Welcome to the Fourth Turning Report - The Great War Edition

Summary

Free Thinking Through the Fourth Turning with Sasha Stone

Episode Summary: Welcome to the Fourth Turning Report - The Great War Edition

Release Date: June 18, 2025
Host: Sasha Stone
Podcast Description: Essays on politics and culture from Sasha Stone's Substack. A former Democrat and Leftist who escaped the bubble to get to know the other side of the country and to take a more critical look at the left. sashastone.substack.com

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1. The Fourth Turning and the Onset of a Great War (00:00 - 02:37)

Sasha Stone opens the episode by framing the current moment as part of the "Fourth Turning," a concept suggesting that every fourth generational cycle in America is marked by a great war. Historically, these have been significant conflicts like the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and World War II. Stone reflects on her earlier predictions regarding potential adversaries for the United States, noting how unforeseen events—such as Putin's invasion of Ukraine and internal political turmoil—have reshaped the landscape.

Notable Quote:

“We are farther down the pike in a kinetic part of a third world war than how World War II started.” — Steve Bannon [00:45]

Bannon elaborates on the severity of current conflicts, arguing that the world is already immersed in the bloodier phases of a third world war, surpassing the early stages of World War II in terms of casualties and intensity. He emphasizes the peril the American Republic faces in the next 200 days, warning of potential extensive involvement in prolonged conflict.

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2. Trump's Declaration and the Iran Nuclear Situation (02:37 - 09:22)

Stone transitions to President Donald Trump's recent statements declaring an "unconditional surrender" from Iran, raising questions about the potential for an all-out great war. She highlights Trump's efforts to negotiate peace while expressing frustration over Iran’s military actions.

Notable Quotes:

“Unconditional surrender. And we know exactly where the so called Supreme Leader is hiding.” — Donald Trump [02:37]

Senator Lindsey Graham provides a staunch defense of Trump's approach, advocating for force over diplomacy to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He criticizes previous administrations and underscores the existential threat posed by Iran's theocratic regime.

“There are dangerous times. Why do we say no nuclear weapon for Iran?... If they had a nuclear weapon, they would use it.” — Lindsey Graham [06:02]

Graham further criticizes the Obama administration's Iran deal, labeling it ineffective and detrimental to U.S. security interests. The discussion underscores the deep partisan divide over how to handle Iran's nuclear ambitions.

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3. Contrasting Perspectives on the Iran Deal (09:22 - 16:00)

The episode delves into the contentious history of the Iran nuclear deal, juxtaposing President Obama's and Donald Trump's stances. Stone presents a critical view of Obama's negotiations, suggesting that the deal was fundamentally flawed from the outset.

Notable Quotes:

“It's pathetic. ... They should have thanked Barack Obama for making that deal. They were gone.” — Donald Trump [07:24]

Former President Barack Obama is briefly quoted reacting to Trump's withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), emphasizing the importance of preventing the spread of nuclear weapons.

“There are few issues more important to the security of the United States than the potential spread of nuclear weapons or the potential for even more destructive war in the Middle East.” — Barack Obama [11:17]

Senator James Lankford discusses the political ramifications of the deal and Obama's legacy, agreeing with the criticism that the deal lacked Congressional support and was inherently weak.

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4. Internal Conflicts Within the MAGA Movement (16:00 - 20:00)

Stone explores the fragmentation within the MAGA coalition, highlighting disagreements over immigration policies and support for Israel. The discussion touches on executive actions to protect undocumented workers and the backlash from more hardline factions.

Notable Quotes:

“We can't take farmers and take all their people and send them back because they don't have maybe what they're supposed to have.” — Donald Trump [20:00]

Steve Bannon critiques the administration's handling of ICE raids, advocating for a balanced approach that includes pathways to citizenship for long-term undocumented workers.

“If you can't turn around with Trump, the Trump team, he has people like you, myself, and they're blessed to have these apparatuses.” — Steve Bannon [15:24]

Bannon emphasizes the need to dismantle what he terms the "deep state," arguing that without decisive action, the coalition risks fracturing under internal pressures.

