Just The News No Noise with John Solomon and Amanda Head, October 22, 2025

Summary

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Podcast Summary

Podcast: Real America’s Voice
Episode: Just The News No Noise with John Solomon and Amanda Head
Date: October 22, 2025
Hosts: John Solomon (B), Amanda Head (C)
Key Guests: Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (A), Senator Marsha Blackburn (F), Comedian Wade Stotts (G), Shannon Davis (E)

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Episode Overview

Main Theme:
This episode examines the effects and politics of the ongoing government shutdown, recent alleged political weaponization of government agencies, surveillance on lawmakers, economic concerns (debt, gold markets), and contentious local-level political developments. Through direct interviews with lawmakers and commentators, the hosts present the perspective that government overreach and partisan strategy are harming Americans, while also highlighting shifts in media messaging and economic warnings.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Government Shutdown: Leverage vs. Service

Timestamps: 00:25–08:42

• Situation Analysis:

  • Washington D.C. remains largely paralyzed by the continued shutdown.
  • Ongoing foreign policy maneuvering by the Trump administration, including meetings with NATO leadership and policy moves against Russia ([00:25]).
  • Focus quickly shifts to heated debate over Democrats’ alleged use of the shutdown as political leverage, based on public comments by Democratic leaders.

• Notable Exchange:

  • Katherine Clark (Democratic whip):

    “Shutdowns are terrible... but it is one of the few leveraged times we have.” ([03:49] D)

  • Amanda Head (Host):

    “It’s absolutely despicable using the American people as pawns... I’m pretty sure the American people are not too thrilled about it.” ([05:01] C)

  • John Solomon (Host):

    “Chuck Schumer said it out loud – it gets better every day for Democrats that we keep the government closed on the American people…” ([05:23] B)

• Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (Guest):

  • Asserts Democrats are “using the American public hostage” to push for "$1.5 trillion in additional spending," expanded benefits for illegal immigrants, and increased funding for NPR/PBS ([07:03] A).
  • Declares the position "makes no sense" and is not what the public wants.

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2. Alleged Political Weaponization & Surveillance

Timestamps: 08:42–16:47 │ 18:54–30:39

• Claims of Government Discrimination:

  • FEMA Allegations: Hageman discusses reports that FEMA and Homeland Security denied disaster aid to Trump supporters, characterizing it as "classic viewpoint discrimination." Introduces her First Amendment Accountability Act to hold officials personally liable for such violations ([09:10] A).

    “The federal government does not have the right to determine who is eligible for benefits based upon whether they’re Republicans or Democrats...”

• Surveillance & Fourth Amendment Concerns:

  • John Solomon: Refers to “remarkable revelations” that federal agencies collected millions of Americans’ and lawmakers’ phone data as part of January 6 investigations ([14:18] B).
  • Hageman:

    “…We need the courts to enforce the Fourth Amendment as it is written. We do not have general warrants in this country…” ([14:59] A)

    • Criticizes DOJ and special counsel Jack Smith for overreach against lawmakers, and calls for accountability of “rogue prosecutors.”

• Senator Marsha Blackburn:

  • Shares her personal experience of being subjected to DOJ subpoenas of her communication data, calling it a clear First and Fourth Amendment violation, and outlines a planned lawsuit against the Biden DOJ and Jack Smith ([18:57]–[23:16]).

    “All eight were Republicans. We all supported President Trump and we had valid questions about the outcome of the 2020 election.” ([19:14] F) “We will be suing the Biden DOJ, Jack Smith and his CR15 team...” ([22:02] F)

  • Asserts that privacy and constitutional protections have weakened, especially against political opponents ([24:45] B).

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3. Shutdown Messaging and Political Optics

Timestamps: 30:57–37:33

• The Messaging War:
  • Amanda Head: Argues Democrats are losing the shutdown messaging battle, despite historically strong ties with Hollywood/entertainment.
  • Comedian Wade Stotts:
    • Critiques Democratic messaging ("their 24-hour livestream” had “a few dozen viewers”) versus the White House's humorous, meme-driven strategies ([32:08] G).
    • Mocks the “Hakeem Jeffries sombrero meme” becoming a sudden symbol:

      “What’s funny is that they took it as seriously as they did and turned it into… the symbol of the shutdown.” ([33:16] G)

    • Suggests the right is now “the fun party,” while Dems look “solemn” and “out of practice in being the party that has to gain approval.”

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4. Economy, Debt, Gold, and Alternative Investments

Timestamps: 38:22–44:08

• Market Concerns:
  • Shannon Davis (CEO, American Alternative Assets):
    • Describes volatility in credit and gold markets, tying it to broader financial fragility ([38:39] E).
    • Notes a “major selloff” could be triggered by private credit troubles.
    • U.S. debt at an all-time high ($38T), with unsustainable interest payments ([40:36] E).
    • Urges listeners to consider physical gold and silver as a hedge against dollar devaluation; warns that inflation is hurting real purchasing power ([42:33] E).

      “Gold and silver and platinum is definitely one of your best options today. And the price that is just skyrocketing is a testament to that.” ([44:08] E)

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5. Urban Political Controversies & Further Legislative Debates

Timestamps: 45:24–49:39

• NYC Mayoral Prospect Zoran Mamdani:

  • Discussion of his links to a Brooklyn imam (Siraj Wahaj, named as unindicted co-conspirator in 1993 WTC bombings) triggers controversy ([45:44] B).
  • Mamdani's defense is that criticism stems from racism; hosts reject this, saying it’s about legitimate security concerns ([45:44]–[47:13]).
  • Hosts preview upcoming stories on new "redistribution tax" proposals:
    • Mamdani’s “race tax” (taxing white people more);
    • Seattle proposal to tax homeowners for not renting property quickly;
    • Label these as “Soviet era redistribution” policies ([47:13] B).

