Mahmoud Khalil (7:01)

You can see that the situation is not sustainable. You have an Israeli government that's absolutely ignoring Palestinians. They are trying to make that deal with Saudi and just happy about their Abraham Accord without looking at Palestinians as if Palestinians are not part of the equation and they circumvent the Palestinian question. And it's clear like it's becoming more and more violent. Like, you know, by October 6th over 200 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces and settlers. Over 40 of them were children. So that's what I mean by like. Unfortunately we couldn't avoid such, such a moment.

Ben Shapiro (7:55)

So he's calling October 7th unavoidable. And if you actually watch the entire interview with Ezra Klein, some of the things that he says are absolutely astonishingly pro terrorism. I mean clearly pro terrorism. At one point he says, having lived in the Middle east most of my life, unfortunately he lived in Syria. The only Jew you hear about is the one who's trying to kill you. For those in Gaza and the west bank, that's the only Jewish person they encountered. The one at checkpoint's the one raiding their homes. Well, Khalil didn't grow up around Jews, he grew up in Syria. And yet he is openly stating that he grew up hating Jews. And so he comes to the United States, he finds a bunch of left wing Jews like Jewish voice for peace, which is not Jewish or a voice for peace. And he says that's what real Judaism is, which is an absurdity. And then Khalil says there was no anti Semitism at Colombia. Quote, I would push back regarding anti Semitism at Colombia. He said, I would say that there is this manufactured hysteria about anti Semitism at Colombia because of the protests, you know. Well, no, no, he said it's not like anti Semitism is happening in Colombia because of the Palestine movement, which is of course a lie. And then he says, quote, from the river to the sea from the Palestinian perspective, no one ever said it's a violent call. And then of course he defends globalized the intifada. And then again he says October 7th was not in fact a, a, an aggressive attack. He said it was just to break the cycle, to break the Palestinians are not being heard. The me It's a desperate attempt to tell the world Palestinians are here, Palestinians are part of the equation that was my interpretation of why hamas did the October 7th attacks on Israel. So Khalil, again left wing martyr, is a pro terror shill. That's always what he was. And the left insists that he be allowed into the country and that not only that, we need more of these people in our country. They're aided and embedded here by libertarian groups like the foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which the past has done good work. But this idea that we have an obligation as a country to import students to study here on our dime and give them subsidies when they hate America is an absurdity. It's ridiculous. Why in the world do we need to import people to our country who hate the West? Again, the contrast between the. The media classification of this young white man who is working for the federal government to cut, waste, fraud and abuse, the kind of person who will rush to a woman's side to save her from being assaulted by thugs. That contrast between that and the Absolutely kid glove glowing treatment given to Mahmoud Khalil by Ezra Klein and the rest of the legacy media is plainly astonishing. It's plainly astonishing and it speaks to not only what the media are, but what the left has become. I will say it over and over and over again. The left wing is Zoran Mamdani. The left wing is not some moderate senator from Minnesota. It's not AB Klobuchar who's bad enough in many ways. It is Zoran Mamdani. It's Zormandani, period. This is the new Democratic Party and they are all falling in line. Senator Slotkin from Michigan. She is supposed to be one of the moderates. Alyssa Slotkin, she's not a moderate at all. Here she is suggesting that Mamdani's messaging is perfectly fine, perfectly good. Here she was on Meet the Press. I've said very openly that I don't, I don't, I've never would be called an expert on New York City politics. But the two messages were like a blinking red light. How can you miss them? People are still extremely focused on the cost of living and how they can't get ahead. Still the motivating issue. And then number two, they want that new generation of leadership. Oh, well, I mean, if you call pro terrorism a new generation of leadership, I guess it's all totally fine. By the way, there's is an open Michigan Senate seat and Democrats may well nominate is our momdani type for that Senate seat. That is one of the candidates who's up in the Democratic primary right now as Politico is covering today already more on the left's love for a Zoran Mamdani. Plus we'll get to Senators Tim Scott and Marsha Blackburn a lot coming up. First, what does feeling truly safe at home mean? I used to think good locks and a loud alarm were enough. Well, eventually I realized real security isn't just about responding to threats, but preventing them in the first place. That's why I use Simplisafe for proactive protection that keeps my studio and employees secure before anything can happen. Most security systems only spring into action after someone's already broken in, but by then it's too late. 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Visit simplisafe.com apparel claim 50% off a new system with a professional monitoring plan and get your first month for free. That's simply safe.com Shapiro There is no save like Simply Save. Also, I always assumed that restless sleep was inevitable. Night after night, tossing, turning, waking up with that aching back, I convinced myself that's how sleep was supposed to be. And honestly, when I'm on the road like I am right now, I gotta say I don't sleep as well. Why? Well, because at home I have Helix Sleep and it transformed my sleep quality because they made a mattress just for me. At my house, I easily fall asleep in minutes. Even when you know the family, the news, they would normally keep me awake. I'm out like a light on that mattress. What makes Helix different is they don't just sell you a random mattress, they actually match you with the perfect mattress for your body and sleep style. 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Now we have confirmation. It's time for Dem leaders to unite behind Zoran Mandani. If they don't now, how can they call for party unity later? We must lead by example. Let's win together. So there are no limits to what Democrats but of course AOC agrees with Zoran Mamdani. I mean, that's the pretty open secret. It is not that Democrats are uncomfortable with Zoran Mamdani. I've been saying this for years. When Democrats look at looters and rioters during the BLM protests, when Democrats look at left wing terrorists who commit acts of violence, unfortunately they don't look at their viewpoints as the problem. Instead what they do is they say those people are just too passionate. Their problem is they just took it too far. So the best you will get from a Democrat is that Zoramdani's heart is in the right place, but he just took it too far. Not that his viewpoint is bad, not that his worldview is corrupt. No, it's that he might be a little bit, you know, too fresh. He might just be a little bit too green. He hasn't really sanded off the edges yet, but that's what makes him so appealing. You see, he's the new wave of the Democratic Party and so we must side behind him. And of course they are doing this oppositionally because they're suggesting that if it were to be Andrew Cuomo, who, by the way, lifelong Democrat, who is not in any way shape or form a moderate, but Andrew Cuomo is too far to the right for them because they want to move into this new Democratic era. That is what they want desperately. The mainstream Democratic Party is falling in line. Chuck Schumer's day is over. Nancy Pelosi, who. I spent my entire political life looking at Nancy Pelosi as the left wing of the Democratic Party. She now looks like Scoop Jackson. It's unbelievable. Zaramdani, of course, is using the fact that everybody who is not a socialist nutjob does not want to see him be mayor as an excuse to say that he should be mayor. Because if Donald Trump and people who like Donald Trump are supporting Andrew Cuomo, that means that you have to vote for the communist who hates the country and believes that America is a nefarious force in the world. And also that maybe Hamas had a point.

