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- [00:01]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Donald Trump throws a tantrum after Todd Blanche's Attorney general confirmation vote gets postponed. And I've got interviews with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and Congressman Jamie Raskin. I'm Brian Tyler Cohen, and you're listening to no Lie. So, in the immediate aftermath of Todd Blanche's confirmation vote being postponed, Donald Trump came out on the True Social and threw a brand new temper tantrum. Here's what he wrote. Todd Blanche is a star and everybody knows it. He has the potential to go down as one of the greatest attorney general time. However, John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, both of whom I refuse to endorse and whose political careers have been ended by my action, are refusing to vote for this great nominee who will remain in any event as acting. Remember, both Cornyn and Tillis voted for Merrick Garland and others too numerous to mention. I have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd's name if they do not do the right thing and putting him back after Cornyn and Attilus are out of office. Now, two major points here. First off, remember what this is about. Cornyn and Tillis are objecting to Todd Blanche because they want, in writing, confirmation that Donald Trump's $1.8 billion slush fund for January 6 insurrectionists won't move forward, as well as immunity for Trump and his family from IRS audits. As for the slush fund, that shouldn't be a heavy lift considering Todd Blanche literally said that it wasn't going to move forward while he was talking to John Cornyn during his confirmation hearing. Here's a moment of that.
- [01:28]
Josh Shapiro
I believe you have said that the
- [01:29]
Jamie Raskin
weaponization fund is a moot issue. Is that your position?
- [01:34]
Josh Shapiro
Yes, it is a moot issue. Meaning there is no weaponization fund. The weaponization fund is dead. It's not moving forward.
- [01:42]
Jamie Raskin
Well, I would refer you to the settlement agreement. Do you happen to have a copy
- [01:47]
Andy Beshear
of that in front of you?
- [01:49]
Jamie Raskin
I do not.
- [01:50]
Josh Shapiro
Okay.
- [01:50]
Andy Beshear
Well, you probably know what's.
- [01:51]
Jamie Raskin
What's in it.
- [01:52]
Josh Shapiro
I'm familiar with it, yes.
- [01:53]
Jamie Raskin
I'm sure you are. On page four.
- [01:55]
Josh Shapiro
This settlement agreement can be modified, may
- [01:57]
Jamie Raskin
be modified only upon the written agreement of the parties.
- [02:01]
Josh Shapiro
Has there been a written agreement of
- [02:02]
Jamie Raskin
the parties to modify the settlement fund?
- [02:05]
Brian Tyler Cohen
No.
- [02:05]
Josh Shapiro
The settlement fund's just not moving forward.
- [02:08]
Jamie Raskin
There's not.
- [02:08]
Josh Shapiro
There's no modification. It's just. It never started. No money went from the treasury to any other account. There's no commissioners. It's not moving forward. Well, so the settlement agreement remains as it was originally.
- [02:22]
Jamie Raskin
But I hear what you're saying.
- [02:26]
Josh Shapiro
Is the settlement agreement enforceable as a
- [02:28]
Andy Beshear
contract by the parties?
- [02:31]
Josh Shapiro
Well, yes, it's an enforceable document. So I suppose if President Trump's counsel sought to enforce it, they potentially could.
- [02:42]
Jamie Raskin
Including the weaponization fund?
- [02:43]
Josh Shapiro
Well, they could try to enforce the contract. They can't force the Department of Justice to move forward with the weaponization fund. They could potentially say that, I suppose, that we breached by not moving forward. They haven't done that, and I'm not aware that they're planning on doing that.
- [02:59]
Brian Tyler Cohen
So if Todd Blanche was being honest that the slush fund is truly dead, why not offer it in writing? And the answer here is obvious. He never intended to kill it. It was always just a thing that he would tell the suckers who believed him during his confirmation hearing. And then the second he gets confirmed, he would turn around and resurrect the very fund that he swore was dead. And we all know it. Hell, John Cornyn knows it. Donald Trump and this White House have zero credibility. They lie as easily as they breathe. So the written confirmation was a bare minimum. And the fact that he wouldn't give it is all the proof you need as to what their ultimate plan is. I mean, think what's actually happening here. Trump is so hell bent on being able to pay out his political allies with our taxpayer dollars and to protect himself from IRS audits that he is literally willing to withdraw Todd Blanche's nomination for the time being rather than give an inch on those personal benefits to him. Look at the fucking lengths this guy is willing to go to make sure that he is personally protected. This is about him. It's not about millions of Americans or even thousands of Americans or even hundreds of Americans. It is Donald Trump wanting to make sure that Donald Trump derives a personal financial benefit here. And the rest of these Republicans, save for two of them, are willing to go along with it. This presidency, this entire Republican Party, is truly intended to help one person. But here's another point that I think is important not to gloss over. Trump says, quote, I have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd's name if they do not do the right thing and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office. And that might work unless Democrats control the Senate, at which point Blanche won't have the votes, regardless of whether Tillis and Cornyn are there. So as if Donald Trump raising prices wasn't bad enough, surging inflation wasn't bad enough, higher gas cost weren't bad enough, starting a new war in the Middle east wasn't bad enough. Suppressing the Epstein files wasn't bad enough. Now voters can go to the polls in November with full knowledge that they are voting on whether to allow Donald Trump to protect himself from IRS audits and to dole out millions of our taxpayer dollars to January 6th insurrectionists. If that is what he and Republicans want this upcoming election to be a referendum on, I don't think you'll find a single Democrat that objects to it. Next up are my interviews with Governor Beshear, Governor Shapiro, and Congressman Raskin. No Lie is brought to you by zocdoc. Speaking from experience, I have a bad habit of putting off making doctor's appointments because I just know that it's going to be endless phone tag only to finally call and find out that the next opening is months away. It is a sad fact of life that certain doctors are not available for a really long time. Which isn't great because generally when you're looking for a doctor, you're looking for one right away. That's where ZocDoc comes in. Nobody wants to deal with any of what I just explained. And frankly, you shouldn't have to. ZocDoc lets you search and compare local in network doctors. They have more than 150,000 providers within more than 200 specialties across all 50 states. Zocdoc's website has tons of reviews from real patients and detailed doctor profiles to help you choose the right one, see actual appointment openings and click to instantly book a visit. Appointments happen fast, usually within 24 to 72 hours, and you can even score same day appointments. And ZocDoc is free to use your health matters and taking care of yourself shouldn't be complicated. Right now you can find and book the right doctor with Zocdoc. Head to Zocdoc.com BTC to get started and check that appointment off your to do list. That's Zocdoc.com BTC I'm joined now by the Governor of Kentucky, Andy Beshear. Thanks so much for joining me.
