Stephen A. Smith: Mamdani's Inauguration, Minnesota Fraud + Iran Protests RAGE | PBD Podcast | 711

Summary

PBD Podcast Episode 711 Summary
Stephen A. Smith: Mamdani's Inauguration, Minnesota Fraud + Iran Protests RAGE
January 3, 2026

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Episode Overview

The first PBD Podcast of 2026 opens with a spirited, wide-ranging conversation led by Patrick Bet-David (PBD) and a panel featuring Adam Sosnick, Rob Garguilo, Tom Ellsworth, Vinnie Oshana, Danny Kanell, and special guest Stephen A. Smith. The episode dives into the most pressing political and cultural stories, including Mamdani's historic New York inauguration, the Minnesota Somali daycare fraud scandal, explosive protests in Iran, California's billionaire tax debate, and more—blending humorous banter, sharp analysis, and fiery personal testimony.

The main theme threads together the questions: Who truly represents American interests? How do corruption, leadership, and media spin undermine public trust? And what is the future path for politics, both domestically and globally?

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Key Discussion Points

1. Presidential Rumors: Stephen A. Smith 2028? [09:06–13:58]

• Rumors & Kalshee Betting Markets: Stephen A. is being mentioned as a possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, bolstered by speculation on betting markets.

  “If somebody came to me and said that you've got a legitimate shot to win or whatever, I would definitely consider it... I think our country's in trouble. I think there's too many people that are thinking about themselves and they're not thinking about the American citizens." – Stephen A. Smith [09:20]

• Motivations & Centrist Platform: Smith emphasizes he would only run to bring real accountability, prioritize affordability and safety, and challenge divisive culture war politics.

  “I dare them to be on a stage with me and explain how you could justify prioritizing those things ahead of affordability, ahead of safety in the streets, ahead of safety with our borders." – Stephen A. Smith [10:18]

• His Take on Other Democratic Hopefuls: Smith claims he’d be a formidable opponent to much of the Democratic field, except perhaps Wes Moore and Josh Shapiro.

2. The California Exodus & Billionaire Tax [15:29–27:13]

• Chamath’s Viral Tweet: Chamath Palihapitiya’s tweet claims $500B of net worth fled California over a proposed billionaire asset seizure tax.

  “People I know with a collective net worth of $500 billion scrambled and left California for good yesterday... Without these people, the California budget deficit will only get bigger.” – PBD, quoting Chamath [17:00]

• Unions Driving the Tax Push: Tom Ellsworth reveals that the tax is a ballot initiative via mega-unions, possibly masking true political motives. Language allows future expansion to millionaires.

  “It allows them to go to millionaires, it allows them to go to other places. This could be a precedent-setting thing…” – Tom Ellsworth [18:34]

• Firsthand Tax Experience: Stephen A. Smith details the pain of NY and CA tax rates and recounts how an estate planner advised him to physically leave California on weekends to avoid daily tax assessment based on phone location.

  “They said, well, if you stay in California... IRS, they ping your phone... And sure enough, when I saw my tax returns, it was absolutely correct." – Stephen A. Smith [23:53]

• Demographic & Ideological Implications: Discussion touches on the migration of capital and whether blue-state political mentalities follow migrants into red states.

3. Mamdani Inauguration: Rugged Individualism vs. Collectivism [43:59–55:14]

• Historic Inauguration: Zohran Mamdani, sworn in as New York City mayor on the Quran, pledges a new era replacing "rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism" [45:39–45:49], sparking strong reactions from the panel.

• Religious Symbolism & American Identity: Vinnie vents that swearing on the Quran is "a spit in the face," insisting America is a Christian nation, while Stephen A. fiercely defends religious liberty and pluralism as core American values [55:14–55:31].

  “It's perfectly within his right, even in a Christian country, to use the Holy Quran to swear in. He's a Muslim... They voted for him anyway. And for him to be sworn in based off of his religious beliefs, it comes back to the tenets our country lives on. That’s what makes us who we are.” – Stephen A. Smith [55:14]

• Younger Generations & Free Stuff: Lively debate about youth support for collectivist policies. Stephen A. points out: "Kids are kids. They don’t know any better... with age comes wisdom." [53:50]

4. The Minnesota Somali Daycare Fraud Scandal [79:36–94:09]

• Massive Fraud Uncovered: Panel reacts with outrage to $250 million+ of government funds allegedly stolen via fraudulent daycares run by Somali immigrants in Minnesota; $35 million flowed to political contributions.

• Reactions & Accountability: Most express skepticism that anyone will be prosecuted, reflecting deep distrust in government and justice system.

  “If nothing happens, the American people are no longer going to trust the justice system that we have." – Tom Ellsworth [83:25]

• Wider Implications: Vinnie and Adam argue both parties are corrupt, but recent Democratic-led fraud and open-border policies have caused widespread, bipartisan anger and calls for action or even civil disobedience.

5. Iran Protests on the Brink of Revolution [125:35–140:50]

• Iran in Crisis: Massive new protests erupt nationwide; central bank orders banks to enter "full emergency mode." Economic collapse, lost government control, and the absence of Ayatollah Khamenei foreshadow potential regime change.

• US Response: Trump posts a warning pledging US support for Iranian protesters, marking unprecedented backing.

• PBD’s Challenge to Exiled Royalty: Patrick publicly challenges Reza Pahlavi (Shah of Iran’s son) to act decisively, meet with US leadership, and step up as a unifying figure—otherwise, change will happen organically.

  “This is the closest we've ever come to this. Pick up the phone and call him. Go meet with him. If you truly are committed to doing this, you're one of the handful of people I know…” – PBD to Reza Pahlavi [134:36–140:50]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “They are really, really lucky that I'm just building my coffers now... Because if that were the case and I had that much money in my coffers, oh, yeah, I would run because I believe I would beat them.” – Stephen A. Smith [10:59]
• “If I told you in the 90s, New York in 2026, there's going to be a guy named Mamdani putting his hands on a Quran to become the mayor... would you have said, ‘Pat, it'll fully happen,’ or would you have said, ‘You're crazy, it'll never take place?’” – PBD [43:53]
• “Fake accounts officially are more than human beings. So you and I can be looking at something... it's a freaking bot. And we fall for it. Then we hate each other... This is not accidental.” – PBD on the rise of bots in online discourse [65:21]
• “Is it possible that when we have a debt that's now at over $38 trillion... border issues... isn't there an abundance of evidence that has shown that the frustration of the younger generation is completely justified because of the world that has been handed to them?” – Stephen A. Smith [57:50]
• “The standard is the standard... you have to pay a price for doing that... Professionals, much, much harder to excuse.” – Stephen A. Smith on DK Metcalf’s suspension [151:34–155:52]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 09:06 Presidential rumors/Stephen A. Smith as candidate discussion
• 15:29 California’s billionaire tax, Chamath’s tweet, union politics
• 23:53 Stephen A. Smith on NY and CA taxes
• 43:59 Mamdani’s inauguration, collectivism vs. individualism
• 55:14 Swearing in on the Quran—debate on American pluralism
• 79:36 Minnesota Somali daycare fraud & explosive panel reaction
• 125:35 Iran in crisis: analysis, diaspora politics, PBD’s challenge
• 142:30 DK Metcalf controversy (NFL player vs. fan), suspension debate
• 151:34 Stephen A.'s reflection on Tomlin, Steelers, coaching standards

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Notable Panel Dynamics

• Sharp Humor & Tough Love: Panel teases and prods each other, particularly around policy hypocrisy, but maintain candor—PBD: “We get along. We sit down, we talk. But I'm hoping the 12% [reasonable Americans] gets bigger. And we recruit the 12%, we get it to 13, 14, 15. I'm trying to get the 12 to 25.” [68:33]
• Stephen A. the Centrist: "I'm a centrist. I'm a common sense guy."—Smith defends his pragmatic approach to politics and says both sides must be held accountable [106:56]
• Faith, Redemption, and Cultural Disintegration: Extended group debate (111:02–125:31) about a viral story of a woman who set a “sleeping-with-1100-men-in-one-day” record, then converted to Christianity. Used as a prism for broader commentary on the state of social and moral values.

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Contextualizing the Stories

• The episode blends criticisms of both major parties, deeply skeptical of establishment politics, and places unique weight on the need for centrist, reform-minded leadership rooted in common sense, not tribe or ideology.
• Mamdani’s collectivist rhetoric, Minnesota immigrant fraud, and the Iran protests are used as flashpoints illustrating what the hosts frame as a crisis of American identity—a society at a crossroads over freedom, faith, accountability, and truth in the age of bots and “manufactured chaos."
• Throughout, Stephen A. Smith’s voice stands out for gravitas and measured conviction, alternately accepting criticism and engaging in philosophical asides about faith, resilience, and the nature of public service.

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Bottom Line

For listeners and newcomers, this episode is a crash course in the raw, combative, but ultimately constructive analysis that defines the PBD Podcast. From quasi-presidential candidacy to international revolution plots, every issue is set against a backdrop of what the hosts repeatedly call for: transparency, accountability, faith (in both senses of the word), and unapologetic American candor.

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For further exploration, here are the most pivotal clips (approximate):

• [09:06]–[13:58] Stephen A. on running in 2028 and the Democratic field
• [23:53]–[25:54] The pain of high state taxes—NY v. CA experiences
• [45:39]–[45:49] Mamdani: “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism…”
• [79:36]–[94:09] Minnesota fraud explainer, rage, panel testimony
• [125:35]–[140:50] Iran protests: historic context, possible regime change
• [151:34]–[155:52] DK Metcalf incident—professional responsibility in sports

This summary omits ads, intros/outros, and focuses solely on the substantial commentary and exchanges.

Transcript

[A]

Did you ever think you were making I feel I'm supposed I could take Sweet victory I know this life meant for me why would you bet on Goliath when we got bet David? Valuetainment giving values contagious this world of entrepreneurs we get no value to haters how they run, homie look what I.

[B]

Become I'm the one all right, so we got a special show here tonight with us. Make some noise, everybody. We got a audience full of good looking people here. This the first podcast of 2026. Happy New Year to all of you. Merry Christmas. I hope you're ready for 2026. We got some very cool people here with us. We did make an exception. Adam is in the house as well. But for everybody else, we got Adam here, we got Rob here, we got Tom here, we got Benny. Look at Vinnie. Can you zoom in on Vinnie real quick, ladies and gentlemen? Tell me Vinnie doesn't look sexy tonight. Look at that guy right there. Look at him. And then we have the one and only Danny Canel, who you know, football legend locally, Florida state champion in the NFL. Quarterback, incredible commentary.

[C]

He.

[B]

He pissed off the Giants quarterback's father. Maybe we'll talk about it. This week was all over the place. And then of course, we got the great one and only. Some say these rumors, honestly, don't you get sick and tired of these rumors? Like potentially 2028 presidential candidate, he doesn't want to run. Stephen A. Doesn't like a good fight. He doesn't like debating people. He wants to be left alone, living a peaceful life in his beautiful home, traveling private with nice clothes, nice food, nice perfume, nice workout equipment. Who wants to run for office? Go. Keep talking about sports.

[D]

I don't know.

[B]

Some people are saying this guy May run in 2028. All these rumors are really frustrating. I know you deal with it on a daily basis. But we have also the great Stephen A. Smith in the house. Make some noise for the panel here, guys. All right, all right, so can I kind of go through what some of the stories we're going to cover today? Is that okay with you? All right, so first we have to talk about. There's this guy who runs this country in the Middle east that I lived in for almost 11 years who was saying if you guys know anybody that wants to sell advanced weapons for crypto, they're interested, okay? Khamenei and Pezeshkian, the President of Iran, they're interested. If you guys got any kind of weapons, get a hold of them, they're willing to give you Some bitcoin for that. Aside from that Lily Phillips, I don't know anybody knows who Lily Phillips is. You guys don't know either, you know, you can't say or, you know what I'm saying, because it's like the husbands are, like, not gonna say, I know who this Lily. Lily Phillips apparently broke a record. I don't know what it was. I know you followed the story closely. Broke a record about, you know, hooking up with 1100 men in 24 hours couple months ago, totally recently. Just gave her life to Christ. How do you feel about it?

[C]

Good.

[B]

Good. Why you have a hard time clapping for it? You either clap or don't clap.

[E]

So we got it.

[B]

We got. So. So we said we should talk about it because it's. It's a good story. Who knows? You know, it was kind of like you're. You're confused with it. And then. So a couple other stories. Michelle Obama a few weeks ago, when it comes down to Stephen A. Smith, I don't know if you guys saw this or not. Michelle Obama a few weeks ago, maybe even a couple months ago, compared Stephen A. Smith to the Real Housewives, okay? Now who would say such a thing? But Michelle Obama did. I know a lot of people were very curious where that came from. Jake, if you can come hook him up, that'd be great. Then aside from that Stephen A. Smith political views interfering with ESPN popularity. He doesn't worry about it. Stephen A. Smith locks horns with whoopee, says Dems must focus on affordability and safety, not culture war. We'll get into that. Golf legend Phil Mickelson weighs in on alleged fraud in California. I don't know if you saw Chamat's tweet today. Anybody knows who Chamath is. The billionaire Chamath from All in podcast. He just tweeted today that December 31, he is in Silicon Valley. He's a billionaire. He said on December 31, his friends that he knows total net worth of a half a trillion dollars just left the state of California. Chamat just tweeted a day before New Year's. A half a trillion dollars of net worth. Is this it, Rob? $500 billion. We'll cover this. What we're trying to do is recruit many of you guys to move back to California. So maybe this is like a wrong way of doing it. But the weather is great, folks. I mean, it's awesome. The weather there's fantastic. And if it fires happen, Newsom's going to take care of you immediately. They get your permit they're on top of it. So we'll definitely give a shout out to California. What a wonderful job that governor is doing. What else we got here? DK Metcalf. You guys got to talk about DK Metcalf. What happened to the Kalin. DK Metcalf, whatever it was that upset him. And then there's this Michigan coach story that. I don't know how much you guys are following that Michigan coach story. Very interesting story on what happened there. Little weird story. I mean, to do something like that, if you get that kind of a check. Little crazy. US Announces now saying new sanctions targeting Venezuela and Iran. The Iran story we have to get into. US health insurance costs rise up 114% for millions as subsidies expire. Then we got. Drug makers plan to raise US prices on 350 medications. California delays cancellation on thousands of migrant truck drivers. And Mamdani. Did you guys see Mamdani as official? And he. Did you guys see where he swore his hand. Did you guys see that whole thing? Did you see that? He swore his hand on the Quran and he said, it is time to replace rugged individualism. Shame on these individualists that want to win for their families. It's time to replace rugged Vinnie individualism for compassionate collectivism. Right. Very like. It's just such a emotional, sentimental way of giving the message. The party is taking place in New York for the celebration of him becoming a mayor. People are upset because there's no bathroom, nothing to eat. They're apparently peeing on top of each other. Well, it's pretty nasty seeing how what's going on over there? Allegedly. Let me put that allegedly in there before people get a hold of us. He put signed executive order to get rid of all of Eric Adams executive orders. We'll cover that. And in Minnesota, this thing's not slowing down. I'm sure you've seen the story with Minnesota and the Somali and, you know, more and more money being found out. And. And I try to go visit the leering center, but apparently they've kind of changed the name to now the Learning Center. They've made the correction after eight and a half years, which is good. We're making progress. And there was this moment. Did you guys see this clip with this lady on the camera where she's reading the script off her phone? And then she says, yes, fraud is bad. And then she goes like this. She go, did you. Have you guys seen this clip? What she said? If you haven't seen it, you got to see it, folks. We're going to show it to you today. And then it's nasty in Iran. There's a lot of stuff that's going on Iran. I got a lot of thoughts on that as well myself. Nicki Minaj faces backlash. Apparently there's 70,000 signatures out there, that petition talking about deportation of Nicki Minaj. And then we got a few other stories that we'll get into with that. Having said that, for those of you guys that are watching, can you please zoom in? And possibly the best looking guy on the panel right now with the way he's sitting as if he's straight up from Italy, got back from the fashion show in Milan, and just look at the way he uses his male misogynistic energy that he has. Everybody focus on Thomas Ellsworth. Look at that look, look at, look at the way Thomas sitting up there stud with those shoes he's got on, showing everybody that he believes the future looks bright with the brown shoes. For some of you guys that are watching, I love seeing all the testimonies with the shoes and everybody that's calling us ordering these shoes. We're, we're officially in 22 countries of those future looks bright shoes. If you haven't yet placed your order, go to vtmerch.com Place your order. I got a big announcement to make to you guys next week, but with that being said, let's get right into it. Stephen A. I'm start off with you first.

[C]

Sure.

[B]

So what is like, how do you handle all these rumors? These rumors like Stephen A. Wants to run for president. You go to Couchy, Rob, if you want to pull it up. I mean, you look at this Couchy report on who is the leading Democratic candidate for President for 2028. You see the name all the way at the top. Rob, if we can start off, of course, the great Gavin Newsom from the state of California doing a phenomenal job. Aoc, Kamala Harris, Josh Shapiro, you got Whitmer, who's wearing a nice red jacket, Buttigieg Westmore. And then you have Andy Bashir. You got a few other names. And then you see Stephen A. Smith. Stephen A. Smith ahead of Rahm Emanuel, Mark Kelly, Cory Booker Mamdani, Jon Stewart, Stephen Hay. Are these just rumors like there's people here with money. Should they go to Kalshee right now, set aside a little bit of money? If Stephen A. Smith's going to run in 2028, what do you have to say about that?