Mahmoud Khalil (16:04)

I would be remiss if I did not directly address some of the news that we saw come out just a few hours ago, which is that the president of this country, Donald Trump, has been coordinating with Andrew Cuomo in direct conversation with the former governor. It is Trump billionaires who have been opposing our campaign's vision for a city that New Yorkers can afford.

Ben Shapiro (16:32)

All I can say is do it. Seriously, Democrats, do it. Let's see how it works out for you. It's a bold plan, Cotton. We'll see how it works out. You want to make a communist the mayor of New York City, the financial hub of planet Earth? Well, we'll see how long all the people who actually pay the bills in New York decide to stay there and keep the lights on. We'll see how that works out. The answer is not well. But again, the Democratic Party has been completely hijacked by the left. They had no systemic immunity to their own Wokies. They just didn't. They decided to bow to them because in the end, they didn't have the courage of their own, quote, unquote, moderate convictions. There's been a problem in the Democratic party since the 1960s. Nothing has changed. So just get ready for the next wave. Get ready for the next wave. Like, for example, this member of the Democratic Socialists of America, a panelist at a recent conference, who suggests that her goal is to perform abortions at a church.

Caller (17:25)

And on that revolutionary horizon, want to.

Beto O'Rourke (17:29)

Perform abortions at a church, you know, before it's all said and done.

Mahmoud Khalil (17:33)

The only real difference between marriage and prostitution is the price and the duration of the contract. We can fight for family abolition.

Ben Shapiro (17:40)

We can imagine family abolition because we have seen black women do it, because.

Mahmoud Khalil (17:45)

We have seen these, like, indigenous communities do it.

Ben Shapiro (17:49)

But, you know, it Is to me.

Mahmoud Khalil (17:50)

It is the, the institution of marriage can only exist alongside the criminalization of sex workers.

Ben Shapiro (17:57)

So just to find out whether this is a good idea or a bad idea, them talking about abolition of the family, how indigenous peoples are abolishing traditional notions of how. That's awesome. I asked our sponsors over at Comet, quote, how much more likely are children of single mothers to drop out of school, commit a crime or end up on welfare? Quote, children from single parent families are significantly more likely to drop out of high school compared to peers from married coupled families. Some sources report that as many as 71% of high school dropouts come from fatherless homes. Well, okay, how about crime? Quote, more than half of incarcerated youth in the US were raised in one parent families. 70% of inmates in state juvenile detention centers served long sentences reportedly come from single mother households. How about welfare dependency? Well, children living in single mother homes are 50% more likely to experience official poverty as adults than peers raised in married family homes. So great idea, Democratic socialists of America. You're making everybody better off by destroying the best possibility of an upward ladder climb economically, the stable nuclear family. So get ready for more of that. Get ready for more of that. Because if you think that the left ever has a limit, you are wrong. They will always go further. The revolution always eats its own and always moves further to the left. And this is again one of the reasons why you see so much support on the left wing for Hamas in the Gaza Strip. As we all knew, as anybody who's ever covered the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians knows, there is a phenomenon that has existed for legitimately decades in this conflict. It's called Pallywood Online. And that is essentially Palestinians staging photos and videos that look as though they are being abused. And they do it for the cameras. It turns out that that is absolutely 100% happening. In the current Gaza war. As reported by Build, which is a German newspaper, photographers have been staging the photographs of supposed starvation in the Gaza Strip. Here is a picture, for example, of one of those staged photographs. This is a, a quote unquote member of the press. I believe this person works for a, an outlet from Turkey, which of course is a sponsor of Hamas. And he is essentially going around with his, with his camera and asking people to wave their bowls at. You see the same picture over and over. It's always in the same exact area, people waving empty pots. You know this apparently, according to Build, and according to another German newspaper called Sudeutsch Zeitung, this is staged, quote, amid Israel's faltering public diplomacy and growing global momentum for recognizing a Palestinian state. Germany's Sudoish Zeitung published an investigative report revealing how Hamas manipulates imagery to shape international opinion successfully. So in many cases, the report details how the group stages images of hunger and despair in Gaza using professional photographers covering the war. While acknowledging the reality of severe food shortages in the Gaza Strip, the paper emphasizes that many widely circulated images of emaciated children do not accurately reflect current conditions. Some of the photos are not from Gaza at all. Others feature children suffering from chronic illnesses unrelated to the war. One image obtained by the paper shows photographers directing Gazan's suppose that as though they were waiting in line for food. That one, by the way, seemed to make the COVID of Time magazine. Germany's Build newspaper also addressed the issue, reporting that one of the freelance journalists responsible for distributing staged images regularly posts anti Israel content on social media. According to Sudo Zung, the photos emerging in recent weeks show precisely what Hamas wants the world to see, a civilian population suffering as a result of Israel's military campaign. Germany's journalist association issued a warning to local media outlets about manipulation attempts through professionally produced press photography. The DJV chair Mika Boister stated, quote, all parties involved in this war are using the power of imagery like never before to shake to shape public opinion. So again, historians and photography experts have been looking at these visual documentations. One said, quote, many images of starving or sick children are likely staged or taken out of context. They're not fake, but the subjects are positioned in a certain way or paired with misleading captions that tap into our visual memory and emotions. And this is what Hamas does. Of course, there's nothing new here. This has been happening for legitimately decades. And this is why it is astonishing to watch pseudo journalists go out there and claim that whatever Hamas's Gaza Ministry of Health says must be taken at face value. Or go out there and show the exact same pictures that are clearly staged and then suggest that this is what life looks like in the Gaza Strip, even as Israel ships literally millions of meals into the Gaza Strip every single day. Again, there is nothing new about this columnist named Mati Friedman. He talked about the fact that if you're working with the Associated Press, the Associated Press had its coverage dictated to it by Hamas. You could not work in the Gaza Strip without Hamas dictating your your media coverage and censoring it. Otherwise you just would be expelled or harmed. Here is Monty Friedman explaining.

