Why CNN’s Demise is Accelerating

Summary

Ruthless Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: Why CNN’s Demise is Accelerating
Date: March 24, 2026
Hosts: Josh Holmes, Comfortably Smug, Michael Duncan, John Ashbrook
Special Guest: Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA)

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Overview

This episode examines the decline of CNN and legacy media, the current political showdowns over DHS funding, and the ongoing “Hack Madness” bracket. The hosts lampoon media attempts to copy the podcasting format, lay out the latest Capitol drama, and offer a detailed interview with Sen. Bill Cassidy. It’s a fast-paced, irreverent tour through media failures, congressional leadership squabbles, and the 2026 campaign trail.

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1. CNN and the Legacy Media Crisis

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Theme: The hosts discuss CNN’s desperate attempts to revive declining ratings and credibility by adopting podcast-style broadcasts and performative authenticity, while missing the deep trust problem with their audience.

Discussion Highlights:

• Podcasting Aesthetic Copycatting: CNN anchors like Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper are mimicking the casual, "authentic" look of podcasts—broadcasting from their offices with mics and headphones.
  • Quote: Josh Holmes (07:46): “You might also be wondering about the decor, the posters and the kerchiefs and such on my wall. Well, the theme is these are all losing presidential campaigns. How Fitting.”
• Superficial Changes vs. Real Problems:
  • The hosts lampoon CNN’s idea that changing set design or adding microphones can reverse their audience exodus.
  • Quote: Comfortably Smug (08:12): “The reason why we have more listeners and viewers than CNN isn’t because people are like, I want to see a guy with a mic and headphones. … It’s because those legacy media companies like CNN lost all the trust of their audience.”
• Audience Frustration and Institutional Rot:
  • CNN’s root issue isn’t production value, it’s the years spent “driving [their] brand into the ground by lying and covering" for Democrats.
  • Hosts point to Jake Tapper’s book-switching positions on Biden as evidence of why viewers lose faith.
• Media Gimmicks:
  • The hosts note CNN’s technical failures (bad audio, using expensive mics wrong, "no cloud lifters", etc.) and compare it to their own NASA-like podcast studio setup.

Memorable Moment:

• Michael Duncan (13:19): “It’s a gimmick because … now we’re sort of artistes about this medium … those look to be extremely expensive microphones. But I noticed the audio fidelity was dog shit.”
• The crew closes the segment by reinforcing that trust and authenticity—not set decoration—drive media audiences.

Timestamps:

• CNN Set Discussion/Broadcast Gimmicks: 02:44 – 14:30

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2. DHS Shutdown, Airport Chaos, and Democratic Messaging

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Theme: Breaking down the government standoff over Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding, the resulting airport chaos, and Democrats’ messaging failure.

Key Points:

• TSA Lines & Blame-Shifting:
  • The hosts ridicule Democratic leaders like Hakeem Jeffries for blaming Republicans as TSA wait times spike, while pointing out that ICE remains funded.
  • Quote: Josh Holmes (19:33): “What the hell is he talking? Life is more extreme at airports all across the country, potentially to brutalize or in some instances, kill them.”
• Democratic Messaging Meltdown:
  • Dems are accused of stalling to please their activist base, while practical consequences pile up.
  • The hosts highlight the inconsistent arguments and claim Democrats have "no adult leadership."
• Media Complicity:
  • Sheltering Dems from tough questions—CNN (and Tapper) “wouldn’t need a goofy ass fake podcast office” if they engaged in real journalism.

Memorable Moments & Quotes:

• Comfortably Smug (20:53): “Democrats are doing this for nothing. They’re just causing the misery because their base of support is a bunch of deranged theater kids who are like, show me you’re doing something. Like, okay, we’ll make everyone’s lives miserable.”
• John Ashbrook (23:58): "CNN will never ask him the question... CNN will never come back at him and say, 'Well, you know ICE is functioning ... what are you going to do to get TSA agents paid?'"
• Joe Scarborough’s Spin:
  • The hosts mock Scarborough for blaming TSA agent woes on Republicans, even though the source article says Democrats blocked funding.
  • Comfortably Smug (27:47): "You always know that someone is dropping a horrible take when the replies are turned off … what a coward."

Timestamps:

• Airport/DHS Discussion: 02:44, 16:22 – 27:56

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3. Hack Madness: Holding the Media Accountable

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Theme: The hosts elevate their ongoing “Hack Madness” —a March Madness-style bracket to identify the worst media partisans and hacks.

Key Points:

• Voting Frenzy & Journalists’ Reactions:
  • Over 1500 brackets submitted in the first 36 hours.
  • Bracket includes not only CNN and MSNBC stalwarts but also new media influencers (Hasan Piker, Jennifer Welch).
  • Journalists react—some humorously, others furiously.
• Audience Engagement:
  • Listeners are encouraged to participate and share bracketology.
  • Picks, predictions, and favorite “hacks” are celebrated in the comment segment.

Memorable Quotes:

• Josh Holmes (28:52): “One of the … central tenets of why we did this show in the first place was to point out … who the worst offenders were ... People who just make shit up as they go along.”
• Comfortably Smug (29:31): “We will not put your thumb on the scale to try to decide. This is decided by you, the people."

Timestamps:

• Hack Madness: 05:01, 28:05 – 31:25
• Listener comments on Hack Madness: 32:38 – 36:28

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4. Chuck Schumer’s (Possible) Downfall: Dems Leadership Drama

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Theme: An in-depth walkthrough of a Wall Street Journal article outlining Democratic Party efforts to count votes for replacing Chuck Schumer as Senate Democratic leader.

Key Points:

• Reporting the Mutiny:
  • Chris Murphy and Elizabeth Warren are portrayed as ringleaders gauging support for ousting Schumer, reflecting widespread Democratic caucus dissatisfaction.
  • Multiple on-the-record and off-the-record sources confirm the leadership challenge conversations.
  • The hosts take a victory lap, having predicted this a year ago.
• Progressive Frustrations:
  • Discontent is seen as coming from both progressives and moderates tired of “getting marched off a cliff every six months.”
• Warren’s Position:
  • Discussion on whether Warren truly wants the top spot, or is gathering leverage for her progressive “madrasa” of activists.

Memorable Quotes:

• John Ashbrook (47:42): “In more than four dozen interviews … many said the concern about Schumer’s leadership was widespread.”
• Comfortably Smug (52:58): “She [Warren] wants to be the king ... and I would not be surprised if the day comes when she rolls up to Schumer and says to him, we can do this shit the hard way, we can do it the easy way ... That’s coming, dude.”

Timestamps:

• Schumer/Democratic Leadership Discussion: 37:03 – 54:16

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5. Left-Wing Tourism: Cuba, Code Pink & Socialist Hypocrisy

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Theme: The hosts roast progressive influencers and activists for their performative “solidarity” trips to Cuba, highlighting the disconnect between their rhetoric and surreal self-indulgence.

Key Points:

• Hasan Piker’s “Struggle” at Cuban Resorts:
  • Piker laments the contrast between his luxury accommodations and the poverty outside, while sipping espresso in a blackout-ravaged country.
  • Smug (56:16): "These…aren't like dudes who are battle hardened from the jungle…these are dudes who have like mansions and Porsches and are like…let's be honest, I've been at better five star resorts."
• Code Pink Concert in Havana:
  • Activists party with concerts in areas with power and resources, while Cuban locals endure deprivation.
• Useful Idiots & Foreign Influence:
  • Host notes reporting on Code Pink’s ties to groups with links to Cuban intelligence and Chinese-connected funding.
• Ideological Blindness:
  • Washed out American leftists blame Cuba’s misery exclusively on America, never questioning seventy years of communist failure.
  • Michael Duncan (60:20): “They [the left] show up on the shores of Cuba and suddenly nothing works, and they don't for a second think…maybe my entire worldview is wrong..."

Memorable Quotes:

• Josh Holmes (57:44): “If you have to drink anything like this with your pinky up and you’re doing it while you’re lamenting the powers that be. It just doesn’t land.”
• Comfortably Smug quoting Mike Solana (59:10): “They flew to an impoverished prison state, celebrated the government responsible for a 50 year humanitarian crisis... among the most vile kind of human the Western world has ever produced.”

Timestamps:

• Cuba/Progressive Activism Segment: 54:16 – 61:29

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6. Variety Segment: Heavy Rescue, Bar Fails, & Listener Comments

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Key Moments:

• 500-pound Man Rescue in California:
  • Dark humor as the hosts ponder whether poor sidewalk maintenance or personal health was to blame.
  • John Ashbrook (65:16): “I think the state of California is a hellhole. … This state does not know how to manage anything. Don’t go there."
• DC’s “Monitor the Situation” Bar Flop:
  • An intended live-event monitoring bar fails spectacularly with 80 broken TVs and rain-soaked, disappointed patrons.
  • Michael Duncan (68:09): “You can’t monitor the situation without monitors.”
• Listener Comments:
  • Comments on prior episodes, including a hilarious airplane limerick story and Hack Madness picks.

Timestamps:

• Listener Comments: 32:38 – 36:28
• Variety Segment: 61:29 – 71:36

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7. Senate Race Interview: Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA)

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Theme: Louisianans’ interests, Cassidy’s record, party splits, and insider trading reforms.

Key Points:

• Life in the Senate & DHS Crisis:
  • Describes the TSA/airport disaster, blaming Democrats for backtracking on negotiated deals and seeking headlines over solutions.
  • Cassidy (73:24): “The metaphor ... is fecal material hitting a fan.”
• Healthcare, Affordability & Accomplishments:
  • Cassidy highlights legislative achievements in drug pricing, infrastructure, anti-fentanyl acts, and fairness at the IRS.
  • Promotes internet broadband funding in Louisiana as an economic game-changer.
• Stock Trading Reform:
  • Promotes Stop Insider Trading Act, targeting faith restoration.
• Voter ID and Election Security:
  • Advocates for SAVE Act, stressing overwhelming public support—even as Senate Democrats stonewall it.
• Campaign Dynamics:
  • Addresses his complex relationship with Trump, optimism about his re-election, and how candidates can still appeal directly to voters.

Memorable Quotes:

• Cassidy (77:11): “I’m shocked Democrats are playing something for a political advantage that has no impact upon people’s lives. … I’m just shocked.”
• Cassidy (83:37): “Nothing like a hanging to sharpen a man’s mind… you’re at a kitchen table, you can’t afford your bills…that sharpens a person’s mind.”

Fun Detail:

• Cassidy gifts the show a gator head, prompting jokes about Louisiana customs.

Timestamps:

• Cassidy Interview: 71:36 – 96:58

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Takeaways & Quotes Hall-of-Fame

• “At CNN, we derive inspiration from losers and it shows.” — Comfortably Smug (07:46)
• “Democrats are doing this for nothing. They’re just causing the misery because their base... is a bunch of deranged theater kids...” — Comfortably Smug (20:53)
• “The idea that throwing a coat of paint on it… that’s not it.” — Josh Holmes (12:07)
• “You always know that someone is dropping a horrible take when the replies are Turned off.” — Comfortably Smug (27:47)
• “I’m sure she begged to be in this article!” — Michael Duncan, on Sen. Tina Smith (44:49)

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Episode Timeline

• 00:00 – 02:44: Opening banter, CNN’s struggles
• 02:44 – 14:30: CNN’s format flops & media criticism
• 16:22 – 27:56: DHS shutdown fallout, Dem message fail
• 28:05 – 31:25: Hack Madness launch & engagement
• 32:38 – 36:28: Reader comments, limerick callback
• 37:03 – 54:16: Schumer leadership mutiny analysis
• 54:16 – 61:29: Cuba’s “useful idiots,” Code Pink
• 61:29 – 71:36: Rescues, bar fail, variety antics
• 71:36 – 96:58: Senator Bill Cassidy interview, campaign insights

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Final Thoughts

This episode blends sharp media critique, deep dives into Congressional dysfunction, a recurring focus on holding journalists publicly accountable, and campaign-season shenanigans. The hosts’ banter oscillates between biting sarcasm and inside-the-Beltway strategy, making this a lively political round-up for listeners who want entertainment and no-BS conservative analysis.

