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D.C. says no to Trump: Residents 'overwhelmingly oppose' police takeover, poll shows
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D.C. says no to Trump: Residents 'overwhelmingly oppose' police takeover, poll shows
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- [00:01]
Joe Scarborough
Hey, this is Jeff Lewis from Radio Andy live and uncensored. Catch me talking with my friends about my latest obsessions, relationship issues and bodily ailments. With that kind of drama that seems to follow me, you never know what's going to happen.
- [00:13]
Willie Geist
You can listen to Jeff Lewis live.
- [00:15]
Jonathan Lemire
At home or anywhere you are.
- [00:17]
Willie Geist
Download the SiriusXM app for over 425.
- [00:21]
Claire McCaskill
Channels of AD, free music, sports, entertainment and more. Subscribe now and get 3 months free offer details.
- [00:28]
Willie Geist
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Jonathan Lemire
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Joe Scarborough
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Jonathan Lemire
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- [01:08]
Willie Geist
Huge station.
- [01:13]
Jonathan Lemire
Wow.
- [01:14]
Willie Geist
The Supreme Court.
- [01:19]
Jonathan Lemire
Wow.
- [01:19]
Willie Geist
Washington Memorial.
- [01:25]
Jonathan Lemire
Oh, the Capitol. Wow. Okay. The new season of south park continues to rag on the Trump administration. Last night's episode mocked business leaders for kowtowing to the White House and also addressed the federal takeover of the police force in Washington, D.C. good morning. Welcome. Morning, Joe. It's Thursday, August 21st. With us, we have co host for the fourth hour, contributing writer at the Atlantic, Jonathan Lemire, also NBC News and MSNBC political analyst, former U.S. senator Claire McCaskill and senior writer at the Dispatch and columnist for Bloomberg Opinion, David Drucker. And Willie, you're bringing the big guns out. If you're south park and you have Talley, they bring Talley to Washington, D.C. yeah.
- [02:12]
David Drucker
As Alex, our executive producer, pointed out, that was literally the only part of the entire show we could show on this show this morning. They've had a reaction to that whole Paramount deal and the pressure that's been different from some others, which is, how much harder can we go at this? And to turn it so quickly? They're on the news every week, so you have to go watch it yourself.
- [02:33]
Jonathan Lemire
The thing is, again, we said it before. Say it again. You. It's whack a mole in the United States of America still, you think, oh, you know, oh, you think you can, you know, knock down Stephen Colbert. It's just gonna, especially with those guys, it's just gonna pop up somewhere else and it's gonna be a lot worse. The reaction is always much, much Worse.
- [02:54]
David Drucker
Yeah. I mean, they've. They have watched the news, written about it probably that day, animated it the next day, and had on the air within a week for the last couple of months.
- [03:05]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah, exactly. It's pretty crazy. So we. Speaking of Washington, D.C. that's the lead story today.
- [03:11]
David Drucker
Yeah. So it kind of goes with what we just saw. In South Park, D.C. residents overwhelmingly opposed President Trump's federal takeover of the city's police department, and they do not believe his efforts actually will reduce crime in the District. That's all according to a new poll from the Washington Post and George Mason University. The poll finds 79% of people surveyed in D.C. oppose the president's takeover of the D.C. police Department and the deployment of the national guard. Only 17% support it. 65% of D.C. residents say Trump's efforts will not reduce violent crime. When it comes to Congress passing a law to extend the federal takeover, an overwhelming majority, 77%, say they oppose it. Still, Vice President J.D. vance doubled down on claims that residents want a larger police presidency during a visit with National Guard troops yesterday.
- [04:03]
Claire McCaskill
Polls show that a majority of D.C. residents don't support the Guard here. So what's your message to the majority of D.C. residents?
- [04:08]
David Drucker
I'm highly skeptical that a majority of.
- [04:10]
Jonathan Lemire
D.C. residents don't want their city to be. To have better public safety and more.
- [04:15]
David Drucker
Reasonable safety standards within Washington, D.C. i.
- [04:19]
Jonathan Lemire
Don'T know what poll you're talking about.
- [04:21]
David Drucker
Maybe the same polls, except Kamala Harris would win the popular vote by 10 points. Vice President Defense Secretary Hegseth at Union Station yesterday, heckled by some D.C. residents there at the. At the station.
- [04:33]
Jonathan Lemire
It was. It was a South park type entrance.
- [04:36]
David Drucker
Yes.
- [04:36]
Jonathan Lemire
For the Vice President of the United States as it went in. You know, Claire, we've been showing. We've been showing a poll over the past week or so that shows. Same Washington Post outfit that did the polling that we showed this morning showed that 91% of Washington residents think crime is a problem, is a real problem, especially black Washington residents and women. Black women at the top of that list of saying crime is a very serious problem. Same pollster goes out into the field and they go, yes, basically, it is a serious problem, but this isn't the answer. Which shows, again, you can have a good idea. If you overreach in the application of that idea, it does no good.
- [05:23]
Willie Geist
Yeah, and this is a tricky one politically, because Democrats, I think, are really worried about seeming like they're against enforcing the law, which is not the case. I think what we really need to flesh out and they've been playing a game to hide what's really going on with these arrests. I looked at the arrests through last weekend. The vast majority of them were in two categories. Immigration. Like 163 arrests for immigration. That's not what they were supposed to be doing.
- [05:55]
Jonathan Lemire
Right.
- [05:56]
Willie Geist
And secondly there was the category other. Well, that means anything from DUI to trespassing to petty theft. And then you know how many people have been arrested for homicide, Joe? Two.
- [06:08]
Jonathan Lemire
Two. Yeah.
- [06:09]
Willie Geist
So if the problem is violent crime, you are taking people away from their jobs, like DEA, for example, you can trace a vast majority of the viol crime in this country to drug trafficking. So why are we taking DEA away from their job to enforce drug laws in this country to pick up people on immigration? It makes no sense. And they are acting like they're doing this big service. What they're really doing is they're flooding the system with low level stuff which they don't have the prosecutors or the judges to handle. So it is complicated. It's not simple, but it's a tough one on messaging because we don't want to ever look like that anybody is against enforcing the law. That's not the issue issue. It's the Photoshop, the photo op they're doing and the way they're doing it that makes absolutely no sense. If you know anything about crime and where and where.
- [07:00]
Jonathan Lemire
But send, send any reinforcements to southeast, to north. I mean send it to the areas that need it, that the residents would support it. But I mean, John Lemire, again, that's what we've been saying here all along, which is, okay, great, you want to help DC out, fantastic. Forge a partnership. This hasn't been a partnership. This has been a show for a lot of people. You know, South Carolina National Guard, you know, governors of southern states, some of whom have cities that have higher crime, higher violent crime per capita. You look at Monroe, Louisiana, where the speaker of the House is from, he, I mean, he's got no position to talk on this bill because that's one of the most dangerous cities in the United States of America per capita. Certainly a hell of a lot more dangerous than Washington D.C. or San Francisco, California.
