this, besides the money?

[Doug Schoen]

Well, it's the money, the attention, and I guess, the personal validation. I would have thought, given what happened, the best course of action for her would have been not to have published or to have published, but tried to be empathetic to a difficult situation her husband faced and be empathetic in a personal way, if not a political way. Obviously, she chose a different way. And, you know, it sort of speaks for itself, doesn't it, Brian?

[Brian Kilmeade]

So in a way, though, what are the. Among Democratic operatives, they're not happy having to look back at 24. And then the autopsy was the week before that, so. And then Joe Biden will bring them back again where they were divided. You know, some people said Joe Biden was wrong. Some people thought Kamala Harris was wrong to write run. Other people say you were selfish, Joe Biden, to stay in office and try to run. And of course, the messaging with that 100 days, the billions of dollars that were wasted, it just brings up bad memories. So if you're a Democrat trying to win the midterms or win in 28, how do you handle this?

[Doug Schoen]

Well, to me. And your question, I think, presupposes the answer I'm going to give. You want to look forward and talk about affordability, about ending the war, about protecting the environment, about fairness and equity in government, irrational immigration policy. You don't want to reprise 2024. You don't want to hear from Joe and Jill Biden. You want to move forward. But the Bidens and the Democratic Party apparently, apparently haven't gotten the message.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Brian, I want you to hear this exchange. This is actually a good follow up. Jill Biden being read an excerpt from Kamala Harris book. In her book, she alludes to a much more fractured relationship between the Bidens and the Emoffs. She writes that your family asked if she and Doug were loyal to your family. And she wrote that her husband Doug said, they hide you away for four years, give you impossible bleep jobs, don't correct the record when those tasks are mischaracterized, never fight back when you're attacked, never praise your accomplishments. And then he added, and still they have to ask if we're loyal.

[Jim Jordan]

Yeah.

[Brian Kilmeade]

How does, how do you respond to that?

[Jim Jordan]

I never, I never saw that. I never felt that way with Kamala and, and Doug. I thought we were a great team.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I, you know, Joe, look shocked. Yeah, I mean, it's, I don't know.

[Jim Jordan]

We were a team.

[Brian Kilmeade]

What do you thought? What's the reality there?

[Doug Schoen]

I think the reality is when she became vice president and Joe Biden realized what voters in the presidential primaries realized in 2020, that she's not really ready for prime time. She wasn't ready for prime time as vice president. She wasn't ready to be border czar, and she certainly was not ready to be a candidate for 107 days against Donald Trump. I can understand why Doug Imhoff said what he did. But again, to my way of thinking, this shows, as your words, how fractured, structured the relationship was, how inept she was as vice president. And frankly, I saw Clinton and Gore, whatever their differences work well together. This team had very little chemistry and very little positive interaction.

[Brian Kilmeade]

I thought she had an opportunity when she was named border czar to fix it. Instead, she ignored it. And you look at J.D. vance. He was given fraud. I mean, I'm watching a press conference a week with fraud. Fraud in Republican states like Ohio. It's not just, you know, just a crackdown. So he was given that job. Specifically, he was asked to go to Pakistan and negotiate. So, you know, one person looks at this as an opportunity. Mike Pence was awesome as a vice president. I thought Al Gore was a great vice president. George H.W. bush was fantastic. Dick Cheney. Does anyone doubt that? Dick Cheney was a busy, authentic person. I don't care if you agree with everything or nothing. He was. Was. He was a. He was. He had a real portfolio. Those days of a vice president being an empty suit are over. She had this unbelievable opportunity. She wasted it. And they're blaming each other. So lastly, who do you want in that debate stage? Doug, on 28, when we get through the midterms, win or lose, Take, take the House, lose the House, whatever. Who do you hope is on the debate stage?

[Doug Schoen]

Well, I will say this. It's a little too early for me to give a definitive answer. I'm not making an endorsement today, nor telling you who's going to be nominated. They're all a group of, I think the seven or eight candidates, competent and skilled debaters. I think the party one needs a centrist and moderate philosophy. But I will say this, having watched the only one of the group who's had the courage to appear on Fox and debate, which would be Gavin Newsom from California. He held his own with Sean Hannity and I thought did a pretty good job. Whether he's qualified or ready to be president. I'm not sure. He's got to explain what's happened in California, explain his comments on the Middle east and Israel. But he's a good and skilled debater, as are the rest. We will have to wait till 2027 and 2028 to see Brian.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Yeah, I got AOC up there. Gavin Newsom up there, Kamala Harris up there. Shapiro Bashir, no question about it. Mark Kelly, I think is running. Chris Murphy, I think is running. That. That is just off the top of my head. And of course, Rahm Emanuel, who seems to be the most as well. That's nine. That's 10.

