INTERVIEW: Mehdi Hasan On Mamdani's Mayoral Win, Combatting Hate, Government Shutdown + More

Summary

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The Breakfast Club – Mehdi Hasan on Mamdani's Mayoral Win, Combatting Hate, and US Politics

Podcast: The Breakfast Club (iHeartPodcasts)
Date: November 5, 2025
Guests/Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha God, Special Guest: Mehdi Hasan

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Episode Overview

This episode features a compelling post-election interview with journalist and commentator Mehdi Hasan, following the historic victory of Zoran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, in the New York City mayoral race. The conversation spans the significance of Mamdani’s win, the reaction from political elites and the media, the challenges of delivering on progressive promises, combatting hate and Islamophobia, and national reflections on the Democratic Party’s direction and strategies ahead of looming government shutdowns and high-stakes elections.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Historic Zoran Mamdani Mayoral Win

• Media Reaction & Billionaire Influence
  • The New York Post's front page labeled NYC "The Red Apple" after Mamdani's win ([03:39]).
  • Mehdi Hasan highlighted that right-wing media and billionaire-backed interests failed to prevent Mamdani’s victory despite intense negative campaigning:

    “They threw the kitchen sink at this guy and it didn't work... He won more than a million votes. ...Zoramdani beat Bill Ackman and Michael Bloomberg and Reed Hastings and James Murdoch and the Walmart woman and the Home Depot guy and Doordash and Airbnb and all the billionaires and corporations who threw all that cash at him. He beat them all.” ([03:46])

• Reaction from Opponents
  • Discussion of Bill Ackman's tepid outreach to Mamdani post-election, after an aggressive campaign labeling Mamdani a radical:

    “He spent the entire campaign saying that guy is a terrorist, he hates Jews... And then he wins. He's like, ‘hey man, I'll work with you. You need me, I'm here for you.’” ([04:44])

2. Can Mamdani Deliver on Bold Promises?

• Progressive Policy Agenda
  • Mamdani campaigned on: rent freezes, free buses, universal childcare, affordable housing, increased taxes on the wealthy ([05:31], [05:39]).
• Mandate & Political Will
  • Hasan called for Democrats to wield their mandates assertively like Republicans do:

    “You need to have Democratic leaders who are willing to do the same thing. ...More than a million people voted for me. Like that should be his line in every interview...” ([06:00])

  • Importance of communicating clear, simple policies over lengthy platforms.
  • Acknowledgment of institutional challenges, but optimism about alliances with NYC’s governor and attorney general.
• Obstacles in Implementation
  • Governor Hochul voiced support for universal childcare but opposed tax increases; debate over how progressive initiatives will be funded ([07:20]).
  • On political realism:

    “Republicans are like, we’ll do whatever the hell we want... And Democrats are like, ‘oh, can we do this little bit for poor people...?’ Come on, New York, biggest city in the country, richest city in the country. You can't do this stuff. Yes, you can.” ([07:40])

3. Facing Federal Hostility: Trump’s Threats to NYC

• Federal Retaliation Concerns
  • Trump openly threatened to cut federal funding to NYC if Mamdani won, which Hasan denounced as “classic mob boss... just extortion” ([08:42], [09:02]).
  • Emphasis that solidarity across cities, institutions, and organizations is key to resisting authoritarian overreach:

    “You can't beat what [Trump] does ...the only way you beat Donald Trump is with solidarity, with people sticking together, not people throwing each other under the bus.” ([09:02])

• Addressing Authoritarian Conditions
  • Hasan praised Mamdani's victory speech:

    “The way you respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism is not with the appeasement they crave, but with the strength they fear. ...You get rid of the conditions that create despots like Trump.” ([09:02])

4. Reflections on Young Voter & Diverse Coalition Support

• Young Voters’ Enthusiasm
  • Mamdani performed exceptionally well with young men (winning by 40+ points, compared to establishment Dems’ 10–14 points in similar brackets) ([15:11]).
  • Drove turnout and enthusiasm even among voters previously seen as skeptical or apathetic; demonstrated the Democratic establishment's disconnect with grassroots energy and priorities.
• Coalition-Building Across Communities
  • Batted back attempts to brand Mamdani as anti-Semitic or communist, noting significant Jewish support and broader appeal to multi-ethnic and working-class constituencies ([32:58]).

    “Show me the one anti-Semitic statement he’s made. ...He spends his time cherishing diversity. He is the diversity candidate.” ([34:46])

5. The Democratic Party’s Crisis of Leadership

• Critique of Party Elites
  • Hasan called out Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Leader Hakeem Jeffries for lack of support, robotic responses, and “word salad” leadership ([16:47], [24:58]).

    “You cannot build your entire personality around ‘Vote Blue, no matter who’, with a little asterisk, ‘unless it’s the democratic socialist Muslim guy from New York’...” ([16:55])

• Establishment vs. Progressive Tensions
  • Internal party attacks: other Democrats publicly questioned Mamdani's honesty and experience (e.g., Spanberger in Virginia); suggestion that infighting is a recurring weakness for Democrats ([13:48]).
  • Contrast between establishment centrists’ victories (often reliant on anti-Trump sentiment) and Mamdani’s proactive, positive vision ([27:02], [28:29]).
• Possibility of Primaries
  • Discussion of whether Schumer and Jeffries might be successfully primaried by progressives—Hasan thinks Schumer is more vulnerable ([16:55], [18:02]).

6. Combatting Hate, Islamophobia, & Security Threats

• Uptick in Islamophobic Rhetoric and Threats
  • Mamdani has faced death threats and escalating hate, fueled by both GOP rhetoric and billionaire-funded smear campaigns ([29:19]):

    “It’s scary, the level of Islamophobic. ...Everyone agrees that the Islamophobia now is even worse than it was after 9/11.” ([31:30])

  • Republicans’ hypocrisy for inciting hate while calling for civility:

    “They have spent the last few weeks calling this guy a jihadist ...a terrorist, he's a jihadist, he's a communist, he hates Jews, he hates America—based on nothing.” ([30:12])

  • Importance of distinguishing legitimate criticism from bigoted attacks.

7. National Democratic Strategy and the 2026-2028 Outlook

• Reading the 2025 Election Results
  • Discussion on whether the blue wave signifies real momentum or just “default” anti-Trump voting ([11:20], [27:13]):

    “I think I saw a poll...40% of people in New Jersey and Virginia said their sole reason for voting for Democrats was to be anti Trump. ...Zoram Hamdani is offering something different.” ([27:13])

  • Warning that Democrats need to leverage voter mandates to enact change, not simply celebrate electoral success without policy follow-through.
• Democratic Infighting and Threat of Complacency
  • Hasan and hosts repeatedly warn that unless Democrats use their power strategically and support fresh leadership, they risk repeating past mistakes and failing to confront ongoing threats to democracy ([11:31]).