- [07:56]
Joe Scarborough
Yeah, we've seen Washington Post has done a great job mapping where these guard members have been and they're the vast majority, not in high crime areas. It's been a little more the last couple days. They've moved them into some of those neighborhoods, but for the most part they're by Union Station, Lincoln Memorial. Big photo op places The White House. I was talking to some officials there yesterday. They still like what they're seeing here. They like the idea they're tough on crime. They like the images they're creating. That's why they sent out the vice president, the defense Secretary, Stephen Miller were all out yet defending this. And I guess, like south park, that clip was the only bit we could play because the rest of it, thanks to the hecklers, we can't air on morning television, but we're seeing that poll. What I feel like a lot of D.C. residents have said from day one, yes, even those who do believe we have a crime problem, the city should handle this differently. They don't want it to be like this. David Drucker. Because they don't want. It's overreach. Yes. But also just the idea of federal troops like this, that the precedent it could set. And we know it will be harder for the administration to do this in other cities, even though the President has talked about it. But even there, you're Washington.
- [08:51]
Jonathan Lemire
And by the way, don't cut our budget a billion dollars at the same time.
- [08:54]
Joe Scarborough
Exactly right. A billion dollars. House Republicans. To cut a billion dollars. Money that could have been used for quality of life and law enforcement in better ways than this show of force that I think most D.C. residents, the poll suggests don't want and think it's purely political.
- [09:10]
Claire McCaskill
Yeah, look, I think from the, from the get go, there have been some contradictions here. I mean, the president said he doesn't think the D.C. the District of Columbia needs a bigger police force. And I think a lot of D.C. residents would disagree. I think what with the vice president answering that question, there is. He responded to a question about the poll with an answer to a different question about a different poll that wasn't asked. Yes. D.C. residents are concerned about crime. Yes. I think many D.C. residents would like a larger police force. They don't necessarily want National Guard troops and federal police authorities all over tourist sites. And there have been complaints that there hasn't been enough of these additional forces in areas of high crime in the District that tourists never go to because there's no reason for them to be there. I think there are two issues here for us to remember. And Senator McCaskill was getting at this. Right. I mean, there's the issue of how do D.C. residents feel about this? And as we've talked about here, I am one. I've been one for 20 years. I experience this on a daily basis. And there's the issue of how voters outside of Washington who have Their own concerns about public safety view the reaction to this by the political parties as a proxy for crime where they live. And it's important if you're going to find that the president is overreaching. This is as a political matter, you talk to voters if you think the president is overreaching. It's important to acknowledge that crime is a problem, but that there are actual effective ways, if you believe this, to handle it versus just flooding federal troops into cities and turning them into armed camps. If your answer is statistics. Nothing to see here. To borrow a term from south park, then. Then the president may often come up on the better end of this.
- [11:01]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah. And South Park, Simpsons who, whatever it is. Yeah, nothing to see here. Move along, move along. But. But David's right there. There are two issues here. One, what do Washington residents think of this overwhelming majority? Same overwhelming majority that think crime is a serious problem in Washington D.C. say this is not the answer. Now, maybe if they figured out a way again to team up with D.C. government, they would be seen as a positive thing. But you can't cut a billion dollars from the budget and then go in and let people hang out at Apple stores on Wisconsin and at the Washington Monument and not go to high crime areas and expect Washington people to support it. Question is, we know what the MAGA base will think. What do swing voters think? I don't know. I'm kind of like, I don't. I don't think they like seeing troops in American cities. Not swing voters, not the people that are going to side the elections in, in Virginia and in New Jersey. Not this year or the midterms next year.
- [12:07]
David Drucker
And what we're hearing in that poll from the people of Washington, which is the group of people we should be listening to in all of this, is there is a problem with crime. Yes, Though this is not the solution, say 80% of them. Let's, as you say, partner, get us more cops. Come out, do something. Offer real solutions. This feels theatrical not just to people who talk about it on television, but people who live in Washington right now. Let's turn to another big story breaking overnight. The Texas House yesterday passed a new congressional map that could give Republicans five more seats after next year's midterm elections. The vote passed along party lines. After more than eight hours of debate. A Texas House Republican who co sponsored the new congressional map made it clear what this effort is all about.
- [12:51]
Jonathan Lemire
You want transparency? Here's the US Supreme Court. Legal transparency. The underlying goal of this plan is straightforward. Improve Republican political performance. Each of These newly drawn districts now trend Republican in political performance. While there's no guarantee of an electorate success, Republicans will now have an opportunity to potentially win these districts according to the U.S. supreme Court. You can use political performance and that is what we've done. He's just very transparent about that. Said what the plan is. They would now like to know what the plan is to wear a black tie on a black shirt in Texas in August. I just don't know many people in the south that do that.
- [13:48]
David Drucker
But anyway, Claire, I think we call that a confession. If you were a prosecutor in court.
- [13:53]
Willie Geist
I expected Perry Mason to pop up because he always gets the confessions right. And you know, and the sad thing is part of me has to acknowledge the guy's right about this. The legacy of the Roberts court is going to end up being not what Roberts wanted it to be because the decisions they made in Shelby and other cases that basic this couldn't have happened before until the Supreme Court said, no, we're kind of tired of that old idea that you can't bust up black districts to deny black representation. The Supreme Court said, yeah, now you can bust up black districts and try to, you know, basically that's what they're doing around the country.
- [14:31]
Jonathan Lemire
And by the way, they're watching black districts. The logic of it was they said, well you know what, what, we've moved far enough along. There's basically not racism anymore. We don't need the federal government actually over overseeing certain states who've had had 200 years of history of racist doctrine.
- [14:50]
Willie Geist
Yeah. And we now have reps in Representatives, state representatives, which I was one represented a very compact district in the city of Kansas City. We've got a guy in Texas that has 500 miles. They extended his district from Austin, Texas all the way down to the Mexican border and another 500 miles the other way. It's ridiculous trying to keep it from being a Democrat. So these are so gerrymandered, they are so bad. But now the Democrats have to do the exact same thing everywhere they can. The exact same thing.
- [15:22]
David Drucker
Well, that brings us to our next point. Republicans currently control 25 of the 38 congressional districts in the state of Texas. Under the new map, President Trump would have carried 30 of 38 seats, all by more than 10 points. The Texas State Senate likely will pass the map this evening. And then Governor Greg Abbott is expected to sign it into law by tomorrow. To Claire's point, former President Barack Obama now sharing his support for California's attempt to counter those mid decade redistricting efforts by Republicans in Texas. At a fundraiser earlier this week, Obama said he had, quote, tremendous respect for California Governor Gavin Newsom's proposal to redraw his state's congressional maps. In response to that effort in Texas, Obama went on to say Democrats must respond effectively to Republican gerrymandering efforts, even if it means breaking with norms. And that Governor Newsom's plan is a, quote, responsible approach. Yesterday, the California Supreme Court said it would not prevent Democrats from moving forward with a plan to redraw congressional districts. After last night's vote in Austin, Governor Newsom posted on social media, writing on.
- [16:31]
Jonathan Lemire
Texas, you know, Claire, you talked about the districts being drawn and it's, it's just, it's so unrepresentative and it's, it's so, so insane. And at the end of the day, you just spur parties, the other party to do the same thing in other states. And so here we go again. And, you know, that's. I've said before, I'll say it again. People always ask, hey, why are things so divided in Congress? Say it goes back to gerrymandering. I mean, it's that simple. I wish we could, I wish the court could revisit this. I mean, this is so insane. Or I wish we could have a constitutional amendment that would actually, you know, end gerrymandering in the United States Congress and on state levels. It would make such a huge difference in the political discourse out there.