Transcript

[Comfortably Smug]

CNN we derive inspiration from losers and

[Josh Holmes]

it shows the vast majority of Americans who are plugged in, who care about day to day events are listening to stuff like we're doing here, not cnn. And that is the graph looks like

[Comfortably Smug]

that those legacy media companies like CNN lost all the trust of their audience.

[Michael Duncan]

I think the problem ultimately is that like we've talked about here, it's all just a gimmick.

[Comfortably Smug]

Jake Tapper was one of the foremost people trying to cover for Biden. And then when Biden writes a book about how like Biden shouldn't have been running, like that's how you lose faith in your audience.

[Michael Duncan]

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[Josh Holmes]

Ladies and gentlemen, your attention please.

[Comfortably Smug]

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

[John Ashbrook]

It's time for our main event.

[Josh Holmes]

Good Tuesday to you. Welcome back to the ruthless Friday program. I am Josh Holmes along with comfortably smug Michael Duncan and John Ashbrook. Left to right across your radio dial. As always, many things going on here in Washington D.C. this week. You got Iran, you've got DHS still shut down. For those of you unfortunate enough to travel, I hope the ruthless variety program has been able to keep you company a little bit if you have to stay in a TSA line. I mean, I saw some. Some video out of Atlanta that looked like Rwanda.

[John Ashbrook]

Horrifying.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's unbelievable what Democrats are forcing on the American people, but, I mean, it's genuinely incredible.

[Josh Holmes]

And the fact that there's any confusion about what's happening, it blows my mind. It's just. It's an indictment in some ways of what Republicans have done up to this point to try to message this bad boy. But it's like, man, you can't shut that thing down and then not own it, which Democrats have somehow been able to largely accomplish at this point, which is unbelievable. You also have legacy media outfits. Like, I saw this Scott McFarlane guy who was a CBS News dude who was like, oh, yeah, I'm a longtime CBS News correspondent faithfully reporting on January 6th for seven years. I guess it wasn't that long, but it felt like it. And he just resigned. And he was like, but I'm gonna take it. Take my talents elsewhere. And I said, enterprising reporter, I think, is the way that he phrased it. I don't know what the fuck that is, but he was like, I'm taking it to the Midas Touch.

[Michael Duncan]

Midas Touch.

[Comfortably Smug]

Straight up. Like a Dem pack, essentially. They were founded. Now they're like a media company, I guess.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, straight.

[Comfortably Smug]

Like, there is no pretense left among journalists of what it is they're doing around here and, like, you know, to tie it to the earlier topic. If you're wondering how, like, the vast majority of Americans aren't, like, Democrats are to blame, well, look at what journalists are telling them and why they're telling them that they're all working for the Dems and now there's, like, no pretense whatsoever. They're like, no, actually, I'm just working for Midas Touch.

[Michael Duncan]

Can you believe all these journalists are Ash Book's friends?

[Josh Holmes]

I can't.

[John Ashbrook]

Unbelievable. Last one of them.

[Comfortably Smug]

Shameful.

[John Ashbrook]

But, like, they were all in my wedding. Yeah, I was in there.

[Josh Holmes]

All of them were best men.

[John Ashbrook]

Every single one of them.

[Michael Duncan]

It's an expensive wedding.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

It is.

[Josh Holmes]

It is. But you know what? Look, I mean, I can't help but think that this cat's announcement had something to do with hack madness. He wanted to make sure that we released our bracket before his announcement because that would have got. Not only gotten him in the tourney, I think he would have been a decent seed.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's the thing is. So we've been telling you folks, Hack madness. The voting is underway. As you're listening to this, go to my X page to vote. Hopefully you got your bracket submitted this weekend. So many people brought up during, during the matchups, they're like, Scott McFarlane would have gone deep this year just by announcing, oh no, now I'm at Midas Touch.

[Josh Holmes]

But he timed his announcement as is often the case. And then you'll also see over the next few weeks, a few of the mid seeds really try to make a play for an upset, you know. So monitor your accounts and see what it is that they're up to. They know.

[Comfortably Smug]

They know.

[Josh Holmes]

We've got messages from an enormous number of journalists who are seeing.

[Comfortably Smug]

Some might surprise you.

[Josh Holmes]

Yes. Who. Some find some humor in it, others do not. There's do not. So anyway, we're going to get more into hack madness here momentarily. But in the legacy media outfit, there's a funny thing that's happening when you can't get ratings and you can't get ratings over a long period of time. You think it's just a different gizmo, right? A different gadget and like, whoa. It's because we've been doing things all wrong. And this is often the case for like these big multi billion dollar corporate international conglomerates that are like, they can't see the forest of the trees. Any approval process would take like a month to try to figure out like how to reformat. Turns out if they fired a whole bunch of people and just did it differently, like that's the way to do it. But they can't. CNN is like foremost, I think amongst them in terms of well represented. This year's Hack Madness, I might add. But one of this year's formidable challengers, it looks like with a first round lead, Jay Tapper, they've decided to sort of reformat his show. Take a look at clip one. So you're probably wondering, wow, what's going on? Why we're in my office for the first hour of the lead today. So it's an experiment. This is my actual desk where I do my actual work, not the desk in the studio. And we thought we would bring you into the space where me and my team do our actual journalism and plan the show every day. So here we are giving it a shot. You might also be wondering about the decor, the posters and the kerchiefs and such on my wall. Well, the theme is these are all losing presidential campaigns. How Fitting.

[Comfortably Smug]

At cnn, we derive inspiration from losers and it shows.

[Josh Holmes]

But like, this is, this is, you've seen this start to creep in in many different ways. Where CNN Ms. Now other places have basically been like, throw a microphone on it, throw some earphones on and you'll look like you're talking to the youths.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's the thing is, so the reason why we have more listeners and viewers in CNN isn't because people are like, I want to see a guy with a mic and headphones. And then I think they're reliable. It's because those legacy media companies like CNN lost all the trust of their audience. When you spend years driving your brand into the ground by lying and cover, like Jake Tapper was one of the foremost people trying to cover for Biden. And then when Biden loses, writes a book about how like Biden shouldn't have been running, like, that's how you lose faith in your audience.

[Michael Duncan]

But you can trust Jake Tapper because he has a poster of Adlai Stevenson behind him. So, you know, he's done his homework.

[Josh Holmes]

And this is my authentic self. Right. But he's not alone on this. Anderson Cooper did something very similar clip to analyst and retired U.S. air Force Colonel Cedric Layton. Also senior National Security Analyst Alex Pleatsis, who is director of the counterterrorism program at the Atlantic Council. Alex, let me start with you. What do you think today is the most important development that you've been watching? You know, Cedric and I were talking

[Michael Duncan]

about it earlier and speaking to U.S. and Israeli officials.

[Josh Holmes]

It was clearly the strike on the, on the gas field on the Iranian side. It's like they, it's like they, they think that what the audience cares about is not the content that they're producing, it's the look and feel at some level. And like that's the funniest thing about, you know, we were not podcasters, we were not involved in media at all. But you know, the niche in the marketplace for why we got into it and I think why it's been successful is you give them God's honest truth no matter what and you laugh and you have fun and you're irreverent and whatever. But the storytelling is based upon your authentic view of what is happening on a day to day basis. None of which CNN has ever incorporated, at least not in the last 20 years that I've been around.

[John Ashbrook]

No, but they're like, hey, a lot of people listen to Edward R. Murrow, so why don't we go to his attic and find three microphones and Then maybe they'll like us. Maybe then they'll listen to us talk about open borders.

[Josh Holmes]

But the irony of it is, is that if we could afford the studios that were afforded to Jake Tapper every day in that massive. I used to do that show in that massive CNN layout that they have, like a block from Union Station in Capitol Hill. We would love every second of it.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's the thing is this is such a fundamental misunderstanding of the problem over there. And it's way easier for management to be like, slap a new coat of paint on it. Let's see what happens. Hope that works. That this is an aesthetic problem. The problem is the culture there when you've got people like Abby Phillip just outright lying. And the only reason they get ratings on her show is because Scott's dunking on her and being honest to the audience. The problem at CNN is an institutional one, is it's a problem of losing the trust of your entire audience. That's why they're in third place. That's why Fox News gets 10 times the viewers of CNN. Not because Fox News is out there using podcast mics. It's because Fox News audience knows they're not gonna be like Jake Tapper being like, no, Biden's totally fine. He loses. Now buy my book saying that Biden's not fine. You know what I mean?

[Michael Duncan]

It's true. But like, as people who've railed against CNN and Ms. Now for the last five, six years on these airwaves, got to say, I'm kind of flattered.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

That they.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, look, they can read numbers like anybody else. And of course, when you're losing all the time, you read numbers pretty carefully. And it turns out the vast majority of Americans who are plugged in, who care about day to day events, are listening to stuff like we're doing here, not cnn. And that is the graph looks like that.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yep.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, it's not. This is hockey sticking. If anything, it's definitely not a plateau for CNN that they thought perhaps in a Trump era you'd get more resistance libs back to the first four years where they could kind of spike an audience and that kind of thing. Like, it didn't turn out and people are consuming information in a different way, but they think just throwing a coat of paint on it, getting some Edward R. Murrow mics and sitting in the middle like, that's not it.

[John Ashbrook]

It's sort of weird to me that they have not internalized the numbers that Scott Jennings clips does on Twitter. Anytime he dunks On Abby, Phillip and everybody on her panel, the numbers that Harry Entnan does when he does sort of like counter. Failing. Yeah. Just does this, like, counter narrative poll that shows what people are actually thinking that is different than what the CNN audience has been conditioned to believe is true. I don't know why that's not the stuff that they see because that shows audience movement. That shows actual people reacting to content, and that's not what they've internalized.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, I think the problem ultimately is that, like we've talked about here, it's all just a gimmick.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, it's a gimmick.

[Michael Duncan]

It's a gimmick because, like, I don't know if you guys noticed this. I'm sure you did, but now we're sort of artistes about this medium because we've been doing it for five, six years. Those look to be extremely expensive microphones. But I noticed the audio fidelity was dog shit. It was, you know, like, very flat.

[John Ashbrook]

They didn't have cloud lifters.

[Michael Duncan]

They don't have cloud lifters. Perhaps maybe they've put on a too serious noise gate.

[Josh Holmes]

No hyperdecks.

[Michael Duncan]

And they don't have the hyperdecks engaged. Was a very important. You should see this place before we start recording. It's like the launching of Apollo 11.

[Josh Holmes]

No, it's NASA for sure. You get the check, Jack.

[Michael Duncan]

But these are important things.

[Comfortably Smug]

You're serious. You're right. The audio is trash.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Is trash.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Well, it's just. It's confounding to me. You see the Scott McFarlane thing. You see CNN doing stuff like this and there's like, no real effort to actually provide news. And like, we're not Edward R. Murrow. We're providing you an in depth, sort of under the hood look at things. Because we've done it for a living and we're laughing about it in the process because there's a shitload to laugh about. And these guys are the most humorless fucks of all time. I mean, they just saw.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Like, they can't have fun with anything. Everything's the end of the world. I mean, you listen to that Scott McFarlane thing and he was like, these are the most consequential times in our history. It's like, really like, take Marty McFly yourself back to the late 60s. Bell. I think you're gonna find a different environment, dude.

[John Ashbrook]

It remind.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

It.

[John Ashbrook]

It reminds me of Al Gore getting a different haircut and speaking with emphasis about how. No, you aren't listening to me. The planet has a Fever, you know,

[Comfortably Smug]

like, dude, you're right.

[John Ashbrook]

Nobody listened to him before.

[Josh Holmes]

It's true.

[John Ashbrook]

It's because of the message.

