From Colbert to the WNBA...The Libs Are Not Alright - Plus, Karoline Leavitt Joins the Progrum

Summary

Ruthless Podcast Episode Summary Title: From Colbert to the WNBA...The Libs Are Not Alright - Plus, Karoline Leavitt Joins the Progrum
Release Date: July 22, 2025
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook
Guest: Carolyn Levitt, White House Press Secretary

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1. Introduction to the Episode

The Ruthless Podcast kicks off with a blend of humor and political commentary. Hosts Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, and John Ashbrook navigate through current events, focusing on the recent cancellation of Stephen Colbert's show, issues within the WNBA, and an exclusive interview with White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt.

2. Stephen Colbert’s Show Cancellation

The episode begins with a discussion about the abrupt cancellation of Stephen Colbert's late-night show. The hosts highlight the financial woes CBS faced, citing a loss of $40 million and the high cost of production.

• Josh Holmes [08:11]: "It costs $100 million to make it. They have 200 people on staff. He's paid $15 million and it loses 40."

The hosts critique the show's shift from entertainment to a partisan platform, suggesting that this pivot alienated a broader audience and led to its downfall.

• Comfortably Smug [09:17]: "It's better than a contribution to a super PAC. They get a nightly deal."

3. Drunken Parent Timers at Summer Swim Meets

Shifting gears, the hosts humorously delve into issues faced by parents volunteering as timers at summer swimming pools. The discussion centers around reports of intoxicated parents mishandling race timings, thereby affecting the fairness of competitions.

• Josh Holmes [04:31]: "If you are timing, this is how they sign off on this thing. If you're timing and notice another timer becoming impaired, please ask the head timer to find a replacement."

The banter highlights the challenges of maintaining integrity in youth sports amidst parental lapses in responsibility.

4. Exclusive Interview with Carolyn Levitt

The podcast features an in-depth interview with Carolyn Levitt, the White House Press Secretary. Levitt outlines the administration's accomplishments over the past six months, emphasizing the defeat of inflation and securing the U.S. border.

• Carolyn Levitt [32:00]: "Inflation is gone, prices are dropping, the economy is booming again."

She also addresses recent intelligence revelations, criticizing the mainstream media's handling of intelligence reports and defending the administration's stance against what she describes as a "Russia hoax."

• Levitt [37:46]: "When Barack Obama was leaving office in 2016, he conspired with the intelligence community to cook up a fake intelligence report and leak it to the press that Donald Trump was a Russian asset."

Levitt discusses efforts to streamline intelligence operations and ensure only trusted individuals have access to classified information, positioning this as a safeguard against misinformation campaigns.

5. WNBA: Relevance and Pay Equity Debate

The conversation transitions to the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), examining its struggle for relevance despite improvements in viewership fueled by star player Caitlin Clark.

• Josh Holmes [22:33]: "Whatever you think about Caitlin Clark, it has become relevant in the era of Caitlin Clark. People pay tickets to go see her."

The hosts critique the WNBA's financial model, highlighting the dependence on NBA subsidies and questioning the league's sustainability without substantial ticket and merchandise sales.

• Comfortably Smug [21:08]: "And for folks who are unaware, the WNBA gets money because they force NBA teams to subsidize them."

A heated debate ensues over pay equity, with the hosts questioning the logic behind demands for increased salaries in a league that historically struggles financially.

• John Ashbrook [25:00]: "I want to see the actual financials and then it's not up to us. Right?"

6. Hunter Biden’s Fiery Interview

A standout segment features clips from Hunter Biden's impassioned interview, where he lambasts media figures and Democratic consultants with unfiltered vitriol.

• Hunter Biden [56:31]: "Why do I have to fucking listen to you? What right do you have to step on a man who's given 52 years of his fucking life to the service of this country?"

The hosts react with a mix of amusement and disbelief at Biden's aggressive rhetoric, using the clip to underscore perceived media and political frustrations.

• Josh Holmes [58:05]: "He's not done. He's got more for us."

7. Engagement with Audience Comments

Throughout the episode, the hosts engage with listener comments, fostering a sense of community and encouraging audience participation.

• Listener Toni Colet [28:22]: "I vote that we don't do anything with the NPR money. Reduce the deficit and do not spend it."

The hosts discuss these inputs, emphasizing themes like deficit reduction and editorial independence, aligning with their conservative viewpoints.

8. Conclusion and Final Remarks

Wrapping up the episode, the hosts reiterate their perspectives on the discussed topics, maintaining a blend of humor and political critique. They express gratitude to Carolyn Levitt for her insights and encourage listeners to subscribe and engage with future episodes.

• Josh Holmes [67:06]: "What do you think a WNBA player ought to make? Should we open the books or what should we do? You answer all of that when you like and subscribe to the Ruthless Variety program."

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Notable Quotes:

• Josh Holmes [08:11]: "It costs $100 million to make it. They have 200 people on staff. He's paid $15 million and it loses 40."
• Carolyn Levitt [32:00]: "Inflation is gone, prices are dropping, the economy is booming again."
• Hunter Biden [56:31]: "Why do I have to fucking listen to you? What right do you have to step on a man who's given 52 years of his fucking life to the service of this country?"

Timestamp Highlights:

• 00:00-01:05: Introduction and initial banter about Stephen Colbert and political figures.
• 04:31-07:12: Discussion on drunken parent timers at summer swim meets.
• 08:11-12:22: Deep dive into Colbert's show cancellation and its implications.
• 22:33-26:13: Conversation on the WNBA's relevance and Caitlin Clark's impact.
• 31:01-46:43: Exclusive interview with Carolyn Levitt covering administration achievements and intelligence issues.
• 56:31-67:00: Hunter Biden's aggressive interview clips and hosts' reactions.

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This episode of the Ruthless Podcast offers a mix of political analysis, humor, and exclusive insights from a high-profile guest, providing listeners with a comprehensive look at current events from a conservative perspective.

Transcript

[Josh Holmes]

Let's get into Stephen Colbert. This guy gets aced and immediately the left erupts, which is a tell on yourself.

[Michael Duncan]

It was like Colbert saying, hakeem, you like to quote Biggie Smalls. What do you usually say?

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, my God.

[Michael Duncan]

Like that was the interaction. And Hakeem Jeffries took that clip and he was like, he always asks tough questions.

[Josh Holmes]

He's Donald Trump's number one enemy in Congress, Chicago Senator Dick Durbin. And now Dick Durbin has a new a government takeover of your credit card.

[John Ashbrook]

Today, consumers have thousands of choices in.

[Josh Holmes]

Credit cards, all with equal strong security. But Durbin's plan is less competition and less security, and that means more risk for your credit and your identity.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Tell Republicans in Congress, stop Dick Durbin's.

[Josh Holmes]

Takeover of your credit card before it's too late.

[Michael Duncan]

Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please.

[Comfortably Smug]

Keep the fate, hold the line and own the lids.

[Michael Duncan]

It's time for our main event.

[Josh Holmes]

Good Tuesday to you. Welcome back to the ruthless Variety Program. I am Josh Holmes, along with comfortably smug Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook. Left to right, across your radio dial. As always, folks, we got a banger for you here today. We got the White House Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt in the House.

[Comfortably Smug]

Let's go.

[Josh Holmes]

She's going to be here joining us shortly. And, well, it hasn't escaped our, our sort of inputs that the libs have. Well, they're not doing all right, fellas. It's not going well. It's been, it's been a real spiral. We cover it on a day to day basis here on the Variety Program. But if you've noticed the events of the last week or two, I, I.

[Comfortably Smug]

Mean, it's going great. Like it is raining content right now. I can't remember the pace it's been like this before.

[John Ashbrook]

I guess I keep on trying to figure out when they're going to hit rock bottom. Yeah, and they keep digging deeper.

[Josh Holmes]

It keeps getting worse and worse. And of course, part of what we're talking about we'll get into in a second is the Colbert thing in this incredible attack on free speech that we're seeing. But then old Hunter Biden Hunter, back for more, he makes his way into the headlines. If you haven't seen this yet, even if you have, you got to join the fellows for their take on all of this because he has reemerged in some kind of a podcast interview.

[Michael Duncan]

It's just unbelievable. And to continue on, what Duncan was saying about them digging deeper and deeper, they really are in a Mariana's trench of humiliation.

[John Ashbrook]

It Is it is. It's like they brought back a character from the previous season in some sitcom and it's like, where the hell this guy come from? Nobody wants your opinion, pal.