- [17:28]
Willie Geist
Yeah, safe seats. Safe seats in the House create gridlock because the only thing a congressman or congresswoman worries about is a primary. It is a disincentive to compromise. It is disincentive to long term legislation that actually businesses and citizens can rely on because it swings back and forth based on who has the majority. So this is bad for government, but the answer to and what Texas is doing is not for us. You know, who say it's bad for government to wring our hands and go, oh, this is bad for government. It's to like, okay, fine, you want to do it? Let's dance, let's go. Let's redraw every single state we can as Democrats to create more Democratic seats. That's the only thing we can do right now. Because if we don't, this country's representative in Washington will not reflect the country. Not even close. I mean, thank goodness we still have senators who have to represent an entire state. But what these guys are doing is really, really bad. And by the way, let me just say, I think the Republicans think nobody's paying attention. Yeah, I Think this will have an impact on turnout, especially among Democratic voters?
- [18:40]
Jonathan Lemire
Oh, yeah. Oh, no doubt about it. And Dave Drucker, the other consequence, one of the main consequences I see from gerrymandering is you get the people in the safe seats, and I won't even mention their names, but you get people in the safest seats. They say the most, especially on the Republican side, they say the most outrageous things and they raise a ton of money. The more insulting, the more outrageous, the more vulgar, the crazier, the more insane they sound. Because they're safe in their district, the more money they raise nationwide, the more their profile goes up. The way they're literally able to stand in the way of anything effective getting done in Congress. And I'm not even talking about on a bipartisan way, how many speakers of the House have Republicans had that have had their plans to move a Republican package forward stopped by people in these districts who can be as extreme and as crazy and as obstructionist as they want because those are the incentives in this new gerrymandered world?
- [19:50]
Claire McCaskill
Well, and we've seen that over the past decade and a half, at least, because all the action, Joe, is in the primaries. Right? I mean, how often are we discussing a topic here? And you guys ask me, what do Republicans think? And my answer is usually they don't want to rock the boat ahead of primary season because the only place they're going to have a competitive race is in a Republican primary. I think Democrats also have to look out for this in this way. Right. There's a lot of angst from left. Democratic voters sounding like Republican voters did for years, want their party to fight, fight harder, fight more. And not that they should stand down, not that they shouldn't respond to fire with fire, but this is going. This could create the same sort of, sort of dynamic in Democratic primaries where voters have to look over their shoulder, knowing that if they cooperate too much with the other party, if they're willing to compromise, if they don'. Appear to be fighting hard enough, it's the primary where they can be ousted and we're in a situation. And, and look what's happening now with the further gerrymandering of seats is even is on the one hand, we could in the short term have some more competitive districts. Right. If you look at that Texas map, some is dark red. A lot of it is shaded light red. And that means if this atmosphere goes against the president and his party next year. I've had Republicans in Texas tell me they're worried Instead of gaining five seats, you could have 10 competitive seats, seats, and you could end up losing seats. But in the long term, what you end up with are politicians that don't have a general election to worry about. They have a nomination fight to worry about. And that means they can hold the line, not do anything, get rewarded, and the cycle continues.
- [21:36]
Jonathan Lemire
By the way, Willie David brings up a great point that others have brought up all along, and that is they shave it so close that if you have a swing election, this actually backfires and Democrats have a tidal wave election.
- [21:52]
David Drucker
We'll see. It could, I mean, depending on how things go in the next year and a half. John, like almost everything in the Republican Party this day, these days, it comes from the top. This is what Donald Trump wants. He sees over the horizon that next year the midterms could be a problem. If he loses the House, that obviously slows down his agenda for the last two years of his term. Clare, state of Missouri, Indiana, others now saying, oh, Texas pulled this off, we'd like to do it, too. The arms race begins with California, maybe New York and other Democratic states as well.
- [22:22]
Joe Scarborough
Yeah, we're going to see it go. Both red and blue states, it appears. And I have talked to a lot of Democrats last week or so since it really became a story, who initially were, we don't want to do this. We think we should be better than this. This isn't good for the country. We don't want to have the fact that there won't be beholden congressmen or women beholden to a general electorate, just about the primary voters. You're going to see blue state Republicans be wiped out or red state Democrats be wiped out. Like, that's not good for the democracy. But now that Texas is going forward with this, I think there was a hope that maybe they would back away, but now they're doing it. Democrats are saying, yeah, the arms race is on. And will you underscore what can't be said enough, that this is at the best of the president who looks at next year and it's not just about his agenda being knocked down. It's like, if Democrats get the House, I'm gonna have to face investigations again. They're gonna have the subpoena power. They might even go impeachment again. He doesn't want to do that. And this Republican Party, short term thinking they're serving this president, this White House, even if the consequences down the road are bad for the party and democracy.
- [23:22]
David Drucker
Do you think Missouri, Indiana, those states will have similar luck with this, get this through their State houses.
- [23:27]
Willie Geist
Yeah. In Missouri, what they're gonna do is they're gonna destroy Reverend Emanuel Cleaver's district. He's represented Kansas City for a long, long time. Beloved in Kansas City. They're going to slice up Kansas City to the point that there will no longer be a black congressman representing Kansas City. We'll be down to one black representative in the state of Missouri in a state that over 40% of the folks voted for the Democrats and they were primarily in the urban areas. So you're really distorting what Missouri is when you do the maps this way. I think Missouri will. I don't know about Indiana. I think Indiana has kind of pumped the brakes a little bit because they realize this is a problem because these seats are going to be so much more competitive.
- [24:15]
Jonathan Lemire
Right.
- [24:16]
Willie Geist
So, you know, be careful what you wish for here. Texas may be sorry. And by the way, I remember when Michelle Obama, who I love dearly, said, you know, when they go low, we go high. Well, that didn't work out so well. And now you see Gavin Newsom trolling like, I never thought I'd see a Democratic governor troll doing the kinds of things that the Trump folks have been doing now for a long time. And I think Democrats are beginning to catch on. If we play nice, we're going to be on the sidelines. So it's time to throw some punches and do what we have to do to make sure our views are represented.
- [24:52]
David Drucker
In D.C. we were talking yesterday about Gavin Newsom's new combative style, his mockery of Donald Trump. He actually talked about that yesterday in an interview. We'll play that for you in just a minute. Also ahead, a top Pentagon official says the United States will have a minimal role in security guarantees for Ukraine. So what does that mean? We'll dig into how European leaders are reacting. Plus, we'll go through a federal judge's ruling denying the Trump administration's request to release the Jeffrey Epstein grand jury transcripts. And a reminder, the Morning Joe podcast, available every day, featuring our full conversations and analysis. You can listen wherever you get your podcasts. You're watching Morning Joe. We'll be right back.
- [25:42]
Jonathan Lemire
At a time like this, we can't forget that the fight for a brighter.
- [25:45]
Claire McCaskill
Future isn't defined by any single moment. It's defined by the work we do.
- [25:50]
Jonathan Lemire
The values we stand for, and the commitment we make to each other each and every day. Please consider making a gift to the Obama foundation today. It's the best way to support our.
