Ep. #722: Gov. Josh Shapiro, Anthony Scaramucci, Lloyd Blankfein

Summary

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Real Time with Bill Maher – Episode #722

Guests: Gov. Josh Shapiro, Anthony Scaramucci, Lloyd Blankfein
Date: March 14, 2026
Podcast Host: Bill Maher

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Episode Overview

This episode of Real Time with Bill Maher centers on the ongoing war involving Iran, domestic and global leadership challenges, the state of American governance, and critical questions about income inequality. Bill Maher welcomes Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to discuss practical governance, antisemitism, and American strategy in the Middle East, followed by a panel with Anthony Scaramucci and Lloyd Blankfein on wealth, tax policy, and the challenges facing democracy at home and abroad.

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Main Segments & Discussion Points

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I. Opening Monologue: War, Trump, and Current Affairs

[00:58 – 08:14]

• Bill riffs on the third week of the war with Iran, poking fun at the threat of Iranian drones targeting California, the price of oil, and what it means for Trump and everyday Americans.
• He jests about the Pentagon’s new “macho, non-woke” military image, Trump’s bizarre habit of guessing shoe sizes for male cabinet members, and the new Ayatollah’s rumored health issues.
• Sets the tone for the show: irreverent, funny, topical—hitting hard at both sides.

Notable Quotes:

• Bill Maher [03:30]: “When oil prices go up, we make a lot of money. Who’s ‘we’? ExxonMobil makes a lot of money. We dig for change in the cup holder!”
• Bill Maher [07:10]: “They hate the infidel West until their dick doesn’t work. Then it’s ‘get me on the 2pm to Heathrow!’”

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II. Interview: Gov. Josh Shapiro (Democrat, Pennsylvania)

[08:14 – 21:04]

A. On Governance, Cynicism, and Getting Things Done

• Shapiro discusses his book Where We Keep the Light, focused on inspirational stories from Pennsylvania.
• Both Bill and Shapiro note the disconnect between the “goodness of the people” and the cynicism/brokenness in politics.
• Shapiro touts his approach as a "Get Shit Done Democrat," highlighting rapid infrastructure recovery (e.g., reopening I-95 in 12 days) and permit reform in Pennsylvania.

Notable Quotes:

• Josh Shapiro [09:50]: “Be a GSD Democrat, get shit done Democrat... people are frustrated, rightly so, but we can turn that around.”
• Bill Maher [11:27]: “We see it all the time. We couldn’t build a railroad here in California ... too much bureaucracy, too much red tape. I feel like this is something your party really needs to take on. Maybe you’re the guy to do that.”

B. On Homelessness, Urban Issues, and Crime

• Bill presses Shapiro on why cities—often Democratic-run—struggle with homelessness and public order.
• Shapiro responds with examples from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh: increased shelters, humane treatment, and a focus on both compassion and business-friendly, safe communities.
• He touts measurable progress: hiring police, investing in violence prevention, with violent crime and gun violence stats dropping.

Notable Quotes:

• Josh Shapiro [13:10]: “We built a shelter in Pittsburgh... crime is down 13% in Pennsylvania, fatal gun violence down 43%.”

C. On Antisemitism and American Politics

• Bill asks if antisemitism in the Democratic Party (and youth culture) would be a barrier for a Jewish presidential candidate.
• Shapiro affirms pride in his Jewish identity, relates positive interfaith encounters, but also speaks bluntly about rising extremism and the need for moral clarity.

Notable Quotes:

• Josh Shapiro [17:16]: “One of the things that has united the extremes of both parties is a pervasive sense of antisemitism and bigotry toward Jews ... all leaders, Democrat and Republican, have a responsibility to call it out.”

D. On Iran and U.S. War Aims

• Bill invokes fellow Pennsylvanian John Fetterman's support for action against Iran, questioning confusion in Democratic ranks.
• Shapiro argues that the administration has failed to explain the mission’s objectives and exit strategy from the war: “If you don’t have clarity on why you’re going in, you have no way of knowing how the hell to get out.”
  [19:31]
• Criticizes the lack of leadership from the President.

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III. Panel Discussion: Wealth, Inequality, and American Capitalism

Guests: Anthony Scaramucci (ex-White House Communications Director), Lloyd Blankfein (ex-Goldman Sachs CEO)
[21:04 – 31:00]

A. Wealth Concentration and Tax Policy

• Bill frames the question about billionaires: America is approaching its first trillionaire; what, if anything, should we do about extreme inequality?
• Scaramucci points to campaign finance (Citizens United) and political influence as barriers to reform.
• Blankfein argues for a “more progressive tax system” and greater investment in social goods.

Notable Quotes:

• Blankfein [25:15]: “The answer has to be a more progressive tax system ... and to give more people for free the necessities of life like childcare, healthcare, other things that cost, that rich people can afford, that poor people have to scrimp to.”
• Scaramucci [24:39]: “We have to break up some of these big businesses and have some kind of tax to equalize the situation.”

B. On the Culture and Morality of Great Wealth

• Discussion about how today’s mega-rich (Musk, Bezos, etc.) continue to compete and innovate, in contrast with earlier tycoons.
• Bill and panel debate the idea of ostentatious living versus responsibility; Scaramucci argues the problem is less the creation of wealth, more the lack of opportunity below.
• The issue of populist anger due to a lack of mobility is repeatedly invoked.

Notable Quotes:

• Scaramucci [29:52]: “The reason why we have so much populism, Bill, is people don’t feel they can make it anymore ... they feel left out of the system and they’re angry.”
• Blankfein [28:43]: “The political sector has to do it ... distribution is not the burden of the generators, it’s the political sector.”

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IV. (Short Segment) Trump’s Executive Order on U.S. History and “Whitewashing”

[32:38 – 35:22]

• Bill reads and mocks Trump’s new executive order demanding that U.S. historic sites be “solemn and uplifting,” not negative.
• Maher lampoons revisionist history with satirical fake museum placards (e.g.: “Thomas Jefferson had sex with his slaves because when you’re a star, they let you do it”).

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V. Panel: War in Iran—Objectives, Risks, and Regional Fallout

[35:22 – 47:30]

A. U.S. Strategic Aims and Shortcomings

• Bill and guests interrogate why, despite military superiority, the U.S. struggles to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
• Blankfein explains it’s a narrow chokepoint—"It doesn’t take much firepower to menace ships."
• Scaramucci faults U.S. war planning, including the premature redeployment of minesweepers.

B. Impact on China and Escalation Risks

• Discussion about the oil trade (Iranian oil mainly to China), risks of escalation or analogous “Pearl Harbor” scenarios.
• The panel agrees there’s significant uncertainty and volatility—nobody really knows how or when it ends.