[A]

That's their choice. What I would tell you is that I'm serious when I say that I'd consider it. If somebody came to me and said that you've got a legitimate shot to win or whatever, I would definitely consider it. But the reasons are very, very simple. I think our country's in trouble. I think there's too many people that are thinking about themselves and they're not thinking about the American citizens. And I don't think that there are enough people legitimately being called out. And see, for me personally, it's not being an elected official. It's not running for office from the standpoint of, well, you know what? I have all of these policies that I think would work for America, and I think that you should listen to me instead of them. I think our politicians have sold us out. I think that they've really, really done tremendous damage to this country, and more so than actually being in office to. The reason why I don't poo poo definitively is because I cannot tell you how badly I would love to be on a debate stage against these politicians, to go up against them and for them, with me standing on stage next to them, try to explain and justify what they have done to cause the division that they have caused in this country. Black, white, Hispanics, Asian Americans, the list goes on and on. You know, and you got to a point where, you know, whether it's the LGBTQ community and then you add, you know, the transgender community to that and some of the decisions that they made, the things that they've said, the things that they prioritize, I dare them to be on a stage with me and explain how you could justify prioritizing those things ahead of affordability, ahead of safety in the streets, ahead of safety with our borders, etc. Etc. That is the reason that I haven't completely shut down. I like my life. That is totally true. I've got a great, great job. No doubt about great jobs. I'm doing pretty well, and I intend to do even better in the future. But they are really, really lucky that I'm just building my coffers now. They're lucky I don't have that money lock, stock, and barrel, where I never had to worry about my quality of life ever again. Because if that were the case and I had that much money in my coffers, oh, yeah, I would run because I believe I would beat them.

[B]

You believe you will beat him?

[A]

I believe I would beat him.

[B]

And Stephen A, you, anybody, the people.

[A]

That you showed on that list, yeah, I'd beat every one of them.

[C]

Stop it.

[B]

I believe you'd beat Everybody on that list, I believe. Okay. That's all right.

[A]

Let me say this, though, please. I'm a fan of Westmore.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Governor of Maryland.

[B]

We've spoke. You've spoken.

[A]

I'm a huge fan of Josh Shapiro, Governor of Pennsylvania. So maybe I'd omit those two. Because I look at them and I say, yeah, I'd rather you have them than me. But Kamala Harris, I don't think she'd beat me. Gavin Nome. Not with Cal. Not with what I know about California. Hey, he ain't beat me. He. Not that you. You know, I don't have a record. And that is almost unfair to him from the standpoint I don't have a record.

[B]

Yeah, he does.

[A]

But I'm in California a lot. I know what I've seen in that state. Ain't no way in hell you beating me in a debate to justify that state and what we're seeing. No way in hell. No way. Republicans are a different matter, because I think Marco Rubio is the real deal, more so than J.D. vance. But on the Democratic side, which is where I would be, I believe I'll shove aside Wes Moore and Josh Shapiro. I believe every other name you put up there, I'd beat him.

[B]

How do you. How do you address aoc? How do you go after aoc?

[A]

Easily. What's your record? You don't really have one. You've been in Congress for a long time. What have you done? I respect her heart. I respect her being a conscientious participant. But in the end, it comes down to what you've done. And the reality of the situation is, if it wasn't for you supporting Mom, Donnie, we'd still be asking, what have you done? At some point in time, if you're an elected official, it's about what you've done for your constituency. It's about what you've done for the American people and for the Democratic Party, which. Listen, like I've said before, I'm not going to waste everybody's time getting into all of this other stuff. Most of the time, I vote Democrat. We all know that. I've said that. I've argued with Vinnie and Adam and everybody about that, and rightfully so, because they've had their questions about that. All legitimate questions.

[B]

You, too.

[A]

But in the end, when I look at what they did leading into the 2024 election, it wasn't about Donald Trump winning. It was that the country said, we can't have this. Not with what the Democrats are doing. Donald Trump at age 78 at the time was closer to normalcy for the American people than the Democratic Party, who lost its damn mind. And as far as I'm concerned, they still haven't gotten it back, really.

[B]

So. Okay, so let's stay on that. You said Rubio, Vance, you like Rubio. Morton Vance. Why is that? Why? Why Rubio?

[A]

Because I think Rubio is the adult in the room. I think J.D. vance tries to engage in Trump and Trumpism as per se. There's only one Donald Trump. Love him or hate him, there's only one. He is who he is. He talks the way that he talks. He feels the way that he feels. He articulates the way that he articulates. Fine. Too many people tried to be him, and I think that's what hurt Ron DeSantis. Ronald, when Ron DeSantis was talking about running for the president, he was trying to run the presidency, you know, you were getting out of character because you were trying to emulate the behavior of Donald Trump. You were trying to out Trump, Trump. That wasn't going to work. And I think it ultimately cost him, which is why he went back to the governor's seat and just stayed there. I think J.D. vance, although he's smart, I think he's one of those guys that's trying to be a populist. Marco Rubio is a senator who's now the secretary of State, national security advisor, knows where all the major players are, knows who they are, knows how to communicate with them. I think when you talk about somebody who's going to be the adult in the room, I think Marco Rubio is that guy. For the Republicans, the Democratic side, there are people that could do the job if they have a centrist perspective where they prioritize the economy, they prioritize affordability, they don't forget the importance of safety in the streets. But that person who's resonate, resonated nationally, the Democratic Party is devoid of right now. They don't have anybody like that, which is where I'd come in.

[B]

That's massive opportunity there for somebody.

[A]

It is.

[B]

I'm sure you saw what Chris said. Cuomo, he said he believes the 2028 candidate is going to be a name that's not a political name. That's going to be an outsider coming in. And I think 2020 is going to be wide open. I think so many people could get in that nobody's even thinking about right now. Behind closed doors, they're plotting their next moves. Let's talk about California. So policies. Danny, I want you to Think about this as well, because, you know, in business incentive, how much you get paid? We have a lot of business owners. See, everybody that's here right now is a member, right? Of the club. So to be a member here, this is not a public club. This is a private club. They're business owners. They're successful at what they do. Can you pull up Chamat's tweet for me? I'm trying to really understand the logic behind this. Okay, so Chamat, for some of you guys that don't know, he is on the all in podcast with the crew. I think it's him. David. And then you have Jason and there's also. Is it David? Right. Okay. So all of them successful in their own right. They've done very well for themselves. Chamat says right here, people I know with a collective net worth of $500 billion scrambled and left California for good yesterday, folks. A half a trillion dollars left on December 31. These are friends of his. He knows these people. He's invested in a lot of these companies. They took no risk because of the proposed asset seizure tax introduced as a billionaire tax. Without these people, the California budget deficit will only get bigger. This hole gets filled in one of two ways. More borrowing from the bond market, who is purely financial and unforgiven, or more taxes on everyone else. Meanwhile, waste, fraud, and abuse runs rampant from the hundreds of billions in revenues the state already collects. Danny, you're a sports guy. You guys make a lot of money in sports, right? I mean, you play. I remember when LeBron was coming from Cleveland to Miami, he's like, look, all that money you're going to save in taxes, you know, now you go to California, paid a 13.3%. We're now in the state of Florida. You're also now in the state of Florida. We love the state of Florida. How do you process this? When a guy who's a billionaire, whose friends are all billionaires, many of them are, says, why would a Newsom, the governor of California, even think about this idea? A few weeks ago, they push it to the attorney general. I think they need 875,000 signatures by spring of 2026 to be able to be on the ballot. The state has 199 billionaires. It's got 40 billion people that are not billionaires, and it only impacts the 199. So how do you process this yourself, Danny?

[F]

They're going with the company line of tax the rich, which is what a lot of their constituents want them to do. At Mandani's swearing in today. We heard them chanting tax the rich. And I think what Newsom is trying to do is pander to the wider voting base as opposed to catering to the capitalist and the pro business people that are actually the ones that could do a lot more for the state. So I think he's trying to do it for his base on the left there in California, which is always lean left.

[B]

Tom, where are you at with this?

[D]

Well, first of all, I think there's a little bit of a slight of hand that's going on right here because people like Ro Khanna and other are about to disavow creation. And what I mean by that is this tax is a ballot initiative. It's not being brought to the state assembly or state Senate, state government. It is a ballot initiative that's being brought by seiu, the Service Employees International Union and a secondary labor union that's primarily government workers. So they're going to get the signatures that they need to put on the ballot through these two mega unions. Remember SEIU was the big union that used to carry Harry Reid every year in Nevada. And the rumor was that it was a union guy that blackened Harry Reid's eye. The time that he got the black eye that he couldn't explain. He said he fell off a treadmill. True story. Well, those unions have brought it forward. So Ro Khanna and everybody is like, no, this is the Union Workers of America. Union Workers of America that are here in California speaking their mind and putting forth the ballot initiative. Yeah buddy, who wrote it? Who put it there? So it's a little bit of sleight of hand the way they're getting it on the ballot so the politicians can step back and say, oh, it's just hardworking union folks that are on there. But this is, make no mistake, this is with the fingerprint and good graces of Ro Khanna and of Gavin Newsom. They need it because the budget in California has a big hole in it. It's due to fraud, it's due to wildfires, it's due to a lot of different things. Not just fraud. Some circumstances happened to California and they need to fill the hole. But the interesting thing, they call it a billionaires tax. I read it, I read the whole thing. Incredibly bored over holiday break. And I tell you there's language in here. It allows them to go to millionaires, it allows them to go to other places. This is be a precedent setting thing so that California could basically edict and a temporary or one time asset seizure that can be defined by the government when necessary. Under this, if it, if it goes from the ballot. That's what I think about it.

[B]

I think stinks. If, if, if I'm not mistaken, in his district, within a 50 mile radius, there is 4 or 5 trillion dollar companies, 15 trillion dollars of company. I think a third of, if I'm not mistaken, a third of the stock market is in his district or a.

[D]

Third of the S and P. But.

[B]

Yes, the third of the S and P is in his district. And those are the people you're working for and you want to go tax those guys. And then Shamada is saying, look, by the way, here's what's crazy about it. They left Tom without even knowing whether this is going to pass or not. So them leaving, what are they saying? They're betting and saying, I think it's going to pass. I'm out of here. You know, all those guys are talking to each other. Anyways, Stephen A. For you. When it comes down to policies, I love how earlier Stephen A. Said if I had real money. Just so everybody knows, Stephen A. Doesn't make minimum wage, folks. I mean, Stephen A. Makes 20 plus, not thousand, like million. He makes very well. But to him he's thinking billions. He's thinking big. He wants to get to whatever the next level may be to him. For yourself, when you're looking at this, at the beginning, you know how we all are coming up in our careers, we're like, who cares about taxes? Who cares about. When was the moment for you, Stephen A. Where you said, oh my God, I better start paying attention to taxes and where I want to create my wealth?

[A]

1993.

[B]

93.

[A]

I'm a high school sports writer for the New York Daily News. My salary was 53, 500 a year in 83. 1993.

[B]

93, 1993. Still a lot of money.

[A]

I had started out, I was, I was working at the Greensboro News and Record and stuff like that as an editorial assistant out of college. And I was making 15, 300 a year. So a few months later when I got this job in New York, 53,500 a year. I'm like, I was ecstatic. And I saw my first check and half my money was gone. And it was New York State taxes and it was New York City taxes. It was the first time I ever paid attention to FICA because I didn't know what the hell that was. And I said, oh, damn. And then it elevated even More so approximately 15 years later because by this time I met the ESPN and they got Me spending some time in California. And so I got a taste of California's taxes, and I was like, this is for the birds. I mean, what the hell is this?

[B]

This, by the way? So you experienced New York and California?

[A]

Oh, yes. What's more painful, I would tell you, California. Here's the reason why, first of all, it's more. Because New York was at around 9%, California was approaching 13. Now, they had 13.6% of Gavin Newsom, had his way be about 16.8%. See, these are things that I've been paying ATT attention to. And so I'm looking at it. I'm like, you got California state tax, you got Los Angeles city tax, you got LA county tax. And, and. And then here was what really, really did it.

[B]

This.

[A]

This happened to me two years ago. They said, look, because I was about to spend some more time out there, they got me doing NBA Countdown, and they decided that we were going to do NBA Countdown more so from LA than any place else. Okay, fine. So every time I'm in the state of California, I'm getting taxed that day. And so I'm sitting down with my estate planners and all of that. And they said, look, when the weekend arrives, it would be in your best interest to go to Vegas or to Utah or something. I said, why? And they said, well, if you stay in California, you know, irs, they ping your phone. So anytime you get a call or you're on the phone, they know that you're in the state. Wow. And. And that counts as a day. And I said, you got to be kidding me. And sure enough, when I saw my tax returns, it was absolutely correct. And that's why I said, you know, I remember years later, man. You know, it was a couple years ago, I look at Gavin Newsom, who I've spoken to a couple of times, and I'm like, you know, you look beautiful in those blue suits. You look very presidential and get my vote.

[B]

You told him this?

[A]

Yeah, damn right. Because these damn taxes, you know, now if you talking about moving to the center instead of vibing with the left, because as we talk about all of the stuff that's going on in California, even though he's categorically denying that he's a part of this. This pursuit of 100, you know, billion dollars, you know, Well, I think it's 100 million. I'm sorry, instead of 100 billion. The point is, is that whatever the number is, you're trying to go to billionaires to get the money from them. Well, billionaires Billionaires have proven they know how to make money, which means you, with this debt, why should they think about giving you money? Because what will you do with it?

[C]

Like they were like, wait a minute.

[A]

If anything, come to us for help, knowledge from us, so we can educate you on how not to lose money for the rails, for the wildfires and the donations that poured in and now the money's missing and all of this other stuff. That's what they're saying. And I think that there's a legitimacy that comes with that, that people who make money and know how to make money, being appalled by somebody, whether it's a, a, you know, cadre of people or whatever, being appalled by the notion that you would come to them to make up for your ineptitude. That's what the state of California is doing right now. And why would Newsom do that? Why would he be a part of it? Whether he admits it or denies it or whatever, here's the reason why. Because he's trying to run in 2028. And if you lock in the progressives and you believe that that's what's going to win you the nomination, then all you have to concern yourself with is the other side instead of the candidates that you have to go against in the primaries. And this is what we're looking at here. So I see all of that kind of stuff and I go back to my dollars and cents. I'm paying attention to that because ladies and gentlemen, nothing's free. No matter what they tell you, nothing is free. The money is coming from somewhere. And the, and a lot of folks out there are convinced that's just not true. 1% of the population in the state of California is paying more than 33% of the taxes. That's not going to last. That's not going to hold water. And it's certainly not going to be applicable to the United States of America. What's going on in the state of California?

[B]

Powerful 1% pays 33.

[A]

More than 33%. It's actually closer to 40 for the.

[B]

State of California, by the way. State of California, Some of that is also applies to the entire country. But California probably a bigger percentage because they got the most billionaires. They're number one. I think New York is number two with 127 billionaires, which is now Mamdani, by the way, before we go to this next story real quick, somebody who was a first lady said something about you a couple months ago. I know you have to be very careful when you speak about it, because if you do, you know, you may get. You may get a lot of hate and you're going to get some comments. But this lady, the first lady, Michelle Obama.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Who was, you know, Barack Obama's wife, she had this to say about you a couple months ago. Go ahead, Rob.

[A]

Yeah, if I listen to ESPN for an hour, it's like watching the Real Housewives of Atlanta.

[B]

I mean, you know, it's the same.

[A]

Drama and they're yelling at each other and they don't get along. You know, I mean, Stephen A. Smith, he's just like every other post Real Housewife. He would be right. Be amazing. So that's why I'm like, what's the difference? It's just, you know, it, it's, it's just sociological drama.

[C]

Is that Queer Wife for the strange actually respond?

[B]

What about. Guys, listen, we don't want anybody to get in trouble here. Stephen A. Can you actually respond to this or is it better to say next question?

[A]

No, I'll respond.

[B]

I don't want you to get in trouble here because, you know, it's like.

[A]

Michelle, well, really weird, weird view as, as a black man. She's not. The former first lady is not only someone I respect, I revere, I have a lot of respect for her and I appreciate who she is and who she has been. Did I like that comment? No. But I wasn't really offended by it because you're arguing sports or whatever. If anything was there to be offensive about it. Like, wait a minute, we talk about 30 basketball teams, 32 football teams, you know, baseball teams, boxing, UFC. That's nothing like the Housewives. I don't know what she's watching, and that's number one. But number two, it gave me an opportunity to direct my attention towards her because I've only had one issue with Michelle Obama, and that will not change. And if she ever invited me on a podcast, I'd go on just to tell it to her face. I did not appreciate when they were campaigning for Kamala Harris, how the implication was is that there were men that wouldn't want to vote for Kamala because she was a woman. That's ridiculous. Especially when it comes to black men. We not only love women, we revered them. A lot of them have raised us. The respect is profound. So to say something like that about us really bothered me. And for Ms. Former President Barack Obama to co sign it by speaking to black men in Pittsburgh and implicating that as well was really, really. It really ticked me off because it's false. And I will remind Everybody. Hillary Rodham Clinton won a popular vote by 2.9 million over Donald Trump in 2016. Did y' all say that? Then Kamala Harris walks around bragging about how she got nearly 75 million votes, which was the most votes any Democratic nominee ever received in American history. Well, if that's the case, which. Which issue is it? Because last time I checked, the governor of New York is a woman, the governor elect of New Jersey and now Virginia is a woman. You know, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodney was a woman. Is a woman. So I look at these things and I'm like, where's your evidence? There's no evidence to that. I don't want to hear that. The fact of the matter is, is that Kamala Harris lost the election because she didn't campaign as well as she should have and she didn't attack the issues. And she. She capitulated too much to the extreme left and ultimately was pushing forth policy and an agenda that most Americans were not vibing with. That is a fact. There are. I, I think if Michelle Obama ran, she would have won in 2024.