• Healthcare Reform & GOP Divisions:

  • Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene criticizes GOP leadership for not acting on health care.
  • John Solomon notes Speaker Mike Johnson promises a revamp of Obamacare after the shutdown, but disagrees over priorities ([48:00]–[48:49]).

• Immigration & Labor:

  • Trump’s H1B visa reforms lead to Walmart pausing new H1B hires; hosts argue “American workers first” is being achieved ([49:20] B).

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Notable Quotes & Their Context

• On Shutdown Leverage:

  • Katherine Clark:

    “But it is one of the few leveraged times we have.” ([03:49] D)

• On FEMA Discrimination:

  • Congresswoman Harriet Hageman:

    “That is a classic example of viewpoint discrimination, and it violates the First Amendment.” ([09:10] A)

• On Fourth Amendment Erosion:

  • Sen. Marsha Blackburn:

    “When you look at what happened with us, it’s the First and the Fourth Amendment that was violated... all eight were Republicans.” ([19:14] F)

• On Democratic Messaging Failing:

  • Wade Stotts:

    “The Democrats, their response to this, they decided to do a 24 hour livestream... I think there were a few dozen people watching at any one time. So the Democrats' messaging is not going as far and wide as the Republicans' is.” ([32:08] G)

• On the Political “Fun Factor”:

  • Wade Stotts:

    “We’re having fun as we win and continue to win. I hope for more winning, obviously, but we’re enjoying the fun and the winning more.” ([34:54] G)

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Segment Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamps | |--------------------------------------------|---------------| | Government Shutdown & Initial Reactions | 00:25–08:42 | | Political Weaponization; First Amendment | 08:42–16:47 | | Sen. Blackburn on Surveillance & Lawsuit | 18:54–30:39 | | Messaging Wars & Political Comedy | 30:57–37:33 | | Gold, Markets, & Economy | 38:22–44:08 | | NYC Mayoral Race & Tax Policies | 45:24–47:13 | | Health Care Fight, Immigration Reforms | 48:00–49:39 |

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Tone & Style

The tone throughout reflects a combative conservative perspective: skeptical of Democrat motives, highly critical of perceived governmental overreach, and promoting a populist, pro-Trump message. Humor and ridicule are used to lampoon perceived failures in Democratic messaging. The show’s language and framing are provocative, heavily attributing bad-faith or self-interest to Democratic leaders.

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Conclusion

This episode offers an inside look at conservative reactions to the ongoing government shutdown and related controversies. It underscores persistent themes of government weaponization, selective justice, constitutional rights, and media warfare, all while invoking economic alarms and cultural battles at both national and city levels.

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Transcript

[A]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[B]

Good evening, America. Happy Wednesday. Welcome to the latest edition of Just the News. No noise. I'm your host John Solomon reporting to you as from a very busy nation's capital. Yep. Washington, D.C. is mostly closed because of the shutdown, but lawmakers, the president and others doing a lot of work on the sidelines of the city. Foreign policy is still at the forefront of the Trump administration today as NATO Secretary General Mark Rudy arrived at the White House on short notice. This all coming after President Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last week where he reportedly told Zelenskyy that Washington would not be providing long range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine to use against Russia anytime soon. Rudy's visit also comes right after President Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was canceled. The president said today, yeah, I canceled it because it just didn't feel like the right time. Now, the two just ended up taking questions from the press in the Oval Office, as you saw here in Real America's Voice. And President Trump brought up that the Treasury Department has now sanctioned the two largest Russian oil companies, an act that the president hopes will bring pressure on Russia to end its war against Ukraine. Moving on the posturing between former FBI Director James Comey. The Department of Justice has started with a federal judge granting Comey's request to weigh in on disqualifying Acting U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan in Virginia from prosecuting his case. Ah, let the games begin. Comey and his lawyers are challenging the lawfulness of Halligan's appointment after she took over for Eric Siebert, who resigned last month after comments President Trump made saying he wanted him out of office. And before I get to my CO as a minute ahead, I've got an important headline to get out about just the news. The Pentagon has announced they revamped press corps and guess what? We're in it. Justin News will be putting a full time correspondent at the Pentagon in signing the roles that some of the other news media didn't sign. Now, tomorrow morning you're going to wake up to a story and I think you'll enjoy it. All those reporters at the New York Times, the Associated Press, the Washington Post, who told you they were outraged that they were being asked to not report classified information or to have an escort in the building or to make sure that they didn't give up operational security when they were in a Pentagon facility. Well, guess what? When Barack Obama had similar rules for going to Gitmo, they signed it right down to the word understand. If you remember a couple of weeks ago, he said they didn't want to sign it because they didn't want to have to acknowledge they understood what they were signing. Well, they had no problem signing the 2010 or 2021 versions that governed their coverage at Guantanamo Bay, a Pentagon installation. Where our terrorists are kept. Where terrorists at war are kept. Well, they signed those. We're going to make that document available to you so you can see exactly what the media had no problem signing until Donald Trump raised it with Pete Excess. With that, I'm going to turn to my amazing co host Amanda Head from our Amanda, what do you got?

[C]

Well, John, the first thing I have is commentary on what you said because as you know, I was covering the Marine 250 event at Camp Pendleton and I need a military escort just to go to the Porta Potty. So I'm pretty sure these journalists should be okay with walking around the Pentagon with an escort with all of the state secrets contained within. But anyway, I've got a few clips that I have whipped up for you, pun intended. So Democrat whip up on the up in the House, Katherine Clark, this is her making some comments about the leverage that they are, that they are enjoying, frankly, during this government shutdown. Check it out.

[D]

I mean, shutdowns are terrible. And of course there will be, you know, families that are going to suffer. We take that responsibility very seriously. But it is one of the few leveraged times we have.

