TURNING POINT TONIGHT, WITH JOBOB, FEBRUARY 13TH, 2026

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Turning Point Tonight with Joe Bob"

Real America’s Voice | iHeartPodcasts
Air Date: February 14, 2026

---

Overview

This episode of Turning Point Tonight, hosted by Joe Bob, features a series of in-depth interviews recorded at America Fest. Guests include Mary Margaret Olahan (White House Correspondent, The Daily Wire), Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13), and Seth Gruber (Founder, White Rose Resistance). The discussions traverse the inner workings of the White House press corps, congressional efforts on stock trading reforms and other policy issues, and a philosophical exploration of Christianity’s influence on Western values, politics, and the culture war.

---

Featured Interviews and Key Topics

1. Inside the White House Press Corps

Guest: Mary Margaret Olahan
Segment: [02:14 – 16:22]

Experiences as a Conservative White House Correspondent

• Career Background:

  • Olahan reflects on her trajectory from the Daily Caller (“the boot camp of conservative journalism”) to The Daily Wire ([03:17-03:54]).
  • Noted the “chaos” and camaraderie of remote journalism during COVID.

• Press Room Dynamics:

  • The Biden/Trump/“friendly” administration gives more access to conservative media but doesn’t sideline legacy outlets ([05:18-05:51]):

    “They call it the most transparent administration in history. ... But you're in there with CNN, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, Fox—any outlet you can think of.”
    — Mary Margaret Olahan ([05:51])

  • A variety of questions are asked—ranging from policy grilling to softball queries ([06:28]).

• Strategies for Visibility:

  • Securing a question involves careful positioning, visual cues (wearing bright colors), and early arrivals for good spots ([07:02-07:54]).

    “Daily Wire always tells me, ‘wear something bright.’ ... If you can pop out a little bit ... he’ll look around while he’s talking and make eye contact.”
    — Mary Margaret Olahan ([07:56])

• Unwritten Rules & “Aisle Culture”:

  • Assigned seats for major outlets; everyone else scrambles for aisle standing ([07:56-10:07]).
  • Press pool operates on seniority; violating order can result in being barred from events ([10:07–10:54]).

• Navigating ‘Legacy’ & Alternative Media Relationships:

  • Olahan describes a generally collegial relationship, with some tension and snide remarks from legacy media:

    “A lot of them are very kind … they’ll show you the ropes. ... My mentality is kind of like, look, I’m here, I want to do it. ... If you’re gonna say something rude, I’m gonna be like, what did you say?”
    — Mary Margaret Olahan ([15:06–15:49])

• Memorable Moment:

  • Footwear Tips: “I’ve always been curious … because I just see people sprinting… you didn’t have to do that with the last administration.”
    — Joe Bob ([15:58])

---

2. Washington Insiders and Ethics Reforms

Guest: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna
Segment: [19:39 – 32:30]

Congressional Battles: Ethics, Corruption, and Reforms

• Fighting Congressional Corruption:

  • “I find myself fighting more with House leadership … dragging them in the right direction” ([19:57], [20:13]).
  • Sharp critique of congressional stock trading and its ties to legislative decision-making ([21:00]):

    “Why would you ever want a member of Congress who votes on war to have personal investments in some of the top prime companies that are benefiting from the war that we might be going into?”
    — Anna Paulina Luna ([21:35])

• The Fight to Ban Insider Trading:

  • Describes her bipartisan effort to bring a stock trading ban to a vote, after years of inaction ([21:35–23:04]).

    “We brought a consensus bill that bans insider trading. 100 members … signed onto it. … We think it’s going to pass.”
    — Anna Paulina Luna ([22:57])

• The Reality of Weak Penalties:

  • Fines for insider trading are negligible and poorly enforced; congressional ethics enforcement called “so corrupted” ([23:19–24:20])

    “...it doesn't matter if you have people in Congress ... that own stock portfolios that are benefiting from things like potentially defense contracts… It's happening on both sides.”
    — Anna Paulina Luna ([21:00])

• On Congressional Pensions & Term Limits:

  • Discussion of pensions, retirement security, and Luna's proposal for term limits ([25:38–26:47]).
  • “If you’re in Congress for ... three terms, you get a pension … someone like me, I’m not going to be there for decades.”
    — Anna Paulina Luna ([25:38])

• Policy Proposals for 2026:

  • Capping student loan interest rates, codifying price caps on prescription drugs, coalition-building across the aisle ([30:43–31:34]):

    “When you have people ... spending, you know, 30, 40 years paying back student loan interest ... you're actually engaging in predatory lending.”
    — Luna ([31:25])

Foreign Policy & Drug Trafficking

• Narco-Trafficker Strike Authorization:
  • Strong defense of military actions against drug traffickers ([26:52-29:21]).
  • “If I was in that position, it'd probably be a heck of a lot worse. ... These people are bringing fentanyl that is killing [Americans]…”
    — Anna Paulina Luna ([27:07])

---

3. Christianity, Western Values & The Culture War

Guest: Seth Gruber (White Rose Resistance)
Segment: [35:41 – End]

Historical and Philosophical Foundations

• Christianity as Western Bedrock:

  • “The pro-life movement didn’t start in 1973. ... All of life has been a battle for life ever since.”
    — Seth Gruber ([35:41])
  • Traces Western values—human dignity, laws, family—directly to Christian teaching and the Logos ([36:16–38:28])

    “So in Christianity, logos is not a concept. Logos is a person. And that’s what furnishes the idea of babies’ rights, children’s rights, and protecting the family for the next 2,000 years.”
    — Gruber ([38:00])

  • Reference to Tom Holland’s Dominion:

    “Christians have forgotten—Westerners have forgotten—how cruel the ancient world was. ... They do not [come from the Greeks], they come from the New Testament.”
    — Seth Gruber ([39:19–40:44])

• Liberal vs Conservative Worldviews:

  • Cites Thomas Sowell’s “constrained and unconstrained vision”—internal moral self-government (conservative) vs. top-down solutions (liberal) ([44:28–46:24]).

    “Those worldviews are fundamentally at odds with one another.”
    — Seth Gruber ([46:09])

Church, Politics & Cultural Engagement

• Christian Political Engagement:

  • Calls for a return to “church militant”—active Christian engagement in politics and cultural stewardship ([50:22–52:45])

    “Unless the church flatulent becomes the church militant, it will become the church irrelevant. ... Until the church gets back to looking in the mirror ... where the Lord has put me.”
    — Seth Gruber ([50:22])

• The ‘Strategy of the Robes’ and Marxist Cultural Takeover

  • Outlines the historical left-wing strategy to infiltrate institutions (academia, media, clergy) ([50:47–52:45]):

    “Max Horkheimer said, the revolution will happen without guns. We will incrementally take over their institutions ... this is not like red meat for the base... The left openly spoke about this.”
    — Gruber ([51:47])

• Practical Next Steps for Conservatives/Christians:

  • Local activism, mobilizing the church, calling representatives, not succumbing to the myth of “political suicide” for social conservatism ([62:22])

    “We’re the largest voting bloc in the country, meaning we have the biggest political gut. But we don’t swing it around. ... Just call your local representatives, annoy them.”
    — Gruber ([61:12–61:33])

• Cultural Memory and Activism:

  • “We have to remember who we are before we can save our land.”
    — Seth Gruber ([60:54])

• Historical Anecdote:

  • The “Black Robe Regiment,” pastors who mobilized the American Revolution, as inspiration for contemporary church activism ([56:24–58:28]).

