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Governor Wes Moore
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Jennifer Welch
So are we supposed to start the podcast? Ready?
Angie
One, two, three.
Jennifer Welch
Patriots, gay trios. They trio, black trio, Brown Trio. And we support all of these people and those that don't, can off. That's our, that's our form of patriotism. Pumps impersonating an eagle. It used to be cacao, right? But then we had a brilliant listener that said, hey, why not change it? Pumps what's been going on? What have you had it with?
Angie
Okay, I'll tell you what I've had it with. I've had it when you call a business and you get the 1, 2, 3, you know your choices of what to do. Okay, I'm used to that. We've been doing that forever now. Last night I called a business. I went through the circle jerk of picking the buttons. I had to talk to AI for 15 minutes. And when I finally got a person, it took less than two minutes to solve my problem. And I just thought, if AI is supposed to be so efficient, why did it take me 15 minutes? I had to spell everything. I don't know if it was my accent, but I just, when I call a business that I'm paying, I'm paying. This business I've already paid. I just feel like I should get a person.
Jennifer Welch
I think this is going to be occurring a lot. You know, they say that with AI, you know, breaking through right now that a lot of jobs are going to be eliminated and just the human contact is going to further, I mean, a larger psychological impact of that is look how frustrated you were.
Angie
So frustrated.
Jennifer Welch
And then you finally got to speak to a person. Is how detached and disconnected we're all becoming. And all of these technological advances don't bring us together. But further exacerbate the disconnectedness. Absolutely.
Angie
Like the isolation.
Jennifer Welch
Yeah. And all the technology just further exacerbates it. Like, I spend increasingly more time on my phone and I don't like it. I never feel good about it. Like, there's so many times during the day where I'm like, put your phone down, Jennifer, just put it down. You do not have to be on a social media app. You do not have to be consuming news. This is new in your life. It's not like for our children. That's all they've known in our life. You picked up a book, you turned on the tv, you took a dog for a walk. Like, I don't feel good when I spend that much time with artificial intelligence or with a device.
Angie
I completely agree. And I find myself, even on days where I'm like, I am not getting on my phone today, I'm not doing it. I'm not getting on social media. I'm going to do the whole day. It's like it starts gnawing at me and I can't help it. It's almost like an addiction thing. Well, what's going on?
Jennifer Welch
They say that the algorithms have been rigged and they' done, like exams on brains. And it affects, you know, like a drug does. Like the. The algorithms are intentionally addictive. And then we're in the situation where, if we had a normal government where we were focusing on safety, we could have conversations in Congress about regulations for this new technology. How do we regulate it? How do we keep kids safe? They're doing this in Europe. I read an article that Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has made phones illegal for those. I believe the age was 13. I might be getting that wrong. Somebody can fact check it, but they were going to say, you cannot have a phone if you're under this age, because they're valuing safety. And these phones further isolate people. I read this whole article about this guy that fell in love with an AI chatbot. Like, had an affair, had an affair on his wife. The wife got jealous and he thought the robot left him.
Angie
And the thing is, he knew it was a robot.
Jennifer Welch
I know.
Angie
Like the catfishing. At least you think it's a person that he knew it was AI.
Jennifer Welch
I know, I know. All right, let me share with you all what I've had it with. For new listeners I want you to know very much that I love my husband, Josh. I do. I also want you to know that we have a relationship where we do not have to superficially praise each other. It's not a surface relationship. If I'm doing. If I'm being too bossy or too. If I'm not being warm or cold, he calls me out on it, and I'm fine with that. And likewise, I call him out on a lot of his character defects. And one of his character defects is that he has hypochondria. I diagnosed him. My husband is a hypochondriac. And this has been something that my sons and I talk about all the time. Nobody takes it for real because he's always got some ailment. Longtime listeners, you'll know about Josh's hole in his ear. And he went to have surgery on the ear to have it repaired. And the doctor on the phone told me, I hope he got his ear. I hope I got his ear the way he wants it. Which is like what I picture a plastic surgeon saying to somebody about an elective surgery. So now he's moved on to these tension headaches. And as we're sitting around the house, you just see him, He. He goes like this. So, listener, what I'm doing is I'm squinting my eyes and I'm putting my fingers on my temples. And so I took some notes of the conversation we had the other day for you guys. So he told me, you know, these tension headaches are really bothering me. And the tension headaches were what? He had the first symptom that led him to the ear surgery. Okay, so. And I said, I thought the ear was going to fix that. And he said, no, I thought the ear was going to fix it, too, but apparently they were unrelated. And so he tells me that he has an appointment with a neurologist to have some sort of brain scan. And I said, why are you getting a brain scan? Like, sometimes the body just has, like, I'll get a headache, and it'll last like an hour, but you just have to have the ability to push through it. The body sometimes ails and aches, and that's just a part of it. And he said, sometimes my memory doesn't work well. And I'm like, you're 56 years old. This is a very common thing for somebody your age. He said, well, I'm going to the doctor, and I'm having it. And then he says to me, I am proactive, and I feel that the health care in the United States isn't preventative. And I intend to be preventative. And I am making my own path because what they're doing is, oh, you're okay. This is what he says to me. You're Josh, you're okay, you're okay, you're okay, you're okay. And the next thing you know, I've got stage five cancer in a week to live. And he is proactive and he is preventing this from happening. Some of his other symptoms that he told me is that he has veins that bulge in his temples. Like he's really, he's works out all the time. He is really lean now. He does the creatine and all this bro style weightlifting. Right. Which, you know, good for him workout. And I said, josh, it's because you've gotten thinner and you're older, so your face is thinner and so you have. That's why the veins popping has nothing to do with the tension headaches. I'm not a doctor, but I see these veins on people every day, all day. He said he thought that he had gray matter in his brain and he was going to get to the bottom of it because the US Health care system is failing him and he intends to be preventative. And then he just threw in, after I'm questioning him about all this, that he was going in for an additional hearing test this week.
Angie
Again.
Jennifer Welch
Yeah, he's going in for another hearing test.
Angie
Okay, I have one question. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he originally, before the ear surgery, he went and demanded like a CAT scanner, mri. So this is additional.
Jennifer Welch
This is an additional, a new doctor, an additional exam. And then he also has a doctor that provides. She is a concierge doctor. She's very nice. I know her. And this I said to him, don't you think you're the ideal patient for a doctor that has this type of service? You're paying a fee outside of insurance and then you can get in the same day when you call her. And then she just basically refers people like Josh to other doctors. You know, she's like a springboard, if you will. She absorbs the initial hypochondriac response and then she just rifles it out. And Josh can be really self deprecating, goes, oh, 100%. I'm like a goddamn slot machine for this woman. And so he had the ear exam this week. And our longtime listeners will know that I don't ask follow up questions about a lot of these things. And some of you new listeners might be like, oh, that's so cold and callous. It, it is, it is my mental health protection not to feed what I perceive to be as hypochondria running amok. And so that's what I'm living with right now is this increased hypochondria. And I also want to add on his medical team is ChatGPT and they've spent quite a bit of time together for his new mantra of being preventative.