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5. Immigration Policies and ICE Raids (20:00 - 26:30)

The episode addresses recent federal actions against undocumented immigrants in the agricultural and hospitality sectors. Stone discusses the impact on workers and the differing opinions within the MAGA base regarding immigration enforcement.

Notable Events:

• ICE Raids: Federal agents conducted raids at farms and hotels, targeting predominantly Mexican immigrants. These actions have led to fear and uncertainty among immigrant communities.
• Tammy Bruce Interview: Tammy Bruce highlights executive orders aimed at protecting long-term undocumented workers integrated into American society.

Notable Quotes:

“Just pred they're just preyed upon versus.” — Steve Bannon [21:04]

Bannon notes a shift in policy to exempt certain undocumented workers from raids, signaling an attempt to find middle ground amidst internal disagreements.

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6. Media Coverage of Protests and Military Parades (26:30 - 31:19)

Sasha Stone criticizes the media's portrayal of political protests and military events, arguing that biased coverage undermines national unity and respect for the military.

Notable Events:

• No Kings Protest vs. Military Parade: Stone contrasts the extensive coverage of the No Kings protest with the muted response to a significant military parade celebrating America's 250th anniversary.
• Public Reactions: Figures like Benjamin Netanyahu and Senator James Lankford condemn the media's biased reporting, calling it "disgusting" and "despicable."

Notable Quotes:

“The media's coverage of this was disgusting.” — Benjamin Netanyahu [24:22]

Netanyahu emphasizes the importance of acknowledging military service and criticizes the media for ignoring the patriotic aspects of the military parade.

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7. Political Violence and Media Bias (31:19 - 19:35)

The discussion shifts to recent political violence, including the assassination attempts on Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota. Stone highlights the unequal media treatment of different political actors involved in such events.

Notable Events:

• Minnesota Assassinations: The episode details the targeting of Democratic figures and contrasts it with the muted reaction to attacks against President Trump.

Notable Quotes:

“Probiden doesn't let fear and intimidation in a courthouse and this is a grotesque escalation of tensions.” — Sasha Stone [21:37]

Sasha Stone argues that the media's handling of these violent events is biased, providing less coverage and sympathy for attacks on conservative figures compared to those on liberals.

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8. Concluding Thoughts: Transformational Times in America (31:19 - End)

Sasha Stone wraps up the episode by reflecting on the transformational nature of the current Fourth Turning. She underscores the multitude of pressures facing the United States, from geopolitical tensions to internal political divisions, and calls for listeners to engage critically with the changing landscape.

Final Quote:

“If you think we're living through crazy times, you would be right. Every fourth turning feels transformational in good and bad ways.” — Sasha Stone [31:19]

Stone encourages her audience to stay informed and involved as the nation navigates these tumultuous times, emphasizing the importance of understanding both sides of the political spectrum.

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Key Takeaways:

• Fourth Turning Framework: The episode situates current global and domestic conflicts within the historical context of transformative generational cycles.
• Iran and Global Conflict: A significant focus is placed on the potential escalation into a great war involving Iran, with contrasting strategies proposed by political figures.
• Internal MAGA Divisions: Disagreements within the MAGA movement, particularly over immigration policies, highlight the broader challenges of maintaining coalition unity.
• Media Critique: Stone provides a critical perspective on media bias, particularly in how different political events and figures are portrayed.
• Political Violence: The handling of political violence and its uneven media coverage raises concerns about national security and unity.

This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the episode, reflecting on the multifaceted challenges facing America amidst a potentially pivotal period in its history.

Transcript

[Sasha Stone]

Welcome to the Fourth Turning Report. My name is Sasha Stone. Every Fourth Turning, at least since the founding of America, has been defined by a great war, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and World War II. When I began this substack a few years back, the World war we might be fighting would be Iran, Russia and China against the United States and its allies, including Israel. It made sense then, not so much now. That was before Putin invaded Ukraine, before October 11, before the United States government pursued Trump like he was a war criminal, before his attempted assassination and his second win. Steve Bannon says we're already fighting World War three.