- [06:30]
Andy Beshear
Glad to be on. Thanks for inviting me.
- [06:33]
Brian Tyler Cohen
So I want to get into a little bit of the work that you and other Democratic governors are doing across the country. But I wanna cover a little bit of national news first and that is the situation with Mitch McConnell. So do you have any update, first and foremost on Mitch McConnell's state and if we continue not to hear from him in advance of this August 3rd deadline where there would be a special election called what options are available to you in terms of moving forward.
- [06:59]
Andy Beshear
So we do not. And by we, I don't just mean me, but Kentuckians and the American people do not have a real Update on Mitch McConnell, which they deserve. This is basically someone that hasn't shown up for work for six weeks. And everybody who watches or listens to you, if they're going from their job for six weeks, they got to call their boss, right? They got to explain what it is and give a timetable for when they return. But Mitch McConnell won't do that to his boss, which is the people who Kentucky. And it's a separate conversation, but it tells you that people stay in Congress way too long when they think that they don't answer to anybody. So what I've done is amped up the pressure and now called on Mitch McConnell to verbally talk to the people of Kentucky or America. If he can supposedly talk to Scott Jennings for 17 minutes, he can talk to you for three. He can call into a news station for three for all I care. He can call to Fox News and talk for three. But he seems unwilling to do it. If he can't do that, he needs to resign. His job requires capacity and he needs to prove that he has it. But it's not just him that I'm calling on to take action. It's also John Thune, who is the majority leader of the Senate. So you can only have a vacancy where I can take action if one of three things, a death, a resignation, or an expulsion vote from the Senate. In other words, for that vacancy to be recognized, the Senate has to say you no longer have the ability to serve. Which means Thune has an obligation to make sure his individuals can do that. And guess what? I'm in Kentucky. John Thune's in Washington, D.C. he can walk right down the street. He can walk into that hospital because Mitch McConnell's not going to tell him no. He can evaluate his condition and come out and tell the American people. And if there is not capacity there, he needs to take action and do it now. But you know who else should do it is Rand Paul. Rand Paul has said me calling on Mitch McConnell to do this is just grandstanding. Well, today Rand Paul dragged an 85 year old Anthony Fauci in front of Congress because he said he needed to level with the American people. But he won't do the same with Mitch McConnell. I know they might not like each other a lot, but this is the fellow senator from Kentucky that has a duty to his fellow Kentuckians. So for me, I'd first need that vacancy declared by the Senate. And then there's an argument under the law about what could happen. So our state legislature was so scared of me potentially appointing that first they passed a statute saying I had to choose from a list of three Republicans if it was a Republican office holder. And then they wanted to pass one that said there's got to be a special election. But there is a section of the Kentucky state constitution that says for statewide vacancies, a governor can appoint. Now, the question is, does that include federal offices? And that's never been fully litigated. But I take the Constitution at its word. There is no deadline in August for that potential appointment. And I'm telling people I keep all options on the table and. Because look at what's happening to the country right now. But I do want to offer a flip side, because I have heard people say, well, if McConnell was in your position, he'd be ruthless. But you know what? He'd be ruthlessly. He would look at the tactics. He would be ruthlessly tactical. And if he was looking at a seat the Democrats had held since 1992, he would say, hmm, it might be better if that stays vacant. So there is one less vote on the other side on all these different things. If we hold a special election in Kentucky, a Democrat hasn't won it any of those since 92. So right now, we have one less vote for the SAVE Act. We got one less vote for a replacement of a conservative justice. We have one less vote for the war in Iran. We have one less vote for a lot of dangerous things. And at least the concern on a special election is most likely someone who is more loyal to Trump than Mitch McConnell would fill that. So I am both doing my job as governor saying Kentuckians deserve a U.S. senator, and a U.S. senator has just a basic responsibility to tell people if he can do the job, while at the same point making sure that we are tactical at a time when the country is in such a difficult place that we're not helping Trump by doing something that feels good in the moment?