    “It was the pulpits that were mobilizing the people to fight for freedom and liberty. ... King George said it was the Black Robe Regiment to blame for us defeating King George.”
    — Gruber ([57:03–58:28])

---

Notable Quotes

• On Media Culture:

  • “I learned so much at the Daily Caller. ... Daily Caller is kind of like the boot camp of conservative journalism.”
    — Mary Margaret Olahan ([03:50])

• On Insider Trading:

  • “If they're not forced to disgorge profits ... they still benefit from whatever they're doing illegally. ... That's why a lot of people can't fight me on this, because it's a winning issue with the American people.”
    — Rep. Anna Paulina Luna ([24:27], [25:00])

• On Christian Cultural Inheritance:

  • “We breathe in the trace particles of Christianity that has infused our moral thinking and we've forgotten where it's come from.”
    — Seth Gruber ([40:44])

• On the Church’s Role:

  • “When King George is like, ‘It was the pastors that were to blame for freedom and liberty in the colonies,’ ... that's the best endorsement you could ever get.”
    — Seth Gruber ([58:27])

---

Timestamps by Segment

• [02:14] – Episode and guests introduction
• [03:17 – 16:22] – Mary Margaret Olahan: White House press, legacy media dynamics, access, and behind-the-scenes strategies
• [19:39 – 32:30] – Rep. Anna Paulina Luna: Congressional accountability, policy reforms, the insider trading ban, and term limits
• [35:41 – 63:44] – Seth Gruber: Christianity’s foundational impact on the West, the culture war, activism, and the historical role of the church

---

Takeaways

• The White House press environment is a microcosm of the broader media ecosystem, defined by fierce competition, nuanced alliances, and generational etiquette.
• Ethics reforms like banning congressional stock trading remain “winning issues” for public trust, despite entrenched resistance on Capitol Hill.
• The battle for America’s cultural trajectory is seen as a spiritual and intellectual one, rooted in Christianity's enduring influence and challenged by secular and Marxist ideologies.
• Activism and engagement at the local level—and the church’s reawakening to its historic role—are posited as essential for reversing cultural decline.

---

For listeners curious about media, politics, institutional reform, and the intersection of faith and public life, this episode features pragmatic insights, historical context, and a strong call to action.

Transcript

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

Guaranteed Human support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comDisclosures running a.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Business is hard enough. Don't make it harder with a dozen apps that don't talk to each other. One for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. That's software overload. Odoo is the all in one platform that replaces them all. CRM, accounting, inventory, E Commerce, hr. Fully integrated, easy to use and built to grow with your business. Thousands have already made the switch. Why not you try Odoo for free at O-O-O.com that's odoo.com When I was diagnosed, all I wanted to do was get back to work. I wanted to get back to that trajectory that I was on prior to the cancer. I always felt like I had value. I had a place on the team to just be treated with dignity.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

It means everything.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Research shows there is a significant connection between the ability to continue to work and cancer recovery.

[Seth Gruber]

We can make work a better place.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

For healing, learn more and sign the [e-mail].

[Joe Bob]

Good evening and welcome to Turning Point Tonight where together we are charting the course of America's cultural comeback. My name is Joe Bob. Thanks so much for tuning in. We realized here at TPT that we have a lot of great content. So many fantastic interviews that we did at America Fest that we just haven't had time to air quite yet. So considering the fact that it's a Friday, we'd like to bring some of those fantastic conversations to you. One with Mary Margaret Olahan from the Daily Wire. Another with APL Anna Paulina Luna, where I promise you, we talked about more than just aliens, because I think we talked about aliens for the entire segment last time we talked to her. This is another fantastic conversation, as well as one with Seth Gruber of the White Rose Ren Resistance. I promise you, you're not going to want to miss a single one of these fantastic conversations. And they're coming at you right now. Mary Margaret Olahan, the White House correspondent, not secretary for the Daily Wire. Yeah. So I think we were, I think we worked together. When were you at the Daily Caller?

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

I was at the daily caller from 2019 to middle of 2021.

[Joe Bob]

Okay, so then very brief overlap, probably because I think I was like June of 2021 or May or something.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Kind of like Covid still. So we weren't totally in person. So we totally.

[Joe Bob]

Chaos.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Missed each other.

[Joe Bob]

Oh, I was never in office. I was, I was always remote. I, I, I think I worked with the Daily Caller for like, three years and I've met one person in real life.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Oh, my gosh. Well, now me, you know, me. Yeah, that's a Daily Caller.

[Joe Bob]

There we go. I feel like that's Daily Caller is kind of like the jumping off point for like, oh, yeah, everybody.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

So I like to think of the Daily Caller as kind of like the boot camp of conservative journalism.

[Joe Bob]

I love that.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Partially because Jeff Ingersoll.

[Joe Bob]

Oh, yeah.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Who was, is a Marine. I know. What's a Marine? Always Marine. But he's no longer active duty.

[Seth Gruber]

Yes.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

He was such a hardcore disciplinarian, taught everyone how to do journalism. Was so, you know, frank and brutally honest when it came to that. But it was so good.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

So I learned so much of the Daily Caller. And I mean, if you look now in the White House, all these journalists, you've got Daily Caller alums, all these Daily Caller gums. You got Christian Daytalk, the examiner, you got myself, Daily Wire, Reagan Reese, Daily Caller, Sagar and Jetty. He's not there now, but he was in the new media. See recently also Daily Caller, Caitlin, Caitlin Collins, I know. Who is now at CNN and is by most people's standards, pretty lib. Also got her start at the Daily Caller writing, writing stuff for the smoker in my think, you know, some other more choice content.

[Joe Bob]

So what is that like? Okay. What is that? There's so many different avenues of what Is that like, what is it like now, being in kind of the press area of the White House? Obviously probably a little easier when the White House is friendly.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Yeah.

[Joe Bob]

But that doesn't mean the other media outlets change because they still don't like the guy.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Right.

[Joe Bob]

What is the dynamic like with you and your friendlies and then some of the not ones.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Right.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

So there's so much going on here. And I think something that's important for, important for people to remember is people like Stephen Miller, even J.D. vance, they still prefer the antagonism of left wing media. They're really good at that. Donald Trump loves to get into it with like, media. So they're a friendly administration. They know conservative media is interested in telling the truth about what they're doing, but they're not necessarily going to pick us over legacy media, as we saw by this Vanity Fair profile that came out.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

What is it? Last week.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Time exploring together. So it's a whole dynamic being in.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

There because it's awesome.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

We're so grateful for the access. It is. You know, they call it the most transparent administration history. It is. It's true. They give us so much access and it's so cool to be there. But you're in there with cnn, watching Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, Fox, any outlet you can think of. You're also in there with, you know, Daily Wire, Turning Point, Lindell tv, all of these different places, one American News Network. So you have such a variety of questions that people are asking the President. Anything from, you know, why are you profiting off of the American people by having this niche dinner tonight to Mr. President, you're so great.

[Joe Bob]

Why are you so great?

[Seth Gruber]

Yeah.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Or like rfkg, you're so fit. How many push ups do you think he does at night? Like, you have such a wide array of questions. So it's just like, it's kind of happy chaos. And you go in there and you just kind of got to dial in. I try and make eye contact with the President as soon as I can. If we're in a, like a gaggle.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah, okay.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Yeah. Because, you know, as he's talking, what are the strategies?

[Joe Bob]

How do you get the attention other than jumping up and down, waving?

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

But it's so hard.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

So Daily Wire always tells me they're like, wear something bright. Wear something bright. That helps sometimes, like if you can pop out a little bit.

[Seth Gruber]

Wow.

[Joe Bob]

So what you're wearing.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Oh, yeah.

[Joe Bob]

All of that matters.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Oh, totally. And then, you know, he'll look around while he's talking and he will make eye contact with you. Reagan Reese, my friend for the Daily Caller, was just telling me yesterday that he winked at her in one meeting so she knew he would come back. I was in a meeting with him recently, and I was directly across from him, so every time he looked at me, I would try and, like, smile to show him. Yes, I'm listening. I'm here. Calling me.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Wow.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

That's always interesting. And then Caroline at the briefing, if she can't see you, he's not gonna.

[Joe Bob]

Call, not gonna call on you.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

So you really got to be in her line of eyesight. If you have too many people in front of you, you could be raising.