Angie
Well, I was going to ask you if he does like WebMD, like where is he getting all this? But that, that makes perfect sense.
Jennifer Welch
Chat GPT is very sycophantic. Right. You know, like I'm, he could, he could prompt it. I'm very worried about these headaches that I have and I have these veins bulging and blah blah, blah. Well, it's going to say I'm not a doctor but you should go see one. Of course you should be concern. And so I, you know the problem that's going to happen here at some point because he's not a spring chicken is he's going to have something real at some point. You know, not fake hearing loss or normal bodily functions, headaches that people have. He's going to have something real. And I think I'm going to be like Nurse Ratched demonic. I just, I can't imagine a world where I'm going to be really a good supportive partner or nurse after the years of hypochondria that I've gone through.
Angie
Okay, number one, you are Nurse Ratched. You are going to be Nurse Ratched. Yeah, but I give you credit that if he were really genuinely sick, you would absolutely be equal to the task. I don't have a doubt in my mind about that.
Jennifer Welch
Thank you. Pumps.
Angie
Okay, but a couple, couple follow ups.
Jennifer Welch
Okay.
Angie
For our new listeners. You might think Jennifer sounds cold hearted but let me tell you, this is a man that stayed home from work because of earwax. So we're not talking about real ailments but in his defense you are. You don't go to the doctor unless you're dying and you are a Nurse Ratchet.
Jennifer Welch
But it's true, it's true. I mean it's like this yin and yang situation. It really is. But the Josh we can as this sounds we have where as we're having these conversations we're both dying laughing like he's laughing as I say you think you have gray matter to chat GPT let you in on this and he's, he's dying laughing about it at the same time. And just a Little history for listeners. He is a recovering drug addict. He's been to rehab. He's sober now. And I have a personal theory. And so maybe somebody in the comment section that is a psychiatrist or a doctor or knows about the way the brain functions, that someone in recovery, like, he was primed. If something's wrong, take a pill. If something's wrong, take a pill. I don't feel good. You know, that's just his default setting as an addict. And so when something's wrong, like a normal bodily, you know, a stomach ache, a headache, he. He doesn't have the ability to just power through that because his default setting for so long was self medication. And so that's why I think the problem. I think he's spot on with the neurologist, that the problem lies between the ears. I think we just need to advance it to a psychiatrist.
Angie
Right. I think we're going to the wrong brain specialist.
Jennifer Welch
Maybe if he goes and we have the CAT scan and where there's no gray matter, no dementia, no hearing loss, all of the things that he has built up in his head, we can get to a psychiatrist that tells him, you have hypochondria. You are a hypochondriac.
Angie
And here's the deal. Josh would laugh about it.
Jennifer Welch
He would. And I'm just gonna say I. I'm a sore winner. Oh, you are the.
Angie
Okay, let me tell you a couple things about Jennifer Welch. She is one of the most gracious losers you will ever meet. She is kind. She is supportive. She completely, I mean, tucks my tail between my legs. 10 on a gracious loser. But there is nobody that is a worse.
Jennifer Welch
It's true.
Angie
Terrible winner. You just need to mesh the two and just be okay at both. Because I would give you five stars, no notes. 10 times out of 10 on losing the smuggler. Horrible way in which you take a victory lap is diabolical.
Jennifer Welch
It's awful.
Angie
It's awful.
Jennifer Welch
Let me tell you what I did the other day at pickleball. This is just so fucked up. And I couldn't help myself. So I'm with Liz, Amy and Trish. And you know these people. Well, Listener, these are really good friends of mine. And we're playing pickleball, having very competitive points. And Liz hits this ball, like at an angle in the kitchen. And Listener, kitchen means it's like super close to the net. I'm back behind the baseline line. I haul ass because I am not going to lose that point. I haul ass, I get the ball and I'm Trying to get it behind the person at the net, in the corner, behind her partner in the corner. And usually this is something I'm going to botch. I'm going to hit the net or it's going to go out. Those are the two options. I hit it up and it curls right in and hits the back line. And I stand there and I look at where it hits and I look over at my friends and then I scream at the top of my lungs in Chicken and Pickle in Oklahoma City.
Governor Wes Moore
Vamos.
Jennifer Welch
Like I'm at goddamn Roland Garros. It was ridiculous. It was insufferable. It was. I mean, we're not even at the Olympics. These are four middle aged women playing pickleball at Chicken and Pickle in Oklahoma City. And I'm acting like I just won a grand slam. It's awful. It's a terrible character defect.
Angie
Well, but one of just very few character.
Jennifer Welch
Oh, perhaps you're too sweet. Okay.
Angie
But I will say you're also a twat.
Jennifer Welch
Yeah.
Angie
Because we're on the phone the other night and she goes, oh, my gosh, I have an ear update on Josh. And I'm like, oh, my gosh, Tell me, tell me you had held it for three days.
Jennifer Welch
Because I wanted to share it with you and the listener at the same time. And I think it's more fun for the listener to hear your initial laugh because if I desensitized your laugh three days ago, then the listener, our listeners, enjoy your laugh. I would have been depriving our listeners from your virgin laugh in response to that. I did it for. I did it for the listener.
Angie
Okay. But I'm still saying you're.
Jennifer Welch
I'm still a twat. I'm a kid.
Angie
Never brought it up.
Jennifer Welch
I'm a twat. I'm a sore winner. I'm a. There's a lot of. There's a lot of character defects here. A lot. A lot. Bossy.
Angie
I just spilled water on myself.
Jennifer Welch
Thanks for.
Angie
Yeah.
Jennifer Welch
Letting it stay. All right, Meemaw. All right, Kyle. Welcome to I've had it. I'm Jennifer.
Angie
I'm Angie. Hbic. Beaver stands for or B stands for beaver. Not.
Jennifer Welch
I think you should be the beaver.
Angie
The hbb. I see.
Jennifer Welch
Kylie. Yes.
Kylie
I've got a quick two reviews for you.
Jennifer Welch
Okay.