[Josh Holmes]

One thing I got to do before we jump into the Colbert thing is, you know, like, if you're anything like us young parents and you're dealing with kids in the summer and they're in camps and they're doing whatever, you know, you've gotta try to work your time in a way that's mentally sane, that you can keep yourself together. There's no rigors of school. And like the whole structure that you base your life around is like thrown into the air. I got sent an email over the weekend from people in the kind of The Northern Virginia, D.C. maryland area of kids that are on swimming teams in the area.

[John Ashbrook]

Oh, this is like a big thing around here.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Everybody's like, this is. They want their kids to do. It's great. It's a terrific bunch of programs and their kids can spend the summer and. But you know, you're a parent who's got to spend like seven hours out at the pool. And so this becomes somewhat of an issue. And they send out periodic updates about how things are going. Right. This one you guys are just going to love every minute. So it's just a standard update. There's just, you know, parents are doing it and they start with things like, you know, encourage your kids to stay in the. Stay in the swim areas. They don't want to be running around the pool deck and things like that. If you're going to be absent for a vacation, just let us know. And that all the third bullet timer drinking. What Bold headline. Unfortunately, we've had several reports of drunk parent timers this season. We understand that swimmer that summer swim and fun and social experience for everyone in the family. With that said, if you're volunteering your time, you are committing to ensuring each swimmer in your lane gets his or her fair time on Thursday night. I've had reports of timers not only writing down crazy times.

[Comfortably Smug]

Is that straight up crazy times?

[Josh Holmes]

Crazy times. But also giving times to the wrong kids. Oh, no. Wholly unacceptable. Many of our swimmers are trying to get the best times. They deserve the reward for their hard work. Many are also trying to qualify for all these things that they're doing. Please consider it's not a mandate. Please consider refraining from drinking until after the meet.

[Comfortably Smug]

Not happening.

[Josh Holmes]

If you do consume alcohol, please seek a replacement timer if you start to feel any effects.

[John Ashbrook]

May I ask a question here? How old are these kids that are swimming?

[Josh Holmes]

Anything from like eight to seniors in high school.

[Comfortably Smug]

Can I ask a question? Is there like a lifeguard present? It's not the timer's responsibility, correct?

[Josh Holmes]

No, no, they're just a timer. They're not supposed to save the kids.

[Comfortably Smug]

The hell if I'm not gonna drink.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, I mean, this is part of the thing, what they say. We're trained. It's not a prohibition. Strictly.

[Michael Duncan]

Here's the part of it you might not be considering. If you're a parent sitting there for seven hours and you're spending your time watching other kids swim. You know, your kid swims for a minute, two minutes, various points during the day, you're probably betting on the other kids. And so you want to make sure. You want to make sure that those times are sacrosanct because you got money riding on it.

[Josh Holmes]

That's right.

[Comfortably Smug]

Here's my thinking on that. Number one, it's great. You know, I think it's terrific for kids to get into sports because it teaches you so much about life. Right. And number one, life is unfair. You're probably gonna have a boss who's drinking on the job.

[Josh Holmes]

This is just character building that you need.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, also, if maybe your son is gonna be in college soon, you want to make sure Timmy has a bad time so that your kid gets the scholarship.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yep.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, I mean, maybe there's some of that.

[John Ashbrook]

That'd be the rules.

[Comfortably Smug]

My kid swims as much as they want. Get used to it.

[Josh Holmes]

That's not alleged here.

[John Ashbrook]

Okay?

[Josh Holmes]

They're not alleging a full scalping. You know, they're not. They' and the timer changes or anything. They're just alleging pure drunkenness.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, I'm sorry, but if I'm watching 8 year olds flop around in the water, I better be drunk.

[Josh Holmes]

This. But this is my favorite fair. Fair, fair.

[John Ashbrook]

Not exactly entertaining, which again, I'll go back.

[Josh Holmes]

They're not prohibiting. They're just saying if you're feeling.

[Comfortably Smug]

Is the pool serving or is it like you got to roll up with, like, a yeti?

[Josh Holmes]

No, they're serving.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, so the pools you're at, they're serving drinks?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, it sounds like. Yeah, it sounds like.

[Comfortably Smug]

What do you think's gonna happen?

[Josh Holmes]

So if you are timing, this is how they sign off on this thing. If you're timing and notice another timer becoming impaired, please ask the head timer to find a replacement. And then this is the kicker. The children deserve better. Just a bunch of drunken parents. It's such a perfect vignette into the World of a parent.

[Comfortably Smug]

My kid's the best. Who do you think is driving me home?

[Josh Holmes]

I had to get that in there. Cause I just howled at the whole thing. Because they got to figure out how to like, you know, sensitively address the issue without making rules that you can't enforce.

[Michael Duncan]

Sounds like they did a pretty good job.

[Josh Holmes]

I think this is a, this is like a Shakespearean type structure.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

To provide guidance without prohibiting fun. Which of course, as they said up top, is the purpose of the whole swimming meet. Fun.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, dude.

[Josh Holmes]

For young and old.

[Michael Duncan]

Great content right out of the gate.

[Josh Holmes]

For young and old. All right, let's get into Stephen Colbert, a CBS staffer. This is just so good. I don't even know where. Where to all start on all of this. But we all know that Colbert gets aced.

[Comfortably Smug]

He's got 10 months left.

[Josh Holmes]

And he gets aced for the reason stated by CBS that his show is losing ungodly amounts.

[John Ashbrook]

It costs $100 million to make it. They have 200 people on staff. He's paid $15 million and it loses 40.

[Josh Holmes]

And it's a studio show.

[John Ashbrook]

It's a studio show.

[Josh Holmes]

They, they provide as much content as we do here at the ruthless variety program. I think it's safe to say you probably know by now there are not 200 people.

[John Ashbrook]

It's like, I think the stunning. What stuns me about it is it's like worse financials than some of these USAID programs we taught.

[Comfortably Smug]

I just, I just want to point out. So we do put out more content by time than Colbert does over a given week.

[Hunter Biden]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

So we're certainly funnier.

[Comfortably Smug]

So Fox, if you're listening, 100 mil a year sounds reasonable.

[Josh Holmes]

I love this. He's already testing the boundary dude.

[John Ashbrook]

He's like a velociraptor testing the electric fence one weekend.

[Josh Holmes]

They're like, ah, this may be a mistake. We should have done that. Although it is reassuring the audience that in fact there are no governor on this train. This thing is on the tracks and it's heading one way. So anyway, this guy gets aced and immediately the left erupts. Which is a tell on yourself.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yes.

[Josh Holmes]

About the whole thing. I mean, we're used to David Letterman, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, people who had a sacrosanct view of what late night television was supposed to be. Commentary on the events, a little monologue that's supposed to be some yucks, make people laugh. And then an interesting movie star too, where you can, they can promo their thing, but then you do some jokes. And stuff and humanize the person. Great concept. Worked for, I don't know, 60 years.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's the thing is like the accusation was that, you know, Colbert had become this like liberal hack and the left's like, no, no, no, listen, this was just a comedy show. He made fun of Trump so that's why he lost his job. And then you have like Elizabeth Warren launching an investigation. You have Tim Walls being like, congratulations, you ran the best show ever. It's like, wow, hit dogs holler, don't they?

[Michael Duncan]

It's very clear.

[Comfortably Smug]

This was like their super PAC hour five nights a week that they're like, Listen, it loses $40 million, but the guy's got us on confidence.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, it's better that. It's exactly, it's better than a contribution to the super pac. They get a nightly deal.

[Michael Duncan]

There was a great clip that Hakeem Jeffrey showed from his prized moment with Stephen Colbert. And I don't know if you guys saw it, but it was like Colbert saying, hakeem, you like to quote Biggie Smalls, what do you usually say?

[Josh Holmes]

Oh my God.

[Michael Duncan]

Like that was the interaction. And Hakeem Jeffries took that clip and he was like, he always asks tough questions.

[Josh Holmes]

And my favorite was the Schiff thing. But I wanna to like, the media reacts because it's again, it's telling on themselves. Everybody who's off the left hand side of the spectrum in terms of media and everything else, politics, they've got something to say about this. Which says a little bit about where the Colbert show positioned themselves in the American consciousness. Can we play clip one, please? Your reaction, your thoughts on CBS's decision to cancel the Late show with Stephen Colbert and whether you have any concerns.

[Michael Duncan]

About what that might say about.

[Comfortably Smug]

About.

[Josh Holmes]

Media in general and media in the world of a Donald Trump presidency. Yeah, well, look, this has not been.

[Comfortably Smug]

A great week for free speech and.

