← Real Time with Bill Maher
Real Time with Bill Maher
Ep. #693: Al Gore, Sen. Adam Schiff, Bret Stephens
01:00:29
Real Time with Bill Maher, News, Jokes, Politics, Overtime
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- [00:00]
Bill Maher
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- [01:00]
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Bill Maher
Welcome to an HBO podcast from the HBO late night series Real Time with Bill Maher.
- [02:07]
Thank you. Thank you. Hey, how are you? Thank you, people. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Oh, thank you. What a crowd. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. I'm so glad you're here and in a good mood. And I know why you're happy. The Vatican is hiring. Well, it's true. No, let's, please. Sad, sad week. The Pope died, people. Fentanyl is no joke. Pope Francis has died and the outpouring of grief is all over the world and priests are telling their altar boys, just hold me. And of course, of course, this is the Pope. Francis was the first Pope from South America. So his body will rest in repose for eight days in the Vatican. And then ICE will come by in a van and ship him to El Salvador. But here's the interesting part of the Pope dying. The last person he saw officially was Our Vice President, J.D. no, it's true. It is J.D. vance. He was 88 years old. The Pope had just finished a 38 day, stay in the hospital, got over a lung infection and pneumonia, met JT for a half an hour, peeled right off, just. And of course, the funeral, the Pope still got his juz going because you know what, the funeral's a big thing. Everybody in the world's going, Trump's going, Trump's going to a funeral that doesn't happen a lot. And they say, listen to this, they say he might not be able to get one of the good seats, really, but they might not put him in the front row or even the second row. And worse than that, they're sitting next to Tracy Morgan. Well, it was a big week for the President. Wednesday is his hundred days. That's always a big thing, you know, when the President has his first hundred days. Time really flies when you're in the fetal position, doesn't it? I tell you. And of course, Trump, he's got to deal with all the kooky cabinet members he put in office, you know, the TV personalities. Oh, have you heard about crazy Pete Hag's death? What a scam. Remember about a month ago he was caught shot sharing, you know, top secret information on his signal, on his regular phone thing? Well, he did it again. Shared attack plans with his wife, his brother, his lawyer. Pete says it's no big deal. The brother and the lawyer can completely be trusted and the wife doesn't believe anything he says anyway, so. And oh, here's an interesting story that came out this week about Pete Hegseth over at the Pentagon. Apparently he's putting in a makeup room. You know, he used to be on Fox News, I guess once. A TV star putting in a makeup room. That'll show the Houthis. Let me tell you now, Pete denies this. He said it is not a makeup room. He said, and this is true, he said it's just a countertop, a tall director's chair, a mirror, a makeup light, and a pink neon sign that says, you go girl. Other than that, it is not a makeup ring. Don't get it confused, people, but here's where Pete might be in hot water because since this is the second time this has happened, they're doing a little digging, you know, and it turned out he was using an Internet connection that bypassed security protocols there at the Pentagon. It's what the IT nerds call a dirty line, cuz it connects directly to, you know, one we all use. But so far, Trump's position, he is standing by Pete and blaming Al Gore for inventing the Internet. So see you, Al. And finally, one last very important Story. Elon Musk is hanging up his chainsaw. As you know, he has been helming the Department of Government Efficiency, but that's over now. He said it's time to step back. Not that the work is done. He just wants to spend more time meeting his family. All right, we've got a great show. We have Bret Stephens and Senator Adam Schiff, and. Wow, what a show. First up, an environmentalist. An environmentalist. The environmentalist and co founder of the Climate Reality Project, who served as our 45th vice president. Al Gore is over here. Al, great to see you. Oh, yeah, look at that.
- [07:50]
Al Gore
Thank you.
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Bill Maher
Love, Al Gore. Okay, so you see, I did a joke for you there, but I got it. I got it. And you really did. You really were instrumental in the Internet.
- [08:05]
Al Gore
I never claimed to have invented it.
- [08:07]
Bill Maher
Not invented it, but was that part of the government efficiency thing when you.
- [08:13]
Al Gore
No, that was separate. Actually moving the. What was a small network in the Defense Department to public access that became the Internet was something that I worked on with others when I was in the House and the Senate and then really came into fruition after I got into the White House. But we passed legislation putting a billion dollars a year into it, and that's what really lifted it up.
- [08:42]
Bill Maher
As I say, you're the devil for doing that. Although they really went after you for that.
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Al Gore
Yeah, yeah.
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Bill Maher
And, you know, the Internet, we all use it every day. You're more relevant than ever. I mean, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Department of Government Efficiency, because I certainly remember when you didn't use that title, but you could have. You did something very similar. Could you just compare and contrast for the class?