[Doug Schoen]

I just think,

[Brian Kilmeade]

okay, we lost.

[Doug Schoen]

I just think the party needs a philosophy. Yes, undergird.

[Brian Kilmeade]

And I just wish it was center left just for the good of the country. Center right to center left. The extremes are not going to work. You're not going to get anything passed. You're going to inflame the Country. And Doug, you get that more than most. Doug Schoen, former Clinton adviser Mike Bloomberg advisor, Democratic strategist and poster.

[Doug Schoen]

Thank you so much.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Thank Doug. Banking in a moment, both sides, all opinions, it's Brian Kilmeade. Breaking news, unique opinions. Hear it all on the Brian. Kill me Joe.

[Jim Jordan]

The onus is on you to prove

[Brian Kilmeade]

that there is no corruption happening. That's my responsibility as the Secretary of State. And you know what?

[Kevin Roberts]

Normally we would have access to that data.

[Brian Kilmeade]

That's the transparency. You just don't know where. But you're not showing us any receipt. Well, then show us. Can I show the time, have the documentation? You don't have this time yet. What kind of thing is this? What is this? You don't, you get asked questions for five minutes and you don't get time to answer. It's not a hearing.

[Kevin Roberts]

I think you said clown ship.

[Joe Gruters]

What is that?

[Brian Kilmeade]

It was, I mean this woman was just yelling and then she tried to score points on Rubio. I would just say this. I know you, you don't like Pam Bondi and you constantly spar with with Pete Hegseth. But you've known Marco Rubio for 20 years and if you've ever met him, even though he isn't never, he was never in the house. Everybody knows Rubio. So why don't you just use that advantage? If you disagree with everything President Trump is doing, why don't you just ask a question question and then say here's my problem with Iran, here's my problem with Cuba, here's my problem with Venezuela. I wish you didn't help Argentina. I think you've alienated Canada. What about so and just hear what they have to say and then you listen and then you come back again. And if that ends up being an exchange that helps your career, that's fine. That's called good Q and A with but he's so competent. Trying to score on him and say that he, he was wearing shoes that were too big because Donald Trump gave it to him. You got the wrong guy. Same thing with Mark Wayne Moen telling him to shut up. And you think that you make him look bad. Seems to be obvious. When we come back, Dick Stockton, one of America's finest sportscasters on the Nick Spurr series. The fat fast as three hours in radio. You're with Brian Kilmeade. Back to Brunson. Corner three is up.

[Kevin Roberts]

Bang.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Jalen Brunson from downtown.

[Joe Gruters]

And the Knicks take a two point lead.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Under a minute to play. Dribbles it off his foot. Mark picks up the loose ball. Brunson on the drive, spins underneath, puts it up, puts it in. Jalen Brunson does it again.

[Joe Gruters]

It's a six point lead with 37 seconds seconds left.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Champagne launches his three pointer.

[Senator Roger Wicker]

Hart.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Yet another rebound after Brunson and the spurs won't foul. It's now 12 consecutive wins for the Knicks as they take Game 1 of

[Doug Schoen]

the NBA Finals, their seventh consecutive road game.

[Brian Kilmeade]

One of the great playoff runs in NBA history is still alive and not many people predicted it. You know, if you take the Golden State warriors when they're at their zenith and they did this, okay, you know, just a historic team, all right, The Lakers when they're at their best with magic or the Celtics, that they did something like that in the, in the 80s, okay, that's an historic team. When you're the three seed in the east and you haven't been back to the finals since 1999, haven't won a championship since 1953, and then you go wheel off 12 straight wins after falling behind to the Hawks two games to one and then have two straight sweeps and then beat San Antonio on the road. I love, I, this is what I love about sports, when things just buck all logic. And then to think the way that game started, the way it was half and the way it would end, led the way it did. Very typical. The way the Knicks do it and they would do it. Jalen Brunson, a 6 foot 2 inch guy when everyone was focused on the 75 inch center on the other team. Dick Stockton has seen it all, called it all, might be one of America's finest play by play guys ever, is kind enough to join us now, Dick, welcome to Brian Kilmer show.

[Dick Stockton]

Brian, good to be on with you. And I know that you've followed the sports like I have. You're the sports expert on, on Fox News, I know that, but it's not

[Brian Kilmeade]

exactly like doing ESPN and Fox Sports. But I understand what you're saying. So, Dick, I read your column. You have your, you have your, you put up your columns pretty regularly now. And one of the things you said is you were, you were really getting disenchanted with the NBA until you started seeing that Oklahoma City City, San Antonio series and watching some of the playoffs and the way they're moving the ball again. Could you tell us what is attracting you back to the, to the, to the league?