[Josh Holmes]

Speaking truth to power, without a doubt. So it's very curious. And we have to also make note that Stephen Colbert is unafraid to again speak truth to power. He does it in a very bipartisan way over the years. Oh, sure, sure. Very bipartisan. Couldn't help but notice the first person with a tweet out was Adam Schiff.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, right, right.

[Josh Holmes]

It's like if you think of the construct with Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Jay Leno, folks like that, the idea that you'd have a senator who has been a senator for a cup of coffee, who has actually no real accomplishments other than being known as the most partisan amongst them in terms of politicians in D.C. who's radically unfunny.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

Has absolutely no personality.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

And that he is a desired guest of Stephen Colbert. Well, he erupted over it. He was like, there should be an investigation into all that. I just got offset. It's like, dude, the fact that you're on set is the reason why this show is going. You literally are the reason. And they're so dumb to not be able to figure that out. They've never masqueraded as a partisan program. They just became one.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

And they, like, lost viewers all kinds of different things. Made no attempt to try to position themselves with the center of the electorate. They just basically became a left wing mouthpiece. Yeah. You look at other shit. Like Seth Meyers is another one on NBC that follows very closely to this. You'll get like some. They'll put like a executive director of some Fly by Night super PAC on just. Just to have like a dem mouthpiece on. No entertainment value whatsoever.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's the thing, these shows, I mean, when they were Leno, when it was Letterman, it used to be about, okay, people are up late, let's entertain them. Letterman especially, he knew his demo. He's like, these are a lot of college kids who are up late. Let's just entertain the hell out of people. These shows weren't about entertainment anymore. They're about preaching to the choir. That's all they wanted to do.

[John Ashbrook]

No, that's what I love about putting in a hard day's work, getting home, and I really want to turn the brain off and just hear some funny stuff. What I really love is a left wing sermon from a program that'll have AOC and Bernie Sanders on every night.

[Josh Holmes]

Just injecting adrenaline into my arterial valve every night. Right. I mean, it's just. It's so bad. But anyway, it didn't stop with that.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, what. What can I just say before we move on to the next cl? What gets me is the temerity of libs like that woman who are saying, no, this is an affront to free speech on national television while she's sitting in like her kitchen with the bongo drum in the background saying whatever it is she feels like she wants to say. And she's like, no, free speech is over while I'm talking about it.

[Josh Holmes]

You know what the best part about that is? We didn't even identify. She's the former NPR CEO.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. And she's talking to Jonathan Capehart.

[Josh Holmes]

Right. Which gives you a perfect idea of why this rescissions package was such a perfect thing to do for Republicans is this is a person who doesn't see the $40 million loss as a problem for share shareholders or for the parent companies of cbs. It sees it as a public service to shit talk Republicans all day. And that's. That's the public service that we're all being deprived of, regardless of what it costs. Yeah, right. That's how they view media insanity. That's how they view media.

[Michael Duncan]

Absolute insanity.

[Josh Holmes]

That's why we're in this situation that we're in. Anyway, when we come back, you're gonna get more reaction from just the insane left, including a sitting senator, that I just find completely hilarious. Right after this. Hardworking Americans know when it's time to roll up our sleeves and get the job done.

[Michael Duncan]

Now is the time to unleash our.

[Josh Holmes]

Nation'S energy, to create jobs, secure our future, and make life better, more affordable, and full of opportunity for all Americans.

[Michael Duncan]

That's the power of America's oil and natural gas.

[Josh Holmes]

Learn [e-mail] paid for by the American Petroleum Institute. So we're talking about the insanity that the left has reacted with with the cancellation of the Colbert Show. Enter Chris Murphy. This cat. I've never seen a more perfectly packaged loaf of Wonder Bread that has more ambitions than this cat. I mean, he is. He jumps on everything, swings at every pitch. So, of course, this is one to be swung at. Let's put a graphic one, please. All right, this is where he. If you refuse to see what is happening, the cancellation of the Colbert show should open your eyes. I want to explain to you what a censorship state looks like. It's where a corrupt government gives favors to media that suppresses criticism of the regime.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, man.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh.

[Josh Holmes]

What do you. This is. Yeah, this is what it looks like, folks. No, it wasn't the last four years where we had an invalid.

[Comfortably Smug]

Here's the thing is this is. This is such a problem that the Dems fail to recognize is that when you have been telling Americans now, for the entirety of President Trump's first term in office, for his entirety of the time that he's been running, entirety of this administration, that, oh, my God, Trump's a fascist. This is what fascism looks like. Look, all your freedoms have been taken away. And then for every American, every time Trump is president, they're like, huh, my taxes have been cut, there's less crime, the border's secure, gas prices have gone down. Yet these guys are convincing me that I'm living in the Soviet Union and that, like, all my freedoms have been.

[Josh Holmes]

Taken away, which none of those things are covered on the evening news.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's like at some point they have to realize the boy who cried Wolf, even recognize.

[John Ashbrook]

So the, the, the tenuous connection that these libs are all using is that there's the CBS Paramount Skydance merger, which apparently will need federal government approval. And so there. The whole subtext to this stuff is like it's being shut down in a settlement favor so that that merger gets approved or whatever.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. And it comes. 60 Minutes had to have a settlement.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

As well. Right, right.

[John Ashbrook]

Anything that happens in media whenever people are losing money or they lose lawsuits, it's because F here in America. But the thing that doesn't logically follow is they're allowing Colbert to stay on for the next 10 months exactly. While his contract. Like, it doesn't make sense. If you're doing this to curry favor with Donald Trump, you would just take him off the air.

[Michael Duncan]

Michael, Michael, you didn't listen to the NPR CEO who clearly said free speech is over. She told us, Michael.

[Josh Holmes]

She said it well. And she's been defunded. Her speech, in a sense, may very well be over. But. But another piece of it is part of the reason why they can't make up the difference on the 40 million deal. Yeah. Is because their ad demo, the demo that is now in the middle of this. The ratings of the Colbert show when Letterman left, it had gone up to 60 years old, the average age of a viewer of Letterman. And they were like, well, let's get a younger guy in here. You know, snappy Daily show type guy. It'll help us go back into the targeted demo, like revitalize and bring some youth to the show.

[Michael Duncan]

Makes some sense.

[Josh Holmes]

You know what it is now? 68.

[Comfortably Smug]

Amazing.

[Michael Duncan]

It went from 60 to 68.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

You gotta be kidding me.

[Josh Holmes]

No, it's the same audience, which is kind.

[John Ashbrook]

You know why? I mean, you look at the left and everything that they're doing in the Trump era, and it's no surprise that the demo goes higher. Look at those no Kings protests. A bunch of, like, old liberal boomer hippies out there. Those are the same people that watch his show. I find it particularly amazing that you could be on a broadcast network in the United States of America with a late show and you do a million less than Gutfeld does on Fox.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, yeah, totally.

[John Ashbrook]

I mean, think about that on cable.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, and yeah, the added benefit. I mean, think about the number of eyeballs you have access to in broadcasts.

[John Ashbrook]

The number of people who get tricked into Watching your show because they wanted to watch something else.

[Josh Holmes]

Right. You know, they just left the set off.

[John Ashbrook]

They left the set on. I was in for the football and oh, oh, here's this guy.

[Josh Holmes]

Here I am, Joe. It's terrible. Well, I mean, if $40 million in the red is something that you are interested in, you may be interested in our next story regarding the wnba.

[John Ashbrook]

Yes.

[Josh Holmes]

So they had their all star thing, and the WNBA continues its long march towards irrelevance in many ways. And you won't believe the clips that we've got here. Why don't we just start with a clip two, if you don't mind. These are T shirts that all the all Stars, the WNBA are wearing that say, pay us what you owe us. Oh, sure, right. This is an argument. If you followed professional women's athletics that was like the Megan Rapinoe call to action during women's soccer that now apparently WNBA has adopted, which somehow takes leave of their senses in terms of what the balance sheet looks like and then demands to be paid what they're owed. It goes back to a democratic argument that was made all through the early 2000 and tens that was like pay in equity.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

And then they always just cited men being paid more.

[Comfortably Smug]

And for folks who are unaware, the WNBA gets money because they force NBA teams to subsidize them. Because the WNBA people don't pay 28 years. Yeah. So people don't pay enough in ticket sales and merch sales for. For the WNBA to exist. So the NBA has to pay for.

[Michael Duncan]

Them at the risk of getting shit on for the next 45 minutes.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, here we go.