Mahmoud Khalil (22:56)

As far as I know, I was the first staffer to erase information from the story because we were threatened by Hamas, which happened at the very end of, of 2008. We had a great reporter in Gaza, a Palestinian who had always been really an excellent reporter. We had a detail in a story. The detail was a cross crucial one. It was that Hamas fighters were dressed as civilians and were being counted as civilians in the death toll. An important thing to know that went out in an AP story. The reporter called me a few hours later. It was clear that someone had spoken to him. And he told me I was on the desk in Jerusalem, so I was kind of writing the story from the main bureau in Jerusalem. And he said, mati, you have to take that detail out of the story. And it was clear that someone had threatened him. I took the detail out of the story. I suggested to, to, to our editors that we note in an editor's note that we were now complying with Hamas censorship. I was overruled. And from that point in time, the ap, like all of its sister organizations, collaborates with Hamas censorship in Gaza. What does that mean? You'll see a lot of dead civilians and you won't see dead militants. You won't have a clear idea of what the Hamas military strategy is. And, and this is the kicker, the center of the coverage will be a number, a casualty number that is provided to the press by something called the Gaza Health Ministry, which is Hamas. And we've been doing that since 2008. And it's a way of basically settling the story before you get into any other information.

Ben Shapiro (24:18)

And the west is willing to do all of this sort of propagandizing on behalf of terrorist groups. They are, I mean, that, that is what this is. The Associated Press literally yesterday ran a piece by Bassem Maru and Sarah Eldib with photos by Hassan Amar about the evils of Israel's pager attack, the most targeted anti terror attack in literally world history. With pictures of people who were hurt by the exploding pagers. A sympathetic piece about how Hezbollah was really harmed. It was really, really terrible what Israel did. This is, as Rob Henderson, the columnist has written, this is a luxury belief of the West. Let us be very clear about Hamas. Hamas is living off the stupidity of the west, the absolute sheer stupidity and insipidity of people in the West. That's all. Hamas started a war and then it lost. But it knew that it could win if it played on the fact that people in the west are too dumb to understand what Hamas actually is and what they want. We in the west, we live great lives. Thank God. I've spent My entire life growing up in an America in which I'm surrounded by wonderful people who care about their children. And that's true whether I was living in a blue area like California or red area like Florida. People who share a common set of basic values that are either explicitly Christian or Judeo Christian, or are living off the fumes of that heritage. And then we in the west, we project that viewpoint onto everyone else on Earth. Well, they care about their kids the same way that we care about our kids. So if kids are getting killed in Gaza, it must be because Israel's being indiscriminate. Or maybe Hamas doesn't. Not maybe they don't. And they say they don't. They literally put out videos talking about how they love death like we love life. And then we say, no, no, no, you don't. No, we don't believe you, probably. You love life exactly the same way that we do. You would never do some of the stuff that you are explicitly admitting that you do. And if you are doing that, it must be because we're being so mean to you. Because honestly, like every human heart is like mine, every single person wants the same things that I do. Now, the ultimate manifestation of that was actually a George W. Bush speech, his second inaugural address, where he said there was a yearning for freedom in every human heart, which is not true. That is simply not true. There is a yearning in the human heart for many things, but the idea of American style political freedom is not one of them. That is a unique thing in world history. And projecting that belief system, that moral system on everybody else and saying that it's innate, that it's just something that everybody wants, that is a mist. It is a category error, and it means that your enemies are going to exploit it. Because the same people who today are shedding salty tears for the presumed end of Hamas, which I hope will happen sometime in the next couple of weeks. The same people who are shedding those salty tears, who are welcoming in Mahmoud. Oh, come in, Mahmoud. We need more of you in our country. Explain to us why we're so bad. Please. Tell us why we're such a guilty party. Tell us why the west stinks as you sit there at Columbia University on a subsidized scholarship in a nicely apportioned New York City of power. Come in, please. Tell us those same people, you know, what Hamas would do with you if they actually had control of, say, the U.S. government? It would not be what you think it would be, but that stupidity is particularly what Hamas counts on. Well, thank God. President Trump does not suffer from the same delusions. President Trump looked at the video, for example, of Hamas starving an Israeli hostage. By the way, the only video that I've seen thus far of an actual starved adult human who was healthy before is the Hamas hostage, Aviator David, who's being held in captivity, digging his own grave. So President Trump looked at that video, and here he was saying, well, you know what, it's up to Israel how they deal with Hamas.

Donald Trump (27:55)

Well, I don't know what the suggestion is. I know that we are, we are there now trying to get people fed. As you know, $60 million was given by the United States fairly recently to supply food, and a lot of, lot of food, frankly, for the people of Gaza that are obviously not doing too well with the food. And I know Israel is going to help us with that in terms of distribution and also money. We also have, the Arab states are going to help us with that in terms of the money and possibly distribution. So that's what I'm focused on. As far as the rest of it, I really, I really can't say. That's going to be pretty much up to Israel.

Ben Shapiro (28:33)

So, again, President Trump lives in the world of reality. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said much the same thing. He says, listen, the war needs to end, but it's going to have to end with Hamas not in power. And it's up to Israel how that's accomplished while making sure that people get fed. Have you spoken to the prime minister, and do you think that is a wise decision for Israel to take over Gaza altogether?

Caller (28:56)

Well, ultimately, the president has said that it's up to Israel to decide what they need to do for their own security. I've spoken often, almost daily to somebody in the Israeli government, often to the prime minister, but many times to many members of his team.