Notable Quotes:

• Blankfein [38:15]: “I’m not running for governor or president … I would say I don’t know how long this will last.”
• Blankfein [41:05]: “We have done [is] weakened their capacity to do as much mischief as they were doing in the past.”
• Scaramucci [43:33]: “You’ve degraded the place and maybe you’ve pushed more people towards the regime as a result of the economic hardship.”

C. Civil War in Iran, U.S. Involvement, and “Regime Change”

• Bill shows photos representing competing factions in Iran: secular, pro-Western crowds versus regime supporters.
• Panel questions the wisdom of U.S. involvement in another nation’s civil strife.
• Blankfein: "I just don’t want them to have the capacity to blow us up ... put a low likelihood on a democratic George Washington figure."

D. Financial Guidance Amid War

• Bill asks what American investors should do amid such turmoil.
• Scaramucci: “Sit tight. There’s going to be a lot of volatility, but I think the mission is going to be successful. The strait will get open by mid-April.”
  [44:43]
• Discussion on crypto as a hedge—Blankfein and Bill both express skepticism, Scaramucci defends its proponents.

Notable Quotes:

• Blankfein [46:07]: “I can't figure out what it does. ... Its highest purpose is to pay ransoms and to extortionists.”
• Scaramucci [45:33]: "If you do the homework, 9 out of 10 people end up owning some of it."

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VI. Maher’s “New Rules” Segment

[47:30 – End]

A. Academy Awards, Diversity, and the Culture Wars

• Bill riffs on the OscarsSoWhite anniversary, challenging the persistence of “progressive gaslighting” despite visible progress in Hollywood.
• He argues against “affirmative action movies” and production quotas, lampoons the Academy’s history of bias (and poor taste), and notes how frequently greatness is snubbed.

Notable Quotes:

• Bill Maher [50:11]: “Oscars are no longer a long, boring show full of white people. It’s a long, boring show full of all people.”
• Bill Maher [52:20]: “I mean, the whole thing is so Hollywood—a room full of know-nothings who call themselves the Academy, making everyone tremble before their judgment even though their judgment is often terrible.”

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Memorable Moments & Quotes with Timestamps

• On U.S. military strategy:
  "We are looking a little nervous in our war room ... The most macho administration we’ve ever had. Also the gayest, I gotta say." — Bill Maher [06:00]

• On Pennsylvania efficiency in governance:
  "We did it in 12 days by getting rid of the sort of bureaucratic red tape ... and by getting out of their way." — Josh Shapiro [11:27]

• On calling out antisemitism:
  "There are seeds of antisemitism being planted all over this country ... you gotta call it out." — Josh Shapiro [17:16]

• On wealth and populist anger:
  "People that grew up like you and me, Lloyd, they feel left out of the system and they're angry." — Scaramucci [29:52]

• On crypto skepticism:
  "Its highest purpose is to pay ransoms and to extortionists." — Blankfein [46:07]

• On progress in Hollywood:
  "The Oscars are no longer a long, boring show full of white people. It’s a long, boring show full of all people." — Maher [50:11]

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Key Takeaways

• Cynicism vs. Practical Governance: Shapiro articulates the challenge of moving politics away from “likes” and ideological extremes to tangible outcomes—arguing that people crave pragmatic, “get shit done” leadership.

• The Democratic Party, Identity, and Rising Hatred: Shapiro’s discussion on Jewish identity and antisemitism signals anxiety about the shifting sands in American cultural and political alliances, and the necessity for leadership to confront hate across the spectrum.

• Wealth and Social Cohesion: The panel exposes the tensions between admiration for innovation and the dangers of galloping inequality, with a rare Wall Street consensus that the system must become fairer to avoid backlash.

• Iran and the War: Throughout, the panel shows skepticism about the clarity and long-term wisdom of U.S. involvement, warning of the civil war’s complexities, unpredictable regional effects, and the importance of clear presidential leadership.

• Culture Wars in Hollywood: Maher, with characteristic provocativeness, calls out progressive excess and “victim mindset,” demanding recognition of progress made and greater realism—in both art and politics.

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This summary covers the essential debates, wit, and insights from episode #722, providing a comprehensive overview for listeners who missed the show or seek a detailed recap.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Ugh.

[A]

You said you were over him, but his hoodie's still in your rotation. It's time. Grab your phone, snap a few pics, and sell it on Depop. Listed in minutes with no selling fees. And just like that, a guy 500 miles away just paid full price for your closure. And right on cue.

[C]

Hey, still got my hoodie?

[A]

Nope. But I've got tonight's dinner paid for. Start selling on Depop, where taste recognizes taste list. Now with no selling fees, payment processing fees and boosting fees still apply. See website for details. Welcome to an HBO podcast from the HBO late month series Real Time with Bill Maher.

[C]