- [26:01]
Claire McCaskill
Mission and help these young leaders continue.
- [26:04]
Jonathan Lemire
To build a fairer, kinder, more hopeful.
- [26:07]
Claire McCaskill
Future for all of us.
- [26:12]
Willie Geist
The bottom line is, even as the Trump administration tries to end abortion access, slash funding and shut down health centers, Planned Parenthood continues its vital work without flinching. The assault on reproductive health is strategic and persistent. And who gets hurt the most? Women, People of color, rural communities, folks with low incomes, the people who already face the biggest barriers to care. If you believe everyone deserves to control their own body and future, donate now@plannedparenthood.org.
- [26:41]
Jonathan Lemire
Defend.
- [26:44]
Willie Geist
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- [27:16]
David Drucker
Ooh, it's early in LA. 3:25 in the morning. You don't want to see that hour of the day. But in la, I think a lot of people do on the back end.
- [27:25]
Jonathan Lemire
But we have, we actually have people that watch the show.
- [27:28]
David Drucker
Yes.
- [27:28]
Jonathan Lemire
And they wake up very early out there. There are also others who come in very late. Bill Maher once told me he would be in his hot tub.
- [27:37]
David Drucker
That's right.
- [27:37]
Jonathan Lemire
I remember that watching morning show. By the way we look at the phone.
- [27:42]
Willie Geist
I can't get that out of the hard drive now.
- [27:44]
Jonathan Lemire
Nor should you. By the way, the New York Post here talks about Putin, the pressure on. And the Post is saying this is no time for Donald Trump to let up on Vladimir Putin, that they have to put the pressure on. Of course, that's the New York Post. The Wall Street Journal editorial page has said the same thing. And also can't help but look at the headline on the front of the Wall Street Journal. And I'm just wondering, those Arab Americans in Michigan that said they couldn't vote for Joe Biden because of Joe Biden's policy, The same Joe Biden that was calling Netanyahu basically, you know, every day pressuring him, pushing him, cajoling him, I wonder what they're saying now because the hopes of a two state solution already low, completely gone now Gaza being taken over, the west bank completely out of control. And yeah, they're running around talking about genocide, Joe. Really? Genocide Joe. Well, this is what you got. And it's the worst the situation has been for Palestinians, my God, in our lifetime. And again, you know, this is what happens when extremists attack Democratic candidates. It's a lot like 1968 when everybody was going after Hubert Humphrey. Forget Richard Nixon. Way to go. I mean, far left extremists. This is what far left extremists basically were voting for when they voted against Joe Biden.
- [29:33]
David Drucker
Progressives chanting genocide, Joe. They had valid concerns about what was happening obviously inside of Gaza. But it was a binary choice between two men. And there was a reason. Prime Minister Netanyahu was in many ways publicly, but certainly privately hoping that Donald Trump would become the next president.
- [29:49]
Jonathan Lemire
Right. Giving him a blank check. Here we are giving him a pathway and always said he was going to.
- [29:58]
David Drucker
Now they're on the outskirts of Gaza City this morning.
- [30:01]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah, exactly.
- [30:02]
David Drucker
Ready to move in. All right, let's turn back to California where Governor Gavin Newsom and his press team continue their all out social media blitz against President Trump and his mass MAGA supporters. He's been mimicking the President's own style of online posts. Some are rambling diatribes written in all caps, laden with personal insults, self congratulations. Others feature AI images like Newsoms, Newsom's head on Mount Rushmore.
- [30:28]
Jonathan Lemire
Sorry. That's good.
- [30:29]
David Drucker
All caps. Wow, what an honor. On Mount Rushmore. Or an illustration of the governor being.
- [30:36]
Jonathan Lemire
Prayed over by Chuck. Stop it. Hulk Hogan and Kid Rock. Okay, that's good. Who's doing his material, man? Come on.
- [30:46]
David Drucker
He's hired somebody.
- [30:47]
Jonathan Lemire
Come on.
- [30:47]
David Drucker
When the musician Kid Rock hit back at Newsom, his team replied by writing, I hate Kid Rock. That's an ode to Trump's famous attack on Taylor Swift. When another user complained, did you ever.
- [31:00]
Jonathan Lemire
Notice Kid Rock, you know, since he turned on me, you know, no longer popular. Right, right, right.
- [31:06]
David Drucker
So another user complained, that picture, that AI image we showed was blasphemy. Newsom responded, repost of an image that Trump shared in May depicting himself as the Pope. Actual blasphemy. Here's what Governor Newsom said last week about this new online strategy.
- [31:26]
Jonathan Lemire
I think it connects here in LA and the fires and how he was completely misrepresenting the facts. Misinformation, disinformation. Elon Musk was piling on his. So, yes, I've changed. The facts have changed. We need to change and we need to stand up to this authoritarian. We need to stand up. At this moment, it is Foundational again, it is not about Republican versus Democrat. This guy is an invasive species. He is completely different. I respect the Republican Party. I married in a Republican family. I have deep love and respect for people I disagree with. He is something whole, together different and he is unmoored. There is no constraints. So, yes, we're going to punch back.
- [32:11]
David Drucker
Some free political advice from the President.
- [32:12]
Jonathan Lemire
Of the United States is don't help me too much.
- [32:14]
Claire McCaskill
Stop sounding like crazy people. That really is all it is.
- [32:17]
David Drucker
I mean, this idea that Gavin Newsom.
- [32:19]
Jonathan Lemire
Is somehow going to mimic Donald Trump's style, I think that ignores the fundamental.
- [32:23]
David Drucker
Genius of President Trump's political success, which.
- [32:26]
Jonathan Lemire
Is that he's authentic. He just is who he is. You've got to be yourself.
- [32:30]
Joe Scarborough
You've actually got to talk to people.
- [32:31]
David Drucker
Honestly about the issues. I don't think it's that complicated.
- [32:35]
Claire McCaskill
Don't be a crazy person. Be authentic.
- [32:38]
Jonathan Lemire
I would agree completely with J.D. vance there, except for the fact this is the same J.D. vance that mused whether Donald Trump was America's Hitler and said that if you're a Christian, Jesus expects more of us than to vote for Donald Trump or something along those lines. And so, yeah, I do agree, Claire. You know, the best way to win is to be your authentic self. At the same time, I'm thinking Gavin is thinking he can do two things at once, which is have a little fun, punch, get under their skin and campaign on the issues.
- [33:17]
Willie Geist
Yeah. The fact that we're talking about it shows that he's been really successful in what he's doing and the fact that J.D. vance is referencing it. And by the way, if we're talking about Donald Trump being really authentic, I mean, how about all that gold stuff from home goods store he's tacked up all over the. I mean, fake gold all over your office doesn't exactly read authentic and down to earth. So to the extent that he is himself and that he does vulgar, horrible things and that he's shown his immorality at every turn in his life, to that extent, he's been authentic. But I hate to call the guy actually authentic in many ways.
- [33:57]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah.