Ben Shapiro (29:09)

So good for the Trump administration for recognizing reality. Meanwhile, on the foreign policy front, President Trump is now floating the possibility of meeting with Vladimir Putin. He said yesterday there was a good chance he would meet with Putin about the war in Ukraine after an offer Russia made Wednesday during a trip to Moscow by the special envoy, Steve Witkoff. Here is video of Steve Woodkoff greeting Putin at the Kremlin yesterday. Here's what that looked like. How are you, Mr. President? So good to see you. Now, what actually happened in that meeting? I hope that this time Steve Woodkoff did not use Putin's translator, which is what happened last time. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Putin had actually provided Witkoff with some examples of what Russia wants in order to come to some sort of cease fire.

Caller (30:01)

What we have is a better understanding of the conditions under which Russia would be prepared to end the war. We now have to compare that to what the Ukrainians and our European allies, but the Ukrainians primarily, of course, are willing to accept. And what you try to see is how far can you get these two positions closer? How can you get these two positions closer to each other? If we can get what the Ukrainians will accept and what the Russians will accept close enough, then I think there's the opportunity for the president to have a meeting that includes both Putin and Zelensky to try to close this thing out.

Ben Shapiro (30:32)

President Trump himself said even though the United States not directly involved in the conflict, he does feel a moral obligation to try and get to an end to it.

Donald Trump (30:40)

In terms of soldiers, I think Russia's lost over 20,000 since the beginning of the year. 20,000. And I guess the estimate for Ukraine is about 9,000. It's, it's a, it's a terrible, it's a terrible situation. We want to get it stopped. You know, we don't have American soldiers there, but I feel I have an obligation to get it stopped. This was not my war. This war would have never started, not even a chance. And it didn't start for four years.

Ben Shapiro (31:07)

Alrighty. Coming up, President Trump is trying to figure out exactly what his China policy should be with regard to chips and AI plus, we are joined by two, count them, two United States Senators. First, do you find yourself tossing and turning all night, constantly flipping your pillow to find the cool side? If you or your partner are hot sleepers, summer nights can become a battle between exhaustion and overheating. That restless cycle of too hot, too cold, never quite right. It can leave you longing for the cool, comfortable sleep you deserve. With bullet and branches. Bestselling Perale sheets, you'll finally get the cool sleep you've been craving. These aren't just any ordinary sheets. They're crafted with a special cooling weave using the finest 100% organic cotton that feels crisp and breathable against your skin. Even if you're the sweatiest sleeper in the house, you'll stay comfortably cool all night long. And here's the best part. You can try them risk free with their 30 night guarantee. No matter your bedroom style or mattress size, Bolan Branch has designs and colors to match perfectly. These all season sheets start with breathable, unmatched softness that only get better with every single wash. So as you can tell, I'm on the road right now. I literally travel with Bull and Branch products so I can sleep in the hotel. I'm serious. I literally have their weave blanket with me in my suitcase. Plus, with their 30 night worry free guarantee, they make sure that if these sheets don't deliver your best night's sleep, you return them for a complete refund. No questions ask. Feel the difference an extraordinary night's sleep can make with Bull and Branch. Get 15% off plus free shipping on your first set of sheets at bull and branch.com/Ben that's bull and Branch. B O L L a n d branch.com Ben say 15% unlock free shipping. Exclusions apply. Also, stop living like a myth. It's time to start shaving like a legend. Here it is. You're wondering, but this is in fact a Jeremy's Razor. The politically incorrect razor for the dudes. Equipped with five barber grade blades and a moisturizing aloe strip, Jeremy's Razors are sharp enough for thick, beastly scruff, but smooth enough for daily use. Hundreds of thousands of abominable beasts agree. Jeremy's Razors delivers barber gray blades right in the palm of your hand. While other razors snap or treat you like crap, Jeremy's offers a world class shave without the shame. Try Jeremy's Razors today for only $7.99. Ship right to your man cave. And for every Jeremy's Razor sold, a liberal loses a pronoun. So help the world. If you're a man who pees standing up, head on over to jeremyrazors.com legend subscribe today. That's jeremyrazors.com Legend Jeremy's razors don't tame the beast, just shave it. Meanwhile, the President of the United States is trying to come up with a China policy that both boxes them in, but also doesn't harm the American economy too much. This is now manifesting itself as multiple deals with various American based companies, as well as the possibility of tariffing chips that are coming into the United States from abroad. According to the Wall Street Journal, President Trump said he would impose roughly 100% tariffs on all chips coming into the United States, but then would exempt tech companies that have promised to manufacture domestically. That is a big win for Apple. That is presumably why Apple yesterday agreed that it would launch an end to end silicon supply chain in the United States first.

Ezra Klein (33:58)

With today's announcements, I'm proud to say that Apple is leading the creation of an end to end silicon supply chain right here in America. From design to equipment to wafer production to fabrication to packaging. In Texas we're working with manufacturers like Texas Instruments, Global Wafers America and Applied Materials. We're working with Amcor in Arizona and Broadcom and GlobalFoundries in New York. Thanks to President Trump's vision and with his help in his first term, we also led the way to bring TSMC to Arizona by committing to be their first and largest customer.

Ben Shapiro (34:40)

Now, again, all of that is is fine and good. The reality is that that factory in Arizona for TSMC is going to take years to get up and running. And so in the meantime, we need to make sure that actually American companies can still access TSMC chips that are produced in Taiwan. The same is true of production in India. According to the Wall Street Journal, the President's comment that tech companies can avoid new chip tariffs by promising to invest in the United States formalizes an arrangement many executives already understood. Nearly every major tech firm has promised to put more into their U.S. operations, resulting in about $2 trillion in new pledges over the past seven months. President Trump himself said that if you invest in the United States, there will effectively be no charge. So spend more money domestically and he will free you of the threatened tariffs against your products coming in from abroad. Here's President Trump announcing today, Apple is.