[Michael Duncan]

Let me just say I read that I found very interesting. Posted by Dave Portnoy he made a point that the WNBA is actually doing better this year than they ever have before. And a lot. He didn't say this, but you got to assume a lot of that is due to Caitlin Clark. I took my girls to see a game that she played here in town and it was filled to the brim. Everybody just wanted to see her hit those three pointers. And I think there may be something to the idea that the WNBA is doing a little bit better because you have somebody like Caitlin Clark who gets hit in the face and keeps going, versus a guy like LeBron who gets hit in the face and rolls around and cries and says, please give me a foul call. Like I said, please have my son.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, there's no question that the market has improved and there's no question that it's directly related to Caitlin Clark's. Arrival in the wnba. I know that that bothers my friend. Smug. But it is true. Which is a perfect segue to clip three, please.

[Carolyn Levitt]

We didn't, at least as players, we didn't know that that was going to happen. So I think it was kind of like a genuine surprise. But the T shirt just united front was determined this morning that we had a meeting for. And you know, not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark. We're very present for that. But no, we were just. We had a very.

[Comfortably Smug]

That really needed to be mentioned.

[Carolyn Levitt]

I'm trying to make a situation light, okay?

[Michael Duncan]

This is the problem with their league. They don't know what they have.

[Comfortably Smug]

This is crazy. Is that like, you know, a bunch of women in this league would be catty.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, this is the great irony of the wnba, which is whatever you think about Caitlin Clark, it has become relevant in the era of Caitlin Clark. People pay tickets to go see her. They bring their daughters. It's become something that you see regularly. You want to see the performance of Caitlyn. And yet all of the people not on the Indiana Fever where Caitlin Clark plays do their very best to try to undermine her, injure her in court.

[Comfortably Smug]

Good, good, good. Here's the thing, and I've said it before for folks who haven't heard, Caitlin Clark came out and she made all these woke statements. She was like, man, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for these black players, these black women who are trailblazers and on my team. And you shouldn't thank me. You should thank them. And it's only because of them that we have anything. And she's like very pro George Floyd. And it's like, here's the thing, Whenever her fellow players beat the shit out of her, she deserves it. That's what you get. You can bow down to the mob and all that happens is it makes it easier for them to steamroll you. Every time they do this and treat her like that, it makes me happy. Because that's what you get. You bow to the mobile. That's what you get.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, the point is made in that they treat her with no respect whatsoever. But I do think the finances speak for their themselves on this.

[John Ashbrook]

But I don't. I don't know that they really do like the dumbbe. The WNBA's books aren't like open. We don't. We don't get to take a fine tooth comb through, like what their revenue is and ticket sales and all of these sort of things. I hope you actually we actually get to the point where we can see the finances of it so that we have clarity in the whole thing. And so these left wing people who are like, well no, it's extremely popular and yada yada yada, people who actually don't actually watch the games. Right. But just like to write articles about how important it is. I want to see the actual financials and then it's not up to us. Right?

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, no, that is just.

[Josh Holmes]

No, it's just transparent. But I think it is a point of fact that before she got to the WNBA for 25 long years, there was this running conversation about how the NBA was basically existing in large part to subsidize the WNBA that nobody ever really went to go see it. It had not much revenue. They were basically a professional bunch of franchises that supported a product without a marketplace. That much we know for 25 years now. How much better it's done, I don't know because we don't know the numbers, but we do know the ratings numbers and they are getting significantly more people.

[Comfortably Smug]

Watching, which is still not great ratings. But it's like saying like, oh well, there were three people who were watching it last year, this year there's four.

[John Ashbrook]

Ultimately, at the end of the day, it's marketability of the individual athletes in the sport that make the sport work. And I noticed these women who want some sort of pay equity in the wnba, no one batted an eye when Livy Dunn was getting 20 million or whatever she was in nil money. No one was saying, well we have that money distributed to the other athletes on the LSU gym gymnastics team.

[Comfortably Smug]

Why aren't the male gymnasts getting paid out of Livy Dunn's pockets? Say how much you owe?

[Michael Duncan]

What? That's an excellent point. They should wear those shirts.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, I mean it's a fair point. It's a fair point. So, interested in all of you weighing in this, our question of the day here in the ruthless variety program. What do you think they should be paid? Like, do you think, do you think? You know, I mean, all these finances, there's franchises that are owned by NBA teams. The entire thing is owned by like, do you have to open those books if they're going to make a statement like this, don't they just have to open those books?

[Michael Duncan]

I think so. And I will tell you guys a quick story. One of my buddies from high school posted on Facebook years and years ago, would you rather find $5 on a sidewalk or have your WNBA team win the championship? And he went viral.

[John Ashbrook]

That's so mean.

[Michael Duncan]

He went viral for it. Every girl from the high school was like, you can't say that.

[Josh Holmes]

That's terrible.

[Michael Duncan]

You can't say that.

[Comfortably Smug]

Best take ever.

[John Ashbrook]

He might be a bigger troll than smart.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's a class.

[Josh Holmes]

That is a hardcore.

[Michael Duncan]

He's a big Democrat. I thought it was funny.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, we love your answers to these questions. What would you pay a WNBA player? And how would you go about formulating that? That's our question of the day today. When we come back, we want to get to your question from last week, which is who should get the NPR PBS money? It's in the rescissions package. We've saved it. Does it go back to the government for deficit reduction or is there another idea? When you like and subscribe to the Ruthless Variety program, we read everything. And when we do, we summarize it and read it right back to you here on the next show. And we're going to get to it right after this. America's beverage companies are investing in America. We're American companies making American products with American workers in America's hometowns. We're local bottlers and manufacturers operating in all 50 states, employing more than 275,000Americans in good paying jobs delivering for the nation because we believe in the promise of America and the people who make it great. Learn more at wedeliverforamerica.org, paid for by the American Beverage Association. You've liked and subscribed to the Ruthless Variety program and now it's time to leave your opinions. What do we say here on the Variety program?

[Michael Duncan]

Like and subscribe. Like and subscribe. If you wish to opine.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's right.

[Josh Holmes]

And to do that, we always start.

[Michael Duncan]

With a voice first comment comes from Toni Colet. I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly. Tony writes, I vote that we don't do anything with the NPR money. Reduce the deficit and do not spend it.

[Josh Holmes]

Tony, that's a fine take. I am with you on that. I think the vast majority of our listeners would be. But perhaps there's more other sort of innovative thought processes to examine.

[John Ashbrook]

We'll call it deficit reduction brought to you by viewers like you.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's good.

[Josh Holmes]

Set up the telethon, folks. Here we go. What do we got? Dunks.

[John Ashbrook]

This is from Natalie Davis. Natalie writes, for the Question of the Day, I have to refer back to what I learned from Dave Ramsey about budgeting. Either give the money back to the people you stole it from or use it to pay down the debt. A teeny tiny Bit. But for God's sakes, big government, do not, I repeat, do not find a new place to spend it.

[Josh Holmes]

It's fantastic. I love it. It's the bit that maybe the taxpayer should get a little something back for what they've wasted on this garbage programming over the last whoever knows long. All right, Comment three, Smuggles.

[Comfortably Smug]

This comment comes from Gloria, and it's about us getting that foxtail. It says, thanks, guys, for addressing your subscriber concerns about your editorial independence. Actions speak louder than words, but it's good to hear the words, too.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

And if I'm not here for the next episode because I demanded a hundred million dollars.

[John Ashbrook]

That is hilarious.

[Josh Holmes]

If for some reason he appears with duct tape over his mout, then the actions, I guess, will speak louder than any words we have. But I thank you for that. And there was a lot of comments over the last week wondering about all this. I know you fellas addressed this on Friday's program, which I greatly appreciate, but that's what you gotta know and appreciate about this deal that we did is that it's not so much us as it is Fox that just really wants the authentic thing that we've been doing here. The relationship that we have, you with you, the audience. And they don't want to change any of that, which to us was so attractive. And that's why we're doing what we're doing. We just have more and bigger.

[Comfortably Smug]

They said, straight up, don't change a single thing. We love what you got. Just do more of it.

[Josh Holmes]

Just do more.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's it.

[Josh Holmes]

And if you can't tell by the first couple of segments, hey, I think we're right back on the path of where we've always been. Listen, this is one of our absolute favorites. She's just terrific. You know her and you love her as the White House press secretary. She's also a very, very good friend of the program. Carolyn Levitt, welcome to the program.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Thank you for having me. It's my honor, truly.

[Comfortably Smug]

Thanks for coming back.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Thank you.