Kylie
This one is five stars titled Gay Trots, Theatriots and patriots from S. Willer and they write. This podcast has brought me back to life. Like many Americans, I found Ihip and from social media during Kink's abomination of A second term and now a regular listener of this and I hip news. I'm so thankful for the witty banter and truth telling that you've been giving us. As a fortunate soul that lives in a blue state, but who came from a red state, your northern neighbor, Kansas. I see your message as a bat signal to the rest of the Blue Dot listeners. I feel hope from your episodes and that you are both strengthening the revolution against authoritarianism. Thank you.
Jennifer Welch
I mean, that's just really nice.
Angie
That's a great one. Witty banner. I love that.
Jennifer Welch
Yeah, yeah, that's just, you know, listener. I think about this a lot. Pumps and I talk about it a lot. Imagine being Kylie or Seth. You walk into the office and Pumps and I are here. It's like, hi, good morning. And then we come up and film and they have to watch that and, you know, switch the cameras while we're filming, like she's doing right now. The viewer can see then it doesn't end.
Angie
No.
Jennifer Welch
Pumps and I go out to lunch and then come back and she's sitting in front of the computer staring at us. Editing.
Angie
Yeah, listening. I mean, they listen to us all day.
Jennifer Welch
There's not a bank account big enough for that job.
Angie
I think it'd be the worst job on the planet.
Jennifer Welch
All right.
Kylie
I have dreams about. All I do is dream about you guys at this point.
Jennifer Welch
Are they bad?
Kylie
It's just y' all talking or it's.
Jennifer Welch
Like just us at work?
Angie
Here's the thing. You deny that it drives you crazy, and that bugs me because it would have to drive you crazy.
Kylie
Thankfully, I like you guys, so that helps you too.
Angie
I like, you know, Kylie, but I don't want to hear you talk 247 and then have to do it on a repeat and do all that. I mean, I just think that's normal.
Kylie
Yeah, well, I'm desensitized to you guys as well, I think. Yeah, the other.
Jennifer Welch
Yeah, I get that. Okay, let's move on to some news stories. There's been a naughty guinea pig. Pumps. A male guinea pig named Randy broke into a female only enclosure and impregnated all of them. The incident took place at a pet sanctuary in the UK where staff were stunned by the unexpected population boom. Randy reportedly fathered more than 100 offspring after his late night adventure, sparking both laughter and disbelief online. While funny on the surface, the story also highlighted how quickly small animals can reproduce under the right circumstances. Randy's escapade left the shelter with a much bigger family than they had planned and didn't you say when you were younger that you wanted your husband's name to be Randy?
Angie
Yes, Randy. That's immediately what I thought. Like, that could have been my Randy. My Randy. Talk about. I just. That's a lot of guinea pigs.
Jennifer Welch
All right. Speaking of hypochondria, I could see my husband doing something like this. Okay, this is wild. Patient leaves doctor four star review despite saving their life. You would totally do. Okay, that's the headline in the second slide. The four star is, Dr. Lewis saved my life. And then Dr. Lewis chimes in. Honestly don't know how to earn that fifth star.
Angie
What does he want?
Jennifer Welch
I guarantee you that this person whose life was saved is a hypochondriac.
Angie
Or do you think they wanted, like, maybe they went in for a nose job because they really needed it, not like a rhinoplasty. And they didn't come out looking like Brad Pitt.
Jennifer Welch
He just said, saved my life.
Angie
Well, you, you know, you can die from a nosebleed. You can bleed out from a nosebleed. I didn't know that. I was an adult.
Jennifer Welch
I'm reading that, though, that. That's like, it was a life saving emergency. Like, that this surgery saved the person's life. Yeah.
Angie
Maybe it is a hypochondriac.
Kylie
I could see Josh getting life saving heart surgery and being like, I don't love the way they did my heart.
Angie
Or I don't. The scar wasn't great. No. 100%. I can see Josh doing that.
Jennifer Welch
Yeah. I. So I think the person that wrote it is probably a hypochondriac, because hypochondriacs, like, they doctor shop and they shop for the. The diagnosis that they want. I told Josh, I said, you know, in all of your files, it's like, we've got a hypochondriac here. And he's like, yeah, probably.
Angie
Yeah, but he owns it.
Jennifer Welch
Listener, the hot book of the summer. Oops, I have it the wrong way. Take two. Listener, the hot book of the summer is now the cool book of the fall. It is in Trump's America. I can tell you with absolute certainty the best book that has ever been written. And believe me, a lot of people are talking about it.
Angie
Everybody's talking about it.
Jennifer Welch
Everybody's talking about it. It took us one day to write it because we're on day one because.
Angie
We took a cognitive test and it was book write done.
Jennifer Welch
All right. Anyway, please buy our book. It's a great way to support us. It is a really fun read for the fall. Curl up with your pumpkin spice lattes and just enjoy living the American dream. And dipshit trumps America, you guys. When we started this podcast, it was two incompetent women that knew how to yak. But the actual business, factoring of it, social media, merch, etc. It would have been impossible for us to navigate without our partner, Shopify.
Angie
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Jennifer Welch
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Angie
Very attractive. I've also noticed it's nice when you.
Jennifer Welch
Support people and they're also easy on the eyeballs. And I mean that in the most respectable way.
Angie
Right.
Jennifer Welch
Can pop out a grade 8 count. Easy on the eyeballs. And a fierce fighter for democracy, this man. So let's welcome to. I've had it. Combat veteran, former businessman and Maryland sports fanatic, Governor Wes Moore.
Governor Wes Moore
Oh, my God. Oh, my goodness.
Jennifer Welch
Did you hear us talking about how hot we thought you were?
Governor Wes Moore
I didn't say it again.
Jennifer Welch
You know, I think that we have to make that okay, right? I think it's okay to give somebody a compliment. I think you're attractive, Wes. I think that's an okay thing to say. I think.
Governor Wes Moore
Yeah, Melissa, I think y' all are beautiful and I'm so excited to be with you. Like, this is. This is exciting for me. And I'm. I'm gonna get all the bragging points now with all my friends. This is good.
Jennifer Welch
Oh, I love it. I love it. So much. So it's been very difficult being an American lately, and we live in a Red state. And so people in red states, red do in blue states always look outside of their state for I'm like, I kind of want him to be my governor. Oh yeah, you kind of adopt a gov. Yeah. So lately I've totally been adopting you. And I have to say I really appreciate how kind you are to elders. And I thought how nice it was of you to offer Donald Trump, who sometimes has a problem walking in a straight line a golf cart to go tour your cities. I thought that was so nice. And that's the kind of leadership I want to see, being nice to elders.