Donald Trump (35:29)

Announcing that it will invest $600 billion, that's with a B in the United States over the next four years. That's $100 billion more than they were originally going to invest. And this is the largest investment Apple has ever made in America and anywhere else. And it's just an honor to have you. As you know, Apple's been an investor in other countries a little bit. I won't say which ones, but a couple and they're coming, they're coming home.

Ben Shapiro (36:00)

Well, again, we will see what these sort of long term ramifications are of are that because you can make these commitments and then if the factories in the United States are still not producing at these sort of same cost levels as a factory in India, presumably that peters out over the course of years. The biggest thing the United States can do to ensure reshoring a manufacturing, for example, is radical deregulation. Radical deregulation, not threats to punish companies that are bringing in products from abroad that may provide a sort of temporary stopgap or a temporary spike in spending. But if you want a long term better business environment, you need a long term better business environment. That means radical deregulation, bringing down the cost structure in the United States. That is the reason, for example, why most high end products are being innovated in the United States is because deregulatory structure, our cost structure and our tax structure are better for that than they are for things like manufacturing. Again, for the record, manufacturing is petering out in the United States or has been, not in terms of output, it's actually up in terms of output. But manufacturing jobs are down, not really because of outsourcing, but because of technology replacing human beings. So chip makers are, are fighting to ensure that their chips can be imported into the United States. Meanwhile, Jensen Huang at Nvidia is trying to ensure that he can export chips to places like China. And this is a very hot topic and a big debate actually on the political right and the economic right about what sort of chips should be allowed to be outsourced and sent to China. Because China obviously is using those chips in order to develop its own AI systems, many of which will be embedded in its military system. So if they use our chips to build better military systems than we are building is a major world security problem. And so there are hawks like for example Mike Gallagher over at Palantir who has suggested that allowing the shipment of H20 chips to China is a real problem. We shouldn't be doing it. He likens it to shipping American made missile parts to the Soviet Union in the middle of the Cold War. I think that there's truth to that. And then you have people like Aaron Ginn, economist for the Wall Street Journal and founder of HydraHost, which is a venture backed AI data center services and management company. He writes for the Wall Street Journal today that actually the best solution would be to allow those chips to flow into China relatively unhindered because then they're at least using American platforms and they won't kind of build their own domestic chip manufacturing industry. He says China has racked up more than 1500 models, many of which are open source. Many outperform or match the math encoding benchmarks of western models. Huawei's GPUs are quickly filling the gap left by the Biden administration's adoption of stricter export controls. The research from Bernstein projects Nvidia Global AI market share will drop a whopping 12% this year alone if restrictions largely remain in place. China's foundry capacity has vastly surpassed Washington's expectations. China is shipping ships abroad several years ahead of schedule. So he is suggesting that probably the best thing to do would be to allow Nvidia to essentially out compete China, including shipping those chips to China and destroying their domestic manufacturing industry. In terms of chevs. I think it's a fascinating debate, honestly. I'm not sure which side is right. I tend toward the more hawkish Mike Gallagher side on this, but I'm open to the argument from the Trump administration on the other side. Meanwhile, the fight over redistricting continues. It turns out that Beto is trying to get himself back in a presidential conversation by subsidizing the Texas Democrats fleeing from the state to avoid quorum for purposes of redistricting. According to the Texas Tribune Powered by People, a Democratic political group started by former US Representative Beto o' Rourke has emerged as a top funder covering the cost of Texas lawmakers out of state decampment to thwart a new GOP proposed congressional map. According to two people involved with the fundraising efforts, the expenses are mounting fast for the more than 50 Democrats in the Texas House who left the state on Sunday to prevent the Republican controlled chamber from having enough members to conduct business. So, good news. Beto is, you know, honestly, I'm kind of excited because I've missed doing the beta kick flip bone rip. Beto Roark, he's back and hasn't won a race in like 10 years. But, you know, he's, he's cool, bro. He's bruised, bro. Here he is talking about, you know, like avoiding quorum and such. Yeah, here we go.

Beto O'Rourke (40:15)

If we fail, the consolidation of authoritarian.

Ben Shapiro (40:18)

Power in America will be nearly unstoppable. That means more mask plainclothes federal agents.

Beto O'Rourke (40:24)

Without badges or warrants sweeping our fellow Americans up off the streets. It means more retribution and persecution and even violence for Trump's political opponents. And it also means that a Republican majority Congress with these five stolen seats, if we allow them to succeed, will roll out the royal red carpet for a Trump third term. So this is literally for all the March marbles.

Ben Shapiro (40:46)

We're all so many marbles, bro. I love marbles. So many colors in the marbles. After you, you know, smoke a joint and you just stand there and look at marbles. That guy is a Democratic hero. Meanwhile, JB Pritzker, who must be lowered into the Illinois State Capitol by Crane. I'm just going to keep using that joke over and over and over. He appeared on CBS with Stephen Colbert because there is nothing that is better TV than a fat Chicagoan who looks like he ought to be in. I mean, basically, if Chris Farley were alive, there's no question who plays JB Pritzker on snl. Is there? I mean, really is there? No. The answer is no. He's on with Stephen Colbert, who has decided that he is no longer a comedy. He never was he's not a comedy host anymore. He's basically just an MSNBC host who is less funny than Rachel Maddow. Here he is with JB Pritzker.

Ezra Klein (41:34)

Every 10 years we do a census in this country. And right after the census we redraw districts in every state. But what the Republicans are trying to do and the Texas Republicans, frankly at the behest of Donald Trump, are doing it mid decade. That is extraordinarily rare.

Ben Shapiro (41:52)

That's an important point because he, I think he literally called them or wrote them and said, hey, I need five seats. Go, go redraw this.

Ezra Klein (41:59)

And the way they're doing it is taking voting rights away from black and brown people. They're literally obliterating districts that were written according to the Voting Rights Act. So this is going to end up in court if they actually are able to do it. But the Texas House Democrats are trying to stop them from doing it and they're in Illinois to protect all of the people of the country.

