America is a Country, Not An Economy

Summary

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The Charlie Kirk Show

Episode: America is a Country, Not An Economy

Date: September 4, 2025
Host: Andrew Colvett (Guest hosting for Charlie Kirk), with contributions from Charlie Kirk, Senator Eric Schmidt, John Levine, RFK Jr., Senator Elizabeth Warren
Main Theme: Defending American identity and sovereignty against institutional capture, mass immigration via H1B visas, and the decline of media trust—emphasizing that America is fundamentally a country with culture and heritage, not just an economy.

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Episode Overview

This episode features guest host Andrew Colvett engaging with Senator Eric Schmidt (MO) and journalist John Levine (Washington Free Beacon). The discussions center on:

• Government and pharmaceutical industry entanglement (institutional capture), especially in public health policy post-COVID.
• Senator Schmidt's controversial NatCon speech (“America is a country, not an economy”) and criticism of the H1B visa program.
• The shifting landscape of media trust, highlighted by the acquisition of Barry Weiss’s Free Press by CBS/Paramount.
• The state of free speech in the UK and broader implications for the West.

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Key Segments and Insights

1. Institutional Capture & Senate Fireworks (02:08–06:21)

Summary:

Andrew Colvett and Senator Eric Schmidt discuss the recent explosive Senate hearing with RFK Jr., the medical establishment’s loss of credibility, and the pushback against Big Pharma.

Key Points:

• The COVID pandemic revealed deep-rooted institutional capture in the medical establishment.
• RFK Jr. is seen as a disruptive force challenging the status quo in public health.
• Senator Schmidt recounts his legal battles against vaccine and mask mandates (“Last Line of Defense”), explaining how lawsuits exposed and curtailed government overreach.

Notable Quotes:

• Sen. Eric Schmidt (03:13):
  “What RFK Jr. is trying to do…is restore the credibility by telling the American people the truth, giving them information, letting them make their own decisions, actually run this agency how it should be run…The American people were lied to [about COVID vaccines].”
• Sen. Eric Schmidt (05:06):
  “Covid was an example where power doesn’t necessarily corrupt, but it does reveal. And what we saw during COVID was something I could have never imagined in this country.”

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2. NatCon Speech, H1B Visas, and American Identity (06:21–12:25)

Summary:

Andrew Colvett addresses media backlash to Schmidt’s NatCon speech, accusing him of extremism. They delve into the impact of H1B visas on American workers and link these policies to broader cultural concerns.

Key Points:

• Schmidt criticizes the H1B visa program for replacing American workers and contributing to the outsourcing of U.S. industries.
• Asserts that both blue- and white-collar jobs are undermined by mass migration, harming wage growth and national identity.
• Reaffirms the importance of cherishing American heritage in the face of what he calls “neo Marxist, cultural Marxism.”

Notable Quotes:

• Sen. Eric Schmidt (07:31):
  “The H1B visa…was sold as a way to keep America globally competitive. But that’s not how [it]…functioned. Instead, they’ve imported a vast new labor force from abroad…to undercut American wages, replace American workers, and transfer industries into the hands of foreign lobbies.”
• Sen. Eric Schmidt (09:03):
  “The reason why the left is going crazy over the speech is because we unapologetically proclaim that America is a great place and we’re not going to apologize for it anymore.”
• Sen. Eric Schmidt (12:25):
  “The elites have had it their way…The MAGA movement, America First, is about…standing up for Americans now.”

Host Sum-up:

• Andrew Colvett (12:54):
  “America is a country, not an economy…We have a heritage and a culture and it’s worth defending.”

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3. COVID Vaccines, Big Pharma, and Explosive Senate Moments (15:09–20:51)

Summary:

Colvett plays clips from the Senate hearing: RFK Jr. clashes with Senator Elizabeth Warren on COVID vaccine policies, with recurring criticism of pharmaceutical industry influence.

Key Moments:

• Warren grills RFK Jr. about changes in COVID vaccine recommendations for healthy people under 65.
• RFK Jr. pushes back, stating the vaccine is available, but not recommended for all, spurring accusations of hypocrisy and pharma influence.
• A pointed confrontation exposes Warren’s campaign contributions from the pharmaceutical industry.

Notable Quotes:

• Sen. Elizabeth Warren (15:24):
  “Will you tell America that all adults and all children over 6 months of age are eligible to get a COVID vaccine booster at their local pharmacy today?”
• RFK Jr. (15:52):
  “Anybody can get the booster. I’m sorry, anybody can get it.”
• RFK Jr. (19:03):
  “I know you’ve taken $855,000 from pharmaceutical companies, Senator…You want me to indicate a product for which there is no clinical data, Senator?”

Colvett’s Commentary (19:36):

“RFK is not playing around today…he’s not putting up with this garbage. Because you’ve got like the Pfizer board questioning him why he’s not endorsing their products anymore.”

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4. Changing Media Landscape: The Free Press Sale (21:53–32:49)

Summary:

Interview with John Levine on the meteoric rise and acquisition of Barry Weiss’s Free Press by Paramount/CBS, and what it signals about legacy media's decline and audience trust.