[Steve Bannon]

We are farther down the pike in a kinetic part of a third world war than how World War II started. If you go back from September 1939, the invasion, the start of the European war, not the Asian. But if you start with the invasion of Poland by the Germans, and you go to 19, June of 1941, the invasion of Russia by the Vermacht, and you look at that time, which really they called the phony war, you look at the casualties from the Battle of Britain, the Blitz, the fall of France. You look at what happened in North Africa early on, Finland throwing 300,000. Finland, you add it all up. It's not half of what's happened between Ukraine and in. In Gaza today and now, and now in Persia, we are much bloodier. This is a much. We're in a. We're in a shooting part of the Third World War. The Third World is not about to start. It has started. And that's what Trump is saying. What he wants to do is have everybody lay their guns down. Let's get to the table and figure out a tenuous, at least certain, you know, subtle piece that we can then use capital and trade and commerce and try to rebuild these countries and let's get people back to work and maybe and tamp this thing down. Whereas the apparat is doing. Is exacerbating the conflict part of it. That's where we are right now in the summer of 2025, and that's this thing is going to be in the next 200 days. The next 200 days are some of the most perilous times for the American republic in its history, because if we don't get this sorted, we're going to be drawn in totally into a conflict as a combatant, as not a supplier of logistics, or as an actual combatant, a participant. And the situation in Ukraine, what they did in Russia and the situation of what Israel is right now doing to the mullahs as Bad as they are and as evil as they are. Right. We're going to get sucked into a shooting war of which it'll be 10 years and the casualties will dwarf anything you saw in World War II.

[Sasha Stone]

Now, as Trump declares unconditional surrender, everyone wonders, is this it? Is this our great war? Podcast listeners, two tweets by Trump. Unconditional surrender. And we know exactly where the so called Supreme Leader is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there. We're not going to take him out, at least not for now. But we don't want missiles shot at civilians or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention in this matter. Iran doesn't appear to have an ally in Russia or China at the moment. Trump just met with his security advisors and will address the nation later this afternoon. It does feel a little like the post 911 drumbeat for war. And we're all still a little wary and fearful that it might turn into regime change rather than a negotiated peace. We will know what their plans are soon enough. Neocons like Lindsey Graham are prepared to go all the way.

[Lindsey Graham]

Now is South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham. Senator, you know, you were praising the President for his patience and seeking peace and going back to the table and back to the table. You can't say that he didn't try to give them an out, an opportunity, knowing what the eventual outcome was going to be. And you know, he said, I told them it's a shame, it's a waste of human life. They can't have a nuclear weapon and everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran. How do you interpret that, sir? Well, I take President at his word. He gave Iran 60 days to do a deal. On the 61st day, we are where we are. There's two ways to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon. One is diplomacy. The other is force. I think the headline tonight is we're moving into the land of force. I think Iran has allowed themselves to be fooled into thinking they could manipulate Trump. Same old tactics with the wrong guy when it comes to Trump. To all those who voted for President Trump and got him in office, God bless you. He's the right guy at the right time. These are dangerous times. Why do we say no nuclear weapon for Iran? They're a religious theocracy. They're built around an extreme version of Islam. They want to destroy Saudi Arabia and the Sunni branch of Islam. They want to kill all the Jews in Israel and come after us. That's what their whole country is built upon. A theocratic view that there's nobody else in the world but them when it comes to worshiping God. If they had a nuclear weapon, they would use it. Israel believes that. I believe that. So here's the task at hand. Be all in President Trump in helping Israel eliminate the nuclear threat. If we need to provide bombs to Israel, provide bombs. If we need to fly planes with Israel, do joint operations. But here's the bigger question. Wouldn't the world be better off if the Ayatollahs went away and replaced by something better? Wouldn't Iran be better off? Tom Cotton is coming on. He made a great observation. The endless war is Iran. Since 1979, they've been attacking the entire region, chanting death to America, death to Israel, since their very founding. It's time to close the chapter on the Iranian Ayatollah and his henchmen. Let's close that chapter soon and start a new chapter in the Mideast, one of tolerance, hope and peace.