- [33:57]
Joe Scarborough
I mean, this is probably also a short term strategy here from Newsom. I don't think he's going to sign every Twitter post going forward with thank you for your attention to this matter, I think, but it's a sign of some energy. It's a sign of what Democrats do want to see is someone up there fighting, taking the fight to Trump in some way. Newsom, of course, eyeing 2028 it's a way to differentiate himself from others. And he is, because of the role California plays front and center here. You know, we know Trump put the National Guard in Los Angeles there for those ICE raids. You know, Trump has, last night on Truth Social again went after Gavin Newscomb, as he puts it. You know, it is the blue state now. That might be part of the redistricting efforts as well. So Newsom, because of that, knows he's got a spotlight. He's taking advantage of it.
- [34:39]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah. You know, though, David, the POD Save America guys after the election were saying Democrats need to have more fun. There are a lot of terrible things we can say talking about Donald Trump. There's a lot of terrible things we can say about the Madison Square Garden rally. But it's kind of like we're having a party is what the POD guy said. And he said Democrats have always been too dour, too serious, too this, too. That seems to me that what Gavin's doing here, even though, again, I think when he's campaigning, he needs to talk about affordability. I said that yesterday. I think you're getting a twofer here. First of all, you're making people laugh because it's obvious parody, that's number one. But number two, you're showing you're not afraid to fight. And so many Democrats in the past have been afraid to fight. They've been afraid to smile. They've been afraid to openly mock and ridicule and have a good time out on the campaign trail. Newsom's doing both of them at the same time, and the base is loving it. Yeah.
- [35:38]
Claire McCaskill
I think we've seen from successful candidates right and left that when you are yourself, you're a little bit charismatic and you're joyful about the work you're doing, it attracts voters. I think what Newsom is trying to do here is make fun of Trump. Right. And so I think to the extent that voters understand that he's not actually trying to mimic Trump, that he is trolling Trump, that he's doing this on purpose because he's mocking the entire exercise, I think that that can work for him. And, you know, I think. I think what people need to remember is voters will hold different politicians to different standards. Right. Trump isn't invulnerable. We saw in 2018amidterm rebuke. We saw in 2020, he loses. And so voters writ large don't always respond to his antics. But to the extent that they're okay with them, it's because they just look at him. As that's who he is, for better or worse, and that's just the way he behaves. Right. For politicians that don't behave that way, when voters feel like they're trying to be somebody else because they think that's what we want, that's when it goes awry. And I think Newsom has been clear here that he's not trying to be somebody else, that he's making fun of somebody else. And Obviously, with a 2028 presidential bid on the horizon, potentially, and the fact that Democratic voters have been so unhappy, whether that's fair or not, what they're getting from politicians in Washington, this sort of energy and fight, it's one of the reasons why Republican voters were so excited by Trump. And it's the kind of thing that can get voters on the left excited again if he pulls this off.
- [37:24]
Jonathan Lemire
But here's the funny thing about Republicans responding to Gavin Newsom, responding to the troll. I've spent, like, especially the last year, telling people around me, don't respond when he talks about 2028, when he's holding the cap up. He's doing it to troll you, to get you to scream, to yell, to wave your arms, to say this, to say that. Now you got Gavin doing these things and you have Republicans. But wait, but wait, that's exact. Again, that's the troll. Democrats have always taken the bait on Donald Trump's trolls. Now you have Republicans taking the bait on his parody of a troll. Pretty good.
- [38:10]
David Drucker
And he's also doing what you suggest, which is two things at once. He's smiling, he's having fun with this stuff. But he is, if you listen to him back at home, he is talking about affordability and the things that concern his state. So we'll see if this works long term.
- [38:22]
Jonathan Lemire
And one other thing, in the world that we live in and the social world, social media world that we live in, if you can make people laugh, he can make people laugh, whether it's on TikTok, whether it's on YouTube, whether it's on X. I mean, Lemire and I were sending around some political things last night that were pretty funny and.
- [38:41]
David Drucker
Had potato chips involved. Different story.
- [38:44]
Joe Scarborough
We'll get to that. There are potato chips involved and things that can't be said that were shouted at various public figures.
- [38:50]
David Drucker
Oh, sure, right.
- [38:51]
Jonathan Lemire
And some AI stuff. Look at some of that AI stuff. And I go, you know what? What? I'm okay, this is going to all balance itself out because just for the. Yes, the machines will take over the world. It will be like the Matrix, but we'll have some good laughs.
- [39:08]
Willie Geist
Laugh while we're crying.
- [39:09]
Jonathan Lemire
Exactly. You know, before. Yeah, before they stick it in the back of our neck. We'll get some good chuckles on eggs.
- [39:17]
David Drucker
We'll be laughing when they come and put one in the back of our heads.
- [39:20]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah. Go ahead. Go ahead. Hold. Let me see at the end of this, what did you.
- [39:25]
David Drucker
Senior writer for the Dispatch, David Drucker. David, always good to have you on. Thank you. Coming up, we'll take a look at some of the other stories making headlines this morning, including the Trump administration indefinitely suspending White House tours.
- [39:37]
Joe Scarborough
Why?
- [39:38]
David Drucker
Plus, Pablo Torre joins us ahead of a huge series, four games between the Yankees and Red Sox. It starts tonight in the Bronx with the team separated by just a game and a half.
- [39:48]
Jonathan Lemire
By the way, for people watching, he's not real. Diablo is completely AI generated. We'll tell you about the technology next. Hey, this is Will Arnett, host of Smartless. Smartless is a podcast with myself and Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman, where each week one of us reveals a mystery guest to the other two. We dive deep with guests that you love, like Bill Hader, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Aniston, David Beckham, Kristen Stewart and tons more. So join us for a genuinely improvised and authentic conversation filled with laughter and newfound knowledge to feed the smartless mind. Listen to Smartless now on the SiriusXM app. Download it today. Sometimes an identity threat is a ring of professional hackers, and sometimes it's an overworked accountant who forgot to encrypt their connection while sending bank details. I need a coffee. And you need lifelock. Because your info is in endless places. It only takes one mistake to expose you to identity theft. LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second. If your identity is stolen, we'll fix it, guaranteed, or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year at lifelock.com specialoffer terms apply cash flow crunch OnDeck's small business line of credit gives your business immediate access to funds up to $100,000 right when you need it. Cover seasonal dips, manage payroll, restock inventory.
- [41:23]
Joe Scarborough
Or tackle unexpected expenses without missing a beat.
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Jonathan Lemire
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- [41:45]
David Drucker
Look at some of the other stories making headlines this morning The Trump administration has suspended public tours of the White House as the President pushes forward on plans to add a massive ballroom to the building. As the Washington Post reports, officials have not released the ballroom's architectural plans or its exact location, even though Trump is rushing to break ground on the $200 million problem.
- [42:07]
Jonathan Lemire
Wait, so we're looking at the White House, really? It is gorgeous. And, you know, they're not talking about expanding the, the, The East Wing, are they? Of the White House there?
- [42:21]
David Drucker
They haven't said, but it's. If it's going to be that big, they're not going to take over a room. They have to add on.
- [42:27]
Joe Scarborough
There's a sense that, again, nothing has been confirmed, that it's going to be something behind the East Wing.
- [42:31]
Jonathan Lemire
Okay, so, so, so from, from, from this, it will be contained. This, this will. This ballroom will be contained inside this East Wing. And if.