8. Government Shutdown, ACA & Political Stalemate

• Debate about Reopening Government
  • Mehdi Hasan and DJ Envy discuss strategic, ethical dilemmas over Democratic cooperation with Republicans to reopen the government, in light of SNAP benefit cuts, withheld funding, and mounting human suffering ([36:59]–[43:13]).
  • Hasan steadfastly argues that Democrats must “draw a line,” placing the onus of responsibility on Republicans, despite the pressure to cave in to prevent short-term suffering:

    “You cannot have a political system that always relies on only the Democratic Party being the responsible party.” ([37:23])

  • Broader critique: American politics is artificially gridlocked by the two-party system, self-inflicted crises, and outdated procedural rules (e.g., debt ceiling, filibuster) ([43:13], [43:40]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Mamdani’s Mandate

  “He didn't just beat Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa... He beat Bill Ackman and Michael Bloomberg and all the billionaires and corporations who threw all that cash at him.” – Mehdi Hasan ([03:46])

• On Cynicism in Politics

  “He spent the entire campaign saying that guy is a terrorist, he hates Jews... And then he wins. He's like, ‘hey man, I'll work with you.’ ...Like make your mind up.” – Mehdi Hasan ([04:44])

• On Progressive Vision

  “Democrats are always trying to lower the ambition, and Republicans are like, we'll do whatever the hell we want... Yes, you can.” – Mehdi Hasan ([07:40])

• On Islamophobia

  “The Islamophobia now is even worse than it was after 9/11... They're well organized, they're well funded, and they are petrified.” – Mehdi Hasan ([31:32])

• On Party Leadership

  “You cannot build your entire personality around 'Vote Blue, no matter who', with a little asterisk. Unless it's the democratic socialist Muslim guy from New York...” – Mehdi Hasan ([16:55])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:04] – Mehdi Hasan welcomed to discuss election night
• [03:39] – Analysis of "Red Apple" media framing after Mamdani’s win; billionaire influence
• [04:44] – Reaction to Bill Ackman’s post-election outreach
• [05:31] – Discussing Mamdani’s policy platform
• [07:20] – Debating whether progressive promises can be delivered
• [08:42] – Trump’s threats to cut federal funding to NYC
• [09:02] – Solidarity in confronting authoritarian overreach
• [11:20] – Evaluating the "blue wave" and what it means for Democrats
• [13:48] – The Democrats’ tendency toward infighting vs. GOP unity
• [15:11] – Mamdani’s victory with young voters
• [16:55] / [24:58] – Critique of Schumer and Jeffries’ leadership
• [29:19] – Death threats and Islamophobic attacks on Mamdani
• [31:30] – The current state of Islamophobia in America
• [32:58] – Responding to accusations of communism/anti-Semitism against Mamdani
• [36:59] – Deep dive on the government shutdown and Democratic strategy
• [43:13-43:40] – Frustration with American exceptionalism in government gridlock

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Tone & Language

The conversation is forthright, impassioned, and often laced with humor and sarcasm, especially from Mehdi Hasan. The hosts and Mehdi display a clear sense of urgency about both local and national political trends, sharing a mix of skepticism, optimism, and frustration—particularly with establishment responses, media spin, and the persistent dangers facing marginalized communities.

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Final Thoughts

Mehdi Hasan’s interview on The Breakfast Club provided rich, incisive commentary on a pivotal moment in New York and national politics, framing Mamdani’s win as both a challenge and an opportunity for Democrats. The episode is a wake-up call for party elites to embrace bolder progressive politics, confront hate and division, and restore faith in democratic processes—while acknowledging the entrenched obstacles and the risks of complacency.

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Transcript

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Podcast Health Stuff we are tackling all the health questions that keep you up at night. I'm Dr. Priyank Gwali, a double board certified physician. And I'm Hari Kondabolu, a comedian and someone who once googled Do I have scurvy at 3am and on our show we're talking about health in a different way. Like our episode where we look at diabetes in the United states. I mean, 50% of Americans are pre diabetic. How preventable is type 2? Extremely. Listen to Health Stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Welcome to Decoding Women's Health. I'm Dr. Elizabeth Poynter, Chair of Women's Health and Gynecology at the Atria Health Institute in New York. I'll be talking to top researchers and clinicians and bringing vital information about midlife women's health directly to you. 100% of women go through menopause.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Even if it's natural, why should we suffer through it?

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Listen to Decoding Women's Health with Dr. Elizabeth Poynter on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Michael Lewis]

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[Narrator / Storyteller]

Hold up.

[DJ Envy]

Every day I wake up. Wake your ass up. The Breakfast Club.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlemagne, the guy. We are the Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building. Yes, he's here to talk about a lot, especially post election coverage. Ladies and gentlemen, Mehdi Hassan. Welcome.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Great to be back, guys.

[DJ Envy]

How are you, man? How do you feel? First of all, I know y' all was partying all last.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Yeah, you gotta be tired partying. I was doing a live stream. So the Voice, it was very noisy in Brooklyn. Okay, you can imagine there was some noise made at this historic election night event, and the Voice took a hit. But, yeah, it was very historic. We were there all night. We were alive all night.

[DJ Envy]

I want to ask you a question. First of all, have you seen this? The front page of the New York Post this morning.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Let me see.

[DJ Envy]

Okay. It says, on your marks, get set. Zo. Socialist Mandani wins race for Mayor. The Red Apple. What do you think of that?

[Mehdi Hasan]

What I think is it didn't work during the election campaign. I can't believe they're still trying this shit. I mean, the New York Post, Rupert Murdoch, they tried. They threw everybody. They threw the kitchen sink at this guy and it didn't work. He won a majority of the vote in the last days. They were like, if only Sliwa pulls out. The whole campaign was Sliwa pull out. Doesn't matter if Sliwa pulled out. He won more than 50% of the vote. He won a majority in New York. He won more than a million votes. It's been, I think, something like they said, 60 years since a New York Merrill campaign won over a million votes. So none of this stuff worked. They'll keep going after them, the billionaires. And I pointed out last night, Zoramdani did not just be Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa. Zoramdani beat Bill Ackman and Michael Bloomberg and Reed Hastings and James Murdoch and the Walmart woman and the Home Depot guy and Doordash and Airbnb and all the billionaires and corporations who threw all that cash at him. He beat them all.

[DJ Envy]

What do you think about Bill Ackman reaching out last night? What did you think of that?

[Mehdi Hasan]

First of all, it was a very short tweet. Bill Ackman writes These War and Peace Tolstoy tweets. A very short tweet. You know, I tweeted last night, thoughts and prayers to Balatman and Elon Musk. This guy spent his entire campaign attacking. He suggested that Zoramundani is some crazy jihadist terrorist radical.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And for people that don't know who he is, he's. He's a hedge fund manager. He's worth about $10 billion.

[Mehdi Hasan]

I envy the people who don't know who he is. I wish I didn't know who he was. But he spends a lot of money and time online. And what's interesting, it's why people hate politics in this country, right? It's so cynical. He spent the entire campaign saying that guy is a terrorist, he hates Jews. Like the most extreme incendiary rhetoric. And then he wins. He's like, hey man, I'll work with you. You need me, I'm here for you. Hold on. I thought you just told us the end of the world was going to happen if this guy won. Like make your mind up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

But I do have a question. So a lot of people were saying that Mamdani promised a lot and I see you in the elevator and some of the things he said, free and.