[Sasha Stone]

Earlier today, Tammy Bruce spoke to the press from the State Department.

[Tammy Bruce]

Thank you again for being here. For generations, the Middle east has been dealing with the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism. With the attack on Israel on October 7th by Hamas reminding us of what's at stake due to the wisdom of the American people. President Trump's election to a second term has offered the world a chance to see an American leader committed to solving many of the world's existential threats, threats with determination. Now, as the conflict between Israel and Iran continues. President Trump has also been clear that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also stated that fact as he has traveled the world working to implement President Trump's vision of peace and security. That statement has also been uttered from this podium many times. The fact that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon is clear, as the White House reminds us. Since taking office, President Trump has clearly stated no fewer than a dozen times that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. For anyone who's unclear on that fact.

[Sasha Stone]

She mentions that Trump made the same warning that Iran can never have a nuke over 40 times going back to 2011. Here is that video.

[Donald Trump]

Our president will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate. He's weak and he's ineffective. We have a real problem in the White House. So I believe that he will attack Iran sometime prior to the election because he thinks that's the only way he can get elected. Isn't it pathetic?

[Sasha Stone]

And when you see that dealing with Iran has been one of the main conflicts between Trump and Barack Obama, it's easier to see how it started and how it's going.

[Lindsey Graham]

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama went head to head in a manner of speaking on the Iran nuclear deal. Obama defending it in a New York Times interview, Netanyahu slamming it on multiple US news programs like CNN's State of the Union.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Not a single centrifuge is destroyed. Not a single nuclear facility is shut down, including the underground facilities that they built. Thousands of centrifuges will kept. Will keep spinning, enriching uranium. That's a very bad deal.

[Lindsey Graham]

The Prime Minister's media tour comes days after the US Allies and Iran reached a framework of a deal in which the allies would reduce sanctions on Iran if it gives up the means to make nuclear weapons. Netanyahu added those lightened sanctions will lead to a strengthened economy for Iran and.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

That'S going to have billions and billions of dollars flow into the Iranian coffers, not for schools or hospitals or roads, but to pump up Iran's terror machine throughout the world and its military machine that is now engaged in conquest throughout the Middle East.

[Lindsey Graham]

In an Oval Office interview with New York Times op ed columnist Thomas Friedman, President Obama said Israelis have every right to be concerned.

[Steve Bannon]

This is a regime that at the.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Highest levels has expressed the desire to.

[Lindsey Graham]

Destroy Israel and said while the deal isn't optimal, this is our best bet.

[Sasha Stone]

By far to make sure Iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon.

[Donald Trump]

I hate seeing President Obama today saying that Iran has violated our agreement. I mean, what did he think? He's now complaining about Iran violating the agreement. What the hell did he think? He's like a baby. He's like a baby now, can you imagine? I mean, what. The agreement's two seconds old. The ink isn't even dry. And today I hear Obama is very unhappy with Iran because he feels that they haven't lived up to the spirit of the agreement. What the hell did he think was going to happen? They defaulted on day one. I mean, they were doing things on day one and everyone was telling them, he said, that can't be possible. That's the way life works. These are vicious people. But the saddest part of that deal is so much of this money is already gone, just gone. $150 billion right out the tubes. And what do we get? We got nothing. We got nothing. They got the money and the prisoners should have been released years ago, before we started negotiating. Years ago. We got nothing. We will see what happens with Iran. We're very unhappy with Iran. They have not treated US with the kind of respect that they should be treating. They should have thanked Barack Obama for making that deal. They were gone. They were economically gone. He infused 100 to 150 billion dollars into their economy. He gave them 1.7 billion in cash. And they should be. Thank you, President Obama. They didn't say that the Iran deal is defective at its core. The United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

[Barack Obama]

There is breaking news now on Fox News Channel. Former President Barack Obama is now reacting to President Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the historic nuclear deal with Iran. Of course, this deal offered no provisions for pulling out. So it's unclear exactly what the wording should be. But I can tell you this is a three page statement with many bullet points. Five different parts of this, and it concludes in the following way. There are few issues more important to the security of the United States than the potential spread of nuclear weapons or the potential for even more destructive war in the Middle East. That's why the United States negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action JCPOA in the first place.