Governor Wes Moore
I just want to make sure that he, that he said he's comfortable, you know, that he has no excuses as to why he can't come through. And you know, and I just, and I just found the whole thing so ridiculous when you know, he was continue to talk about how I'll come to your city. You know, when you clean it up, it's just like it's literally having a conversation with like Archie Bunker. And so, and so that's why I was like, listen, you know, if you, if you actually cared, if you were tractually, if you, if this was actually a serious issue for you the way it's a serious issue for us, like when I came on board, I said, listen, there is nothing that I won't do to make sure that our communities are more safe because we had an absolute crime and violence crisis in our state. When I first came on board, Baltimore City was averaging almost like homicide a day when I became the governor, a homicide a day. And that we had, the non fatal shooting rate had doubled in the state of Maryland under, under my predecessor, Republican Larry Hogan, and had, and he did nothing to be able to address the issues that were taking place not just in Baltimore, but the violence that was taking place all across the state. And so when we came on board, we literally said, there is no higher priority than I have than to make sure that our children are going to be safe in their neighborhoods and that people can be safe in their communities. And so we historic investments in local law enforcement, historic investments in technology, historic investments in community violence intervention groups and making sure that we were the only state, one of the only states that actually helps to fund the U.S. attorney out of state balance sheet. So I can move many of those crimes, those gun crimes as federal crimes because they're treated very, very differently than when they're state crimes. So we've been really creative. And then so to hear Donald Trump continually talk about clean up your streets and all this Kind of stuff without having any idea about how work has happened, how much momentum has happened in our state. Maryland's had amongst the fastest drops in violent crime anywhere in the United States of America. And we're actually serious about knowing the fact that we have more work to do. But it would be really nice if we had a serious partner in the White House instead of someone who's just saying, hey, kids, keep off my lawn.
Angie
Yeah.
Jennifer Welch
And don't you think that, like, I always feel like when he goes after mayors and cities, they always tend to be your color of skin, not mine. And my state has pretty high crime rate, and Mississippi has a pretty high crime rate, and Louisiana has a pretty high crime rate. But when they talk about inner cities, the right wing, there is this suggestion to the Fox News audience exactly what they're talking about. But I read this article about the mayor of Baltimore and the work that he's been doing inner city wise, in conjunction with you, and it doesn't even hit the national news. Can you share with us about that? It's really a massive American city success story that shows that blue policy works. Blue policies make the economy better, blue policies fight crime, and blue policies make everyone safer.
Governor Wes Moore
It's so true. And honestly, it's. It's partnership and coordination that actually matters. Because, you know, sometimes you have to remind people that when. When I first came on board, like I mentioned, Baltimore was averaging almost a homicide a day. The Inner harbor, the downtown area in Baltimore, was in receivership. The Baltimore Orioles were months away from losing their lease. And having the Baltimore Orioles potentially go to another city. We had over 17,000 vacant homes in the city of Baltimore alone. Vacants. And so we had a very real challenge. But what we had was a mayor who had a vision, a mayor who actually had the instincts and the ideas. Someone who was born in Baltimore, raised in Baltimore and believed in Baltimore. But what he never had was a partner. You know, ask the mayor how many times he met with the former governor. Ask the mayor how many conversations he had in the former governor's office about what is the future of Baltimore. Where literally the Republican Larry Hogan literally drew a map of Maryland without Baltimore in it. So when we came on board, we said, that is not going to be our posture. And people said, of course you focus on Baltimore. You're from Baltimore. Or, of course you'd help the mayor. You're the only black governor in the country. And I said, no, the reason that I focus on supporting Baltimore is because I'm really good at math. It's the state's largest city. And tell me a single state that is clicking on all cylinders when the state's largest city is not. And so his push of saying that we have to have more community engagement and community involvement, the push that we have done, have done together to say we are going to make historic investments in education and housing and transportation because if people have opportunity, then they generally don't go into crime. The push that we've had on making sure there's increased accountability, but also increased opportunities for those who are returning back to from prison as well. So we can stop this revolving door of recidivism that we continue to see. So I'm very proud to have Brandon Scott, the mayor of Baltimore, as my partner inside the work. I'm very proud that we're working with county executives all across the state of Maryland and I'm very proud that you're now seeing some of the best results, some of the fastest drops in violent crime and property crime that we're seeing anywhere in America in the state of Maryland. And it's because we've actually chosen to work together.
Jennifer Welch
Okay. We like to ask our guests what they've had it with. And this is an opportunity for you to just, you know, something everyday petty. So Governor Westmore, what have you had it with?
Governor Wes Moore
There are so many things that I've had it with. And so let me start sizing of clothes and here's why. Because it's like, listen, I'm a person who, you know, Every morning at 6am I'm up with the midshipman and I work out with the Naval Academy, you know, every single morning. And so, so we, so, you know, we really get after it and I really enjoy it. And so I enjoy being out there. You know, I'm a combat veteran, so it's just something that I've just consistently taken where I wake up early and one of the first things I do, I'm sweating first thing in the morning, right? And but clothes kind of don't work that way for people. You know, it's like it's small and it's too small and then there was like, it's like large and then it's just like it's like a trash bag on you. And, and like I love how like for, for, for. I just wish that for men's clothes, like we have like, like a medium.
Jennifer Welch
It's so true. One of my grievances that I had is so for women you have like low rider jeans and then you have like high waisted pants and Then you have like a mid and so you literally have to have three different belt sizes. It drives me crazy. Like the belt that I will wear with my low rider jeans doesn't work with the high waisted. And it's just a huge, this is a huge problem that in a normal America we could address these things for everyday Americans, but instead we're fighting for democracy. Which brings me to a question I'm really worried about. So the midterms and the elections are put on by the states and I'm very worried about Trump because historically authoritarians and it's my opinion that he has those ambitions. We've never seen a US President cozy up with dictators the way he does or defend them and the denial of due process that he's heading there. But historically, once they get power, most of their things that they do are to keep it. So I'm super worried about 2026 and I know a lot of our listeners are as the governor of a state, how can you ensure that, like just take Maryland only that the midterms are on the up and up, that there's been no interference that from a local all the way up to your secretary of state, that all of this people have access can go and just is there hope? Can we have these elections? Governor, I'm very, very worried about it.
Governor Wes Moore
And listen, honestly, I'm nervous about it too because Donald Trump knows he can't win on his policies.
Jennifer Welch
Right, right.
Governor Wes Moore
You're not going to win an election. You're not going to win a midterm election saying like, you know, hey, vote for us. We just raised your prices on everything.
Jennifer Welch
Right.
Governor Wes Moore
Vote for us. We just taking you all off health care there.
Jennifer Welch
Yeah, exactly.
Governor Wes Moore
Policies won't win.