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Al Gore
Yeah, thanks for asking. We had a project called Reinventing Government, which is rego, they called it. And it was actually quite successful by pretty broad consent, bipartisan analysis. And we had the benefit of doing it over seven years, but we eliminated 426,000 positions, mostly with buyouts. We went to the Congress to get legislation. We saved $126 billion, $136 billion. 640,000 pages of rules and regulations eliminated. Not a single lawsuit ever filed. And we did it by working with the federal employees. The director, Elaine Kmark, was the person who helped me do this, and I want to give some credit to her and the team. Bob Stone, Bob Kaminsky, we had a great team. But I went to every single department and agency and started with the janitorial staff and worked all the way up to get the culture and to understand what was going on. Now, by Contrast to the contrast part. The doge, you know, we used a scalpel, not a chainsaw or a butcher knife. And we cut the fat, not muscle and bone. That's what they're doing. And I'm not sure they're going to end up saving any money whatsoever because they're firing and rehiring and it looks like what they've claimed as savings are being whittled down to almost nothing.
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Bill Maher
And you never sent out a letter to people that said, you're a piece of shit and why don't you find something useful to do? There was none of that.
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Al Gore
Yeah, let me pick up on that. Because the person who did that Project 2025, which you have really talked a lot about, properly, he's now heading the Office of Management and Budget. And it's an interesting question, why would he say that he wants all the federal employees to be in trauma and to. And to wake up and not want to go to work? Well, I think it's very revealing of what their sort of basic attitude toward our American self government is. I mean, we need it. And why are they so hostile to the way we solve problems and work together?
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Bill Maher
Yeah. I mean, it's funny that you're. You've been away for a while, still got the cowboy boot, but you're in ways more relevant than ever. Or as, I mean, we're going to get to the environment. But also, I must say, the issue that to me is the central issue of our time is the peaceful transfer of power.
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Al Gore
Yeah.
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Bill Maher
And you were the guy. I mean, there's two presidents, you and Nixon. I mean, Nixon could have contested the 60 election. It was close. Maybe there was some cheating in Chicago.
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Al Gore
Wouldn't have mattered in the Electoral College. But you're right, he did the right.
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Bill Maher
Thing, as you did.
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Al Gore
Thank you.
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Bill Maher
You know, and thank you for your service. Serious. You know, so each side took one for the team, but that era is over now. They don't even acknowledge real elections.
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Al Gore
Well, you were the first one that I heard to predict that Trump would not leave the White House. Tried not to.
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Bill Maher
Yeah.
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Al Gore
As for what I did, I just say, you know, all I did was what Winston Churchill said about the American people. They generally do the right thing after first exhausting every available alternative.
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Bill Maher
Right. Yeah. So I think we generally have the same view of the Trump administration.
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Al Gore
Yeah.
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Bill Maher
You were in the news this week for invoking Nazis.
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Al Gore
Well, I didn't do what JD Vance did and called Trump America's Hitler when he did that a few years ago. I think there's A.
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Bill Maher
Well, he's. What he actually said was, I think about Trump a lot, and he could be an asshole just like Nixon, or he could be America's Hitler. And I remember thinking, oh, so the good option is that he's just an asshole like Nixon.
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Al Gore
Well, I think there's a big difference in comparing someone to Hitler on the one hand, which I don't do. I think that's a big mistake. And I said that in the speech that you're referring to. That's a unique form of evil that should not ever be compared to anything. But we are not living up to our responsibility to our Constitution if we don't remain alert to warning signs that we know from history, not only from the Third Reich, but from a whole series of strongman dictators. When they start trying to tell people what to think, when they start trying to expand their power so that they push the Congress around, push the judiciary around, and try to consolidate dictatorship, the first steps on that road are ones that we should see as warning signs.
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Bill Maher
I know. I just think that when you use the word. I couldn't agree more. But I just think, you know, Nazi is a hard word to use with nuance. So when you bring that word out, you know, I feel like they're the goat of evil, you know, and so it just conflates.
- [14:50]
Al Gore
I agree with that. I agree with that. But if you look at what I actually said in that speech, there was a group of German philosophers that went back after the war and conducted a kind of moral autopsy. And they said, one of them said that the first step on the descent into hell in that case was, and I quote, the conversion of all questions of truth into questions of power, they attack the distinction between true and false. And when I see and hear over and over again the assertion of complete inaccuracies that Ukraine is responsible for starting the war with Russia, there are so many of them, and they keep asserting these things, expecting us to believe that the climate crisis is. Is a hoax invented by the Chinese, that windmills cause cancer, that clean is that coal is clean, and they try to assert with the force of power their own special version of alternative facts.
- [15:48]
Bill Maher
But I guarantee that the side of the country that voted for Trump, they hear Nazi and they just go, oh, you're calling us Nazis. First of all, it's a bit of a false premise, as bad as they are. And also it just says to them, well, you just hate us. And one thing I've learned in recent years is that the one thing that's more powerful than Money is hate. When people hate you so much, and when they think you hate them so much, even the money goes out the window.
- [16:16]
Al Gore
Well, I think.