[Sasha Stone]

Joining me right now to talk more.

[Tammy Bruce]

About all of that is Oklahoma Senator James Lankford.

[Sasha Stone]

Senator, good to see you.

[Tammy Bruce]

Thanks so much for joining us.

[James Lankford]

Good to see you. Good to see you. Glad to be with you.

[Tammy Bruce]

So I want to ask you about.

[Sasha Stone]

The Iran deal and the implications. But first, let me get your reaction to President Trump's predecessor, President Obama, slamming.

[Tammy Bruce]

His decision on the Iran nuclear deal.

[James Lankford]

You know, I can understand that President Obama was worried about losing his legacy in this agreement, in this change. I don't think this is a loss of legacy for him. In that sense, he was able to hold Iran back for a couple of years. But quite frankly, the deal was bad from the beginning. And many of us, myself included, said for a very long time, President Obama can make an executive deal with them, but it doesn't really hold the force of all of America until it actually comes through Congress. But he was afraid to bring this deal to Congress because he knew it wouldn't pass through Congress.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

This is a video released by Hamas of its attack on Israel on October 7th.

[Lindsey Graham]

While Hamas calls the drone a Shahab.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

It is in fact a copycat of.

[Donald Trump]

An Iranian loitering drone known as Ababil 2.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Now, there's nothing surprising about that.

[Steve Bannon]

Most of the weapons used by Hamas and Islamic Jihad on October 7 and most of the weapons that they have.

[Donald Trump]

Used for years were designed or built in Iran.

[Sasha Stone]

Trump's administration is not the Bush administration. But if the 2008 Wall street meltdown was the crisis that sparked the Fourth Turning and the mission is, as Steve Bannon says, to dismantle the deep state that took us to $700 billion bailout. Then a big war in the Middle east would fracture the MAGA coalition. For his part, Benjamin Netanyahu says he believes Iran threatens America too, and indeed they have been trying to assassinate President Trump. If there is a graceful way to end the threat without getting into war, that's the path Trump will want to take. A MAGA divided cannot stand. MAGA is split over whether or not to aid Israel in its fight against Iran. Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones and Marjorie Taylor Greene are locking arms with Dave Smith and Glenn Greenwald to push back against any involvement. Breitbart reports that members of the squad have now joined Thomas Massie to limit Trump's power on Iran. Podcast listeners, A tweet by Thomas Massie this is not our war, but if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution. I'm introducing a bipartisan war powers resolution tomorrow to prohibit our involvement. I invite all members of Congress to co sponsor this resolution. June 16, 2025 from Breitbart, quote. While he remains the sole Republican backing such legislative effort, several top Democrats from the far left of the Democratic Party, including squad members Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, have indicated they are signing on to the Massie proposal. Alex Jones is opposed to any help or aid in Israel's war. Writing this image accurately portrays Netanyahu Bloodthirsty neocons carrying the Trump administration and the rest of the planet to hell. A picture of a woman being carried off by skeletons. Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon discussed our involvement. With Bannon urging Trump and MAGA to keep their eye on the ball, he means to go after and dismantle the deep state.

[Steve Bannon]