[Joe Bob]

Your hand, but nothing there.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

She'll just see a hand.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Yeah.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

And it's. You know, it's high stress, high pressure.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Yeah.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

She's looking around, looking whoever who to call it. So it's all really, like, you got to get there early. You got to get a good spot. So here's something people might not realize.

[Joe Bob]

Is it assigned seating in the press briefing room?

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Yes.

[Joe Bob]

Okay. Okay. So it is.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

So you go in there, and it's really small. All of the front row is like MSNBC or, like, Ms. Now or whatever they call it.

[Joe Bob]

PMS Now.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Yeah.

[Joe Bob]

Because the little flag they have looks like a P. And that would.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

I need to see this.

[Joe Bob]

Oh, yeah. It looks like it says PMS now, which is totally appropriate for their audience.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

That is weird. I haven't seen that. I'm going to go like. But you got them. You got FOX News. You have cnn, cbs. They're all the front row, and they usually get questions. And then the farther back you go, you got an array of outlets. And then on the side is where someone like myself stands somewhere, like Monica Page stands Dan Baldwin. And we'll stand in those aisles. And at the beginning of the year, we would all stand in the front. Now there's so many people that come.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

That it's really hard.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

And I'll get there two hours early.

[Joe Bob]

Wow.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

To hold my spot. And sometimes you just can't do it. You know, you gotta write. You gotta.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah, you gotta. You have an actual job that you have to do. And I know this is a part of the job, but that takes time.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Yeah.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

And so it's.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

It's difficult.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

And if you want Caroline to see you again, you gotta be there. You gotta make eye contact.

[Joe Bob]

Do you. With the other more friendly outlets, do you guys strategize it all together? Like, do you guys maybe take turns of like, hey, you know, we stood up front this time you guys go. Or is it just kind of. It's not a friendly free for all.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Maybe we should. I will say there was a lot of kind of drama at the beginning of the year because, you know, someone like myself, my friend Elizabeth Mitchell, we would get there early and stand in our spot, and then right before it started, these reporters would show up and try and stand in front of us. You know, we're women. We're naturally inclined.

[Joe Bob]

And you're conservative, so you're polite.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Yeah, yeah. I'm not. I'm Irish.

[Joe Bob]

Oh, you're not.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

I'm an Irish dumber. I have the oldest sister. I'm like, what are you doing?

[Joe Bob]

Yeah.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

I'm like, I'm sorry. I've been standing here for two hours.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

You get back there.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

And so there was a little bit of drama there. So at the end of the day, we could work out some kind of system. At this point, everyone just knows, you get there, it's your spot.

[Joe Bob]

Got it.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

You don't. If you try and argue with that, everyone will tell you, does the culture.

[Joe Bob]

Change from administration to administration? Like, because that sounds like you had to do, like, a reset of, like, hey, no, these are the ground rules. Here's how we operate. Does that kind of.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Do you think it's so funny? It's like aisle culture where, you know, the people in the seats don't have to deal with it, but the people who don't have. Yeah, there definitely was a little bit of a, you know, a couple people had to be really firm and say, no, you can't stand here if I've been here first. It's just common courtesy, you know. But, yeah, there's kind of some unspoken and unspoken rules about the press corps. Like, for example, if you're in the press pool, that means. Means that you get to go into the Oval Office that day if the president has a meeting. And so they'll call over the intercom and say, white House press pool, line up. And so you all go line up. And there's rules like photographers get to go first, and then, you know, the cable TV people get to go after that. And if you push or you try and go in front of them, it's a whole thing. It's a whole hell on you. You might get uninvited from going next time. So it's very, you know, it's very regimented like that.

[Joe Bob]

This is probably a ridiculous question that you haven't been asked yet. What kind of shoes do you wear? And the only reason I ask that is because we've been on with Monica and all of a sudden she's on pebble beach, and all of a sudden in the back, you see just like a horde of people sprinting. And then, you know, okay, so Trump is somewhere and he's out and he's gaggling and everybody needs to go get to him.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Right.

[Joe Bob]

Obviously not always the case with prior presidents, but he just, oh, he's on the roof today. Oh, he's, you know. So, like, do you have to think about that sort of thing?

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Yes, you do. And. And let's say I ubered that day. So that means anywhere I go, I'm walking. If I go get food, lunch, coffee. So, like, these heels I'm wearing right now, I got a little bit of heel on them. I wouldn't wear those because.

[Joe Bob]

Because you have to run. You may have to run.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Yeah.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

And mentally, it's not like, oh, that is a huge hurdle. So I'll do nice flats. I'll do, like, low heels.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

I like a little heel.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

It makes you feel confident, you know, So I do that kind of thing a lot. And then you just kind of suck it up.

[Joe Bob]

I love this.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

It really is. It's not for the week. And then, you know, you do need to look nice. Everyone at the White House looks nice. You know, Melania Trump is the first lady, so the women dress really well. And I actually love that. I think it's really important. There are funny things, like, because we're with the legacy press and a lot of them are more left leaning, this is the stereotype I wasn't expecting. But the men don't hold a lot of doors for the women in the press.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

They're rude.

[Joe Bob]

Their lips.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Yeah. So that's something I noticed right away. And I was like, okay, interesting. But, you know, other things that are really cool, you just, you never know where you'll be guided. So, like, I can go Pebble Beach, I can go to the briefing room. You're not really supposed to go anywhere else. And you can't really go anywhere else.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Yeah.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Other than that, if you're a reporter, you can be let or like, escorted by other people.

[Joe Bob]

Do you have to be in a specific area to be led? Like, for some reason, if you're in pebble beach and there's the briefing room, and then somebody comes out and says, hey, we're going to let people in the Oval Office. Do the people on pebble beach just miss out? Like, kind of has to be right place at right time or how does that work?

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Well, so they only let the people in the pool. So it's very specific. And everyone will be kind of like, oh, I wish I was in the pool today. Or, you know, Brian.

[Joe Bob]

And that kind of rotates.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Yes. But sometimes they'll let you in if it's, like, a topic that's interesting to your outlet, or if you ask, get lucky. Like, Brian Glenn will get in there a lot.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Even if he's not in. Cool. Just because he'll ask and they'll. They'll let him in. Sometimes I do. Sometimes my. My other colleagues do. And if you do, it's just like, go time. Because, you know, almost certainly you will get a question from the president if he can see you. And then that's a whole other thing because you're all, like, shouting at the same time. Mr. President. Mr. President. And the first time I was in the Oval, I tried so hard, and they all, like, pushed me out, so I was stuck on the end. So he would have had to fully turn his head all the way over there and looked at me to see me, and he never did.

[Joe Bob]

Okay, I think I know the answer to this, but what if you yelled out Donald, like, you? I recognize that's like breaking decorum and all. I realize that that's probably not okay. I think he would hear that, though, and go, what? And then now you're looking at him. Oh, by the way.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Well, so, okay, probably. But don't forget, if you shout out Donald, the other people in the room who might be looking at you, and you can't see this on camera. Susie Wiles is back where the reports are. Caroline Levitt is back where the reports are. Sometimes JD Vance will pop it. Stephen Miller. So it's like the entire administration. That would be like, who is that reporter that just called the President Donald? You know, it's like that kind of vibe. So not only is it decorum, it's like all these people that you need to respect you. All these people that you want to, like, you know, work with. And so it's a lot of dynamics to navigate, and it took me a little while to get. I'm still not totally comfortable, and I still have so much, like, sourcing I want to do and interviews I want to do. But it is kind of like, at first, you're like, everyone here is important, and I need them to like me, and I also need to do a good job. And at first I was like, oh, my gosh. Yeah.

[Joe Bob]

So, okay, so obviously a bunch of your more legacy people are big libs, but you're also in the same room and in the same space every single day.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Yeah.

[Joe Bob]

What is that relationship like? What's that dynamic like?