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Bill Maher
Not that I think Trump is gonna survive if he takes the economy down, but this idea that. Well, you know, just to take a random example, you can't even break bread with them. We hate you so much that you're not even deplorable and you're not worth having dinner with.
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Al Gore
I know that you've been attacked on this, and I.
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Adam Schiff
What?
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Al Gore
Yeah, yeah. Has anybody heard anything about that?
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Bill Maher
I haven't read that, but here.
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Al Gore
I understand why you accepted that invitation. Because when he was elected the first time, I accepted an invitation and went and talked with him to try to reason with him, I feel so strongly about trying to organize bipartisan solutions to the climate crisis that I thought it was worth a try. You feel so strongly about free speech and fostering more dialogue across partisan lines that you wanted to see if you could make some progress on that.
- [17:11]
Bill Maher
Well, it was just that. It was also just, you know, somebody comes with an offer and says, you know, this person who's been dominating our life, whether you like him or not, for 10 years, like nobody ever has in history. Would you like to see it up close? Would you like to see the Trumpadopoulos up close? You know, I. Of course. Who wouldn't, you know?
- [17:32]
Al Gore
Yeah, I agree. I did the same thing.
- [17:35]
Bill Maher
I know, but. And then I went back to my day job of tearing him a new asshole every week. Okay, but what I'm saying about, like, the fact that when people hate. To that level, it just. The actual issues go out the window. And environment is a good example. Earth Day is now a partisan thing. It wasn't when it was started in 1970. People believe in a clean climate. Now it's because Democrats like it, we hate it. You like Russia or you hate Russia? Then we like Russia. You know, health. Michelle Obama was like, oh, hated by the right because she wanted us to get healthy. Now it's the other side because RFK says, let's get America healthy. Oh, now we love it. It's like they don't care about what the issue is. When you hate people, that comes first.
- [18:23]
Al Gore
I disagree with your analysis on those points because I don't think that their opposition to solving the climate crisis is driven by their desire to be the opposite of what Democrats are. I think it's driven by the amount of money they get from the fossil fuel industry and the fact that the fossil fuel companies are way better at capturing politicians than Capturing missionaries.
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Bill Maher
That's true, too.
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Al Gore
And they have captured control of politics. And I want to say about the climate crisis, Bill, first of all, thank you for what you have. You've been the toughest critic of Donald Trump and you have been unstinning in saying we have got to face up to the climate crisis. I just want to say it is way worse than most people have come to realize. It is extremely dangerous. Way more so. And the people who warned us, the scientists years ago, warned us of exactly what's happening now every night on the TV news, like nature hike through the book of Revelation. It is absolutely insane. Look at the fires in this city. And they're going on in New Jersey right now. And there are so many examples I could cite. But the solutions are way more available than people realize. We have altern. It's a fossil fuel crisis, 80% of it. And yet the fossil fuel lobby blocks any practical solutions. And they're there. Solar electricity and wind electricity, batteries and EVs. That is, that stuff is way cheaper now than the fossil fuel version. And it creates more jobs, it's cleaner. We can save the future. We can give young people hope. But the polluters have blocked any progress. And some of the other issues you mentioned also suffer from the dominance of money and campaign contributions by special interests that block the progress that the people need in order to solve the climate crisis. We have got to address the democracy crisis because big money is now distorting American democracy. And we have seen that our liberty really is at risk. And I think you're totally right that he's not Hitler. I've never said he is. But something is different about this administration compared to any other that we have hand our American liberty. Now, I think American democracy is more resilient than a lot of people give us credit for it being. But we are really in danger right now, and we have got to rally the grassroots to take back the destiny of America.
- [21:05]
Bill Maher
So you, you sound. You sound like you're ready to get back on the campaign trip. I mean, I haven't seen you in a while. You know, people age at different rates. You aged really well. I don't know how old you are now.
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Al Gore
I benefit from low expectations.
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Bill Maher
But, I mean, the Democratic Party needs somebody who's got nothing to lose. I'm just saying.
- [21:40]
Al Gore
Yeah, I think, you know, I think there may be a rising demand for another president in his late 70s.
- [21:47]
Bill Maher
Al, great to see you. Nice to see you. I'll see you later. All right, Al Gore, everybody. Meet our panel. He does not look like he's in his late 70s, I gotta say. All right, here's our panel. He is the newly elected Democratic senator from California, Adam Schiff, and he is a Pulitzer Prize winning opinion columnist for the New York Times. Bret Stephens, our returning champion. Okay, so it's that time when we talk about the first hundred days, because that's coming up this week. It's been just glorious. I think for liberals, it's worse than they even thought when they projected out. I mean, I did not see this amount of extrajudicial activity does quickly ignoring the courts, disappearing people, scaring people so much, all this kind of stuff. Let's talk about what it is for the other side, for the MAGA people, because I think they're disappointed, even though they may not say it out loud. I think they thought when they were voting for Trump that, okay, you know, job losses over the last many decades and wage stagnation and the system is just corrupt and broken, so it just needs drastic change. Just break everything. Fuck the judges, fuck the democracy, fuck the trading partners. Just, we have nothing to lose. And now they found out, oh, actually, they got plenty to lose.