[B]

If she would have ran, I think she.

[A]

I think she would have beat Trump in 2024. I believe that because I don't believe she would have run a campaign the way Kamala Harris did. I think she would have been talking about safety and streets affordability and things of that nature. None of them are going to win with woke culture, cancer culture and identity politics. None of them are going to win on that and they shouldn't. I'll vote against them. I'll vote against her, for crying out loud. But I'm telling you, I don't think she would have done that.

[B]

But you just said Michelle Obama would have won. But Michelle Obama did identity politics in 2024. What you just explained right now was identity politics.

[A]

I believe if she were the candidate, she would have thought better. She was flawed.

[B]

Oh, you're thinking she would have done. Taking a different.

[A]

She would have read the room a lot better. And by the way, Kamala Harris is the same person that couldn't make it to the, to the Iowa caucuses in 2019. They didn't want it. They didn't want. In California. They didn't want her for the next.

[B]

I'm surprised because she's so attractive. Her voice is like, so sexy. And, you know, you can like, listen to her voice on repeat. It just. It can really excite you. Danny, you look like you want to say something.

[F]

I was just looking at that clip and do you remember how desperately the left, during the last election campaign, tried too late to chase down the American male. Right. Specifically white males. You know, white dudes for Harris and that whole campaign. But that shows how disconnected. And maybe that's a New York bubble or whatever it is that says.

[B]

I don't.

[F]

I don't get why these guys would sit around and talk about sports. Do they realize that's what most males like to do that are interested in doing? They clearly are still out of touch with the American male, black or white.

[B]

It's a very good point. Very good point. But they are saying that what happened. There's an article that came out, Rob, last week that said the left has done a good job the last few months winning over to young men based on what Mamdani did. Based on. Because the whole affordability topic has become very important to them because you have to find a way to get these guys who want to get married, have kids, get a job. They're thinking about that. Adam, you want to say something?

[E]

Well, I believe Michelle Obama is hating on Stephen A. Smith because she's jealous of Stephen A. Smith.

[A]

Oh, I won't go down.

[E]

And I'll tell you. I'll tell you why that is the.

[F]

Most relevant she's been.

[E]

She didn't leave politics to go start a business to run for some office.

[B]

Adam, don't.

[E]

She left politics to start a podcast. And we just came out with the top 50 people in all of media. Media influencers. Michelle Obama wasn't on the list. Stephen A. Smith was on the list. People in media are on the list because influence, per Tony Robbins, is probably one of the most powerful things you can possibly have. Influence influencers get a bad name. But influencers. Top media influencers. Look at the people on this list. They're influencing culture. They're influencing politics. You're considering running for 2028. You have my vote over Gavin Newsom, that's for sure. But Michelle Obama is almost irrelevant. The death knell to Barack Obama was when he started lambasting black men. Hey, come on, guys, we gotta stick together. And black guys are like, nah, I'm good. And then voted for Trump. So Michelle Obama and whatever three gay guys she's doing a podcast with are irrelevant at this point.

[B]

So that guy was gay.

[E]

What they forgot to say is. Whatever.

[B]

I thought it was like his.

[A]

No, no.

[C]

But I do have.

[E]

The Democratic Party has a gay problem.

[B]

Not enough or too many?

[E]

Too many.

[B]

Oh, okay.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But. Well, I. I have to. I have to disagree with Stephen for a second.

[A]

Sure.

[C]

And I know you don't give.

[B]

Don't do it.

[C]

About what I have to say, not think Michelle Obama would have come close to Donald Trump at all, besides him winning all the swing states popular vote this time.

[B]

What?

[C]

The Democrat Party with Joe Biden. And it wasn't Joe Biden. Whoever was running the show destroyed this country so bad. There's. I don't care if Barack came again for the second time. What they did, the people saw what was happening and said, wow, this is why they tried to kill him. This is why they tried to destroy him. This is why they put them in jail. And from everything from the beginning of this podcast to now, all I keep hearing is Democrat this, Democrat that. Gavin Newsom this. Taxes. The Democratic Party has nothing, zero to run on. They're frauding the whole freaking country. They're importing votes. And I know we're going to get to it right now with all the Minnesota stuff. They're bringing these people in here, they're letting everybody vote, and then they get mad when you go, hey, wait a minute, you can't vote. You know what they say? Y' all racist. You're racist. If you don't want people to be fired up. Stephen, tell me if I'm wrong, because all I hear is Democrat, Democrat, Democrat, Democrat, Democrat.

[A]

I will be the first to tell you. I will be the first to tell you. There's a lot of times racism exists and all of that stuff, but there's a lot of times that things ain't about race. It's about somebody not liking your ass. So I will definitely. Very true. Definitely get with you with that, and I understand that part. But to push back on you, when I think about Michelle Obama winning, this is one major reason I believe there's a lot of women out there who may not have admitted it, but would have went to the polls and voted for her. That's what. And we can't underestimate. One thing I don't do is underestimate the power of women. I mean, when you want to be successful at something, you got the women supporting you. That's going to go a long way. I'm not talking about black. I'm talking about women, period. Across the, you know, across the ethnic gap. I want to say that. But the other thing, when you say the Democrats have nothing to run on, I will say this to you. They actually got something. When you talk about the Affordable Care act and subsidies, yeah, the Democrats got a lot to do with that. You know what? It's Obamacare. We get it instituted since 2014, obviously cost us a boatload of money. It was supposed to cost about 950 billion. Now, of course, nearly 1.5 trillion. Now you look for another 1.5 trillion. I get all of that. But in all of that time, where the hell is the plan from the Republicans? You still don't have a plan to address health care, the subsidies issues, the spike that's scheduled to take place in the new year, you've had ample opportunity to plan and execute accordingly. While you've had control of the House, the Senate and the White House, and you still haven't done that. And somewhere along the way, people are going to look at you and say, there's a lot of talk and blather going on on left, but it's also going on on the right on an issue that you knew you had to address.

[C]

But a lot of that affordability comes from opening a border, letting 20 million people come in here, giving them all of our money, giving them all the housing. So of course everything is going to go up.

[A]

No, but I'm not doing the course. I'm saying your plan to address it, the fact that the Republicans don't have a plan is my issue. What I'm. That's all I'm saying. I'm not saying that it's their fault and not the Dems, that, that the prices have elevated. I'm saying somewhere along the way, when you're in charge of government and you're bringing attention to all that ails us, you have to have a plan to alleviate and address it. I've interviewed Mike Johnson, I've interviewed Jim Jordan, I've interviewed Chip Roy and the rest of the crew.

[B]

I've.

[A]

And I've said the same thing to them, like, where's your plan? Cuz you are the one in powers. Anybody I can sit here, we can talk about anybody. Oh, here's the problems. But at some point in time, you got to talk about what the hell you going to do about it, particularly when you're in power. And they have not done that.

[E]

Yeah, well, I don't think they even want to deal with that because if you remember Trump's first term, the first thing he tried to do was fix Obamacare, not infrastructure regulations, like that, and it failed dramatically and it sort of torpedoed his first term. I think he's just going to push that to a side.

[A]

He didn't have all the power. He got the House in the Senate now.

[E]

Now he does. That's my point. And he's still not Even dealing with it. Number two, Trump is two. And, oh, against women. I'm just saying that Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris and he beat a corpse that I fell for, no doubt. But the. The. I will say that there is some truth that Michelle Obama is probably more likable than Kamala. Certainly more than Hillary.

[A]

No.

[B]

What do you mean? Yeah, sorry, sweetheart.

[A]

She's more formidable than Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton.

[B]

All seriousness, she is the most difficult person to ever listen to. You know, I would watch Kamala, I would watch Obama on David Letterman. I can watch him for 30 minutes. I can watch him for an hour. I can watch Obama for two hours. I cannot watch Kamala for 30 seconds. It's like neurovirus comes in. You want to, like, I don't know if you know the side effects of it. Like, you know, I can't listen to her. So this has got nothing to do. I can actually listen to Hillary for maybe seven minutes. I can't help myself. But listen to Kamala for 30 seconds. I have to run. It's the most incredible feeling just listening to her. Let me tell you what happened the other day. This young guy, I don't know what it's called, mugging, mogging, whatever they're talking about with the jaw, what they look like and all this other stuff and how, you know, Americans vote for the way a man looks and, you know, their. Their jaw and all this other stuff. Height. And he says, there's no way in the world America is going to vote for JD Vance unless if he loses some weight. They said there's literally. He's talking about how Newsom looks presidential. Forget about his policies. He looks presidential. His hair, whatever gel he uses. That should be the sponsor of his podcast. I mean, I'd be making a phone call.

[A]

Don't forget the blue suits.

[B]

Don't forget the blue suits. For sure, the blue suits. And, you know, Vinnie. Vinnie does this. Can you do this one thing? Look, if Vinnie does it, like, the movement is, like, amazing right shoulder.

[C]

You don't want to see his. The stuff coming out.

[B]

Give him props.

[F]

Wasn't that a big point? Like, since they started televising debates, you started to see better, looking taller, start to make mixing.

[B]

Didn't shave yet. What, four o'. Clock. Whatever. They talk about the shave, that he didn't shave. And then John F. Kennedy slept and went to the tanning bed, was well rested, came in, and then, boom, he lost. And, you know, the rest is history. So. Yes, I agree. But, Adam, you were saying about the conversation you're having here with Newsom and California. What were your thoughts? Finish your thoughts.

[E]

But with Newsom in California.

[B]

Yeah.

[E]

Well, back to the tax thing. Yeah, well, California's finished. New York is finished. And the future is in now Miami and South Florida and in Texas. I mean, look, guys, there's no guarantee that a city's gonna be great forever.

[D]

Right?

[E]

Hollywood used to be in New Jersey. And then people are like, yeah, we're sick of Thomas Edison running the show. We're going to California. So there's no guarantee that people are gonna stay in California. People, ask yourself this question. The people that are leaving California, who's gonna move to California? Who's gonna move to New York at this point?

[A]

Hell, to New York.

[C]

Do you want all those people with their same mentality, they're going to bring that voting block and that you want them here? I heard you last week.

[E]

That's such a misnomer.

[C]

And why is it a misnomer?

[E]

I'll tell you why. Because the people that want to leave are fed up with the bullshit, but they're still going to. Don't. California or Florida. Please don't. By the way, when Stephen A. Smith moved here from New York and saved.

[A]

A lot of money in the process.

[E]

Save that money, you did that with a frame of reference of like, damn, I'm not trying to get taxed. So I assume when you move here, you're going to be like, let me vote for policies that are more congruent with what I want to.

[B]

Listen, let's just gu. Let's just get that done right here. Stephen A. We have no problem with you running on the Democratic ticket for president.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

But over here in Florida, you're Republican. I just want you to know that over here, when it comes down to it, it's all red. Family's here, so family's upset on me here.

[E]

All right, it's okay to be purple.

[C]

But, Pat, dude, just really fast, do you think those people that would come here are automatically going to be like, I'm voting Republicans?

[B]

No, they're not.

[A]

Hell, no.

[C]

What are you talking about?

[B]

By the way, he's right. Just so you know, Vinnie's right.

[E]

Vinny's never been right on any topic ever.

[B]

Vinnie. Vinnie. On this topic, when it comes down to California, there is an entire mindset of people that are thinking California is doing what it's doing because they have so many people that agree with them politically that they can afford to lose people to go to other states, to turn the other states into blue states. That's what they're thinking about. And by the way, let me, let me just kind of put it to you here for you to process this. You said something earlier. You said, just because a state is great today doesn't mean you're going to be great forever. That means at one point they were probably pro capitalism. New York was pro. If I told you right now, when Mayor Giuliani was cleaning up the streets of New York with the mobsters, with mayor, with him running for president, which by the way, if Giuliani ran in 2012, 2016, when his energy was the way it was in the 90s, he would have probably one being a president. But America wasn't ready for Giuliani in 90s. If I told you to 90s New York in 2026, there's going to be a guy named Mamdani putting his hands on a Quran to become the mayor of New York City, would you have said, pat, it'll fully happen, or would you have said, you're crazy, it'll never take place. Here's a clip. Watch this clip here, folks. Go ahead.

[A]

Good evening, everyone, and Happy New Year to all of you. And I can't think of a better way to usher in 2020, 26 than to be amongst family friends.

[D]

Who will.

[A]

Bring about a new era of progress, promise and prosperity. The dude on the right, New York City. Zoran, I am so proud of what you have accomplished and I'm filled with joy about what we will just go.

[B]

Straight to it because city, she's part of the Kamala camp. Like I can't, you know, of the.

[C]

United States, the constitution of the state of New York. Constitution, the state of New York, the city of New York and the charter of the City of New York.

[A]

And that I will faithfully discharge and.

[C]

That I will faithfully discharge the duties of the duties of the office of the office of the mayor of the.

[A]

City of New York.

[B]

What is mayor of the City of New York? If I told you that's what's going to happen. And then Rob, if you can get the clip of collectivism versus individualism, if I told you he's going to get elected, then I told you his supporters who showed up, there's no bathroom and drinks and food, you probably would have believed that. But if I told you he goes day one, all of Eric Adams's executive orders that he placed in, I think after September 2024 or whatever the date is, Rob, when the day he got charged, all of those are gone. And then he gives a speech in the financial capital of the world with 127 billionaires. This is New York City. This is not Little Rock. This is not Toledo. This is New York City. Watch this clip. Go ahead, Rob.

[C]

Closer together.

[B]

Great mustache.

[C]

We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.

[B]

Play that one more time, please. Can we, can we hear what he just said?

[C]

We will replace of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism. If our campaign demonstrated that the people.

[B]

Of New York yearn for solidarity, then.

[C]

Let this government foster it.

[B]

Do me a favor. Pause and go to the clip of Tax the Ridge with Bernie Sanders. His famous baseball card that he had with his earmuffs that he was freezing. I don't know if you guys remember that, that I gifted a PSA10 car to Joe Rogan when I was on the podcast with him the first time. Here's possibly one of the greatest hairdos in the world.

[C]

Go ahead.

[B]

But Bernie Sanders here giving a speech and you're hearing the tax of rich in the back. Go ahead. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, demanding that.

[E]

The wealthy and large corporations start paying their fair share of taxes.

[C]

All unemployed people like, yeah.

[B]

Coming to a city near you, folks. Look at the smile. She's got 600 shoes.

[A]

Boots.

[C]

600 boots, yeah. Screaming communist.

[B]

Yeah, look at that. Communism is awesome, right? Pause it right there. Okay, so when you see that and you go back to it, right? STEPHEN A. This is New York City. You know, you, you grew up in New York City. You came up in New York City, right? Did you ever think the city that was built by capitalists, by business owners, by founders, by investors, by people who came up, they were the example. You would watch, you know, the life of the rich and famous. One day, you know, I'm going to grow up and be rich. I remember being a 14 year old kid, first time I heard about Democrats and Republicans because in Iran it was all about communism and imperial imperialism. I come home one day and I asked my mom, I said, mom, today they talk about Democrats and Republicans. I said, really? Yeah. I said, are we Democrats or are we Republicans? And she said, we're Democrats. I said, why? She said, because Democrats are for the poor and Republicans are for the rich. I said, mom, when I grow up, I want to be a Republican one day because I want to be rich, I want to have money. Did you ever think a city like that, you walk up, you just do one of these things, right? This is what, you do this in New York. It's like, wow, look at all These towers. Look at all these incredible buildings, right? You ever gone to the top of New York and you have at these Michelin star restaurants, you're sitting and you're like, look at the view. Let's take a picture, let's take a, like what an incredible. It doesn't make any sense. Did you ever think a socialist Muslim man was going to be the mayor of New York City? Yes.

[A]

Tell us why A year ago.

[B]

A year ago.

[A]

Not before then? A year ago. When you look at what's happening on college campuses, the behavior of the young students and what have you, you and you juxtapose that or you pay attention to what happened in the election with Mamdani going up against Cuomo, who ran as an independent. And Eric Adams had his issues, so he couldn't really get involved in that whole process and what have you. You saw that. I thought that without question, Andrew Cuomo was the most qualified candidate for the job. He's a three term governor in the state of New York, was coasting to a fourth term until he got derailed not just by the nursing home scandal during COVID but also by the allegations that were levied against him. Then to be out of office and have to come back and try to get the mayoral seat in New York City. There were young voters out there and all of a sudden he looked old at age 67. Still got a lot of life left in them. Still got a lot of politics left in them. They said, nah, we're not, we're not feeling that. We don't want that. We want this. And then I thought about the fact that I have two daughters and I thought about every child that I've, I've never seen any child that's different. They want free stuff. Now, whether they get it or not is contingent on the, you know, the parental, you know, stewardship that that's hovering over them. But they want it for free. If they can get it for free, if they can get it without working, if they can get their way and let somebody else handle the repercussions. That's what children do. That's what young adults do. We just have to not be blind to it. And we also have to remember that when Biden was president, what did he do? I'm going to eradicate old student loans. I mean, we're going to forgive that. Supreme Court had to step in and say, you don't have the authority to do that. But that's what he tried to do. Knowing the likelihood of him being able to pull that off was slim to none, but it really, really looked good. And it made sure to ingratiate a whole bunch of people with that administration and ultimately the Democrats, because why you were talking about something that was free. What does Mom Donnie do? Free out. Free childcare, free buses, at least one free grocery store in every borough. Stuff like, yeah, we don't have to pay for it. They're not thinking. But my parents do. Grandparents will, My aunts and uncles will. My boss says, mike, I think about that. They're thinking about, I don't have to pay. And those are the people that were at the polls in New York City. I had told. I think. I hope Chris remembers this. I remember Chris Cuomo, who was a friend of mine. I told him, I said, yo, man, I don't care what happened with Andrew Cuomo, if you gonna run. I think he should have ran for the governor's chair again, because the city is about kids. It's about Broadway, it's about. It's. It's about the streets. The state is about the adults.