The question before us is not simply the Israel Persia situation is what the is going on in this city that just drives this city, whether you're Barack Obama or Donald Trump. And if we don't sort it out now, and I mean right now, that's what we have to have a throwdown. We have to name names, we have to expose it. If we don't throw it out now, throw down now in the summer of 2025, we're not going to have a country, you know, forget the midterms, forget the next election. Still, we have to have this we what the CIA is, what happened in Ukraine, what the CIA has done, what DNI is doing, what the Justice Department, what, the FBI, what dia and the Pentagon. Because right now we only have a tenuous grip on those. We have two people at FBI, Cash and Bongino. We got a handful of people over at the Justice Department in a massive 30 some person or 15,000, 20,000 person operation. We have three or four people at DNI with 17 agencies. We're putting a couple of people in there. At the Pentagon, we got Pete and, and a handful of guys. And every time a guy steps up or the team steps up to say they want to stop the forever wars, they're turfed out. He's lost 10 people since we've even got there. And every time Bridge Colby tries to do something, Bridge Colby's on the front page that he's an appeaser. So my point is that now we're getting down to it with all these converging crises. We have a apparatus that reports to Wall street, to foreign investors, to Silicon Valley, in business with the Chinese Communist Party that's running the deal. And now's the time we got. We, if we don't lance the ball over this, this country, you're not going to, if you can't turn around with Trump, the Trump team, he has people like you, myself, and they're blessed to have these apparatuses. If we can't do this now, it's not going to get done. And so that's why to me, it's gone of everything we're doing, stopping the forever wars, redoing the commercial relationships of China to bring jobs back and sealing the border and sending home the 10, deporting 10 million, which is going to be massive, almost like a civil war in these big cities. Of all of those, and I've always said the deportation is the most to get our sovereignty back. The war we have to have now, the throwdown we have to have now is with the deep state. And we can't. I think we've looked away too often. We just kind of kicking the can down the road. And if we can't do it now with Trump, it's not going to get done.

[Sasha Stone]

Raheem Kassam sums up the internal conflict.

[Lindsey Graham]

Well, how should Americans looking at this and Trump supporters looking at this, read all of the things that they're seeing right now?

[Raheem Kassam]

Yeah, look, I would be lying to you if I said that I felt totally secure enough in President Trump's sort of peacenik creds that I didn't think there was any chance of this escalating further. The problem is this is still Washington, D.C. at the end of the day, well, the swamp has been somewhat neutered. It's not been completely drained. And that is a generational task. I think most people recognize at this point. You have to know that there are really, really awful voices in the President's ear trying to push for full blown war. Right. I'm not talking about just a couple of B2s at this point. I mean, we're talking boots on the ground, regime change, democracy, building, all of that stuff. And I say, and I say, especially to the generation after us, Jack, I hear from people all the time, young people all the time, about how they look up to you and how they followed you for so long. And I have to tell your audience, especially of a younger age, this. You know, Jack, you and I lived through those forever wars and they just ended, you know, about last year, in fact, or the year before. And with a terrible whimper at the organization of Joe Biden. There is nothing worse you could do for the next 20 years of your life than support this drumbeat for war. Nothing could derail the world more, nothing could derail your futures more than letting malign actors drive you into another foreign incursion. And so.

[Sasha Stone]

ICE raids paused, then unpaused. The Iran conflict is not the only dividing issue in maga. There is also a split between those who want to support farms and hotels with their large immigrant staff, many of whom are undocumented and have worked for the companies for decades.

[Donald Trump]

We can't take farmers and take all their people and send them back because they don't have maybe what they're supposed to have.

[Steve Bannon]

Thursday's announcement comes just two weeks after an ICE raid at Buena Forqueta in South park, where armed federal Asians stormed the restaurant and arrested four workers. Now raids are paused not to just in agricultural and food service, but also in leisure and hospitality, including hotels.

[Sasha Stone]

Well, about 70% of the workers are Mexican immigrants, so absolutely, they're terrified.

[Steve Bannon]

Bridget Browning is the president of unite here Local 30, representing more than 6,000 hotel and food industry workers.

[Sasha Stone]

Rice went to one of our hotels, but as far as I know, they did not detain anybody there.

[Steve Bannon]

One thing that I heard, I heard from Trump today that I thought was very promising, he wants to make an executive order where people that are here for a long time that have been, like, working on farms that are undocumented, that they won't be targeted and that they'll be exempt from all this stuff. If you got here and you're, you've integrated into our society, yeah, maybe you shouldn't have snuck in, but you did it and you're not breaking any laws. You're a hard working person. Those those people need a path to citizenship because if you don't then they're.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Just pred they're just preyed upon versus.

[Sasha Stone]

The opposing side who insists Trump must not back off even an inch when it comes to mass deportations. Trump listened to them and retreated from his original plan to offer potential middle ground.