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

It's interesting because I think I expected the legacy reporters to be more confrontational or more unkind. What I've noticed is that a, a lot of them are very kind. You know, they're, if you're not getting into it with them about politics, they'll show you the ropes. They'll, you know, help you know where to go, which is really nice.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Yeah.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

There's a few others who, you know, you'll hear them making comments, you'll hear them being snotty, and you'll see them tweeting things suggesting that, you know, people like us shouldn't be there or that we, you know, we shouldn't have access. And my mentality is kind of like, look, I'm here, I want to do it. We're gonna do a good job. I'm not gonna get an unnecessary, necessary fights with you, but if you're gonna say something rude, I'm gonna be like, what did you say?

[Joe Bob]

Yeah.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

And we might talk about it then, but in general, I, I just want to be there. I want to do our job. I want to talk to the President, I want to talk to Caroline Levitt, and then I want to go home, you know?

[Joe Bob]

Yeah, that's. That. This, this has been fascinating. I'm, I'm excited about the footwear because I, I, like, I've always been curious because I just see people sprinting and you didn't have to do that with the last administration. It was just kind of like, you're not gonna, he's, he's not going to be fine.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Joe Biden certainly wasn't sprinting, was he?

[Joe Bob]

No, no, not at all. Well, cool. Mary Margaret Olahan, the White House correspondent for the Daily Wire, thank you so much for joining. Really appreciate you taking the time. Awesome.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Thank you for having me.

[Joe Bob]

This is fun. Cool.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn idea into an investable index. With AI it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index, and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc, SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comDisclosures running a.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Business is hard enough, so why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other. One for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. Before you know it, you are drowning in software instead of growing your business. This is where Odoo comes in. Odoo is the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all in one fully integrated platform that handles everything CRM, accounting, inventory, E commerce, HR and more. No more app overload, no more juggling logins. Just one seamless system that makes work easier. And the best part? Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. It's built to grow with your business whether you are just starting out or already scaling up. Plus, it's easy to use, customizable and designed to streamline every process so you can focus on what really matters running your business. Thousands of businesses have made the switch, so why not you try Odoo for [e-mail] that's o d o o.com When I was diagnosed, all I wanted to do was get back to work. I wanted to get back to that trajectory that I was on prior to the cancer. I always felt like I had value. I had a place on the team to just be treated with dignity.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

It means everything.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Research shows there is a significant connection between the ability to continue to work and cancer recovery.

[Seth Gruber]

We can make work a better place.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

For healing, learn more and sign the [e-mail] if you're the purchasing manager at.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

A manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference. That's why hands down, you count on Grainger for auto reordering. With on time restocks, your team will have the cut resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift and you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by granger for the ones who get it done.

[Joe Bob]

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna, also known as apl. I'm back the better. Three letter A starting one. There's an AOC out there that's not, not as popular, high level. I'm curious in Congress, who do you find yourself fighting with more libs or conservatives?

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

I find my. Nowadays, yeah, I find myself fighting more I think with House leadership specifically on dragging them, which I am dragging them.

[Joe Bob]

I want to talk about this.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

I know what you're getting to in the right direction.

[Joe Bob]

Yes. Yeah, yeah.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

And I, and but I do it like nicely, but we fight for sure.

[Joe Bob]

So that's, that's kind of your more contentious relationships right now.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

I would say say contentions. It's more like when you know you're right. So. And I'm right.

[Joe Bob]

Okay. So specifically I think what you're talking about right now is whether or not. Well, okay, let's just. Nancy Pelosi retired and Democrats lost a very influential and powerful investment advisor in one. Nancy Pelosi is very jealous. Well, he's probably going to be up to the top now stock traders now that she's not going to be in Congress, which again is odd. He's just Fantastic trader. Paul Pelosi, fantastic trader. There's no insider information going on there, but that has been one of your hot to trot topics. Tell us about what it is that you're doing regarding that.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Yeah, so I'm actually talking about that along stage. We can talk about all of all the things like about what we need to do as a country. We can talk about the elections, we could talk on foreign policy and everything in between. But it does not matter if you have people in Congress, which specifically Congress, yes, we vote, but oh my goodness, do we have impacts on this nation when you have people on both sides that own stock portfolios that are benefiting for things like potentially defense contracts, whether or not we get into other conflicts. Why would you ever want a member of Congress who votes on war to have personal investments in some of the top prime companies that are benefiting from the war that we might be going into?

[Seth Gruber]

Yeah.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Why would you ever want members who are voting on legislation that would be maybe be codifying President Trump's executive executive orders to cap prescription pricing when they are literally owned and controlled by pharmaceutical industry, whether it's contribution to their campaigns or millions and millions of dollars in their stock portfolios? You know, you're going into Congress, you're making 175, you know, a year with inflation and then you see numbers after Two terms coming out, you know, multimillionaires multiple times over, outperforming the S and P with 600, 600% returns on their stock portfolio investments. And it's happening on both sides. So for 10 years. For 10 years, Congress is like, oh, it's a problem. But no one wanted to do anything, and we could do something. And so I was sitting literally on the steps of the Capitol, and I was talking to Tim Burchett, who's my road dog in Congress, my only one. Him and a few others and a few others that are speaking here today. Yeah, and socket attempt. I said, that's it. We saw the stock trade. It came from someone in. In the Republican Conference. And I said, this place is so damn corrupt. I don't give. Because they don't like me. We're going to do it. We're going to force a vote. And so we brought a consensus bill that Bans Insider trading. 100 members of Congress signed onto it, Democrats and Republicans, and we got signatures for it. I just met with Speaker Johnson on Thursday, and he promised to bring a vote. We actually feel pretty good on the legislation that they're going to be bringing to the floor, and we think that it's going to pass. And, and what's great about that is Hakeem Jeffries was outed by Democrats in his own party for trying to block the bill that I called up that has Democrat support to ban insider trading. So, Hakeem, we're going to do it without you. We didn't need your help anyways, Hakeem.

[Joe Bob]

Now, Congresswoman, insider trading is already illegal. I know there are stiff fines for being caught. You want to tell people what the fines are currently and how the bill has kind of tried to be manipulated. Manipulated in a way that.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

So the fines are. Is. Is you could insider trade. You know, Martha Stewart's actually quite jealous. She wasn't a member of Congress. But you, you might get hit with a 200 penalty if you're making a multiple which they don't even really pay. You know, if I was corrupt, which I'm not because I don't insider trade, or really stock trade, but if I was corrupt, you know, I'd take the hit. I'd say six million. Sorry. Shoot. Six million in, you know, $200. I don't care. I'm not going to pay the fee, so it doesn't matter.

[Joe Bob]

And how often is that even implemented? Like, how often does that to that stiff $200 fine actually get solid amount of money?

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Yeah, it's not they. A lot of people won't pay for. I was actually just talking to journalists that was covering this a few weeks back, and she was saying that when she actually would ask members that would get hit with this penalty, they would then run over to House Ethics and pay it real quick. But she had already had the list that they had not been paying their fees. They'd been doing it multiple times. But it's not just that. It's like the whole idea of Congressional Ethics. Oh, it's going to get sent to Ethics. Yeah. To go die and be put under a rock. Like, I've seen some of the stuff that comes out of Ethics and it is so corrupted. They don't do anything.

[Joe Bob]

Well, as far as rules go, even if they up the fine to a couple thousand bucks, it's still. It doesn't mean anything.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Yeah. I said, if they're not forced to disgorge profits, then I'm going to go on the bill because then they still benefit from whatever they're doing illegally. Yeah. No stock trading, disgorgement of full profits, and you still have to pay.

[Joe Bob]

So on an ethical, moral virtue standpoint, I probably know the answer to this. But why haven't you participated? There's a. There's a. There's a hilarious video of someone saying, like, my biggest fear is that corruption will end before I get a chance to benefit from it.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Yeah. My staff is like, why do you have to be so moral? They joke about it all the time, like, we could be multi millionaires.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

I know.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

But wait, we'll get to heaven. That's way better, right?