[E]

Yep.

[A]

And that's how I felt. Mom, Donnie was going to win because he was going to have that young vote on lock, and he pulled it off.

[B]

Vinnie, you New York. How do you feel about it?

[C]

Well, being from Yonkers, New York, which Adam always Adam, Adam.

[B]

Old Mindy at the end.

[C]

Oh, oh, yeah. Adam's saying that.

[A]

And like you were.

[C]

Talk about Pat, looking up at the towers and I think back about the two main towers that aren't there, which was 9, 11. So for mom Donnie to come in there, listen, for everybody that's out there, that's all these sideline Christians and listen, this is a Christian nation, okay? Full stop, plain and simple. I don't know when this whole. That's that symbolism right there of putting your hand in the Quran. I respect everybody's religion, but this is a Christian nation, okay? Hands down. I don't like the fact they did that in a subway hidden from everybody so nobody could see it. That's number one. And now the Cabinet. Pat, let's get to the cabinet of who's around him. He's already bringing in people that have been arrested for kidnapping and robbery to be on his advisory board. And then also, he just appointed chief counsel Ramsey Qasem. He's the attorney who helped defend Ahmed Al Darby, the Al Qaeda member who was convicted for the 2002. I'm sorry, 2017. I'm sorry. He was convicted in 2017 of the 2002 bombing of the French oil tanker Limburg. Off the coast of Yemen. And as a New Yorker, Stephen, we're talking about New York. We're talking about a city that was attacked on 9, 11. OK? Thousands, thousands of Americans, firefighters, cops. My uncle was downtown when it happened. My mom, we were all tripping out, all that. And this guy is going to bring in a lawyer as his chief counsel, his number one lawyer who was defending terrorists. I think it's a spit in the face. I think this dude is a wolf in sheep's clothing. That, that smile and that thing, I don't buy it.

[B]

You don't like this?

[C]

I don't buy it for one bit. And Steven piggybacking off you all the free stuff, all the this, all of that, it's never worked. It's never worked. We have how many case studies of it not working? And yet people like you said, the younger people, we want it. We want the free stuff. We want the free stuff. I, I again respect people because they can do what they want. Because I pray for people and I hope that they come to Christ. That's, that's where I am in my life. Okay, with everything that's happened in my life. But to bring that to New York City, I think it's a spit in the face to everybody in New York, period.

[A]

I get where he's coming from. I just don't look at it. I'll let you guys go. I just want to say this. I get you, and you feeling that way is justified. If I felt that way justified, I got it. Kids are kids. They don't know any better. You know what I'm saying? They want what they want, you know, and with, with age comes wisdom, experience, et cetera, et cetera. And you got to live certain things because I thought totally differently when I was 20 years of age compared to how I think now, obviously. So you got that part. The other part that we have to remember is that we have to recall who we are as a nation. It is perfectly within his right, even in a Christian country, to use the Holy Quran to swear in. He's a Muslim, he's not a Christian. So them knowing it, he didn't hide it from the public. He let everybody know he was a Muslim. They voted for him anyway. And for him to be sworn in based off of his religious beliefs, it comes back to the tenants our country lives on. That's what makes us who we are. That's what makes us great. It ain't just billionaires. It's not just American billionaires. This podcast. Where you from? Iran. You See what I'm saying? You know, got people from all over the world that have made a contribution to this country, and that's what makes us great. Our willingness to embrace and to accept those who are different, may have different beliefs or whatever. We don't want them to lose sight of what America's about. We want them to remember that America's capitalistic society. And that is the problem.

[B]

That's not him.

[A]

But, but, but I'm saying being sworn in with the Holy Quran is not the end of the world. For a man who campaigned as a Muslim, letter the constituency, know exactly who he is and what his religious beliefs are. In a country that embraces a multitude of religions, he did nothing wrong.

[B]

But when you go, when you go.

[C]

To court, in any court in the United States of America, if you're a Muslim, you're not putting your hand. You don't get a special recommendation for the Quran. You are putting your hand. But he's not in King James Bible.

[A]

But he's not in court and he's not a criminal.

[C]

Saying in any circumstance. But here's the thing, Stephen, the moment we start letting these little incremental things happen, that, that is that slowly, America, we're just. No, we're loving, we're caring. People don't understand because, like, where my family, his family's from the major. That's why we fled. That's why our families left. Because of that culture, we don't. We don't mesh well.

[A]

I'm saying America is stronger than that. Things might annoy us from time to time, but you can embrace a multitude of things while still standing firm and on the foundation of what America is all about. We are not as fragile as we come across as being. People today give the impression because we're so vitriolic against one another and so abrasive, but if we really, really think about it, we have the intestinal fortitude to overcome these things.

[C]

But let me say something.

[E]

I don't mind that he gets sworn in Zoram on the Quran. I kind of mind the words that are in the book that talk about killing Christians and killing Jews and killing the infidels. You could swear on whatever but open up the book and be like, oh, damn, that's what he stands for. If you would have told me 20 years ago that you're going to elect a socialist in the heart of capitalism in New York, I'd be like, all right. If you're going to elect an Islamist where 9, 11 happened, and be like, all right, now you're going to elect a socialist Islamist in New York. It just further proves that young people are stupid and you're one generation away from stupid people taking over your country. You know they say that if, when you're young, if you have, if you're not a liberal, you have no heart. And if you're, when you're older and you not a conservative, you have no brain, these people are stupid. And I'll tell you, I was stupid, hands up. Because I remember the first year that I made a lot of money. First time I ever made over a half a million dollars, I was like, oh damn, we rich now. Not Stephen. A rich, not PVD rich. But I had money for the first time in my life, like real money. And I was like, what are all these taxes? What's all this? And that's in Florida. So if you want to do that in California when it's another 13% or New York, it's not 13%. Young people are stupid and they're the ones. Can I ask a question for the socialist Islamist?

[A]

Let me ask this question, con job. Are they stupid? Talking about young people, Because I don't believe they are. Are they stupid or are they fed up? Because before this move to the extreme left, which I think has definitely ravaged and harmed this country, I'm not down for that. Okay. Is it possible that when we have a debt that's now at over 38 trillion, when we had issues with safety in the streets, when we've had ample time spanning decades to address our border issues and we refuse to do so, isn't there an abundance of evidence that has shown that the frustration of the younger generation is completely justified because of the world that has been handed to them because people didn't do what they were supposed to do before all of this?

[E]

Great point. And the answer is yes, they are stupid. And I'll tell you why. Because their anger is justified. But their response is stupid. Hey guys, the system has failed us. Let's bring in a socialist. As if he's not going to tax you more. You see what's going on in California? They want to do a billionaires tax. It's just everyone's going to be equally, equally poor. So to me, young people have never paid taxes. You like you when you start in 1989, you said 93.

[B]

93.

[E]

93. My bad. I mean you look young, but you've been around the block. How old were you then?

[A]

1993. I was what, 30? 27.

[E]

Okay, so you just started making money. These people are 2122. They go to Columbia University, they go to Cornell. They've been indoctrinated with Marxism. And if you poll any New Yorker, they think socialism is better than capitalism. So yes, they're stupid because there's a difference between being educated in the school system and wise.

[B]

Danny, I'm sure you have.

[E]

People are not wise.

[B]

I'll come to you first and I'll give some thoughts and we'll go to.

[F]

The next real quick somebody. So I, when I moved to New York City or New York, I lived in New Jersey, but I would go into New York City all the time. 1996 was when I was drafted by the Giants. That was, that was Rudy Giuliani. That was peak New York. Clean streets, safe to walk around in Times Square anywhere else. Economy was great. Then of course we saw 9, 11, how they resurrected it after that. But what were to your point about the young, young voters there are dumb is it's been Democrat controlled and New York City has been in decline at least since COVID and arguably before that. And you're going to go further left for the fix. That's to me what makes no sense whatsoever. There was a, there was a commentator, I forget who it was. Was. I think it was on Bill Maher where he said let him win the socialist every 20 years. We need to see it.

[B]

George Will.

[F]

George Will. Yeah, so we, we saw that. That makes me disappointed. Like I. Because I love New York City. I love visiting there. It's a great spot. I go there with my dad since I was a kid. We go up to Yankees games. There is, there's, it's the greatest city in the world.

[B]

Isn't your dad here with us?

[F]

I think he's in the back still.

[B]

I don't know if you want home, dad, can you put your hand up? At least we can see where are you, dad?

[E]

We love you, Dad.

[F]

I don't think this is going to work. I think it's going to get worse before it gets better or before there's a change. And that makes me bummed out for New York.

[E]

Can I give you the sports guys, number one sports guy in the world. There's a, you know how sports teams, certain teams will tank to get a number one draft pick. Maybe these cities are tanking, you know, isoterically in order to rebuild like a phoenix, you know.

[B]

Let me, let me, let me give some thoughts on this because I think that that was his way of saying, Stephen, can you please invite me to first take. That's what Adam just did right he just wants an invitation. But let's talk. Let's talk about whether kids are stupid or not or all this other stuff. Okay? So to me, you saw the numbers that came up with Yale. 83% of professors are Democrat. 15% are somewhat independent, 2% are Republicans. 1 out of 50 professors at Yale are Republican. 1 out of 50. That's a monopoly. Let's continue. Teachers, English teachers in America. Now, for every dollar given to a political party, 98 cents was given to the Democratic party. For English teachers, science is 97 cents. The only one that was 87 cents was math. That was 87 cents to the Democratic Party. 13%. 13 cents to the Republican Party. Let me continue. One of the most under represented, maybe even something that we're not even talking about enough. A report just recently came out. I don't know if you guys saw this or not. The 2020. Don't even pull it up. Rob, let me just ask the question first from the people to see what they say. This is the one thing that nobody is talking about. A report just came out for bots in 2025. What would you say? What percentage of users on X, on Facebook, on YouTube, what percentage of people there are bots versus actual real accounts with actual real people behind them? What do you think the number is based on this report? I'll let you guys guess. Anybody that's watching this live, put in the comments section. What do you think it is online? Of what percentage are real? What percentage are fake people online? So imagine you get a thousand retweets of somebody that they want to promote, that they want to drive a message, they want to drive criticism in the comments section. What percentage of bots are real? What percentage of users online are real? What percentage are fake? I'll wait. Stephen A. What do you think?

[A]

What percentage of bots are real?

[B]

Yes. What percentage of bots users online are fake or bots?

[A]

60.

[B]

Okay, Rob, pull it up very close. He's actually higher than what the report says. Watch this. Among automated threats, go to the top so they can see the report all the way at the top. Rob. It says the smarter bots and bigger risks. Automated threats are rising at an unprecedented rate with bad bots now making up 37% of all Internet traffic. AI is not only being used by attackers to create more advanced evasive bots that target APIs, exploit business logic and fuel fraud, but it's also lowering the barrier to entry for attackers, resulting in an increase in volume of simple bot attacks. For the first time in a decade, automated Traffic has surpassed human activity. Let me say that one more time. Automated traffic has surpassed human traffic. Fake accounts officially are more than human beings. So you and I can be looking at something. You're like, oh my God, why does half the country feel this way? It's a freaking bot. And we fall for it. Then we hate each other, then we hate this person, and then we hate a country, or we hate a certain community, or he, we start loving a certain community. Like, oh my God, those are the good ones. No, those are the bad ones. No, those. You're being confused and they're driving that. So when you go into kids being stupid. No, to me it's, kids are brainwashed. But I'm quite frankly, I'm actually not worried about kids. 45 year old men and women are brainwashed. Today you got grown men and women that are brainwashed. At least the kid has an alibi. Your brain is not fully. We've all read books where, you know, Paulo Coelho and all these different scientists say a man's brain is not fully developed until he's what, 24 to 28 years old. We all 40, Pat.

[E]

40, 45 for you.

[B]

But, but you think about some of these things. One of them is. But the other one. So, so 45 until the entire, like you're able to make the right decision for yourself. Right? And now we're wondering why we're angry at each other, upset at each other. This is not accidental. My opinion. Do you know what is the most powerful weapon they have in the world today? It's right here. You just saw it. Let me say it one more time to you, folks. Put the link below for people, please go read this report. 51% of all web traffic is officially no longer human beings. If I'm Iran, if I'm China, if I'm anybody, and I want to make sure this guy is hated by everybody in the Democratic Party. If I'm the DNC and I notice I can't control him, if I'm the DNC and let's just say I'm manipulative. Let's just say I'm conniving. Let's just say I'm a very nasty person. Let's just say, obviously Democrats are not like that, but let's just say I am right. If I'm like that and I want to make sure everybody and anybody targets this guy, I just have to hire one of these bot companies overseas to say, hey, here's $6 million. Do me a favor for the next six months, I want you to put any comments spreading any negative rumors about this guy with anything. We need to destroy Stephen A. Smith's life. Guy over there says, don't even worry about it. Like this, hey, team, you guys are ready? Boom. Here's the comments we're using, by the way. Every time you see somebody say negative comment on a podcast or post, you know what's the first thing I do? We can test it even right now if you want to do it. If I go on chat right now, let's just say somebody says something that has to do something that you would say, there's no way in the world that is legit. Just go look at the channel activity and it will tell you. Started the channel three weeks ago, started a channel a week ago, started a channel. No Sherlock. But nobody does that, and we're falling for it. So moving forward, we have to be very, very careful. This is a beautiful business story. Came out with Meta the other day. We talked about it a week ago. Do you know every time people were texting me, telling me, pat, why are you showing these fake stock things? And one of my accounts was a fake AI account that said, I guarantee you my stocks. If you invest into the stocks that I pick, you're going to make all this money. I told my clients to invest into palantir. They made 250% in one year. And if you use it with me, if you don't make any money, don't do anything, take it back. I've never said anything like that. We've reported to Meta for six months. Every single day we report, it's still up. You know how much Meta made last year of fake ads? $18 billion. $18 billion because they let those apps, those ads run. This is the world we're entering. So we collectively has to become professional auditors. We have to do our own due diligence so we're not manipulated. When you see somebody like, think about it this way, hypothetically. Say you hate America. Let's play devil's advocate. Say you hate America. Say you hate America. You want to see freaking America fall? What are some ideologies you want to. You want to push to kids in America? Socialism's not bad. Communism's not bad.

[C]

What else woke lgbtq, LGBTQ plus, animal furries, dictators?

[E]

Take some Islamism.

[B]

Take some of the killers of all time. Take some of the worst killers of all time, worst dictators of all time, Mao, and start feeding them that these are not bad people, and start turning them on them. And young kids, all of a Sudden in school, they're like, he wasn't that bad. That wasn't that bad. George Washington was bad. Such and such was bad. That person was racist. This person was this. And then all of a sudden, there's an uprising. We are headed in a direction right now that this may be the most powerful story we've talked about in the last six months. That one stat. Every story we've done the last six months forget. In my opinion, that is the most powerful story the last six months. That the online population of fake accounts is officially bigger than the real people. How the hell are we going to find out how many average people who are trying to pay their bills, take care of their kids, take care of their family? Do I have enough time to sit and go through every single, single one of them? We're not going to get it. My only hope, Stephen A. And I'm going to come to you and I'll give you the final thoughts on this before we go to the next story because you got a smirk on your face. I want to find out about is here's my hope. My hope is I'm relying on the 12% of America. The 12% of America is going to save America. The 12% of America are the people that are reasonable, who can process issues, who we can sit down here. Just so you guys know, Vinny and Stephen a fight. Watch us at dinner. How hard we're laughing if you see us at dinner. Restaurants want to kick us out. They don't because of money. But if we didn't have the money, they'd kick us out in a heartbeat, right? You don't know that. We get along. We sit down, we talk. But I'm hoping the 12% gets bigger. And we recruit the 12%, we get it to 13, 14, 15. I'm trying to get the 12 to 25. If we get the 12 to 25, we're fine. It's these crazies. We got to be careful with both sides that don't want to sit there and do their own due diligence. There's a kind of jump in the conclusion. We get this to 25, I think it's going to be fine. Stephen, any final thoughts on this story?

[A]

This story that you just pointed out? Incredibly important. You're absolutely right. Could be disheartening to folks, no doubt. But speaking purely for myself, it puts a smile on my face. It plays right up my alley. And I'm going to tell you why. So let me get this straight. All of those people that were hating they weren't actually people. It was bots.

[B]

But that's not what.