[Josh Holmes]

So it's an interesting thing is watching the media and I do think it links into current events clearly the way that they've covered Iran, of which most people used to put on the old Stars and Stripes and you try to cover your country like it's your country, for crying out loud, or this DHS funding. There's only one entity here that is problematic. If you're standing in a TSA line, don't blame Donald Trump. It's nothing to do with Donald Trump. The White House has actually gone out of their way to try to provide some assurances. By the way, they fired the Secretary of Homeland Security during this debate. So like, that in and of itself should probably have been a clue that they were interested in trying to come to some kind of an accommodation. But they've delivered a whole bunch of reforms and things that Democrats should be interested in. They're not and they're not. Because Chuck Schumer cannot, simply cannot risk his job and therefore has to drive this country all the way into the ditch. Whether it's your paycheck last fall or whether it's the stock market all throughout, or whether now it's the TSA line and everything else that you're dealing with. It's only one real person to blame on this. I guess you have all of his conference that have gone along for it. But we're going to get to a story here in a bit that will tell you like it's conference. Ah, not feeling it.

[John Ashbrook]

Not so sure anymore.

[Josh Holmes]

Not feeling it. So as the airport security lines get longer and longer, Democrats dig in on dhs. But the messaging from Democratic leadership is truly bizarre. You're gonna hear from Timo Obama and Hakeem Jeffries right after this. I've worked at Coca Cola for 21 years.

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[John Ashbrook]

new facility in Dallas, Texas.

[Comfortably Smug]

We're really proud to still make Pepsi products in America.

[Josh Holmes]

You don't need a college degree to work here, but I put four kids

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[Michael Duncan]

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[Comfortably Smug]

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[Comfortably Smug]

We deliver for our community.

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[Josh Holmes]

Okay, so travelers across the country, and it depends a little bit on what airport you're at, because I traveled over the weekend and had no problem at all. But I, I did notice the photos and videos of places across the country that had just horrible situations where they had to show up six hours early for a plane and wait for TSA lines and that kind of thing. And it's just sort of spiraling. It feels like they finally have caught up to the negative consequences of not funding. It was an ideological stand by Democrats, but now, like, there's actual practical impact on an awful lot of that. So Trump doing what he always does is work outside the box of all of that. And he's like, well, I got people who are funded. Let's send ICE officers in. They're willing to do the job. And Democrats, like, this is the whole reason for the argument in the first place. They don't want the existence of these people. Now they're gonna be in the airport. They freak out about all of this. Here's Jefferies in clip three. What's your response to what Tom Homan revealed here?

[Ad]

Well, good morning.

[Josh Holmes]

Great to be with you.

[Ad]

There are three things that have been true since Donald Trump and Republicans came back into power last January. Life is more expensive, life is more chaotic, and life is more extreme.

[Michael Duncan]

What the last thing that the American people need.

[Josh Holmes]

What the hell is he talking? Life is more extreme at airports all

[Ad]

across the country, potentially to brutalize or in some instances, kill them.

[Josh Holmes]

We've already seen how ICE conducts itself. These are untrained individuals doing the current job that they have. Yeah. So that's in case you didn't catch what the crooked mouth was telling you. What he said was basically that if ICE officers go into airports, they're going to kill you.

[Comfortably Smug]

Dude, they're down that bad. The thing that's really interesting to me is I think it's incumbent on all of us, every sane American, to make sure as many people realize that that right there. Hakeem Jeffries, Chuck Schumer. It's the Democrats who are responsible for this. But if you see ICE agents at the airport and you know TSA is not funded. Here's the thing. ICE is funded. The whole theoretical purpose of why Democrats have shut down DHS is because they're like, well, we want to withhold funding from ICE because they're capturing illegals who we're hoping will become voters for us. ICE is operating. So your whole point of forcing Americans to suffer through these TSA lines is for nothing.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Nothing.

[Comfortably Smug]

Democrats are doing this for nothing. They're just causing the misery because their base of support is a bunch of deranged theater kids who are like, show me you're doing something. Like, okay, we'll make everyone's lives miserable. And they're like, okay, good. But that's what we want.

[Michael Duncan]

You can understand how the Democratic Conference gets walked off a cliff when their leadership is a guy like Hakeem Jeffries.

[Josh Holmes]

Look at that.

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, you watch that clip and the dead eyes.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

She asks the question and he does three things. The performative, oh, great to be with you. Three things that have nothing to do with the question that was asked.

[Josh Holmes]

Life is more extreme.

[Comfortably Smug]

Like.

[Michael Duncan]

Like Timu Obama has to plugged in the wall so he can be. He can download the talking points for his TV interview.

[Josh Holmes]

This guy, zero personality is the leader of how he is in line to be speaker of the House of Representatives, third in succession if they were to win in November.

[Michael Duncan]

He's just so dumb.

[Josh Holmes]

It's genuinely incredible. He's not done. He's talking a little bit more about this in clip 4 people.

[Ad]

It's the reason why we are in

[Josh Holmes]

a DHS shutdown right now. Because Republicans have refused to agree to

[Ad]

the type of bold, transformative, meaningful and dramatic reforms we are demanding in order for the Department of Homeland Security funding

[Josh Holmes]

bill to move forward. Bold, transformative, all those things. What the fuck is he taught?

[Michael Duncan]

It's impossible to blame the other side for a shutdown when the dependent clause of your sentence is your demands. Like, he's so stupid, he doesn't even have to make an argument.

[Comfortably Smug]

And the thing is, part of why he's got his work cut out for him is he has to find a way. I think everyone saw clear as day from the 2024 election that Americans don't want an open border. They do not want illegal alien criminals through our cities, through the towns in America committing murders, violent acts.

[Josh Holmes]

They don't want to isolate argument.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's the thing is, so he's got to find a way to message we don't really want ice. We want an open border. When we had the chance, when Joe Biden was asleep at the wheel, when we put him up there, we had an open border and that's what we wanted. But he cannot be honest. That's why they hate ice. That's why they're willing to let Americans who work for ICE or why they're letting Americans who work for TSA not have a paycheck, struggle to make ends meet. They'd rather American citizens suffer than the illegal aliens who to them are the most important part of their business.

[Josh Holmes]

They're truly right.

[John Ashbrook]

CNN will never ask him the question based on the fact pattern that you laid out that ICE is operational right now. CNN will never come back at him and say, well, you know that ICE is functioning even though DHS has shut down. So now, given that ICE is functioning, what are you going to do to get TSA agents paid? What are you going to do to get the DHS operational during a time of war?

[Comfortably Smug]

So here's the thing.

[John Ashbrook]

It only would make sense if Jake Tapper did that.

[Comfortably Smug]

He wouldn't need a goofy, goofy ass fake ass podcast office.

[Josh Holmes]

No, no, you don't need the headphones, you don't need the microphone. You could go do the 10 million dollar set just fine.

[Comfortably Smug]

They're like, so Jake, here's your options. You can do journalism or we give you a goofy asset. Goofy asset.

[Josh Holmes]

It is a goofy ass set. Give me the goofy ass set. But I mean, look, the whole thing with DHS breaks down to ultimately the same situation we found ourselves with last fall, which is, oh my God, there's a health care crisis. We created a system that has broken. We did it on a partisan basis of which none of you voted for and no Republican in the country thought was a good idea, in fact like campaigned upon and tried to repeal, if not for John McCain would have gotten it done and it broke. And so now we need you to pony up another trillion dollars to try to subsidize this failed system or else American consumers at this particular moment in time are going to be unduly disadvantaged by it. Like, nevermind the fact that anybody who's been in Obamacare has watched premiums go up 20, 30, 40, 50% over the last like five years. It was last October, which was the real concern because they had subsidized in Covid a basically write down of people a tax incentive to go do it. And that was expiring under the Democrats, by the way, because they wrote that that way. But they were saying that this particular moment time was the moment of crisis. They shut down the government for the longest time that the government in the United States of America has ever been shut down as a result of it. They finally whimpered and reopened and wanted to vote, and they gave them a vote and failed. Nobody's talked about it since.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yep.

[Josh Holmes]

Not a single, like, where's Chuck Schumer on that? Where's Hakeem Jeffries on that? I thought that that was last six months ago. I thought that was existential. The existential crisis facing the American consumer was that thing. And it just wasn't like they just don't talk about it. So now this is the same thing that's happening with, with Homeland Security. Oh, it's Minnesota, Minnesota, Minnesota. And the White House has sort of met their demands in terms of what do they want for reforms? And they're like, no, now you don't hear about it.

[Comfortably Smug]

And that's the thing is this further reinforces the absence of leadership that Democrats have. Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, they're not cut out for leadership. It's clear clown car stuff and their base. And as a result, this, quote, Democrat leadership is just. They're just doing chicken little temper tantrums. That's who we're dealing with here. They're just having temper tantrums and they're willing to shut down the government.

[Josh Holmes]

It's not adult leadership.

[Comfortably Smug]

They're willing to give you lines at airports. It's not adult leadership.

[Josh Holmes]

It just isn't. But they have to turn to somebody to sort of amplify this. And of course, it's like if you can't go to the comedy shows with Colbert and whatever at night, like, you gotta. I guess CMS now is gonna have to do so jars Joe Scarborough happily Dooley. Oh, boy, obliges. And he puts up this in graphic 1. Republicans once again killed TSA paychecks. There's no spinning this by Republicans. TSA agents in the Coast Guard are working without pay because Republicans keep killing all efforts to pay TSA agents. And then he links to an article. Do you want to see the title of this article? Graphic to DHS shutdown stretches to 35 days as Democrats block funding.

[Comfortably Smug]

Amazing. Amazing.

[John Ashbrook]

So if you click.

[Josh Holmes]

There's no spinning this.

[Michael Duncan]

Who literally spinning it where.

[Josh Holmes]

You can't get out of this one, can you?

[Comfortably Smug]

It's. It's. You always know that someone is dropping a horrible take when the replies are Turned off. Like, you look at that tweet, it's like, hell, yeah. You know, you're like, I'm gonna. I have to lie and I don't want to be held accountable. It's time to turn off replies. What a coward. What a coward.

[Josh Holmes]

You can't spin this. Can. Yeah, you sure can't. You sure can't. All right, so listen. Part of this all intertwines with hack madness, which is a pride and joy of the ruthless variety program. One of the, I would say, central tenets of why we did this show in the first place was to point out to everybody across the country who the worst offenders were in this kind of genre. People who just make shit up as they go along. They take nothing but DNC talking points. They try to refashionate as news lie to you and, like, can we pull and cull together as a community who we think are the best? 64 and every March do hack madness. Voting is underway. Smug.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's right. I mean, as we speak, there's voting that's happening. You go to comfortably smug on X. I have it pinned right at the top. I mean, a lot of these matchups are incredible, and I love seeing all the replies, the quote retweets of people because, like, we take this very seriously. We will not put your thumb on the scale to try to decide. This is decided by you, the people. So you see folks shouting out being like, remember when Jake Tapper said this? Or remember when Caitlin Collins said this? And this is the time of the year where you hold them accountable. And I tag every single one of them.

[Josh Holmes]

It's the best part.

[Comfortably Smug]

On Twitter, all their handles are tagged.

[Josh Holmes]

That's why they get lippy.

[John Ashbrook]

They get mad.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, they get lippy about it.

[John Ashbrook]

You know, when the committee put this bracket together, we all had our differences with some of the seating, but one of the things I think worked out very, very well is the committee decided to have a little bit of fun this year, and they put Olivia Nuzzi in a play in game versus Ryan Lizza. And Olivia Nuzzy was.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

And now she's facing off against SV Date. Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

The number one seed.

[John Ashbrook]

And it looks like she's. She could win it to him.

[Josh Holmes]

She could win. Which, you know, look, that is, I think, somewhat indicative of the audience that's voting on this thing. Like, if you live within blocks of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, SV date would be a 95.5on that. But because of the rest of you across the country, you have opinions about that. We respect it on the Ruthless Friday program. Your voice is the same as everybody else's. And we're going to see who wins this thing.

[Michael Duncan]

And a lot of people very interested in this year's Hack Madness. We had over 1500 people fill out prediction brackets for Hack Madness.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

In just 36 hours.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's amazing.

[Michael Duncan]

Which is amazing.

[Josh Holmes]

It's an amazing thing. People were people.