Start the clock. Hey, Paul, how you doing down there? The whole crowd is here. Thank you. Thank you. Ah, great to see you. Thank you so much, people. Look at that. Thank you so much. I appreciate that. Look at that. Look at all these people. We sold the place out again every week. We're a sellout here. So listen, I'm glad you're in a good mood because a little scary stuff here, you know, with the war going on. They say Iran may be sending war drones to attack California. California? Why California? Well, they say maybe because there's so many Iranian dissidents here, or it may be a last ditch effort to get on Trump's good side. We don't know, but we're looking into it. But, you know, it is. Here we are, week three of the war, and Americans want to know two things. What is the strategic objective? And two, the shit I get from Amazon, does that go through the Strait of hormones? Yes, it. If you haven't been following this closely, you know Iran, one of the greatest oil producers in the world, a lot of them, oil comes from Iran. And it all goes to this bottleneck called the Strait of Hormuz. And the administration seems to be caught off guard that if you attack a country, they might use their best asset for leverage. This, by the way, is all in the sequel to the Art of War called the no shit of Sherlock. So they kind of fucked there in the Strait of Hormuz. And of course, this has driven up the price of oil a lot. But Trump yesterday said, you know, United States is the biggest oil producer in the world. Still, he said, when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money. Who's we? Was my question. I think ExxonMobil makes a lot of money. We dig for change in the cup holder. I don't. But Trump said that the Iranians have no Navy, no communications, and no Air Force. And they shot back and they said, and you have no affordable housing, no function in Congress, and no attention span. Game on. But, look, Don't take that the wrong way. I'm on our side, okay? I'm for us winning, all right? I'm not on that page of Trump did it. So I'm with the ayatollah now, but I gotta say, they are. We are looking a little nervous in our war room. The Pentagon banned photographers this week for the briefings because Pete Hegseth said some of the pictures of him looked unflattering. Pete wants you to know two things about our military. This is the new alpha male, very masculine, non woke military. Also, don't get my bad side. So this is the most macho administration we've ever had. Also the gayest, I gotta say. I don't mean literally just a lot of redecorating. I'm just saying. Also, Trump has a new thing. I'm not making this up. He guessing other men's shoe size. Have you seen? Am I making this shit up? I'm not. He has been. He looks at other men and guesses their shoe size, and then they sends them a pair. The entire cabinet is wearing shoes. He got them, including Marco Rubio, where they didn't fit. So he's in clown shoes. I'm just saying. It's a little weird for a man to look at other men and go, what's he got down there? Nine and a half. But I don't know. Of course, it's also Today, Friday the 13th. We're applauding that. I'm not superstitious, but if you're in Tehran, I wouldn't walk under a leader. Yeah, well, they have a new supreme Leader over there. Oh, good. We didn't applaud that. Yes, it's the late Ayatollah Khamenei's son. He goes by the name Nepo Kablooi. And he's very holy man, like his father. Holy man. Very holy man. But it's a big tidbit. Four times he has traveled to a clinic in England to treat impotence. Yes, I love the ayatollahs. They hate the infidel west until their dick doesn't work. And then it's get me on the 2pm To Heathrow. Okay? Yeah. Four trips. Four trips to this clinic. This guy's got a real problem. I mean, when he gets to paradise, he's gonna say to the 72 virgins, can we just talk? And we're not even sure if he's still alive. Trump said yesterday he's alive in some form, like Mitch McConnell, I assume he means. But. But, yeah, it's a tough, tough time for the new ayatollah. But he is trying. He is trying to stay positive. He said, if I live, I'm the leader of Iran, and if I die, I'll finally be hard. All right, we got a great show. We got Anthony Scaramucci, Lloyd Blankfein. But first up he is is the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, whose new book is called Where We Keep the Stories of a Life and Service. Governor Josh Shapiro back with us. There he is. Hey, Governor, good to see you again. Oh, look, we're matching too much.

[D]

I got my own shoes on.

[C]

All right, you're back with us. You must have done good the first time.

[D]

I guess you had me back.

[C]

Thank you. That's what we do here by popular demand. And you have a book?

[D]

I do.

[C]

What is the title?

[D]

Where We Keep the Light.

[C]

What is the story with always writing a book when you're running for president?

[D]

I wrote a book. I wrote a book to try and highlight the people that bring light in my state. The people I see every day doing good things. Because our politics don't match the goodness of what I see on the ground every day. The goodness of the people. And I think hopefully this book will inspire our politicians to start taking the cues from the people who are doing everything.

[C]

But then politicians, if they're elected by the people, aren't they the representative of the people? Doesn't it have to go back on the people? If we were in some country where they just top down, like Iran, force the people, the leaders on the people. But they are a reflection of us, are they not?

[D]

I think for a long time it was a righteous cycle, right, where the people would elevate folks who reflected the goodness of community. That has changed, particularly over the last decade. And I think what we need to do is figure out a way to get back to that. We've got all kinds of incentive structures in our media, in campaign fundraising, in the way we conduct our politics, to go to the extremes and to go to the lowest common denominator. I think people are frustrated with that, rightfully so. We've got to figure out a way to turn that around.

[C]

Yeah. What is that way?

[D]

I think that way is to be a GSD Democrat, which is what I am, a get shit done Democrat. I think one of the reasons. Can I say that here, you can say it anywhere.

[C]

Now, get shit done Democrats. You're nobody in politics if you don't use bad words, is there? Yeah.

[D]

No, but look, I think it speaks to. Part of the frustration people have is they don't see many of their elected leaders putting points on the board for them solving a problem. And when you don't solve a problem, when you don't fix a system, when you don't deliver the thing they need for their kid or for their household or a job in their community or a safe community, they get more frustrated, more cynical, and our politics gets more broken. I think there's a number of people doing a great job of that across the country. Unfortunately, the people who tend to make the headlines, the people who tend to dominate on social media are not the ones who are delivering real results for the people. In my case, the people of Pennsylvania. But I think the people of this country deserve it.

[C]

I think in cities, people would say it's dominated by one party. Certainly that's the problem. I think here in California now you had a bridge collapse and you got it back up in 12 days. That's right. Unfortunately, that is not the story we usually hear. What we usually hear is nothing can get built and nothing can. We see it all the time. We couldn't build a railroad here in California. We tried to connect the two ends of the state. It just didn't happen. Too many environmental reviews, too many consultants, too many, too many. Too much lawyering, too much bureaucracy, too much red tape. It just doesn't get done. I feel like this is something your party really needs to take on. Maybe you're the guy to do that.

[D]

Well, we've tried to do that in Pennsylvania and i95 is a great example of that. The experts said it was going to take four to six months to get that rotary open. We did it in 12 days by getting rid of the sort of bureaucratic red tape that dominates things by putting the Philadelphia building trades in charge and empowering them to be innovative and by getting out of their way, breaking away all the things that hold people down and slow things down and instead make it work. We didn't stop there, though. We reformed our permitting system in Pennsylvania. Went from the bottom of the pack to the top of the heap. A business license that used to take eight weeks In Pennsylvania, the day I got sworn in, you get that the same day buildings that would take three years to get their permits, they're now getting it in three to six months.

[C]

Can you move here? That is not our experience here. That is not our experience.

[D]

I know it sounds nerdy and wonky, but if you want to give people.

[C]

No, it sounds wonderful.

[D]

If you want to give people hope and less cynicism in the process, you gotta show them government can work. We can still protect public health, public safety and the environment and move quickly. And we're proof that.

[C]

It was a rough winter back east, and I read. I can't remember what the number now is, but it was approaching like, 30 people, homeless people who died in New York, freezing on the sidewalk. And it just made me think, why can't the Democrats just have the balls to say, well, one, the sidewalk is not for you, for anybody. It's public. It's public. And just for compassion's sake, we're going to make you get off the street and into a shelter. Why can't we even build shelters? And that's what I think people look at. They say, Democratic run cities. They can't even do that. And people died for it.