[A]

Bank accounts. But let me understand. But what I'm saying to you is this. I have a microphone. I have the camera. I can address and push back over stuff that might be fake but still might be embraced by very, very real people, creating dialogues and building a focus on what needs to be focused on along the way. Because here's the brother. Brace for impact. Let me tell you something. You're saying that to me. You're absolutely right. I can say this to you. Brace for impact. That's what we do.

[B]

That's right. Just like you.

[A]

Brace for impact. You didn't start this podcast. You damn sure didn't have these dudes up here to be quiet and timid and to be at the mercy of bots.

[C]

No.

[A]

Bring it. You want to come? Listen, I've said this over the last several months, and I'll say it again. I am lied on every day. Every day. I can't believe the inordinate amount of stories that have made been made up about me. I can't believe the twists and turns that have been thrown out there. And the only thing that made me upset was that, damn it, I had to have my dental surgery, so my mouth was compromised. I was stitched up on the right side for a month and a half. I'm still stitched up on the left side. Now, come February, March, I'm told I'll be 100%. I can't wait. I can't wait. That's what you got. So you a party. It could be anything. It could be a socialist party. It could be a democratic party. It could be a MAGA party, it could be whatever. And you gonna hire some bots company to engage in this kind of stuff and to come after you, me, and everybody else that we don't like. Yeah, you got something to be worried about. If you're a member of the voiceless and you don't resonate and you don't have an audience and you don't have the fight and the intestinal fortitude to push back, and you don't have that attitude that says, like, vinnie, let's go. You got something to say? You got something you want to do? You got somebody you want to come after. You came to the right place. You got me upset. That Monday ain't here when I'm back at work. I wish it was right. I wish this story was introduced to me right before I did my show, because I'd be like, scratch everything. Let's go. This is what you want.

[E]

It's like.

[A]

Because why there's been a curtain. Politicians, business owners, average American citizens from whatever ethnic background you may have that have been able to hide behind stuff for years. This is the latest. The difference is everybody got a podcast, people got a microphone, they got a camera, they can speak up. And at the end of the day, it's fodder to go on the attack yourself. Let's get it on. Let's get it on. Yeah.

[B]

So. So for sure I agree with you. Of course we're about. Let's getting it on. We ourselves true. Are getting it on. All I'm saying to you is the kids who are the Future of America, 50 years ago was TV. 80 years ago was radio. Today is these bots. You couldn't fully fake it as much 80 years ago. Today anybody and everybody can be a human being. Eighty years ago I couldn't make fake people. Today, 51% is fake. That means today. That means.

[A]

But just a whole bunch of people don't have today. They have voices that they didn't have 50 years, but they.

[B]

But they did. But you have to realize what they have to do with the algorithm. Stephen A. This is the one part you haven't experienced it because you're fortunate to be a Democrat. And here's what never happened to Democrats the last 40 years. Let me explain to you, please. I will share it with you. Have you ever had a strike on your account?

[A]

No.

[B]

Have you ever had an interview that you didn't want to put up public because you thought you're going to get in trouble?

[A]

No.

[B]

Have you ever had a video taken down and they told you that if you do one more of these videos, they're going to take your stuff down and you're done with.

[A]

No.

[B]

No. Do you think I'm a pretty fair guy?

[A]

I think you are.

[B]

You think I'm a reasonable guy, that I want to kind of hear both sides of the story?

[A]

Absolutely. No, that'd be true about you.

[B]

Why did we under, you know, previous administration have so many strikes and our account was almost shut down. Valuetainment was almost shut down. I was at two strikes. Why couldn't we go live multiple times? The last administrator. See, that's the part you haven't experienced yet. Because being a Democrat, you're safe and protected from that on the Republican side or the Independent side, if God forbid. I brought one time a lady named Mikovitz. What was her name? Jared? Are you kidding me? Was almost the end of the first time I brought RFK on a podcast. RFK was apparently a kook. He was a cuckoo guy. And I got all these strikes and take this debate down, take this down. All we were doing was having conversations. So this is the part that for me, they're going to protect people that are more on the left than the one on the right. They're going to do that no matter what. All I'm saying is this is coming to a city near you. What this does is the population. If we take the population, let's just say there's 8 billion people and it's all human beings. It's 8 billion human beings. You know what this officially did? This officially made it four conservative billion people. Let's just say on the one side and the other 4 billion officially has what, another 4 billion. Now they have 8 billion going against 4 billion. These 4 billion people. Better get loud. So. So when we're talking about, can you play this one clip of the guy in Germany I just sent you? I don't know if you guys seen this clip or not of this guy in Germany walking around upset at people saying, you can't record me. Says, who the hell are you? It's my country, actually. Who are you? You don't tell me we're not just kind of. Whoa, who is this guy? Got like 20 million views on this one clip. Look at the level of audacity people are having now. Coming to other people's country in Germany telling them, you don't record me. Who the hell are you to tell me this? This is what we're fighting with next. And by the way, I think this is what's going to produce the most bold, proud American, tough, strong, faith based people that they're gonna fear. I think this is what's coming next. Rob, go on and play this. Watch this clip, folks. What's up? You okay? Fine, yeah. Good. What? I will video whatever I want in my country. Okay? You don't tell me. It's a German. Look, they cheeky. They think they can tell us. That looks good, buddy. No, it's okay. Thanks.

[E]

Try to sell them drugs.

[B]

He just tried to offer me speed on camera, man. The brass neck on these people telling a German what he can and can't do in his own country. I'm sick of it. I'm not having it, guys. And all the Germans watch. And all the police and all the politicians know what's going on. They know that they're selling hard here. Not weed. They're selling speed. And. And guess what? They're okay with it. They're so heavily indoctrinated. It is fine.

[E]

It's normal.

[B]

You have to understand they come from a hard background. You know, they also need to make a living somehow. Just everything about it, everything about this city is just, by the way, everything else brainwashed. Okay, so you can pause it. Right. I got a bunch of these clips to show. I'm not going to show. We'll show it on Monday. Podcast. We got guests here today. But to me, I think the part Stephen A. Is is this next phase of tolerance of what's going to happen. Like a Nick Shirley we've known for God knows how long with the fraud that's going on in Minnesota. It takes a 23 year old kid to take a camera and go to Minnesota to prove some of this stuff. And by the way, once they get exposed, the leering center turns into a learning center. Right. Once he goes and exposed. Now they're bringing kids in there, now they're doing all this other stuff. And then Rob, if you have that clip. So this lady who's up there is doing a press conference. She's reading off her phone and she uses the words fraud is bad. Look at her face. More importantly, when she lifts her left hand. When she lifts her left hand, I want you to look closely at that ring. I didn't even buy that big of a ring for my wife and I have money. What kind of money does this lady have here? Just watch. Pay attention to this. This is apparently somebody that's really struggling financially that it's so harsh that we're exposing this stuff. Go ahead and play this clip.

[A]

If child care is cut, I'm unable.

[C]

To work or go to school.

[B]

I understand.

[A]

Fraud is bad.

[B]

Watch. Whoops. Whoops.

[C]

I shouldn't have said that.

[B]

Look at the ring. It's about to come up in three seconds.

[C]

Oh, damn.

[B]

She can't even talk anymore.

[E]

So. Meaning she admitted to fraud.

[B]

She admitted that she knows it's bad fraud. And if there's this other guy, Rob, if you want to play the other clip of the guy with the 2400 glasses being a spokesperson for them with.

[C]

A brand new fitted.

[B]

Yeah, watch this one here. So here's another one with the Yankees clean fitted.

[D]

Yesterday morning I was called by the owner because.

[B]

Look at the lady.

[D]

Unfortunately, someone came in to our daycare.

[B]

Watch your face.

[D]

We looked and saw what happened and we saw that the suspect came in from the back, broke in from the back kitchen and he also destroyed the wall to come in. As we walked around the daycare we saw that our office doors was broken into as well. We saw that. Unfortunately, we saw that there was important documentation, enrollment of the children and also employee documentation that was gone. There were also checkbooks that were ripped from our check papers that were ripped from our book. This is devastating news. And we don't know why this is targeting our Somali community as one video made by a specific individual made this all happen. We've been receiving hateful messages through our voice notes threatening us the past couple of days, including one that happened yesterday morning when the break in. After the break in.

[A]

Stop it.

[B]

You can pause it.

[C]

How much of those sun. You know how much the glasses are? What, Rob, how much are those glasses?

[D]

$2,500.

[C]

$2,500 glasses.

[B]

The average person has $2,500 glasses.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Not a big deal. Everybody has it. Yeah.

[C]

So do I. Yeah.

[B]

By the way, while this is going on, here's, here's the. And I want to come open ended. Stephen A. Danny Cannell. Caroline Levitt says Minnesota Somali fraud scandal will leave people in handcuffs. If you haven't seen what Chamat said. Chamat said something very interesting earlier today. If you have this clip, Rob, he said if, if nobody gets arrested for this. This is Chamat. He said if nobody gets arrested for this, for the, for the fraud. He says America's downfall is around the corner. If nobody gets arrested for this. I don't know if you see it, Rob, or not. And by the way, Chamath, if you know one thing about Chamath, I don't know if you follow him closely or not. He's a very reasonable guy. He's a very fair guy. My hope is he runs for governor one day like he's a guy that could save California. He's a reasonable guy, made a lot of money, is a centerish guy. And if you go a little bit lower to see if you can find that clip, well, I'll find it here while. Oh, there it is. Watch this. Go ahead.

[C]

Happens and we deem this kind of theft acceptable. It is the beginning of the end of the American empire. It's just a level of disrespect and lack of care for this country.

[B]

I think I will be waiting and.

[C]

Observing how important it is to root this out. That's number one. The second, which is more tactical political calculus. This is an enormous opportunity for the Republican Party if they take this and run with this. Is there waste, fraud and abuse in every state? Absolutely.

[B]

You can pass it on. Tom, I'm coming to you. First, do you agree with them that if nothing happens, the American people are no longer going to trust the justice system that we have.

[D]

Yes. And I think you already see it in the polls that say that.

[E]

The.

[D]

Faith in Congress by the American people going back 25 years has been below 20%. What is it right now, 14%. It's like incredibly low. The faith they have in the media. Nevermind that. Let's just think about our institutions. There are two things that Americans are really hot at. When you look at the polling figures, what you do, when you look at polling, you can look at the heat behind an opinion of the populace. And right now there are two underlying drivers behind questions for Americans. One is there's a two level justice system, one for me and one for some other side. And the second is government isn't going to do anything about it. Those two things are underneath the American opinion on Epstein, the American opinion on the fraud right here. Americans believe there's a two level justice system. Americans believe that government isn't going to do anything about it. Chamath is right. When we see, look how big this became. Not just Minnesota, it became Washington state and the Somalis there. Now forget about the Somalis and look at just daycare and finding out that if you create a public assistance program, you can get money from the government, take that money and then spend it on other things and oh, by the way, give it back to other candidates. We've discovered there's a cycle. And so what we're seeing isn't just Minnesota. People are like, wait a minute, the whole system is rigged and the Americans are really hot and they are not of the mood right now to once again somehow say, well, there they go again, Americans are hot. They think nothing's going to happen. And there's a two level justice system and it's gotten worse and worse and worse. And those two things outweigh all of the core issues. Those are the beliefs that Americans have in the corruption of the system. If nothing happens here to prove it's wrong, Chamath is right.

[B]

Danny, where are you at with this?

[F]

Danny, I hope you're right, but did anybody go to jail for the 2008 financial crisis? Did anybody.

[C]

I think, I think one guy got. No, seriously, one Middle Eastern guy got arrested. Middle Eastern, Yeah. Great.

[F]

Did anybody go, did anybody go to jail for Covid fraud with the.

[C]

Nope, they all got pardoned.

[F]

You know, like. So that's where I'm kind of like, I would love to see somebody held accountable for one of these. But as far as The. This would be America's downfall. We've survived a lot worse, and I think we can survive this. The thing that concerns me and your conversation with Nick Shirley was incredible, was I think this is just the tip of the iceberg. When they either go further down the road in Minnesota or he had the lady on from Ohio was like, please come look at our fraud that's happening here. Wait till we start seeing it all over the place. I think we're just at the tip of the iceberg. But I would agree. I would like to see somebody in handcuffs. I would like to see somebody held accountable. But I think I feel like most Americans are kind of just like, I'm not going to believe it until I see it.

[C]

In the past two years, $35 million of the money that was frauded out from those daycares in Minnesota in the past two years was given to political contributions. And Rob has it right there. And that's. Guys, this is such. On a deep level, like, if you guys ever think everything's happening in Minnesota, all these problems are Minnesota. And me and Tom were talking about it while we're in Aspen. I was like, wait a minute. Why of all, all people, did they pick Tim Walls? Why have nobody in here ever heard of Tim Walls? And then all of a sudden, Kamala's running, and it's like, wait a minute. Maybe they're funneling. They were going to funnel all that money, bring his, you know, tampon in the bathroom loving ass, put him in, and then have all that money funnel in there. But then I thought about this. There's another. I want to ask you guys, I. You can't blame this Somalia. I. I don't blame. I don't blame them. They're coming from a third world country. Piracy. And all that stuff is happening on the freaking waters.

[A]

What?

[C]

They are incentivized to come here. The Democratic Party is like, hey, come here. Border wide open. If the government tries to put barbed wire, we're gonna send in and we're gonna pick it up, bring your asses in here, vote for us. No IDs, scam, but just keep the money coming back. You could wear $2800 glasses and you could wear a freaking Hope diamond on your finger. Everything leads back to the Democrats. And I get what Stephen was saying about affordability and all that, but guess what? This is a $18 trillion problem. And, you know, I read Pat, and I'm. This is. What I'm getting sick and tired of is this. It's just our lip service at Americans. How much more do we need to see and do we have to till we say enough is enough. I mean collectively, we're the. We're the dominant force in the Declaration of Independence. It says this. When the government gets tyrannical and starts acting up, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of those ends, it is the right and the obligation not guess of the people to alter or abolish it and the institute a new government. At what point are we. We're just sitting here. They're stealing billions. They're open the border. Our young kids are getting raped, they're getting murdered. Crime is up and all we do.

[A]

Is bark, bark, bark, bark, bark.

[C]

And they're going to put in another. Gavin Newsom is the front runner for presidency. Are we? And they're going to do the same thing. And I'll bet anybody in here $100,000. His first order of business, open the border. Open the border. And the same problems are going to keep coming. Okay, so it's up to us, Pat.

[B]

It's.

[C]

It's the American people. We have to just say, guys, no. You know, stand together and just say we're not going to pay taxes for a freaking month. We're not doing. We're going to sit here and do this.

[B]

Let me.

[C]

Future looks bright other my feet. That's what we're gonna do.

[B]

By the way, out of everything you said, you know what I caught? What? When? Three years ago, Vinnie came here. He was making 50 bets. Vinny's not making a hundred thousand dollar bets, Vinny.

[D]

That's true.

[B]

Some noise already, folks. He's making bigger bets.

[E]

I don't know. Certain times I'll mess with Vinnie when that right vein pops out. No, no, no.

[C]

How much longer are we gonna go? Oh, they just stole another 18 billion.

[B]

By the way.

[C]

They open the border again.

[E]

How much?

[B]

Much more. You know what is interesting? There has never been this much Trump at a New Year's Eve party. He said, we're going to hold a lot of people accountable. We're going to arrest a lot of people. All this other stuff. His own son said, people better start getting arrested.

[C]

I love that.

[B]

And everybody commented that said, bro, your dad's the president. Give him a call.

[A]

Yeah, Stephen A. I'm going let Adam go for it.

[B]

Adam, go ahead.

[E]

All I want is. My mom is from Minnesota. Every summer of my life I'd spend in Minnesota. Minnesota's like the whitest state in America. I would show up. I'm white as hell and I know few words in Spanish are like, oh, this guy's exotic as hell. Hola. Como sauce? Welcome to Minnesota. So I would see this immigration issue. I thought it was an immigration issue. What Somalians? What's going on here? So what are they doing here? Well, the reason that Americans are pissed, it's not only the immigration, it's not even the Islamism. It's not the, the, the just the pooh poohing of American values. Now you're going to throw fraud on there? Billions of dollars of fraud. Americans like nah, hell to the nah. So I thought it was immigration. It's actually fraud. What's going to actually happen? You talk about accountability.

[B]

Nothing.

[E]

The difference between accountability is they're playing the victim. Oh my God. And then they catch themselves. So there's going to be some accountability there.

[B]

STEPHEN A.

[A]

There needs to be accountability. You don't do something like that and get away with it. And obviously anybody that's been involved in such heinous, irreparable blacks should be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Let me get that out the way first. That's automatic. Okay. But getting back to Vinnie, see, here's where the problem lies. Them, it's all of them. Are we going to sit here with a straight face and act like the Democrats are the only one that engage in fraudulent behavior? That they've the only one that have milked government dollars for their own selfish needs and to their own selfish ends? The point is that I often joke about. I, I'm friends with Sean Hannity. We go back and forth, button heads all the time. But I've known this man for 23 years and he's a good friend. He really, really is. And I've often said this. Somebody could go out in broad daylight who was conservative and commit murder at three o' clock in the sunny afternoon with cloudless skies on a sunshiny day. And the first words that'll come out of Sean Hannity's mouth is the Democrats did it first and he'll have evidence of those Democrats who did it. And what I'm saying is along the way there have been excuses, there have been justifications, rationales that have been thrown out there to absolve one side. We're not going to get back to prospering as a country until we remember the very, very values that we swear to live on and to hold all sides equally accountable. So I'm not saying let any Democrat off the hook that could be found guilty of such heinous acts. I'm saying you Got to make sure that the due diligence, the. The fervor, the passion, the same energy applies across the board to all parties concerned. Because the standard is the standard. As Mike Tomlin, the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, say the standard.