Jennifer Welch
Yeah.
Governor Wes Moore
And so what then do you, do you change the rules or then you come up with a different metric that you're then going to do? And so you say things like, well, you know what we're going to, we think we should not allow mail in balloting, so everyone should have to go in knowing then what they're then just going to do is to do voter intimidation or saying that, you know what, hey, by the way, these Republican states, have you ever thought about redistricting?
Angie
Yeah.
Governor Wes Moore
Thought about changing how many congressional seats that you have? Don't know. The Democratic state shouldn't do it because that's voter tampering. But the Republican states, you guys should really look because you need fair maps. So it's very intentional what is happening, what's going on? And that's why I think it just, it stands on all of us for us to be able to say, oh, no, no, no, not today, that we are going to protect the integrity of our elections. And it's something that when we first came on board, you know, we have our election, our elections commissions, which are independent, and we did that intentionally because we do not want political interference like what we're seeing from our federal government and the things that they have been able to do, the things we've been able to reinforce in the state of Maryland is making sure that we are protecting our election officials so they are free from intimidation or free from any type of outside interference. That we've not only extended the time period that people have a chance to vote, both the early voting, the early voting period, and then also on day of election, but also have enhanced mail in balloting. So people have multiple different means and ways of making sure that your voice can be heard. And I'm very proud that if you look at every election that we have had in the state of Maryland, that these have been free and fair and consistent and safe elections. And it will be like that, that in 2026 and in 2028 and in 2030 and in 2032, like, we are committed to making sure that in Maryland we are going to have free, fair, safe and you know, free, fair and safe elections throughout. And it is just, and it's, it's incumbent on every single governor and every single state to do that. Because one thing that we do know, Donald Trump can try to manipulate. Donald can, Trump can try to try to reconfigure. But here's something that we know. The elections are state run functions. And so the only way that Donald Trump can be successful is if we have states who capitulate, like Texas, given. Exactly.
Angie
Okay, I have a question for you. What we have, we have noticed this dramatic under this administration. I mean, it's always been present and I'm talking about racism, but it has been cranked up to a fever pitch. I mean, everything's dei, everything's coded about, you know, inner black cities. In your position, you were in a powerful position. But have you noticed a change in your world or maybe with your, you know, friends that, you know, friends and family? Because it's gross.
Governor Wes Moore
Yeah, it is. And listen, I'm, I remember when I was first, when I was first elected in our inauguration day, and I was very intentional about how I wanted the inauguration to go because not only am I the, the first black governor in the history of the state of Maryland, I'm Only the third elected African American governor in the history of the United States of America. And so for our Inauguration Day, I intentionally wanted to start down at the Annapolis Docks, which is not only beautiful, but those docks in downtown Annapolis were one of this country's first and largest slave ports. And we started down there, and we did a wreath laying, and we said a prayer to the ancestors. And then about hundreds of us then collectively marched from the State House, from the docks up to the State House, where I was then inaugurated as the 63rd governor of the state of Maryland. And what was interesting was that almost immediately, I saw how Fox and them were like, well, he's starting his inauguration with indoctrination.
Jennifer Welch
Oh, God, I wish they would shut up. God.
Governor Wes Moore
Guys, this is not indoctrination. It's history, right?
Jennifer Welch
Yeah.
Governor Wes Moore
It's who we are. And that's the thing. It's like, I am just a big believer that loving your country does not mean lying about it. I agree that loving your country means that we have a long and in many ways, a flawed history in this country. This country is not perfect, and that's okay. But the fact is we had people. And the reason that we've been able to make it through every situation has been because of God's grace and because of heroic leadership, people who were willing to sacrifice and fight so that we could actually get to a better tomorrow. And so when I have people who come up and say, I remember during the tragic bridge collapse of the Key Bridge, where we were working constantly to. And. And turn around, when they told us it would take 11 months to clear the federal channel, we got it cleared in 11 weeks. Maryland truly put on a case study on how to respond in these moments of tragedy and crisis. And I remember there are people, you know, online who were like, you know, he's the. He's the DEI governor. And I remember someone asked me, they said, you know, do you have a. Do you have an opinion about this person, you know, at, you know, catch me outside 54, who was like, you know, that called you the DEI governor? And I said, yeah, I do. And I said, I don't have time for foolishness. I said, I'm trying to make sure that these six families are getting the closure that they need. I'm trying to make sure that these thousands of workers who just lost their job can get on the job as fast as possible. I'm trying to make sure that the 13% of our economy that was now just shut down because the port of Baltimore had been closed, that we can get that up and running as quickly as possible, and then two thirds of their country can get their goods again. And I said, and I don't have time to deal with the foolishness of these people who are just going to spout ignorance and thinking that somehow that ignorance is going to be remembered.
Jennifer Welch
And the fact of the matter, Governor, is they use dei. And I think. I'm not saying you're saying this. I'm saying this as a person that lives in a Bible Belt state because they know they can't say the N word anymore. And they're saying that because you're black, you got something that you didn't earn. When the fact of the matter is this, Governor, women like pumps. And me and our kids, I sent them to private schools when they took the act, I hired an expensive tutor to tutor them to make the act. When they applied to colleges, I hired a person to assist them do that. I started saving in their college savings accounts back when I didn't have as much money to do it, but I knew that's what I wanted them to do. And. And it's important, I believe, in this multicultural society for me to acknowledge and to make sure my sons know you started this thing with about 10 steps. You're on the 10 yard line. And so to your black friends, my youngest son, Roman, he played AAU basketball. So for Landry and Jamarion and these kids that we traveled around with since kindergarten on, they played basketball together. Their path has been more difficult than yours, Roman. And I think that's a very important one, responsible, human way that we approach this. And I personally ache when I hear people diminish the accomplishments of you or the Obamas or other black people and reduce it to what they have turned into a slur now, which is dei, when actually Donald Trump, he's the one that got all the affirmative action. He's a Nepo baby that got a trust fund. You know, I mean, it's just so dishonest. It's the whitewashing of history that they're wanting to do right now. And I feel like a big form of patriotism in the face of fascism is being a good ally to our black and brown brothers and sisters and standing for them because you guys have always stood up for human rights. And I feel like the biggest white calling right now is for us to stand. Like, when you told me the story about y' all walking from the bridge, I was like, I wish I would have been there. Like, I want to. I want to.
Governor Wes Moore
You can come for the Reelection.
Jennifer Welch
I want to. Oh, yes, okay, let's talk about that.