[DJ Envy]

Rent freeze, eliminating fans for free, universal childcare, building a large number of affordable housing and they are going to be on raising taxes. He's going to fund all this by raising taxes and taxes on the top.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Earners and corporations building 200,000 houses. So he's going to be on a timer. So what do you say to those people? Could he get, can he get all those things done with everybody against him in politics, I should say.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Well, what's interesting is that everybody is not against him. The public are with him. Right? He's got a massive mandate. Donald Trump is a man. Let me just put context. Donald Trump is a man who's never won more than 50% of the vote, right? In 2016, he lost to popular vote, still beat Hillary. In 2020, he lost popular, popular vote and everything else to Biden in 2024. Last year he got 49 point something percent of the vote. He never hit 50%. Have you listened to how Republicans talk like they own the place? We have a mandate. Millions of people voted for this. The people are with Trump. You need to have Democratic leaders who are willing to do the same thing. I want to hear Zoran Malni in every speech go. More than a million people voted for me. Like that should be his line in every interview at the start and end of every Time he talks because that is his mandate. Those are the people who are with him. And the fact that you were able to just reel off his policies because.

[DJ Envy]

He said it so much.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Yeah, because. And because it works, right? Like, Hillary Clinton ran with like a 700 page policy platform. No one knew what it was. Donald Trump said, ban Muslims, build a wall. People remember that stuff. So it was political genius to communicate with those kind of simple popular appeals. Is he gonna pull it all off? We will see. I mean, we know that he doesn't have the power to do everything on his own. Luckily, the governor is now an ally. Kathy, Even though Schumer and others wouldn't back him, he did get the backing of the governor. I interviewed Tish James last night, the attorney General. He's got the backing of some big figures in the state. Well, will that be enough? We will see. We will see whether the smile and the charm and the charisma and the people power will get Albany to do some of this stuff because he can't do it on his own. You're right.

[DJ Envy]

Well, Governor Hogle already said she's not going to raise the taxes.

[Mehdi Hasan]

She said she's not going to raise taxes, but she also said she supports his plan for universal child care. So at some point, the rubber is going to hit the road. How do you pay for it? It can only be through raising taxes on rich folks.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Can it be free bus service in New York City?

[Mehdi Hasan]

I mean, there could be anything you want.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I mean, realistically, could that happen?

[Mehdi Hasan]

I live in a country where Donald Trump. I've got to take a bus to school every day. I mean, that would be great. You're right. I live in a country where the guy from Home Alone 2 is President threatening to annex Greenland. And you tell me free buses are realistic. I think a lot of things are realistic. If you put your. I mean, Democrats are always trying to lower the ambition, and Republicans are like, we'll do whatever the hell we want. We'll conquer countries, we'll bomb things, we'll do all sorts of insane things. And Democrats are like, oh, can we do this little bit for poor people or more marginalized people or people who need help? And I just think, come on, New York, biggest city in the country, richest city in the country. You can't do this stuff. Yes, you can.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I want to see him do it.

[DJ Envy]

You know, I do.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I really do.

[Mehdi Hasan]

And by the way, if they block him, I mean, this is a man who will run again on this platform. I mean, FDR ran in the 1930s. On the basis that, look, they hate me, the rich people, and I embrace their hatred. And I can very much see if he doesn't get things through and it's clear it's because of the opponents, he'll run on that again in a few years time.

[DJ Envy]

I want to ask about that. How does he navigate the government overreach? That is absolutely going to happen to Donald Trump.

[Mehdi Hasan]

It's a good question. I asked Tish James the same question yesterday. I mean, all Democratic attorneys generals have been dealing with this issue in California, in Illinois. We know Donald Trump is now going to use his excuse to send in the troops. Absolutely. To cut funding. I mean, it's insane that he posted on his social site the weekend, you know, if you vote for Dora, if Zahra Mundi, I will cut funding. Like that is the classic mob boss.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's crazy.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Just extortion. The country's biggest, richest city. The president says, I'm not going to send you any money if you don't vote for the guy I want. By the way, the guy he wanted was Andrew Cuomo. So I just think that's. Look, I don't know if there's any solution to this stuff. I think it's not going to. It can't be Mamdani on his own, right? The whole point about Donald Trump is you can't beat him on his own. You can't beat what he does is he goes after institutions and people one by one like the bully in the playground, and takes them out one by one. The only way you beat Donald Trump is with solidarity, with people sticking together, not people throwing each other under the bus. Big universe, universities, big tech companies, all trying to curry favor. I actually thought the best part of Zoran Mandani's speech last night was when he went after Trump and made it very clear. He said, the way you respond to oligarchy and authoritarianism is not with the appeasement they crave, but with the strength they fear. And he said, you get rid of the conditions that create despots like Trump. You don't hear that enough from the Democratic Party. All you hear from Democrats is, we've got to get rid of Trump and back to business as usual. What Zoram Hamdani is saying and Bernie and others have said is you can't just get rid of Trump. You got to get rid of the next Trump. And that means getting rid of the conditions that created Trump.

[DJ Envy]

Can you vote out an authoritarian regime? Like, you know, because I see everybody celebrating and I'm like, relax. The guy's still in power. I don't care how. Yes. I don't care how unpopular he is. He's got a lot of power, and he can use that power to, you know, get rid of a lot of the checks and balances that, you know, still exist. Can you vote that out in 2026, that in 2028?

[Mehdi Hasan]

I mean, that's the $64,000 question. It's something I've been worried about since 2018, 2019, when I said he's not going to leave after 2020. And he, and he on, look, the guy is selling merch for 2028. He's visiting world leaders. He takes them to a closet in the White House and he shows them 2028 merch. Schumer and Jeffries come to the Oval Office. He chucks the 2028 merch at them. He said the other day, oh, you know, I'm not going to run as vice president and do that again. But he never fully rules it out because, of course, he wants to stay in office. And I think that is the big question. Are we going to have free and fair elections in 2028? But the way to ensure that we do have 2028 free election, or at least try and ensure it, is to make sure they don't control every branch of government. And what last night's blue wave, and it was a blue wave, what that shows us is actually the Democrats on a very good path in terms of winning back the House next year. If they don't win back the House next year, then I don't, I don't think we see the back of this guy. I just think there's nothing to stop him at all.

[DJ Envy]

How should Democrats look at last night? And what I mean by that is, yeah, Jersey, you expect Jersey to go blue. Mayor race in New York City, you expect that to go blue. Prop 50 in California, that's the blue state. Right. Virginia, you kind of expect that.

[Mehdi Hasan]

The margins, margins were huge.

[DJ Envy]

Okay, so how should they should, should this be something they look at and be like, okay, this is a, this is a step in the right direction for us.

[Mehdi Hasan]

It's 100% a step in the right direction. Especially you look at the Virginia House, for example, which is seen as a bellwether. They won back a bunch of seats, 13 proof majority there. So Trump took a beating in all these places, especially in Virginia, where he fired a bunch of federal workers. Doge, all of that had a huge impact. But look, it's across the board. It's in special elections. In Georgia, it's the Prop 50 was a 2 to 1 vote. I think Gavin Newsom will be very pleased with that result. There was a statewide race in Georgia for which they won as well. You go through the list in Maine, they rejected an attempt to limit early voting and, and all sorts of other voting methods. So it's really, really interesting that across the board they did well. The margins were big. I mean, Mikey Sherrill, it was looking very close in New Jersey just last week. She actually was a blowout. Right. So I do think the margins are big. It does bode well for them going into next year. My, my bigger worry is not that they win the House. I hope they win the House. But then what do they do with that power? Like, I have no confidence in Hakeem Jeffries. I have no confidence in Chuck Schumer. I mean, Chuck Schumer was asked yesterday who did you vote for in your city? And he could not say who he voted for. Like, disgraceful. Doesn't come close enough to it. You are the leader of the Democrats in the Senate and you can't say that you voted for the Democratic candidate in New York. And by the way, you said New York goes, you know, he's a Democratic city. But this guy was up against two candidates. He was up against a Republican and a famous Democrat with name recognition who was governor of the state.