[Comfortably Smug]

And that's not even. So, like, also, folks have been replying with photos of like, you know, they printed out the bracket sheet, they filled it out. Everyone's like, I mean, it's one of the most fun parts of the year. And I think this year is also, it's the seventh annual one, which I can't believe that much time has flown since we started this thing. But the aperture, I think of how we widened. Who gets in this year to reflect the media environment. I mean, you saw just now Jake Tapper thinking he's got to try to be like a podcaster because that's where the media environment is headed. So we've got like Hasan Piker who's like, yeah, on a huge run already in the.

[Michael Duncan]

Jennifer Welch.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, Jennifer Welch is in there.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. I mean, it has changed, no question about it. So we're going to invite you when you like and subscribe to the Ruthless Variety program. We read all of your comments today. We're going to invite you to give us a little breakdown of the bracket, do your own bracketology on what it is that we've come up with. If you haven't seen the bracket, you need to go to X and get on Comfortably Smugs X account and it's all right there. Or you can go to RuthlessPodcast.com and navigate your way to the hack madness where you can take a look at it if you haven't been formally prepared, But I invite you to take a look. Enjoy. Give us some thoughts, give us some predictions. We're going to read all of them. If you make them funny, I promise you they're going to show up. So, you know, put your back into it a little bit. And when we come back, we've got your comments from last episode. How Much Longer Can Schumer hold on? Is the Senate minority leader. It's an interesting update in that in the Wall Street Journal over the weekend, and this has got some insight. You may be on the ropes. We'll have details right after this. Okay. You guys always leave great comments. And when you like and subscribe, we read absolutely all of them and they're in a wide range of issues. Here on Tuesday, we always start with the voice. Okay.

[John Ashbrook]

First one comes from Anna Burkholder. And Anna is a health care professional. Anna writes. Oh, my gosh, the dem airplane video reminded me of a flight from LA to Seattle where the dude in the row in front of me had pants open. No porn on the iPhone. No in the left hand, meat in the right.

[Josh Holmes]

No way, dude.

[John Ashbrook]

For quite some time.

[Comfortably Smug]

Is this southwest?

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, my God.

[John Ashbrook]

Me being a healthcare worker first thought he was having a seizure upon surreptitious investigation. Nope. He was playing his own trumpet. That's Anna Burkholter for folks who missed it.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's a reference to a current Democrat running for congress who appeared in a video.

[Josh Holmes]

Music video.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, music video. Doing pretty much what she described.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, that's the trumpet playing.

[John Ashbrook]

You imagine how horrifying that would be.

[Josh Holmes]

I will say, where the air marshals.

[Comfortably Smug]

Like, that seems like an air marshal type of situation.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, I mean, they've defunded all this stuff. I mean, this is. They're. They can't. They can't handle that kind of incoming. I will say, after last Thursday's episode, I think limericks are something worth considering. For future comment. Smash is reading. It was pretty good of the Larry Sinclair it. I listened to it about four times and I was in tears laughing. If you haven't listened to it, you got to go back. I think it was last Thursday in that episode where Smash read that. I. It's one of the funniest comments that's ever been written.

[John Ashbrook]

Well, as an Irishman, I'm well familiar with the meter of those sorts of poems.

[Josh Holmes]

Larry went down on old Berry. So good. All right, Duncan, what do we got?

[Michael Duncan]

Comment number 2 is from Matthew Fisher.

[Josh Holmes]

Meter.

[Michael Duncan]

The meter. Yeah, the meter.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Right.

[Michael Duncan]

That's what the Irish know. Meter and potato famines.

[John Ashbrook]

Okay.

[Comfortably Smug]

Okay.

[John Ashbrook]

James, Joy, Matthew.

[Michael Duncan]

Matthew writes such a stacked lineup of number one seeds, but I think Don Lemon is going to take it this year.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, that's. I mean, look, it's a good. It's a good. Now, there is some intrigue when it comes to Lemon and that ultimately a federal court will fully be the judge of whether or not Don Lemon is, in fact, a journalist.

[John Ashbrook]

Oh, you're saying that he. If he wins, there may be an asterisk by then by the victory.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, I think that it's worth considering, and I think committee is going to have to take all of that under advisement. But his case is that he is, in fact, a journalist, and there is, I would argue, a pretty good case to Be made then. He was an activist.

[Michael Duncan]

And an asterisk.

[John Ashbrook]

Well deserved.

[Michael Duncan]

He's the Pete Rose of journalism.

[Josh Holmes]

It's just unbelievable. Just right at Cincy. It's a crack smash.

[John Ashbrook]

More hits than anybody else in the history of the game. That's all I have to say.

[Josh Holmes]

Only when he was betting and Larry went down an old barrack.

[John Ashbrook]

It was a funny limerick. It was good.

[Josh Holmes]

All right. Smug. What do we got?

[Comfortably Smug]

Comment 3 is from Jeff Whitney. Jeff writes, fellas, I am a first year rookie and freely admit I had no idea how remarkable this event is. Well done. Falls short. Throw another log on the fire. Let the warmth of this roast continue. The idiot class clearly is thriving. Onward. Welcome aboard. Glad to have you. That's the thing. For all the newer listeners. I'm telling you, this is a blast. Folks. Look forward all year to this happening. Finally, we hold the idiot class accountable.

[Josh Holmes]

Exactly. Come on board. Let's have some fun. Which is what we're planning to do with this next story. We mentioned to you that the Wall Street Journal, the esteemed publication, I would argue the only national publication left that does actual reporting any longer, had done a story about Chuck Schumer and his leadership, which is noteworthy in this line of work. Because you don't do that kind of thing unless you got the goods at some level. National publications never do because you don't want to just take. It's like the whole take a shot at the king thing.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

You know, and like if you miss, it's a real problem. Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

And this isn't in Huffington Post or Mother Jones.

[Josh Holmes]

No, it's Wall Street Journal. I mean, their job is to cover that leadership on a day to day basis. But you'll recall for those of you OGs, and you don't have to be that OG for the last, I think since last March, we told you that Chuck Schumer is in grave danger of losing his job. And last March the episode was the whole CR funding where he decided that he was going to do what should have been done, which is fund the country. And then he got absolutely roasted by the progressive left as being a sellout, whatever. And when you're in the position that he was in while you do something, let's just like it was a Biden budget.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, it was a no brainer thing to do from a practical standpoint as a party leader. And yet it's an untenable position. When you're a party leader, you know, you've got real problems because your flexibility in order to make deals and do what it takes to keep the country moving. As a Senate leader is your primary job, you like to build the best case that you can to make good policy and then ultimately to win elections. But your primary function is to ensure that the two or three things that have to pass to keep the lights on in the government, you're able to do with some flexibility from your conference. Understanding that like a third year conference is going to walk away for political reasons at any one time. It's why it's the hardest job being a Senate leader. It's the hardest job, I would argue maybe speaker of the House has got. I mean, I think Mike Johnson would probably complain with that characterization. But, but it, it, that is what it is and we knew that that was happening and we said at the time there's one reason primarily and that some of the shots are coming from inside the House. And you hear it a little bit in our line of work by hanging out with people, listening to what people are saying. And that Chris Murphy, senator from Connecticut, he's thought of as like a young, upcoming. I don't know what makes him young. Young and upcoming. I mean he's been in the Senate for what seems like forever.

[Comfortably Smug]

He's, he's under 90. So for Dems that's pretty young. He's.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Under 90. And he, you know, divorced and on the market and dating like dark money artists and that kind of. So I guess that's what makes you young and so he makes all the

[Comfortably Smug]

qualities they're looking for.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

So.

[John Ashbrook]

So anyway that before you get into this story, can I just make one observation? I, I noticed on the byline here the first name Siobhan Hughes. You guys will remember this. She was the only one with the curse courage last two summers ago to write that Joe Biden is slipping. And they all Democrats were concerned about him as their nominee and they attacked her for it.

[Comfortably Smug]

All the other journals were like, aren't you ashamed for these lies at the time?

[Josh Holmes]

You're so right.

[John Ashbrook]

Reminder, very well sourced among Democrats. The other name that catches my eye here is Eliza Collins. This is somebody who has written about western Democrats for a very long time.

[Josh Holmes]

Arizona.

[John Ashbrook]

She covered the Arizona riot. Arizona used to be a state represented by two Republican senators. Today it is a state represented by two Democrats.

[Josh Holmes]

Yep.

[John Ashbrook]

And you know, Nevada has two Democrats. She's sort of covered the fall of the Southwest for Republicans and the rise of Democrats. Very well sourced with those Democrats.

[Josh Holmes]

Interesting.

[John Ashbrook]

You can believe that this is a well sourced article.

[Josh Holmes]

Interesting. All right, so the story is growing frustration with Chuck Schumer. Spurs talk of replacing him.

[John Ashbrook]

Him.

[Josh Holmes]

Now, again, that's.

[Comfortably Smug]

Dude, that's. I, I think that's a huge deal.

[Josh Holmes]

You've heard it on the Variety program for what, now, a calendar year?

[Comfortably Smug]

It's not murmurs anymore, it's bubbling over.

[Josh Holmes]

But when the Wall Street Journal is doing it, it's an entirely different thing, and it means something. And part of it is your, I, I, I hesitate to say responsible because I don't think there is any. But people who are concerned politically about their own standing being marched off a cliff every six months in a government funding fight that ultimately their constituents take it to the face about, coupled with his progressive left that just doesn't think that this guy's on their team at all. And the combination of the two has created a real problem. So some is. According to the Wall Street Journal, some Capitol Hill Democrats are discussing how to get the New York senator to step aside as minority leader amid concerns about his negotiating style and midterms strategy. Senator Chris Murphy. Surprise, surprise. For those of you listening to Ruthless, you do this one year ago. But for those of you just tuning in, the Wall Street Journal has illuminated this for you. He was dining with progressive activists, as one does. You imagine what a fucking miserable dinner that's gonna be.

[Comfortably Smug]

The worst dinner possible.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, and this is my favorite part about progressive activists. They were at a French restaurant in Washington's Georgetown neighborhood.

[Comfortably Smug]

Oh, yeah, of course. That's where you meet the grassroots, which

[Michael Duncan]

is the toniest part of town.

[Josh Holmes]

At a French restaurant, which I'm guessing was Le Chaumier.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Which is.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think that's what hangs out with

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

this Journal every night.

[John Ashbrook]

I'm guessing every single night.

[Michael Duncan]

He makes deals over foie gras.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, when the conversation turned

[John Ashbrook]

escargot.

[Michael Duncan]

We're just going to name French foods.

[Josh Holmes]

We're just going to go. Yeah. Anything else? Japan.

[Michael Duncan]

Croque madame,

[Josh Holmes]

French toast.

[Michael Duncan]

Okay, now we're reaching.

[Comfortably Smug]

Okay.

[Josh Holmes]

All right. With a conversation about how to advance their legislative priorities turned into a thorny question. What to do about Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

[Comfortably Smug]

That is incredible right there. Yeah, that's like a place for mom. Like they're having the uncomfortable conversation. All right, what are we gonna do about Chuck?

[Josh Holmes]

Somebody's got to get your driver's license first. That's the thing.

[Comfortably Smug]

We got to take his car keys,

[Michael Duncan]

and then we slip the brochure across the table.

[Josh Holmes]

Assisted living. It's for you. Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

You know, maybe Dick Durbin could be

[John Ashbrook]

a visiting angel A lot of people

[Josh Holmes]

live independently there, Mom.

[John Ashbrook]

They got a restaurant and everything.

[Michael Duncan]

Oh, this is sad.

[Comfortably Smug]

Now it's mean.

[Michael Duncan]

And now it's mean and sad.

[Josh Holmes]

To the surprise of some attendees, the Connecticut Democrat, a rising star in the party's left flank, responded that some lawmakers had been doing informal counts to see whether enough votes existed to remove the New York Democrat from his leadership position, according to people familiar with the mid February dinner. That's not that long ago, boys. Like, it's only gotten worse anyway. Murphy explained that Schumer had enough backing to remain as leader. But the disclosure stood out nonetheless because it revealed that frustration inside the Senate had reached a high enough level that some Democrats were actively contemplating about how to oust Schumer. Murphy is among the group of senators whose top advisors have grown increasingly dissatisfied with Schumer's leadership, according to people familiar with the conversation. That group includes Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts, who's been initiating. This is an interesting initiating.