Ben Shapiro (42:21)

So yeah, that guy is who again, resistance. Resist, resist. Meanwhile, President Trump's like, you know what, maybe we should do a new census. Because after all, we did the last census badly last time. Like it completely under allocated Republican seats. It counted illegal immigrants, quote. I've instructed our Department of Commerce to immediately begin work on a new and highly accurate census based on modern day facts and figures and importantly, using the results and information gained from the presidential election of 2024. People who are in our country illegally will not be counted in the census. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Now, constitutionally speaking, the census only happens once every 10 years. And so basically doing another census, you can do it, but, but it's not going to be accepted as the basis for congressional or electoral college representation. Presumably it would require, I think, a constitutional amendment in order to make sure that that happened. However, it would be good to know how far off the numbers were in 2020 accepted in 2021, because it has really led to the end of a sort of one man, one vote scenario that the Supreme Court has dictated. Joining us online is Senator Tim Scott. He of course is not just the US Senator from South Carolina, he's a New York Times best selling author and a successful small businessman. He has a brand new book out titled One Nation Always Under God Profiles in Christian Courage Center. Scott, thanks so much for taking the time.

Beto O'Rourke (43:34)

Good to be with you, Ben. Thank you for having me. Hope you're doing great.

Ben Shapiro (43:37)

Why don't we start with what brought you to write this book in the first place. Why do you think it's important?

Beto O'Rourke (43:42)

Well, I think so often in our current society, we're celebrating all the wrong people doing all the wrong things. And I wanted to write a book about profiles and courage. And frankly, our foundation as a nation is based on a Judeo Christian foundation. And the stronger we adhere to that, the brighter our future will be. So I'm looking to the future by focusing on past successful stories of ordinary people who do extraordinary things. Some people you've heard of, but others you have not heard of.

Ben Shapiro (44:09)

So obviously you cover a bunch of stories in your book. Is there anyone that kind of jumps out at you as your favorite, the one that was closest to your heart?

Beto O'Rourke (44:17)

You know, having been raised in poverty in a single parent household and just really disillusioned at the beginning of life, I think about the story of Horatio Spafford. Here's a guy who loses his family crossing the ocean and he finds himself disillusioned about life. And he pins a very famous Christian hymn. It is well, it is well with my soul. And as a result of the loss of his kids, he decides he would invest his life into changing the course of history for other kids. And this man spends the rest of his life making thousands upon thousands of children's lives better. And it is a testament to, to standing up in the midst of the storm and believing that God can use a miserable outcome for good.

Ben Shapiro (45:07)

Senator, obviously every should go purchase the book. And meanwhile, you guys in the Senate are doing amazing work. I mean, it's been an incredible first six months of the Trump administration. I mean, really, if you had told me at the beginning of this administration that with a really thin majority in the Senate and with a bare, bare majority in the House, the Republicans would be able to get done as much as they've gotten done, I would have been quite surprised by. What do you think are the big accomplishments the first few months of the Trump administration?

Beto O'Rourke (45:33)

Well, the first thing is we have a president who believes in Americans, not just in America, but in Americans. Why? Because this president, unlike President Biden, wants to give the resources and the power back to the people. This is called what America should be. Under President Biden, we had the exact opposite. He wanted socialism. Let's gather the resources from people and let the government make the decisions for you. President Trump said that is just malarkey, or as we say in the south, hogwash. And so what did he do? He decided that the promises he was making on the campaign trail would be the promises he kept as the president United States think About tax on tips, reducing tax on Social Security, reducing tax on overtime, allowing for your interest to be deducted on an American made car, and putting the American worker first. How do you do that? Well, you do that by focusing on this new working class coalition that made him president. He did so by saying, I want reciprocity. I want the world's economy to respect America's economy. Two reasons. Number one, we have the strongest economy and the best workers in the world. And number two, we made the world economy what it is and why we have headwinds when our goods and products and services go into their company countries and not when they come to our country. Doesn't work for the president. He wants a level playing field that is a strong first start. Second, the border. We have to then celebrate A President Biden said, I can't close the border. I can't close the border. I need legislation. President Trump said, you need a backbone. And what did he do? He closed the border 95%. A precipitous drop in illegal border crossings. Number three, he focused on the working class and the economy, passing the first tax cuts from President Trump's first administration and making them permanent, including the business benefits and the tax cuts. Tremendous surge of energy in our economy. If we can get the Fed to lower the interest rates, our economy will be on fire in a good way.

Ben Shapiro (47:39)

So let's talk about what's next for the Senate. So obviously everything in the Senate right now rests on the ability to, to use reconciliation, which means that you really don't have a lot of opportunities to do legislation essentially of one or two, basically a year. Well, what is on the agenda for the United States Senate for the rest of this year and then going into next year as we approach the midterms?

Beto O'Rourke (47:59)

Well, as you know, Ben, we have the H R responsibilities, the human resource responsibilities. President Trump during his first administration. Think about this, Ben. He had almost 100 nominees who never saw the light of day. They never had a chance to do their job. He didn't have his full team on the field. This time we are going to commit to getting President Trump's not only his agenda done, but his team on the field. That means we will get these nominees done. There are about 1200 of them that must be done. That has got to be a priority because President Trump hand chose the right people to make America great again. Number two, we have to continue to focus on getting the regulatory environment right. We've seen a lot of information, a lot of news recently as it relates to debanking this Notion of redlining, modern day redlining of partisan conservatives out of our financial institutions and disfavored industries. Think oil and gas, think gun manufacturers, think cryptocurrency and frankly the Trump family themselves. Melania DEBATE President Trump talked about it earlier this week. DEBATE as chairman of the Banking Committee, it's one of the focuses I've had all year. I've passed legislation already to take that reputational risk out of our banking system. So we're going to focus on those issues that impact everyday Americans, especially those who are being discriminated against because of the partisan label they wear. And we have right sized the government. This is absolutely astonishing to see President Trump go to work to whittle away at the swamp, as we call it. The smaller the swamp, the better it is for the American people because you need less money in Washington, because more money at home. And that makes America great again as well.