- [11:37]
Brian Tyler Cohen
I appreciate that. Really thoughtful response. One last question on this one. When would you, if you do decide to do so, when would it be the appropriate time to actually take action and appoint someone and challenge the law that's on the books against what the Kentucky Constitution says, Like, what is the impetus for further movement here?
- [11:58]
Andy Beshear
Well, that impetus would be a vacancy actually occurring to be able to do that. And let me just throw in one other piece. If folks want me to call a special election, I have A Republican Secretary of state who would run that election a little more challenging in Kentucky.
- [12:13]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Yeah.
- [12:13]
Andy Beshear
And the Senate would have to be willing to seat anybody I appointed or came out of that special election. And that's why one thing that I don't think people are talking about enough is how broken the Senate is. It's not just Mitch McConnell, individual senator won't do the right thing. It's that the body is abdicating any responsibility to making sure its members are actually capable of serving and doing the job that under the law is theirs to do. And kind of a final piece is I want to make sure as we go towards these elections, and I don't mind criticism, it comes with the job. It doesn't bother me at all. But if Republicans are doing something bad, let's make sure we keep the spotlight on the Republicans that are doing something bad. And the Democratic Party often we want to take all that attention and yell at a Democrat that we think should do more to stop the Republican from doing bad. And again, it's not the criticism, but let's make sure we're not hurting each other when we could be out there winning elections because of these bad actions of Republicans.
- [13:13]
Brian Tyler Cohen
So on that point, of the bad actions of Republicans and the point that you made about these Republicans in the Senate abdicating their responsibilities, I mean, one example of that is that they offered up a housing bill to the president to sign. That was something in accordance with his own campaign promises that he outright refused to sign because he wanted to hold it hostage to pass the Save America act so that he couldn't basically enact a federal takeover of state run elections. That's just one example from the conversations that you've had with folks across the country. Are they starting to recognize that this full control of government by Republicans, House, Senate, White House, are failing at their responsibility to deliver on the very things that they campaigned on.
- [13:54]
Andy Beshear
Absolutely. And I think what people are starting to feel is betrayal. A president that told them he'd make life a little bit easier is making it a lot harder. Let me give you the example of a soybean farmer. And I don't know how many soybean farmers tune in, but if you're a soybean farmer, you voted for Donald Trump. Now, I know a couple of Democratic soybean farmers, but only a couple. And so Donald Trump comes in, you think I'm going to do better. Farming's tough, but I'm going to do better. And the first thing he does is cut usaid. And USAID is A big client of yours. Because to make other countries like us better, to create soft power in the world, we keep people from starving. We send excess soybeans through that program. That's gone. Then, because Donald Trump doesn't like the US Department of Education, they cut the farm to cafeteria program. And suddenly that's a second place you are selling. Then in his tariff happy policy, the worst economic policy of my lifetime, he puts specific tariff on China, and they say, fine, we are the largest purchaser of soybeans in the world. We're not going to purchase from the US Anymore. We're going to go to Argentina and we're going to go to Brazil.
- [15:05]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Yeah.
- [15:07]
Andy Beshear
So they're hammered, but that's not the end of the story. Then Trump starts this war of choice in Iran, and it's not just the price of gas that goes up while you're driving past the next gas station. Look at the price of diesel. It's even worse. And all the farm machinery runs on diesel. And if that wasn't insult enough, a third of all the fertilizer in the world travels through the Strait of Hormuz.
- [15:31]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Right.
- [15:32]
Andy Beshear
So this is what Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are doing to some of the most loyal voters that are out there. And I'm speaking out not because I think necessarily we can move a huge amount of those voters, but they live in my state. It's important that they can raise their family. Their crops are rotting in the field. They're having to declare bankruptcy over farms that have been in their families for generations. What this administration's doing is decimating the American dream, is making people give up and feel like it's not even possible anymore. And Democrats should be the exact opposite, that we can make the economy and the government work again.
- [16:09]
Brian Tyler Cohen
So on that point, I mean, I hear everything you're saying. And I also recognize that it should be difficult for the Republicans to have any plausible deniability here, because, again, they control every branch of government. And all of these actions have either been created or exacted, exacerbated by their leadership. At the same time, you know just as well as anybody how strong
- [16:33]
Andy Beshear
the
- [16:33]
Brian Tyler Cohen
ties of partisan affiliation are. I mean, you know, you defied major odds to become governor in an otherwise red state. You mentioned yourself that Kentucky hasn't had a Democratic senator since 1992. I was three at the time. And so there is this. This chasm between understanding what Republican leadership brings about, but at the same time, still overcoming a huge obstacle, which is that a lot of people predicate their identity on their partisan or political affiliation. And so is that, is that gap being bridged right now where people both recognize the problem but are also willing to buck some major part of their identity?
- [17:15]
Andy Beshear
Yeah, I'm living proof that, yes, we can overcome that challenge. I've now won three straight statewide elections in a state that Donald Trump won by 31 points. I beaten Mitch McConnell's hand picked candidate and two Donald Trump endorsed candidates before my election in 2019. He came in and filled up Rupp arena, where UK plays the night before and said it'd be an embarrassment if I beat his guy. Yet we still did. And what it's really about is proving to people that we are the party that can make your life a little bit easier, a little bit better. It's about recognizing that most people don't wake up thinking about elections. They wake up thinking about their job, their next doctor's appointment, the roads and bridges they drive, the school they drop their kids off at, and whether they feel safe in their community. And when we can show, sometimes at the granular level, that we are improving people's lives, that we brought new jobs into a place that hadn't seen them before, they will change the way they vote because people love their family more than they love any party that they belong to. And when you can better someone's life, you can earn their vote.