[Comfortably Smug]

They've got the goods because you can't. The Journal is not going to put that in print unless they've got the backup to prove it.

[John Ashbrook]

Great points.

[Josh Holmes]

And it could have been denied, and they couldn't have printed it. It could have been denied.

[John Ashbrook]

She wanted it written.

[Comfortably Smug]

Initiating conversation, wants it out there.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. That group includes Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who have been initiating conversations with other senators to gauge frustrations with Schumer. Some of the people said Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota has also been active in discussion. I think that, like, that's the lady who looks like she's got, like, a fucking mop on her head.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

I mean, this is one of the least impressive human beings you've ever seen, but apparently she's like, a progressive darling.

[Michael Duncan]

I'm sure she begged to be in this article.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, yeah. She's like, no, I'm smart. I'm smart.

[Comfortably Smug]

And then at the same time, Elizabeth Warren is straight up being like to the Journal, tell Chuck I want him to know it was me. Like, yeah, straight up.

[Josh Holmes]

No, that is what happened. That's what happened. Her advisors have spoken with other Senate staff about different scenarios to challenge Schumer's leadership. Other people said, so you go through this Murphy stuff, and he's kind of like a little bit. I mean, clearly, at some point, these journalists had to go to the Schumer office. They got wind of it, and they asked Murphy to kind of walk some of this back. He didn't do it firmly, though. Could someone infer that someone was keeping account? Maybe, but that's not what I meant. Murphy Said I meant he has the support of the caucus and that he still supports Schumer. Nonsense like. Yeah, so here's how an article works like this. And we worked in Senate leadership for 15 years. The way that this thing works is there is an event that happens that you've got the goods on. There are multiple sources that are confirming what a conversation was about. In order to do your job as a journalist, you can't just blind source the whole thing. You've got to go back to the principles that were at the event. And then you've got to go to the. The person who is the subject of it, which is Schumer. And when you go to the subject of it, you've got somebody who's ultimately in control of the Senate staffing and procedural stuff where those senators ultimately report at some level. And no doubt that what happened was the Schumer operation then goes to Chris Murphy and they're like, you need to clean this up. Like you need to do. And he's like, meh, do I. And he kind of like, doesn't fully. Right. He's like, someone could probably infer.

[John Ashbrook]

So that means.

[Josh Holmes]

That's not what I meant.

[John Ashbrook]

It's likely that a source of the story said they had dinner with Murphy and Murphy was talking about a count against Schumer.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

And then they asked, hey, the source says there's a count against Schumer. What do you say to that, Murphy? Ah, someone could infer.

[Josh Holmes]

Someone could infer. When I said count, they could infer that I meant count.

[John Ashbrook]

That's not what I meant.

[Josh Holmes]

But that's not what I meant. What I meant was count. I mean, dude, what I meant.

[John Ashbrook]

What I meant was he is the support of the caucus. Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, that's it. So they call it the Chuck Chuck movement. The Chuck Chuck Movement.

[Comfortably Smug]

Before that. I just want to say real quick, real quick. In this part, it said in more than. This is from the Journal. They said in more than four dozen interviews with Democrat senators, current former congressional aides, activists and advisors, many said the concern about Schumer's leadership was widespread.

[John Ashbrook]

Like 48 interviews.

[Josh Holmes]

48 interviews.

[Comfortably Smug]

This isn't like we talked to two guys and they said that this is

[John Ashbrook]

a lot of people.

[Comfortably Smug]

There's a lot of people that want

[Josh Holmes]

meetings between Democratic chief of staff on Senate business often veer into erring discontent with Schumer in how to pressure him to step aside as leader after the November elections. I mean, look, part of this is real, which is why we're Giving it to you. But we also want to take a victory lap here on the ruthless Friday program in telling you that this was going to happen one calendar year before it happened. And we actually told you not only that it was going to happen, but we gave the players involved. We gave the players involved. We said, Chris Murphy is the principal player involved here. You've got bit players of Elizabeth Warren. I mean, I don't know Tina Smith, nobody.

[John Ashbrook]

Look, I don't think you can say that Elizabeth Warren is a bit player because this is the same woman who showed up the day Joe Biden was elected and said, no, my legislative assistant is now in charge of the American government.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Exactly.

[Comfortably Smug]

He's right about that. She's been putting. So her office is essentially like a madrasa for the most lunatic left wing activists. And they just, they get their training in that office, they get all the brain damage, insanity, and then they go to various places like spread the insanity.

[Michael Duncan]

I'm just picturing them doing monkey bars and sandals.

[Josh Holmes]

That's what they're doing, dude, just an

[Michael Duncan]

Elsie

[Josh Holmes]

flaming monkey bar.

[John Ashbrook]

Just Bryn Maher grads.

[Josh Holmes]

That's.

[Comfortably Smug]

Dude, I'm telling you, they're in the madrasa.

[Michael Duncan]

They're getting the training.

[Josh Holmes]

They're getting the training. Lawrence College, now I'm in her madrasa. But I mean, they got a lot of people on the, on the record on this stuff and there's, there's many complaints. And you should go check out the article, the Wall Street Journal if you want to see more of it because it's all out there. Point is, this dude's done. He's done. He's either going to get thrown out in his ass or he's going to announce after the November elections that he's peacefully going into the good night. But he's not. There's no way for the reason that your Department of Homeland Security is shut down or the longest government shutdown in American history is Chuck Schumer because of this. And he is more interested ultimately in trying to ingratiate himself with a bunch of people who fucking hate him, who will never give him the benefit of doubt in order to try to save his job, than he is doing the right thing for the American people. And that is what the balance of leadership in Congress looks like.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, I, I guess I'm skeptical for one reason. Joe Biden held on for a long time, like way past his prime. They ended up making him the nominee when he had no business being the nominee to beat, you know, Trump in 2020.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, but you know What Kamala wasn't doing as much as she ultimately became. She wasn't adjusting her tie like Chris Murphy is.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah, I know. I just kind of think. I think Elizabeth Warren's a rat. Like, I don't. I think she was trying to get the temperature so she could narc back to Schumer. If I'm being honest with you. Like, I think she was at that French restaurant. I think she was.

[John Ashbrook]

You think she's on his side? You think Warren's on his side?

[Michael Duncan]

No, I think that she's a very smart, calculating politician who finds her way to maneuver as close to power as possible to fill an administration with the madrasa of left wing lunatics. And that I don't think she's ever the first one into the breach. She may be a progressive lunatic, but she is much smarter and more calculating than I think people give her credit.

[Comfortably Smug]

Along those lines. I want to mention this real quick, very quick story from the Journal article where they said, this is in. We had spoken earlier about how the Dems completely failed in accomplishing anything when they shut down the government over, like, Obamacare subsidies. So Senate Democrats have this like, closed door meeting and it leaks. Of course. Just right here. This is with Warren, quote, wait, they didn't negotiate anything. Warren replied. One of the people said she turned to Schumer. Chuck, you told me no one was negotiating. The leader of the centrist group, Senator Jeanne Shaheen, responded that they had kept the leader abreast of the developments. Warren, one of the Senate's most liberal senators, responded, that's not what Chuck told me.

[Josh Holmes]

See, and this thereby exposes the problem. And I can tell you firsthand, Johnny, you know this well, when you're in Senate leadership, honesty is the only thing you got.

[John Ashbrook]

Yummy.

[Josh Holmes]

And if you get into a position where there's a no win, where you can't do what's right for the country, you're no longer providing the heat shield for your conference. And they don't respect or understand that you're providing the heat shield. They don't want to do the thing because the progressive base, in their case conservative base, when we were there, doesn't want to do the thing. But you got to do the thing. But once they stop respecting that you have to do the thing or you're the right guy to try to do the thing, you're done.

[Comfortably Smug]

And that it's clear that he's willing. If Elizabeth Warren's to believe here, she wanted this out there.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, that's what I'm.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, Schumer's desperate in lying. Yes, that's the takeaway.

[Michael Duncan]

My point in this is the reason why you're seeing so much of Elizabeth Warren in here.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. She participates.

[Michael Duncan]

She's trying to make good with progressive activists that feel disappointed by her.

[Josh Holmes]

Do you think.

[John Ashbrook]

Do you think she's got an eye on the job?

[Comfortably Smug]

That's my thinking. My thinking is she's doing.

[John Ashbrook]

You don't think so?

[Josh Holmes]

No.

[Comfortably Smug]

She wants to decide. She wants to be the king. The way she's put her little nutjob activist employees all over to get in positions of power. I think that's what she wants out of this. And I would not be surprised if the day comes when she rolls up to Schumer and she says to him, we can do this shit the hard way. We can do it the easy way. The easy way is you step aside. The hard ways, we have AOC kick your ass out of here. That's coming, dude.

[Josh Holmes]

It could be. The other thing, before we move topics is the thing that you raised at the beginning that just sort of got me ruminating, which is Eliza Collins's byline. An expert on Democrats in the Western Conference and talented journalist. I'm sure she's got way more sources than just the Western, but she's very well sourced in that.

[John Ashbrook]

Right.

[Josh Holmes]

Who doesn't show up in this is like Ruben Gallego. Right. Or Jackie Rosen or Brian Schatz or. Or Basto Cortez. Masto, like. But they probably confirmed a lot of it. Right. They're smart enough to keep their name out of the thing.

[John Ashbrook]

This vignette behind closed doors where they're quoting a behind closed doors meeting. That is multiple sources confirming that sort of thing.

[Josh Holmes]

Right. So there's a big portion of the Democratic Conference.

[Michael Duncan]

Interesting.

[Josh Holmes]

Just look for action on all that. All right. So you've probably noticed Cuba has been a topic of somewhat of a conversation lately, in large part because, well, we took out a dictator in Venezuela, where they got all of their energy, and their good friend over in Iran, where they got all kinds of sort things and sort of cut off their ability to do business with all the world's worst countries. And they've had some problems as a result of that. They've had some problems.

[Michael Duncan]

I'm shocked.

[Josh Holmes]

But that doesn't stop the left here in America from lionizing Cuba, which is fascinating.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's completely insane.

[Josh Holmes]

Like, given our history, Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs, you know, the communist stand, the idea that like, you know, Venezuela, Iran, Russia, China, of like taking a hotbed in China, that We're not. Or in Cuba that we're not like, concerned about. 90 miles south of Florida is always like so much of a mystery. But it turns out that the far left has decided to make this their cas celeb. Like Save Cuba. Save Cuba. Clip 5 Hasan Piker I was saying, tourism is the lifeline for the Cuban economy as it stands currently, tourism, the government has very limited resources and the American government makes it illegal for Americans to stay wherever they want when they're in Cuba. They have to stay in what they've declared as five star hotels.

[John Ashbrook]

Right?

[Comfortably Smug]

Dude, there's a photo. YouTube viewers, he's staying at a five star resort.

[Josh Holmes]

Look at who he's drinking, by the way.

[Comfortably Smug]

And also for him to be like, okay, the five star resort is not

[Josh Holmes]

like, this is what the American government has declared five star hotels. But regardless, in comparison to the situation

[Ad]

on the island, it's, it's like it's

[Josh Holmes]

a prosperity pretty much. And experiencing that dichotomy definitely fucked me up. Oh yeah, it's fucked him up that he's got to experience prosperity and kill.

[John Ashbrook]

What about the coffee cup he got from Santa's elves?

[Comfortably Smug]

You ever see a coffee cup? It's amazing that like this is, this is the socialists that we have today. These aren't like dudes who are battle hardened from the jungle trying to do revolution. These are dudes who have like mansions and Porsches and are like, listen, I'm going to have a sip of my espresso. And the five star resort they put us up in, let's, let's be honest. I've been at better five star resorts. These are the guys that are like, viva Castro. We're here on the island for your glorious revolution.