[C]

Oh boy, oh boy. And Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt, who has been particularly spicy lately, I might add, she followed up on that, she, quote, tweeted it and she said the Democrats are now admitting that they are intentionally causing American families to suffer with their reckless government shutdown. What is wrong with them? Well, the Democrat whip, Clark, she goes back on TV after that interview and after the press secretary's tweet and has this to say. Lovett is looking especially at that last bit you said there, saying that Democrats, quote, are now admitting that they are intentionally causing American families to suffer with their reckless government shutdown. What's your response to that?

[D]

Well, that is right out of her playbook of half truths, taking things out of context and not being straight with the American people. And she knows what I said.

[C]

According to her, Catherine, Caroline Levitt may be saying half truths, but she is fully telling the American people that Democrats are using their suffering during this shutdown to get what they want. And John, I think it's absolutely despicable using the American people as bonds, saying, sacrificing their livelihoods, sacrificing their paychecks. And I'm pretty sure the American people are not too thrilled about it.

[B]

I'll just remind people Chuck Schumer said it out loud, it gets better every day for Democrats that we keep the government closed on the American people. And Kathleen Clark said we're doing it just to get political leverage. Those are two facts they cannot deny. How about that? All right. Someone who gives us facts all the time and is on the front line of so many of the most important issues in Congress right now is Wyoming Congresswoman Mary Hageman. She kicks off the show with us today. Congresswoman, great to have you back on the show.

[A]

Great to be with you. Exciting news.

[E]

All right.

[B]

It is never a dull moment, I'll tell you that. Not in Washington these days. All right. I just want to get your reaction to what the Democrat House whip said. Is this really about political leverage and not the American people?

[A]

Well, according to her, it is. So I think that it's very clear, as they say, when someone tells you who they are, you should believe them. And I think that what she said is exactly what they believe. They believe that the suffering that is being felt by the American people and the federal employees, they see that as leverage to try to eventually force the Republicans to cave and give them what they want, which is an additional $1.5 trillion in spending, giving health care to illegal aliens, refunding some of the programs that USAID identified and uncovered in terms of how our taxpayer money is being spent, an additional $500 million to refund NPR and PBS. That's what they want. They are demanding $1.5 trillion in additional spending and they're using the American people, the American public hostage, to try to force us to do that.

[C]

Congresswoman, there are a few things that are different about this shutdown. Number one, Donald Trump. President Trump is the greatest messenger of all time and he has gone full on offense. You've got outgoing email from any government address saying, or from a lot of government addresses saying we're not responding because of the government shutdown. You've got outgoing voicemails that say the government is shut down. You've got Schumer saying that every day gets better for Democrats, Kathleen Clark with her awful messaging. I don't think Chuck Schumer is right that every day that it goes on, it gets better for Democrats, do you?

[A]

Well, if that's what they believe, I think that it's a rather twisted way of looking at the purpose of the federal government because funding our government should not be based upon whether it provides a benefit to the Democrats or the Republicans. Funding the government is to provide the services that are necessary to keep our government up and running. So it's such a bizarre position that they're taking in that regard. I don't see this as a partisan issue. I voted to continue funding the government at the exact same level that we were funding it a year ago when Joe Biden was president. Do I think that's too high and do I think that we eventually need to be cutting spending? Yes. In fact, we did that with the one big beautiful bill in July. But we are continuing to fund the government. That's what the Republicans did. And the Democrats are taking this as an opportunity to say, you either give us $1.5 trillion in additional spending or. Or we're going to keep the government shut down. That, to me, makes no sense. And I do not believe that it's what the American people want and it's not what they sent us here to do.

[B]

Congresswoman, a big moment earlier this week and the many different narratives that we've now learned about a weaponized government, a government weaponized against its people for political purpose. FEMA and the Homeland Security Department confirming that Biden administer. Biden administration officials systematically refused to aid disaster survivors purely based on whether they were Trump or not Trump supporters. They've now referred that case to the Department of Justice for possible prosecution. I'd like to get your thoughts on this.

[A]

So this is part of the reason why, and I've talked about this before on your program, why the First Amendment Accountability act is so important. What I've done is I have introduced a bill that for any federal employee who violates someone's First Amendment rights, they can be held accountable. They can be held liable in damages for injunctive relief and for attorneys fees. Now, how does that apply here? When FEMA and the employees of FEMA made the decision to not provide services to those homes or those homeowners that may have had Trump signs in the first in their front yard? That is a classic example of viewpoint discrimination, and it violates the First Amendment. The federal government does not have the right to determine who is eligible for benefits based upon whether they're Republicans or Democrats or whether they support President Trump or someone else. So this is a classic example of discrimination by the federal government. And the people who did this should be held accountable. If my First Amendment Accountability act were in place, that in fact would be an option or a possibility for people to be able to sue and make sure that this never happens again. I think all you'd have to do is a couple of these lawsuits and you'd never see this kind of discrimination again. So it's why I continue to push forward with this bill, because I think it's very important to, to give people a cause of action, a private right of action against a federal employee that violates our freedom of speech, freedom of religion, to peaceably assemble, the freedom of the press, and to petition our government for redress. I think that these are such incredibly important rights, we ought to be able to enforce them by holding people who violate them accountable.

[C]

Congresswoman, I was just talking to a rancher in Wyoming a few weeks ago, and she absolutely loves you, by the way. But she was talking about the new energy landscape under President Trump and, and how, especially in Wisconsin, her friends who are in the energy sector feel like things have opened up, they've been liberated from underneath the, the burdensome regulations of the Biden regime or the Biden presidency. How do you see that bearing out even further in Wyoming? Because I know you listen to all your constituents and they have, I'm sure they still have concerns because you can't strip away all of those, those dangerous regulations all at once.

