American Sunrise Early Edition – November 24, 2025

Podcast: Real America’s Voice
Host: Jake Novak (iHeartPodcasts)
Featured Guests: Veronica Kemeny (Retired Air Force officer, “Veronica Live” host), Emily Finn, Aaron Boxer, Dr. Jessica Berge, David Brody
Date: November 24, 2025

Episode Overview

This early edition of "American Sunrise" explores headlines at the intersection of American politics, international affairs, and cultural issues, focusing on challenges in higher education, military loyalty discourse, the Russia-Ukraine peace process, economic updates, and transparency on social media. Host Jake Novak, joined by several guests, dives into the controversial actions of congressional Democrats around military obedience, transparency in foreign social media influence, the evolving situation in Ukraine, and more—all through a lens emphasizing American values and skepticism of mainstream narratives.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Military Obedience, "Cry Bullying," and Democrat Backpedaling

• Main Segment (06:39–11:35)
  • Jake Novak and guest Veronica Kemeny dissect recent events where a group of Congressional Democrats released a video urging troops not to obey supposed illegal orders from President Trump—only for some to later admit no such orders exist.
  • Key Points:
    • Rep. Elissa Slotkin admits (reluctantly) there was no illegality, calling it “legal gymnastics” at best ([06:39]).
    • Jake Novak frames the Democrat behavior as “cry bullying,” accusing them of sowing unrest and then claiming victimhood after backlash.
    • Quote:
      “If there are no illegal orders, then why make the video?” — Jake Novak ([07:13])
    • Veronica Kemeny emphasizes the military’s proper procedures via the inspector general and praises current leadership under Trump and Secretary of War Hegseth ([07:13–08:42]).
    • Parallel drawn to Israeli military morale prior to the October 7th attacks, warning of the dangers in demoralizing national troops ([08:42–10:09]).
    • Notable criticism of Senator Mark Kelly for “leading this charge” despite his military background.

2. Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks – Economic and Diplomatic Angles

• Peace Plan Segment (11:35–13:28)
  • Jake reports on unexpectedly positive peace negotiations in Geneva, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s optimism supported by dropping oil prices—a market indicator of real progress.
  • Veronica notes Russia’s non-negotiables (no NATO, capped troop numbers) and hopes for a breakthrough supported by Europe.
  • Quote:
    “Don’t listen to the mainstream media. Look at what the people with skin in the game are saying.” — Jake Novak ([12:19])
  • Jake provides behind-the-scenes: Early, thwarted peace plan, allegedly sabotaged by Biden administration.

3. The U.S. Economy – Cautious Optimism Amid Underlying Concerns

• Economic Update (13:28–16:07)
  • Jake and Veronica reflect on the latest jobs numbers, inflation, and supply chain challenges.
  • President Trump, they say, is proactively addressing economic issues—not ignoring them as previous leaders did.
  • Food and retail prices remain high; supply chain fixes by companies like GM are highlighted as key to future stability.

4. Social Media Transparency – Foreign Influence Unveiled

• X/Twitter Account Origins (21:20–24:15)
  • Emily Finn describes the newly-revealed “country of origin” feature on X (formerly Twitter) and how it exposes many influencers, including “patriot” and “anti-Trump” accounts, as being based outside the U.S.
  • Reference to Ian Miles Cheong as a high-profile example.
  • Quote:
    “Maybe real Americans aren’t that divided at the end of the day. Maybe it is a foreign nefarious influence.” — Jake Novak ([23:38])
  • Emphasis on growing need for digital transparency as foreign adversaries infiltrate U.S. debates via social media.

5. Higher Education: Foreign Enrollment, Financing, and Campus Influence

• With Aaron Boxer (42:21–51:56)
  • Jake and Aaron critique U.S. universities’ overreliance on full-paying foreign students, leading to fewer spots and rising costs for Americans.
  • Dispute media claims of “plummeting” foreign enrollment—real decrease is just 1%.
  • Discussion of foreign money influencing research and activism (CAIR example, alleged funding of anti-Israel protests).
  • Quote:
    “No foreign donor should shape safety or policy or academic decision-making.” — Aaron Boxer ([46:24])
  • Jake laments that many foreign students do not contribute to campus life/cultural exchange, living off-campus or in exclusive circles.
  • Calls for stricter screening and a pivot to more blue-collar training programs for Gen Z.

6. New York’s Political Tightrope: Zoran Mamdani’s “Word Salad” and the Trump Meeting

• With David Brody (53:42–57:12)
  • Dissection of newly-elected NYC Mayor Zoran Mamdani’s public fence-sitting: friendly White House meeting with former President Trump, then labelling him “a fascist” on national TV.
  • Quote:
    “Word salad. Yummy, yummy.” — Jake Novak mocking Mamdani’s convoluted responses ([54:24])
  • David Brody: Describes Mamdani’s rhetoric as smooth but insubstantial, reflecting the performative aspect of modern politics.
  • Brody and Novak agree: Trump is neither traditional Republican nor strict conservative—he’s unique in political positioning and values.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On military dissent:
  “If there are no illegal orders, then why make the video?” — Jake Novak ([07:13])
• On economic signals:
  “Don’t listen to the mainstream media. Look at what the people with skin in the game are saying.” — Jake Novak ([12:19])
• On foreign influencers:
  “Maybe real Americans aren’t that divided at the end of the day. Maybe it is a foreign nefarious influence.” — Jake Novak ([23:38])
• On university priorities:
  “No foreign donor should shape safety or policy or academic decision-making.” — Aaron Boxer ([46:24])
• On political grandstanding:
  “Word salad. Yummy, yummy.” — Jake Novak ([54:24])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [06:39–11:35] Democrat video controversy and military loyalty
• [11:35–13:28] Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations
• [13:28–16:07] Economic updates and inflation
• [21:20–24:15] Social media transparency & foreign influence
• [42:21–51:56] Higher education & foreign student debate
• [53:42–57:12] NYC Mayor Mamdani, Trump, and political posturing

Additional Major Topics

• GM’s American Supply Chain Investments:
  Announcement of a $250 million investment in the Parma Metal Center, impacting the industry and inflation ([32:33]).
• Thanksgiving Travel:
  Predictions of record travel numbers and (mostly) falling gas prices, tying in economic hopes for the holidays.
• DMV and Data Privacy:
  Segment (40:00–42:00) exposing how state DMVs profit from selling driver data, paralleling concerns over digital privacy (Jake: “If you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product.”).

Summary

In this wide-ranging episode, "American Sunrise Early Edition" delivers a critical and often satirical take on recent news from Washington and beyond. Jake Novak and guests challenge mainstream coverage of military dissent, highlight positive signals in ongoing peace talks, dissect social media’s role in political division, question the priorities of American higher education, and scrutinize political grandstanding at home. Throughout, the tone is conversational, patriotic, and often sharply critical of perceived political and institutional failures, always circling back to themes of transparency, accountability, and the core values at the heart of the American experiment.

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