[Comfortably Smug]

You're one of the favorite. It's one of the highest fan requested guests. When we're like, who should we have on the show? Karen Levitt. Karen Levitt.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Well, you were absent from my first appearance on the show.

[Josh Holmes]

Yes, let's do that.

[Comfortably Smug]

I had to visit my mother. I'm sorry. I'm a great son.

[Carolyn Levitt]

As a mother of a son, that's an acceptable excuse. If you're telling me the truth.

[Comfortably Smug]

100%.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Okay. I can't tell what your glasses. If you're lying or not. So I hope that's an honest answer.

[Josh Holmes]

He's blind. How dare you. Oh, one of our best comments. Listen, all of our listeners are well aware of the six months that you all have been doing this. But I think what we don't do enough is just do a moment in time, just stop and look back. Because so much has happened, so much of this agenda has been accomplished. The stuff that the President talked about on the campaign trail, day in and day out of things, aspirational, things that you could try to get done and like, you look back in six months, what's left on the list? Yeah, it's incredible.

[Carolyn Levitt]

It is incredible. If you think back to the campaign, which you guys covered and I was part of, the President really promised, he promised so many things, but really two things, right? Defeat inflation and secure the border. Those were the two campaign promises we went to every rally and spoke about, no matter where we were in the country. And those were always the top two issues in every single poll, across every demo. And he's delivered on that in six months time. I mean, I don't think you could look back at any presidency from either party and say a president delivered on their two signature campaign promises in six months. Totally. Inflation is gone, prices are dropping, the economy is booming again. The Wall Street Journal, front page this morning said the economy has its swagger back as they quoted. And then look at the border. It's so remarkable. And he did it all via executive power and orders.

[Josh Holmes]

But we did, we were told reliably, you couldn't do that.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Yeah, we were told you needed a bill to secure the border. We were told that, which was bullshit. You just needed a president. And the American public trusted that. And then if you look at what he's already done, he's already codified the entire MAGA agenda through Congress in six months with the one big beautiful bill. So there's so much more. Look at foreign policy, the wars he's stopped and prevented. He always says I don't get enough credit for stopping nuclear war between India and Pakistan. But he really did negotiate a ceasefire. The hostages that have come out of Gaza, you know, just success after success. All of the trade deals already with more to come. So it's been a remarkable six months. The president works literally 24 7. And we're having a lot of fun doing it. So there's more work to do, but it's been a really good, successful ride so far.

[Josh Holmes]

You can always tell who's winning based on who's having the most Fun, True. And consistently it appears like you and your team in the outward facing part of the White House, obviously the President and Vice President seems like the entire cabinet is consistently upbeat, excited about the next challenge, that it does a lot to public consciousness. When you're communicating this optimism, I definitely.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Think, I know the President is having a lot more fun in Washington this time around than he did in the first term. Right. Like as he says in his first term he was not only fighting to govern, but he was fighting for survival through the Russia hoax, which I know hopefully we'll talk about with Dni Tulsi Gabbard and what she's been doing lately. But you look at the impeachments, you know, he's been through so much and now he's back, he's been feeling vindicated. And it's fun when you actually do what you said you were going to do. Unlike politicians who just lie and say one thing and do something else and then you to figure out how to get away with it with your voters. Like the President says something and he does it. And that's fun. It's fun to deliver on those promises. It's fun to message those promises from a communication standpoint. And he's doing what he said he would do. It makes it easy.

[Josh Holmes]

I think that's a big part of it. Watching you and the podium and your team and how you handle just an incredibly hostile press, they've learned nothing. But typically you're in your position and most press secretaries, you have your message, what you're trying to sell, and then there are just things that come up and there's always some kind of a hedge or some kind of a. You don't have any nuance on that. It's what I find so refreshing about watching your daily briefings is that you're just gonna take all these questions head on and you're unconflicted about the position that the administration has taken, which makes in some ways it's so much easier to communicate. Cuz whatever the filter is that the mainstream media is trying to apply to it, it you're just gonna tell it like it is.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Yeah. And I have a boss who empowers me to do that and I'm really grateful to the President for that. Before every briefing I do my check in with him and I ask him whatever question is out there that I don't know how he feels on. I'm like, sir, yeah, what are we doing? They're gonna hammer on me on this one today. What are we doing? And he tells me how he feels and then we go over like, okay, let's say it this way or that way or. And then every time, every time before I take the podium, he always says, just have fun, honey. Like, those are always his parting words. Just have fun with it. He said it to me today before I did a TV interview, because that's what he does. Totally. You own it and you either, like, learn to go with the flow or you're gonna drown. Right? And so we just go with the flow and roll with the punches. But he's honest and he's authentic. And as a spokesperson, it makes my job a heck of a lot easier in many ways. I think my predecessor in his role was not good at the job for a lot of reasons, but I almost feel bad for her because she had an impossible task to speak on behalf of a brain dead president. I say that with, like, sincerity in my heart. When you're hiding that big of a secret. Yes, yes. She was engaged in a cover up that was forced upon her by people much more powerful than she was. And she was told to lie, I presume. I mean, I wasn't there.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's amazing that you're told, just have fun with it. And then she's told, don't bring up that he's brain dead. Don't do that.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Two very different circumstances. I'm very fortunate to be in this position.

[Josh Holmes]

The president is not really the president. So you've got to figure out how to do. I mean, I can't even imagine the struggles with that.

[Carolyn Levitt]

I can't imagine having an auto pen running the country and pretending like it does it. I mean, it's true. That's what was going on.

[Michael Duncan]

Caroline, you mentioned and the DNI report, which was explosive. And of course the mainstream press is like, I don't know that we want to write about that, but it was breaking absolute news, telling a story that a lot of we've talked about here on the show over the years. But I wonder if you could just sort of walk through the details of that report and what Tulsi Gabbard has presented.

[Carolyn Levitt]

For sure. And I'm so pleased to be asked about it because I just did a gaggle out in front of the White House with all the White House press corps and not, not a single question came up about it. And as I walked away, I was kicking myself, like, I should have brought it up to them because they don't.

[John Ashbrook]

Have any more questions to ask because they wrote all these stories and they were all perfectly sourced and they were accurate and they won all of those prizes for them.

[Josh Holmes]

Prizes? Award.

[Carolyn Levitt]

They're not giving up their Pulitzer Prizes anytime soon. But, no, this is huge news, and I give great credit to Tulsi Gabbard, who's doing a phenomenal job for declassifying key documents that prove the president and, you know, his supporters, millions of Americans who always saw this for what it was, were right. And, you know, for those who haven't been following, it is a very convoluted story because of the lies told by the fake news media. But essentially, when Barack Obama was leaving office in 2016, he conspired with the intelligence community to cook up a fake intelligence report and leak it to the press that Donald Trump was a Russian asset and it was paid for by the Hillary Clinton campaign. Meanwhile, Obama was going to the cameras publicly saying that we support a peaceful transfer power. I watched a clip of him this weekend saying, you know, I'm going to do everything I can to help Donald Trump come in. That's how our country will be successful. He said that to President Trump's face in the Oval Office during that transition period. Meanwhile, he was holding secret meetings in the White House with top law enforcement and intelligence officials to put out this fake intelligence and mislead the American public. And really, what they were trying to do is muddy the waters at the very beginning of the president's administration to lead to these impeachments into all of the smears and the lies that were told about the president that, unfortunately, so many people in our country believed, because for decades, you picked up the New York Times and you believed that what you read in that paper was truth. And really, I think the Russia hoax, it was one of the greatest political scandals this country has ever seen. And it's a shame the media won't cover it for what it was. But again, I. I commend Tulsi Gabbard for doing that and for bringing light to this real fraud that took place. And so much money wasted, so many lies told, lives were ruined because of this. You think about General Michael Flynn and so many others whose lives were destroyed. This is the deep state. I mean, this is. Is what they do firsthand.