[B]

Said some things about him recently.

[A]

That's. I did. But the standard is the standard. And as long as we're making sure that as a nation we're equally distributing that level of punishment. Yeah, then we're good.

[C]

I agree.

[E]

I disagree.

[C]

Wait, wait.

[E]

He's mostly right. Because if you remember George W. Bush, he was the worst president we've seen by far, maybe under Biden. But in recent memory, the Biden administration was a disaster. So if you want to talk recent memory, you're a million percent right. But there's major problems in this country. Both sides are to blame. But recently it's been a Democratic problem. That's really.

[C]

Adam, you took the words out of my mouth because I was in the United States Air Force. It's even during, you know, 9 11. And I remember when Bush Jr. Got on that aircraft carrier and it was America and dude, I cried. We were emotional and it was that attitude, mission accomplishment. Yeah. Let's go, bro. 9 11, New York. Let's go. Let's go.

[A]

War.

[C]

And then they're like, wait, and mind you, I'm in the military. And I was. I'm not Republican, Democrat. I never, I register. I just vote for what's right in the moment. And then I was like, wait a minute. Weapons of mass destruction. Wait, did. There's no Weapons of Masters.

[B]

Wait a minute.

[C]

We just killed a million people.

[B]

What?

[C]

What? No, no, we're just gonna change the name to Enduring Freedom. Trust me, bro, I had the, the, the hate and the anger towards the Republican Party still to this day. I think George Bush Jr. Deserved to be in prison. We saw Cheney, Rumsfeld, all those guys have deserve war crimes if they're dead. I pray that they got right with God before they died. But Adam made a great point. From what I've seen from Biden and all, it's just right now they've. They're not even hiding anymore. It's out in the open. They don't care. Hold everybody accountable. But in my lifetime, from what I'm seeing, like if we keep this up, it's. It's a wrap. And now that we're slowly look at Texas, it's starting to spread. New York, if you. Like you said, if you told me New York was going to go with this guy 10 years ago, I would have said there's absolutely no way. So the change is happening. But I, I'm telling you, Stephen, in my heart of hearts, bro, it's us, it's Americans have to stop and say, no, enough is enough. We're like, well, we hope they arrest him. No, the hell with that. They better arrest them or we have to go do something. Seriously.

[B]

You know, for me, Stephen, A. Here, here's how simple it is for me. I. I'm in a meeting with this guy who was the number two guy at aig. Jennifer's in a meeting. He. He's flying in with his lawyer from AIG to drop our contract. Because at an event in Napa Valley, when we went, Tico was only six months old. Tico, that was the first time I actually spent time with you, buddy. You don't even know it. I was changing your diapers non stop and I was working 100 hours a week. So I finally got some time with you at Napa. They went baking. Mommy and Papa went and I stay back. So they come back and my wife and my dad are arguing in the living room of the Hotel Napa Valley. And he's saying, don't tell him. And my wife is saying, I have to tell him. It's Pat. He's going to get very upset if I don't tell him. No, don't tell him. So apparently this guy was a number two guy at AIG during the baking experience. He asks my wife, do you trust Armenians? And my wife's like, what do you mean, do I trust Armenians? Do you know my husband is half Armenian, half Assyrian? He says, yeah, but do you trust Armenians because of the insurance fraud that they do? So she's like, what is wrong with this guy? She's telling me this. She says, I have to tell him. So finally, after they argue, my dad is in the room. He remembers this argument as well. Dad, where are you? Do you remember that day? Do you remember it or no? You and Jennifer going back. Jen, you definitely remember that day. Tico, you definitely don't remember. You were six months old. So then Jen comes and tells me. I said, what did he say, babe, don't do anything right now. Just please do it when we get back home. I said, he said that to you? He said that to you? Yeah. Okay, I made two phone calls. Those guys know who they are. And they said, he's coming, Pat, don't call him. I said, that's not how I do things. He's coming to my office. So he comes to my office. Her moral Amor, all are telling me, Pat say nothing. Because if we lose the AIG contract, I don't have another contract. I lost every contract. It's like the first year in business, year and a half in business. He comes in and I say, hey, John, before you get started, let me start, because I think I have an idea why you're here. You brought him here because you're about to terminate our contract. Here's I will tell you based on what everybody I'm talking to. You're thinking, because I'm Armenian, I'm like all the other Armenians that you had some bad experience with in Glendale that did insurance fraud. If you do anything with me because I'm Armenian, you will have a problem for the rest of your life with me. I've served this country. I've been in this in the military. I busted my ass for America. I love this country. Don't think just because I'm everybody else's. Puts his hands like this. He says, I get your drift. You have one year. Gets up and walks out. No problem. He comes to our events. We end up becoming best friends. At his retirement ceremony on a yacht in Miami ten years later, his closing speaker. Five people spoke at his retirement ceremony after 39 years. Closing speakers. His best friend. Second closing speaker is me. And I got up and I just roasted the hell out of. In front of everybody. His wife, his family. We had a great time. We're very good friends today. No issues. But you know what? He was right. He was right. A lot of Medicare fraud in Glenda was Armenians. A lot of fraud that happened in North Hollywood and Van Nuys was Armenians. If we look at data today, and we look at which ethnicity has the most abortions in America, it's African Americans. That's right. That's data. We can't say that's a racist comment. You just call that blacks. To a black man whose mom raised him, that's an offensive comment, Patrick. Must be racist. No, it's called data. And I trust data. When I look at data for Minnesota and it shows me Somalians after having lived in America for 10 years, 10 years later, 78% are still on welfare. That's data. You can't call data racist. You can't call data Islamophobic. You can't call data bigot. You can't call data nothing. It's data if you're doing it. And the fraud that's happening right now, censorship was Democratic Party keeping kids at home and not let them go to school. Democratic Party, the NBA, that you watched when they did the bubble. The NBA bubble. The fake championship that LeBron won. The last one. We all know he only has three championships. The fake NBA bubble that. No, he's got four. I'm not counting the fourth one. I'm saying he's only got three because that doesn't count in the bubble. Do you know where the bubble was while they were talking? Black Lives Matter. It's good. All the stuff they said about racism and Black Lives Matter and irresponsible governors. The flipping NBA playoffs was in Florida and all they did is call out DeSantis. Let me get this straight. You bitch about how California does everything right, yet you decide to put your playoffs in Orlando. I'm sorry, you're a hypocrite. And ask the NBA when they did that. We're watching NFL games with faces and people are buying tickets on zoom to have their faces being there. What the hell was that? We don't even know the ramifications of what happened to kids for next 10, 20 years. We don't know that kind of ram. Alcohol went up, abuse went up. Domestic violence went up.

[A]

It was horrible.

[B]

So to me, listen. If it's the Republican Party, gladly call it out. If it's the Democratic Party, gladly call it out. What he's talking about right now is majority Democratic Party data doesn't lie. This is why for me, all I'm interested in is data. There's a story that came up from BBC and I'm going to give you this last thing here.

[E]

Sure.

[B]

Can you pull up this link I sent you? You tell me if this story is from somebody who's conservative or somebody that's liberal. This is the BBC. They tell this story. Rob, I send it to you. You should have it. It's the second to the last one I sent you that says the 17 year old afghan. Listen to how BBC breaks this down, folks. I want to know how you feel about it. The BBC does an article first. Go outside so we can see the. The story of what it's saying. The BBC does an art. Matter of fact. Just play the clip, Rob. Just play the clip. Just play the clip. The BBC does an article. Look at the way they define two 17 year old Afghan males and how they define a 15 year old female. I'm saying male and female, but look how BBC defines them. Go ahead.

[A]

Sort of main job at the Spectator, which is being the parliamentary sketch. We're there to satirize and observe. I'm often just amazed by the enormous great fissure in what's being talked about in Parliament versus what people are talking about in day to day life. And also the big stories that don't really get covered at all. Just in the last week there have been various scandals involving young Afghan men either raping young girls in Britain and these stories are either not being reported in a major way in say the BBC or else the way they have been reported is in such a kind of psychopathic way. For example, two 17 year old Afghans are described as boys but the 15 year old girl that they raped is described as a woman. Is the sort of main.

[B]

Did you hear that? Let me, let me read this to you. Let me. BBC does an article defining two 17 year old Afghan boys raped a 15 year old woman. Is that a Conservative saying that? Is that a Republican saying that? To me the concern and BBC, aren't they the same ones that try to manipulate the election of what happened with Trump to say the comments that he made that he didn't. So listen, hold the fire to any of the stuff that fraud they're doing if they're Republican or Democrat. But man, a lot of stuff, unfortunately or fortunately, whatever way you want to put it based on data keeps happening on a side that just makes no sense.

[A]

There's no rebuttal. I don't disagree with what you said. Matter of fact, I was wondering why you looking at me while you said those things. Because I'm sitting up there and I'm getting heat from my own community because I'm like data's data, you know, I mean, I can't tell you how many.

[B]

Times I thought you were defending the Somalians in the Minnesota.

[A]

I wasn't defending the Samaj. I said get him. Just not, let's not just, let's just make sure that when we talk about fraud and when we talk about, you know, misbehavior, what have you, it's on both sides of the aisle. But there's no question about it. There's no, there's no getting around that. And like you said, I do like that point. It's simple yet profound. Data is data. It's not being racist to call out data. A matter of fact, you've got people in my own community against me because I'm reminded it's data. What do you want? You got to give me something to fight. You got to give me something to argue about. And it can't just be executive orders that the president is handing down that we may not like. It can't be just him engaging in the kind of policy he promised folks he would do before getting elected and then keeping his word by doing it. And we're the ones that didn't want to vote for him. So don't expect them to do what we might want him to do when we're not the ones that voted for him. You got to know better than that. I pointed out all of these things. The flip side to that, however, is this. Stop looking at black folks like it's this one monolithic group. You see a dissipation kicking in where the level of faith in the Democratic Party is shrinking before our very eyes. Because you have a lot of black folks out there that feel the way that I feel by that strong leaning towards the extreme left. You forgot about black folks in the process, the LGBTQ community. I'm a live and let live kind of guy. Live your life, no problem, you understand? I support you having your civil rights or what have you. I got a problem, though, if you want to transition from being a male to a female and you want to compete female sports. I got a problem when you want to have. You know, when you want to get. When you want to engage in. In gender change and you're willing to condone it. Taking transpiring without parental consent. You know what I said on the air a couple of weeks ago? I said, forget all of this stuff for a second. Anybody who is a parent, anybody who is a parent, tell me the human being that could come up to y' all and say, when it comes to your kid, your kid got a right to do what they want to do without consenting to you as their parent. Show me the parent that says, okay, who's that person? I've never met him ever. So I'm like, how could y' all do that and think that's cool? See, common sense is what it comes down to. And when people look at me and they say, stephen, we good? Because I might disagree with you. But if you make a point, damage, you made a point. Vinnie, you made a point, damage, you got me. Adam, you made a point, damage, you got me. I told Danny, of course, you. You got me.

[B]

Right?

[A]

But so do I. And my point is, at the end of the day, it's about common sense. And because why? Because that's where both sides can't escape from. You can try, but you can't run from common sense. And something as simple as the example that I just used. Any parent, raise your hand if somebody can come to you about your child telling you what your child can do without your consent. They're A child. You're paying their bills, you're taking care of them. You have dominion over them. Oh, but now you want to hold me accountable for that. But when it comes to something else, oh, okay. They got the right to do what they want to do without consulting you. To me, that's automatic disqualification for any politician that lets that come out of their mouth. And I've said so publicly, so I don't disagree with you.

[B]

By the way, for what it's worth, can we all agree, like, Stephen A. Looks like he should be in the next Miami Vice? Be honest. That's ridiculous. I'm just kind of going like this. I'm like, all right, but he looks like Miami.

[E]

He looks like he's a Miami Vice, but he sounds like he's a Republican at this time.

[A]

I'm a centrist. I'm a common sense guy.

[F]

Can a centrist win, though?

[E]

Common sense?

[F]

Can a centrist win? Because you were talking about Newsom Planet Progressives, they have owned and taken away from the left.

[A]

You have to find somebody on the left because the right is the right. And they got. And they got. They got their party in order. They know who they are. They're not apologizing for it. This is who they are. This is what you're going to have to deal with. They're going to be formidable, whether it's a Rubio or DeSantis or JD Vance or whomever the Democrats are. They're the ones that's a House divided, and they think they're going to win the 2026 election. And maybe they will. If, if, if Trump keeps dropping the ball with some of the things that he says and how he alienates, you know, he hurts his own party because they're not voting for Trump, they're voting for his. He got to be. He got to be careful about that. But the bottom line is this. When you talk about the presidential election in 2028, you don't have a straight up bonafide, big time candidate as of yet. And I think that it's not about being independent or just a straight centrist in that regard. It's about looking at your party and saying, damn it, I don't care how much you want that. That ain't gonna work. That ain't gonna win for us. That's not gonna resonate with the American people. That's not gonna make the American people happy. I get where you're coming from with your extreme leftism, but it ain't gonna fly. So guess what? This is where we're going as a party. The question is, who's that individual that can pull the party closer to the center? I don't see anybody on the Democratic side that's capable of doing that.

[C]

Guys. One question, though, because what we saw with Biden. Steven who. I don't think they'll accept who. Who was running the show when Biden was in. We obviously know it wasn't him. Whoever those big names are that we don't. I mean, we don't. I think it's Obama. I think it's Hillary.

[D]

Anthony Blinken.

[C]

I think it's. It's Tony Blinken. I think they're not gonna shift. I, I get what you're saying. They're not gonna shift. Like anytime in my history over a Democrat came in and was like, you know what? Let's not go to war with Vietnam. What they do to that guy, they shot him in the head in Dallas in front of the world, in front of his wife. That's what happens when you come into the party and you don't do what the party says. Well, but I mean, the only thing.

[A]

I'm going say is this last point. It was supposed to be Hillary's turn. Of course, in 2007.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

Obama came.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And there was nothing they could do.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

To thwart that momentum. I'm saying that's what it's going to take in order to accomplish. I, I get what you say. It's a daunting task. Yes. But it is possible that somebody could come along. If you're talking about common sense and moving, just pulling the party to some, to, to, to, to closer to the center. I do think if that person is out there that can pull that off, they can win. That's what it will take.

[B]

You know what we get to say? Go bet on Kalshee. If you think so. If you don't, well, we'll see what's gonna happen. We'll see. We'll see what's gonna happen. Because quite frankly, I wouldn't mind a Stephen on the stage trying to do that. I wouldn't mind. And how about this?

[C]

If he has that, I would. Guess what? I don't. I'm not Republican. I would vote for him in a heartbeat because I know he's not going to do the stupid crap that they'll.

[B]

All right, the border. Can we get to the next story? Vinny? Let me tell you guys why I'm getting to this next story. There's been a lot of conversations about faith and all this other stuff. Last night, this Incredible uncle called Vinnie comes to the house, and he's trying to introduce a new show to Tico, my oldest son. So as a family, we sit in this theater room. Theater room. And we're watching this show. It's a show. It's called the Game of. Game of. I was gonna say Game of Hunger. So we're watching this game of Thrones.

[C]

Yes.

[B]

And then I'm not even kidding with you. For 30 minutes, I'm like, why are you showing us off porn to my voice here right now?

[C]

The entire time, I' covering his eyes.

[B]

Half the time, it's like, close your eyes. First time Jason Momoa marries the wife, it's like, wait, what are you teaching your nephews here? Okay, so anyways, this leads me to this next story, because we shouldn't judge because people change. Maybe Lily Phillips.

[D]

Yes.

[B]

Whose story came out six months ago. And Danny and the crew said we should talk about the story tonight because let's see where you stand on this, Dilly. Earmuffs, buddy. Close your ears. So this Lily Phillips scroll claimed to have topped Bonnie Blue's world record by falling asleep with more than 1100 men in a day. It's a lot of nap time. Lot of napping. Dilly boy. Get out of here. Okay. All right. So, well, listen, after Vinny, he's seen plenty of health and guidance courses. Just recently. Just recently, she has decided, now it gets serious, to give her life to Christ. Here's the video. Go ahead. Okay, so my question is, why is the pastor's face covered? What pastor doesn't want to be known. So now let's say this story is real. Danny, how do you feel about it?

[F]

I love it. If it's real. Jesus didn't come to save the righteous. He came to save the sinners. This Trend. I have three teenage daughters, 18, 17, and 13, and they're very aware of some of these stories and this promiscuity that's being glorified in the media and even. I mean, these girls are making a ton of money off their YouTube videos and only fans accounts. But if she would come to Jesus, imagine what she could do, her testimony could do, how powerful that could be to other young woman who might have fallen for this trap. Because I think there is a trap in believing that that is going to make you feel good. It's going to make you feel loved. There is clearly a void in this young woman's life that needs to be filled by something. She tried to fill it with 1100 men. That didn't work.

[E]

That Boy got filled.

[F]

There is a void that can only be filled by Jesus. So I think it could be amazing testimony. But I get very skeptical because, ironically, the music that's played in our videos, Kanye west, who had a similar revival, come to Jesus Story, and then he goes off his rocker and it just makes everybody look bad. And then you look around and it's. People look at Christians even worse and say, well, there goes another phony.