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Bret Stephens
Yeah, I mean, I think that my summary of the first hundred days is that the bad news is it's the worst first hundred days in US Presidential history. I can't think of a presidency that had it. Had it worse. But the good news, I think, for the country is it's the worst first 100 days in US presidential history for precisely the reason that you suggest, Bill, which is that a lot of the country that voted for President Trump, because they didn't like the course of the country under his predecessor, because they were mad, because they thought stuff needed to be broken up and disrupted, are waking up to the reality of just how much worse it can get. And I'm hearing from so many friends, Republicans who voted for Trump, who remember the first Trump administration as being an era, at least until Covid, of prosperity, and saying, hang on a second hundred percent tariffs, I'm losing half of my workforce. I can't afford things. The price of consumer goods is still going up. This is not what I voted for. And that's a relief, because if it had been a successful first 100 days, if it had been just a little less bad, people would say, well, what's the problem if we're not observing due process? Or what's the problem if we're defying the Supreme Court? That would be even more worrisome than what we have now.
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Bill Maher
So things are good.
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Bret Stephens
No I'm not saying.
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Bill Maher
Your thoughts?
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Adam Schiff
Well, I think the political scientists have a term for the first hundred days we've seen and they call it a shit show.
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Bill Maher
To me, it's.
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Adam Schiff
Been characterized by economic self destruction. I don't think that's what anybody voted for in the form of these on again, off again tariffs, the on again, off again threats to unseat Jerome Powell and more. It's been characterized by the alienation of our allies, the sacrifice of Ukraine, the sidling up to dictators. It's been characterized by lawlessness. I think the, the grabbing of this guy Kilmar Brego Garcia, sending him out of the country, the flouting of court orders, including from the Supreme Court, and corruption, the presidential meme coin and the self dealing. I don't think that's what the MAGA people voted for either. So I think you're right. It's been breathtaking in its scope. It's happened far faster, far more furious than we would have expected. And it may ultimately be, as you pointed out, Brett, Trump that brings Trump down. But I also think Democrats can't rely on Trump to self destruct.
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Bill Maher
Yes. The follow up question of course is how will the Democrats blow it?
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Adam Schiff
We damn well better not blew it.
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Bret Stephens
And well, I mean the Democrats are really faced with this fundamental choice. You have Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez as one poll. They're energizing voters. Tens of thousands of people are coming up out to their rallies and a lot of people will look at a big rally and say that translates to a majority. I think the opportunity for Democrats is to say we are the party of sanity and normality. We want the country that we had respected around the world a magnet for talent. A country that respects the rule of law, understands due process, understands that due process might apply also to bad guys. You know, that's exactly what it's for. That we don't want an attack on the jewels of American education using specious or increasingly specious alibis. That's, that's the sweet spot for the Democrats, that they're Democrats like you, like Seth Moulton, like Richie Taurus in the Bronx, like Senator Fetterman, who are there ready to pick up that mantle. I hope the Democrats listen to that side of the party and not the side that's drawing out tens of thousands of people at rallies.
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Adam Schiff
I would add to what Brett said, and I agree with all of that. I don't want to ruin your reputation, but I would say we have to go beyond all the disagreements that we have. With what Trump is doing, which you have outlined, we have to. And I think it was notable to me, I had essentially the same campaign slogan as Josh Shapiro, which is, democrats need to be able to show we can get shit done. We need to be able to show that we can deliver, that we can attack problems like public safety and housing, that we can get things done in a reasonable period of time. So in addition to pushing back against the lawlessness, the corruption, the economic self destruction, in addition to promising a return to sanity, less chaos, more normalcy, I think we also have to, you know, do what Al Gore was articulating, that is talk about how we can reinvent government in a positive way to make it work for people.
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Bret Stephens
You know, just one, one point on the reason not only Trump, but all demagogues are effective in politics isn't because they're lying. It's because they're trafficking in half truths. You know, Trump had a point that the border was out of control. The answer to that isn't to terrify immigrants. The answer to that is to get control over your borders. There is a point that government no longer functions in city after city and state after state, that those governments have to be pared down, they have to be reduced. The answer isn't Elon Musk and Doge. So Democrats have to look at the part of the message that's right and simply say, we don't want maga, we want Mana. Make America normal again.
- [29:17]
Bill Maher
But like here in California, we don't have Doge, but we need something because the bureaucracy here is insane. And I mean, I don't know which side you're on, the purists or the pragmatists. I feel like that is the split in the Democratic Party. Yes, the purists are always going to have the people who come out to the rallies. I don't think those people necessarily win elections. That's not been the history recently. And it's all well and good to say, you know, the party should, you know, be practical in this, but how does that pan out when actually meets the road? Are we going to actually get up there and challenge those kind of people? Are we going to say cops aren't the enemy, the streets are for people, they're not for homeless people to live on those kind of issues. We're going to actually go after the bureaucracy. Either go big or go home. On regulation, yes, we need to regulate banks and the environment where it's needed, but like not all this stuff that makes people's lives crazy. Are you Prepared to do all that?