[A]

Well, it's incredibly important what has happened under this administration and what the Republican led Congress did with the one big beautiful Bill Act. The fact is that Wyoming is one of the largest energy producers in the nation. We're the largest coal producer in the nation, coal, oil and gas. We have an abundance of uranium. And we are at the forefront of, I think, just an absolute incredible time in America because of our ability to afford to produce affordable and reliable energy. And Wyoming is at the forefront of that. I was just down in a coal mine a couple of weeks ago, and it's amazing what the resources are that we have. But when you look at the unit of land necessary per unit of energy produced, there is nothing that is more efficient than coal and oil and gas. And when you talk about AI and we talk about the war that we have with China in terms of the AI battle, what we're doing with data centers, we absolutely have to have affordable and reliable energy. In talking to our coal miners and leadership in those operations, they say that the coal production and demand has increased fairly dramatically since President Trump took office. We are streamlining the process within the Natural Resource Committee. We are modernizing the permitting regulations and requirements, whether it's under NEPA in terms of dealing with the Endangered Species act, the National Historic Preservation Act. It just passed out of committee in the Senate, which is the Fix Our Forest act, which is going to allow for additional management and resource development within our national forest. All of these things are incredibly exciting because what these do is this is the foundation of the prosperity in the United States. In fact, I was just reading an article that the poorest state in the United States, which is Mississippi, they're within $2,000 of being within the GDP of the average GDP in Germany. What that means is the poorest people in the United States are making more money than they are in Europe. Right now. The average wage in England is about 60% of what it is in the United States of America. So for every $100 that we make in America, they make about $60 in England. Why is that? Again? Because we have affordable and reliable energy. And the policies that have been adopted by this administration, what they're doing with the epa, what they're doing in the Department of Interior, what they're doing with the Forest Service, all of those things are such incredibly positive steps. If you believe in prosperity and you want the Americans, our American citizens, to. To have that prosperity and to be able to keep more of their own money and to be able to enjoy the various amenities that that provides.

[B]

No doubt we've unleashed an economic Kraken under President Trump. It's really remarkable. Congresswoman, one last thing. You were a champion as an extraordinary constitutional lawyer. You brought a lot of lawsuits to free Americans from a burdensome government. We've had some pretty remarkable revelations. Eight senators, one House member, having their phone records taken by Jack Smith and the FBI rifled through, and then Congress admitting to the FBI that they collected 30 million lines of Americans phone data trying to figure out any and everyone who was trying to call Trump White House. Have we lost some of our Fourth Amendment protections? And do we need to rein in both Congress and the executive branch's ability to just go rifling through our phone calls?

[A]

No question whatsoever. But we need the courts to enforce the Fourth Amendment as it is written. As we visited right before we came on. We do not have general warrants in this country. You have to have probable cause. You have to have a signed warrant that is affirmed that the information that is included in there is true and accurate to the best of the signer's ability. And then you have to identify specifically what it is that you are seeking. You don't get to go in and say, hey, I want to go rifle through Harriet Hageman's email. Is that okay if I do that? And of course, say, yeah, rubber stamp that go ahead and do it. So our courts, I think, need to be reeducated as to what the Fourth Amendment really means and what that Fourth Amendment was intended to do, which was to prevent the government from doing exactly what it has done. What Jack Smith did to our senators, to our representatives, I believe that we now know that they were also getting into Ted Cruz's electronics to get his information. I cannot believe that there is a person who worked for the federal government who, who had the kind of power that Jack Smith had and that he abused it in this way. And the January 6th committee absolutely disgust me when I think about the fact that they were rifling through information they had absolutely no right to access because of their witch hunt against President Trump. This is an incredibly significant revelation. And we need to make sure that this type of nonsense never, ever happens again. We absolutely have got to rein in these rogue prosecutors. They need to be held accountable and they need to be prosecuted for violating the civil rights of the individuals that they were targeting.

[B]

I have a sneaking suspicion you're going to be a big part of the solution to how we're going to get that done. Congresswoman Harriet Hagman, always a great honor to have you on the show today. Thanks for joining us.

[A]

Thank you.

[F]

Yeah.

[B]

What a great interview. All right, folks, we're going to keep on this topic. You know why? We got one of the senators. We phone records were actually taken by the FBI and Jack Smith, Senator Marsha Blackburn. Up next, she has a big announcement to make. She's going to get accountability on her terms. We're going to tell you that right after the message. Hey, folks, did you know that by the time the average person hits 60 years old, they've lost and regained several hundred pounds? Doctors call it weight cycling and half of Americans do it. If you do it enough, you are at risk of diabetes, liver damage, heart attack, even a stroke. Bottom line, most people need help to stop weight cycling. And I have a great way for you to do it. Non prescription Lean was created by doctors. Lean is an oral supplement and the science is impressive. It's studied. Ingredients also target weight loss in three powerful ways. Lean helps maintain healthy blood sugar. It helps control appetite and cravings. And it helps burn fat by converting it to energy. And burning fat helps keep keep the weight off. If you want to lose meaningful weight at a healthy pace and keep it off, add lean to your diet and exercise lifestyle. Get 20% off when you enter the code just [e-mail] that's code just [e-mail]. welcome back, America. I was listening to my good friend Matt Taib's podcast yesterday. He was talking about the troubling trend lines that we're now see Congress and the FBI together using phone records as a political spying tool. In the last month, we've learned that eight sitting senators, one House member, had their phone records reviewed and rifled through by the FBI trying to figure out who they were talking to. And then we learned that Congress, under the guise of investigating January 6, gathered 30 million lines of Americans phone data to analyze, basically mapping the people who would call the Trump White House to see if they were MAGA or not. Joining us right now, one of the victims of that gigantic phone dragnet. He's a great senator from the state of Tennessee, Senator Marsha Blackburn. Senator, great to have you on the show.