[Michael Duncan]

The revolutionary, revolutionary vanguard. This country is experiencing like countrywide blackouts. And he's streaming at the same time,

[Comfortably Smug]

streaming like they're driving power, they're driving Studebaker there. There are all these videos that went up of local Cubans who shot videos of like the five star resort where they're staying at. All the lights are on the lobby, everything's working. Then they turn the camera around, dude, not even the street lights are working. Nothing is. Hospitals don't have power. These guys are in a resort.

[Josh Holmes]

So the progressive left that is giving you a dissertation on how uncomfortable that they feel living in five stars resorts as they go down to protest the American influence on Cuba and drinking out of an espresso cup. Let me just. If you have to drink anything like this with your pinky up and you're doing it while you're lamenting the powers that be. It just doesn't land.

[Comfortably Smug]

No.

[Josh Holmes]

It just doesn't land the same.

[Comfortably Smug]

No.

[Josh Holmes]

And so they're not alone. I mean, you mentioned the grid issue. Code Pink had something to say about that. They threw a big concert down.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Okay.

[Josh Holmes]

They're international now, did you know that? Yeah, international.

[Comfortably Smug]

I've got a bit on that too.

[Josh Holmes]

Code Pink is internationals. Well, anyway, clip six. This is the concert that they have thrown down in Cuba.

[Comfortably Smug]

So it's like the speakers, the light show, all this is power. They're like crowd surfing and having a good time. The rest of the island doesn't have power. These are a bunch of like left wing influencers and Code Pink essentially partying, having a concert just in the face of people who have no electricity, like that is so insane. Couple things. First, Mike Solana, friend of the program, publisher of Pirate Wires, had a great tweet where he says about these, these idiots. They flew to an impoverished prison state, celebrated the government responsible for a 50 year humanitarian crisis and put painted the locals a mural with quote, notes of love. This is among the most vile kind of human the Western world has ever produced. That's the thing is like the left is essentially anything against America is their position. We've been discussing this, how they think if America is involved in anything, they're evil. And the other side must be right. This, this, this.

[Josh Holmes]

He's not hyperbolic enough of that.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's ghoulish.

[Michael Duncan]

It is ghoulish.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's.

[Michael Duncan]

It's also very funny that like Code Pink we'll see what's going on in Cuba, travel to Cuba and then be like, we know your country is going through a lot of shit. We're going to have a concert so we can raise awareness about all the shit you're going through in your own country.

[Josh Holmes]

Streaming back to our country.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Comfortably Smug]

And to connect a couple of things you'd mentioned like, oh, apparently Code Pink is doing this international stuff. Those stories on Fox News that you mentioned about the like Chinese connected astronomies writing.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah. This guy, Neville Singham.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's the guy. So apparently one of the co founders of Code Pink is married to that dude there was reporting. I want to say it was either CBS or Fox News who had it this past weekend that one of the progressive groups in Cuba that was helping host all these people and arrange the logistics and everything is connected to Cuban intelligence. Oh, talk about useful idiots.

[Josh Holmes]

They're just.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's Harmon true. These people are just making propaganda. It's for enemies of America. It's unreal.

[Michael Duncan]

One final thing I just want to say, like, taking a step back on this, right? Like, they had the, the socialist revolution in Cuba back on what, the 1950s or whatever. So, like, they've been a communist country for a very long time. This should be paradise for every American leftist who complains about, you know, we don't do enough renewable energy, you know, we don't have enough socialism here. Everything should be free. And then they show up on the shores of Cuba and suddenly nothing works. And they don't for a second think like, oh, gosh, maybe my entire worldview is wrong. They're like, actually, you know what? This is all America's fault.

[Josh Holmes]

This, this, this deal. I mean, dude, I couldn't get the espresso cup was too much for me.

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, where, where, where's their, their solar panel electric grid, right? Weren't they just gonna harness because it's gonna be renewable, but you cut off their oil from Venezuela and suddenly their country doesn't work?

[Comfortably Smug]

Dude, it's even better. Greta Thunberg was like, they need access to oil. Fossil fuels are bad. I take both of these positions.

[Josh Holmes]

It had 60 years to figure it out. No, couldn't figure it out.

[Michael Duncan]

They were so close. We were so close to getting real socialism.

[Josh Holmes]

Turns out a lot of sunshine down in Cuba. Shame you can't harvest it. I mean, incredible. Introducing Home Care Plus, a new subscription service from Lowe's that helps make life easier by giving members a hand with home maintenance. Let Lowe's tackle the tasks you keep meaning to do, like electric dryer, vent cleaning, replacing hard to reach light bulbs, and more. Subscribe to Home Care plus for just 99 a year and consider your your to do list done. Members get more at Lowe's. Available and select zip codes only. Cancel anytime. Non refundable fee. Product purchase required. Terms and service restrictions apply. Details@lowe's.com Terms subject to change. All right, you guys want some variety?

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah, always.

[Josh Holmes]

This I haven't seen the clip on. This is a little bit cold. Dear host over here. I don't know if you guys have seen this or not, but it strikes me as something that's going to be abhorrent. A 500 pound man was hoisted out of a 15 foot hole on a construction site in Pomona, California. Clip 7. Back to Gil Levison, Sky 5. Gil, what can you tell us?

[Comfortably Smug]

Wait. Feet up.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, for the first time, Johansson, we're seeing the man coming out of the hole here. I'm gonna come out to a wider shot as the man. Into the hole to secure the man and get him harnessed up. Now they are pulling him up and they're gonna to get him on a gurney here in a short time here. But you see a very difficult rescue here for the county firefighters that are on scene. It's all started.

[Michael Duncan]

You're not getting those pants up.

[Josh Holmes]

About 15ft down. Now the good news is he was being alert and talking the whole time to the rescuers. And so now they're going to take him to the hospital quickly. Okay, so the man was not a construction worker and somehow he ended up in a hole. According to ABC7, the LA County Fire Department's heavy, dude.

[Comfortably Smug]

They have a heavy rescue.

[Josh Holmes]

It's called heavy rescue. It's a heavy rescue unit. I mean, because you got to make sure you get the right cylinder of operations when you're dealing with something like this. The heavy rescue unit was in charge anyway. Eventually able to hoist the man before he was rushed to the hospital. Unclear if he suffered any injuries. My biggest question here, fellas. I've seen people have to cut holes and roofs to pull fats out. And then there's been like. Like, I think like documentaries about people who have required holes be cut in houses in order to get out. Yeah. And stuff like that. Because they've just sat in there and just become too bad. This man apparently was out and about.

[Michael Duncan]

Well, see, that's the thing. And that makes me feel bad for him really, is because, like, he was out there getting some exercise.

[Comfortably Smug]

Dude. Clearly that'd be the worst case scenario if he's like, today I turn a new leaf, puts on some tennis shoes and he's like, I'm going for a walk. I'm going to turn this around.

[Josh Holmes]

Today's the day.

[Michael Duncan]

Do you think maybe he created the hole?

[John Ashbrook]

I don't think so.

[Michael Duncan]

Dark.

[John Ashbrook]

Here's the thing.

[Josh Holmes]

It's a large band. I'm just saying I don't think he could have shoveled it. I'll be frank.

[Michael Duncan]

No, I'm saying maybe his pure size created the hole.

[Comfortably Smug]

Like he tripped.

[Michael Duncan]

I don't.

[John Ashbrook]

I don't think so.

[Comfortably Smug]

It was a sidewalk. He just tripped.

[Josh Holmes]

He was in a sidewalk. He tripped.

[Comfortably Smug]

Put it down.

[Michael Duncan]

Straight up, Looney Tunes style.

[Josh Holmes]

They're like, get the crane. The heavy. The heavy rescue unit has on its way.

[John Ashbrook]

I think the state of California is a hellhole. I think that they have no concept of how to manage and maintain public utilities and sidewalks and the basics of everyday life. And so when a guy like that. Maybe he could have skipped a meal here and there. Maybe he was taking an exercise break. I don't think it's his fault. I think it's California's fault.

[Josh Holmes]

A couple breaks.

[John Ashbrook]

I think it's, I think it's, I think it's California's fault. He's not the only 500 pounder walking around America and I've never heard of somebody falling through a hole in the sidewalk before. This state does not know how to manage anything. Don't go there.

[Comfortably Smug]

Try to build like 100 million bridge to get him out. It'd be like in 20 years he's skeleton down there.

[John Ashbrook]

We're going to fast rail him out of there.

[Josh Holmes]

What you've come to expect from the ruthless variety program in firm defense of the fats. Moving on. Clip 8 this happened in Washington D.C. so, you know, the prediction markets, they've been making a big play in the nation's capital in large part because there have been a little bit of consternation about their role in the world in that they are not legally classified as gambling. They're more legally classified as commodity trading in a lot of ways. And the Trump administration has indicated that they have some open view to all of that CFTC people and everything else. And so they've been trying to make incursions to a bunch of lawmakers who've introduced a ton of legislation over the last couple of months saying basically like, what's to prevent insider trading? What's to do? Because basically the way that this works is that they have markets that are open for literally anything. It's not sport, just sports betting. It's literally anything. It's like, do you think that Ukraine can last another week in the Russian war? And people like, put heavy money one way or another. And like the concern from outsiders has been on Capitol Hill. What's to stop somebody who's actually like on the front lines of all that watching it, putting down a bet one way or another? And so there's been a lot of discussion about all that. So they've tried to like ingratiate themselves in the Washington D.C. community in doing so. Poly Market announced that they were going to have a new thing. It was kind of a catchy thing where they were like, we're gonna open a new bar.

[John Ashbrook]

Oh, yeah, I, I was kind of thinking I wanted to go to that.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. So it's, they're like, we're gonna open a new bar where you can, quote, monitor the situation.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah. Because that's sort of the meme on X Is like, I'm monitoring the situation. You're just basically watching the news. And, you know, you're refreshing.

[Josh Holmes]

You're doing nothing different than somebody in Topeka, Kansas.

[Comfortably Smug]

But.

[Michael Duncan]

But it's a fancy way of being like, I'm glued to my phone to see what.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, exactly. So they set up what was supposed to be an entire bar full of screens that are into every single thing that's happening live around the world that you could go to and, like, you know, have a good time but monitor the situation. Well, it didn't turn out that great. Clip 8. This is their grand opening in which they had. Had, I'm told, 80 televisions. None of them were working that not a single one of them was able to work. Not well.

[Michael Duncan]

You can't monitor the situation without monitors.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

You know, I mean, so that's. That's sad to see.

[Josh Holmes]

That's a tough deal.

[John Ashbrook]

It's a shame because, you know, the way you described it sounded sort of like a B dubs for current events.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

And I wouldn't mind showing up there.

[Comfortably Smug]

That's the thing. Is, like, the idea actually pretty good. It is pretty good. The right town for it. Because you're never gonna find a higher concentration of people who want to monitor the situation and know everything that's going on. But, like, their execution, even if it were an ideal execution, what the hell's a live band doing there?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, it's a great question. All to do is blocking the monitoring of the situation.

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah, like, you don't need a live band. You can have, like, some background music or whatever. But the most critical part of this is the monitor. You cannot monitor the situation. Those situations are being with every TV screen off where, like, it says here that they had entire. A partial power outage that caused the entire TV system to fail, and they had patrons waiting 90 minutes in the rain outside, like.

[Michael Duncan]

Okay, I'm gonna say something a little bit harsh because I disagree. I don't like this bar.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, you don't like it?

[Michael Duncan]

And the reason why I don't is, like, this is Washington, D.C. do we really need another bar where nerds stare at their phones? Oh, we got a lot of those.

[Josh Holmes]

Interesting.

[Michael Duncan]

We got a lot of those in

[Josh Holmes]

D.C. nerds staring at their phone is an epidemic here. There's no question about that.

[Comfortably Smug]

Well, what if. What if in your theory, you have them all concentrated so then they're all monitoring? And then you go to any other bar, and it's, like, fun. It's like life used to be of where people are Just like having a drink and conversing. Yeah. It's not like with Ashbrook where, like, you try to talk to him and you're talking to him, looking at his phone, you know what I mean?

[Josh Holmes]

Catching strings.