[D]

I know you're giving me an example from another state. I'm less familiar with that. I can just tell you, in our cities in Philly and Pittsburgh, run, by the way, by Democratic mayors, we've addressed homelessness. We built a shelter in Pittsburgh. We're treating people humanely and getting them the help they need, but also making it so businesses can thrive in those communities, so that they're clean streets and safe communities. Look to me foundational. Everything is a safe community. You don't want to live in that area. You don't want to work in that area if it's not safe. I made a commitment when I was running for governor to hire 2,000 police officers, invest a half a billion dollars in violence prevention initiatives. Crime is down 13% in Pennsylvania. Fatal gun violence is down 43% in Pennsylvania. We're delivering safe communities, and part of that is having compassion, but also helping people who are living on the street get off the street and get in a place that's safer for them and better for others.

[C]

Sounds like you're well on your way to the nomination.

[D]

I refuse to take any of your bait here.

[C]

Good for you. But I don't know if you're clapping for me or you, but it doesn't matter. We're both on the same show. I get the credit either way. Either way. But here's the question I have to ask you, which is something I would have never guessed I would be asking a Democrat in this year, which is that you're a Democrat running possibly for the nomination for re election as governor of Pennsylvania, and you're Jewish. Yeah. And this is somehow maybe a complete deal breaker in the Democratic Party. I mean, the speed at which anti Semitism has gone to a place where I never imagined it would go. I mean, just this past week, bombings at synagogues in Toronto, Belgium, Michigan. The guy drove a truck with explosives into the largest synagogue in West Bloomfield, Norway. They arrested someone. Suspicious behavior outside a synagogue. Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. Synagogue. I see a pattern here.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

And somehow it got to among the young people, antisemitism got to be kind of cool. You think you could, if you did run for president, you could fight this and convince the Democratic Party that being Jewish isn't like the worst thing a person could be now?

[D]

So let me address both pieces, the anti Semitism and sort of the politics of being Jewish, as you ask. When I ran for governor, the first ad that I put on TV was something to sort of show who I am, what motivates me to serve, which is family and faith. And the first ad was my family and I doing what we do nearly every Friday night, which was sitting around the Sabbath dinner table having a meal together. We ran that ad despite a whole bunch of political consultants saying, hey, don't run that. They're going to know you're Jewish. I'm like, I think they know I'm Jewish. But, Bill, I share that with you because after we ran that, I'd show up in North Philly and folks would tell me about their iftar after Ramadan. They were excited to share that with me. I'd show up in rural communities where I might increase the Jewish population by 100% when I get there, and they'd tell me about what lunch is like after church on Sundays. The point I'm making is that I believe people are good and they are decent and they want to know who you are at a deep level. And when you are open with them, they're more apt to be open with you. I won that election, got more votes than anybody in the history of Pennsylvania running for governor because I'm proud of who I. I'm proud of what motivates me to serve, and I'm proud of my faith. I will tell you at the same time, anti Semitism is a real problem in this country. And unfortunately, one of the things that has Seemingly united, the extremes of both parties.

[C]

Yeah.

[D]

Is a pervasive sense of anti Semitism and bigotry and hatred toward Jews. And I think all leaders, Democrat and Republican, have a responsibility to call it out, to speak and act with moral clarity. I'll give you an example of that moral clarity. Governor Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan today spoke out with moral clarity about what happened in Michigan. Pardon me, yesterday, but I think it is also important that it not only be words after a violent incident. Thank God no one was killed in Michigan. There are seeds of antisemitism being planted all over this country. People are being platformed. Folks are looking the other way and nodding toward it and allowing it to happen in their businesses, on their screens and in their politics. And we have to speak up about it. And I don't care if it's coming from people in your own party, people you agree with, people you need to vote for you. You gotta call it out. We cannot let this in our country

[E]

continue the way it is.

[C]

So final question. Your fellow Pennsylvanian, John Fetterman. He's one of the few people in the party who has come out and said, look, I don't understand that everybody in my party said we can't allow Iran to have nuclear weapons, and yet when we do something about it, they're against it. Now, our chief negotiator said they were talking to Iran up until the war started. He said their opening salvo was at the negotiations. We're a couple of weeks away from having 11 bombs. They were bragging about it. If you were the president and you got that information, you'd still do nothing.

[D]

I never said I'm asking. No, what I would do and what the President of the United States failed to do was be clear with the American people about what the hell we were doing here. Was the plan to go after the nuclear weapons. The weapons, by the way, he said, were destroyed seven years ago or seven months ago. Pardon me, Was the plan to go and do regime change, in which case, who the hell's going to take over? I don't think the son's any better than the father. Was the plan to go in there later, but then you got forced because Netanyahu forced your hand. Remember? They said that.

[C]

So it's a matter of clarity.

[D]

I want to put that back. I think if you don't have clarity on why you're going in, you have no way of knowing how the hell to get out. And so we are in a situation now where we have a commander in chief and his Sidekick Pete Hegseth, who are acting like a bunch of 8 year olds playing with toy soldiers. We've lost 13American soldiers in a war that the American people, and by the way, most of the global community, has no idea why the hell we went there in the first place. And the President of the United States, our commanders, I think they have an idea.

[C]

I think people have an idea.

[D]

What was the reason we went in?

[C]

Well, everything you said, the nukes, regime change, and just to reshuffle the deck in the Middle east. But nothing was ever really going to get better there until that regime went away. But we'll see how it. We'll see what happens.

[D]

No, but by the way, understand, understand, I want to be clear because I've heard your commentary on this. I'm not saying the ayatollah is a good person. They chanted for five decades, death to America. These are people who blew up and killed Americans. These are not bad. These are not good people. And I am not shedding a tear for them being killed. What I am saying to you, though, is if you're the commander in chief, you have a responsibility to the people you send in harm's way. You have a responsibility to the American people to explain why it is you're doing what you're doing and how the hell you get out of it. Once the mission is accomplished. The President has yet to look the American people in the eye and explain that. And that is a failure of leadership.

[C]

Thank you, Governor. I appreciate you coming by. Good to be with you. Good to see you later. Okay, Governor Josh Zapiero, everybody. All right, let's meet our panel. Okay. Hey, guys. All right. He is the former White House communications director under Donald Trump, whose new book, all the Wrong How Three Catastrophic Decisions Led to the Rise of Trump, comes out this fall. Anthony Scaramucci, and he is the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and author of the new book Streetwise Getting to and Through Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein. Lloyd, welcome to the show. All right, so we are, we're going to talk about the war, but first, because I've never had two Wall street guys on the, on the show at the same time. So let's talk about money because you both have a lot of it and you like it. Who doesn't like money? Because I think this is much more actually on people's minds. I mean, Forbes came out this week with their richest list. I guess you guys have been on it. I don't know. Or close to it. Musk. $840 billion. We are approaching the first trillionaire. I looked it up. You know, John D. Rockefeller at the early part of the last century was worth 2.5% of GDP. But they did some mix about it. They broke up Standard Oil. There was antitrust laws that were passed. I mean, they were just saying, you can't one person have 2.5% of our gross net. It's just not. Musk has now 2.7. There's a lot of talk about a wealth tax, what we should do when people have this much money. But when they want it, they proposed it here in California and also in Washington state. They leave. Zuckerberg has left. Decamp to Miami. Schultz, the Starbucks dude, he's out of town. Musk did it. Sergey Brin, Steven Spielberg, moving. I'm the farthest from a socialist or a communist because unlike the kids today, I don't get my information from TikTok. I know the history. I know communism and doesn't work, and neither does advanced socialism. But what we have now, I can't make the case that's working either. What is the answer to this income inequality problem that we do have? Next question. All right.