[B]

I'm gonna go to Vinnie, then. Stephen, Al, coming to you. Go ahead.

[C]

I deserve to go to hell, Pat. Everybody in here from our sin deserves to go to hell. God sent his only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to die in the worst way. Pat, I did research recently and Tom schooled me on this. The. The version of Jesus getting crucified and passing the Christ is child's play to what they actually did to Jesus. Ripped his beard off, starved him. That little thorn that was a wreath, wasn't a wreath. It was a helmet that they jammed in his head. And he had 50 holes in his head. His back was exposed. God sent him to suffer the worst death for our sins. I'm piggybacking with Danny. If she's truthful and she actually did that, good for her. And nobody I know, we're kind of joking, we're laughing. Good for her. And I hope to God she is, because we have, through Christ, we have the possibility of to say, I'm sorry and repent and go over. When Jesus was crucified in the cross, there was two murderers and thieves hanging crucified next to him. And one of them, one of the thieves, was mocking Jesus like, hey, you're the son of God. Get yourself off of there. Save us. Save everybody. And the other, the other murderer was like, how dare you? We all, we deserve this. Jesus Christ doesn't deserve it.

[A]

And.

[C]

And the killer looks at Jesus and says, jesus, please remember me when you enter your kingdom. And what did Jesus say to him?

[D]

Tom, I tell you the truth. Today you'll be with me in paradise.

[C]

In the last moment because I know Adam is going to go here. You mean to tell me you could sin, you could kill, you could sleep with 1100 men, and then at the last moment, you go, please forgive me, and you're saved. The answer is yes. And you know why? Because God sees your heart. Everybody in here, this is all lip service, okay? So we could all sit here. I know the conversation is going to get to that point. He sees your heart. And none of us can see her heart. None of us except God could See it. But I pray that she does come to Christ Patent.

[E]

It was real.

[B]

Stephen. A.

[E]

Pray with me, brother.

[A]

In terms of her spirit, her soul, that's for God to judge. God knows what's in her heart. I'm not wishing for her or anybody else to go to hell. We all will face judgment on that day. And we all will have to face our maker and answer for our trans. Transgressions and everything else in between. So everything that he said I'm good with. Let me get to the flesh part. It's nasty. Somebody gotta say it. So I'm say it. Eleven hundred men in one day. In a day, 24 hours, Dylan.

[E]

That's a lot of sleeping on the pillow.

[A]

It's. It's nasty. That's not somebody any man should want to touch, period. And if anybody doubts me, I'll just act. Because. Because we're gonna assume it's 1100 men heterosexual, right? So I'll ask the men. Any of y' all want that as your woman? I challenge anybody. Any male at any age of cogency where they can comprehend who would want that. You could run across a 10 year old that got a girlfriend, his heart would be broken if he saw a kiss in one person. We're talking about a. A woman that was with 1100 men in a day. God bless her, I wish her no ill will or whatever. What I'm saying is those actions, 1100 different people. It's disgusting to say or think about, let alone do. And especially to men with daughters. We'd have a problem if you got the three. Will you make up your mind? I mean, what's the problem now? I'm exaggerating to a certain respect, depending on how old you are. Okay? But the point that I'm making is very, very real. I'm not speaking. There is rare in a moment where I believe I'm speaking for all men. This is the closest I've ever been to speaking for all men. I can't think of any man who would want that as his woman. Who would want to touch that woman or who God forbid, would want their daughter. Oh, let me not stop there. Daughter, sister, mama, aunts, cousins.

[C]

No.

[A]

And it's got to be. We talk about culture, that we're woke. Culture, cancer. Damn it. Can't you just say stuff? You have to be. We gonna use this as an example to be able to say something. Nah, it's not okay. Not gonna call her names, not gonna denigrate or disrespect her. I'm only talking about 1100 men. Damn it. In a lifetime. It's still ill in a day. It's a word that I don't even know exists in Webster's Dictionary. That's all I got to say.

[B]

Very eloquently put, very clear.

[C]

But. And I. I get what he's saying. It's disgusting. But the point, I think the. The point that we got away from was, do you believe that her baptism. And we're going to find out is real? And then is she going, that's a whole God, Stephen. Now. Now we're gonna find out because now we're going to get to see how she's going to live her life from this moment on and see if she's a hypocrite.

[A]

Well, what we never know is what. What God's judgment is, because only he knows that.

[C]

Yes.

[A]

That's all I'm saying. We're not qualified.

[C]

Yeah, exactly.

[B]

Exactly.

[C]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

We qualified to look at that and say, that's nasty.

[C]

100.

[A]

Very, very nasty.

[B]

Gross.

[E]

Nasty.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I wouldn't date her. I wouldn't kiss her. But I just pray that that baptism is real and she actually has a conversation with Christ, with God, to get that at home. She has to. I hope she does for her sake, just like for me.

[F]

And if she changes her life, what an amazing testimony that could be to young women who think that's what makes you cool or popular or who are doing it.

[C]

Daniel. Yes, great point. Who are actually out there right now on only fans, because guys, the society has made it cool to be on. Like, yeah, mind you, you don't like. Who's that other girl, Steve the Rain something.

[F]

Sophie Rain.

[C]

Sophie Rain. Like, I'm pretty. She's made 50 million in a year. Her parents, her father, like, as fathers. And I don't care how much money your daughter's making, but I'm pretty sure if she's giving them cash, the father's like, yeah, well, no, no, no. So I'm hoping if that is genuine, there's a girl out there right now that's 18 years old, however old they let you get on only fans and is thinking about doing that, or she's just starting and it's like, man, this girl's giving herself to Christmas. Let me not do it. Let me give myself to Christ and. And change the life. Because that, by the way, and you nailed this even because some of Those girls, that's 1100 one a day. Some of these girls are never going to come to God. They're never going to talk about it. And then they're going to get judged. We're all going to get judged. But at least we're trying. I'm a work in progress.

[E]

Let me just say this. So how many fathers are out there, right? Okay, so they say the number one job of a man, of a father is to do what? Keep your daughter off the pole. So this girl, why did she sleep with 1100 men? What was it, one day, in one day? Because she was beating the other girl, Bonnie Blue, who slept with a thousand guys in a day. So to me, this isn't disgusting. This is vile. And if she actually was trying to get closer to God, which I'll talk about in a second, you don't film it. You actually live it. To me, this is a bullshit PR stunt. And now we're talking about this girl. You mean to tell me you can just sleep with 1100 guys in a day and then just wash your hands of all this? We good? Now you could be a piece of for 99.9 of your life, A murderer, a raper, a whore of all whores. And you're like, yeah, we good. Now even God would be like, nah, down below. So that's my opinion. One of the greatest joys of my life is DBD having a conversation with me and told me, hold on, hold on.

[D]

I will not hold.

[E]

Okay, let me just finish my point.

[B]

I'm going to come to you next time, and you'll get the final.

[E]

One of the greatest joys of my life is that PBD told me to get closer to God. I started going to synagogue. I started doing the right things, I started praying. Things are good now. Life's going the right way. So I totally embrace people getting closer to God. But at some point, we can't just be like, well, you know, if they found Jesus the last second in overtime and a Hail Mary pass, you know, we got to give him a pass at some point. This gotta admit, this is disgusting. And I'll say this for the ladies out there, if you ever watch this. Women judge a man by his future. Men judge women by their past. So this woman is going to be judged not only by men, by God. And I wish her the best of luck, Tom.

[D]

I only know how to interpret scripture with scripture and just read scripture for what it is. And the example that we're given to the thief of the cross was with an honest, penitent heart. At the end of his life, at the point of execution, realizing the horror and the consequence of it, he gives straight testimony to Jesus that says, this guy's done nothing wrong. I deserve what I'm getting. And Jesus in that moment said, that realization and that conviction and that confession, you will be with me in paradise. It's not a get out of jail free card, Adam, or a lottery card you cash or a coupon you hold in your pocket and you intentionally live a life of debauchery and then say, I really hope that one moment before I die, I remember this coupon in my pocket. Because God says, you don't test me. I will not be tested. And I hope this is real. I've read the quotes that she had that don't seem aligned with the scripture. I see. I think people should express and understand religion in a way that's right for them. That's something that's called moral relativism. And I have a concern about that. And I hope that that's not really what's in her heart. And at this point of baptism, she really experienced a contrition to say, you know what? This is so wrong. This is so backwards. And there's a savior that's out for me. And then that realization and then that humble heart that she received salvation the way that scripture says. And on my opinion, any of us can look up John 3:16 and can read it for ourselves in plain English. The scripture is so clear. And I hope that that is the conversion we're seeing here. And it's not moral relativism or her comment about people need to see that there could be faith with onlyfans girls and we could be multifaceted. No, it doesn't say that I can be a thief and then test God and live one hand. In Book of James, it says, how long will you be of two opinions? A man that thinks like this is like a man that looks at his face in the mirror and immediately forgets what he looks like. That's what it talks about. And so scripture is clear. And I hope wherever she is, that she has received good counsel and that this is an honest, absolutely contrite conversion into the arms of her savior, Jesus Christ. I hope that. And I don't judge it, only she knows that. But I hope that she hasn't been sold half of the story and believes maybe half the story.

[B]

All right, thank you, Tom. Can we do Stephen a two more stores before we wrap up?

[A]

Whatever you need.

[B]

Let's do two more stories, guys. I say we do Iran and Danny. What store you want to go to? What story you guys want to wrap up with? Iran is definitely one we have to cover one other story, we'll finish up with dk, but let's start off with Iran and then we'll go into dk. Rob, what clips do you have on Iran? Because Iran right now is on day six or day seven. Seven individuals were killed in protesting. The situation in Iran is absolutely horrible. The average worker in Iran right now makes less than a gram of gold per month. A gram is $140. You work all day, all night, you're making $110 a month. A dollar today in Iran is 1.45 million riyals. When we left Iran in 1989, 1978, when the revolution happened, 46 years ago, 47 years ago. Now, each dollar, you could buy a dollar with 70 riyals. 47 years ago. Today you need 1.45 million. It's so bad. A letter was just written by the government. Rob, I don't know if you saw that letter I just sent you. The government is telling the people that the banks are probably going to shut down. I don't know if you guys saw this or not. In Iran, the banks are probably going to shut down. Zoom in a little bit so I can read this. A secret letter from Iran Central bank just leaked and it's nothing but bad news. Every major bank has been told to enter full emergency mode immediately. The letters warns of attacks, blackouts and loss of control scenarios. Banks are being ordered to secure their data, activate backup systems and keep money moving even if everything collapses. This isn't a drill. The directive is classified urgent and lays out exactly how to keep the financial system alive if the government falls apart. This isn't about regular protests. Their panic shows they're expecting something far worse. They're prepping for a meltdown where cities go dark, systems crash, and people panic. When banks start planning for survival, it means something serious is coming. This is the letter that was just sent to the people in Iran. And by the way, when you're looking at the story, Rob, if you want to pull up a couple of the videos of the protesting, I'm sure you have it. It is not pretty over there right now that you can see thousands play the video. You can play thousands on top of thousands of videos in Iran. They're so sick of it. They're going and pulling cameras down because they're saying the government is watching us. It's a bad situation. And for the first time ever, they're actually afraid of the people. They could typically push the people around. The people are not afraid right now. It's a Very, very different kind of a situation than they've ever had. It is so bad that they're like, Secretary der. Marco Rubio came out and tweeted today and said something in the context of, you know, I hope America doesn't do this. It's not in the best interest of the American people. This isn't something they should be doing. They're getting very, very close. Inflation is up 48%. Food prices up 56%. There is no water. They've lost complete order in Iran. Complete. They're screaming, death upon Khamenei. They would typically say, death upon America or death upon the Shah or death upon Israel. Now they're screaming, death upon. Has been missing for four days. They can't find Khamenei. They don't know where he's at. They don't think he's escaped the country, but they just don't know where he's at. And by the way, some of this has to do with China. Some of it has to do with Iran there. This is causing a little bit of tension between Russia and Iran because Russia and China, because, you know, Russia's wondering, china, why are you not helping out? Because Russia, believe it or not, relies on the drones that Iran sells to Russia. Iran produces some of the best drones that Russia's been buying for the longest time. And this disruption is slowing down from Iranians building the drones for Russia and then Russia sitting there to China saying, china, why are you not interested in this? And China's like, you kidding me? I'm buying oil for the cheapest ever. Because no one's buying anything from this guy. I'm pretty much getting oil for free. So indirectly, it's helping U. S. Because U. S. I talked to a senior official today. Tom and I were in the back. I talked to senior official today about what is taking place with this. And the senior official told me, said, hey, here's what you have to realize. We still have no interest of having boots on the ground. We still have no. The president still wants to keep the commitment of no boots on the ground. We feel this is organically going to topple and fall organically. Like, the people are so fed up that they may have a regime change very soon. Sooner than people think about it. And then Trump tweeted this earlier today, posted this on Truth Social. If Iran, Iran shots, shoots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go. Thank you for your attention to this matter, President Donald J. Trump, by the way, they have never, ever gotten this close since 1979, where they have the support of the President. Remember the last time they had the Green Revolution of what was going on? 0809, whatever that year was, Obama was there. Obama gave Iran $150 billion of their money back. So it was like they strengthened them. They've never had a time like this where the president at the top is saying, you better get your act together. And by the way, you look at this picture here. Play this picture here. My dad will remember this picture. Rob, if you go a little bit lower. This is the day Khomeini came to Iran. This is February 1, 1979. I was born October 18, 1978. My dad is here right now. When they were taking me, when he was taking my mother to the hospital and her water broke. Curfew was 10 o'.

[C]

Clock.

[B]

You couldn't be outside. They held up my dad. My dad's like, my wife's water broke. They escorted the car to the hospital, and then I was born. That's February 1, 1979. The. The day before that day is when Iran was free under Muhammad. Okay? A day before that day, Iran was free. A lot of promises. Well, there's a lot of different things, but this is, this is getting very. And I got. Obviously, I'll pause here to kind of come to you guys for some of the thoughts. And Adam, I'll come to you first because I know you have some thoughts on this here before I, you know, at the end, give my final thoughts on this. Go ahead, Adam.

[E]

Well, the world will be a better place when the Islamic Republic of Iran falls. This is not Iran. Iran was a country, Persia, a country before 1979. Since 1979, it's been the Islamic Republic of Iran. I always say this. Don't judge a country by what they do to other countries they're at war with. Judge a country by what they do to their own people. Executions, tortures, jails, theft. Absolute misery in Iran. So the, the, the rulers of Iran, their days are numbered. How old is The Ayatollah Khomeini? 80 something years old. I predicted that as soon as he died, this regime would fall. And it may come sooner. So they're saying that it's economic collapse? No, it's the country saying, we're sick of your shit. Iranians are, what's it called? Apostates leaving Islam, converting to Christianity. It's further proof that the Islamic Caliphate is bad for people. No rights, no women's rights. No freedom. This man right here is holding his people back. I. I pray for the people of Iran. Where are the protesters? They're so worried about free Palestine. Palestine was never a country. Free Iran. Free Persia. Iran was one of the greatest empires in mankind, and they're being subjected to absolute misery due to ayatollahs. We're with the people of Iran and.

[B]

We'Re praying for you, Tom.

[D]

I. I think what you have here is really that if you look now at the people, whenever I hear that the people are bold and that the people are unafraid, I think there's hope. It comes at a cost, and the cost has been bloodshed. I've been encouraged, is that the. The loss of life is horrible, but the loss of life is much different than when the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, they have, like, a riot police. It was like their National Guard. Help me out, Pat. And they did not show up in the. In the size and the forces that they had in the past and fired into crowds. Innocent civilians have been killed, but there has not been the mass slaughter of civilians you would have expected. And there's speculation that the size of the National Guard is limited because some people don't want to go out against their fellow citizens, that maybe there's a breaking point here. And I'm encouraged by that. As much as I'm sad for the citizens that want their freedom have lost their lives over the last 72 hours, as the fifth, sixth, and seventh days of this have gotten worse, I am encouraged that could we be on the edge of seeing a turn in the Islamic Republic? I agree with Adam. As soon as that government falls, as long as there is an orderly transfer power to a democratic Iran, there is a bright future.