[Joe Bob]

Yeah.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

You know, that's. I think that's part of the problem. That's why a lot of people can't fight me on this, because it's a winning issue with the American people. Wildly unpopular within the chamber, but I win. And they know that. They're all up for reelection in the midterm, so they won't fight me on it publicly.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

Awesome.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Behind closed doors. But then I'll just go public with it so they really can't find me on it.

[Joe Bob]

Last thing on this, right, there was a big article about MTG and Pelosi retiring in the massive pensions that they get. The argument that is made often is, well, you need to be able to have a portfolio because what about retirement? To me, it would seem okay, you get one or the other. You can't get both. Both seems ridiculous.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

So if you. If you're in Congress for, I think it's three terms, you get a Pension, but it's not a lot unless you've served. Like, let's do my own. Because she's been there since. Shoot. Longer than I've been alive.

[Joe Bob]

I think for, I think 3,000 years.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

She's been in Congress literally a fossil. But she specifically probably gets a larger one. I don't think Marjorie is getting a sizable pension because she's only been there for a certain amount of time. But I mean, that's kind of one of the things. If you've been there longer, then you benefit from that. Someone like me, I'm not going to be there for decades, so I don't think I'll be benefiting from a congressional pension. But I mean, either which way Pelosi is getting out, having a 17,000% return on her stock portfolio. That's crazy. So crazy, even the Democrats are saying it. Crazy. That's how you know when you have. When you have Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Ilhan Omar, AOC, me, Chip Roy, Seth Beck, all on the same issue. Yeah, you know, it's up.

[Joe Bob]

There's kind of a problem there.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

And mtg. Just send my discharge petition. So thank you.

[Joe Bob]

Nice. So you're not going to be in Congress for all that long. Are you proponent of term limits then?

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Oh, yeah. I'm actually going to be proposing that when we get back. I don't know if it'll pass, but I at least promise that. That I'd bring on it.

[Joe Bob]

So I'm doing fun. The Venezuelan drug boats.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

You mean the narco traffickers?

[Joe Bob]

Yes. I'm of the opinion. Hit it a third time.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Yeah, I said. I said to someone, they're like, but, you know, bam. You know, they try to, like, make it seem like this was the Titanic and that there were all these great innocent lives.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Yeah.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

I'm like, you're literally. These people are bringing fentanyl. That is killing heavy. Have you ever met some of these moms who are dealing with their kids ODing? I just found out recently that in my district, when we were doing a probation ride along, I like to do this sometimes. A pound of fentanyl one week. Another pound of fentanyl a couple weeks prior, more to kill enough fentanyl to kill everyone in this country multiple times over. I mean, that's every day in this country. And so it's being labeled a weapon of mass destruction, and I think rightfully so. But I also said, you know, know, if I was in that position, it'd probably be a heck of a lot worse because I don't agree that you should be on ever the side of protecting pirate narco traffickers. And by the way, international. They want to talk about law. What. This is international waters. How do you know what the intelligence report is? I actually was on a left wing outlet and I was debating with these people and I said, guys, there's intelligence reports that go into these strike packages with a judicial military attorney that knows law of arms conflict to make sure that there's no human rights violations before a strike is authorized. It's not just someone over there from the Department of War sipping on a soda saying, let's shoot that guy. That's not how it works. And I was like. And by the way, anyone who's on tv, I was like, how many of you guys have clearances? None of you do. I do.

[Joe Bob]

Well, because I know the Senate Armed Forces Committee, I think, saw it. And after, yeah, the bunch of the Republicans came out and while. Shoot, I forget who. Who specifically it was, but one of the guys was on the committee that was going to investigate that specific incident. And afterward he's like, I watched the video.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

We're not.

[Joe Bob]

We don't need to actually look into this.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Yeah, because it's. And then, of course, then you have. The other ones are saying, this is the worst video I've ever seen. I'm sorry, have you been to like skid row or inner city Chicago? You see, you know, crackheads ODing?

[Joe Bob]

Yeah. Well, when they said it though, none of them said, this is 100% of war crime. They said it was really difficult to watch. Or this is one of the worst things I've ever seen. Neither of which are, I believe this is a war crime. And I feel like nobody caught that.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Because they can't call it a war crime because you have the process and they know that there is someone there authorizing the strike based on intelligence to ensure that it's not a war crime in compliance with the laws of armed conflict. And by the way, these are still pirates trafficking drugs into the United States of America. Blow them up a third time.

[Seth Gruber]

That's.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

I'm with you on that.

[Joe Bob]

Speaking of pirates.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Yes. All right, I'm here. I'm from Tampa Bay, so.

[Joe Bob]

Well, I was going to go the Somali pirate route. Okay. Billion. Billion dollars gets taken out of Minnesota's taxpayer system. And the worst thing that has happened, according to the live media, is Tim Walls got called retarded.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

The drive by our words.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah. The line was around, the place blocked. People waiting in their turn to call Tim Walls retarded. Is. Is Congress Doing anything to kind of make sure that that sort of thing doesn't happen again. In places like Chicago, New York, Louisiana.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

California, there's a lot of weak stomach members of Congress that don't want to do something even if it is getting rid of fraud, because they're afraid of the word cut in their elections. Yeah, Elon was great at posting this out about the fraud, waste and abuse. And then you had people saying, we're cutting, we're cutting, we're cutting. We're literally protecting programs so that people that actually pay to these programs can actually have guaranteed resources in the future. But I mean, I think a lot of people just need to understand that your job is to vote and represent the institutes of your constituents. And you know, fraud in Minnesota is not that.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah. What does 2026 look like legislatively for you? Like what, what outside of the stuff we already talked about, policy wise, what's on your docket? What do you think you might reach across the aisle with?

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Well, I mean, I'm doing the, I'm reaching west shoot. I am doing Red Rover, red rover, send frickin AOC over on my discharge petition. It's working. So we coalition build on certain things, specifically banning insider trading, you know, but I don't know, I think we're going to do one for. If they don't codify Trump's executive order on having prescription fill prices, we're going to do that. And then also we're looking at doing, doing one on capping student loan interest at 2% because I don't have student loan debt. I actually joined the military. Use my GI bill to pay for it. But when you have people that are having to spend, you know, 30, 40 years paying back student loan interest and then it's, you know, a ton more than they initially took out, you're not giving them access to the American dream. You're actually engaging in predatory lending and creating indentured servitude. By the way, these organizations that are giving out the loans are giving, getting sometimes government bailout money. So yes, we do have an influence on how much they can cap.

[Joe Bob]

Interesting. Last thing. You think AFC is running?

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

I don't know. I think that she is probably going to run for Senate. I think that Schumer is not seeking re election. And so I think that if it's J.D. vance versus the Senate seat, I mean, Senate's not really that far over from Congress. I always compare Congress to a bar fight and then Senate to white collar crime.

[Joe Bob]

Gotcha.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

So, you know, more ratchet in the House. But you know, you go to the Senate, it's a little bit more pinkies up. But I think that running for presidential would probably be like the worst thing on the face of the planet. I don't know many people that would.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Want to do that.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

I think it's a miserable job because it's crazy.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

People are like, do you want to run? I'm like, I really don't.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

I really don't. That seems like a very exhausting thing. You see like how presidents age when they get into the White House.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Yeah.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Because of cortisol dressed.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah. Unbelievable.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Yeah.

[Joe Bob]

So you don't think she's running. You think she's going to take that Senate seat instead?

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

I think she'll go Senate.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Yeah. Got it. Interesting.

[Joe Bob]

Congresswoman and Napoleon Luna, thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate you taking the time.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Thank you.

[Joe Bob]

Thank you. Have fun here.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Cool.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

David.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

All right.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Did I hear like a monkey?

[Joe Bob]

Yeah, dude.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Maybe like yellow.