[DJ Envy]

Terrible candidates, though.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Terrible candidates.

[DJ Envy]

Let's be honest. And I like Curtis as a person, but Agreed, agreed.

[Mehdi Hasan]

He got lucky. You need luck in politics. Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump got lucky in 2016. You could argue with Hillary Clinton, but the point is they still outspent him. They still threw the kitchen sink at him. He still had all the billionaire support. He still had the Cuomo name. If you go back nine months, we say terrible candidate, but he had the inevitability aura. It was like it was Andrew Cuomo's race to lose. He was leading in the primaries. This was the guy who was supposed to just naturally get it because of his name and experience and money. He didn't. He got disgraced twice.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Let me ask, what does that mean for Democrats? Because it seems like when the Democrats had somebody. Yeah, they split like Voltron, right. You had Eric Adams, now he's independent. You had Cuomo, now he's independent. But they're Democrats. But they all did this to go at Mamdani. So what does that mean for Democrats? Cuz Republicans I don't think would ever do that. Even if they didn't like the candidate, they would still stand behind Him.

[Mehdi Hasan]

That's true. I mean, it's Trump. It's a reminder that they keep nominating crappy Democrats. I mean, the fact that Eric Adams was the mayor, the fact that Andrew Cuomo was the governor tells you volumes about the New York Democratic Party and how awful it was. And I think Mamnani is a breath of fresh air. I was standing in that hall at Brooklyn Paramount last night, watching him speak, seeing the energy, the crowd, people crying, thinking to myself, this is the guy they chose to reject. This is the guy Chuck Schumer couldn't even say he voted for. This is the guy that, as you call him, aipak Shakur couldn't turn up and actually, until, like, the Friday before the race, endorse him. What is wrong with these people? Do they not want to win? He won young men 18 to 29, according to the NBC exit poll last night, by 40 points. To put that in context, Cheryl and Spanberger won young men by 10 and 14 points. Mamdani won by 40 points. I'm old enough to remember a year ago when Democrats were like, how do we get young men back? Do we need to go on podcasts? How do we get young men back? This guy's doing it. He's giving you a playbook. And they're like, no, no, we don't want the playbook. We don't want this guy. The entire party establishment rejecting him to the very end. Hillary Clinton asked at the weekend. She's like, oh, I don't know. I have another view. Like, none of them would come behind this guy with energy and charisma. So it's a real problem for the Democratic Party if they decide to carry on the classic circular firing squad where they're all just shooting each other. On Monday, Spanberger, the woman who just won the governor's race in Virginia, she was attacking Mamdani as dishonest. I'm like, what are you doing? You're both on the eve of major elections. Why are you attacked? Why are you attacking him? Like, is there not enough Republicans to attack? But that is classic Democratic Party.

[DJ Envy]

I think I saw it. Correct me if I'm wrong. I saw a poll last night that he won just young people 18 to 29, by, like, 75%, I'm sure.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Overall, I didn't see the final number, but on the. The male one is fascinating. He won women, of course, as well, but the male one's fascinated because all I was told by pundits was like, young men don't vote. They're all conservatives. Now, we were told that all young men are conservatives. We didn't see that last night. We were told Latinos, all conservative. Now, last night, Democrats won back Latinos across the country. Guess what? Having a rogue fascist secret police and mask picking up brown people off the street doesn't help your poll ratings.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

What do you say to the people that say, you know, because a lot of older people feel like he doesn't have the experience, and that's what scares them. So what do you say to those individuals and what is your thoughts on that?

[Mehdi Hasan]

I will repeat my position. The guy From Home Alone 2 is president of the United States with his finger on the nuclear button. If Donald Trump can be president, United States, anyone can be anything in this country. He is like the reverse American dream. And I think, look, yeah, he's been in the State assembly for a few years. He made a very good point in the campaign. He's like, look, my experience is not Andrew Cuomo's experience. But why would you want Andrew Cuomo's experience? I don't think people care about that stuff anymore. Look at Grand Platinum in Maine. Guy's an oyster fisherman, Marine veteran, had a Nazi tattoo on his chest, and he's filling out halls. People don't care. They want authenticity. They crave energy. They crave real people. They are fed up with the automatons and the robots and the corporate consultant created candidates. They're done with it.

[DJ Envy]

I want to go back to Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer for a second. Iran did give me hope that there are still free and fair elections. Right. Because I'm be honest with you. I was like, they're not going to let this.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I didn't think it was going to.

[DJ Envy]

They're not going to pull a rabbit out the hat. Something going to happen.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Yeah, I was. I was worried about the same thing.

[DJ Envy]

I'm like, right. But he gave me hope that there's still free and fair elections. And he also gave me hope that Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer could be successfully primaried.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Yeah. I mean, Hakeem, I think, is more difficult. From what I hear. I'm not the great expert on every New York district, but Schumer for sure. I mean, Schumer is so embarrassing. You see, like, you look at people like my good friends at Crooked Media, the Pod Save guys, and all those guys, everyone across every wing, almost every wing of the Democratic Party is like, what is wrong with Chuck Schumer? Like, it doesn't matter whether you like Mum Danny or Not like Mum, Daddy. You can't do that. You cannot build your entire personality around. Vote Blue, no matter who, with a little asterisk. Unless it's the Democratic, socialist Muslim guy from New York, then you don't have to endorse him. I think he's embarrassed himself. AOC was at the event last night. She has been obviously a strong supporter. Mamdani. A lot of people are divided as to whether they want her to run for president in 28 or do they want her to primary Chuck Schumer in 28. She obviously has a better chance of beating Schumer in 28 than she has of being president, which is just a bigger lift. You know, people like Chiyo Se from the city council, people are talking about him running up against. Who said about Dick Cheney yesterday, may he rest in piss, which upset a lot of Republicans. But we need that kind of blunt speaking.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

He.

[Mehdi Hasan]

He's been talked about as a potential candidate against Jeffries. I think it'll be different, difficult to primary Hakeem Jeffries.

[DJ Envy]

But look, I don't think so. Why do you think so?

[Mehdi Hasan]

I think the machine is very strong in places like his district. I think I've seen reports about internal polling being good, but look, anything's possible.

[DJ Envy]

Zoran Mandani. I have to see him today.

[Mehdi Hasan]

When I interviewed Zoran Mandani in December 2024, and I told him this to his face recently when I interviewed him again, it was a pity interview. I was like, all right, let's give this guy a platform. He's up 1%. He's a lefty. I like it. I didn't expect him to win. I'll be very honest about that. He was at 1%, and he beat Andrew Cuomo twice. So, yes, it can be done. And I think they should both be really worried, especially Chuck Schumer. I think forget primary Senate Democrats should be forcing his resignation right now. The guy is useless. There are many other Democrats who do a much better job. Chris Murphy, Brian Shots, Chris Van Hollen. People are going out and taking the fight to Republicans. And meanwhile, Schumer's like, I will write you another sternly worded letter. And it's like, you're not the man for this moment.