[B]

So I want to. I want to show you something here because there is a lot of words about maybe Reza Pahlavi is going to go back and take over. This is his recent tweet, Rob, if you want to have him on. I've had him on two times on the podcast. I sent him a message today. I wanted to speak with him today. Haven't heard back. If you want to play this clip up here, I got a very simple question for him, and this is my question for him. If you. This is his tweet showing Trump's tweet at the bottom. President Trump's tweet at the bottom, Rob, if you don't mind going all the way down so they know what he's retweeting. So that's the president's tweet from the White House, he responds to it and here's what he had to say. Go all the way to the top. Zoom in. President Trump, thank you for your strong leadership and support of my compatriots. This warning you have issued to the criminal leaders of the Islamic Republic gives my people greater strength and hope. Hope. Hope that at last a president of the United States standing firmly by their side as they risk their lives to end this regime 46 year reign of chaos and terror. They send me with a responsibility and a message to seek the relationship Iran once had with America that brought peace and prosperity to the Middle East. I have the plan for stable transition for Iran and supporter of my people to get it done. With your leadership. What is Rob, go up a little bit. With your leadership of the free world, we can leave a legacy of lasting peace. Perfect. Okay, so that's good. So here's my question for you, Reza Pahlavi. When's the last time you reached out to the President and met with him? Have you. When's the last time you reached out and met with him? Do you remember when Pierre Poliev didn't meet with Trump and didn't want to go come and meet with the guys because they were worried how the Canadians felt about it? Did you avoid that meeting because you were worried what Iranians thought about you? Were you like, oh my God, the progressive Iranians are not going to like it if I go meet with the president. This is the closest we've ever come to this. Pick up the phone call and call him. Go meet with him. Where have he's at? Leave your vacation. Whatever part of the world you're in right now, go meet with them. If you truly are committed to doing this, you're one of the handful of people I know you don't want the job. You've you. When we did a live public interview, the world saw it. You don't want this job. You want to help contribute and make the transition as it's going through. I spoke to a couple of the folks to see if there's been a meeting. There's been no documented meeting between the two. Do you really think if America wanted to get involved and have somebody go become the leader of Iran to make them free, do you think they wouldn't have had the meeting? Reza Pahlaviyad you think that meeting wouldn't have taken place or you think they would have the meeting already taking place? How many times has the president met with Netanyahu? How many times has the president met with all these other. How many times has the president met with leaders of Zelensky, Nigeria? Forget. Take the smallest countries. Armenia, Pashinyan? Who else has he met with? How many times have they met with small countries? Where are you? Are you there? Have you gone knocking? Are you waiting for them to come to you? Do you want a monarchy? White House? My opinion? I don't think they want a monarchy. They're okay to a democracy. They're okay to republic. I don't think they're a monarchy. I think if. If. If the. If rp who I. Again, let me say it for a million times. Kind of like when you say good things about LeBron and people have to say, you have to make a list of all the good things about LeBron. They say he's a great father. He's a great. This Reza Pahler is a very nice man. He's a sweet man. Very nice man. I have a painting of his father in my house. When people say, you don't like this, you don't like that. Come see every single magazine Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Shah was ever on. I have him in my house. Time magazine, every magazine ever, I've bought them all. This is a painting in my club room. His father is in the center of my clubroom of the painting. 15 foot painting. That is my favorite painting in the world because I look up to what he did for Iran. He was an incredible leader. But unfortunately, you need some diplomacy. You need to be urgent fast, and diplomacy. Now, if it's gotten to this point, my only hope is, you know, there's a lady Nargis. What is her last name? And I've talked about this lady before, and some people say, oh, my God, he's a fan of her. He's a fan of this. Now, I guess who's right. Now, apparently, she left the jail to go to her friend's funeral. At the funeral, they've caught her and they put her back. There are so many people in Iran that are potential candidates. They got them all in jail. So many of them that they got them all in jail. To me, I don't care who it is. I want somebody. Let me restate that. I care who it is. I want somebody who knows diplomacy. Who doesn't scream death upon America, who doesn't scream death upon Israel, who doesn't scream death upon Christians. Who wants diplomacy. The Iranian people are some of the best people in the world. When I left Iran and I came here, I could not believe how math was so easy. Here in seventh grade, I'm like, what are we doing I learned this math in fourth or fifth grade. You ever wonder when Iranians go to Santa Monica, the kind of money they make and what they do in business? They're very, very good business people. Very, very good business people. I hope they figure this thing out. It's the closest it's ever been, and it looks like it's going to be organic internally. You know how much courage it takes to do this. It takes so much courage. You know why? Let me speak to the mothers. Imagine your son comes up to you, mom, I'm leaving the house. Where are you going? I'm gonna go protest. What would you say to your son? Go ahead. What would you say to your son? Your son comes, mom, I'm going protesting tonight with my friends. No, you're not. Stay home. There could be a possibility your son may never come back home. What do you tell the guy? What do you tell the guy, selfishly? What would you tell your son? Stay home. You're not going nowhere. Let the other guys go. You don't need to go. And I'm gonna go. I love my country, and they go to it. That's what's going on in Iran right now. How lucky we are to be living in America. And I pray all these individuals in Iran who have the courage, I pray they go and pull this off so I can take my kids to Iran and we can have a nice duke with, you know, Sultani kebab and taking Tom to Iran and, you know, walking across and seeing Iranians, look at Thomas, who is this white man here, you know, and taking Rob. And we do a live podcast in Tehran, Iran, with my kids that my wife doesn't want me to take. But we're going to sneak them out and we're going to go to Iran somehow, some way, with a very small private jet that Vinnie loves. Vinny's a big fan of small private jets. A big fan of them.

[F]

Oh, yeah.

[B]

And so we're gonna go there, we're gonna hang out and have a good time. And I think that day is coming. But I think for that day to come, I do think Reza Pahlavi, make up your mind who you want to be and don't come. Be allowed once the president says something, be proactive, please. You have a very important role in this process. You have a very big responsibility. Your dad played a very big role in the history of Iran, and your grandfather played a very important role in the history of Iran. I know for a fact when I looked at your eyes, you don't want this job. You don't want to go and take your family back to Iran. And I'm convinced your family doesn't want to go back to Iran. You know that for a fact. But you can still play a very big role as long as you get out of the way and be proactive. Knock on the door, call the White House, speak to some of these guys and see what you can do. And if he doesn't, I know the people in Iran are already playing offense. I'm excited about what's going to be happening there soon, even though they're going to go through some difficulties these next few months. Having said that, let's wrap up with the final story.

[D]

Okay.

[B]

Because I know, Danny, I'm looking at, you look like you have a lot of strong opinions about Iran, but if you don't mind transition, I'm going to give you, you know, because of time, we're going to skip.

[F]

Yes. I just wanted to hit on the DK Metcalf.

[B]

That's what I want to go.

[F]

That was in there.

[B]

Yeah. So let's do this. So Danny, DK Metcalf, he's the modern day Calvin Johnson. Incredible physique, incredible talent, fun to watch. If you watch the NFL, who knows who DK Metcalf is? Okay, so walk us through what happened from the audience. He goes, this is the clip. Play the clip, Rob. And then let's kind of get a little bit of commentary from somebody that played in the NFL. And then Stephen A. This is your world. Go ahead, Rob.

[F]

So he's been playing, he's playing in Detroit. This is a couple weeks ago. There's a fan who has been harassing him non stop from the front row in the aisle. That is not his seats. This, this guy had come down to harass DK Metcalf. DK goes over there. And the problem that I have with this video because I think a lot of people look at DK Metcalf and say, oh, that guy's an idiot. How could you do that? And that is unacceptable. You cannot do that. You have to have more self control in that moment. But I feel like the NFL, the Detroit Lions and the NFL Players association have failed. DK Metcalf been coming down too hard on him with the two game suspension which cost him a boatload of money. I think the Steelers said they're not going to void some of his guaranteed 45 million. He had, he was risk out there that he could have lost 45 million bucks. Thank goodness the Steelers came to their senses because as we've learned more about the fan is that he's had a history of trying to go after DK Metcalf. Dk, DK Metcalf filed a complaint with the NFL alerting them to this fan a year ago and that.

[A]

Stop it.

[F]

Oh, yeah. He had alerted them to this guy who's essentially harassing him at every game.

[B]

But not the N word, just harassing.

[F]

No, that's been debated. The guy said he doesn't.

[B]

They show the clip that he said the Kalin.

[C]

Yes, right.

[F]

But I mean, who knows how long this has been going on? But the NFL has failed him. And I get it. They're worried about the malice at the palace. They do not want a situation where an NFL player goes into a stands and you beat the. Beat the crap out of some fan. They do not want that. But I feel like they came down too hard on DK Metcalf to set a message. They didn't do anything to Lamar Jackson when he went and shoved a fan in Buffalo earlier this season. Granted, it was a little more spontaneous. It was after a touchdown. But if I'm DK Metcalf, I am livid. If I'm Aaron Rodgers, I'm livid. This is not the same team without him. They lost last week. Now it comes down to one game with the Ravens to make the playoffs. He's not going to have his best receiver out there. I think the NFL completely bungled this and came down too hard on DK Metcalf and that fan. To me, I'm sorry, maybe I'm a little bit too player friendly. Is the worst type of person in general who's essentially in real life that Twitter troll who just fires off hate, just fires off stuff just to get a reaction. When DK Metcalf hit him, he stood up and he cheered and he's like, I got him. I got him. He was trying to bait him into that. And that to me, is the worst type of NFL fan. And I hope the fan has some repercussions as well where he shouldn't be allowed to attend.

[B]

15 years old, season ticket older, I think.

[F]

I don't care. Yeah, I say he should not.

[E]

Can you play the video Rob.

[B]

DK Metcalf had mixing it up with someone in the stands. Great consequences for the Steelers. Hey, Stephen.

[A]

A fan's an. You all know that there's nothing to celebrate or applaud about the fan, DK Metcalf. The fact that he filed a complaint against the fan a year earlier definitely put some of the onus on the NFL I think by mere virtue of the fact that that complaint was filed and nothing was done about it, automatically should have reduced the suspension from two games to one. But you still deserved at least the one game. You're a professional for a reason. And unfortunately, as unfair as it is, there's a responsibility that comes with it. You represent the NFL. You represent the Pittsburgh Steelers. You represent yourself. And you have to know, because DK Metcalf is a really good dude, a dedicated professional, an absolute stud, a physical specimen who cares about his craft and being excellent at his craft. You've been around a while, you know what comes with with it. And you got to know better. Because the Pittsburgh Steelers, on the verge of playoff elimination, they beat the Cleveland Cav. The Cleveland Browns, last weekend. If DK Metcalf is playing, you would have clinched the division title. You would have had been in the playoffs, and this game against Baltimore would have been meaningless. But because you lost that game to Cleveland, now it's win or go home. You win, you win the champion, you win the division crown and you're in the playoffs. You lose, you go home. And I often like to say to people, think about it this way. How would you feel, dk, what is your off season going to be like if the Pittsburgh Steelers lose this weekend without you games? You know, they would have won with you and they lose without you and they don't make the playoffs and you're home watching because of some idiot with a blue wig on who's taunting you. Now, don't get me wrong. You know, all of these things, they are taboo words. You throw the N word, you know, at a black man, and you ain't black. It's a problem. There's no doubt about it. But you still have to comport yourself. I can't even tell you the things that have been said to me, right? But I'm mindful of the fact that I work for Disney, I worked for ESPN. And I'll tell you a quick story. 2005 in San Antonio, Detroit, San Antonio, they're playing in the finals. And I just got some terrible, terrible, devastating news on the family side. Two minutes before I show up on Sports Center. And these fans in San Antonio, who are great fans, by the way, normal, you know, great. And all this stuff, they just, this day, they just, you know, they're heckling me. And. And I was so pissed off, I turned around and I said, all of y', all, this is 2000, 2005. Pistons, spurs. No, it's not on TV. Okay, I turned around on them. Yeah, right. And they said, ah, we gotta. We got him. And the former president of abc, George Bodenheimer, was a few feet away. It's easily a suspendable offense, potentially a fireable offense. But George Bodenheimer knew what had happened to me. He wrapped his arms around me, he said, go home. Go home and be with your family. And I wasn't on the air for the rest of the finals. Had I had a worse boss, had I had a boss that wasn't so fond of me, a boss that wasn't so kind and. And what? Indecent and understanding, I could have lost my job, and I would have had nobody to blame but myself, because you can't do that. I did that. I dropped the ball. And luckily, I had a boss compassionate enough, who I trusted enough, that knew what was going on to say, go home. And that made. That was an incredibly valuable lesson, because never again in my career, and it's been 20 years since, have I made that mistake again. Because I'm mindful that I don't just represent me. I represent the people who employ me, the people who partner with me, whatever I have. I own my own YouTube channel. I've got my own production company and stuff. Like, you know, I'm the boss in that regard. You still represent your partners, people who invest in you, people who trust you. They're not just trusting your work and what you do. They're trusting who you are, your character. And you owe it to everybody involved to guard against that. So I love DK Metcalf. Got mad respect for him, appreciate all he has been as a professional, from his days in Seattle to what he's been in Pittsburgh this year. And I do think that the suspension was severe, but it's the NFL, and you can't make a mistake like that. You have to pay a price for doing that. So to me, I would have suspended him for one game just to send that message. You can't do that, bro. Can't. I understand. And I know we may have dropped the ball because you filed a complaint, but you can't do that, because the other thing that we're missing is, what if the guy filed charges? You did put your hands on him. Got to think about that from a legal standpoint as well. All of these things kids can get away with saying, I didn't know better professionals. Much, much harder to excuse.

[B]

I've never heard you share that story before. What a powerful story about the. What the boss did. So let me ask you based on this, because you've Been critical of Tomlin lately, right? You made a couple comments about Tomlin on, you know, where he's at. You can correct me on what I'm saying. I heard something about Tomlin. Maybe it's time, maybe it's not, you know, and the NFL, record wise, he would go down as, as one of the best coaches we've had last 20 years. After hearing this story and you're seeing the way, you know, Pittsburgh handled this situation, do you think this is why players like playing for Tomlin?

[A]

I think Tomlin is one of the great, great motivators, one of the realest individuals that players have ever encountered. I'm quite sure there's a couple of players that may feel otherwise, but by and large, people who know Mike Tomlin applaud his candor, his professionalism, his dedication to his craft, his professionalism, etc. Etc. And I'm one of those people. I know Mike Tomlin a little bit. I'm incredibly, incredibly fond of him. But I'm a sports commentator and there's a realism that has to come with it. So allow me to give it to you, Please. The Pittsburgh Steelers are an organization that has won six super bowl championships. Mike Tomlin coined the phrase upon first arriving in Pittsburgh. The standard is the standard. Mike Tomlin said that. And it is 2026. The Pittsburgh Steelers have not won a playoff game since 2016. They have lost the six times they've been in the playoffs. Each time in the first quarter of those games, they've been outscored a combined 73 to nothing. Stop it. And on top of it all, each and every single game, and he knows I'm telling the truth. Each and every single game, they've been down by at least 21 points. And it's been a decade. So in the interest of transparency, as somebody who is a proud black man that is unapologetic about rooting for black coaches because there aren't too many of them, even though the numbers are considerably better now than they were in years past. I'm also a fair minded person, which I want everybody inside and outside the black community to always remember about me. I might have my feelings, but it's not going to stop me from being fair. And here's where the fairness comes in. Is there another coach that could have failed to win a playoff game in 10 years that had been outscored in the first quarter of those six playoff games, 73 to nothing, that has been down by at least 21 points every single time? Is there another coach that we Wouldn't be saying it might be time for a change. The answer is no, we wouldn't do that. We would all say, we would say about any other coach. And so what I'm saying about Mike Tomlin is I love him, I respect him, I admire him. Never had a losing record in 18 plus years. Mad Love, respect all the way through. But in Pittsburgh, they have a right, which is where my controversial statement in some people's eyes came in. I said, they're Steelers fans. They've been starving for playoff wins and they've been waiting a decade. They have a right to say, this is not good enough. We might need to move in a different direction, especially if they lose Sunday night. Or just as bad, if not worse, they win, get to the playoffs and then get blown out in the playoffs. Once again, that is grounds for them. The Steelers fans steal a nation to say we might need another coach. Even though we all know Mike Tomlin. Get a job in another place in a heartbeat and he'll deserve it. Just in Pittsburgh, they deserve. They deserve. That's justified.

[B]

So what you're saying is he would be better if he was a Cleveland Browns coach. You wouldn't give him a hard time.

[A]

No.

[B]

So you're saying. So maybe trade him to understand that Steven A. Leaves you alone.

[A]

I'm saying any city that you represent, that city has a right.

[B]

But Steelers is different though. You said six Super Bowls, so that's like a. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

They have a right to say, this is not good enough. This is not the standard.

[E]

Yeah, because the standard is. The standard in Cleveland is putting a brown bag on your face.

[A]

Yeah.

[F]

That's their standard.

[B]

You had to go there. I was just.

[E]

Sorry.

[B]

Offering a trade for him to go somewhere.

[E]

And the NFL stands for.

[B]

That was very, very eloquently put. Gang. Before we finish up, Stephen A. Danny, I got a gift for you guys. Christmas was here. Santa Claus. I don't know if you guys have been. We got you a Future looks Bright shoe. Nice.

[C]

Look at that.

[B]

Future looks bright shoe right here, sir. We got one for each of you guys. Merry, merry Christmas to you. When you go places and you sit in meetings. Five factories in Tuscany, Italy. Made in Italy. Design in Florida. You're gonna enjoy it. I've been, by the way. I've been wearing these. I keep saying this to you guys. You guys, by the way, since September 9th, this is all. I've been warned. Except for five days. Okay?

[C]

This is all.

[B]

I'm telling you this. And I'm 64250 this is all. I love those shoes right there. Dean Mason's got them on. Looking good. Good for you. Anyways, for those of you guys that are crazy enough Friday night you're still with us. We normally do Friday morning 9am so people got confused this morning. When is this podcast? I thought you do 9am and Adam is late again. No, Adam was late today 10 hours so we decided to do that 7pm thank you for those you guys that are still with us. You're amazing. Happy New Year to all of you can crew if you're here. To all the people that are platinum members. We're going to take a picture here in a second and then I'll be having cigars together with you guys. Drinks. The bar is going to be open and we'll have a good time together. Let's thank Stephen A. And Danny Canal for coming out. Appreciate you guys. God bless everybody. Have a great weekend. We'll do it on Monday. Take care everybody. Bye bye. Bye Bye.

[E]

Sa.