- [30:18]
Adam Schiff
Well, the answer is yes. And I think the Democratic Party has to be able to do all that. And I've never been one who, who essentially favors the perfect over the good when the perfect means you don't get anything done. But you know, to give you an illustration, the twin problems of the fact that people can't afford a home, that lots of kids are living in their parents basement and not because they particularly want to, but they can't afford a home. And homelessness to me derives back from the same central problem, which is we're not building enough housing. We're not building it cheaply, we're not building fast enough, we're not building enough of it. And there's no way to solve homelessness unless you make it possible for people to build housing. You just can't because you can spend billions to move people off the street and into housing and to try to keep them there. And they'll simply be new people to take place their place on the sidewalk. So we're going to have to change how we do business in California. We're going to have to address people's legitimate concerns about crime. I was in South San Francisco two years ago after I had experience in the city that all too many people had when my luggage was stolen out of my car. They tell you, don't ever leave your luggage in the car. I never do until the one time I did. And of course it got stolen. And what was most memorable about the experience for me is I went to this Target in south San Francisco, 10 o'clock at night, and I'm getting the toiletries I'm going to need for my next two days in the city. I get to the cashier.
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Bill Maher
You went there by yourself, not an assistant?
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Adam Schiff
I think I went there. Well, yes, I had somebody drop me off of the store.
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Bill Maher
And so I don't mean to make that an issue. I was honest in admitting it. I waited somewhere. I should not have waited into it.
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Adam Schiff
First of all, I had to get the clerk, which is hard to find, to unlock the shampoo or the whatever. So that's one thing. And then I get to the cashier. The cashier asked me if I want one of those Target bags with a little bullseye on it. And I said, yes, that Target bag is going to be my luggage for the next two days. And she asked me what happened and I told her. And she basically said in not so many words, yeah, Democrats are assholes. And I thought, you know, if the cashier in South San Francisco at 10:00 at night believes that Democrats are assholes because the shampoo is locked up and my stuff got stolen out of the trunk. We've got a major problem that we have to address. And I think that's an awesome story.
- [32:53]
Bill Maher
That says a lot. I hope all the Democrats listen to that story.
- [32:58]
Adam Schiff
I think the new mayor of San Francisco is really focused on this, and I think he's helping to lead the way in how we kind of reinvent how Democrats are doing governance.
- [33:08]
Bret Stephens
No, but there was a death of common sense in the Democratic Party and hopefully that is ending. And I hope maybe that was the lesson of 2024. But another lesson, I think of former Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, a Republican. He once said, we need to call a truce in the culture wars. And I think Democrats also need to call a truce. They cannot fight every single battle of moral purity against sincere moral convictions of people who are on the other side of the issue. If we have big fish to fry in this country and in this world, and if that's the ground the Democrats are going to contest, they're going to lose, and they're going to lose over the most minor issues.
- [33:47]
Bill Maher
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- [34:13]
Kaley Cuoco
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- [34:46]
Bill Maher
Are we still on the trail? Is this pack getting heavier? More switchbacks? Why am I doing this?
- [34:53]
Kaley Cuoco
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- [34:59]
Bill Maher
You got this.
- [35:00]
Kaley Cuoco
That we find only outside.
- [35:02]
Bill Maher
Wow, look at the stars.
- [35:06]
Kaley Cuoco
This is incredible. We have the gear, inspiration and advice to help you get there. REI co op. Visit rei.com okay, so I have to.
- [35:18]
Bill Maher
Turn to the big story of the week, which was the sad news that Pope Francis died. And even Stephen said. Or of course, he was with J.D. vance at the end. Well, I just. I only say that because I was very surprised. You know, I mean, he is the Pope, and I guess he inched the church forward on a few social issues, but, you know, they still don't have women priests, and priests still can't marry, and they definitely can't marry a guy.
- [35:46]
Bret Stephens
A lot of issues.