[DJ Envy]

The reason I think they should be challenged is because when I saw Hakeem Jeffries on Jake Tapper this weekend.

[Narrator / Storyteller]

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[Podcast Host / Narrator]

On the Podcast Health Stuff we are tackling all the health questions that keep you up at night. Yes, I'm Dr. Priyanka Walley, a double board certified physician. And I'm Hari Kundabolu, a comedian and someone who once googled Do I have scurvy at 3am on health stuff, we're talking about health in a different way. It's not only about what we can do to improve our health, but also what our health says about us and the way we're living. Like our episode where we look at diabetes in the United states. I mean 50% of Americans are pre diabetic. How preventable is type 2? Extremely. Or our in depth analysis of how incredible mangoes are. Oh, it's hard to explain to rest of the world that like your mangoes are fine because mangoes are incredible. But like you don't even know. You don't know.

[DJ Envy]

You don't know.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

It's going to be a fun ride. So tune in. Listen to health stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[DJ Envy]

All I know is what I've been.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Told and that to have truth is a whole lie.

[Narrator / Storyteller]

For almost a decade, the murder of an 18 year old girl from a small town in Graves County, Kentucky went unsolved until a local homemaker, a journalist and a handful of girls came forward with a story.

[Mehdi Hasan]

I'm telling you.

[DJ Envy]

We know Quincy killed her.

[Narrator / Storyteller]

We know a story that law enforcement used to convict six people and that got the citizen investigator on national tv.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Through sheer persistence and nerve, this Kentucky housewife helped give justice to Jessica Curran.

[Narrator / Storyteller]

My name is Maggie Freeling. I'm a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist producer and I wouldn't be here if the truth were that easy to find.

[DJ Envy]

I did not know her and I did not kill her or rape or.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Burn or any of that other stuff.

[Mehdi Hasan]

That y' all said. They literally made me say that I.

[Narrator / Storyteller]

Took a match and struck and threw it on her.

[Mehdi Hasan]

They made me say that I poured gas on her.

[Narrator / Storyteller]

From Lava For Good. This is Graves County, a show about just how far our legal system will go in order to find someone to blame.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

America, y' all better wake the hell up.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Bad things happens to good people and small towns.

[Narrator / Storyteller]

Listen to Graves county in the Bone Valley feed on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and to binge the entire season ad free. Subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

I'm Jonathan Goldstein and on the new season of Heavyweight, I help.

[DJ Envy]

A centenarian mend a broken how can.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

One 1 year old woman fall in love again?

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

And I help a man atone for.

[DJ Envy]

An armed robbery he committed at 14 years old. And so I pointed the gun at.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Him and said, this isn't a joke.

[DJ Envy]

And he got down.

[Mehdi Hasan]

And I remember feeling kind of a.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Surge of like, okay, this is power. Plus, my old friend Gregor and his brother try to solve my problems through hypnotism.

[Mehdi Hasan]

We could give you a whole brand new thing where you're like super charming all the time, being more able to.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Look people in the eye, not always hide behind a microphone.

[DJ Envy]

Listen to heavyweight on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Michael Lewis]

Michael Lewis here. My book the Big Short tells the story of the buildup and birth of the US housing market back in 2008. It follows a few unlikely but lucky people who saw the real estate market for the black hole it would become and eventually made billions of dollars from that perception. It was like feeding the monster, said Eisman. We fed the monster until it blew up. The monster was exploding. Yet on the streets of Manhattan, there was no sign anything important had just happened. Now, 15 years after the Big Short's original release, and a decade after it became an Academy Award winning movie, I've recorded an audiobook edition for the very first time. The Big Short Story. What it means when people start betting against the market and who really pays for an unchecked financial system is as relevant today as it's ever been, offering invaluable insight into the current economy and also today's politics. Get the Big Short now at Pushkin fm, Slash audiobooks or wherever audiobooks are sold.

[DJ Envy]

I have a lot of reasons I think he should be challenged many. But I saw him on Jake Tapper this weekend and they asked him, does he think Madani is the future of the Democratic Party? And he was like, no, Congress. Democrats in Congress are. What does that even mean, Democrats in Congress?

[Mehdi Hasan]

I mean, you could end every Hakeem Jeffries interview and say, what does that even mean? The man is a walking, talking word salad. It's just insane. There was a time when he used to be compared to Obama, which I don't know if that's just a racist thing. It's like a young black guy. He said Obama. He's nothing like Obama. He's one of the most ineloquent people I've come across. He talks like a robot. Even when he was trying to explain why he hadn't. Remember when they would ask you like, why haven't you endorsed Mum Dad? He'd be like. He would come up with all tortuous sentences to explain himself. I mean, this is what I mean. Why would you want a party led by a robot like Hakeem when you can have a party led by a kind of dynamo like Zoran Momdani? And that's. It's just as simple as that, or an AOC or many other people or, you know, a grand platinum people who actually have. I think people are just fed up of the old way of doing politics. We know that. We've known that since 2016. The Republicans worked that out a long time ago. I think Democrats still haven't quite worked it out. They're still in Maine, they're trying to run 77 year old governor to be a first term senator just to stop Graham Platner, this populist candidate. It's like they don't learn any lessons.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, I think it shows how out of touch the Democratic Party is when they're giving Mondani credit and he should get credit, but giving him credit for using social media, galvanizing young people and talking about affordability. He told it a basic. I know, like Obama did that in 08.

[Mehdi Hasan]

It's amazing that this guy had to come along. Remember how Mamdani becomes famous? He goes out in Queens after the presidential election and he just stops people and says, did you vote for Trump? Why'd you vote for Trump? There's no hectoring, there's no heckling. Just has conversations with him and at the end he's like, well, I'm running for mayor. This is what I used to do. And they're like, yeah, we support that, that. And I think those kind of conversations. It's not rocket science, as you say, to have that. But if you're a party that's captured by donors and the corporate class and special interests, as the Democratic Party, sadly is, especially at the higher levels, then it's very hard for you to have those conversations. Like you say, it's not rocket science. It's like, oh, people want cheaper rent and cheaper buses and more affordable. Like, this is not rocket science. But if you. Yeah. If you're beholden to people who say it can't be done, you can't promise that this is impossible. And one of the things he'd said in a speech last night is that he's redefined what is possible or impossible.