[Dick Stockton]

Very easy, Brian. I see the combination of athleticism and decision making by athletes who are faster, stronger, taller. Obviously as we look At Wemby as I've ever seen before. You know, I was. I was disenchanted because I thought teams during the regular season would come down and Willie Nils shoot threes without trying to work a play. But that's not the way it was in the Thunder spurs series. And that's not what I saw in game number one. And I really think the NBA has reached heights that I didn't even think that they would get to.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Don't you love the fact that you're not looking at Steph Curry and LeBron James and the big players coming together on an all star team because they're friends and they force their way on and then we watch them get to the finals and step instead. When you look at the Knicks, they were painstakingly put together and Brunson was a off the bench in Dallas. They became their number one star. Not many people predicted that. Even his former college coach, Jay Wright said, I didn't think he'd ever be this good number two pick. And then, you know, you know, Carl Anthony Towns, which you've seen him do, soft on defense and expendable to other teams, you know, one of the better players but never a superstar are. But they're emerging before your eyes. Teams actually getting better like they used to instead of just being put together.

[Dick Stockton]

Well, we've seen it happen in all sports where somebody doesn't produce in one place, but the chemistry is right in another place. And this is where I have to credit Mike Brown, the head coach, because last year they fired Tom Thibodeau, who, after beating the Celtics, didn't get to the finals. And I kind of disagreed with that because a lot of times teams say, well, you know, we'll get someone better to get us over the hump. And often maybe that's as good as they're ever going to be and they fall off the totem pole. But that's not what happened with Mike Brown. I was wrong about that because he has had the. Besides the vast experience as a head coach, he listens to other people. He's not in a cave saying, I'm going to make this decision. So when he hears opinions that make sense, he goes with it, which make the players and the front office seem comfortable with him. And of course, the bench, that's something that the Knicks did not use under Thibodeau before. They're using it now. And you know, the bench on both teams are going to be factors in this series as we move along. And so Mike Brown deserves a lot of credit. And I think that he has created and allowed them to have the chemistry and the togetherness. Now you say, well, doesn't every team have that? I think teams that are on the brink of winning championships, like the Thunder, like the spurs and the Knicks are now have that.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Yeah. I want you to hear from Mike Brown, too. Cut 44.

[Kevin Roberts]

The first half, they kicked our behind and transitioned.

[Brian Kilmeade]

They got out the way we calculated. They had 24 fast break points in the first half.

[Kevin Roberts]

In the second half, they had nine fast break points.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So we did a better job of getting back. We got to get back. We got to load. We can't, buddy run because they have quick, athletic players. And then you got Wimby coming and he could shoot the three or get to the rim. You know, we were more efficient ourselves in transition in the second half, and we got to keep trying to push the pace because these guys are too good to go against their set defense all the time.

[Joe Gruters]

Getting 23 second chance points compared to

[Brian Kilmeade]

their 14 was big, especially with the amount of free throws that they had compared to ours. We had to find other ways to. To score. It's true. And in fact, he. He only hit six. Webby Wemby only hit six from the floor. The rest were in free throw throws. And Mike Brown says he doesn't think his team played well. Jalen Brunson says, I don't think we played well. That's kind of scary. You win, you win on the road in game one and you don't think you played well.

[Dick Stockton]

Well, it is. I do know this, and I think fans should realize this. I don't believe in momentum in sports, even though the Knicks have shown it with 12 straight wins and everything, because next game is going to be a totally different game on the floor. And I think what you see is, is the spurs coming out, and they know it's kind of a desperate situation for them because they must win game number two. Now, I don't believe home court is that dominant when you get to this, as evidenced by the spurs winning in Oklahoma City. Knicks winning last night, a great win for them. Look, you can't take anything away from the Knicks. They're the hottest team in the NBA right now. And with a guy who's, you know, six two, if he is six two, being the guy that ignites everything is a tremendous thing. But next game will be different. And Wembanyama always seems to come back from a tough game. So you'll see a different kind of game. I'm not saying the spurs will win Game two. I don't predict games but I think that you're going to see a totally different evolution of a game when they play the second game of the series. And Brian, I go back to, you know, to my career. The Memorial day massacre in 1985 when the Celtics beat the Lakers by 34 points in game one at Boston Garden. Kareem had 12 points and only three rebounds. Imagine Kareem with three rebounds. And then the next game in Boston, the Lakers won and the Lakers ended up beating the Celtics in Game 6 in Boston Garden. Something the Celtics had never done before, losing. So you really don't know how this is going to play out. But right now the Knicks have to feel very good about themselves.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Right? I want you to hear what Jack said. He knows the position. Center. Keep in mind wembanyama is 4 inches bigger than chance. Cut 47. You got to do a better job of making adjustments. San Antonio definitely has to adjust. Coach said we got to get Victor the ball a little bit more inside and for Victor got to play better. You know the way he played. Yeah, not good at all. Six to 21 is not going to get it done. Shooting 10, three points is not going to get it done. So you got to make some self adjustments and some mental adjustments and you have to say we cannot lose game two. And Dick, you're the expert, Dick Stockton. But I just don't. I thought call Anthony Towns looked like he couldn't wait to take him one on one and how many times did he just blow by him, spin through him. You would think he'd be worried about the 23 year old 7 foot 5 inch center with this athleticism. But Towns was not at all, he was aggressively going at him.