[Joe Bob]

Oh, that makes sense. Yeah.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor. Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comDisclosures running a.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Business is hard enough, so why make it harder? With a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other. One for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. Before you know it, you are drowning in software. Instead of growing your business, this is where Odoo comes in. Odoo is the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all in One fully integrated platform that handles everything. CRM, accounting, inventory, e commerce, HR and more. No more app overload, no more juggling logins. Just one seamless system that makes work easier. And the best part, Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. It's built to grow with your business, whether you are just starting out or already scaling up. Plus it's easy to use, customizable and designed to streamline every process so you can focus on what really matters running your business. Thousands of businesses have made the switch, so why not you try Odoo for [e-mail] that's o d o o dot com.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

People at work supported me while I.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Was going through treatment by not treating me like somebody who was going through treatment. Treatment sucks. Cancer sucks. Being engaged with work really helped to. Oh, I just knew I was going to beat this thing.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Research shows there is a significant connection between the ability to continue to work and cancer recovery.

[Seth Gruber]

We can make work a better place for healing.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Learn more and sign the [e-mail].

[Seth Gruber]

The pro life movement didn't start in 1970. 1973.

[Joe Bob]

Oh, we're rolling. Keep, keep going. I'm curious about this.

[Seth Gruber]

The pro life movement started on a cross outside of Calvary and all, all of life has been a battle for life ever since. Yeah, people don't understand exactly. The foundations of the west and the foundations of human exceptionalism, the sanctity of life and the safeguarding of the family. All of this comes from Christendom. All of this comes from the Christian worldview. Joe Bob, you know in John 1 it says the word became flesh.

[Joe Bob]

Yes.

[Seth Gruber]

And has made his dwelling amongst us and we've seen his glory. Right. Well, the Greek is the word logos became flesh. That's the Greek logos, meaning like we're ration. Yeah. We have language, we have speech is what separates us from the animals. So when the Bible says the word became flesh, it actually means the logos, which is interesting because when you read the ancient Roman kooks, well, some of them were smart, but so's Fauci. They were very dangerous, smart men.

[Joe Bob]

Well, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Seth Gruber]

We're going all over the place, but you read some of these people and in ancient Rome, logos was valued as the, the highest thing in the social order. They placed the concept of logos at the center of their politics and their understanding of freedom. And so it was the free born Roman male who was believed at that time to have the greatest capacity of logos. And guess who was considered Bro. To have very little or probably no sense of logos whatsoever and therefore were not declared persons in Roman law. Slaves, babies and children, unborn babies, infants, bro. 3 year olds, not considered to have logos. So not only was abortion legal in the ancient world, and not only did they develop herbal and medicinal abortifacients to kill babies in the womb. Like abortion goes back forever.

[Joe Bob]

Forever.

[Seth Gruber]

But infanticide, like after the baby's born, totally legal to leave an infant out on an infant fantasied wall where they're starved to death, eaten by animals, or rescued by someone who turns them into a sex slave for the rest of their life. Or maybe, if that baby's lucky, rescued by a Christian who raises them in a Christian family. All of that was freaking legal. So when Christ comes, he enters human history as a baby and identifies with us with what was considered to be the lowest thing on the social order that wasn't a person and had no value. Yes. So in Christianity, logos is not a concept. Logos is a person. And that's what furnishes the idea of babies rights, children's rights, and protecting the family for the next 2,000 years.

[Joe Bob]

Okay, there's a lot of threads I'd like to tug there, but also Seth Gruber, White Rose. Correct.

[Seth Gruber]

The White Rose Resistance.

[Joe Bob]

White Rose Resistance. Just to get that out there. So we have that. Okay, so you're talking about ancient Rome. Not to provide any justification for that. Obviously terrible, given that the west is effectively, you know, Athens philosophy mixed with Judeo, the God of the Jews in Jerusalem. How much blame can be placed on Rome who derived their ethics from Athens without Jerusalem with no knowledge of that. Again, not to justify it, but, like, kind of further makes the point of, like, you needed Jesus in order to figure that out.

[Seth Gruber]

Yeah, that's right. No, no, it's beautifully said. I mean, even our Republican ideals and forms of government. Right. Not Republican Party. Republicanism.

[Joe Bob]

Yes, yes.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Yeah.

[Seth Gruber]

Even that comes from ancient Rome.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah.

[Seth Gruber]

So much of the west does come from a lot of the origins of the West.

[Joe Bob]

Well, they figured it out. They were just missing the piece because I look at.

[Seth Gruber]

They're missing a lot.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah, yeah.

[Seth Gruber]

Have you read Dominion by Tom Holland?

[Joe Bob]

I have.

[Seth Gruber]

Oh, dude, bro, come on. No. No one knows that book. So here's a guy who's not a Christian Right? Yet.

[Joe Bob]

I think he's like the Jordan Peterson in my mind. Like. Yeah, dude, are you really?

[Seth Gruber]

Yeah.

[Joe Bob]

Really?

[Seth Gruber]

Yeah. For people who don't know what we're talking about, you guys got to read this book. Here's a guy who's not a Christian, he's a Brit. And he basically is asking this question, like, what made the West? What are the foundations of the West? And where did we get these ideas of like women's rights, not meaning baby killing, but in the historical sense, like women's rights, the family. Like, where did the west get this idea of like and like so focused on the victim and the marginalized and standing up for the little guy, like. And basically he just goes through all of history and he goes like, yeah, you can thank Christianity and the New Testament for all those ideas. And he specifically says that Christians have forgotten. Well, I'm sorry, Westerners have forgotten how cruel the ancient world was. And he thinks, he says, like some people think that a lot of our concepts about like the rule of law, human rights and dignity come from the Greek and Roman philosophers. And he specifically says they do not, they come from the New Testament. And most of us have forgotten how much we've absorbed a Christian worldview. And we breathe in the trace particles of Christianity that has infused our moral thinking and we've forgotten where it's come from.

[Joe Bob]

Well, complacency, I think is the big factor there. Nobody understands quite one of the things that I. And not to go off on another thing, one of the things, one of the arguments that I think. Not arguments, Revelations. I had reading that book which is like, you know, but you don't really think about. He was talking about what's the Persian God, Ahura Mazda. And he's making the case that every time in antiquity when a group in power were to lose that power or the leader were to, you know, go right, that God kind of just dissipated. Except the Jews, anytime, like they persecuted for a very long time, they get kicked out of this place, they get overtaken by these people, right? Maintained their faith in the singular God of, you know, the Jewish faith. And that to me was like, oh yeah, that. I mean knew that, never thought about it in that way. And it was kind of like a. Oh, like an aha moment. Kind of smaller part to the broader. Yeah, what does he call it? Like the galloping history of Christian something. Something like that. It's a beautiful phrase.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

Support for the show comes from public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On public, you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It's called screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S P500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comDisclosures running a.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Business is hard enough, so why make it harder? With a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other. One for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. Before you know it, you are drowning in software. Instead of growing your business, this is where Odoo comes in. Odoo is the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all in one fully integrated platform that handles everything CRM, accounting, inventory, E commerce, HR and more. No more app overload, no more juggling logins. Just one seamless system that makes work easier. And the best part? Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. It's built to grow with your business whether you are just starting out or already scaling up. Plus it's easy to use, customizable and designed to streamline every process so you can focus on what really matters running your business. Thousands of businesses have made the switch, so why not you try Odoo for [e-mail] that's o d o o.com I.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

Need to be healthy every day to survive it and go through the next.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Chemo round and the next chemo round.

[Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna]

So it's important that work was part of that to keep my mind busy for eight, nine hours and then I had to go back and face the reality. I had a goal and the goal is to survive.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Research shows there is a significant connection between the ability to continue to work and cancer recovery.

[Seth Gruber]

We can make work a better place.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

For healing, learn more and sign the [e-mail].