[A]

Be with you.

[F]

Thank you.

[B]

All right, you've had a little bit of time to absorb what we've learned. The Biden FBI going through your phone records, Jack Smith giving him the ability to do the subpoena. The J6 committee apparently having its own dragnet, looking at phone records. Have we lost some of the Fourth Amendment's protections?

[F]

Indeed we have. And when you look at what happened with us, it's the first and the Fourth Amendment that was violated with the eight senators, plus our Speech and Debate Clause, our Separation of Powers, and the Stored Communications Act. All of those were violations. And you know, John, the common thread that runs through this is all eight were Republicans. We all supported President Trump and we had valid questions about the outcome of the 2020 election. And one of the things that is so interesting on this is we thought that the wireless carriers received a subpoena in September for our records. But we found out that Verizon actually received that subpoena in that was prior to the indictment of President Trump which took place in August of 23. And they received the subpoena in May of 23. So we know that they pulled what is called the toll data. That is every call we either made or received, the duration of the call, the individual and the number that it was to and from, and then also the physical location where we were when that call was either made or received. So, yes, indeed, a violation of first and Fourth Amendment. And also, as I said, the Stored Communications act, separation of powers. You're looking at so much infringement on, on this Speech and Debate clause too. I left that one out. So, yes, the infringement is deep and wide.

[B]

Yeah. And the work you were doing during that period of January 4 to January 7, 2020, was clearly congressional work. Certification is something protected by the Constitution. When does the executive branch just get to intrude on your work like that?

[F]

Well, they're not supposed to do that. And of course, as you were going through, as you're reviewing things, you do make phone calls. And it is, it just shows you how Jack Smith and Arctic Frost, they were so out over their skis and they were out to get President Donald Trump and they wanted to convict him of conspiracy. And of course, when you look at what they were doing with us, they were probably looking for obstruction or co conspirator charges. And we're fully aware of what they did. I can assure you this. We will be suing the Biden DOJ, Jack Smith and his CR15 team, which of course has already been fired by Cash Patel, thank goodness. And these guys just hated Donald Trump and they hated us because we supported Donald Trump and we were standing with Donald Trump.

[B]

And everything you would have done would have been protected by the Constitution, which makes it all the more jaw dropping. What will that lawsuit be? I assume it'll be a civil liberties lawsuit.

[F]

Yeah, I think so. And of course with Verizon, my wireless carrier, they received a subpoena and they turned the records over. They never questioned it. They never quashed, moved to quash the subpoena. How could it not, how could they not think that they were turning over the records of sitting members of Congress? And why would it not have set off alarm bells? Why would they not have contacted us?

[B]

That is really important. You also mentioned the Stored Communications Act. Talk a little bit about how that plays into it because that's something that a lot of other people haven't thought about.

[F]

Well, when you look at the various components that are there, the fact that these wireless carriers are to keep that information and there is no reason for them to be turning that over on an elected official or, you know, we've had a lot of discussion around what is the Patriot act for components of that nature. And John, there again privacy and the ability for you to be able to do your job and not have a special counsel like Jack Smith, who is a rogue special counsel, combing through everyone you're talking with. And then you also mentioned the J6 committee that Nancy Pelosi set up in the House and how they pulled over 30 million lines of data for communications of individuals, probably people that they were colleagues with, and they pulled that information. So then you look at the intrusive nature of this. You also look at how, how invasive it is that they're seeing who you are talking to.

[B]

Yeah. We had a country born on the notion that we would never have general warrants, meaning you can gather everything and then try to find the crime. It seems like the last decade of the Comey Ray FBI, the Jack Smith era and the Adam Schiff congressional era, we've moved into general warrants.

[F]

It seems like, well, it seems that way, you know, go after people you don't like and then try to pin a crime on them. That is why I'm so pleased that President Trump and AG Bondi have said two tiers of justice is over one tier of justice. And if there are bad actors that were carrying out this two tiers of justice, then they need to be held to account to the full extent of the law.

[B]

So very, very important. Senator, I want to turn to another issue that's on Americans minds. Why Democrats won't allow the government to open, why they won't follow their own standards of the past. They always were for clean CRS until now we've had two Senate leaders or two congressional leaders, one Senate, one House say out loud, I guess what the real truth is, which is they're looking for leverage and that the longer this goes on, it's better for them politically. How do Americans, how do Tennesseans view that when they hear that?

[F]

Well, they're astounded when they hear this. They have, this is political to them. They have voted for these exact numbers five times. And they're the ones that originally, before Donald Trump was president, this was their budget number. And now because President Trump is in office, they want to carry out this government shutdown. It is the Schumer shutdown and they're saying it is over health care, which is inaccurate. It is not. Because what they're trying to do is take this substance scheme that was put in place by them with enhanced Covid credit, the Biden Covid credits, and they're wanting to make those credits permanent. This is on the Obamacare exchange. Now, John, the reason they want to do this is really quite simple. You know, they always said Obamacare was a step on the road to single payer system, government controlled health care. So during COVID they passed some credits that would be a subsidy to help people stay in the insurance program. And they had it on for a year. Then in 2022 they extended it and said it would expire in December 2025. They're the ones that set the deadline. Now they don't want their deadline just like they don't want to vote for their budget Numbers because they want to make these enhanced credits permanent. What they did when they did the enhanced credits is millions of people have a zero dollar premium and they took off the income caps. So people that are making a half million dollars or so will get a subsidy for buying health insurance on the marketplace. Now Obamacare is too expensive to afford. It is something you have to cover all these mandates, all these everythings. And therefore the insurance really is not very practical. People have an insurance card, they have access to the queue but they don't have access to to the care. That is a big problem with Obamacare. And now the Democrats are saying they want to keep the shutdown going through November 1st. Doesn't matter if that federal workers are not being paid, that the military is not being paid, that SNAP benefits are not going to be paid. They say the pain is worth it because they want the political leverage because they want to be able to give health care to illegal aliens and they want to get us another step closer to government run health care. The American people don't want that. The American people want choice and options in their health care. They like their doctor and they want to keep him. And they are not for having everybody on Medicaid for all. They're not for that. But that is what the Democrats are pushing.