[DJ Envy]

Does this win foreshadow a shift in the national Democratic strategy? Because, I mean, Madani was the only progressive last night. Everybody else is pretty much establishment.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Yeah. So I think that's what. I think that's what a lot of pundits are going to spin it as. They're already spinning it as. Look at the. We got a CIA officer elected in Virginia. We got a former Navy pilot in New Jersey. Who cares about the Democratic socialist student in New York. I don't think people are going to buy it. I don't think any person looks at Spanberger and Shaw with a great respect. These two new women governors won great victories and thinks that is the future. To go back to the question that Hakeem wouldn't answer, they're the future of the party. They're not. I mean, they are, you know, replacement level centrist Democrats who won on a blue wave. I think I saw a poll yesterday, the NBC exit poll said that 40% of people in New Jersey and Virginia said their sole reason for voting for Democrats was to be anti Trump. Like, as long as you have that Trump weighing down the Republican ticket, Democrats will benefit from that. Zoram Hamdani is offering something different. He's not just. People aren't just voting for him because they're anti Trump. That is not the energy that's coming, especially from young people. It's because he is offering a different sort of politics, a different sort of vision, somebody who is willing to stand with working people. He began his speech last night talking about the working class, which, again, many Democrats have not talked about for a long time. Platner is, Bernie does, AOC does, and now Mamdani. So I hope they take the right lessons, but I suspect they won't. I suspect they'll say, no, no, no. Let's look at what the centrists did. And by the way, I mean, Abigail Spanberger, what did she run on?

[DJ Envy]

I don't know.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Okay, if she's the model. Okay, but what does she rather. I mean, this is the thing. And by the way, Mikey Sherrill, who won in New Jersey, she may be a centrist. She ran on a very affordability, very populous candidate. She said. You know what she said? She said, I'm going to freeze electricity rates.

[DJ Envy]

That's right.

[Mehdi Hasan]

How come we didn't have national debates about that? That's unrealistic. You can't do that. In fact, a lot of people say it's ille to do that. Whether she'll be able to call a state of point is, who cares? She said it, she's trying it. She showed that she gives a damn about what people care about. And, you know, the double standard is Mamdani. Oh, prove it. Prove it, Prove it. Nobody said that to Mikey Sheryl.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, we live in Jersey. That's all. I mean, I voted for Mikey Sheryl, and that's what I voted for. I voted for her because she was talking about affordability, because she was talking about lowering taxes, because she was talking about doing things like, you know, electric bills. Electric bills. Yeah. That's. That's crazy. My only reason for voting for.

[Mehdi Hasan]

But isn't it interesting that she said she'd freeze electricity bills and that has not been a national scale.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Right.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Because you only question the left wing guy now.

[DJ Envy]

You're right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I do have a question. You know, have you spoke to Mamdani? The one thing that scares me about Mandani is when you see the post like that and you see the amount of hate he's getting. Do you speak to him about security and safety and how does he feel about that? Because I've never seen so much hate. You know, you can question somebody, but the hate that's coming out of these people, sometimes I feel like it's going to be worse than that. Have you talked to him about security and make sure.

[Mehdi Hasan]

So when I interviewed him just a few weeks ago, it was. It was a day or two days after a guy had just been arrested for making death threats against his staff. And that was before the last few weeks of this campaign where they really ratcheted up this kind of radical Islamic coming. You see, Ted Cruz was tweeting he's a literal jihadist. I mean, let's just be clear to people watching.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Trump said he hates Jews. I see somebody say he should be deported. Like it's.

[Mehdi Hasan]

They're putting up pictures of 9 11. Right? They're using 911 against this guy who was what, nine years old on 9 11.

[DJ Envy]

I'm not looking at that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Wake up.

[DJ Envy]

Wake up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's crazy.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Michael Bloomberg funded the super PAC that did that ad with the picture of his face over 9 11. These people should be ashamed of themselves. Andrew Cuomo went on a podcast and laughed when the host said, well, he'd be cheering on another 911 Ted Cruz. I mean, it's so hypocritical. These Republicans spent weeks going on about Charlie Kirk. Right? Last time I came on your show, I think it was a day before or the day of the killing of Charlie Kirk. We spent weeks of Republicans saying, if you say fascist, that means you're inciting hedgehog. If you call us a Nazi, you're gonna get us killed. Look at your language. They have spent the last few weeks calling this guy a jihadist. I want to be clear to your viewers, a jihadist in the eyes of the American political establishment are the people on the planes. The 911 planes is ISIS, is Boko Haram, is Al Qaeda. That is what you are comparing him to. That's what you're saying. He literally is. Republicans have said one after another, he's a terrorist, he's a jihadist, he's a communist, he hates Jews, he hates America based on nothing. Of course that's going to incite hate. Of course there's going to be death threats. I do worry about security. I hope he has good security now, now that he's the mayor. Before he was the candidate, I think he had a couple of NYPD guys. I hope they have a lot of security. It's actually, it's. It's scary, the level of Islamophobic. I think I talked to a lot of Muslims. I am Muslim wherever I go. I was in Texas at the weekend previous week, I was in California. Wherever I go and speak to Muslims, everyone agrees that the Islamophobia now is even worse than it was after 9 11.

[DJ Envy]

Wow. Why?

[Mehdi Hasan]

Just because they've had a 20 year head start to ratchet this stuff up. They're well organized, they're well funded, and they are petrified. I mean, you see the reactions last night from all the kind of Daily Wire guys and all those guys, like, New York's not a real city anymore. It doesn't contain real Americans. I mean, white supremacists are much more emboldened and much more organized than they were under George. I mean, just a reminder, I loathe George Bush. The man should be in the Hague. Dick Cheney died yesterday. I did not shed a tear. But George Bush, after 9, 11, even George Bush went to a mosque and said, islam is peace. Let's not blame all Muslims for what happened. Can you imagine Donald Trump doing that today? Of course not. None of these Republicans would. And they are waiting for him to kind of pin more stuff on him. The hate is out of control. And the hypocrisy from these people who spent the last month telling us, tone down the language, don't get us killed. And they're doing this stuff. I worry.

[DJ Envy]

What do you say to Mandani, though? And I would love to ask him this question. For Jewish people who have real fear, right? Or for Cuban. I was talking to a couple of my Cuban friends last night and they was like, he's a communist. I'm looking at it now. He's a communist. It's so obvious. Those that have not been affected by communism don't see it and don't care to see it. He's selling an unrealistic dream to unfortunately ignorant people and people who are easily swayed. It's all bs. A guy who's never worked a day in his life living off mommy's money. Fidel Castro was charismatic and made promises. And when he took the reins, he killed his number two and declared he was Marxist. Cuba's been in the shits ever since. What do you say to those people? Why do you tell Mondani to handle those people?

[Mehdi Hasan]

I would say to Cuban Americans in good faith, Cuban Americans who worry about communism in Cuba. I would say, I don't remember Fidel Castro's platform being fast and free buses, freeze the rents, universal childcare. To go back to how we began the discussion like that is not communism. Like, you gotta go get a dictionary or educate yourself about what communism is. Zoram Aldeni is not a communist. He's a democratic socialist. He is what Bernie Sanders is. And in this country, by the way, democratic socialism is not even real social. It's basically European social democracies. What the Scandinavians have, you know who has universal childcare? Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden. These countries have universal childcare. They're very nice places, very mild places. Go on holiday. Americans go to Sweden. It is not communist Cuba. Like, they kind of. Again, the incendiary rhetoric. And by the way, I would argue that that's actually a very good position for Mamdani to be in. They know the socialist stuff doesn't work anymore because people are like, we quite like that. So now have you noticed they ratcheted up. He's a communist, Trump said on 60 Minutes. He's not a socialist, he's a communist. They've even ratcheted that up because they know their attacks aren't working. It's so cynical. And on the front, on the anti Semitism front, last night in his speech, he said again, he said, I will stand with Jewish New Yorkers against the scourge of anti Semitism. He said it again. I interviewed Brad Lander last night, who was one of the main guys who endorsed him during the race. One of his top allies. Jewish American, standing up to this stuff, it's all bs. I would point out, by the way, one in three Jewish Americans, according to the exit poll, Jewish New Yorkers voted for Mamdani, right? A majority didn't, but one in three voted. A significant minority of Jewish people. This is not a monolithic community. The Jewish community, like any community, there are different views. And a third of Jews in New York said, you know what? We like Zoran Mumdani. We don't buy the BS about Zoramdi. And I've said this many times to people, show me the one anti Semitic statement he's made. Show me one. Just one. There's not one.