[Josh Holmes]

It also unmasked the sourcing of many big news outlets in terms of how they reported on intelligence. We've talked a lot about the clappers and the Brennans and all the TV contracts for them and all of their acolytes. And like I witnessed firsthand in that era where you'd show up at a green room somewhere and these guys would basically give a wink and a nod like, I can't tell you how I know all of these things because obviously it's highly classified and I alone in this room have access to this sort of thing. But I can assure you it's all pretty dangerous stuff. And then it left to the viewer an assumption of some sort of expertise that they might have, which again, I think is so important at the beginning of this administration to ensure that folks like that don't have access to all the intel totally, because they just manipulate it for public consumption and they, they.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Manipulate it to push a narrative that they want to see out in the press. And we saw a little glimpse of this in the follow up to the President's highly successful attack on Iran's nuclear facility. Immediately we had intel sources leaking to places like the Washington Post who are just gullible sheep for the Deep State. Or CNN reporter Natasha Bertrand, who wrote about the Russia hoax, like it like Unprovan Valley. Exactly. She wrote that the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation, which was another lie pushed by the Deep State. I mean, there's a list we could continue on, but those same reporters who have been used as sheep by these dishonest people were trying to discredit the President's attack on his Iranian facilities. But they didn't get away with it. Because we've seen this game played before, right? And unlike, I think, you know, the first administration where everyone was new to the city, like everyone was just trying to do their best, we know this is how playbook. This is the playbook. And we're going to push back forcefully against it. And we did not allow these bad actors who remain in this city in positions of power to do that and to undermine the President's successful change.

[Josh Holmes]

It's an incredibly important development. And I don't think people understand just how significant it is. If you don't have faith and trust in intelligence operations and agency agencies in this country, that's what separates America from third world situation.

[Carolyn Levitt]

And it's not, you know, people of course, know about the CIA as the Central Intelligence Agency for the United States, but there are so many smaller intelligence agencies at a few different departments where there are so many people who have their hands on classified and top secret material. So I know this administration is working on how to, how can we streamline that and how can we make sure only the most trusted and responsible individuals in our government have access to this material and are using it in a way to advance our interests, not undermine the Sitting President of the United States.

[Josh Holmes]

No killing. We want to play a game with you, but I got a personal question first.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Okay.

[Josh Holmes]

You're a remarkably well adjusted human, which I find. Thank you. Which I find incredibly unique in this town, particularly one who is so externally facing. I mean, you know when you wake up in the morning that like half the country is just bred to hate you.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Oh, yes.

[Josh Holmes]

But you've embraced that and now you're in this huge high profile role six months in, and you seem to have just kind of dealt with it at a personal level. Like you got a young family, you've got. You do like all the normal stuff that like normal people would do, except most people who are in a position like yours, like, you can't do normal.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Like, it just, it affects you.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

I'm wondering if you, just as you looking at that, is there any, like, trick that you've sort of developed? Is it the group that you have working around you? What?

[Carolyn Levitt]

Yeah, I think I have a great team at the White House, most of whom came from the campaign. And so, you know, they get it. Like, they get how this city is and they're great, great staff. I have a great family. Like, my husband is a rock star and just super, super supportive. And I think being a mom and being a parent just gives you such perspective.

[Josh Holmes]

Nothing humbles you more.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Nothing humbles you like, who gives a what people think. I have a son at home who just wants to play trucks and like, hang out, you know, so that has really helped me, I think. But, you know, there's things I, I can't do that I used to be able to do. But, you know, mostly I live my life. We went out, you know, shopping in Old Town this weekend and there's a lot of people that roll their eyes. There's also a lot of people that want selfies too. So, like, that's fine. And you know, I've just learned that there's always going to be people that dislike you. So, you know, who cares? And I know, you know, I wake up every day to just try to do my job to the best of my ability and make the President proud and my family proud and myself proud and the country proud, hopefully. And, you know, just tell the truth.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, it's just a remarkably optimistic.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Thanks.

[Comfortably Smug]

Especially when you're dealing with like, the worst people.

[Josh Holmes]

That's kind of what the underlying part of this is, right.

[Comfortably Smug]

Is that you've got to become a really bad person.

[Josh Holmes]

You're well on your way and all of us sort of form this outlet, in some ways, of, like, none of us were White House press secretary, but because we had to deal for so long with such a hostile press corps, like, we needed our own outlet, we had to do our own thing to try to figure out the mental capacity of, like, how do you unload this burden that these put on your plate every day?

[Carolyn Levitt]

Yeah. I mean, you just can't get frustrated by it. And I've learned very quickly, and this is something I've learned by watching our chief of staff, Susie Wiles, who has the hardest job in this town, arguably in the world, but she, like, never gets frazzled by anything. And when she's presented even with the largest of problems, she just. I've. No, I've watched her, you know, she just takes it in and takes a breath and then moves forward. And so I've tried to emulate that myself. And, you know, you have, like, staff or whomever, colleagues come up with a frenetic like, ah. And it's like, it's gonna be okay. Right. Like, the President has endured so many horrible fake news cycles, and he's still standing. And he's the best at this, by the way.

[Josh Holmes]

He is.

[Carolyn Levitt]

He sees a negative story, he punches back, and he goes to fight the next one. And so that's just the world we live in. And when I go home, I try to shut it off and, like, enjoy the more important things in life. Right. Like family and all of that. But when you're in it, you just. You can't get bogged down in it, or else you will drown.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, that's a really refreshing perspective. So one of the things we do on the Variety program is we play a game.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Let's do it.

[Josh Holmes]

We like to sing and dance and entertain.

[Carolyn Levitt]

I love to do games.

[Josh Holmes]

What are the games that we play? Some games that we haven't played for a while, actually.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's been a while.

[John Ashbrook]

Been a while.

[Josh Holmes]

It's called hard pivot. And it's our appreciation for, like, the better communicators in politics writ large in that invariably what happens is you have a message that you have to push. And there's a bunch of reporters out there. They're gonna ask you about whatever the hell they want to ask you about, but you've got that message. You've got to push, so you've got to work that in. It's the pivot. Whatever the question is, you have to work that pivot in. And then we also like to throw in a little plug at the end for bonus points. Yes.

[John Ashbrook]

So the Setup here is that you're going to be the judge.

[Carolyn Levitt]

So I just get to sit back?

[John Ashbrook]

You get to enjoy.

[Comfortably Smug]

You enjoy the show.

[Michael Duncan]

You get to enjoy the show and provide some commentary.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Okay, yeah, I'm happy to do it.

[John Ashbrook]

Holmes and I will be playing as the contestants. We're going to be the spokespeople, the communications directors, whoever it is, who have to pivot from the question to the topic. Smug. You're going to be asking the question.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's right.

[John Ashbrook]

You're going to be the reporter. And then you.

[Michael Duncan]

I'm going to press secretary for each of you.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Michael Duncan]

And I'm telling you what you have to pivot to, so.

[Josh Holmes]

But we also assume identities that are not our own.

[Michael Duncan]

Exactly.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. And not only do we have to pivot, but then there's a plug for bonus points. It's sort of like, you know, in ice skating in the Olympics, how they evaluate the scores based on the difficulty of the move.

[Josh Holmes]

The triple axle, if you will, a double sao.

[Michael Duncan]

Saa.

[John Ashbrook]

If you. If you're. If you can fit the plug into your pivot, you get bonus points.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Got it?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Okay, so who's who here?

[Michael Duncan]

So we'll start with you, Mr. Holmes. Here's your plug. Okay. And, sir, I will tell you.

[Josh Holmes]

What's my identity?

[Michael Duncan]

Your identity is a Democrat consultant to a former liberal intel official for President Obama.

[Josh Holmes]

It's on topic.

[Carolyn Levitt]

That's tough insert.

[Michael Duncan]

Sir, if I could just ask you please, to hem one thing in. It's that the 2016 election was stolen by Russia. You have to remind the reporter that that's what happened.

[Carolyn Levitt]

So we're just repeating the lies that we just talked about. Perfect.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay, so I. And intel spokes for, like, an Obama.

[Michael Duncan]

Former Obama guy.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Just call Natasha Bertrand and you're gonna be over.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, I just read her column. I should be set. And. And my. My plug is that 16 was stolen by Russia. Okay. And you're the reporter.

[Comfortably Smug]

I am.

[Josh Holmes]

What are you gonna ask me?

[Comfortably Smug]

My question to you is, please explain how your efforts in the Obama administration made it possible for Trump to destroy Iran's infamous nuclear development site at Fordo.

[John Ashbrook]

This is tough.

[Josh Holmes]

I gotta go to Iran.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Roger.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay. My plug.

[Michael Duncan]

You can do it, sir.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay. All right, thank you.

[Carolyn Levitt]

This is highly enjoyable.