- [18:22]
Brian Tyler Cohen
As head of the Democratic Governors association, what is your message to Americans about what Democratic governors are doing right now in contrast to the leadership or lack thereof, that they're getting from the federal government?
- [18:34]
Andy Beshear
Oh, what you see in Democratic governors are people who get results that are focused on your everyday life. At a time when we have a housing crisis, our Democratic governors are building. I'm moving people in eastern Kentucky from the hollers, the valleys that have been flooding. And I'm building affordable housing on top of abandoned coal mines with solar panels on top. So anything is possible. We're creating more jobs with better wages. The average wage of a new job in Kentucky last year was nearly $30 an hour. We're expanding health care when D.C. is trying to contract it so that you can see a doctor where you live. In our largest African American community in Kentucky, we built the first hospital in 150 years. So when you see a Democratic governor, you're not wondering, are they the progressive or are they the moderate? They are the pragmatic. Get it done. Better your lives. And people who candidly aren't standing up, trying to sway one vote this way and one vote that way, but who are actually on the ground, no excuses, no matter what their legislature did, getting the results that people need. And what I tell you about 2026 is not only are the governor's races critical because they impact people's lives in a state more so than just about anything. But if you care about the map for 2028, it's going to be created by the governor's races in 26 when Rob sand wins in Iowa, and he will, he is incredibly talented, a good guy, a campaign people should look at. Iowa's going to be in play in 28 when Amy Acton wins in Ohio, where we've got a really good chance. Ohio would be in play. But look at Katie Hobbs in Arizona. Good Democratic governor running against an election denier. We do not win there. And Arizona is off the map. Nevada and Georgia, two great candidates in Ford and Keisha Lance Bottoms. Those are two races where if and when we win, the margin of error is a lot greater. So if people aren't tuned in yet to governors races, you should be for a lot of reasons.
- [20:41]
Brian Tyler Cohen
So to that end, Governor, for folks who are either running as candidates or who are battleground governors right now, in this upcoming election, where can viewers and listeners go to help those people who are on the front lines right now?
- [20:53]
Andy Beshear
Go to demgovs.org that's demgovs.org and it can show you how to get involved, how to contribute, how to connect to different campaigns and volunteer. In any of these states that you're in, contact those campaigns directly because we have great candidates running great campaigns. And know that your governor impacts your daily life more than just about any other office. I promise you, if you take General Ford and make him Governor Ford in Nevada, things are going to get better. If you take Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and make her governor, things are going to get better. Let me just close on this one example. In Georgia, they have not expanded Medicaid. So there are hundreds of thousands of citizens in Georgia that cannot see a doctor when they're sick. When she wins, they'll be able to because she will use every bit of leverage she can to make it happen. It's the difference between being pro and being and anti healthcare. Is winning that race in Georgia simple as that?
- [21:51]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Perfect place to leave off. I'm gonna put the link to that website right here on the screen. And also in the post description of this video, for those who are watching and listening, again to echo what we just heard, this is gonna be where the front lines are, especially with a federal government that won't pass anything. The States are gonna be the biggest bulwark against overreach and actually delivering for people. Governor Beshear, as always, I appreciate your time. Thanks so much.
- [22:13]
Andy Beshear
I appreciate you.
- [22:17]
Brian Tyler Cohen
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- [23:57]
Josh Shapiro
Look, I always thought the slush fund was dangerous if not illegal, and so it should not be hard to say they're not going to pursue this slush fund. They're not going to provide the President access to $1.8 billion worth of taxpayer money that he can just give out to his buddies or for whatever he sees fit. That's a pretty low bar for anyone who wants to be Attorney General. Anyone who wants to be the chief legal officer of the United States of America to, to get over. But similarly, there, there's other things that should be pretty easy, which is to give victims their proper due when it comes to the Epstein files and those who, who were wrong, those who were abused, those whose abuse is documented in those files. I mean, I think Blanche needs to decide if he wants to be the Attorney General of the United States or he wants to be the President's personal lawyer. If he wants to be his lawyer, he can go do that. But being the Attorney General of the United States is about standing up for the American people, not working against them, as he seemingly is. If he refuses to, you know, to do away with this slush fund and refuses to be fully transparent when it comes to who's in the Epstein files,
- [25:15]
Brian Tyler Cohen
do you think that Republicans would similarly have no problem if a Democratic president decided to offer up billions of dollars in a slush fund to Democratic Priorities, a slush fund to the aclu, the naacp, Planned Parenthood. Do you think that Republicans would be as accepting of a president being able to just consolidate billions of dollars of taxpayer give out to his political allies as they are right now?
- [25:41]
Josh Shapiro
Come on, Brian, you know the answer to that question. They'd be freaking out, and they'd be on shows like yours on, you know, on the other side, they'd be on TV every day calling it out. They'd call it lawlessness. They, they pretend to be law and order about the whole thing. Of course, it's a total double standard. And by the way, when I talk to these guys privately, they know it. They just don't have the courage to speak up. And I think that that speaks to
- [26:07]
Brian Tyler Cohen
their lack of character on this issue of the Epstein files. What do you make of the fact that all of these people on the right had predicated their support for the Republican Party on this idea that the Epstein files would be released, only to now watch them get further, not only buried, but buried at the hands of somebody who is, as you mentioned, in the position because he was Donald Trump's personal criminal defense attorney. And as we know, Trump himself is now implicated in these files.