- [42:42]
Joe Scarborough
Yeah, no, I think it's gonna be a new structure, but, yes, it would be not. This view would not change. I mean, the President put that big flag in front. That's new. But the ballroom would be in the back. So more the South Lawn. So if you're up by the Washington Monument, looking up towards the White House, you would see it. And that's also. The South Lawn is where they've already paved over the Rose Garden.
- [42:58]
Jonathan Lemire
So I'm not being snarky here. Are we talking about the same. About the same area where Barack Obama put his basketball court back there behind the East.
- [43:08]
Claire McCaskill
The Cato Kaelin Guest House of the White House?
- [43:11]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah.
- [43:11]
Joe Scarborough
I mean, one project significantly bigger than the other, but yet. Yes. Also South Lawn. There's also.
- [43:15]
Jonathan Lemire
Well, no, no, no. I'm just talking about location. I'm not comparing the two. Please. Yeah, please, please. Blue sky. Now, I'm not comparing the two. I mean, if we're looking at the area that would be behind the east, not from there.
- [43:30]
Joe Scarborough
Yeah.
- [43:30]
Jonathan Lemire
Won't, Won't. Won't change this view.
- [43:32]
Joe Scarborough
That view will not change.
- [43:33]
Jonathan Lemire
Cannot change this view.
- [43:35]
David Drucker
Remember, we've had members of Congress at these town halls when they're asked why they cut Medicaid, they say, well, the US government doesn't have unlimited money.
- [43:42]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah.
- [43:43]
David Drucker
Except to build $300 million ballrooms at the White House. Apparently, it took 12 hours for the Navy to douse the fire on board the USS New Orleans anchored off Okinawa in Japan. Pentagon says two sailors suffered minor injuries, the cause still under investigation. The crew will remain on board the ship. And Delta and United Airlines are being sued for selling windowless window seats. To passengers. The lawsuits claim the two major airlines do not flag windowless seats during the booking process for passengers who pay extra for a window seat.
- [44:17]
Jonathan Lemire
Wait, wait, wait, wait a second. You're flying across America this summer and that's your complaint? I mean, like, that's a lawsuit.
- [44:28]
Willie Geist
Yeah, well, it is, because if you advertise you're getting a window and you pay for a window and you don't get a window, there's a very aggressive trial lawyer somewhere that realizes there's a class action. And class action pulls together all the folks that paid for a window that didn't get a window and holds the airline accountable. That's not gonna hold them accountable.
- [44:48]
Jonathan Lemire
Maybe I don't wanna see the engine on fire.
- [44:50]
Willie Geist
Well, then don't buy a window seat.
- [44:52]
Jonathan Lemire
Okay, but how do you take the.
- [44:53]
Claire McCaskill
TikTok video of the engine on fire if you don't have the window and.
- [44:56]
David Drucker
Then your weeping reaction?
- [44:58]
Claire McCaskill
That's right.
- [44:58]
Jonathan Lemire
Instead of getting off, can we do really briefly here, just briefly talk about how bad air travel. I don't know if it's been the same for you all this summer, but air travel this summer, last summer, let's be fair, going back every summer all the way to Covid, it's just been a nightmare. Especially I can't speak for out west. I can say, though, going up and down the east coast is just been a nightmare. Whether you're at Newark, JFK, LaGuardia, I mean, DCA. I mean, how many flights in and out of DCA are on time? And plus, all we've learned, obviously, about all the military flights that have and all the near misses, like, what have people been doing? What have people been doing over the past five years other than giving airlines billion dollar bailouts so they could fire their staff, be understaffed, so when people want to start flying again, the entire system's breaking apart.
- [46:03]
Claire McCaskill
We got rid of the DEI pilots, so we're getting good. We're good. Like, my feed, by the way, Joe, is entirely like, maybe this is just my algorithm, but it is just like people fighting inside of. Well, Sydney Sweeney.
- [46:14]
Jonathan Lemire
Right.
- [46:15]
Claire McCaskill
And then people fighting inside of airport terminals.
- [46:18]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah.
- [46:20]
Willie Geist
And on the planes.
- [46:21]
Claire McCaskill
Some of those, I think are fake, but it's just hard to tell. Yeah, A lot of, you know, like.
- [46:25]
Jonathan Lemire
Amy Klobuchar, but truly, they're like recreate.
- [46:31]
Claire McCaskill
Fights in an airplane cabin. But it's a set.
- [46:35]
Joe Scarborough
Yeah.
- [46:36]
Jonathan Lemire
Because.
- [46:36]
Claire McCaskill
Oh, this is. This is a.
- [46:38]
David Drucker
What's wrong with it, Willie?
- [46:39]
Claire McCaskill
Don't get back on.
- [46:40]
Jonathan Lemire
Don't.
- [46:40]
Claire McCaskill
Don't go on X. I'm off.
- [46:43]
David Drucker
I don't even know what these are, so.
- [46:44]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah. Yeah.
- [46:45]
David Drucker
I'm an old man now.
- [46:46]
Willie Geist
Yeah.
- [46:46]
David Drucker
Hey, that's Pablo Torre. I want to be on Metal Arc media. We like to back in.
- [46:52]
Claire McCaskill
My Internet addiction is my way into the room. Typically so sort of like the Max.
- [46:57]
Jonathan Lemire
Headroom room of 2025 room. He is. He is AI generated.
- [47:01]
Claire McCaskill
Yeah.
- [47:01]
David Drucker
Let's talk some fun stuff here.
- [47:03]
Claire McCaskill
Yes.
- [47:03]
Jonathan Lemire
Four game series.
- [47:05]
Claire McCaskill
Get that right in the mirror space.
- [47:06]
David Drucker
Starts right Yankees red side renewing the rivalry. Fighting for the wild card. Living in the Blue Jays world. What do you like this, Willie?
- [47:16]
Jonathan Lemire
We're gonna get crushed.
- [47:17]
Claire McCaskill
We're here to sweet this. This false.
- [47:20]
Jonathan Lemire
You guys are gonna win everyone games. You're going to win the series in five. Why are we even talking about this?
- [47:27]
Claire McCaskill
You can't dilute the feeling that Willie and I clearly felt. Five in a row. First extra innings win John on the road all season.
- [47:36]
Joe Scarborough
Great.
- [47:36]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah. That's great. We feel good. We feel good. We feel good. It's George Simon field.
- [47:43]
Joe Scarborough
It's not exactly on the road.
- [47:45]
Claire McCaskill
Listen.
- [47:45]
Jonathan Lemire
That is.
- [47:46]
David Drucker
Listen.
- [47:47]
Claire McCaskill
Our house has many wings, but it counts. It counts. This is our ballroom. That's right. This is our newly constructed ballroom. Stanton, by the way, last I heard, you know, he had double tennis elbow. And look at that elbow flexing. That feels good. How are you guys feeling?
- [48:07]
Joe Scarborough
Sox come into this series in the other direction. They've lost three in a row. A couple of heartbreakers the other night against the Orioles leaving the base loaded three straight innings.
- [48:16]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah, but at least, least it was the seventh, the eighth and the ninth.
- [48:19]
Joe Scarborough
Day that we left and then we lost in the 10th. So there we have now slipped a game and a half behind the Yankees. Red Sox just barely trying to hang on as we go into this four game series in the Bronx.
- [48:29]
David Drucker
Series.