[Josh Holmes]

Thank you. Thank you for the question. I think we can stipulate here at the outset that the Trump administration and President Trump himself has been more focused on retribution against his political enemies than he ever was on any intelligence briefings amongst his enemies. I would say does not include Russia. And we found that out, sadly, as a country in 2016, because of course, the stolen election that we saw at that particular point in time something that they are trying to punish people for telling the truth. Frankly, this is a bunch of painstaking work that has been done throughout the intelligence community. I, for example, had my eyes on not only what was going on in Russia, but the critical work that was done and Iran to make sure that all of us were safe from the nuclear threat of Iran. I will say the way the Trump administration handled it was not good. These are people that can be reasoned with. They, for example, respond very favorably to pallets of cash. We had no problem. We were delivering cash their way. And so they've taken a wrong direction, but they would have no direction at all if not for the work that we did during the Obama administration. But I've been focused all along on the threats that are to America, whether it be Russia, whether it be to Iran, which you can find on my new podcast entitled White Supremacy. America in Danger.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Wow, that was impressive.

[John Ashbrook]

That's good. Very good.

[Michael Duncan]

Your Honor, do you care to provide any commentary on that response?

[Carolyn Levitt]

I have to say I am incredibly impressed. How you just went from a good old Republican boy to an analyst on MSDNC real quick.

[John Ashbrook]

That's scary.

[Carolyn Levitt]

A little frightening. Even your body language changed. Your head was moving in ways I haven't seen.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, I had. You got to be a little bit.

[John Ashbrook]

You have to channel.

[Carolyn Levitt]

You really were channeling the energy.

[Josh Holmes]

It's self important.

[Carolyn Levitt]

May I criticize one a little long. You were a little long in the tooth. Is that the saying? Because you were clearly lying. And that's what people do when they're just riffing. I don't know any other way, but overall quite good. But I'd like to see what you're.

[John Ashbrook]

Trying to lie succinctly. What do you got for me?

[Michael Duncan]

Okay, so you, Mr. Duncan, you are a former consultant to USAID firm. Okay. And you spent a lot of time in Africa and what I could just. I just want to encourage you to drive the message that you are very concerned with the, the funding cuts inspiring terrorism against America. And here is the.

[John Ashbrook]

Wait, USAID cuts. Okay.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. Here is the.

[Comfortably Smug]

If they don't get the money, they'll commit terrorism, I guess.

[John Ashbrook]

And I can look at it now, right?

[Michael Duncan]

Yes, you can.

[John Ashbrook]

Okay.

[Comfortably Smug]

Ready for your question? I guess your question. How has the recent effort to cut USAID funding unfairly mischaracterized key contraception programs and undermined global stability?

[John Ashbrook]

Thank you for the question. It's an important question. With everything that Elon Musk and Doge and President Trump did to ruin our relationship, especially with the third world, the Middle east, some of these countries in desperate need of these contraceptive services. What happens when you don't have contraceptive services? You have bad family planning. If you have bad family planning, you have broken homes. If you have broken homes, you have orphans. And those orphans are impressionable. And they're recruits for terrorist cells around the world like Al Shabaab and ISIS and Hamas. People who want to strike at the heart of the United States of America. That is why I am calling not only to restore the USAID funding, but to put a Planned Parenthood in every country in Africa.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Oh, my God. Doubling down.

[John Ashbrook]

But where the government has failed, Hollywood and the arts must succeed. And that is why I'm also calling for the funding of a critical theater production of Cats by the cast of the Hututsie Gay Straight Alliance.

[Carolyn Levitt]

That was brilliant.

[Josh Holmes]

I don't know.

[John Ashbrook]

I blacked out. What happened?

[Josh Holmes]

I don't know how you judge it. You got to appreciate the effort though.

[Carolyn Levitt]

That was brilliant. You were doubling down just like a Democrat does on the bullshit Bernie Sanders style at the end with the point and then you totally caught me off guard with the plug at the end. I was like, whoa, where are we going with Hollywood? I'm sorry, Josh, But I think Mr.

[Comfortably Smug]

Duncan over here, outstanding work.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Yes, take.

[Josh Holmes]

It's a fair decision, one that I will respect and abide by. Listen, you're the absolute best. We can always have a blast with you. We have so much fun watching you and your colleagues and the president and what you are up to on a day to day basis. Don't be a stranger.

[Carolyn Levitt]

I won't.

[Josh Holmes]

You're welcome back anytime now that you.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Have a new home. Congratulations on the big announcements.

[Josh Holmes]

Thank you.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Have you guys talked about that yet?

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, yeah.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Okay. I'm like, did I just spill the beans on the podcast for the first time? Good. Well, thanks for having me. It's always fun.

[Josh Holmes]

Always fun. Thank you. Love it.

[Carolyn Levitt]

Thanks, guys.

[John Ashbrook]

Thank you, thank you.

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, you just cannot put into words what a treasure that woman is for our relationship with the press because she gives them an uppercut every single time.

[Josh Holmes]

No question, no question. She's so good at what she does. She's so personable. She's a perfect fit here with the fellas. Yeah, it's just. It's a blast. Thank you a bunch, Carolyn, for coming in and, and sharing your views. Welcome back. Any time. We gotta get to the Hunter Biden stuff.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh boy.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Josh Holmes]

For those of you who stuck around, you are in for a treat because there is few things that we have had more yucks about over the last four years than the trials and tribulations of Hunter and just wishing that someone, oh, someone out there will put a microphone in front of his face and let him just go full auto.

[Hunter Biden]

Right?

[John Ashbrook]

Well, he got the pardon, so now.

[Josh Holmes]

He can, now he can say whatever he wants. So I don't even know what this thing is that he showed up on.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's got like Channel 5 and I guess it strikes me as some like left leaning podcast. I'm not terribly sure, but I love the footage.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, when you take a look at the guy who's asking him questions, I think it pretty much fills in the blanks. I mean this cat is not exactly.

[Comfortably Smug]

Putting these new media clowns.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, Edward R. Murrow, he is not. Let's have a look at clip 4A, please.

[Hunter Biden]

But him, everybody around him. I don't have to be nice. Number one, I agree with Quentin Tarantino. George Clooney is not a fucking actor. He is a, like, I don't know what he is. He, he, he's a brand. And by the way, and God bless him, you know what, he supposedly treats his friends really well, you know what I mean? Buys them things and he's got a really great place in Lake Como and he, he's great friends with Barack Obama. Fuck you. What do you have to do with fucking anything? Why do I have to fucking listen to you? What right do you have to step on a man who's given 52 years of his fucking life to the service of this country and decide that you, George Clooney, are gonna take out basically a full page ad in the fucking New York Times.

[Michael Duncan]

Let him go, fellas. I will say that I believe that bag of cocaine found in the White House locker has been recovered.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean it's so good because we talked about this from moment one, about when George Clooney penned the New York Times op ed, that it certainly wasn't George Clooney who sat at his typewriter and crafted all of this, that it was part of this big scheme amongst the Democrats who had become like the leaders of that party, basically, who's famous.

[Comfortably Smug]

And I've been saying for years that there's this huge fight between and Obamas and the Bidens. And he called. I mean you saw right there. Yeah, you saw it right there.

[Josh Holmes]

But it gets with your friends, with Barack Obama. Fuck you. Yeah, yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, man, not so good.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, the level of just vitriol, omnipresent. But he keeps going on. He's got something to say about the Democratic consultants that run the Democrat Party too.

[Hunter Biden]

For B, me and James Carville, who hasn't run a race in 40 fucking years. And David Axelrod, who had one success guess in his political life, and that was Barack Obama. And that was because of Barack Obama, not because of David Axelrod and David Clough. And all of these guys in the Pod Save America guys who were junior speech writers on Barack Obama's Senate staff, who've been dining out on the relationship with him for years, making millions of dollars, the Anita Duns of the world who's made 40, 50 million dollars off the Democratic Party. They're all going to insert their judgment over a man who has figured out, unlike anybody else, how to get elected to the United States Senate over seven times.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, dude, first of all, I might be on Hunter Biden's team now. Yeah, he is the first Democrat that I've ever heard articulate what we talk about a lot on this program, about how the Pod Save bros were like junior speechwriters.

[Comfortably Smug]

And I want to add to that. So Tommy Vitor, one of the Pod bros, went and he tweeted this about, about this clip. Greg Price upped these video clips, God bless him. Great find. Tommy Vitor writes, it's good to see that Hunter has taken some time to process the election, look inward and hold himself accountable for how his family's insular, dare I say arrogant at times approach to politics led to this catastrophic outcome we're all now living with.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, it's a fight.

[Michael Duncan]

It is a fight. But I'm. And I'm thinking Hunter wins that fight because Hunter was just like, fuck you. And the Pod bros are like, dare I say, Dare I say.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, well, if inward introspection and like, why.

[John Ashbrook]

That's the thing I don't get, Tommy. Why are you being diplomatic about it?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, fuck you. He's just shat all over your entire career and the basis by which you try to inform your audience that you have some level of expertise.