- [26:35]
Josh Shapiro
Yeah, I mean, look, I'll just say what's, what's in these files based on, you know, what we're generally aware of publicly is really serious stuff. Brian, I realize it's gotten politicized, but I'm the former lead prosecutor here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the former Attorney General, former chief law enforcement officer. I prosecuted pedophiles, I prosecuted people that raped children, that ripped away the innocence of our children here across Our commonwealth and the people who did that are behind bars because I prosecuted them. And for those that we couldn't prosecute because they were outside the statute of limitations, their crimes were exposed. We need that in the United States of America. We need to make sure that those who engage in these crimes against children, those who enabled it, those who covered it up, are held accountable. This shouldn't be some political football, and this shouldn't be, you know, sort of a litmus test for some Republican senator that they've got a, you know, curry favor with Trump. So they can't be for transparency. They can't be for protecting our kids. Come on. These people know better. And there's serious, you know, lives that are at stake here. There are people who have been victimized, who deserve, who deserve this accountability. And now's the time for it.
- [28:05]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Well said. I want to switch topics here now to your home state of Pennsylvania. You know, a lot of Democrats across the country rightfully are talking about affordability. You've had the chance to actually make good on that promise on that slogan through this latest budget that was just signed into law in pa. So can you talk about a little bit of what that offers?
- [28:27]
Josh Shapiro
Yeah. And just for your viewers and listeners understand, I'm a governor with a divided legislature. So for me to pass any of this stuff, I need Republican votes and Democratic votes. And we've actually been able to come together and cut taxes 10 different times, including a massive tax cut for seniors who are living on fixed income and the first progressive tax Reform in probably 50 years in Pennsylvania, something known as the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit, where if you're working, if you're struggling to get by, we'll put about 850 or so bucks back in your pockets. And 940,000 Pennsylvanians qualified for that. That's real money going back in their pockets. We just passed a cola, a Cost of Living Adjustment or increased for former firefighters, former cops, former teachers and state workers. That's real money back in people's pockets. The real challenge we have is every time I cut taxes, every time I cut costs and I put a dollar into somebody's pocket here in Pennsylvania, Donald Trump and his enablers take two bucks out. Yeah, because everything costs more because of their policies. Consider this. The tariffs have driven up costs for farmers and small businesses. Just drove past a gas station here in Harrisburg. Gas is 419 a gallon because of Trump's wrong war in the Middle east that he got into and has no idea how to get out of. And the American People are paying at the pump, along with paying in many other ways. I just cite those as just two examples of how Trump's economic policies are costing Pennsylvanians at the time where I'm trying to put money back in their pockets.
- [30:09]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Are they recognizing that? I mean, even Republicans and independent voters or even disaffected Democrats who voted for Trump while you've been talking to Pennsylvanians, and that's a crucial state and I think a really accurate bellwether of where the country stands. Do people recognize that the issues that they're contending with are the very issues that Trump himself ran on in 2024 but are now being exacerbated expressly by his own policies?
- [30:35]
Josh Shapiro
Yeah, I think they see that. I mean, they heard a guy who said, I'll never touch Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid.
- [30:43]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Yeah.
- [30:43]
Josh Shapiro
First thing he does, he kicks 510,000 Pennsylvanians off of their Medicaid and health care, said, we're going to end forever wars. And this guy is now engaged in a war he doesn't know how to get out of. In Iran, he said he's going to bring down costs. Remember, he kept pretending like he came up with the word groceries. Well, last time I went to the grocery store, which I think was yesterday, day before, things cost more because of Donald Trump's policies. I think they see that he's not only swung and missed on everything, he's made things way worse. And folks are rightly frustrated. They're frustrated things cost more. They're frustrated that we're in a war that he doesn't know how to get out of. They're frustrated that there's so much chaos and cruelty and corruption around, and they deserve relief from that. I try as governor of Pennsylvania to do my part to provide the opposite of what Donald Trump is doing. I think others are doing that across the country. We need more of that. And I think the way we stop a lot of this chaos and cruelty and corruption is to have people show up in record numbers this November for the midterms, whether you live here in Pennsylvania or anywhere else, and cast your vote in a way that shows your dissatisfaction with the way Trump is leading our nation.
- [32:03]
Brian Tyler Cohen
You had mentioned that you passed this budget with divided government. This is one of the few states that does have divided government. And so what were some of the concessions on both sides? What did Republicans want that they didn't get? And what did Democrats want that they didn't get?
- [32:20]
Josh Shapiro
Well, let me be clear. Compromise is the name of the game in Pennsylvania. And when you're a governor and you're trying to work to bring both sides together. But I will never, ever, ever compromise my principles. You know, Pennsylvania will never be a right to work state. I will never undermine a woman's right to choose. In fact, I want to codify more protections into law. I'll always protect the rights of our LGBTQ community. So there's certain things, those are just a few examples where you want to show up at the bargaining table and try and negotiate on that. I'm not doing that, but I'm willing to, to trade when it comes to allowing us to get things done. And so you make some trades that's allowed us to invest historic amounts in public education and public safety and economic development. Our economy is growing faster than nearly any other state. We grew at 5.4% last year, which is just an extraordinary growth rate. Actually created more jobs than all the two states in the entire country. And so when it came time to hammer and ideal, look, I wish I could have gotten more money for building more housing in our commonwealth. I wish I could have gotten more money for, for mass transit. I wish that I was able to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Those are things that Republicans wouldn't go along with. But we got a ton of wins and I'm going to keep coming after all those other things and working hard to find common ground so we can get more stuff done here.