- [35:47]
Bill Maher
And yet the conservatives still don't like the Pope. I saw Meghan. Meghan Kelly went after the Pope. I saw that. Marjorie Taylor Greene went after the Pope. Trump at one point called the Pope disgraceful. I mean, why do the conservatives hate the Pope? So we did some digging. Would you like to know why? Okay, this is why. There are reasons. Well, for once, he never told J.D. vance. Thank you. Foreigners voted in his election. Yeah, that's. He's an advocate of men eating another man's body. Oh, well, it went there. That's. That's not gonna work. That's not good. His child sex ring took the focus off Hillary's child sex ring. He didn't stand up to the meek who are constantly taking advantage of us. He refused to go on Rogan. He was a childless cat lady. Oh, well, that's. And he refused to change the kingdom of heaven to the kingdom of America. Okay, so it's funny that you mentioned Target. You mentioned Target, because I read in the New York Times today, your paper, that Trump is looking for an off ramp with the tariff situation. And they said it three times. He blinked, you know, which I think is good news. That he can actually do that, that he can actually change his mind on things. And his superpower is that it's such a cult that his followers, even when he changes on a dime, will just go right with him. It's like, you ever watch geese fly? One turns and they all turn. But. But this is what the New York Times said. He was prompted talking about Trump. He was prompted in part by the warnings of senior executives from Target, Walmart, and other large American retailers. I think Home Depot was one. That consumers would see prices surge in empty shelves within a few weeks. So people met with him, and then something did change.
- [38:22]
Bret Stephens
Yeah. So maybe the checks and balances of his billionaire finance.
- [38:28]
Bill Maher
But somebody talked to him is all I'm saying. And it did seem to move the needle, because his other billionaire friend, Ken Griffin, said the US is 20% poorer than it was a month ago. It could be a lifetime repair. The damage that has been done. And Frank Luntz, the pollster, he said on July 4th picnics will happen. I think he has another three months before voters turn on. What do you think about that? Because he's friends had prefaced it by saying Biden lost people at Thanksgiving when the food was so high in eggs.
- [39:05]
Adam Schiff
I think the problem we've already seen this play out is Trump will listen to whoever last talks to him. So he's talking to the CEOs of Target and Walmart or whatever. He's going to announce some face saving deal with China which won't amount to much except an excuse to change policy until he talks to someone else, gets his dander up and then tariffs are back on. And of course the problem is you have all this instability, the lack of businesses being able to plan, people already hurting from retaliatory tariffs, the alienation, needless alienation of allies like Canada. So the harm is done. Even if we go back to the pre tariff status quo, the harm is done. Can I also say that when my time comes, I sure hope it's not with J.D. vance.
- [39:54]
Bill Maher
I just want to put that out there.
- [39:57]
Bret Stephens
You know, this is also there's another story here which is I'm glad the Ken Griffins of the world have spoken to him, but the people who aren't speaking to him are the senior members of the Republican Party. They're all, with the exception of Lisa Murkowski and a handful of other, no, Don Bacon and Don Bacon, a few other people.
- [40:20]
Bill Maher
I don't know who this guy is.
- [40:21]
Bret Stephens
None of them. He's a congressman from Nebraska.
- [40:24]
Bill Maher
This guy says doesn't seem to care.
- [40:27]
Bret Stephens
Everyone else refuses to tell the king that he's, that he's not wearing clothes. And it's an incredible disservice that they're doing this. Marco Rubio knows better on Ukraine, but he's not saying a word. With the exception of again, Mitch McConnell, a few other people, none of them will say to Trump, you can't do this. And it's because the Republican Party has shifted from a political party into a cult of personality. And these are the kinds of mistakes politically, policy wise, you make when you become a cult.
- [40:58]
Bill Maher
So he gave you your nickname when you wanted to prosecute him over the Ukrainian situation. Let's talk about Ukraine for a minute because Trump tweeted out today, well, tweeted, I guess truthed. I can't believe I have to use that verb. He truthed because that's his media platform now. Vladimir, stop. I know that sounds like, that's the joke part. I mean, that he really did, and if that doesn't work, he's going to unfriend him on Facebook. But Trump, he wants this war over yesterday. So he basically gave Putin's entire laundry roost of demands and said, this is the way the war is going to end. Now, maybe the war would end anyway that way, because Russia is not the country that I've ever seen ever give up. They don't really care about human sacrifice. They lost 20 million people in World War II. They didn't seem to blink over it. So I don't know how this war would have ended otherwise. But he says now, Trump, this is his final offer. If for some reason one of the two parties makes it difficult, we're just going to say, you're foolish, you're fools, you're horrible people, and we're just going to take a pass. What does that mean, take a pass? Then what happens?
- [42:17]
Adam Schiff
I think what it means is he stops providing Ukraine with military and intelligence support, basically cuts Ukraine's legs out from under them. And I agree about my Republican colleagues. There are a number of them who privately will talk about the importance of supporting Ukraine. And some, some now even speaking publicly, they won't go so far as to criticize the president. But they also are not doing enough to change the trajectory of this, which is Donald Trump completely betraying our ally. And there's probably no single action, to me, as heartbreaking as what he is doing than the fact that these brave Ukrainian people have fought and died, are being betrayed by the United States of America. I asked my colleagues in the Senate what would John McCain be doing? And they said he would be fighting, taking the Senate floor every day, fighting with relish for Ukraine. We need someone, someone in the Republican caucus to fight with relish for Ukraine, because I don't know how this war would have ended up. I still don't know how it will end. But what Trump is doing means that invariably we will be the loser in this struggle.