[DJ Envy]

They was pointing to rap lyrics. I can't remember what the lyrics are, but it was telling me these rap lyrics.

[Mehdi Hasan]

No, there was rap lyrics about. He was supporting a group of Muslims who had been detained at the time. It was a very controversial case during the war on terror, during the Bush period, the Holy Land foundation folks who were accused of channeling money to Hamas. That's a civil liberties issue. You can disagree or agree with it. That was his position. I challenge anyone to find me a statement from Zoran Mumdani where he says something anti Jewish, anti Semitic. In fact, it's the opposite. He spends his time cherishing diversity. He is the diversity candidate. It was Andrew Cuomo went on MSNBC and confused Eugene Daniels with Jonathan Capehart. Two black men got them the wrong way around and said, well, diversity is not, you know, that's not our strength and all this crap that we're hearing. So I just. It's so cynical, the weaponization of anti Semitism against, let's be honest, it's not about anti Semitism. It's about the fact that he's anti Israel, the fact that he's a critic of Israel, and it's a conflation of the two. He's very unapologetic about his criticism of Israel. That's what Pissed all these people off.

[DJ Envy]

Let me ask you about that, because, you know, I did CNN last night with Ben Shapiro and he referred to him as anti Israel. And I was like, is it fair to say he's anti Israel? Is he anti the Israeli government that is, you know, committing war crimes? Yeah. In Gaza?

[Mehdi Hasan]

Well, he's definitely anti that, as every person with a heart should be. If you're not anti this Israeli government, you're a sociopath. But in terms of the actual. They would argue, Let me just be fair to the critics. The critics would say he is anti Israel because when he was asked, does it have a right to exist as a Jewish state, he says he believes it has a right to exist with equality for everyone. And this is, and this goes to the debate around Zionism and the nature of a Jewish state. Zoramnani's position is, I'm an American. I believe in equal rights for everyone. I want that everywhere. Israel doesn't have that. Palestinians aren't full, first class, equal citizens in Israel, even inside of Israel. So that's what I support. The funny thing is he also says that about Saudi Arabia. He says about India. Right. He's criticized the Indian government for its nationalism. Ethno nationalism. He's against ethno nationalism. We're Americans. We should all be against ethno nationalism. So it's all exaggerated, I think a lot. But you're right, fundamentally, he's against genocide in Gaza, as are most Americans, as are 40% of American Jews. Think it's a genocide in Gaza. Again, not a monolithic community. But that's what really annoyed Bill Ackman. That's what annoyed Ben Shapiro. Not anything to do with anti Semitism. That's all been completely cynically weaponized against him. And you'll see that as mayor, people will be fine.

[DJ Envy]

I got another question about the government shutdown. The ACA premiums have already gone up. They're set for the year. Democrats, we appreciate the effort, but isn't it time to reopen the government?

[Mehdi Hasan]

I mean, who's in charge of the government?

[DJ Envy]

Republicans. But you still need those eight Democrat votes to vote.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Yeah, because of the filibuster they now want to get rid of, by the way.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mehdi Hasan]

I mean, I spent years saying, and.

[DJ Envy]

By the way, I don't care who's responsible for it. It's a bipartisan. Take a Bob Watson effort. But isn't it time to reopen the government?

[Mehdi Hasan]

Yeah, of course it's time to reopen the government. But the Republicans in charge of the Government, you cannot have.

[DJ Envy]

We still need those eight Democratic votes.

[Mehdi Hasan]

But you cannot have a political system that always relies on only the Democratic Party being the responsible party. You just can't. America cannot survive. We've created. It's like having toddlers, right? The Republican Party are a bunch of toddlers and everyone else has to be the adults in the room. And that cannot continue indefinitely. And at some point, I'm glad Democrats have drawn a line, even with Schumer and Jeffries, where they're saying, you know what? It's up to Republicans to govern responsibly. It's up to Republicans to stick to, to their pledges.

[DJ Envy]

But we know they can't.

[Mehdi Hasan]

But that's the problem.

[DJ Envy]

But we know they can't. The reason I say, with the greatest.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Respect, my friend, you're part of the problem. You can't say, we know they can't because that immediately gives Republicans a pass and puts the entire American democracy, American government, American economy, only in the hands of one party should have to deal with it.

[DJ Envy]

I agree. But we know Republicans aren't going to do the right thing. Rent is due. You know, they're talking about cutting SNAP benefits. People got childcare to pay, light bill, car notes. We need groceries. Like, we need the Democrats to say, okay, we know you're not going to give us no concessions. We fought the good fight. We're going to vote to reopen the government.

[Mehdi Hasan]

The problem with that argument is if you're worried about human suffering, the counter argument is that reopening the government on Republican terms increases human suffering.

[DJ Envy]

Yes, but the elections, the election's in 2026. So now you can say Republicans are responsible for your human suffering. Republicans are the reason you got high health care. So let's Change this in 2026.

[Mehdi Hasan]

I don't have the numbers off the top of my head, but a lot of the stuff that Trump did in the big beautiful bill, all the horrific stuff, they very smartly delayed that till after the midterms kick in.

[DJ Envy]

A lot of pain.

[Mehdi Hasan]

The premiums, a lot of the pain. So, look, there's a strategic argument for doing what you're saying. I don't believe I've been around long enough to know that this always ends with the Republicans benefiting from Democrats rolling over. And I'm glad to see Democrats not rolling over.

[DJ Envy]

Now, I'm with you, but it's hard to see all this human suffering.

[Mehdi Hasan]

I agree.

[DJ Envy]

But human suffering cuts both these food banks are sold. The lines of food banks are for so long, 100%, you know, we got government workers calling up here every day.

[Mehdi Hasan]

But the fact that you. Hold on. But the fact that you and I are talking about Democrats and not Donald Trump starving Americans and saying, he said at the weekend, he goes, I will not. A court, let's just be very clear. A court has said he must release the funds to pay for snap. And he said, I'm not going to do it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's crazy.

[Mehdi Hasan]

That should be the conversation. It's not. Should Democrats open the government? Should Donald Trump follow the law?

[DJ Envy]

I'm just saying the government should be reopened. We just know it takes a bipartisan effort to do it. Yes, Republicans are the main issue here, but we can't act like, you know, eight Democrats.

[Mehdi Hasan]

It'd be interesting to see if they get. He's now pushing for the filibuster nuking. It'd be interesting to see if they get rid of that filibuster because of course, in the long run that will help Democrats.