[Comfortably Smug]

And it's funny because, like, Tommy Vitor has me block because I would constantly own him on Twitter and he got mad about it. And the rest of the Pod bros are always mad at us because, well, we beat him on the charts. If you didn't see that on the X, we beat them on the charts. They're getting smoked. And now even Hunter rolls up and smokes them.

[Josh Holmes]

I know it's just like wheel kicking.

[Comfortably Smug]

How many beat downs are you guys going to take?

[Josh Holmes]

The scene from Goodfellas when you've got De Niro and Pesci wheel kicking?

[John Ashbrook]

The guy Hunter, smoked him like a crack rock.

[Josh Holmes]

He's not done. He's got more for us.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, boy.

[Josh Holmes]

Let him cook 4C. He's going to talk about Jake Tapper. Tapper?

[Hunter Biden]

Who's Jake Tapper's audience?

[Michael Duncan]

Jake Tapper, my mom or something.

[Josh Holmes]

I don't know.

[Hunter Biden]

Well, I don't know for real, though. I don't even think it's your mom anymore. By the, by the numbers, what influence does Jake Tapper have over anything? He has the smallest audience on cable news. And beyond that, I think that the book is right now on Amazon that he put out. I mean, his ratings just went to after he put the book out. You know, they did a two week infomercial for it. I mean, it was such a money grab, such a disservice to everybody that he serves with.

[Josh Holmes]

The guy's like, my mom. Not even your mom.

[Comfortably Smug]

How did he land this? Hunter, if you're listening right here.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, totally. Can you imagine?

[Comfortably Smug]

Come have a chat with us.

[Josh Holmes]

He'd have the time of his life on this program.

[Comfortably Smug]

I mean, everyone is tuning in. Ever since that deal, our numbers are like through the roof. If you want an audience, Hunter, please, we will not censor you. Just go right into the mic, let him have it. That call out on Tapper is great. He's like, listen, that was a cash grab coming from a cash grabbing grifter. I know it when I see it. And this guy Tapper, he's just trying to grab some cash.

[Josh Holmes]

I think if he came in, I'd just do a word association where you just like have a name and like go. And then just see what he comes up with. Yeah, I mean, because it's like, fuck this, fuck that, everything. He's got a lot to unload. Yeah, yeah, he's just unloading everything. So he's not done. The best part about this little particular clip is that he also takes objective reality and ensures the audience that he has, in fact, not been observant of it whatsoever. He's still living in like a 2016, 2017 dynamic when it comes to, like, Russia. Yep. Right, let's play clip five, a cover up.

[Hunter Biden]

And then you had 100 former national security officials come out and say, this looks like it could be a Russian operation. Because it is. Because in the course of an election, what happens, you have Rudy Giuliani in conjunction with Steve Bannon, in conjunction with Miles Gao, who's in jail, who is. I don't know how many ever counts of fraud and bribery and is a, you know, a Chinese national was working directly with Steve Gannon and a number of others, including Bernie Kern, who, God rest his soul, is dead. That basically came out and, you know, said, we have Hunter Biden's laptop. And the big reveal about Hunter Biden's laptop was that I was a crack addict.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, I don't know.

[John Ashbrook]

I don't know.

[Josh Holmes]

I gotta tell you that I think the feet pick was somewhat of a headline.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

I felt like the dramatic number of photographs that were.

[John Ashbrook]

I kind of thought it was all the payments from all these foreign countries that seemed relevant.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

And to me, the fascinating takeaway from that is he is still lost in a world where that lie that they had going into 2020 and that they had the media all go lockstep with this lie that this is Russian disinfo, which we then, shortly after the election learned. No, actually, this is all true.

[Josh Holmes]

It was his laptop that was the basis of that letter, which was. It's maybe not his laptop.

[John Ashbrook]

That's what makes it such comedy. It's like literally this guy's laptop. And he's like, no, my laptop, which actually was my laptop, is actually Russian disinformation.

[Comfortably Smug]

But that's the thing is, like, it strikes me as he's the same situation as his father of, like, clearly he's just like, either in this, like, silo of info where only what their statement is, they think is objective reality. Because, like, to this day, Joe Biden still thinks he would have won. You know, like, they've controlled. It's. We've seen all these instances of how much they control the information getting to him. And it just creates this fake reality in his head. I. Hunter, it feels like, is in the same place, dude.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, most of the people who signed that letter have since apologized because.

[Comfortably Smug]

They'Re all going to be getting indicted.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. You know what I mean? But like, he somehow. That news has not hit Hunter Biden. He's got more to say, folks. Clip 6 is one of favorites.

[Hunter Biden]

And he's somehow convinced all of us that these people are the fucking criminals. White men in America are 45 more times likely to commit a fucking violent crime than an immigrant. And the media says, well, you got David Axel and, you know, Rahm fucking Emanuel. So fucking smart. Rahm Emanuel. And so we gotta understand that these people are really mad and these. We gotta appeal to these White voters, Ron. The only people that fucking appealed to those fucking white voters was Joe Biden, 81 years old.

[Josh Holmes]

That's the best part is that, like, somehow he is. He's repurposed his dad's. You remember when he came out, he went to Howard University and made a big speech about how white men were the most dangerous threat to America, to homeland security, and, like, then used it as to say, like, white supremacy is now labeled as, like, a terrorist.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah. The problem with white supremacy is that demand for it far outstrips supply. And so they all look like idiots.

[John Ashbrook]

Hunter's basically Joe Biden without the dementia and more F bombs.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, yeah. Like, real, raw and uncut, and he's.

[Comfortably Smug]

On too much crack to understand per capita. But that's.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, you know, I mean, look, maybe I think he's put his troubles behind him. Smug.

[John Ashbrook]

He says he's clean and sober now.

[Josh Holmes]

He said he's clean and sober. We all applaud that. But, boy, I hope the fresh content keeps coming. There's one more here in clip 7.

[Hunter Biden]

These guys think that we need to run away from all values in order for us to lead. I say, you, how are we getting those people back from El Salvador? Because I'll tell you what, if I became president in two years from now or four years from now or three years from now, I would pick up the phone and call the president of El Salvador and say, say, you either send them back or I'm gonna invade. It's a crime what they're doing. He's a dictator thug.

[Josh Holmes]

Buelli or Trump?

[Hunter Biden]

Both.

[Josh Holmes]

I can't get enough of it. I can't get enough of it.

[John Ashbrook]

Honestly, though, if you look at the bench of the Democratic Party guys, I think we might have just found their front runner.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, I think you're right.

[John Ashbrook]

He might be the. The most capable candidate they have.

[Josh Holmes]

And they keep saying they want that.

[Comfortably Smug]

They need his messaging on illegal aliens because he also said in that interview, he was like, what is wrong with you people? We need illegal aliens. Who do you think cleans your hotel room? Who do you think takes care of your gardens?

[Josh Holmes]

Very working class.

[Comfortably Smug]

And it's like, wow.

[Josh Holmes]

Very working class message.

[John Ashbrook]

Amazing. He likes illegal immigration so much, he would invade a country to get more of it.

[Josh Holmes]

Send us those criminals. Which, by the way, they were criminals. Send us those criminals. I'm gonna invade you if you don't.

[Michael Duncan]

Send these criminals back.

[Josh Holmes]

How else are am I gonna spend a month at the Vineyard not worrying about somebody taking care of my lawn? Back at the back at the ranch. I mean, just incredible stuff. I can't get enough of it. I hope this is a media tour.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yes, please. Again, 100 mind if you're listening.

[Josh Holmes]

Right here, right here on the roof sobriety program. I swear you'll have a good time. Yeah, we might have to, like, set some parameters internally here to make sure that we don't have a relapse. You know, I don't want to attempt anything, but I just want that raw, uncut take on everything. It's just gold. Absolute gold. Remember our question of the day. How much do you think a WNBA player ought to make? Should we open the books or what should we do? You answer all of that when you like and subscribe to the Ruthless variety program. A big thanks to Carolyn Levitt for coming on in, one of our absolute favorites. She did a whale of a job, and she's doing an incredible job for this administration. Like and subscribe. Enjoy the program, fellas. I think we did it.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think so. Absolute banger of an episode. Gentlemen, again, thank you so much, Caroline Levitt, for dropping by the show. And just like Holmes said, if you have not yet, go to the YouTube like and subscribe because it's more fun in video. So until next time, minions, keep the faith, hold the line, and own the libs. We'll see you Thursday. Stay ruthless.