[Comfortably Smug]

He's like, all day, every day, you have a conversation with Ashbrook. You never see his eyes. You just see him firing off emails to journals and occasionally like, oh, yeah, huh, huh.

[John Ashbrook]

Says the guy who wears.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's unbelievable. But I pay attention to my friends. I talk to. So like, this guy. I mean, if anyone would have loved Montreal situation, but Nashbrook, because then he could be like, oh, I'm monitoring the situation. I'm not gonna listen to you. It's obvious.

[Josh Holmes]

We'll keep you updated on whether that thing lasts more than a week. But it didn't get off to a hot start. It was a tough. It was a tough opening week for that particular outfit. Listen, we want to get to an interview here. And you'll recall that our promise to you at the beginning of primary season was that we were going to give you every single one of the candidates in all the states that matter that are ultimately gonna make up majorities House in Senate. And we've created a map, RuthlessPodcast.com map where all of your states are highlighted when we conduct these interviews. And so you can click on them before you have to vote, see what the candidates have to say themselves. And we promise to do our level best to try to get you all of the candidates that you could potentially vote for. Texas is a kickoff to all that we had all three Senate candidates in. You cast your ballots accordingly. Can't help but think we played a role in some Texans ultimately coming to the conclusions that they did. And now we move to the great state of Louisiana. You have an incumbent senator, Bill Cassidy, who's with us today. I think Congresswoman Julia Letlow is gonna be with us later on in the week, and Fleming, the third candidate, is gonna be with us at some point. I know we're in touch with their teams, so we're gonna provide. We're gonna build out Louisiana for you by touch.

[Michael Duncan]

It's simmering like a deep brown roux.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you, you know, look, we just kind of ask the questions and get to know the. The people a little bit, and you'll know whether or not you think these people are someone you'd vote for or not, which is the whole point of what we're doing here in the Ruthless variety program. So our interview. Not sure how to tackle your taxes. Are you Sweating the small print you may be experiencing FOMO, the fear of messing up the answer. Using TurboTax on Intuit credit Karma, they help you get your biggest refund, and then we help you do more with it with a personalized plan designed to help you hit your money goals. It's time to take your taxes to the max. Start filing today in the Credit Karma app right here. I want to welcome back to the program. I think he's been here two or three times. Senator Bill Cassidy. How are you, sir?

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

I'm doing really well. Let me compliment you guys. You're still in business, you know what I'm saying?

[Josh Holmes]

I know you've seen us in worse times.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Yeah. Tip of the tip of the hat. So good for you. Appreciate the only guy not wearing a hat.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, things are going better in the studio than they are in the United States Senate. In all fairness, I think it's about

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

every place in the world, except maybe Tehran, are doing better than the United States Senators right now.

[Comfortably Smug]

You know, feels like that's probably right.

[Josh Holmes]

Look, I know you got a big race coming up, and I know we. We want to talk all about that, but you got to give us a little look under the hood of what's going on in the Senate, specifically in regards to DHS funding, of which, you know, look, a lot of our listeners have been trudging through airports, as I know you have, and then the SAVE act and all that kind of thing. Can you give us just an update of where you think things are headed?

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Well, first, the overview. I'm a gastroenterologist, so the metaphor that immediately comes to mind is fecal material hitting a fan. You know what I'm saying? So there was one of my people that was supposed to come up yesterday, and she was so sweet. She's always sweet, but how could she be anything but when she waited five hours and missed her plane because of the long lines of the New Orleans airport.

[Josh Holmes]

Wow.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

And so it's infuriating. And if you think about the TSA agent, they're like many people in the United States, they got a little bit of a padding. They don't got, like, two weeks of padding. And if they're not getting paid, you're hurting them. Now, some of them, they say, well, they're not showing up for work. They're probably working as an Uber driver. Yeah, they're probably working, you know, a side gig in order to pay their bills.

[Michael Duncan]

Right.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

And so I think we had an 83% call out yesterday in New Orleans well, again, think about it. These people have to feed their family. Yeah, so. So the American people deserve to be upset now. So put it in perspective. Democrats agreed to the Department of Homeland Security funding like four months ago. And then after Minnesota, they pull back. Now the White House has stepped way forward trying to meet their demands and they keep on edging back, not showing up for meetings, not doing this, not doing that. I think they think they've got a political winner and they just want to ride this horse into a victory in the midterm. So they think. And in the meantime, they're sticking it to the American people. Yeah, it's incredibly angry.

[Josh Holmes]

That seems like a very consistent with their point of view. I mean, look, you're the chairman of the HELP Committee. Health, Education, labor, pensions for the laymen out there, we shut down the government for a record amount of time last fall, all in the name of this healthcare crisis that of course couldn't wait another day. And I'm curious, from your perspective, have you seen any of your Democratic colleagues sort of even raise the issue since they shut down the government?

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Not one bit. Not one bit. And by the way, best I can tell, the same number of people signed up for the exchanges as before. Probably some who dropped off like didn't exist. You know, way back when in Louisiana we had a governor who said, when I die, I want to stay in politics, so bury me in Plaqueman's Parish so I can continue to vote, you know. So it's a little bit of that sense with some of these people who signed up for the exchanges where there was a tremendous commission made, the person didn't exist or else they didn't know they signed up and the commission was paid. Some guy out of either Texas or Florida got like several hundred million dollars ripping people off. So some of the people that fell off may not exist or didn't know that they were up the first time.

[Josh Holmes]

It's interesting.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

And so we've not seen a problem. Not to say we have to do something about affordability.

[John Ashbrook]

Yes.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Let me say that we gotta make healthcare, drug prices in particular more affordable for the American people.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, I think everybody agrees with that and you've been working on that a long time. What was so confounding about the fall experience from an outsider's perspective, is at that particular moment in time there was a full fledged representation by the Democratic Party that today is a crisis the likes of which you haven't seen in American healthcare. And therefore we need to shut down the government for 45 days. Now we know, the end of that story is nothing happened. They didn't do anything. They finally just relented and reopened the government. But you sit where you sit and it seems to me, if you know what you're telling me is the truth here, these guys haven't paid a lick of a debt. They don't care basically, whatever representations are made as they're being made about Minnesota and ICE now, were certainly made back in October about the acuteness of the crisis of healthcare and therefore government shutdown is necessary.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Josh, I'm shocked. I'm shocked Democrats are playing something for a political advantage that has no impact upon people's lives. You know, I'm just shocked, brother. I'm just shocked. But don't worry, you'll learn your lesson.

[Josh Holmes]

But it's gotta be, it's gotta. Well, look, it's gotta be a little bit disheartening though. I mean, you're known as a guy who is a serious person who works in a committee, cross partisan lines when necessary, but trying to solve problems over a period of time. And I know when I started the United States Senate 20 years ago, it was basically two parties who had very different ways of trying to solve the same problem. And you could sometimes come to accommodations or not. Seems like the hand of cards that you're dealing with in the United States Senate right now is one where a Democratic Party is hell bent on destroying the President of the United States and for partisan gain at all ends. And the amount of serious conversation is non existent.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

If Donald Trump said turn on the air conditioner when it was 95 degrees in a hot crowded room, Chuck Schumer would say, no, yeah, we're not going to do it. Yeah, we're not going to do it. And they're going to figure out later why they wouldn't. And so the amount of hostility it is to Trump, no matter what Trump proposes, is amazing. And it can be just kind of Trump proposing in a penumbram, if you will. It's like his White House does, his administration does. It doesn't, doesn't have to be a true social. It's just like, well, this is our counteroffer coming from the White House. No.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

So I think that, that, that you've seen the articles, Chuck, Chuck is afraid of his head, of his position as chair of the Democratic Caucus. The so called Fight Club. Fight Club is pushing him to make, to fight harder. It doesn't matter if nothing gets accomplished. They just want the symbolism of quote unquote, fighting. And in the meantime, we have lines that are five hours long getting through TSA and good Americans having to take a side gig to pay their bills.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Michael Duncan]

I mean, how do you think all this ends, though, ultimately, with the Democrats? Are they going to relent on the DHS funding? Do we, you know, pass funding through reconciliation? I know there's been some of that has been floated recently. I'm just sort of curious what you see as the end game here.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Sooner or later, you know, going back to my metaphor, when things hit the fan, it sprays on everybody. And pretty soon they're going to get sprayed, too. My colleague John Kennedy yesterday went up to do a resolution to. You saw that, right?

[Comfortably Smug]

Yeah.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

They wanted to pay everybody. And is there an objection? And Brian Schatz, without identifying himself, I object and immediately stalks out. And Kennedy, Kennedy, he just did a wonderful job. Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

If you're going to try to do a theater thing, you probably shouldn't do it with Kennedy.

[Michael Duncan]

Kennedy has the.

[Josh Holmes]

Oh, not at all.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

I mean, it was a cross of a Southern lawyer and a Southern preacher, but whatever it was. Is something wrong? Did Senator Schatz get sick? He just walked out the door. He didn't even identify himself. Okay, somebody make sure he's okay. Send somebody after. Make sure he's okay. And it was just, like, masterful. They don't give a dang. And so. And. And I think John was. No one frames an argument better than John.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

And John was fragmenting the argument that they don't care. And he did a great job doing it.

[John Ashbrook]

Senator, as you know, Louisiana is a gigantic state, a lot bigger than people, you know, outside of the state probably know. And I know you're traveling around north to south. I'm wondering what's on people's minds the most. Is it safety? Is it the economy? Is it health care? Some combination of those three things.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

They got to be able to afford their life. By the way, my race is about who can make their lives better. But right now, people are having a hard time paying their bills. And so how do you do it? And I say, by the way, I'm the senator who's here to do good for the state of Louisiana. My opponent, she's there doing very well for herself, making stock trades. You take a pick. You take a pick. And so how do you make it more affordable? I've already mentioned working with the president to lower the cost of prescription drugs. He signed into law my bill that I helped negotiate to squeeze the pharmacy benefit managers about a month ago. We've got to increase another way to make Things more affordable is to create better paying jobs. So the infrastructure bill that I helped negotiate, which my opponent voted against, brought $13.5 billion to my state. Now, $13.5 billion is a lot of jobs and the latest amount is 1.35 billion to make sure that everyone has access to high speed, affordable Internet. Now, I like that because it creates jobs, but you guys are still doing well because of the Internet. Now think about it. This is really a game changer in terms of how things go. There's a guy in a very small town in Louisiana who's got an international audience. His name is Kearney. International audience in this little small town, shipping jambalaya mix around the world, celebrating Louisiana's culture because of the Internet. Out of a small town in Louisiana, he is worldwide. Pretty cool. So when you say that you are making sure everyone has access to high speed, affordable Internet, it's not just the jobs, it is joining the modern economy. So that person with a good idea who lives here and not in a big city can live here and communicate with the world. So it's a strategy. Again, I'm here to make my state and my country do good, do really good. And my opponents, if you need a financial advisor, I'd call her.

[Josh Holmes]

Well, let's talk about that Senate race because, look, you're in an interesting position in that you've had a love hate relationship with the President since he came down the golden escalator. There are times where you were allies on everything. Obviously, the president has gone a different way in your particular Senate race, but you, you have now had multiple terms where you're making the case, you know, your people of Louisiana. Is it still possible in this political world that we live in to make a case directly to your constituents without sort of the national environment sort of just taking over whatever message that you're trying to bring your constituents.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

There's a good quote from Samuel Johnson. Nothing like a hanging to sharpen a man's mind

[Josh Holmes]

now, right now, is that.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Think about it. Think about it, Josh. You're at a kitchen table and you can't afford your bills. You got a truck that's 15 years old, you can't afford to buy a new one, but it's a gas guzzler. And now you're paying 100 bucks more a month, and your wife's got an old car as well, and she's paying a hundred bucks more a month. And you already were stretching to pay your bills. Now that sharpens a person's mind. We need somebody who's trying to do good for me, who's trying to create a better job for me. I was speaking to a town hall meeting at a facility in St. James Parish. And by the way, it's the last aluminum building, the last aluminum plant in the United States. China has, like, we got one left, and China, the rest of them over there. So aluminum making aluminum is like, something we need. And so I'm at a town hall meeting, and I spoke about affordability, and I had management, I had union, I had the clerical help. Everybody's nodding their head yes. Everybody is connecting with the fact that these have been tough on families. And just when they were starting to catch up because inflation was moderating good wage growth, boom, now they're hit again. So I am here to make my peoples, if you will, in the United States and in my state, make life easier for them, more affordable for them, someplace where they can afford to take the better vacation, to send their child to the better school, to have a better future. And. And that's all. That's what I got to run on, because that's what I do all the time.