Ben Shapiro (49:47)

So a lot of Americans right now are looking at the economy and they see a lot of the energy in the economy. They also see some sort of crosswinds, some of those from some of the tariffs that you mentioned. I mean there's, there's concern about obviously the jobs report from, from last month and then the revisions the prior months and putting aside what happened to the head of bls, these sort of generalized concern about, you know, the state of the economy, are the tariffs and the trade barriers that we are now erecting going to undermine the capacity of American business to actually use inputs to trade freely? What do you make of that? My, my own take on this, for what it's worth, is that President Trump is a very pragmatic president and if this starts to become too much of a headwind that he's going to change course. What is your take on this?

Beto O'Rourke (50:28)

Well, Ben, I think that's a, you couldn't say it better. The president watches real time information and he actually wants the American worker to succeed. And that is one of his top priorities. Think about where we are. However, six months into this, this tariff regime conversation, it made me nervous at the beginning, to be honest with you. But what I had to do is make the decision. I believe that President Trump's instincts in business are strong as dirt. Therefore, let's give him the Runway to make good decisions. And as a result, I've said it just recently, he was right. How do we know he was right? Well, number one, inflation is under 3%, 2.7%. Remember, under President Biden, inflation got as high as 9%. That's why there are so many people Today, that cannot become first time homebuyers because interest rates follow the inflation rate, except for under President Trump when they should be coming down. Number two, think about the fact that what businesses need is certainty and predictability in order to be successful in the marketplace. The one thing I would encourage is once we get the right philosophy and formula together, let's be clear and certain as it relates to what the tariff percentage will be, period. I love the fact that talking to Kevin Hassett over in the administration, the one thing you can see very clearly is that the Runway that we've given him is paying dividends for the workers and for our country. We've had deal after deal after deal. That's great news. And frankly, the barriers are coming down on our workers and our companies and they are allowing us to do what what needed to be done, which is to level that playing field. Getting that done is so important. President Trump has done so. So I believe that the tariff conversation is heading in his direction. It's been there. Inflation proves that and it will stay there because I believe, like you said, he's going to be nimble when necessary. He'll make the adjustments to protect the American worker and long term America's economy.

Ben Shapiro (52:25)

Well, Senator Tim Scott, go check out his brand new book. It just came out a couple of days ago, One Nation Always Under God, Profiles in Christian Courage. It's a great book, is worth the read. Senator Scott, thanks so much for your time. Thanks what you're doing.

Beto O'Rourke (52:36)

Thank you, man. See you soon.

Ben Shapiro (52:38)

Well, joining us live on the set is Senator Marsha Blackburn who just yesterday announced her campaign for governor of Tennessee. Senator, congratulations.

Marsha Blackburn (52:47)

Well, thank you so much. And we are really looking forward to a great race and a good solid win and being a great governor for the state of Tennessee.

Ben Shapiro (52:57)

So we'll get to what you've been doing in the Senate because it is amazing. But I want to start with the question as to why you want to move from the Senate, obviously, which is a very you're in a great position in the Senate. You have a lot of power. Senate to the state level and move on over to the governor's house. What do you think is important that needs to get done in the state of Tennessee?

Marsha Blackburn (53:14)

Yes. As you look at what President Trump has delivered for the American people, it truly is a drain. The swamp approach and power authority control is going back to the states. How you deliver education in health care, how you produce energy, how you go about regulation, making certain that they're light touch and delivering benefits. So it is going to be up to our nation's governors to put in place those policies that will cement that MAGA agenda, that conservative approach to governance. It's going to be a great time to be a governor and to do a reset for the states on how they deliver services and how they conduct governance and the will of the people. So just think about that opportunity. And you know, Ben, when I look at it, when I was in the state senate here in Tennessee, I led a four year fight against imposition of a state income tax. And the people joined me and we defeated that proposal. Our state had to go through and do a reset at that point in time. Reduce the budget, kind of skinny up some of the bureaucracy. And because of that and because we have no state income tax and never will, we became one of the best in class for business, for jobs, for company relocations, best place to live, to work, to rear your family. And now is the opportunity to build on that, to reset. As power comes back from the federal government, it is going to be an exciting time to lead a state.

Ben Shapiro (55:08)

Well, I mean that certainly drives. We moved our company from California, we moved all over the country, moved our company to Tennessee specifically for those reasons. So as governor, what are the agenda items? What are the things that you like to change that you think need to be strengthened?

Marsha Blackburn (55:21)

Yes, and the top three issues with Tennesseans are the economy and making certain we keep taxes low and government efficient and that we are bringing jobs, next generation jobs, world class jobs and having workforce education so that we have the workforce trained for those advanced manufacturing jobs that are coming back to the country that requires. The second thing they're talking about world class education for our children and making certain that there are opportunities that are opened for our kids so that our kids can dream those big dreams and right here in Tennessee make those dreams come true. And the third thing we hear a lot about is crime and immigration, public safety. People are very concerned about crime. You look at what has happened in Memphis and the crime rates that are there, People want to see the crime under control. And this ties into immigration and some of the gangs and traffickers that have entered the country during the Biden administration. People want them out, they want them gone. Another thing we hear about, and the fourth component is access to affordable health care. And Tennessee is truly a health care hub. When you look at the innovation that is taking place in the midstate area, having the ability to change how people access health care because of the way CMS and Dr. Oz and Secretary Kennedy are sending the power back to the states on that delivery.

Ben Shapiro (57:09)

So you've been doing a lot of these things at the federal level obviously and clearing the way for, as you say, states to be able to pick up the baton and run with it. So let's talk about your record in the Senate because obviously really good records to run on. So you've been in the Senate since 2019 and the last couple of years in particular have been very, very strong. President Trump last six months particularly have been incredibly strong for the US Senate. It's been kind of amazing to watch actually. We had Senator Scott on earlier and he was pointing out that you guys have a very slim majority. You and I have been talking about this, a very slim majority and Senate, yet you've been able to get done some pretty significant work for the American people.