- [33:46]
Brian Tyler Cohen
You know, I mentioned that PA was a good bellwether for the rest of the country. And you said that you wanted to be able to secure more funds for housing. You know, one of the issues that Trump ran and campaigned on was this idea that housing was too expensive. He talked about housing and rent in addition to that elusive old fashioned word, that of groceries. But he wouldn't even sign his own housing bill. And so what did you make of the fact that something that he campaigned on that was handed to him on a silver platter that the Republicans were pretty prepared to do a big celebratory signing ceremony on? He wouldn't even give them that win because he was so hell bent on trying to use that as a hostage to pass the Save America Act.
- [34:24]
Josh Shapiro
I mean, it's just more petulance from Donald Trump. And you know why he didn't sign it? Cuz he actually doesn't give a damn about people having affordable housing or people being able to put a roof over their head. He literally doesn't care. He only cares about himself. He cares about enriching himself and the people around him. He Cares about being in the news and just constantly in people's faces, and he cares about lying about our elections, which is what his whole campaign behind the SAVE act is. So it's not a shock to me that after seemingly a pretty good bipartisan consensus came together in the Congress of the United States, he wouldn't sign it because he actually doesn't give a damn about the people that he was elected to serve.
- [35:13]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Last topic here, and this one hurts because I'm coming to you from Los Angeles and you guys got LeBron, and.
- [35:23]
Josh Shapiro
Yeah, we should take some time on this one. Yeah, go ahead.
- [35:26]
Brian Tyler Cohen
And by the way, this is coming from somebody who is also a Giants fan, a lifelong New York, New York Football Giants fan, so already watched Saquon Barkley go from the New York Giants to. To the Philadelphia Eagles. So, by the way.
- [35:41]
Josh Shapiro
By the way, just for nothing. You guys got nothing for that. So, yeah, to all you New York Giants fans out there, thank you for Saquon.
- [35:50]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Well, look, we'll. We'll see what this year brings. We got. We got a young squad, so. And hopefully a healthy squad between. Between Scatter Boo, between Jackson Dart and. And coach, too, a great coach. So. So we'll see what happens on that front. But to what extent did you know there was some. Some reporting. I think Peter Hamby did some reporting in Puck about you kind of trying to. Trying to nudge LeBron out to Pa. So to what extent do you think that. That your politicking with him had some impact on his decision to move out to Philadelphia?
- [36:27]
Josh Shapiro
Well, first off, let me just say this was LeBron and LeBron's decision only. And he made it for all the reasons that he said, for his family, his desire to win a championship, period. I will just tell you when I had the opportunity, I guess this is now close to two weeks ago, to engage with him. I made. I shot my shot. I made my pitch as to why Philly would be a great place for him to play, a great team to play with that can win a championship, particularly after we fleece Jalen Brown from the Boston Celtics, which was pretty cool. And I think it's also important to note that LeBron is one of the great philanthropists, not in basketball, but in our country. I mean, he's doing extraordinary work and that Philly is a great place for him to do his philanthropy. So I made my pitch. I'm thrilled he picked Philly, but I'm not here to claim any ownership of that decision. It was LeBron's and the bronze only.
- [37:23]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Were you surprised when he made that decision?
- [37:26]
Josh Shapiro
I was thrilled when he made that decision and I'm so excited for him to play in Philly. And, and by the way, if, if you miss him and you want to come to a game in Philly, I'd love to host.
- [37:36]
Jamie Raskin
Thanks.
- [37:37]
Brian Tyler Cohen
All right, last question here. As we come up on on football season, then what is your prediction for the NFC East? Who wins the NFC East?
- [37:46]
Josh Shapiro
Well, look, I do agree that New York is better. I think you saw something with Scatter Boo and with Jackson Dart last year. Obviously they had injuries. Neighbors had an injury. There's something unique about that offense. So if they can stay healthy, particularly with a good coach, they're going to be better than last year. Obviously the Commanders were totally beat up last year. If they're healthy, Jaden Daniels is a hell of a quarterback. They're going to be better this year. But obviously my money's still on the Birds. I mean, we, we had some issues at offensive coordinator Howie Roseman. Our, our great GM fixed that. He was able to sign some wide receivers that I think are really going to improve our wide receiving core. We just locked up Jalen Carter for I think till 2031 if I'm not mistaken. And so our defense is just strengthened in a big way. And how he'll tinker right up until the deadline and put the Birds in a position where we can win a Super bowl again this year. I'm not claiming we will, but we're going to be in a position to do it. And I still think we are definitively the team to beat in the NFC East. And I think Dallas's streak of. I think it's been 30 years without an NFC championship. I think that that graphic is going to change to 31.
- [39:10]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Give me your definitive rankings. Top of the four teams in the NFC East. How does the season end?
- [39:17]
Josh Shapiro
Birds, Giants, Reds and not Reds. Commanders, Cowboys.