Governor Wes Moore
We'll do. We'll do that again. We're gonna. We're marching. But no, but I'm really glad you brought that up, because I think. I do think it's like, you know, another thing that I've had it with, honestly, is like, you take this idea of patriotism and that somehow the Republican party are the party of patriots, right? I'm just like, wait a second, how did that happen? And, you know, and I think about the people who sometimes will be the ones who will be the first to be criticized about how they are dei or they didn't earn it, or they are. They are only there because of their sex or because of their skin color or because of their place of origin or whatever it is. And then I look at the cri. And then I look at the credentials of those people who they're saying didn't earn it. And I think to myself, that is really rich of these people to try to criticize some of the remarkable African American Latinos, women, et cetera, who are sitting in really powerful positions, knowing that they did not just earn it, they earned it four times over.
Jennifer Welch
Totally. Pumps always points out that during the Supreme Court hearings that Brett Kavanaugh is not slinging, crying, emotional as all get out what they always say women are. He's over there, boodle baby, talking about drinking beer and all this bullshit. They went hard after Ketanji Brown Jackson and she, I mean, was completely disciplined and perfect. And it seems like the burden that American society, not all of American society, but a lot of it, puts on black people. They don't put on everybody. It seems that they put on women. And then, of course, if it's a black woman, forget about it. You know, it's really, really difficult. And so I just think podcasting, these forums are a great place for us all to talk about because some white people just have no idea because they grew up in a white neighborhood, went to all white schools, and still continue as adults. And they just, it, sadly, they don't think about it. And then when they do, when they hear a story about slavery, it makes them uncomfortable. And I feel like this, this space is a great space for us to talk about this and a great space for us to let it breathe and have, you know, like a flowing of empathy and understanding and a sense of humanity. Because I feel like right now politics are very otherizing and dehumanizing. And we just saw what happened with Charlie Kirk, and I condemn that with with everything in me, because I believe in free speech. I didn't agree with anything that he had to say. Hardly. I mean, I didn't listen to him very much, but I disagreed with him. But that whole thing made me sad. It makes me sad to live in a country where somebody is doing their job on a college campus and they get shot. And we had a young black kid that worked for us that got shot last October. And I still think about it five, ten times a day, like I just am missing. I think about him, I think about his last moments, and it just is horrific. And the response to this from the right has been that they're at war with people like us, that they want to have a war with us. And I don't want to have a physical war with them. I want to have free and fair elections. I want to have conversations. I want to do the podcasting stuff. I don't want to be a gun nut and go blow shit up. Step.
Governor Wes Moore
Yeah, and it's. And I'm. I'm right there with you, where, you know, I. I conveniently disagree with Charlie Kirk's. Some of his rhetoric. I think some of his rhetoric was, Was. Was. Was dangerous and ignorant, and he should have never been murdered.
Jennifer Welch
Right.
Governor Wes Moore
You know, his kids should not have to come up without their father. His wife should not be a widow. You know, I mean, I'm. I. I watched my father die in front of me when I was three years old.
Jennifer Welch
What?
Governor Wes Moore
And it's something that sits with me every single day, where I watched how then my mother raised the three of us, myself and my two sisters, on her own. As an immigrant single mother, I watched how instantaneously and unexpectedly she became a widow who then had to now figure it out, and how she now had to live a life that she in no way planned for, in no way expected, and in no way dreamed of. And I know how every single day, I. I still wake up with a. A love of a person who, despite only having him physically in my life for three years, I take a great deal of pride that his DNA still flows through me. I. My heart is broken for his children. My heart is broken for his wife. They should not have to do this. And I can vehemently disagree with some of the things that he has said. I can vehemently disagree with some of the positions that he takes. I also know that part of the reason that I wore the uniform of this country and I led soldiers overseas in combat, and I would give my life for this country if necessary, is because I believe in his right to say it. I believe in his right to express his opinion. And I believe that him expressing his opinion should not have to result in his death. That's what separates us from so many other places around the world. That's what separates us. That's what makes the United States so unique and so special, is that the First Amendment that we laid out when this new country was built was harbored around freedoms. A freedom of speech, a freedom of assembly, a freedom of the press, a freedom the very first thing that when they were building this country, they thought to protect. And so I, I, while I completely disagree with so much of what Charlie Kirk shared and expressed, the world got darker when he was shot. And now the fact that we have his children who are going to grow up with their father being killed all over the Internet. And so I think it's really important that we do not forget this. Even in our displeasure or disagreements with his policies. That's not the answer. That's not how we're going to win.
Jennifer Welch
And I think it's important that we always point out that for me, at least on the left, my disagreement with you and my reaction to a lot of the things he said that disgusted me, truly disgusted me, things about black pilots, about wanting to stone gay people, that hurt me. And I want to stand with those marginalized people, but I never ever think that I want the person that says that publicly executed. My brain never goes there. I want to live in a country where we feel safe going to movie theaters, where Javi, the 24 year old black kid that worked for me for my interior design firm and then for the podcast since he was 18 years old, never late to work one day in his life, went into a convenience store one night and some kids tried to rob him and shot him and this huge bright light was put out. And then I think about all the little kids that have seen their classmates and I saw that video online and it wasn't censored, which is a whole nother thing for Congress to deal with whenever we get a normal president. But I think about little kids in schools that have seen that typographic blood in their five and six year old classmates and they had to go on from that. And I oppose that type of violence so much so that I even oppose it for the people with whom I politically disagree with it. I just universally across the board oppose it. And here's what I want to say, what I think makes the left a little different. It's easy sometimes when you see like the Latinos for Trump. And then, you know the lady who put on the big salsa rally, then her husband is detained. It's easy to be like, oh, you fucked around and found out, bitch. At the end of the day when I put my head on the pillow at night, I feel bad for that guy, right? That's detained by ice. I don't get off on seeing these people suffer. I just don't have that in me. And that's what makes me progressive. Even the the people who voted against their own interest. At the end of the day, I'm like, God damn it, you stupid idiot. Why did you do that to yourself? I don't want to see you suffer and separated from your family. This ad is brought to you by Vive Healthcare, the makers of Apertude Cabotegravir.