Marsha Blackburn (57:47)

We have, it's been a very aggressive six months. Thank goodness we have President Donald Trump and he really has set the agenda. He did that during the campaign. He made promises and it's been up to us to help keep those promises. We have been in session longer than any, any senate in history. 750 hours. So far we've taken over 450 votes and we approved President Trump's cabinet in record time. We got the big beautiful bill through and look at everything we got into that. The largest tax cut in US history. We also restored R and D. We restored bonus depreciation and interest expensing 199A pass throughs for our small businesses. We were able to do no tax on tips or overtime. And my provision removing the income tax off Social Security for our nation's seniors. I also had a provision in there that is employer provided child care tax credit. And we have that for small, medium and large businesses to incentivize employers to provide childcare for their workforce. The death tax, being able to lift that exemption to $15 million per individual that allows your farmers and your small business owners to pass on those, those assets and those businesses to the next generation.

Ben Shapiro (59:34)

So when you look at all that record and look at what you could do in the state, I mean I think that what you're talking about, the power reverting back to the states, I think it's not just important now, it's important now, but President Trump is president. It became really important as we saw during COVID and in the days afterward when Joe Biden became president, that the power reverting back to the states, the states are the bulwark against a future that is uncertain. I mean hopefully Republicans retain power, continue to do great things but if a Democrat becomes President of the United States, then having a Republican governor like you in Tennessee obviously is gonna make all the difference for the state.

Marsha Blackburn (60:04)

It will indeed, because you can continue to push those provisions forward that President Trump has returned to the states. And you look at energy as we talk about having hyperscalers and energy needs and so many people moving to Tennessee, that increases the need for electric power generation and having that baseload power and being able to innovate in the states. And also permitting and regulation, as the president pushes for one stop permitting and simplified regulation, then a state like Tennessee that has Oak Ridge National Labs, that has the tva, we should be the nation's leader in how you innovate in power generation.

Ben Shapiro (60:56)

So while you're running for governor, obviously you're still serving in the Senate. So what can we expect from the Senate in the next couple of years? Obviously, it's a rough road because you have to use reconciliation or to get pretty much anything done.

Marsha Blackburn (61:06)

Well, and what we're doing is moving forward. Let me lay out a couple of things that we are hard at work on. One is protections for consumers and children in the virtual space. We have never passed a federally preemptive online privacy policy. That is something that has just not gotten done. And we're determined. I'm chairman of Privacy, Technology and the Law at the Senate Judiciary Committee. Amy Klobuchar out of Minnesota is the ranking member there. We are working on a broad based privacy bill. We also have AI protections that we are doing for our entertainers and artists and podcasters and people that do training online, being able to protect their name, image, likeness and voice. And we'll get that pushed through the Kids Online Safety act that Senator Blumenthal and I have done. We should be able to get that across the finish line. So working to get those done now. You're also going to see us do a second reconciliation bill in the fall and a third one next year. So continuing to do permanence on tax policy is going to be an imperative. And we have a lot of ideas for tax credits and deductions that would help incent the economy, things that President Trump wants to move forward on. We also are looking at some of this waste and fraud in Medicare and Medicaid and continuing to root that out. Upcoding is a policy, a provision that people use to charge more for Medicare services. You see a lot of this in Medicare Advantage. We'll go after that. We will go after ways that we're going to deal with strengthening the US Economy. By getting the cost of living under control. And we'll do some of this through taxes, tariffs, trade policy that the president is really leading on. And what a difference that is making for thousands of small business owners in Tennessee, being able to get the taxes lower, being able to have a broader based and fair tariff policy that is not going to hurt our manufacturers, but is going to help them do manufacturing here in the usa.

Ben Shapiro (63:55)

So are you concerned at all about the tariff policies? Obviously, the tariffs are much, much higher than they've been in decades in the United States. It's certainly a heterodox move by President Trump to sort of reset the table with regard to tariffs. The data's still sort of coming in. Obviously, the jobs report this month was weak. The revisions from the last couple of months were weak. I've said before, I think the president is a pragmatist. And if things don't look the way he wants them to, then he sort of shifts policy. Are you keeping an eye on that? Are you concerned about that at all?

Marsha Blackburn (64:22)

Well, I think you have to look at a couple of things. Number one, we had the first budget surplus we've had in over three decades in the month of June, and that happened because of the tariff policy. And the second thing on the jobs numbers, what you have to look at is the fact that the federal government, your state governments and your local governments have started to review their bureaucracy and to eliminate positions that are no longer necessary and to utilize technology. That's a good thing. That saves the taxpayer money. And President Trump is working us through this transition, freezing federal hiring, making certain that the bureaucracy is skinnying up, closing down the U.S. department of Education. And Secretary McMahon is doing a masterful job there. You look at what Secretary Rollins is doing at USDA, they've sent about half their employees out of D.C. and into offices across the country. So as you do this reset, of course, you're not going to have those government jobs which, look at the Biden years and the reports there, they bolstered their employment numbers by hiring, having people hired by government entities.

Ben Shapiro (65:57)

So obviously, it's going to be a fascinating race. You're the front runner by far, President Trump, obviously, and you get along very, very famously. So presumably President Trump is going to come down and campaign for you, I assume.

Marsha Blackburn (66:11)

Well, we're working hard every single day to make certain that we earn and that support from President Trump. Indeed, I have worked very closely with him since that 2016 campaign. And as you look at his first administration and now the first six months of this second administration. We have gotten so much done for the American people and we'll continue to do that. And then with our states being able to scoop up what he is sending back to the states and local governments and make certain we submit that conservative approach, that conservative agenda, this is something that is going to get our country back on the right track. America first, America prosperous, America safe, America healthy. And we want that for our states. I want it for our people here in Tennessee. And Ben, I really think Tennessee has the potential to be our nation's conservative leader. And that is my goal.

Ben Shapiro (67:19)

Well, Senator, good luck on the gubernatorial campaign. Where should people go if they wish to support Marsha Blackburn.com okay folks, go check it out. Marshallblackburn.com thanks so much for taking the time.

Marsha Blackburn (67:30)

I'm delighted to join you. Thank you.

Ben Shapiro (67:32)

Alrighty folks, the show is continuing for our members. Right now the DHS is promoting new incentives to increase ICE recruitment. Getting creative out there. Remember, in order to watch you have to be a member. If you're not a member, become a member. Use code Shapiro Checkout for two months free on all angle plans. Click that link in the description and join us. Sat.