- [39:25]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Mine is identical, but flip Birds and Giants. So we'll see how it goes. This might just be wishcasting, but we'll come back to this. So gov, I appreciate your time. Thanks for the work you're doing. Congratulations on passing that budget. And thanks. Thanks again again for taking the time today.
- [39:40]
Josh Shapiro
Great to be with you. Thanks.
- [39:44]
Brian Tyler Cohen
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- [41:22]
Jamie Raskin
Well, the problem goes a lot deeper than that, Brian. The Department of Justice itself uncovered a sprawling, decades long pattern of corruption at FIFA where they identified at least 30 people from 20 different countries involved in soccer who spread around $200 million worth of bribes and payoffs and kickbacks in order to get extremely valuable and lucrative TV rights in their own countries. But all of it was a payola system. These people were convicted in criminal court and DOJ had secured convictions of several of them. And then after, like a very cozy relationship developed between FIFA and President Trump and the Trump administration, those charges were dropped. Those prosecutions were dropped even though the criminal convictions had already been obtained in Federal district court and upheld in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. And these are convictions for racketeering, wire fraud, and all of these, you know, related corruption offenses. But you'll recall that they, they fabricated a new FIFA peace prize which they gave to Donald Trump. And then they rented space at the Trump Tower for The, you know, 40, 45 day period, around the World Cup. But they paid for, apparently, this suite for an entire year, and they haven't revealed how much, but it's been estimated by various reporters that that could have been as much as $600,000. So they're just a whole series of relationships like that. And it's like everything else we're seeing with the Trump administration. It's just a series of quid pro quos adding up to a huge, unprecedented swamp in Washington.
- [43:25]
Brian Tyler Cohen
You know, I feel like we are in a position where all of this stuff has been so normalized by virtue of just how prevalent it is in this administration. Can you talk about, if we were back on Earth, one, what, what this would look like in terms of. In terms of DOJ enforcement?
- [43:46]
Jamie Raskin
Well, DOJ had brought these prosecutions and obviously saw this as very serious corruption when you've got people from all over the world bribing FIFA in order to obtain these lucrative TV contracts and rights for. For their country. But instead, you know, the prosecutions are dropped after the convictions are obtained, and everything's extremely cozy between FIFA and its president and our president, Donald Trump. And you're right, it's been normalized. And so it's going to be a contest between them working to normalize quid pro quo corruption, and then each American citizen sense of what is normal for us, what really is morality, what is the rule of law. And that's the struggle right now, because, you know, there's such a barrage of corruption and scandals that a lot of people are getting worn down by it. But We've only got 99 days to go before the November elections, and we think it's important to be blowing the whistle on every one of these episodes of corruption, bribery, and so on.
- [44:58]
Brian Tyler Cohen
So, obviously, FIFA has a vested interest in doing whatever it can do to curry favor with the DOJ so that they can do exactly what they did do, which is to abandon these. These prosecutions. What does it say that it is this easy for an entity like FIFA to figure out how to game Donald Trump? I mean, the FIFA Peace Prize? I mean, it's a joke on one hand, but on the other hand, this is an actual tool where the consequences were, in part, that a lot of criminals were able to walk free, because that's all it took for FIFA to curry favor with a guy who is just so desperate to have his ego stroked.
- [45:43]
Jamie Raskin
It's not just about the past. It's also about the future and the present present, because, you know, anybody who tried to get tickets or paid for tickets to Go to the World cup, found out what Iraqi it was. I mean, the, the tickets were supposed to top out at something like 1500 or $1600. And a lot of them were going for up to $30,000, $33,000, some of them. And so the Department of Justice should be looking out for antitrust violations and consumer rip offs and predatory pricing, but is instead just the best buds with this private entity. And you know, everybody, well, not everybody, but most people love soccer. It is the beautiful game and it really is a remarkable beautiful game. And they've just drenched it in all of the ugliness and sordidness of this corruption.
- [46:36]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Does it surprise you that an institution as notorious for engaging in corruption like FIFA would find a kindred spirit in the Trump administration? Administration?
- [46:46]
Jamie Raskin
No. I mean, look, President Trump called them up to get fuller and red card overturned. The President of the United States interfering in an internal disciplinary process within the soccer game. And you know, in, in the same way that the Knicks fans knew that they were going to lose that game where Donald Trump showed up, you know, all of the USA Soccer fans knew it was over once Donald Trump decided, decided to put his fingerprints on the enterprise. Nobody needs the President of the United States interfering in American sports in, you know, his ham fisted way, like a sledgehammer. We know he's good at one thing, which is getting as much money as possible out of the government, out of the taxpayers, and you know, in various rotten business deals from all over the world, whether we're talking about Saudi Arabia or Qatar or China, you name it.
- [47:39]
Brian Tyler Cohen
I have to ask on the heels of this line of questioning, Congressman, is the Trump curse real? And I asked this in the aftermath of him interfering with Baligan's red card, in the aftermath of going to Madison Square Garden, snapping the Knicks win streak. And there is a long history of him going to other games. He went into Josh Harris, who's the commander's owner, into his box on a day that the Lions were facing off against the Commanders, and the Lions ended up beating the commanders 44 to 22. I mean, there is a lot of instances of that. So the question posed to you is, is the Trump curse real?