[Steve Bannon]

The Trump administration is reportedly reversing a previous order to halt ICE raids on farms and at hotels. Just last week we told you about a pause on those sectors because some business owners were concerned they would lose too many workers.

[Lindsey Graham]

But now the Washington Post is reporting.

[Steve Bannon]

Agents have been told to continue those raids.

[Sasha Stone]

Federal agents arrest NYC comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander at immigration court. According to the left, Lander was arrested for asking to see a warrant, but the truth is he was arrested for assault, per a Fox Report. Quote New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested by Department of Homeland Security DHS agents on Tuesday after allegedly assaulting a federal officer. The article quoted a DHS spokesperson, quote, our heroic law enforcement Officers face a 413% increase in assaults against them. It is wrong that police seek higher office to undermine law enforcement safety. To get a viral moment. No one is above the law and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer you will face consequences. Letitia James said, quote, this is profoundly unacceptable. Arresting Comptroller Lander for the simple act of standing up for immigrants and their civil rights is a shocking abuse of power. No one should face fear and intimidation in a courthouse and this is a grotesque escalation of tensions. The administration's rampant targeting of New Yorkers only makes our communities less safe. End quote. The Democrats had four years of the Biden administration to do something about the border. They didn't. Instead, they encouraged millions to flood in, many of them unvetted. Yet because the migrants represent an oppressed group, the Democrats can't turn away. They are choosing this as one of their base issues because it feeds their ongoing delusion that they are living under a fascist dictator. No Kings vs Army's 250th anniversary the coverage of the no Kings protest was amplified to look like a grassroots movement when it was a well funded populated by the same people who had protested in the hands off event not long before and reached roughly the same number of participants, around 5 million. This will be their playbook for the next five years. The legacy media muted the coverage of the Army's parade. And if they covered it at all, they covered it as militaristic, fascist like and compared it to North Korea. Here is a balanced report by Mark Halpern, Sean Spicer and Dan Turantine on.

[James Lankford]

Two ways every news organization, part of the dominant media should look at the way they covered the parade. It was, it, it's just disgusting. I mean I know how much they hate Donald Trump. I know that Donald Trump did some things in terms of spending the money and, and whatever, but he gave a very dignified ish 7 minute speech. It was about celebrating the military and a few people in the press, a few columnists on the left said okay, wasn't so bad. But Sean, what is the coverage of the parade mean for the future?

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

I'm looking for an item real quick. So look, the reason I think it's important is that we, we the army and the Navy were founded before the country. Right. So my point is, is that this year we will careen into the 250th anniversary of the country. How do they handle that? The idea that most of these people called it Trump's parade is disgusting. CNN didn't bother to air the end of that beautiful celebration the other night, which I stole and posted if you want to go see it. It was moving and patriotic. And the idea that they chose to cover rallies called no kings we don't. I mean it was embarrassing for the media how this was covered.

[James Lankford]

Let me ask you, hold on.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

And, and just the idea, and I've been saying this for a week leading up to this event. The United States army alone has lost over a million Americans in the service of this country to give people the freedom to go do stupid crap like they did this weekend. And the idea that for one day, which also happened to be flag Day, that you can't just stop and recognize that service is pathetic. And I actually, I put up with a lot of stuff to, you know, flag burning and things over the years and said this is. But at some point, if you don't want to be in this country, then leave, get out. But there are people that have fought and died for the freedom to give us the ability to have this platform to allow you to protest. And if you want to go around and make fun of the president United States on the day, any day, go365 or four other days, unless are we in a leap year, you can do anything you want. Just pay a little respect to the people who actually serve this country. And I found it pathetic. This is the tweet From Chris Cillizza. I've never heard Trump given such a short speech. For all the people who said this would be about Trump, it hasn't been. And I tweeted back, all the people were you guys in the media. This wasn't like, you know, they're acting like somehow they weren't complicit in this. The media's coverage of this was disgusting. And as we head into the 250th anniversary to celebrate this country, I hope that they learn a lesson from this.