[B]

There's no doubt there is a massive disconnect. Real quickly before we go, Senator John Fetterman, Democrat, maybe a wayward Democrat these years suggests that maybe it's time to nuke the filibuster. Is there some discussion among your colleagues going in that direction or not yet.

[F]

I know when you think about what they would do the next time the Democrats are in control and hopefully that's many, many years before you would see the Senate flip if ever. But if you gave them an option they would make D.C. and Puerto Rico states. They would also pack the Supreme Court and there is not discussion of doing away with the filibuster.

[B]

Yep, that makes some sense. People have to look at the long game on this. That's exactly right. Senator Marsha Blackburn, it's always a great honor to have you on this show. We're going to be watching closely your lawsuit in getting this situation a phone privacy fixed. I know you're going to be on top of it. Thanks for joining us.

[F]

Thank you.

[B]

Yeah. What a great honor to have you on the show. All right folks. MAN will be back in the next box. We're going to take a quick commercial break. We'll be right back.

[C]

Welcome back everybody. We are roughly day 22. I believe in the middle of this latest government shutdown. And I don't know if it appears to be going as well for Democrats as they perhaps thought that it would. And in this new era of digital media, Democrats are decisively losing the messaging war. But how did they get so, so bad at all of this? You've got all of Hollywood, that is all the creative folks, the comedians, all of these people who by and large align with the left. I don't know how they got so bad at comedy, but joining us now to break it all down, comedian and host of the Wade show with Wade, Wade Stutz. Wade, thanks so much for being here.

[G]

Well, thank you so much for having me. It's a privilege.

[C]

Likewise, and you know, the White House has done a great job this time around. They had a post up last week on their Instagram and it was one of the slide throughs and it was all these ridiculously out of focus pictures. One of them, you could tell that someone's finger was partially over the viewfinder and, and they, they had some type of caption beneath it that said, sorry for the low quality pictures. The White House social media team has been furloughed. They're finding these creative ways to, to push the messaging across that it's Democrats who are shutting this down. Do you think they're doing a good job? Could you offer them some more comedy tips for ways that they can use it?

[G]

I think they seem to be having a ton of fun with this as compared to the Democrats. And it's much more their messaging is coming across because I think of the humor. So the Democrats, their response to this, they decided to do a 24 hour livestream all about their reasons for the shutdown. And I find myself explaining this to people who are very politically involved, letting them know that the Democrats did a 24 hour livestream. And the reason that people don't know this is because they did. I think there were a few dozen people watching at any one time. So the Democrats messaging is not going as far and wide as the Republicans is. And so a few dozen people watching as compared to the whole story about the shutdown became about the Hakeem Jeffries sombrero meme. And I think that's just a delightful transformation because the left can't help themselves commenting on again, what is a very silly joke. And the joke itself is not really what's funny. What's funny is that they took it as seriously as they did and turned it into some kind of, you know, that was the symbol, believe it or Whether they liked it or not, they turned the sombrero into the symbol of the shutdown.

[B]

Yeah, it is pretty remarkable. I've been struck in the last 48 hours that the Democrats seem more concerned about the destruction of a few walls, World War II era walls at the White House, than destruction of a family that might not get a paycheck or a WIC supplement or a check this month. And I think that the idea that they're more concerned about a building than the people that they've now harmed by the shutdown, that seems to want to potentially be a political boomerang for them.

[G]

Right. And you know, I talked about how funny Trump's being, how funny the White House is being, and this isn't just in sort of hypothetical funny points. It really, it's showing up in the approval ratings. Everybody is, you know, I think cnn, everybody's seen the video of CNN saying his approval rating has actually gone up since the beginning shutdown. No matter what the messaging is on the left, it's not as sticky for some reason. They should maybe try some fun memes, but I don't see it working out very well for them. It makes me think about, I mean, if I were not politically involved right now, if I didn't have any strong political commitments and I was just trying to figure out which side seemed like the most fun, like the best time to join, I wouldn't say it's the Democrats because they have to sort of be solemn all the time. They have to be worried about what's coming up. And I think the only thing they're allowed to laugh at is when they're, you know, political opponents get sort of get assassinated. It's, it's, it's this weird inversion of their laughing, having fun about the worst things on, on planet Earth. And we're having fun as we win and continue to win. I hope for more winning, obviously, but we're enjoying the fun and the winning more.

[B]

Sombreros.

[C]

Yeah, absolutely. And speaking of that, I remember a few years ago, I'm here in Los Angeles right now, and during Cinco de Mayo, this was, I think, during President Trump first term, and Democrats were up in arms saying that white people were appropriating Mexican culture. But I remember looking it up at the time. And again, this was probably five years ago, Mexico, I think about 15 to 20 billion dollars worth of their national revenue comes from tourism. So if white people stop buying sombreros, they're in trouble.