[Josh Holmes]

It's interesting, right? I mean, because I think in this day and age, everything Donald Trump sort of blots out the sun. And you've seen an awful lot of politicians seeking reelection over a period of years in the. In the modern era, basically just try to mirror back whatever it is that the president is doing, because there's no real way to work through your party's nomination process. You've taken a different route on that. And in many ways, I think is a case study about whether or not this is a period of time that operates like all the political punditry thinks it does, or different, that you have a relationship with your constituents that transcends any president at any point in time.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

So when you talk about Democrats using this as political theater to advance a political agenda, everything you're saying is laced with the idea that this is wrong, that this is not the way the Senate should work, and this is bad for the country. It just is just interweaved with everything you're saying. Well, what's the opposite? The opposite is that when you're up here, you're busting your ear in trying to make things better for the people you represent and for our entire country. And I can look at the things that I've done. The Halt Fentanyl act, when the president signed it into law, he said it was one of the most important bills he had signed that year, giving law enforcement more tools to fight cartels, shipping and fentanyl.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

My Support Act. The President signs my Support Act. Giving more resources to help people who are addicted with serious mental illness come off their addiction and to treat their serious mental illness. My IRS math act. To keep somebody who makes, like, a minor innocent mistake on their tax return from getting turned every which way but loose by the irs. You know, you don't mess with the irs. Well, let's make it so the IRS doesn't have as many excuses to. To mess with you.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, so.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

So I could keep going down the list. Yeah. But these are important things that are important to our country, and that's just who I am. So I got to run on who I am.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, totally.

[Michael Duncan]

So tell me about this Stop Insider Trading act, which I know is also something you've been working on recently.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

So, Michael, let me ask you. Do people trust Congress?

[Michael Duncan]

No.

[Josh Holmes]

No.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

So, used car salesman, somebody's selling crypto on tv, and then there is the member of Congress, Right?

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

And if you ask them, they think, well, people are getting rich in Congress. You've got to make Congress function, function better. You've got to restore people's faith. Now, my wife and I have not traded individual stocks for quite some time, by the way, my opponent, she's done quite well. And by the way, she's done well. Just to point out. Just to point out, trading stocks that have had business before the subcommittees upon which she sits, like defense stocks, which had a subcommittee hearing two weeks prior to Iran hostilities breaking out.

[Josh Holmes]

This is let low we're talking about.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Did pretty well on those. So in Pelosi, the President calls out Pelosi, gets a standing o from the Rs. Probably would have gotten a standing oh from the Ds, except they, you know, kind of tribal loyalty that was.

[Michael Duncan]

That was the highlight of the state of the Pelosi standing. She didn't like this.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

I was kind of looking to see if Letlo was standing, but that's another issue. So, point being, let's start by restoring the American people's faith in our elected officials that they're not trading on what. What would be considered by them in insider information.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. It's not only good politics, it is good policy.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

It is good.

[Josh Holmes]

It astounded me.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

You know, good politics is good policy, and good is good politics most of the time. And so in this case, most of the time.

[Josh Holmes]

In this case, most of the time.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

But in this case, the good policy is good politics. Stop the Insider Trading Act.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

Johnny, I want to ask you about another thing that seems like good politics and good policy and that is demanding that people show an ID when they come up to vote. The SAVE Act. Josh touched on it a little bit earlier in the show and I know you've been working pretty hard to try to get the SAVE act across the finish line.

[Josh Holmes]

Line.

[John Ashbrook]

What do you think is the outlook for that?

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Well, nationally, 83% of the American people like it, including 70% of Democrats. But in the United States Senate, it's not going to get a single Democratic vote. They're standing on the barricades for I'm

[Josh Holmes]

not quite sure what.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

We've had the same effective law as is currently, you know, as it's currently written in Louisiana for a couple decades.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

And remember I told you the governor who wanted to stay in politics, so bury me in Plaquemins Parish so we could continue to vote. You know, we probably used to have a little bit of that, a little

[Josh Holmes]

bit Louisiana Little Huey Long action. You've got a rich history.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

The rich history. Like way back when I read a biography of Henry Clay when he ran for president against Samuel Andrew Jackson and Andrew got more votes in Plaquemines Parish than people who live there.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Ad]

So.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

So anyway, and Andrew got the state and we were a swing state and it changed history. Yeah. So all that said is that we've been doing this for like 15 years and something which used to be kind of like a punchline is now you don't hear about it.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Right. It was just a no brainer, totally

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

bipartisan and like people like, don't complain about it.

[Josh Holmes]

Right.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

And it's not like, you know, if you've got an election where one portion of the electorate or another or both sides are energized, you get great turnout on both sides.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

And so I just don't see a problem with it.

[John Ashbrook]

Do you think I've heard that Fetterman supports the concept. He supports the concept of voter id. I'm just wondering if. Do you think that there's a chance that they break apart some aspects to the SAVE act and add them to DHS and maybe get to the finish line that way? Is that, is that even, you know,

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

you're more into the process than I am. Okay. You know, this is one of those things that's going to play as it plays.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Wonderful Scripture. Let the day's own troubles be sufficient for the day. And if you just try and follow all the kind of dizzying way that's working out, you're thinking, oh my gosh, let me just Go get a drink. And so, so I just let that play. That's playing. And I'll see the final result and then I'll cast my vote. But I support the SAVE Act. I think it's good legislation and absolutely. I support paying those dad gum Department of Homeland Security employees. Yeah, linked them.

[Josh Holmes]

That would be great.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

Is there, do you detect any rank and file Democrats that are sort of looking over at Schumer saying like, how did you get us into this mess? I mean, yes, I'm a progressive liberal. We've maintained on the ruthless variety program there's no such thing in today's day of as a moderate Democrat, Fetterman maybe notwithstanding. But that is how they've operated. But you have to, I mean, you interact with these folks. They're on your committee. Are there people who are like, geez, this is not our best stuff?

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

They're not saying that to me.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Probably because they think I'm wired. Could you say it a little louder, Jamal? Right. But you have to think that, you know, when you see five hour long lines and airports and you see, you would think it would bother you.

[Michael Duncan]

Yeah.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

And you see the fellow Americans who are not able to pay their bills because their employer is not paying them because yes, the president has leaned forward to try and meet Democrats on their side of the line and they still say no. I'm sure there's some of that which is like, come on, get off it.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I would like to think so. It just. Actions do speak a lot louder than words. And this at this point in the game. All right, so remind us what's the dates that we're dealing with? We're dealing with a May primary.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

So we are now it's May 16th with early voting starting, I think May 1st.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

And then if there's a runoff, it'll be June 28th.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

And that's the Republican side in my state, Republicans. And no party can vote in the Republican primary. There's some people who registered to be a Democrat when they're 18 and they haven't voted Democrat for 20 years.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

And so they can change easily. It's Louisiana. So I'm going to spell go vote for you. They can go to G E A U X V O T E only here. Would you laugh? Everybody said, how else do you spell go? So G E a u x vote.com and in two minutes on your smartphone, you can become no party, in which case you can vote in either primary or you can become a Republican. Boom, boom, boom.

[Josh Holmes]

And that. That. That's the way it works out. All right, so look, you gotta like your chances. Oh, yeah.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

I feel good about my race.

[Josh Holmes]

Feel good? Yeah. Yeah.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

People want somebody who's delivered for Louisiana, and I have delivered for my state. And there's some folks who say, you know, Bill, you may be one of the best senators we've had in, like, their lifetime, and you can look at what I've been able to help the state with as well as our country. And so the more people are aware of that and we're acquainting them with it, the more they like it. There's three people running, but I feel very good. The last poll we ran, I was ahead of both of them by double digits. And so. So we'll see.

[Josh Holmes]

Yes.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

It's going to be. Believe me, at the end, when it's one on one, the margin won't be that much, but we're going to win.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. So if people want to help you out, they're listening to you. They like what you have to say. Where do they go?

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Bill cassidy.com if you're back home. G E A U X vote.com if you're a Democrat and want to vote in my primary. But billcassidy.com and you can sign up to be a volunteer. You can sign up to donate. You can sign up and you ask a question. You can get a yard sign. However, we can help you. Help me.

[Josh Holmes]

I understand you've brought us something, Senator.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

So I gather. Kind of a running story here is you want a bear skin.

[Michael Duncan]

That is part of it, yeah.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

Why not something. Because it's masculine. I'm not gonna go. You know, my psychology class in med school, they talked about some people who have to prove their masculinity. I'm not gonna go there, guys.

[John Ashbrook]

Okay.

[Josh Holmes]

Okay. You're also from Louisiana. I don't know if you have bears there. Oh, my gosh.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

But we're gonna give you something to eat today.

[Josh Holmes]

Unbelievable. Look at that. That is a serious gator.

[Michael Duncan]

If we show this to smug, we're never going to see it again.

[Comfortably Smug]

I know.

[Josh Holmes]

We have to steal that and keep it in the office somewhere.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

What is trophy?

[Josh Holmes]

Amazing. Unbelievable. What an absolute trophy. Done yourself. I mean, this is a big boy,

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

too, who sells alligator skins out of Livingston Parish. And we had a cabinet secretary down there to visit his farm and went out on a boat. But anyway, that's a bad mama jama.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah.

[John Ashbrook]

Before you.

[Josh Holmes]

Before you run for office, Louis, do you have to wrestle one of these? Is that true? Is that part of the deal.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

You got to eat some tail.

[Comfortably Smug]

It's good.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

It is good. I think I brought some last time. Alligator tail is a delicacy, but I would say it's something which is.

[Josh Holmes]

It's unique.

[Senator Bill Cassidy]

That's unique.

[John Ashbrook]

Delicious.

[Josh Holmes]

Really appreciate it. Thank you.

[John Ashbrook]

Giant alligator. I mean, very interesting guy. That gator head was pretty cool. Yeah, I cannot.

[Josh Holmes]

The gator head was a nice touch.

[John Ashbrook]

It was, yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

A good size.

[Michael Duncan]

I mean he immediately moved into top five as far as tribute goes.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah, the tribute. The tribute. Let's not downplay the tribute.

[John Ashbrook]

Yeah.

[Josh Holmes]

If you come in it totally empty handed, you run the risk. You got to be pretty charming. Well,

[Comfortably Smug]

it's true.

[Michael Duncan]

We also run the risk of smug. Just stealing it immediately.

[Josh Holmes]

Yeah. Well, I think that that gator head's already backpack. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right, right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Listen, it's. It's sort of a thing. But anyway, that's the interview and we're gonna have let low later. We'll have Fleming after that. And I just think that this entire discussion is really important for all of you, regardless of whether it's your state or not, to just get a flavor for who these people are. Because you're not going to get it anywhere else. You're never going to have an open ended conversation about stuff. World events. Get to know the personality and why they come to the conclusions that they are certainly not getting on social media. And I don't think that the mainstream media has either the time or the inclination to try to do what it is that we're doing. So it's an important service. You go to that map, click on it, let us know what you think. You can add that to your comments, but leave us a comment when you like and subscribe. Also on Hack Madness, break down that bracket for us a little bit. Give us your thoughts, give us your picks, make it funny. Probably shows up on Thursday when we come back to you very next time. And for that I think we did it.

[Comfortably Smug]

I think so. Absolute banger of an episode. Gentlemen, thank you so much, Senator Cassidy and thank you to the listeners. Reminder, if you have not yet go to the YouTube and hit that subscribe because it's more fun in video. So until next time, minions, keep the faith, hold line and own the lids. We'll see you Thursday. Stay ruthless,

[Josh Holmes]

Sam.