[Dick Stockton]

The question is Brian, can they do it that way again in the next game? Because you know that the spurs are going to come out and I remember Pat Riley talking about the, this physical. They are going to up the physical ante in game number two. And you can say, well the Knicks can answer that. Well maybe they can, who knows. But you know it's going to be more physical in the game and we may see a little flare up as we've seen in Lakers Celtics series in the past, you know, with Kurt Rambis and Kareem and all of those people. We've seen it happen before and it looks like that possibility could emerge again. I'm not saying I want fights, I'm not saying I want that kind of thing. But I think that if the score spurs rev up their, their, their physical Aspect which I think they will. This is a great team by the way, and the youngest starting five in the history of NBA finals we're looking at here in San Antonio. So I think they're going to raise the physical level. And the question is the Knicks, after doing it and being successful, can you match it again? That's why teams that players that have off games who are great players come back. They don't often have two back to back bad games. I haven't seen it often.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Dick Stockton with us now. Dick, it sounds like you want to jump out there and do play by play again. Do you miss it?

[Dick Stockton]

I think Mike Breen has done a great job. I mean he has blown past Marv Albert and myself are doing the most finals. I did nine, Mark did nine and he's in the 20s right now. So I don't think they need me anymore. I enjoy my perch watching this thing happened.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Well, how. Where were you in 73 when the Knicks last one in 71 and 73 when they won and they were contending with to Bush and Willis Reed and. And Bill Bradley and Phil Jackson?

[Dick Stockton]

Well, I was coming off doing the sports on the newscast at KDK in Pittsburgh and WBZ in Boston and I was freelancing in New York in 1973 when the Knicks won. And that was a magical time. And of course the great romantic story of Willis Reed, who was unable to play, coming out hitting his first two shots. Those were the great moments for the Knicks. I know they got back in 99, losing to the spurs, who by the way became a dynasty in their own right and beat the Knicks in 99 when that started all of the dynasty. But that was the greatest time for the Knicks, you know, when they beat. When they won those two championships. Bill Bradley, I think when people say the greatest. I'm not into greatest of all time discussions much because we know, especially in basketball, Brian, it changes. No one talks about Oscar Robertson anymore and Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. They say who are they if you're 30, 40 years old or maybe even 50. But I remember them and I said no one will be as good as these guys. But they are and they get better. And that's why, you know, Wemby has a chance, you know, And I don't. I said we shouldn't talk about it, but maybe he'll surpass Michael Jordan in that realm. So is Brunson the best Knick ever? I wouldn't say that they're still playing. But the Knicks have a great igniter in this Guy and, and we'll see what happens. I mean, I don't predict, I don't predict results because nobody knows it's like the weather.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So I want you to hear the coach of the spurs, where they go from here. Cut 45, miss. Johnson missed a few shots early and we got to get him moving in space and towards the rim, whether that's on roll or running in transition. But we need the pressure on the rim and the force in the paint. And then they did a good job obviously being physical and showing crowds. But you know, we need to do a better job of establishing that early on for sure.

[Dick Stockton]

So, you know, let me, let me just comment on that, you know, and he's right about that, Mitch Johnson. But it's all about ebbs and flows. So team that comes out early, lead usually, usually ends up losing the lead. Look what happened last night. It was a 14 point deficit. And finally in the fourth quarter, the spurs had the lead before Brunson hit the three from the corner. So it's the ebb and flows. But I usually think whatever happens, the fourth quarter really decides. And maybe the last six minutes of the fourth quarter decides, unless you're totally blown out by then.

[Brian Kilmeade]

So, so dig in the, in the big picture now. I don't know if you understand. It's been so long since the knicks was successful. 53 years. Do you get the sense of like what's going on in the city, the how, how pumped up? They are not saying they're not pumped up in San Antonio, but they do. They, you know, they wasn't too long ago when they had Tim Duncan and David Robinson winning championships with Tony Parker. Do you have a sense of New York ready to be erupt? Do you see the cutaways of Radio City and people watching in the streets?