[E]

Well, I was being deferential to my old boss, but I'm happy to chime in first. Well, listen, there's a lot to unpack there. I think you're right, but I think going through our history, Teddy Roosevelt, who was actually a Republican and the founder of Progressivism, he went and broke up the trust. But there's something called Citizens United, where Since January of 2010, Bill, you're allowed to give unlimited money to the politicians. It's up eight times the campaign donations. And 36% of the donations are coming from the top 0.1% of the people. And guess what they're doing? They're talking the politicians into not breaking them up, giving them corporate tax cuts and et cetera. And so there's a lot of things we have to do to reform it. But you are right, but monopoly busting is something that was done in the beginning, in the Renaissance era, and we're not doing it anymore because of the undue influence of these people.

[C]

So what's. Again, I hear no answer, by the way.

[E]

Busting up and Citizens United States, you got to break up some of these big businesses and you got to have some type of tax to equalize the situation.

[C]

So taxing more, that's one of the things. Say we taxed Mr. Musk. He's got $840 billion. Say we took away 500 billion and left him with a more mere $340 billion. Do you have confidence that that would solve the problem? What would we do with that 500 billion? Like actually just pass it out to poorer people?

[B]

I'm not mad at Elon Musk. Elon Musk makes those. He put in all those satellites that are going to make everybody's telephones work better. He has those spacehe has those rocket ships landing in tandem. Unlike the people of Rockefeller's era, like the Carnegies, these guys who generated all that wealth today are still in the game, still competitive. Still, I think creating wealth in the country and advancing our economic interests, they have a lot of money. That money gets reinvested. I think the answer to solve the problem has to be to a more progressive tax system than we have today and to give more people for free the necessities of life like child care, health care, other things that cost, that rich people can afford, that poor people have to scrimp to, to give those things, have the higher minimum and to pay for it with a progressive system. And hopefully, and I know this is. Everybody always says this, knock out some of the waste and maybe you don't have to raise too much the absolute level of tax, but we certainly have to have a much more progressive tax system and that's the way to do it. The economic system that we have has done a great job creating wealth. Now it's created wealth by increasing the value of assets. And so people with assets have gotten a lot richer, but the people without assets haven't participated. They don't have assets, so their assets aren't going up in value.

[C]

And I don't know what the billionaires don't get about. Those people are going to get mad. I mean, the CEO of Nvidia and the CEO of Anthropic, they both said, tax me more, okay? Because they're going to come after us with pitchforks. Read the room. Luigi is a hero. The guy who shot the health care executive.

[E]

Tragedy.

[D]

Yep.

[C]

Yeah, tragedy for that guy. It could be a tragedy for everybody.

[E]

You had James Tallarico on earlier. He said something people should really think about. He said, you know, we have policies that can help and satisfy the poor, but we have no policies that can satisfy the rich. Implying that when you make suggestions like Lloyd is making, you get tremendous amount of resistance, Bill. And you get unlimited money at politicians that will stop that type of progressive tax movement or stop those changes that need to be made to make the system fairer.

[C]

I don't know. If I had that kind of money, I sure wouldn't act like the way these guys do and flaunt it.

[E]

Yeah, well, you're right.

[C]

You know, I wouldn't buy a yacht. You know, peace of mind. Much more valuable, I think.

[B]

I think all the guys you're naming are working like dogs. They're competitive again. The people that you named earlier, from a different century, they retired at 40 and they did the world tour and they bought pieces and they donated to museums. They didn't stay active in their businesses. These guys are killing themselves. You know, they're going crazy because one guy's model. One guy's model is working better than his. And they were doubling their efforts. This is why they have this. I'm glad they're working and incentivizing. I mean, I think a lot of these people are national assets now. If you want to put on. I think it's really the political sector that's failing here. I'm not mad at these people that are creating wealth and are creating jobs and advancing the interests of America.

[C]

We're not mad at them. We're just saying.

[B]

But they're not doing it. The political sector has to do it.

[C]

But they're not going to voluntarily give it back.

[B]

No, but it's a power. Politicians. I think the political sector has to deal again. We're doing a very good job at creating wealth. We have to distribute according to our values. But the distribution part is not the burden of the generators. It's the political sector.

[E]

I think Bill's saying something different. Lloyd, I read your book. It was phenomenal. You grew up in public housing, more or less in Brooklyn, and you had this aspirational life, as did I. And when you have a funnel at the top like this that's so concentrated, people that grew up the way you and I grew up, they feel economically desperational as opposed to aspirational. So there's a sense of unfairness going on. No problem with Elon Musk. Have at it. I'm all for unlimited upside, but we really do need a platform of equal opportunity to get people to the starting gate, to make them feel that they too can make it. And I'm telling you right now, the reason why we have so much populism, Bill, is people don't feel they can make it anymore. The people that grow up like you and me, Lloyd, they feel left out of the system and they're angry.

[C]

And I don't feel they're hearing this and thinking that's helping. Maybe it is. I don't know. I don't know. I'm not quite sure what we're saying here. All I know is like these people who think that you can be. You said they keep working. They keep working. They also need a lot of security now because is it worth it? Is it worth it to have to have bodyguards around you all the time when you go out knowing that people hate you so much because you're so rich and because you live so ostentatiously that you can't just freely walk about? To me, there's no greater freedom than that. There's no greater asset than that.

[B]

I don't see the ostentatious. You must.

[C]

What?

[B]

I don't.

[C]

Were you at Bezos wedding?

[B]

No, I didn't get that.

[C]

That's not a.

[B]

I hang out with a. I hang out in a different crowd.

[C]

Yeah, I do too. But you know, come on. There's a lot of.

[E]

I think living in a barbed wired McMansion in a security compound while your fellow neighbors are suffering is really bad for the economic health.

[D]

It's.

[E]

We got to fix it.