- [48:30]
Joe Scarborough
You guys will probably win so convincingly. They'll call it after three games. Yeah, and but there the wild card standings have gotten tight. The mar. The Royals and Guardians have made a push.
- [48:38]
Jonathan Lemire
I got to say, the Mariners keep losing, by the way. While nobody was watching. The brewers have lost three in a row. The Cubs have won three in a row. That's back up to six.
- [48:46]
Willie Geist
It's going to be the brewers in Detroit in the World Series.
- [48:49]
Jonathan Lemire
You think so? The brew gay Midwest go Midwest go.
- [48:55]
Willie Geist
Tired of the Yankees and the Red Sox go Midwest.
- [48:57]
Claire McCaskill
Oh, the Chiefs fan is tired.
- [49:03]
Jonathan Lemire
You know, Lemire. I mean the thing is. So the Red Sox had set themselves up really great for. For a run into September and being Strong. And what's happened, what's been surprising is our starting pitching has really come through. We've had people like Giolito just, he's just been lights out. Baio's been doing well. A lot of people that most baseball fans maybe not have heard of, even Walker Bueller's had a couple of quality starts. He's starting to warm up a little bit. But our bullpen, which was one of the best in the American League, our bullpen's fallen apart over the past three games and we just aren't hitting the ball beyond Chapman. Chapman who by the way, I' say amazing. I have not seen a relief pitcher more dominant than Chapman this year. And what's so shocking is he's 37 years old. And Willie, you know this, you guys know this. You're Yankees fans. Somewhere between his 36th and 37th birthday, he figured out how to get Greg Maddox, like control.
- [50:03]
Claire McCaskill
It's a rare thing.
- [50:04]
Jonathan Lemire
It's unbelievable. He's been, he's, he's stunning.
- [50:07]
Joe Scarborough
He's been great. But to your point, the bullpen has been really shaky of late and the offense feels still kind of one hitter short. And we go back to the trade deadline, the Red. So look, the Red Sox have played very well last couple because they have until. But they clearly needed a piece or two and they didn't get it. And now that, now they seem to be at the worst time. Pablo falling short. While the Yankees obviously have had scuffles. There's some Judge Boone tension, which we of course enjoy. But they're playing well.
- [50:32]
Claire McCaskill
I've fired Aaron Boone five times this year, baby.
- [50:35]
David Drucker
He's back.
- [50:36]
Claire McCaskill
But you know what?
- [50:36]
Jonathan Lemire
What? He's the man.
- [50:38]
Claire McCaskill
There's always time. There's always time to win me over again. Dude, I, I, I laugh at the Red Sox generally. Of course, yeah.
- [50:47]
Jonathan Lemire
Because I mean, why, why shouldn't you? We've won five World Series. This, it's a four. We've only won four.
- [50:53]
Claire McCaskill
Four.
- [50:53]
David Drucker
This self deprecation.
- [50:56]
Claire McCaskill
This century is really important. The whole.
- [50:58]
Jonathan Lemire
Or we could live in the 16th century if you would like, like Pablo.
- [51:03]
Claire McCaskill
As a student of history, I would like us to remember where we came from, which is a lot of World Series.
- [51:07]
Jonathan Lemire
How old were you in 2009?
- [51:09]
Claire McCaskill
You know, 14.
- [51:10]
Jonathan Lemire
Do you even remember the last time the Yankees won a World series?
- [51:14]
Claire McCaskill
I was 24, actually.
- [51:15]
David Drucker
I'm doing the math.
- [51:15]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah, it's a long time ago. 2009 of history. And it was the Phillies. I mean, for God's sake.
- [51:21]
David Drucker
See how quick your phony self deprecation turns into rage.
- [51:26]
Jonathan Lemire
It's all right. It takes that much comes out real. It's all right for us to attack the Red Sox. It's not okay for you all to attack the Red Sox. Hey, let's talk about football really quickly. Who's going to win the Super Bowl?
- [51:36]
David Drucker
Claire?
- [51:37]
Willie Geist
Not Chiefs.
- [51:38]
Jonathan Lemire
Oh, come on.
- [51:39]
Claire McCaskill
Just. I can feel the reality field sitting.
- [51:42]
Willie Geist
No, they're not a dying empire.
- [51:43]
Jonathan Lemire
That is the reality distortion field you got there.
- [51:45]
Willie Geist
Have you watched the documentary?
- [51:46]
Jonathan Lemire
I haven't yet. Is it great?
- [51:47]
Willie Geist
Yeah, it's very good. It's.
- [51:48]
Claire McCaskill
You're talking about the Travis Kelsey, Taylor Swift in the podcast.
- [51:51]
Willie Geist
I'm telling you that the documentary does a great job on Lamar Hunt and talking about. He really was the genius behind trying to expand the NFL internationally. And the whole. You know, there's a lot of history of the NFL in this documentary. It's done by the same people that did Last Dance. And it's really well done. Six parts.
- [52:10]
David Drucker
Full disclosure.
- [52:11]
Claire McCaskill
I was gonna say.
- [52:14]
David Drucker
She did all those things.
- [52:16]
Willie Geist
Yeah, it's really well done. And it's not as much Mahomes and Kelsey as it is a lot of Chris Jones, a whole lot of Andy Reid, you know, and he's had a lot of tragedy in his life and it's.
- [52:27]
Jonathan Lemire
I'll have to.
- [52:28]
Willie Geist
Yeah, it's really good.
- [52:28]
Jonathan Lemire
After I get. Get through my 14th viewing of the Billy Joel documentary, I'll have to go. So. So who do you think? Who do you think? Who do you like this year?
- [52:37]
Willie Geist
I have a rematch of last year.
- [52:39]
Jonathan Lemire
I do. Really, I do.
- [52:41]
Claire McCaskill
I have Eagles Chiefs now.
- [52:42]
Willie Geist
I'll be at the Eagles Chiefs game on September 14th, so we'll see how.
- [52:45]
Jonathan Lemire
The preview, I will say.
- [52:47]
Joe Scarborough
Still got two weeks. Yeah. I mean, the Eagles, I think, are the most talented team. I would like it to be some of the. Like the Bills or the Lions, but I just. I don't know. I. There's something about them. They still seem a little. A little short. I think so. Some 49ers are getting some buzz out west. This might be a year back for them. I don't know. Come back to me in a week.
- [53:04]
David Drucker
Before Bills, Ravens too. Those two teams that haven't been able to get over the. Because of the Chiefs in this generation, no offense.
- [53:10]
Joe Scarborough
We'd like to see someone different.
- [53:11]
David Drucker
I mean, I'd like to be the Giants. It's not going to happen this year.
- [53:14]
Willie Geist
I love it when a New England Patriots fan says, I'd like to see someone different. Five years.
- [53:22]
Jonathan Lemire
How about the Atlanta Falcons. They'll be all right, right? No, they got, they've got Pinx. They've got a ton, they got a ton of, of great weapons for Penck if he, if he has a pretty good year. Listen, I think we could be 8 and 8, 9 and 8.
- [53:36]
Joe Scarborough
Yeah.
- [53:37]
Jonathan Lemire
However many games we play now.
- [53:38]
Claire McCaskill
Get the banner stitched. The 8 and 8 banner to drop from the rafters.