[Dick Stockton]

Basketball has been the sport in New York. I know the baseball teams, the football, the Giants, jets and all that. It's been a basketball city. And I'm not demeaning the Rang or any of those teams, but it's been a basketball city. It's the street game. It's the games played in Harlem on the street yard, the schoolyards and all of that. Basketball is great. And when the Knicks do well, the city is electric. There's no question about it. I lived in New York City for 25 years and I saw what it was like. And so this has really been, I think everyone in New York city who's crossing 6th Avenue now in front of that office is a smile on his face.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Absolutely. You do Know the area. And lastly, the World Cup. I don't know your soccer background, but no one can doubt the magnitude of what's going to be happening here. 105 games over the course of, I guess, six, seven weeks, culminating at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. What's this tournament going to be like? Put it in perspective, Dick.

[Dick Stockton]

Well, I think, you know, first of all, I honor you as being the soccer expert as you have been for decades. But, and I follow it when we have the World cup. But I think it's the world's best sport. It's better than the Olympics. It's the world's best thing. And having it in the United States and ending up in New York is going to be great. And people will know that it's not just the usa. They'll see the other great teams from around the country. I think that this couldn't be a better thing than the 250th birthday of our country to have the world's best sport. They talk about football. We know what football is. It's going to be played in the United States and end up in New York.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Yeah. When you saw Team USA capture the imagination of, of Americans when they won the Olympic gold, who don't even watch hockey or follow the NHL, they watch those games and you could see if the, if the US Team can get it going, get out of the knockout round in first, win a couple of games and get to the round of eight or 16. This, that would be so something.

[Dick Stockton]

Ride the waves of what we have going. And it's, you can say it all started with the NBA Finals.

[Brian Kilmeade]

You know, it's so funny. It's like interviewing you. I feel like I'm in the booth. It's like you're picking up my last. You're picking up my last sentence and building on it. It's, it's such a pro. Dick, thanks so much.

[Dick Stockton]

You should be in the booth, but thank you for having me on. Thank you.

[Brian Kilmeade]

Yeah. We'll talk next week as this. As the series moves on. Dick's Stockton. What a thrill. Thanks so much. Back in a moment. From breaking news to big name guests, Brian brings you insight you won't hear anywhere else. You're listening to the Brian Kilmeade show, The talk show that's getting you talking. You're with Brian Kilmeade. Sponsored by Previt. Previgen. Previgen. Made for your brain. I made a crack there. Talking about the Scott Pelley news as being sort of Hungarian oligarchic style Takeover in the media. And I mean that sort of as a joke, but also sort of deadly serious. This is like an underwater earthquake at CBS News. It'd be like Scott Pelley. They're burning it all down because they want to please Donald Trump, boycott every thing on CBS News. These people are the biggest, biggest bunch of. Okay, let me tell you who you just heard from. Rachel Maddow, Brian Stelter of cnn, who's going to have his employee, Oracle Ball, Paramount, which owns cnn, and Terry Moran used to be on abc, and he was asked to leave, too, because of his biasedness. And I don't think they're getting rid of. I think everyone's missing. I've never met Barry Weiss, but I think everyone's missing the point. CBS has been withering. The worst morning show, the worst, worst. The worst evening newscast. And even though 60 Minutes had good ratings, it was looked at as bias. Like, for example, snl, you know, supposed to be a comedy show. It's. It got. Ratings aren't terrible, but it's a biased network. You can no longer fair and balance. Stephen Colbert lost all that money, but bottom line is it was. It was comedy in there, but it was. 70% of it wasn't. So they're saying we just got to straighten this out because it's losing money. So one thing we could do is change the perceptions. We're going to change the people and the arrogance in which we're seeing. When Scott Pelly spoke up, Sharon Alfonsi outraged. He was not renewed and he was fired. And you don't get up and say what he said, say you're not worthy, your resume's thin. I don't think you can do the job. You were brought here to burn it down. And I'm not going to sit anybody who talks to their boss like that. Any work. I don't care if you're, you know, laying cable in the bottom of the ocean in the middle of it in a ship, and you start putting down your boss, who's a captain of that ship, you fire. So. So why would. Why would it be any different? The good news for Scott pelley probably made $30 million a year for the last 40 years. And he can go hang out on the beach or you can go get a podcast and see how hard it is to do it yourself without a network behind you. Don't forget One Nation, Sunday at 10 o'. Clock. Great roster of guests only on Fox.