[G]

I love that. Yeah. And I don't see people getting offended about it who are Mexicans. I do see, I do see. I mean, Elizabeth Warren types getting very angry about the sombrero memes. But say keep them coming. And I say whoever is telling the Democrats to freak out about the sombrero memes, that this is a hurtful and destructive thing to our democracy. I think that's the exact right tack again, the tack I'd like to see from them. I'm excited about that because the self serious people, those are the least attractive, those are the least. Again, it's not going to bring people over to your side. And we've seen that again in the numbers. It's again, not just a goofball funny time. And you know, I think also the Trump, the Democrats are not used to playing defense. This is not Trump is the first person in my lifetime to put the Democrats on the defensive. Before Trump, the right was just sort of helplessly reacting to every Democrat outrage. And now the Democrats are doing that to Trump and you can tell that they're not used to it. They've gotten really, really, they're really out of practice in being the party that has to gain approval from another way. And I think they've always not been the fun party, but because they were in power, they were able to sort of of hide that. The power can make all of your lame attempts at humor into the funniest thing on planet earth. Everybody can pretend to really like the Kamala Doritos meme. Everybody can pretend to like the Kamala Nomenon or whatever, the coconut tree thing. I think that's the most entertaining and fun thing. But nobody really liked it. Everybody just, it was like, it's this anxious attempt to try to seem humorous, which is very different from laid back. We're having a good time. We're getting our jobs done. And we were having fun when we weren't in power. The right was having fun when we didn't have all of this political leverage that we have now. And so again, I like the fun, I like the winning. I like it best when they're put together.

[C]

Absolutely. Wade, tell everybody where they can find out more about your show, the Wade show with Wade.

[G]

And I'm at Wade Stotts on X. You can follow me there. And I post my videos there. And YouTube.

[C]

Yeah, it's a great follow. So everybody go check him out on X. Wade Stotts, thanks so much for being here.

[G]

Thank you so much for having me.

[C]

Absolutely. All right, everybody, we're going to take a commercial break and we'll be back in just a Few minutes. Welcome back, everybody. Bank of America has issued a significant warning regarding the stock market, forecasting a potential wave of forced selling not due to failing companies, but a broken market structure. The core issue they explain lies in the credit market. So should their stock holdings simply. Should their stock. Credit problems. Excuse me. Should their stock holdings simply to raise cash. And what happens after that? Shannon Davis, CEO of American Alternative Assets, someone who is always so wise on these issues. He's here to explain what this situation means for all of you and your savings. Shannon, thanks so much for being here.

[E]

Of course. Thanks for having me again.

[C]

Happy to have you. And you know, we have a lot of conversations on this show with you about gold because John likes gold. But what has happened in the last few days, it seems like the gold market has been frenetic, I guess is the only way to describe it, what's been going on.

[E]

Yeah, it ties to what you were opening up with. One problem in one corner, which is credit. Private credit in particular can trigger a major sell off in not only public stocks, but what's referred to as ETFs, which is a paper gold asset where you own gold on paper. GLDS, SLVs, you'll always see that. You'll see a big run up in gold, silver, platinum. Nothing's been performing better this year. It's like anything, all markets, they inhale and then they exhale and there's some sell offs. People are taking some profits. You know, smart people out there are taking some profits right now because the markets, they shift quickly. Especially when it's about liquidity, it's about debt, it's about how fast confidence can evaporate. And you're seeing a pullback, but it's going back up again today. It's broken that four thousand dollar mark. Got to think about it like you break the Seal, it hits 4,000, goes under, hits 4,000, goes under, typically three or four times. Same with, with silver, same with platinum. And that's what you're seeing now. You're just seeing a slight exhale, little pull off, some profits being taken, and then the run will go again. Because, you know, we've got a financial system that is fragile to say the least.

[B]

Yeah. In 2025, fiscal 2025, which ended September 30th for the government, didn't do us any favors on the debt front. Another $1.8 trillion in debt, one of the largest debt accumulations in history. And we just crossed over the $38 trillion mark. Long term, that is not good news for the American Dollar, Is that correct?

[E]

100%. I mean, this is just the interest on our national debt is now one of the biggest line items on the federal budget. So that is unsustainable. Been saying this for a very long time now, since we've been doing this. And this is why our monetary system is starting to change. You couple that with debasing our dollar bill, like every other country is looking for ways not to use dollar bills in exchanges of goods and services in this entire world. And so when you start to debase the dollar like that, de dollarization, we've talked about that, that is continuing to happen. Something's got to give. And that's when you'll see markets drag down because of the pure massive weight of debt that we're carrying. And a lot of people are concerned, and it's about being aware of things like that. You know, Tricolor filed for bankruptcy. No one probably even knows who that is. But It's a huge US subprime car loan provider. They're attached to JPMorgan Chase, Fifth Third Bank. And you're talking about hundreds and billions of dollars that are just now being written off. Who holds those debts? People at those institutions. So this debt is unavoidable and you need to pay attention to it. And there's things you can do to protect yourself.

[C]

Yeah. Shannon, for those who are hearing and trying to heed your warnings, and maybe they're sitting on some equity in their home and they, I don't know, may on a fixed income, but they've got some assets here and there, what's the best thing for them to do is. Is it physical gold and physical precious metal, Metals?

[B]

Yeah.

[E]

I wouldn't say that's the only thing that you can do. But when you're looking at a situation where the dollar bill is very. It's worth very little today, it has very little purchasing power. I actually read a report where 47% higher from last year of how people are struggling just to pay for groceries. That's how little our dollar buys now for things and how stressed out people are about money. And so gold and silver, platinum, it is an option. To me, obviously it's the best option, but I'm not saying it's the only one. But it's really about taking your wealth, whether it's 100,000 or it's 5 million, and storing a portion of that in something that is safe and secure, that holds value, something that you own, and that's gold, silver and platinum. There's other things out there. Real estate, it's all timing now, I wouldn't say is the best time. I'm not a real estate expert, but there are other alternative investments out there that you can put your money into where it's not it's not tied to something that's so volatile and attached to $38 trillion in debt. So, you know, gold and silver and platinum is definitely one of your best options today. And the price that is just skyrocketing is a testament to that. That's why everybody's moving there, including world banks and central banks all across our country and our world.