Angie
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Jennifer Welch
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Governor Wes Moore
You know, we just had historic floods over in western Maryland, which is like Allegheny and Garrett county, kind of like it's basically Appalachia and, and these studs. These storms were so severe that we literally had to have boats go up to the second floor of the schoolhouse to go save the children because the first floor is washed out. So they had to go upstairs the second floor. And thankfully the boats were able to get them before they were washed away. We were some of the first boots on the ground. We put in for emergency disaster federal relief because we knew we qualified for it. And ironically, the President of the United States denied it. And we found out that not a single state that did not vote for Donald Trump has gotten any federal disaster relief. And I was and still am furious over this. And a lot of people are saying they're like, like you do understand that area voted for Donald Trump by 75%. Like, they voted for him. They wanted this. So let them sit in it. Let them see what their vote just got. And while I tell people I understand your point, but here's the thing that I cannot escape. They're Marylanders. They're us. And I do not want to see any of them suffer. And I don't care how they voted in the last election. This is not an I told you so moment. This is a moment where they get a chance to see what is our humanity, what is our ability to be able to rise above and to make sure they're protected. And that while the federal government is saying to them, you're on your own, that in Maryland we're saying we leave no one behind. That's the difference. And so I, I, I, I cannot agree with you more. It's like, listen, there is a moment where people are realizing, and I think people are very quickly realizing that he is not who you think he is. And you and, and he was a Fantastic vessel for the frustration, but he's not a vehicle for the solution. He's not interested in solving your problems. But we still have to make sure that as part of this larger human umbrella that we find ourselves under, we're not going to stoop to that level. And we have to make sure that our people, no matter where they call home, no matter how they voted in the last election, but that our people are going to be okay.
Jennifer Welch
I'm just so glad you said that, because I'm worried about this younger generation. This is what your government is supposed to do for you. Whether you vote them or not, they take care of you. This is what a normal politician does. So for those that have grown up conscious the last 10 years with the Trump stuff, this, you have to support the people that even hate you, that rage tweet about you. Your job is to take care of them. Okay? Do you have time to play our world famous game, had it or hit it?
Governor Wes Moore
Oh, of course.
Jennifer Welch
Oh, my God. Welcome to had it or hit it. I would hit it, had it. I hit it every. Every day, sometimes twice a day. Had it or hit it. Cilantro.
Governor Wes Moore
Had it. So I. So I. I'm one of these very weird people who. I think it's like 3% of the population that, for me, cilantro actually tastes like soap and it ruins every single meal. And so, like, if anything has cilantro, and it's like, when people are like, oh, I want this guacamole, or I want this, and I'm like, yo, like, I'm. I'm out. I have so had it with cilantro and this, you know, this, you know, this gene that doesn't allow me to eat it.
Jennifer Welch
Okay, had it or hit it. Talking about 2028.
Angie
Are you.
Jennifer Welch
Will you.
Governor Wes Moore
And you know, you know why I've had it for real is, is. It's twofold. One is I. You know, because people are constantly coming up to us. I'm very excited that we just. We put in for our reelection. We're very excited about reelection in the state of Maryland. And I think we've got an amazing story to tell in Maryland about drops in crime rate, drops in unemployment, economic growth, et cetera, et cetera, right? Bringing affordability and actually creating more housing and more affordable energy options. So all this kind of stuff, however, everyone keeps, you know, when people say, like, well, are you ruling out 2028? I'm like, y', all, I haven't ruled it in one said anything about 2028 ever in my life.
Jennifer Welch
Let me just tell you this, 2028, you come home to Mama's right here.
Angie
Yeah.
Jennifer Welch
You announce it right here on I've Had It, Governor Westmore, because we think you, you know, you came on. Just a few of praise. You just come right home to Mama's and announce it right here on I've had it podcast. We'll make it go viral. Okay. All right. Had it or hit it? JB Pritzker.
Governor Wes Moore
Oh, I love JB.
Jennifer Welch
I do, too.
Governor Wes Moore
I love JB. JB's my guy. I mean, like, listen, and it's funny because a lot of them realize, like, for a lot of the governors were actually really close. And, you know, and particularly for me, because, like, I'm so new to this world. I've never. I've been involved. I. I had never run for office before my life, before running for governor. I don't come from a political family. I don't come from a political background. And one day I was like, you know what? You know, screw it. I'm running for governor because I don't like what these people are doing. And that's literally the journey. And then I ran for two years and ended up winning with more votes than anyone had ever run for office before in Maryland history. But. But there have been. There have been a real handful of governors, both. Some cases, both Democrat and Republicans, who've just been so good to me and just been helpful and thoughtful, and I've spent a lot of time with jb, particularly over these past few weeks, as we both seem to be, you know, the. You know, the. The. The ignorant angles and attack angles from the President, United States about our. About our cities and our National Guards. But. But I'm a big JP fan. That's. That's. That's my guy.
Jennifer Welch
We met him at the dnc and he was on our podcast. I was so impressed with him. I think he's the real deal. He's very genuine, very empathetic, a great thought leader, a great thinker, very realistic. Okay, a couple more. Had it or hit it? Stephen Miller.
Governor Wes Moore
No, I've had it with him. I've had it with him.
Jennifer Welch
Freaks me out, Governor. He freaks me out.
Governor Wes Moore
And the thing of. The thing about him that I think people do have to remember about him is that he is. He's. He's actually. He's smart, which makes it that much more dangerous.
Angie
Agree.
Governor Wes Moore
He. He has a plan and he's working it, and he's utilizing the. The president and working the president to make sure that his plan is actually is actually enacted. So. So I've had it. I've had it with Steve Miller.
Jennifer Welch
I agree.
Angie
Donald Trump could give two shits about policy or any of this. This is all Stephen Miller. I mean, they were going to give his briefings in like a Fox News thing because he didn't give a shit. I mean, it's unreal.
Jennifer Welch
He just wants to decorate the White House, be on tv, and everybody say he's cool. But the people behind the curtain, they are diabolical. They are evil and ambitious. And those two things combined. I mean, we are literally in the fight of our lives. I believe that we have to keep pushing for even. Even the people who are voting against their best interest. We have to put our big britches on and say, we're voting for you and voting for your right to have health care. And you can hate us all you want, but we want you to be taken care of if you're sick. Okay? Had it or hit it. TikTok dances.
Governor Wes Moore
Well, honestly, like, I. I've. I've hit it with dances, had it with Tick Tock dances, you know, I mean, like, Like, I like how Tick Tock can, like, take dances and. And play, but, like, real talk. I am. I am. I'm a dancer, man. Like, I like being out there. I like having fun, you know, you. You. You drop a beat. I'm. I'm. I'm moving. So, Kylie. Yeah?
Jennifer Welch
Did you have a beat to drop?
Angie
I love it.
Jennifer Welch
With YouTube, we had to find something that we could play. See, I love this.
Angie
This is so cute.
Jennifer Welch
That smile is just great. Governor Westmore, I mean, you make. You make a red state gal. Want to move to Maryland. Let's do it. I mean, seriously, you are such a joy. You are so smart. You so are such a. A fierce protector of your people, of your state. I think you are a star in the Democratic Party. You know where to come when the 2028 goes down, we'll do it. We'll do it in person, and we will do a TikTok dance. We will just get all turned up.