- [43:34]
Bret Stephens
But, you know, you're not going far enough, I think, because it's not just betraying an ally, Ukraine, which of course he's doing, he's betraying multiple allies, because what he's doing is licensing the seizure by force and terror, mass bombings of other countries territories. So what Russia is doing in Ukraine, which Trump now wants to license, is what China wants to do to Taiwan and other aggressors in other parts of the world. So there is going to be, forgive the term, a domino effect, because dictators will take notice that they can conquer other countries and that the United States will not only not support our allies, we will get behind them eventually, at least with this presidency.
- [44:18]
Bill Maher
All right, let me ask one last question, because this gets to the issue about where the Democrats are going to be and which side they're going to be on with the big split in the party, and that is trans in school. The Supreme Court is hearing about the case in Maryland about someone who. About a couple of religious people. It's really a religious based case. They do not want trans books that teach kids that some people are trans in the schools. And here's Justice Amy Coney Barrett. She's quoting from one of the books. When we're born, people make a guess about our gender and label us boy or girl based on our body parts. Sometimes they're right, sometimes they're wrong. I think that's bullshit. Okay. No, they're almost always right. If you have a dick, you're almost always a boy. And this. And you know, I think it's okay to teach kids, you know, there's a default setting for humans. And if you're not part of that default setting, it doesn't make you a worse person. These things happen. I mean, it's on the rights. They don't even believe that trans is a thing. It is a thing, but it's not a thing that happens like this where, well, we don't know. Jump wall, every baby is a joke. And even, even, even Elena Kagan, one of the most liberal judges, said, I suspect there are a lot of non religious parents who also weren't all that thrilled about this. This is the kind of issue, you know, it's one of those 80, 20 issues that the Democrats have been on the wrong side of. Where are you on this?
- [45:56]
Adam Schiff
Well, this is how I would approach this issue. First of all, I want safe to be school to be a safe and nurturing place, everyone. And so my number one priority is to make sure we're not adding to the difficulty that LGBT or trans youth face right now because they're being used as the fulcrum of cultural warfare by.
- [46:21]
Bill Maher
Both sides or just one?
- [46:22]
Adam Schiff
Well, I think predominantly by the Republican side, it's the Republicans who are airing all the ads. I just watched the announcement of a Senate candidate and, and they chose to profile in their Senate ad an attack on trans people. So it's predominantly, I think, being used by Republicans. That doesn't mean Democrats have been smart on the issue. But the other thing I would say is I also think and this gets to the point you were making with Al Gore. And I would say it's not as much about hate as it is about looking down on people. That puts people off, where they won't consider you, they won't vote for you. If people think that you condescend to them, then you're toast. And I would say on this issue of what books should be in school, first of all, I would want those. I would want, you know, Bobby's wedding book in my kid's school. My kids went to public school. But if parents, other parents felt differently about their kid being taught from that book, I think that we should show some space and some grace with respect to those other parents. And I think we should make reasonable efforts to accommodate their interests, whether it's religious or non religious in how their kids are taught. So, you know, my view is whether it's those issues or, you know, as a Jew, when I see a creche outside of a city hall, I say, you know, I'm okay with some space and some grace. And I think we should apply that generally to how we deal with each other.
- [47:52]
Bill Maher
All right, we'll leave it there. Thank you, guys. Time for new rules. Oh, I guess we did okay today. All right, Neural Pete Hegseth's parents have to take away his phone. He can have it back when he's shown us he's growed up enough to use it responsibly. I'm not saying Pete makes a terrible defense secretary, but he's the worst thing to hit the pentagon since flight 77. Has to tell the so called crooked man. The teen who's gone viral for bulking up just one side of of his body. Now try jerking off with the other hand. Boy, kids today, huh? Even their bodies are bipolar. New rule on this one. I've said before, but America's young men must learn some game. It's gotten so bad that a candidate for governor here in California, Republican Kyle Lankford, is saying that female undocumented immigrants can stay if they, quote, marry one of our California incels. Talk about doing the jobs Americans don't want to do. And you gotta love that Republican integrity. Undocumented immigrants have to go. It's a matter of principle. Oh, she'll touch my dick. Never mind. New rule. Maybe we should pump the brakes on the new trend of selling pharmaceuticals by way of promotional tie ins with movies for children. Yeah, that's right. That's right. Snow White has partnered with Allegra because Allegra helps you not be sleepy or sneezy get it? So kids, remember, if you're bashful, try Ritalin. If you're dopey, take Adderall. And if you're grumpy, ask Doc if Prozac is right for you. And don't forget plan B. Because you never know when your prince will come. New rule. The woman who's suing him airlines because she says the guy in the seat next to her masturbated for an hour has to tell us one thing. Was it this guy? And finally, new rule. Republicans have to stop excusing all the dictatory stuff that comes out of Trump's mouth by saying he's just kidding. He says stuff. When Trump proclaimed last year that if he won re election, he'd be dictator on day one, Republicans said things like, I think it was a joke.