[A]

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[F]

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[C]

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[A]

Whitney and Jen are on Dancing with the Stars. Taylor is a bachelorette.

[C]

Saying that out loud is crazy. Like that is huge.

[B]

But all the cool opportunities could pull us apart.

[A]

It's causing issues in everyone's marriage. My whole world is falling apart right now is chaos.

[C]

Watch the Hulu original series, the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives now streaming on Hulu and Hulu on Disney. For bonus subscribers, terms apply. Okay, so interesting story in the news this week, Donald Trump put out an executive order. You worked for him for a while, remember?

[E]

Yeah, 954,000 seconds.

[B]

Actually, when I say it that way,

[E]

it makes me feel better.

[C]

The Ayatollah Tola dude lasted longer than you. He put an executive order. It is the policy of the administration to restore federal sites dedicated to history, including parks and museums, to solemn and uplifting, to remind Americans of our extraordinary heritage. Okay, this is my issue with so many things. The pendulum never stops in the middle. Have we whitewashed history somewhat? Yes, we have. But Trump comes in, he wants to. You know, because the left, very often, let's be honest, they don't appreciate America enough. They don't have it in perspective. It's all, we did terrible things. Well, we didn't just do terrible things. But Trump wants to whitewash all that. So he has said that the move to scrub national park sites of signs that cast America in a negative light and leaked an Interior Department. Here, a leaked Interior Department database reveals that U.S. plans to revise historical information. So this must already be happening. We went to the Smithsonian, got some pictures. Would you like to see what's going on? Oh, my God. For example, there, George Washington famously said, I can tell a lie, and every future president should be able to as well. When George Wallace stood in the doorway of an Alabama schoolhouse, he did it because he thought he felt an earthquake. These are definitely not. On December 7, 1941, Greenland attacked Pearl Harbor. I don't remember it that way, but the first thing Neil Armstrong did after he set foot on the moon was dance like he was jerking off. Two guys at once. That does not sound. Most of the US Soldiers who landed on Normandy beach during D Day were killed by windmills. Ronald Reagan said to Gorbachev, Mr. Gorbachev build this big, beautiful wall. Thomas Jefferson had sex with his slaves. Because when you're a star, they let you do it. The man who assassinated Kennedy was really named Lee Harvey.

[D]

Or

[C]

that's not true. And in the 1850s, over a million Irish immigrants came to America escaping starvation because Rosie o' Donnell had eaten all the food. All right, that's. That's not true either. But. So let's talk about. Let's talk about the war for a minute. Okay, Good segue. Trump says no air force. Iran has no air force, no missiles, and no navy. He says there's nothing left to bomb. Yeah, we have nothing left to bomb. Apparently, they have something left to bomb, which is the Strait of Hormuz. I don't understand this. We have complete military superiority. We're bragging about that, except for the one place where we apparently need complete military superiority. Do you understand this, why we can't control the Strait of Hormuz, the one place we need to control in Iran?

[B]

I don't think it takes much effort to create an obstacle on a very narrow bottleneck there. So I think they don't have to have much firepower. They're going to needif they're going to accomplish something. It's going to be by bringing the regime down and getting some sort of, getting some sort of compromise on that. It doesn't take much to fire cheap drones and menace menace ships so that they don't go through.

[E]

But we took four of our minesweepers in September and we redeployed them to other parts of the world. And so that was bad war planning because if we were going to make that attack and anticipated that they were going to close the strait, Bill, we would have had those minesweepers in place. That's been one of the things that's preventing us from getting our navy in there to take on the convoy.

[C]

Do you worry that the oil was headed to China? That's 90% of Iranian oil went to China. Venezuela, which we took over. A lot of that oil went to China. You remember what caused Japan to attack Pearl Harbor? It was that we cut off the oil. That's why they said they had to preemptively attack Pearl Harbor. Do you think China's going to see this as that kind of a threat?

[B]

If things go on a long time, you know, the way it's going to happen is that the Iranians will let the Chinese ships go through that. Ships going through China go through, which

[E]

they have been, by the way, the Iranian ships have been going through, heading for China. So they, they know where the mines are.

[C]

The Iranian ships are getting through.

[E]

Iranian tankers have been getting through.

[C]

And we're letting them through.

[E]

And we are letting them through because we don't want to escalate the situation with China.

[C]

So what is your estimation as to how this ends, how quickly and what's the upshot? Because everyone seems to be taking a bet on this.

[B]

Well, I'm pretty sure that nobody knows at this point.

[C]

That I would say is a safe bet. Yeah, but that's not, that's not what we know that. I just want you to know

[D]

I'm

[B]

not, I'm not running for governor and for president, and I didn't fire the first shot. So I would say I don't know how long this will last. But I know, I think the strategies and I think the question that you posed to the governor more sharply is they are big burden on the safety and health of the world. And we decided to do something about it. I wish that we had done something similar to North Korea when we still had the opportunity to do that, because they'll probably. Betheyl probably be the source of a lot of mischief to come. And there's nothing we can do about it because they have nuclear wars.

[C]

Nothing we can do about it.

[B]

And here there's something we could do about it. And they don't call you up and tell you when the last minute is. And also in my algorithm, whether to decide to do it or not is how close are we to them getting it? And also is this an opportunity that's fleeting and we had a moment of time where there's civil, you know, there's practically a civil war inside Iran. Their capacity to deflect missiles has been removed. And generally it may be. And we have all these machines in the area. This was an opportunity that we could do something that needed to be done. And you don't know when the last minute is.

[E]

I think the outcomes bill are, you know, I think what the President wanted was like a Delsey Rodriguez, too, a secularist, to take over, that he could negotiate with and make a friendly. I think that's less likely now based on what has gone on over the last couple of weeks. And so I think the next move would be to completely degrade the system and the infrastructure, and then it'll either end up as a failed state or it'll end up as a different form of Iran. And then the question is, will the Koreans, North Koreans, come in and give them nuclear weapons, which he has said publicly he's interested in doing.

[C]

The North Koreans are going to get the Iranians.

[E]

Kim Il Jong said that yesterday. He made a statement.

[C]

Well, that's not going to happen because we're going to make sure that there's not that kind of a resistance.

[E]

I understand that. So it's either a failed state state or a very severely degraded Islamic Republican state.

[C]

Well, civil war. You mentioned civil war. Let me show you two pictures. There's the picture of people dancing. And this is right after the attack. And I mean, this is what I think of as Iran, because I talked to the Iranians who live here in Los Angeles. They love this. Do we have that picture of people dancing or. Okay, that's one Iran. Then there's this picture. This was a few days ago. Look at that crowd. That's for the regime. Those are the people. So it's not one way. To me, I look at these two pictures and I see that is a civil war and maybe it needs a civil war. Maybe, no, maybe this doesn't happen any other way. I just don't want us to be involved in their civil war.