[Joe Bob]

So okay, so now that we're, now that we're very high level here, there's, there's a book we talked briefly before we started on Here there's a. It's called conflict division. And Thomas Sowell kind of makes the point of like between the, the constrained and unconstrained worldviews. And, and you can go a bunch of different places with how you define that, but really it's, it's. I see it as internal and external. And you've got the left who believes that every chaos.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

We.

[Joe Bob]

There's that too. You get the left who believes in externality and everything. Like, hey, top down, this is how we should structure society. If you don't like it, we'll force you to do it by, you know, violence. Whereas you have the constrained or the internal that says, hey, I'm gonna govern myself as I see fit in align in accordance with. With God and Christianity. And those two are consistently butting heads constantly. The question I feel like I've been asking myself and other people is, is their compatibility with those two worldviews, Is that possible? Obviously, you know, we want to hold discussions. We want to talk to people who don't agree with us, but on a fundamental level, people that don't kind of conform to the internal versus the extra. How is there any. How do you bridge that gap? Is it even possible?

[Seth Gruber]

Yeah, I mean, so the radical left and the radical right, or the left and the right are conservatism and liberalism.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Yeah.

[Seth Gruber]

There's never been that. That's why we're in this conflict today. That's why the conflict's never been resolved.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

Yes.

[Seth Gruber]

Right. If those two could have been merged or if we could have found a way to live together. Right. Live and let live. Kind of this utilitarian, libertarian pipe dream.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Yeah.

[Seth Gruber]

It's never going to happen. Why is it never going to happen? It's because those worldviews are fundamentally at odds with one another.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah.

[Seth Gruber]

And I understand it like, I get if you're like a normal American American who'd like semi pays attention to politics and like, you're like, I remember the name Charlie Kirk, but you never came to any events or got really engaged. You're like, why can't we just get along together? It's like, because actually there are ideological, fundamental worldview differences.

[Joe Bob]

Incompatible.

[Seth Gruber]

Yeah. That are completely incompatible. And I think this is what a lot of Christians in particular job I don't understand. Which is so frustrating. Right. Because like, it was Christendom that built the west, it was Christianity that gave us these ideas of the first place. Christians more than anyone else should be able to understand how irreconcilable all of these are. And a Lot of this really for believers and for Americans. Joe Bob goes back to Genesis, dude. I mean, we're given the dominion mandate. It's called the creation or cultural mandate. I prefer to use the word the dominion mandate. Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Exercise dominion, which is not the same as domination. Dominion is a good thing. Dominion refers to stewardship. Yeah, okay. Domination refers to oppression, tyranny, to dominate those under you. Those are the two different polar opposite visions. Yeah, One is more liberal, one is more conservative. And I think what maybe, maybe now, bro, people are starting to wake up and realize is like, oh yeah, when we don't exercise dominion for righteousness and push back against evil because we read too many Rick Warren books or Andy Stanley or Tim Keller books and I just want to tell people Jesus loves them, but I'm not going to do anything to fight against evil. Turns out libertarianism is a bunch of horse manure and the left just dominates over everyone and everything and is not satisfied until they're ruling and reigning in every culturally influential area because. Because actually that's what we were created to do. Humans were created to exercise dominion. So dominion is a reflection of your own stewardship projected onto others. Domination is a reflection of your own slavery projected onto others. One is freedom, one is slavery. And in each case it starts here first and in your own marriage and in your own family. And that's why Augustus, a man has as many masters as he has vices.

[Joe Bob]

Okay, so I was not expecting to go here, but I'm really just curious about your thoughts on the political relationship with Christianity and this going back all the way. I'm curious. So Constantine Christianizes the Roman Empire first to do so, I'm not entirely sure. I'm not convinced either way whether that was genuine in his heart or he saw that as the direction the wind was blowing and made a political decision. But we still have that sort of thing today. It's kind of. And you know, obviously you can't judge the heart of another individual and sometimes you can see the political advantages for the movement that thankfully is seeing a resurgent in Christianity in the country. I think there's a revival that's happening and I think that's a good thing. How do you decipher who's co opting that movement to try to use it for political advantage? And again, this is a question that's been happening since what, 300 BC or sorry, AD just trying to figure out, okay, who's genuine in this? How do you sort that out? In the modern age.

[Seth Gruber]

Yeah, that's difficult. I mean, listen, you'll know a tree by its fruit. And when there's really good spiritual fruit that seems to be being birth in a politician's life who claims the name of Jesus, we should celebrate that as evidence of a real heart change. We can never know for sure.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah.

[Seth Gruber]

But here's one of the things, Joe Bob. Right. That happens with baby Christians. Right. Is they do a lot of good, but then their blunders are equally magnificent. That's true of every baby Christian, especially if they have power and they're influential and then they become a Christian, they're following Jesus, they're fearless, usually. Yeah, they're very passionate. And so some of the good they do is above and beyond what normal believers can accomplish for the kingdom. But then their blunders are just as equally astounding.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah.

[Seth Gruber]

And that's always been the case. And so a lot of people think that about Constantine was just like. As a baby Christian, it's like, man, there was a lot of good and man, there was a lot of like, oh boy. That's right. But we with the white rose resistance, Joe B. We believe that unless the church flatulent becomes the church militant, it will become the church irrelevant. And by militant I don't mean AR15s, although I'm saving up for, you know, but I mean like militant for righteousness.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah.

[Seth Gruber]

Militant for the kingdom of God. Yeah. And so until the church gets back to a. To looking itself in the mirror and saying, I have to take personal responsibility not for DC, but for my city and my county, where the Lord has put me. Because that's how the left has taken over everything. By the way. The left didn't have a utopian dream of like going to D.C. and dominating all 50 states. They talked about their strategy. It came from Antonio Gramsci. It came out of the Frankfurt School. They moved the Frankfurt School to Columbia University because a lot of the Frankfurt School school guys were a German Jews. So they actually feared Hitler. So that's why the Frankfurts will move to Columbia University and they become the fathers of the radical hippie movement and the radical Yippee movement. And they later become tenured professors at American universities. Shocker. And Gramsci would talk about this. He'd talk about the strategy of the robes. It was an idea later developed further by Herbert Marcus. Wilhelm Reich came out of the Frankfurt School. Herbert Marcus became the disciple of Angela Davis. Angela Davis became the disciple of the co founders of blm. So all see, notice when Christians don't disciple the next generation with pure and undefiled religion. Discipleship still happens. It just happens for wickedness. And the whole idea of the strategy of the robes was we're going to win the robes of the academy, the robes of the clergy, the robes of the higher scientific organizations. And Max Horkheimer from the Frankfurt School said, the revolution will happen without guns. We will incrementally take over their institutions, transforming them into Marxist egalitarian institutions. So like, this is not like red meat for the base. It's not a way to rile up maga. It's not like we're trying to overstate our case. The left openly spoke about all the Marxist revolutions where we resorted to violence failed because nationalism eventually came on the rise. Capitalism lifted the pro proletariat out of squalor and misery. So no one wanted economic Marxism because they're like, well, capitalism is actually pretty great. So they just translate that to culture.

[Joe Bob]

Take everything over.

[Seth Gruber]

Take over the institutions that change the foundations of culture. Bro, that sounds like the Dominion Mandate flipped upside down. That sounds like what we were told to do in Genesis 2. And it all happens where locally. So that's what we do. We mobilize the local church to take back our Job Description.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductors, conductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year. You can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S P500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comDisclosures running a.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Business is hard enough, so why make it harder? With a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other, one for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. Before you know it, you are drowning in software. Instead of growing your business, this is where Odoo comes in. Odoo is the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all in one fully integrated platform that handles everything. CRM, accounting, inventory, e commerce, HR and more. No more app overload, no more juggling logins. Just one seamless system that makes work easier. And the best part, Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. It's built to grow with your business, whether you are just starting out or already scaling up. Plus, it's easy to use, customizable and designed to streamline every process so you can focus on what really matters running your business. Thousands of businesses have made the switch, so why not you try Odoo for [e-mail] that's O-O-O.com.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

I think when you're diagnosed with cancer, you crave a semblance of normalcy and control. And so work allowed me to be me. So I think it's really important that companies stay flexible. Cancer in a diagnosis can be all consuming, but it doesn't have to be.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Research shows there is a significant connection between the ability to continue to work and cancer recovery.