- [48:19]
Jamie Raskin
Well, you pose a tough question. You challenge my rationalism here because it certainly feels right. You know, my favorite story about superstition is about the physicist Niels Bohr. And some people were over at his house for dinner. And on the way out, a woman spotted a horseshoe above the doorway. And she said, niels Bohr, here you are, the greatest physicist of the 20th century and you've got a horseshoe above your door. I never took you to be the superstitious type. And he said, well, no, I'm not superstitious. They say it works whether or not you believe in it. So I think there are enough people, enough sports fans and sports owners around the country, who don't want Donald Trump coming anywhere near their teams or their games to suggest there might be something there. And, you know, we can see what's happened to our country since he's been president. And that's in the realm of actual public policy. I mean, ruinous, illegal, unconstitutional wars like the catastrophe in Iran with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and so many lost service men and women from the American armed forces, so many people have died in Iran, the ruinous, illegal, unconstitutional tariffs he imposed to launch a trade war against the rest of the world, and all of the terrible effects these things have had on our economy. You know, it really is time for us to bring on some new leadership in America.
- [49:52]
Brian Tyler Cohen
To that end, you know, it's increasingly difficult for Trump and Republicans to run any legitimate campaign on any platform because their platform is so aggressively unpopular. I mean, this is what it looks like with full, unbridled, unapologetic Republican governance. There are no Democrats in control of the House, the Senate, or the White House. And yet we're in a situation where costs have gone higher, not down, where health care is less accessible, not more, where food assistance has been gutted, where gas prices are rising, where inflation is up since Joe Biden left office, where we're engaged in a brand new foreign war in the Middle east and the Epstein files haven't been released. So what do you run on when that is your platform? Which raises the obvious point that Republicans led by Trump, are trying to rig the rules of the game in their favor by trying to pass the Save America Act. So in your estimation, is there any realistic possibility that the Save America act can advance and is there an appetite from Republicans to do so?
- [50:55]
Jamie Raskin
Well, first of all, the elections are not that far away. They're just over three months away. And, you know, everybody at least used to believe in Congress, in the states and in the courts, you would never make fundamental changes in an election system three months before the elections start. I mean, early voting is not far away in some of the states. Maybe two months away, seven or eight weeks, something like that. But it does go to show your original point, Brian, which is they've got nothing else to run on. I mean, foreign policy is a complete Debacle, economic policies, a debacle in Florida. Inflation is sky high. Gasoline is going for more than $100 a barrel. He's gotten us into this escalation trap with the Iranian government, which is playing him like a fiddle. And they've got no program for the country. Where's their plan to give everybody health care that they promised 10 years ago? Where's their plan to bring down inflation? I mean, there's literally nothing there. They're spending, you know, their time on the reflecting pool, which we called the Strait of Warm Ooze. And what color is it going to be tomorrow? It's an algae farm. And they're, they're spending their time on, you know, billion dollar golden ballrooms. You know, we've been out campaigning on the Eastern Shore, which is like probably the reddest part of Maryland. Over the weekend, we had more than 100 democracy summer fellows with us out there. And not only were people so excited to see the Democracy Summer fellows and people who are not registered to vote or getting registered vote, people who didn't know that Andy Harris, the head of the Freedom Caucus from the First District, has an opponent and he's got a great opponent in Dan Schwartz, whose campaign is surging now. But we didn't see any Republicans anywhere. We saw no red hats, no MAGA hats anywhere in. I'm getting the same reports from Democracy Summer people all over America that they're just not seeing Republicans anywhere. Now the good news is, you know, his support is collapsing. It's just melting away. On the other hand, they don't seem that upset about it, which suggests he is going to be trying to do things like move the SAVE act and who knows what other kinds of ambushes against the electoral process. And so that's what we have to be vigilant and steadfast in making sure we're protecting the election easy, even as we're going out to mobilize a landslide. But I don't think the SAFE act can get through the Senate. I don't think there's any way.
- [53:29]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Last question here on that. Is there a world where the parliamentarian would allow the Save America act to pass a reconciliation so that it only requires a simple majority to pass?
- [53:39]
Jamie Raskin
I mean, it's clearly policy making, so there's no way it should be added in the budget process at this point. But we never say never, and we're being as vigilant as possible to try to stop these things. I mean, because I'm superstitious, I will never say that. Could not happen. You know, people say, well, what if Donald Trump takes over the elections? And I say, well, look, there's no role for the president to do that in the Constitution. The president simply has no functional role in the administration of elections at all. And by design, he's off to the side. He's got nothing new with it. It's up to the states, and Congress can vote to regulate it, but I would never say no, he would never try and do that. So we're just gonna have to stay vigilant to every one of their antics and ambushes against the election process.
- [54:29]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Well, I appreciate, as always, you speaking out on this stuff and thanks for taking the time tonight.
- [54:33]
Jamie Raskin
Great to see you, Brian.
- [54:36]
Brian Tyler Cohen
Thanks again to Governor Beshear, Governor Shapiro and Congressman Raskin. That's it for this episode. Talk to you next week. You've been listening to no Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen, produced by Sam Graeber, music by Wellesley, and interviews edited for YouTube by Nicholas Nicoterra. If you want to support the show, please subscribe on your preferred podcast app and leave a five star rating and a review. And as always, you can find me at briantyler Cohen on all of my other channels. Or you can go to briantylercohen.com to learn more.