- [51:33]
Al Gore
It's entertainment.
- [51:35]
Bill Maher
We all know Trump uses unique expressions.
- [51:39]
Adam Schiff
When he explains things.
- [51:41]
Bill Maher
Yeah. Now Senate Majority Leader John Thune says when Trump talks about running for a third, he's having some fun with it. Probably messing with you. Yeah. When I challenged Ben Shapiro here on Trump being too dismissive and reposting that Liz Cheney deserves to be tried for treason, Ben answered sarcastically. Wait. He said, shit. That's crazy. Donald Trump said, shit. This is such an interesting position for a political party to take about their leadership. Trust us, there's nothing to worry about. Our guy is just full of shit. Trump is the only president when you're relieved when he doesn't keep his campaign promises. And always the idea that if Trump really did cross the line, these Republicans say, oh, they would have done. I asked Charlie Kirk about Trump saying that he would like to put homegrown Americans in Salvadorian prisons. And Charlie said, if he were to do that, I wouldn't support it. But I think that's just a one liner. Yeah. Like any young man. Oh, that Andrew Dice Trump. Always, always trying out new material, workshopping premises like US Citizens can be taken off the streets and sent to overseas torture prisons without due process. Get it? I'll be here all week. You, not so much. When former Senator Ben Sasse was asked about the idea that Trump wouldn't leave in 2020, his comment was, he says crazy stuff. We've always had a peaceful transfer of power. It's not going to change. But it did change because it wasn't peaceful. And that's the problem with dictator jokes. They don't stay jokes. And flirting with authoritarianism doesn't stay flirting. You know, I've known lots of people in relationships who think you can flirt with Other people and not act on. Even women do it. I flirt, but I never do anything. I've seen them do it right in front of their husband. I guess it makes it hotter for these poor bored fucks. Sure, she's sitting on Tom's lap in the middle of the party, but when we get home, this is the face she'll be sitting on. Hey, whatever works for you. But I'm telling you, humans cannot be trusted to just flirt with other attractive humans. And the MAGA crowd cannot be trusted to flirt with dictatorship. Not everyone who flirts cheats, but all cheating starts with flirting. I'm not in bed with Putin. He's just my work wife. And okay, but aren't we kind of past the flirting phase now? Sure. Trump's love letters to Kim Jong Un and his siding with Putin at Helsinki, in the tanks, in the streets, on his birthday, all coquettish good fun. And the lock her up chants and the suing the press and calling them enemy of the people and saying shoplifters should get shot on sight. Innocent flirting, all of you. Except, you know, I don't know. Now it seems a little less like just flirting and more like we're actually meeting every afternoon at the Motel 6. Around the third time someone accidentally made the straight arm salute. Even Nick Fuentes, white national, said, it's getting a little excessive, even for me. And so I gotta ask, what about the rest of you, my Republican friends? And yes, I do have Republican friends, and I know that makes me a very bad person because it makes me less pure. And as we all know, purity wins elections and solves problems. Oh, wait, it doesn't. Excellent. It doesn't. And to think that the best thing you can do when you have absolutely no power is to ignore the people who have all of it is straight up delusional. On January 6, 2021, at the end of the day, Mike Pence did the right thing and would not go along with the scheme to steal the election. And neither would Republican stalwarts like William Barr and Dick Cheney and Liz Cheney and Mitt Romney and Mitch McConnell, all of whom full throatedly said he lost. Brad Raffsenberger in Georgia refused to find him 11,000 more votes. These are what I've always called the good as it gets Republicans. And I know that's not, not much to hang your hat on, but I must remind Democrats, you no longer even own a hat rack. My choice of maintaining communication with the deplorables may only have a 1% chance of succeeding, but I guarantee your method of running out of the room screaming, I'm not talking to you, has zero. I've taken some shit from the loony left for just reporting honestly how the president reacted in prior when I criticize him to his face when plainly what I should have said is that he eats with his hands and that he showed me his collection of human ears pressed between the pages of Mein Kampf. But I didn't. But I didn't do that. I was honest about it. And that gives me standing to say to conservatives now, okay, you appreciated my honesty and balls. Now I want to see your balls. Wait, that's not what I. That's not. That didn't come out. Not how I meant it to come out. What I mean is, it's your turn. You know, things aren't going well and the first hundred days has been, yes, a shit show. Show me you can be honest about that. Show me you're not just a MAGA cultist. Okay, thank you. That's our show. I want to thank Senator Adam Schiff, Brett Stevens and Vice President Al Gore. Club Random drops every Sunday and YouTube or listen, remember to get your podcast now. Go watch Overtime on YouTube. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. Oh, look, we must have been.
- [58:46]
Okay, catch all new episodes of Real Time with Bill Maher every Friday night at 10 or watch him anytime on HBO on Demand. For more information, log on to hbo.com.