[Sasha Stone]

Assassination nation. The Democrats will not let the crisis of the recent shootings of Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota go to waste and are currently calling the shooter the MAGA assassin. Podcast listeners, a tweet by Camry Diaz. They caught the MAGA assassin from Minnesota. On the list of targets were 45 Democrats, quote, including dozens of Minnesota lawmakers and members of Congress such as Rep. Angie Craig, Rep. Ilhan Omar, and Senator Tina Smith. It also included members of Planned Parenthood, philanthropist Mackenzie Scott, who has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the organization and several health care centers across the Midwest, according to Fox 9. As usual, the reaction to the shootings, horrific and tragic though they are, is far less than we saw for the assassination of the healthcare CEO Brian Thompson by Luigi Mangione, who has turned into a martyr and a hero by the left. Both assassination attempts against President Trump were not treated the same way by the legacy media and coverage was muted. Again, we turn to two way to hear balanced coverage.

[James Lankford]

Okay, we could talk about the political assassinations in Minnesota for the full hour. As I said earlier, the guy's being in got a court appearance today. There's all sorts of implications about this. Elected officials, state, federal, local, are all understandably up in arms. We still don't quite understand enough about the motive of this guy. And you know, there's a huge media story here about how the left and the right are both, you know, making their own claims about his motive when they don't really know. So, Dan, what would you say forward looking? What are you looking for now until of implications of what happened?

[Barack Obama]

Violence is bipartisan. And you know, whether it was Gabby Giffords years ago or this or the attempts on Donald Trump and others. And I think what you're seeing is this. You know, there was a story over the weekend about how much money the judiciary is asking for, for protection, for security for judges at almost all levels. Members of the House increasingly don't want their schedules made public. When I was on the Hill back in the middle of the 2010s. It was basically decided to lock the doors of offices in the congressional office buildings used to be open, right? The People's House. People could come in, guests could walk in. You had to go through security. But office doors were open and you were greeted when you walked in. The decision was then made to close them. The decision was then made to lock them. It's a sad commentary on where things are going and I think, I don't know the solution. This obviously would all cost money, but it's sad that Republicans and Democrats fear for their lives and that of their families these days.

[James Lankford]

Sean?

[Donald Trump]

Yeah.

[Benjamin Netanyahu]

Three points. One, first of four now cuz I'll number one, I'll associate myself with Dan. I think that this is, it's ridiculous where we, where we are. Two is I would say I found the media coverage rather despicable. You framed it correctly, Mark. There is unclear what the motives are. There's evidence on both sides. There are some speculating that it was purely about abortion. There's clear there was a note confirmed by law enforcement that he said no Kings in his car. He was appointed by Tim Waltz. And for the media to entirely focus this and frame it as a, as a anti abortion activist, which is what NBC and Politico and everybody had done, is just 100% false. We don't know the motive. If anything it's definitely, you know, with, with the evidence. The Minnesota law enforcement over the weekend asked people not to go to the no Kings rally purely because they found evidence in his car where he was expressing sympathy with that side. So I found the media coverage of this absolutely disgusting. Three is remember when we talked about Padilla on Friday, there are people, you can't assume that someone's just because you might recognize them or like this is the world that we all live in now. And I've dealt with it personally where you can't just go, oh well, you had to have known that person couldn't have been a threat or when somebody comes at you and in this case the individual is dressed as a law enforcement individual or somebody who like Senator Padilla walked into an event the other day, went after the secretary started chanting no one has to it shouldn't take somebody to guess whether your motives, like the immediate instinct is to protect. And I think that Democrats in particular over the past couple of years have made it very clear. Maxine Waters telling people to surround Trump officials, make them uncomfortable. Chuck Schumer saying we're going to come after you, Gorsuch. We're going to get you. This language from the left. Inciting violence has got to stop.

[James Lankford]

Yeah. As well as language from the right.

[Barack Obama]

Exactly. Thank you very much. It's bipartisan.

[Sasha Stone]

If you think we're living through crazy times, you would be right. Every fourth turning feels transformational in good and bad ways. Change is all around us. These are just a few of the pressure points we're currently hitting as a country. Let me know if you like this format. Until next time, you can find more of my [e-mail].