[C]

Yeah. Incredible to see. Shannon Davis, thanks so much for joining us. And to our viewers, if you want to see what smart investors are doing to pre get the guide, call 855 Gold 340 now you're going to get the guide there or go to John likes Gold.com right now. The guide is free. It explains why gold still matters, how debt, risk and instability could affect your retirement and what moves may make sense before the next storm hits. So again, head over To John likes Gold.com or call 855 Gold340 right now. We've got a few more topics to hit on the other side of this break. Welcome back, everybody. The topic of Zoran Mamdani creeps into our conversation and it certainly has recently because of the what seems to be inevitability that he's going to become New York City's next mayor. Well, a warning to New Yorkers because he is catching some heat for a meeting that he took with a pretty radical imam there in Brooklyn, Siraj Wahaj. So this guy is known for being a radical Muslim who was investigated back in 93 for alleged ties to the World Trade center bombings. Mom. Donnie responded to the opposition and stated that he was only facing criticism because of his race. John, I don't think that's the case because I think New Yorkers are ultra sensitive to anyone who has ties to an Islamic bomber. And I'm pretty sure that it has nothing to do with the color of his skin.

[B]

Keep in mind that this imam was named by the U.S. attorney, by the U.S. attorney as an unindicted co conspirator in the case in a letter that was given to the court. So this is a guy that the government thought had some role in that horrible tragedy that predated 9 11. I think there's going to be another thing that's going to come out in these final few weeks of the you got three giant socialists running in three big cities In America. Seattle, Minneapolis and New York. We're going to have a good story on this tomorrow. All three have new tax policies that when people learn what they are, they're going to go bonkers. Mandani says he's got a race tax. He wants to tax white people more than brown people. That's his words, not mine. The mayor or the mayor, leading mayoral candidate in Seattle, Excuse me. She wants to tax apartment and home renters. If they don't rent their homes fast enough, you'll pay a tax for not renting your home quick enough. Meaning you don't take a good deal or you don't take the deal you want, you're going to get taxed for not renting your home, which is your property. Those are sort of the ideas that these socialists are having. It's redistribution of wealth. And I think that's going to be the next phase of vetting Mondami and his look alikes in Minneapolis and Seattle. They're all taking Soviet era redistribution of wealth policies. And I think that's going to be the final shake in this last run up to the election.

[C]

Yeah, I mean, it's terrifying that we are this close to a lot of Americans accepting these ideas and welcoming them into their cities like New York and Seattle, like you mentioned. John, I want to talk about Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. She has been calling out Speaker Mike Johnson on not addressing high health care costs. Now, they had a long, long, long conversation. There was a conference between Republicans and a lot was discussed. But according to mtg, there were really no solutions that were brought forth. And John, this is. She highlighted the fact that this has been an issue since the early 2000s or during Obama's term and how it was exacerbated in 2001 by Democrats. But the bottom line is that Republicans, you know, no one's found a solution. Democrats haven't, but Republicans haven't either.

[B]

Yeah, we talked about it today with two separate lawmakers who see the issue. Democrats are going to make this issue. The Republicans have to change what the narrative is. And in our interview with Mike Johnson last week, the speaker of the House, maybe Marjorie Taylor Greene should go back and look at this. He said, after we get done with the shutdown, we're not talking about it now, but when we're done with the shutdown, we are going to substantially revamp Obamacare because it has failed. It didn't allow you to keep your doctor, it didn't lower your premiums. And the only way it becomes viable is every year we add more to the premiums and pay off insurance companies early so they don't pass on the cost to you. I think that that is the sort of thing that's gonna happen. I just think. I think Mike Johnson and the leadership want the message to just be about the shutdown now. And Margie Taylor Greene wants it to be about healthcare before the shutdown.

[C]

Yeah, absolutely. All right, John, I wanna finish with a story. This is ground shaking, of course. President Trump making huge reforms to the H1B visa program. So Walmart has paused its hiring of H1B visa holders. In a statement to the Hill, an unnamed spokesperson said Walmart is committed to hiring and investing in the best talent to serve our customers, while remaining thoughtful about our H1B hiring approach. John, I'm pretty sure that that fine that President Trump imposed has a lot to do with it.

[B]

America workers first ahead of Chinese or other workers. I mean, it's happening all across the board. And whether you love them or don't, President Trump is having a profound effect and reshaping an economy that kind of swung out of control for a long time. The American worker is going to be the beneficiary of that swing if Republicans stand by the president.

[C]

Yeah, I shouldn't say fine. It's technically a fee, but anyway, John, I love what you got out of Senator Marsha Blackburn regarding suing Biden DOJ officials. And I just keep wondering if that's going to turn into a class action lawsuit because during that administration they did a whole lot of spying on a whole lot of people. All right, everybody, thanks so much for joining us tonight. We'll be back here tomorrow night at 6pm Eastern. Grant Central is going to take you through the next hour. Have a great night. What do you think makes the perfect snack?

[H]

Hmm, it's got to be when I'm really craving it and it's convenient.

[C]

Could you be more specific?

[H]

When it's cravinient.

[B]

Okay.

[H]

Like a freshly baked cookie made with real butter, available right down the street at amp. Or a savory breakfast sandwich I can grab in just a second at a.m. p.m.

[C]

I'm seeing a pattern here.

[H]

Well, yeah, we're talking about what I.

[C]

Crave, which is anything from AM pm.

[H]

What more could you want? Stop by AMPM where the snacks and drinks are perfectly craveable and convenient. That's cravenience ampm. Too much. Good stuff.

[A]

This is an Iheart podcast.