[E]

It might be good for the Israelis

[C]

though, because they've had.

[B]

But it wasn't so we weren't in such a great position. I know people are worried that because of what we're doing the Iranians are going to get mad at us now. But I think they were pretty mad at us before and I think they were trying to accomplish as much mischief as they can. We have not convinced them to lose that motivation, but we have done is we've certainly weakened their capacity to do as much mischief as they were doing in the past. So I think we're better off now. Now, is it a risky proposition? Do we know how it's going to be resolved? No, it could work out and it could goit could get worse from here, but I would say from a bet to make given where we were and where we were headed with them being motivated and having the capacity, I'd rather have them slightly more motivated, but infinitely with less of a capacity.

[E]

Gotta get this straight open though.

[C]

I mean, I'm looking at the big picture. I think Islam needs a reform. A lot of people have been saying that since 9, 11 and even. What that funny?

[B]

No, I'm thinking that. I'm thinking that we would probably not be appointed to the committee to reform it.

[C]

That is true.

[B]

Although I think we could do a pretty good job.

[C]

Somebody needs to do a pretty good job. And maybe this is the place where it starts. I mean, this is not an unsophisticated society and a lot of the people there do want to live. I mean, obviously we're not asking you not to be Muslim, we're just asking you not to be a theocratic state. I mean, my question is if we did take if the best part of it happened and Iran is now a democratic state and they can have free and fair elections, what if the wrong people win? Because that has happened before. Egypt, remember the Arab Spring and then Egypt had free and fair elections and they elected the Muslim Brotherhood. That's that second picture of that crowd who likes the regime. Algeria in the 90s, same thing happened. Free and fair elections. They elected the wrong people. And by the wrong people, I mean the religious fanatics. You know, it's very Easy to pretend, like the ruling class likes to do in the west, that it's just a few bad apples. But actually a lot of people in those societies want a theocracy. Then what do you do?

[E]

Well, listen, I think that's the biggest issue, Bill, because you've degraded the place and maybe you've pushed more people towards the regime as a result of all the things that are going on economically inside the country.

[B]

I'm not pro democratic. I don't think they have any history going back thousands of years of being democratic. I just want them not to have the capacity to blow us up. So whatever government they end up with, I hope a George Washington figure on a white horse emerges there. But I put a low likelihood at that. I just don't want them toi. Just don't want them to wreak havoc in the world and I don't want them to have the capacity to reach the United States with its ballistic missiles.

[C]

And is it going to. You guys bet on our markets for a living? What is the long term prognosis? What are you telling people who say, oh, you're a financial master. What do I do now with this?

[E]

I'll go first.

[C]

If this war is going on, what should I do with my mind?

[E]

Well, first of all, I think we have to support the president in the action because we're all Americans and we want to wish our troops safely. And I think the ultimate outcome will be that strait gets opened no later than mid April.

[C]

But my money, what do I do with my money?

[E]

Stay, Sit tight. Sit tight. Because there's going to be a lot of volatility between now and April. But I do think that the mission is ultimately going to be successful. The strait is going to get open price into crypto. Yeah, I do. I do own some bitcoin. I know you don't like it, but. I know, I know.

[C]

She said that very quietly.

[E]

Well, I mean, I watch your show. I mean, I watch your show. I listen to your podcast.

[C]

I know you don't like it, but

[E]

I put a lot of money.

[C]

I hate it. I hate it too.

[B]

I hate it. I. I like.

[E]

I mean, I have a position, oldest people on the panel.

[B]

It's like I. It's like I'm shorted because every time it goes down it makes me happy, even though I don't have anything involved in.

[E]

You tell me that before we got on the panel

[D]

for myself.

[C]

But you don't see it as a big slush fund for every criminal in the world.

[E]

You know, I tell you what, if you gave me two hours with you alone, and I laid it out for you. His buddies like Stan Druckenmiller, Ray Dalio, you pick the guys that have done the homework. Paul Tudor Jones, Mike Novogratz. If you do the homework, I would just say 9 out of 10 people end up owning some of it. And, you know, but if you've made the money in fiat currency and you're of a certain age, people aren't necessarily inclined to do that homework.

[B]

I guess I'm too old to like

[C]

it because you said that. I didn't just give you a second.

[E]

I said that I didn't.

[B]

I can't figure out. I can't figure out what it does. It's a medium of exchange. You can't buy anything with it. It's a store of value, showing your views, that's very volatile. And I think. And it's not a hedge of anything because when the bullets started to fly, gold went up and crypto went down. I think its highest purpose is to pay ransoms and to extortionists. And I don't know why the. Give me a second. I don't know why the US Government, I don't know why the US Government or any official sector would support something where you couldn't tell whether or not somebody was paying the North Koreans.

[C]

Right.

[E]

Okay, well, we had our former CIA a white paper on that saying how easy it is to track these things because of the blockchain. So that is an early statement about crypto. That's no longer the case. But I hear you, you don't like it, but your team at Goldman Sachs never really did 100% research on it, and they still don't like it. And they've missed a two plus trillion dollar market. And our friend Larry Fink, who didn't like it, now has the largest bitcoin ETF in the world. So all I'm saying is there are a lot of smart people that like it. And somebody like you, Bill, if you really sat down and learned about it, I think you'd be less skeptical. You're saying you wouldn't be? I believe you would be.

[D]

Look, I learned about it.

[C]