- [53:42]
Jonathan Lemire
The 9 and 8 banner. Yeah.
- [53:44]
David Drucker
And then Alabama wins the national title on the college side. They're all set.
- [53:47]
Jonathan Lemire
That's going to be tough. It's going to be a tough year.
- [53:48]
Joe Scarborough
Auburn will claim it anyway, so.
- [53:50]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah. Oh boy. No, we have a great, great schedule that we start with fsu. We. Yeah. Going to be a great year. Got Oklahoma coming to Tuscaloosa.
- [54:01]
David Drucker
That's great.
- [54:01]
Jonathan Lemire
Can you imagine that? That's. That's got to be a fun game. Yeah.
- [54:05]
David Drucker
That SEC schedule, no matter how good you are and Alabama's good this year.
- [54:09]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah.
- [54:10]
David Drucker
Quarterback is a question.
- [54:11]
Jonathan Lemire
Right.
- [54:11]
David Drucker
But you got Georgia, lsu, that league, just Texas. It just keeps coming at you every day. And Vandy Andy. Now you got to reckon with Andy.
- [54:21]
Jonathan Lemire
You guys are coming to Tuscaloosa too.
- [54:22]
David Drucker
We're coming to Tuscaloosa in October, I think. I think we will not blindside you this year like we did last year.
- [54:29]
Jonathan Lemire
I don't know, but our team is beginning to end.
- [54:31]
David Drucker
We love Pavia quarterback. We had a great.
- [54:33]
Claire McCaskill
If you guys don't throw a goal post into a river, I'm gonna be very disappointed.
- [54:37]
David Drucker
Is there a river right near the stadium? Okay.
- [54:39]
Jonathan Lemire
You could do it again. Who, who knows? Who knows? We'll see. This is really going to be the test for the, the coach to bore. Yeah. You know, I think your guy, your favorite guy. Not my favorite guy.
- [54:50]
David Drucker
He got one year as a grace period.
- [54:52]
Jonathan Lemire
Well, not for me. I would have fired him after the sixth, the sixth week. I mean, listen, he's way too mellow to be an SEC coach. It's war down there and I'm dead serious. It's like after the end goes well, you know, we played pretty well and I don't know what's going to happen. No, no, it's like, you know, it's. It's like Joe Kennedy said of Bobby Kennedy. He hates like his dad. I like him. That's what we want with our SEC coaches. You gotta hate your opponents. You gotta. It's smash mouth football. You gotta win.
- [55:22]
Claire McCaskill
You want an emotionally withholding father figure.
- [55:25]
Jonathan Lemire
He's kind of mellow. Yeah, well, you knew this was a Problem when they go, do you think Miller is going to be good this year? They go, yeah, because he said, I'm having fun. I can tell you, anybody that's ever played football in the Deep south, that's not what you want to hear. You don't want to hear, oh, they're having fun at practice. You want, like, you know, we gave them hot water one time in the middle of practice, and they liked it.
- [55:50]
David Drucker
So anyway, here's what those SEC coaches are Kirby Smart at Georgia, beat you by 30, and in this Nil era, he'll hand a list of the players on the other team he thought were good and tell his staff, go get.
- [56:00]
Jonathan Lemire
Them for next year. Yeah, exactly.
- [56:02]
Willie Geist
Go buy them.
- [56:03]
David Drucker
I want all of them.
- [56:04]
Jonathan Lemire
Boy, I hate. I know we got to go, but I just hate Nil so much.
- [56:07]
Willie Geist
I do, too.
- [56:08]
Jonathan Lemire
It's destroyed college football. It's really destroyed March Madness.
- [56:12]
Claire McCaskill
It got. It got your guy out of. Out of the job that you're complaining about. Nick Saban goes away because he's like, I don't want to do the grocery shopping.
- [56:19]
Jonathan Lemire
Well, the thing is, I mean, you've got to recruit four years in a row. You can't build character. You can't tell a kid who had a so. So freshman year. I'll tell you what, you work harder over the summer, you give it your all, maybe you'll get a starting spot. At that point, the guy goes, okay, I'm going to go to Ohio State or I'm going to go to Penn State or something like that.
- [56:38]
Claire McCaskill
Free agency. There are no contracts. So you're trying to, like, half measure professionalism, and everybody's unhappy.
- [56:44]
Jonathan Lemire
Yeah.
- [56:45]
Claire McCaskill
So you have Everybody now in D.C. saying, We have solutions for this. We have a commission for this. And suddenly Triple H is on my television telling us about college football reform. I'm like, what is happening?
- [56:54]
Jonathan Lemire
You know, all you have to do. And I'm serious, talk to Nick Saban. He had an idea before he left. He said, pay everybody the same amount. Pay every player that's division one. You know, give them $30,000 a year or give them whatever it is that seems to be fair and do it that way. And, you know, if they want to do side deals later, they can do side deals, but you just can't have, like you said, free agency every year. You got to let the coaches coach. You got to let them build character. You got to, you know, you got to let them, you know, take these kids and their kids at 18 and turn them into great players who can excel in the NFL, that's not happening.
- [57:32]
David Drucker
What's interesting too, on the basketball side, I heard John Calipari talking about this, but Pitino has said it out loud. They don't recruit high school anymore.
- [57:39]
Jonathan Lemire
Right.
- [57:39]
David Drucker
They just go to the end of the season who are the best players on the best teams and let's go get them. There's no reason to recruit a good. I mean, obviously they're five star guys, they're going to roll into Duke and all that. But these other programs build and they're playing within the rules. They build by just creating free agents.
- [57:56]
Willie Geist
The time they used to spend going to scout high school games, they're now spending finding the donor to write the checks. They're trying to find. Like Tino has that big. The guy that's writing all the checks, I don't know. He's a billionaire that's given him hundreds of millions of dollars for nil. That's the other thing that's distorted about this. There isn't enough transparency about who's paying for.
- [58:17]
Claire McCaskill
All right. Correct.
- [58:19]
Jonathan Lemire
Which I think this is what we talked about before. There's a reason why all the number one seeds won last year, because the second and third level tier teams that might recruit, recruit a Larry Bird at Indiana State. If a Larry Bird's at Indiana State in 2025, he's going to be playing at Duke the next year because they're going to go, larry, we're going to our, you know, Ohio State or something. We're going to give you $10 million, Larry, if you come play for us. Your sophomore year, it's just completely broken.
- [58:47]
Claire McCaskill
That's why Vanderbilt now has, I believe, the Willie Geist Memorial shed. Yeah, clearly just a slug.
- [58:54]
Jonathan Lemire
Fun.
- [58:55]
David Drucker
Given enough money for a shed. But go doors. Pablo Torre started a good conversation as always. Thanks, Pablo.
- [59:02]
Jonathan Lemire
You've changed the way we think not only about sports, but life. Thank you, Papa.
- [59:08]
David Drucker
Thank you.
- [59:08]
Claire McCaskill
One day I'll be a real person.
- [59:10]
Jonathan Lemire
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Claire McCaskill
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Jonathan Lemire
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Claire McCaskill
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Jonathan Lemire
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Claire McCaskill
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Jonathan Lemire
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Willie Geist
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Jonathan Lemire
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Willie Geist
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Jonathan Lemire
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Claire McCaskill
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