Governor Wes Moore
I love it. I love it. Y' all come through to Maryland. I'm telling you, this reelection, this is going to be something. We're going to send a message.
Jennifer Welch
Okay?
Governor Wes Moore
We're. We.
Jennifer Welch
We will definitely come. We would love that. It's so lovely to meet you. We love your work and thank you. You're doing for our country.
Governor Wes Moore
God bless y'. All. Thank you so much. For real. Thank you.
Angie
Bye.
Jennifer Welch
Bye. I'm in love. Oh, my gosh.
Angie
You. It took me like 10 minutes to catch up after he started talking about every morning at 6am he goes and works out like my mind. It took me 10 minutes to focus on you guys.
Jennifer Welch
We've got to get pumps laid.
Angie
Yeah. I mean I was just like, can you imagine how cute he is in workout clothes? That's the whole time I'm thinking that it, I was like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jennifer Welch
No, he's adorable, he's smart and he's kind hearted and like pathetic combat veteran. I mean it's just what a good person and how he, how proud he is of the changes and the impact that they've made, truly lowering crime rate and making Baltimore safer and the empathy he has for that part of his state that is total maga. Maga dump trucks. And Trump won't give them their federal money and he's so mad about it. And that's the kind, that's what leadership. They're supposed to be better than we are. Right. Like sometimes I can find myself in, well, you voted. You need to sit in it. That's what a layman says. That's a very pedestrian thought. But leaders have to rise above and say, I don't care if they voted for me or not. I'm responsible for their well being and for getting them this federal assistance.
Angie
Absolutely. Especially when you think about because he is black and the racism is just so blatant, you know, our DEI governor, da da da da da. And then Trump sucks him over and this is the guy that saves him. I hope, I'm hopeful that that would change somebody's mind and think, you know what, he helped me. Trump abandoned me.
Jennifer Welch
But I don't, I'm not that optimistic. I don't. Because the right wing will just spin it that and Trump would just say, I'm only giving it because I found out that these counties, you know, voted for me. And I. There's just a larger problem that we, we all have to deal with this misinformation and propaganda and people consuming it and believing it because it confirms some default setting that they have in them of racism. We see a lot in our red state of exceptionalism. And then you have the whole entire right wing branding empathy as a toxic trait.
Angie
Right.
Jennifer Welch
You know, which is just going to make everything worse. AI and these right wingers are just making everything worse. All right, listen, for all of our new listeners, we have a book, it's called Life is a Lazy Susan of Shit Sandwiches. Here's my Vanna White modeling. And it was the hottest read of the summer. There's no question about it. We just figured in Trump's America you can just make extraordinary claims without any evidence whatsoever to back it up. So my next extraordinary claim is this is the it cool book of the fall. Everybody has one. Everybody that's alive in this country. Republicans, Democrats, right wingers, left wingers, everybody's reading this book this fall. So the link is right below in the show notes. It's a great way to support pumps and me and our show.
Angie
Pumps tell em we will see you next Tuesday in 30 Thursday.
Jennifer Welch
I'll tell you what I've had it with. Let's hear it. I've had it with that. Listen up patriots, gay trots and matriots. We have a new podcast that has dropped. It's called I hip News. It's Monday through Friday. Every day, 15 to 20 minute hot takes on the political landscape of the United States of America. Always served with a side of petty grievances.
Angie
We are on all the available platforms, Apple, Spotify, Google, whatever you get your podcast and YouTube.
Jennifer Welch
Please go, rate, subscribe and review so that we will chart upwards with America's greatest legal mind. Pumps. Pumps. What does an eagle say? Caca. A little bit more enthusiasm. Caca. That's it.
Angie
That's, that's kaka.
Jennifer Welch
That's the patriotism that this country means right there.
Date: September 16, 2025
Hosts: Jennifer Welch & Angie "Pumps" Sullivan
Special Guest: Governor Wes Moore (Maryland)
In this engaging, unfiltered episode, Jennifer and Angie—joined by Maryland Governor Wes Moore—navigate everything from the mundane frustrations of everyday life to the heavy issues shaping American democracy. With their classic blend of humor and candor, the hosts and guest take on topics like modern technology anxieties, the pitfalls of hypochondria, the realities of racism, and the urgent fight to protect fair elections. Governor Moore’s warmth, wit, and policy insights ground the conversation, offering listeners both laughter and hope in turbulent political times.
Frustration with AI and Automated Customer Service
Hypochondria, Family Dynamics, and Medical Self-Diagnosis
[from 24:27 onwards]
[from 58:35]
A rapid-fire game of pet peeves and faves with the Governor:
On Addiction & Hypochondria:
“When something’s wrong, like a normal bodily... a stomach ache, a headache, he doesn’t have the ability to just power through that because his default setting for so long was self-medication.” – Jennifer Welch [12:34]
On Baltimore’s Recovery:
“Maryland’s had amongst the fastest drops in violent crime anywhere in the United States of America. And we’re actually serious about knowing the fact that we have more work to do.” – Gov. Wes Moore [28:12]
On Election Integrity:
“The only way that Donald Trump can be successful is if we have states who capitulate... Elections are state-run functions.” – Gov. Wes Moore [36:26]
On American History:
“Loving your country does not mean lying about it.” – Gov. Wes Moore [38:55]
On Patriotism:
“Another thing that I’ve had it with, honestly, is like, you take this idea of patriotism and that somehow the Republican party are the party of patriots... The ones… first to be criticized... are the ones who earned it four times over.” – Gov. Wes Moore [44:13]
On Responding to Political Violence:
“While I completely disagree with so much of what Charlie Kirk shared and expressed, the world got darker when he was shot... I believe in his right to express his opinion. And I believe that him expressing his opinion should not have to result in his death.” – Gov. Wes Moore [47:07]
On Empathy & Governing:
“I do not want to see any of them suffer. And I don’t care how they voted in the last election.” – Gov. Wes Moore [57:36]
Jennifer and Angie finish on an admiring note, lauding Governor Moore’s empathy, intelligence, and commitment to all his constituents—even those in MAGA territory or who rage-tweet about him. The hosts push their fall “cool book,” joke about the state of the country, and encourage listeners to join them again, wrapping up with their trademark irreverent patriotism.
“For all of our new listeners, we have a book... we just figured in Trump’s America you can just make extraordinary claims without any evidence whatsoever to back it up.” – Jennifer [67:07]
The episode is a tour de force of raw honesty, wit, and genuine engagement—a feel-good but deeply substantive conversation anchored by the sharp humor of the hosts and the sincerity of their guest.