I have to be a chicken to know what an egg is. Okay? I know exactly what it is. All right, well, thank you guys for enlightening us on the economy. It's time for new rules. Okay, New rule. Now that a new study reveals that young people want male characters in movies to move away from masculine stereotypes and toward vulnerability and connection, the next James Bond must be Ed Sheeran. Say hello to the next gen 007. He likes his soy milk shaken, not stirred. He has a license to kill but prefers to listen. And Pussy Galore isn't his girlfriend. It's his nickname, Neural. Now that Michael Jackson's brother Marlon claims that Michael was taught the backward dance move we call moonwalking by an eight year old boy. Someone must ask him, are you sure the kid wasn't just trying to get away? The San Diego Bishop who resigned this week for allegedly embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars has to try and get Trump to give him a pardon. Here's what you do. Change your twiddle to maga Bishop dude with lots of American flags post daily that you've been treated unfairly by the radical anti Trump Pope. And then, well, you'll need to move 50 million into untraceable Trump family crypto via a bank in Qatar. So maybe try embezzling more money. New rule Stock photo companies have to come up with a different way to depict male impotence than the guy sitting on the edge of the bed in shame. Maybe it's not even his fault. Not to point fingers, but isn't it the same woman in every picture? Maybe he should be the one shooting daggers of disappointment at her while she sits on the side of the bed asking why can't I get a dickheart? The new call A boomer payphone that connects students at Boston University to a senior living complex in Reno, Nevada might not wind up getting the call cross generational communication they were looking for. You think we want to listen to a bunch of TikTok educated nudics talk our ears off about Palestine and your gender identity? You want to hear something from my generation? And finally, new rule as this Sunday's Academy Awards show is the 10th anniversary of the OscarsSoWhite campaign, someone must wear a ribbon that says we won. Just as a way to remind progressives, hey, you're progressive. Progress is what you're selling. Take the win. The Oscars are no longer a long, boring show full of white people. It's a long, boring show full of all people. In the last decade, Best Picture has gone to everything, everywhere, all at once. Green Book, Parasite, Coda, Shape of Water, Moonlight. Not to mention Nomadland, which might be about Somalia, but no one has seen it, so it's impossible to know. Acting. Oscars have gone to Will Smith, Michelle Yeoh, Zoe Saldana, Devine, Joy Randolph, Yoo Young Yoon. I apologize already for some of these names. Regina King, Viola Davis, Kikyu Wan, Daniel Kahlua and Marya Shalie Ali twice. Eight of the last 10 best director prizes have been won by underrepresented groups, not to mention 60% of the honorary awards. You can't argue with a straight face or even a gay face that the academy in 2026 still overlooks minority achievement, or that Hollywood is biased in favor of all white people. Just Australian. But come on, man, can we live in the present? No Academy member this year filled out their ballot thinking, well, I didn't think Chalamet was very good, but I'll vote for him because he's white. Hollywood isn't a secret cabal of racists. It's a secret cabal of people terrified of looking like racists. And I'm just tired of, no matter how much progress is made, social justice warriors feeling the need to gaslight us as if none of it had happened. A couple of years ago, the Academy established a very complex rule book that said you couldn't even be considered for Best Picture unless you met certain criteria, like 30% of the crew or two department heads had to be from underrepresented groups, and a main storyline had to be as well. Well, there goes my idea about a polka band in a ski. I mean, please don't get us wrong. We're not saying you can't hire who you want or make a movie about whatever you want, okay? That's exactly what we're saying. I'm surprised Trump hasn't sued them over it. But. But seriously, by this standard, you. You couldn't make Titanic today and hope to get nominated, or Braveheart or Amadeus. Apollo 13 was about a bunch of white people because white people have done some stuff, but somehow, without a production code, hidden figures got made and completed the historical record about how we got to the moon. Sinners this year is up for more Oscars than any movie ever. Sinners is good. It doesn't need affirmative action. Neither did Parasite or Shape of Water where She Fucks a Fish. How much more diverse can you get? A few years ago, Denzel Washington said we ought to be at a place where diversity shouldn't even be mentioned. Like it something special? Exactly. Sometimes I'm the equalizer. Sometimes it's an old English dude, sometimes it's Queen Latifah. I mean, the whole thing. The whole thing is so Hollywood. A room full of know nothings who call themselves the Academy, making everyone tremble before their judgment, even though their judgment is often terrible and fails the test of time. Maybe the hashtag should be OscarSorrong. Citizen Kane. It's a wonderful life, 12 angry men, singin in the rain, Dr. Strangelove, raging bull, Pulp Fiction goes on and On. Not a single Best Picture among them. Brilliant, brave, groundbreaking, intellectually honest films constantly lose to much more forgettable, trifling, sentimental stuff. Saving Private Ryan, lost to Shakespeare in Love, Sunset Boulevard, lost to All About Eve, Glory to Driving Miss Daisy. Gangs in New York to Chicago, Munich, lost to Crash, Citizen Kane, lost to How Green Was My Valley. Whatever the fuck that was. Reds lost to Chariots of Fire, Shawshank Redemption, lost to Forrest Gump. Some of the most iconic directors of all time. Hitchcock, Kubrick, Tarantino, Kurosawa, Bergman, Fellini, Rob Reiner have zero wins for Best Director. The Oscars should give out a new award. The Kanye West I'm going to let you finish award. Yeah, just put Kanye in the audience every year to jump up and say, I'm gonna let you finish. But Shawshank is one of the greatest movies of all time. And the acting awards, no better. They're constantly giving out the makeup for a snub Oscar. When an actor gets one because the Academy stepped on its dick the first 10 times, the guy should have won Al Pacino in The Godfather, Godfather 2, Serpico, Scarface, Dog Day Afternoon, I could go on Crickets. Then he plays a blind guy who screams, hoo Ha. And welcome to the winner's circle. It's like honoring Michael Jordan for when he played baseball. But. But you know why he won that one? Blind guy. I mean, afflictions win Oscar. Oscar has been given to so many people with diseases. It should wear a hospital gown.

[B]

I mean,

[C]

Blind, deaf, als, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer's amputee. There's nothing more automatic. Well, except if you're mentally challenged in some way. In Hollywood, never say the R word, but if you play it in a movie, they will give you a trophy. And the Academy is also constantly giving it to an actor when they're really giving it to the character the actor played. Not that these weren't all fine performances, but if you, as a nominee are up against someone who played Gandhi or Lincoln or Aaron Brockovich or Norma Ray or Ray Charles or Harvey Milk or the guy in Philadelphia or the dude at the Dallas Buyers, just stay home. It was never gonna happen. Also, stay home if you're up against someone who, you know, we suspect might not be up for an award again or just up again. Art Carney and Harry Ento beat Jack Nicholson in Chinatown, John Wayne in True Grit, Henry Fonda, Jack Palance. I call this the Grandpa's Last Christmas award. And it's always a lot. The only thing the Academy prizes more than this is if an actor makes the ultimate sacrifice, gaining weight or losing weight or even, dare I say it, making themselves unbeautiful. Fake ugly nose, please. Do you even have to ask? Oscars should have another new category this year, Best glue. All right, that's our show. I want to thank my guests, Anthony Scaramucci, Lloyd Blankfein and Governor Josh Shapiro. Club Random drops every Monday on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcast. Now go watch Overtime on YouTube. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you, gentlemen.

[A]

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

[C]

Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile with a message for everyone. Paying big wireless way too much. Please, for the love of everything good in this world, stop with Mint. You can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying. No judgments.

[B]

But that's weird.

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Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront

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