[Seth Gruber]

We can make work a better place.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

For healing, learn more and sign the [e-mail].

[Joe Bob]

See, I kind of feel like the push problem in the modern age is the ability to say that everything is subjective all the time. I think, I think.

[Seth Gruber]

Except the phrase that everything is subjective.

[Joe Bob]

Well, I think Abolition of Man, where. Yes. Lewis makes the. I mean the first part of that is basically saying things are.

[Seth Gruber]

Things are subjectivism and relativism for men without chests.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah. And that's the problem. How do you fix that in this society? Because you know the pastor. Yes. Yeah, of course, bro.

[Seth Gruber]

Jobba. Did you know King George coined the term the black robe regiment?

[Joe Bob]

No.

[Seth Gruber]

Have you heard the story?

[Joe Bob]

No.

[Seth Gruber]

Have you heard of the black robe regiment?

[Joe Bob]

I have not.

[Seth Gruber]

Oh, okay, bro. Cool.

[Joe Bob]

Okay.

[Seth Gruber]

So so far you've been throwing out books and I'm like, I gotta. I'm trying to keep up with Joe.

[Joe Bob]

Sorry. No, no.

[Seth Gruber]

So the black. So you've seen the Patriot.

[Joe Bob]

Yes.

[Seth Gruber]

Obviously you're a man.

[Joe Bob]

Yes.

[Seth Gruber]

And so incredible film.

[Joe Bob]

Right?

[Seth Gruber]

And remember that scene in the Patriot with Mel Gibson where the pastor wearing the clerical black preaching robes stands up, takes off his preaching robes and reveals the uniform of the continental army?

[Joe Bob]

Okay.

[Seth Gruber]

Do you remember this scene?

[Joe Bob]

It's Been a while.

[Seth Gruber]

Then he quotes from Ecclesiastes, there's a time for peace and there's a time for war, and now's the time for war. And then he tells all the men in his church congregation, if I'm paraphrasing you little Andy Stanley, Rick Warren, pansies, you're going to get up, you're going to enlist in the Revolutionary War, and we're going to make America free, baby. That's basically what happens. And that creates a whole regiment that still stands today outside of my pastor, church's friend Gary Hamrick's church in Loudoun County, Virginia. It's just down the road. Okay. So it was the pulpits that were actually mobilizing the people to fight for freedom and liberty. And the role of the pulpit in the Revolutionary War was so blatantly obvious and dangerous to our English tyrants that King George said it was the. And then he coined the term. It was the black robe regiment that is to blame for us defeating King George.

[Joe Bob]

Got it.

[Seth Gruber]

But what's the black robe? It's the clerical preaching robe. So King George goes, darn it. Christian nationalists mobilizing their men to fight for freedom and liberty. Screw you. I'm like, that's the best endorsement you could ever get as a pastor and a Christian. When King George is like, it was the pastors that were to blame for freedom and liberty in the colonies.

[Joe Bob]

Shucks.

[Seth Gruber]

That's who we are. That's the heritage of the church. We've forgotten that.

[Joe Bob]

Well, so what do you do to get back on track? Well, pragmatically, because you can obviously go back to church. Okay, fine. What do you do in a real world scenario?

[Seth Gruber]

Yeah, well, one, we actually need to make Islam illegal. Muslims don't get to come here because it's a domination religion, not a dominion. And they will dominate everything.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah. The better Muslim you are, the worse you are for Western society, the more inverted. It's not good.

[Seth Gruber]

We have to overturn Oberge Fell. The gays don't get kids. Children have a right to a mother and a father. Some of the things are so bad right now that, like, we need immediate political legislative change for righteousness to stop some of this insanity. And why? Because, like, the family actually matters and we. And what people don't realize is that Obergefell, the gay marriage decision, redefined parental rights, removed a child's right to their mother and father. It was the gay marriage decision that brought us this insanity. Now, where a single male pedophile can rent a poor woman's Uterus, by the way, black and brown wombs are a lot cheaper than white wombs. In America, it's legal to buy humans again. It's legal to buy humans again in the west right now through Big Fertility and ivf. As long as you're usually. You have to be gay because, you know, does that not work? What's the office.

[Joe Bob]

Does it not work?

[Seth Gruber]

It doesn't work. So usually you have to be gay. And then you have to sign a contract to buy a human before conception occurs. And then the only chance check that has to clear is not the background check that my wife and I would have to go to if we want to adopt. The only check that has to clear is the check you write to the bank. So why does all that matter? Because if we don't restore and protect the family unit, the nuclear family in America, you can't make America great again. It all starts there. So, I mean, you said like, well, how do we do that? That's kind of a big question. But we have to awaken the pulpits of America again. And that's what. That's everything we do. We focus on the local church. We make beautiful films. Joe Bob. To inspire and remind the church who she used to be. There's this beautiful verse in Psalm 88:12. It says, righteousness cannot be done in a land of forgetfulness. It's like Simba. We have to remember who we are before we can save our land.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

That's great.

[Joe Bob]

While you were talking, I was thinking, thinking, okay, well, what are the cynical political angle of this? Like, how do you actually mobilize the politicians in order to go do that sort of stuff? Because obviously, yeah, legislation is.

[Seth Gruber]

Well, we've all seen the numbers, right. Of evangelicals who don't vote.

[Joe Bob]

Oh, yeah.

[Seth Gruber]

Or the evangelicals who are not registered to vote.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Yeah.

[Seth Gruber]

We're the largest voting bloc in the country, meaning we have the biggest political gut. But we don't swing it around. We don't use our power. The representation of conservative evangelicals, we don't use it. And that's why, like, people like Charlie, people like you, people just like Benny says all the time, just call, call your local representatives, annoy them.

[Joe Bob]

Yeah.

[Seth Gruber]

Bug the hell out of them. Because we know that they respond to that. You know, people said, like, the overturning of Roe is going to be political suicide. Republicans are gonna lose everywhere. Remember, you protect the unborn, you go too much about babies, you're gonna lose every election, you stupid Republicans. So just walk the Trump line of, you know, let's Just, just keep it legal. Let's make early abortions great again. Did you know every state that started passing significant pro life laws after the overturning of Roe v. Wade? Every single one of those gained Republican seats in the House in the next election.

[Joe Bob]

Yep. Wasn't the, wasn't the political suicide they.

[Seth Gruber]

Thought it's all bull crap. Everything we were told about, like, just play really soft on the biggest freaking issues that matter, like ripping the arms off of children. Just focus on like, you know, lowering tax rates. Don't talk about the family, the baby pro life stuff. It's a, it's a loser at the ballot box. No, it wasn't.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

No.

[Seth Gruber]

No, it wasn't. We gained seats in every state that pass big pro life bills after the overturning of Roe. Why? Because most Americans are not asshats. Most Americans are not as dumb as Pete Buttigieg. Most Americans know yeah, maybe we shouldn't kill babies.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

I think when you're diagnosed with cancer, you crave a semblance of normalcy and control. And so work allowed me to be me. So I think it's really important that companies stay flexible. Cancer in a diagnosis can be all consuming, but it doesn't have to be.

[Odoo Podcast Sponsor]

Research shows there is a significant connection between the ability to continue to work and cancer recovery.

[Seth Gruber]

We can make work a better place.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

Place for healing, learn more and sign the [e-mail] if you're the purchasing manager.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

At a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference. That's why, hands down, you count on Grainger for auto reordering. With on time restocks, your team will have the cut resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift and you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.

[Mary Margaret Olahan]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.