[DJ Envy]

They had a good night last night. Reopen the guy. Let's reopen the government. That's all I'm saying.

[Mehdi Hasan]

I agree with you, but I'm saying it's Republicans who have to reopen the government.

[DJ Envy]

It's a bipartisan effort.

[Mehdi Hasan]

I mean, they control the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court, the White House. Democrats.

[DJ Envy]

I'm not even saying Democrats are the problem. I'm just saying it is a bipartisan effort.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, like I said, give people their money.

[Mehdi Hasan]

But I'm saying, I'm saying there's a cost to doing that.

[DJ Envy]

And you know, and you know, the, the way to where, where it's kind of disingenuous is if by some chance Republicans do make concessions. Aren't you going to give the Democrats credit if the Democrats make concessions on health care?

[Mehdi Hasan]

If the Democrats are Republicans, I mean.

[DJ Envy]

If Republicans make concessions on health care.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Yes.

[DJ Envy]

Aren't you going to give the Democrats credit?

[Mehdi Hasan]

I mean. Yes.

[DJ Envy]

So you got to give them the same credit now with the government.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Yes. That they have a role to play.

[DJ Envy]

Yes.

[Mehdi Hasan]

But it's about, but the problem is whose responsibility is it? That's the point. I don't think, again, it goes back to my thing. I can't treat Republicans like children and toddlers. I don't think American democracy can survive if we only have a two party system and one of the two parties is completely, we just don't take seriously. They can do whatever the hell they want. They can break any law, ignore any judge, shut down any government program, end usaid. And again, the costs of reopening the government, the costs of conceding on the Medicaid cuts and all of that stuff. Your point is? Well, next year they can point in the midterms, but what about the suffering on that front till the midterms? What about the people who are going to lose health care between now and the midterms?

[DJ Envy]

I agree with that. But, man, that's one high bill to pay. As opposed to not being able to pay your rent, not being able to pay your car, not being able to pay your child care. Even if you have health care now, you still can't pay because you're not making any money.

[Mehdi Hasan]

I agree. It's a horrific situation. It's why I wish people are not reelected. Donald Trump. Trump.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah.

[Mehdi Hasan]

We are where we are. We got Donald Trump for another three years minimum, maybe longer, as you and I fear.

[DJ Envy]

And Democrats have to be the adults in the room because of that. They just have to. Manny, I know you. I know we don't want him to be, or it shouldn't be like that, but it is.

[Mehdi Hasan]

No, but it isn't. Because I think you can. We have to change the way we talk about politics, the way we organize, the way the media covers this stuff. Because the minute you do this. Okay, let me just give you that. Let's say they open the government tomorrow. Let's say there's eight Democrats filibuster, whatever they come in, government open up. What is that? What precedent does that set? It just means that Republicans will keep doing this again and again, knowing you've got three more years of pain and suffering.

[DJ Envy]

Yes, but hopefully with the next year, you can say, look at your health care benefits. Your health care benefits are high as hell. It's because of Republicans. 20, 26. Y' all need to change this.

[Mehdi Hasan]

So the Republican Party runs a completely opposite manual when they're in opposition. They do everything they can, obviously, to not make government where they don't care if people are starving and can't pay their rent. But then they electorally benefit from that. Right. They benefit from saying, ah, the government didn't work. Ah, things didn't get through. And Democrats, unfortunately, I think, are going to have to use that playbook as cynical and ruthless as has to be.

[DJ Envy]

Jesus Christ.

[Mehdi Hasan]

I don't see another alternative. You tell me what the alternative is. You're hoping that the government opens up and things go back to normal, whatever normal is. And then people blame the Republicans. I'm not sure I see it.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, I would rather the government be open, people be getting paid, and we're Having these arguments about health care and Republicans fucking shit up without, you know, people having to miss paychecks.

[Mehdi Hasan]

But if the government's opened up this Democratic argument. I'm not a Democrat, but the Democratic Party argument is if the government's opened up, you're going to have huge costs in the health care world.

[DJ Envy]

Once again, that's one bill. As opposed to people not getting no checks to pay lights, rent, daycare. Like no money coming in.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

Is horrible.

[Mehdi Hasan]

It's an effed up situation in this country. We shouldn't. By the way, can I just point this out to people who are listening and watching? I'm from the uk. I'm an immigrant to the US no other country functions like this. There's no other western democracy that has government shutdowns. There's no other western democracy that has debt ceilings. This is all artificial crap that's in our system that needs to be fixed again when the Democrats are in office. They need to fix this stuff so we don't have this constant cycle of this nonsense that people are like. This is why people hate politics. To go back to what I said at the start.

[DJ Envy]

Well, at least we got people like you here to bring some clarity to it.

[Mehdi Hasan]

I appreciate it.

[DJ Envy]

Absolutely.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well, we appreciate you for joining us this morning. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for breaking it down. And I'm sure you'll be back sooner than later.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Appreciate it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

A lot to talk about.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Thanks, guys.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right, when we come back, we got the latest with Lauren, so don't go anywhere. It's the Breakfast Club. Good morning.

[DJ Envy]

Every day I wake up. Wake your ass up. The Breakfast Club.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

On the podcast Health Stuff, we are tackling all the health questions that keep you up at night. I'm Dr. Priyanka Wali, a double board certified physician. And I'm Hari Kondabolu, a comedian and someone who once googled do I have scurvy at 3am and on our show we're talking about health in a different way. Like our episode where we look at diabetes in the United states. I mean, 50% of Americans are pre diabetic. How preventable is type 2? Extremely. Listen to Health Stuff on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Narrator / Storyteller]

The murder of an 18 year old girl in Graves County, Kentuck, went unsolved for years until a local housewife, a journalist and a handful of girls came forward with a story.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

America, y' all better wake the hell up. Bad things happens to good people in small towns.

[Narrator / Storyteller]

Listen to Graves county on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or record wherever you get your podcasts and to binge the entire season ad free. Subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcasts.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Welcome to Decoding Women's Health. I'm Dr. Elizabeth Poynter, chair of Women's Health and Gynecology at the Atria Health Institute in New York City. I'll be talking to top researchers and clinicians and bringing vital information about midlife women's health directly to you.

[Mehdi Hasan]

100% of women go through menopause. Even if it's natural, why should we suffer through it?

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Listen to Decoding Women's Health with Dr. Elizabeth Poynter on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Jonathan Goldstein and on the new season of Heavyweight.

[DJ Envy]

And so I pointed the gun at.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

Him and said, this isn't a joke.

[DJ Envy]

A man who robbed a bank when.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

He was 14 years old and a.

[DJ Envy]

Centenarian rediscovers a love lost 80 years ago.

[Mehdi Hasan]

How can a 101-year-old woman fall in love again?

[DJ Envy]

Listen to heavyweight on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know the shade is always shadiest right here.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Season six of the podcast Reasonably Shady with Gisele Bryant and Robyn Dixon is here dropping every Monday as two of.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

The founding members of the Real Housewives Potomac.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We're giving you all the laughs, drama.

[Mehdi Hasan]

And reality news you can handle.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

And you know we don't hold back. So come be reasonable or shady with.

[Mehdi Hasan]

Us each and every Monday.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Listen to Reasonably Shady from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Podcast Host / Narrator]

This is an iHeart podcast.