Key Points:

• Weiss left the New York Times after facing internal hostility for her moderate/opinion journalism; quickly built trust and a significant subscriber base with the Free Press.
• Paramount’s acquisition is seen as recognition of her unique brand and audience trust (“gap in the journalism marketplace”).
• Levine and Colvett discuss the imploding credibility and ratings of legacy outlets (CNN, MSNBC, Washington Post), and the hunger for alternative, trustworthy voices.
• Analysis of the 2020 Cotton op-ed fallout at the Times and the broader trajectory of legacy media vs. insurgent “center” outlets like the Free Press.

Notable Quotes:

• John Levine (23:02):
  “It was a terrible experience [for Weiss at the Times]…all her colleagues kind of ganged up on her and wouldn’t talk to her. It was very high school type stuff.”
• John Levine (25:58):
  “When CBS acquires the Free Press and puts her in charge of the newsroom, it gives the imperature of a major media organization on the work she does.”
• John Levine (28:23):
  “Nobody’s reading [mainstream publications], nobody’s watching them…And the people who are going strong and gaining audience are Fox, Real America’s Voice, Charlie Kirk, and these alternative spaces.”

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5. Free Speech and Censorship in the UK (34:23–39:55)

Summary:

Colvett and Levine discuss the arrest of British comedian Graham Linehan over his anti-transgender tweets and the broader crisis of speech in Western democracies.

Key Points:

• Linehan detained for “transgressive” tweets—Levine draws stark contrast to US First Amendment protections.
• Coverage of grooming gangs and other UK controversies is hampered by government and institutional reluctance—journalistic resistance and whistleblowers still persist, but at great personal risk.
• Reflection on cultural differences: American tradition of local self-defense vs. British state overreach.

Notable Quotes:

• John Levine (35:45):
  “He went against the woke orthodoxies. He tweeted critically of trans. And he was met at the airport by 5 armed security guards who proceeded to take him into custody.”
• Andrew Colvett (38:54):
  “There is a point where culture has had enough and we the people must stand up…That is a uniquely American phenomenon, by the way.”

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |---|---|---| | 03:13 | "The American people were lied to…Let’s just take the COVID vaccine. First of all, it should never have been mandatory." | Sen. Eric Schmidt | | 09:03 | "We unapologetically proclaim that America is a great place and we’re not going to apologize for it anymore." | Sen. Eric Schmidt | | 12:54 | "America is a country, not an economy. We have a heritage and a culture and it’s worth defending." | Andrew Colvett | | 19:03 | "I know you’ve taken $855,000 from pharmaceutical companies, Senator…You want me to indicate a product for which there is no clinical data, Senator?" | RFK Jr. | | 25:58 | "It gives the imperature of a major media organization on the work she [Barry Weiss] does." | John Levine | | 35:45 | "He was met at the airport by 5 armed security guards who proceeded to take him into custody." | John Levine |

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Key Takeaways

• American identity is not reducible to economics: Defending jobs, culture, and national myths are seen as essential to American sovereignty and resilience.
• Skepticism toward government and corporate overreach: The episode is deeply critical of mandates, censorship, and pharmaceutical influence over public health.
• Distrust in legacy media—search for new voices: The Free Press’s sale is symbolic of broader disruption in media trust and the rise of alternative, truth-focused outlets.
• The importance of free speech: U.S. constitutional protections are contrasted starkly with the crackdown on dissenting opinions abroad, warning against complacency.

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Noted Timelines

• 00:00–02:08 — Show and guests introduced, overview of topics (RFK Jr. hearing, Senate fireworks, NatCon speech).
• 02:08–06:21 — Institutional capture, COVID lawsuits, censorship battles (Sen. Schmidt).
• 06:21–12:25 — Media backlash to NatCon speech, H1B immigration issues, American identity debates.
• 15:09–20:51 — Senate hearing highlights: RFK Jr. vs. Warren on COVID policy and pharma influence.
• 21:53–32:49 — John Levine interview: Barry Weiss, Free Press, collapse of trust in legacy media.
• 34:23–39:55 — UK free speech crisis: Graham Linehan, British censorship, American contrast.

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For Further Listening & Follow-Up

• Guest: Sen. Eric Schmidt
  Book: “Last Line of Defense: How to Beat the Left in Court”
• Guest: John Levine (Washington Free Beacon)
  X/Twitter: @LevineJonathan

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End of summary.

Transcript

[Andrew Colvett]

Hey, everybody. Welcome to the Charlie Kirk Show. Andrew Colvett, executive producer of this fine show, in for Charlie Kirk from the Bitcoin mobile studio. We welcome Eric Schmidt to the show. Instant reaction to the RFK hearing. What's ongoing in the Senate. A really explosive back and forth with the Pfizer board, also known as the Senate Finance Committee. And we're talking about institutional capture and what's going on. Also we get the reaction to his name NATCON speech, which was phenomenal. We talk about H1BS. Then we go to John Levine from the Washington Free Beacon and a great reporter in our nation's capital. And we talk about the changing landscape in the news media as evidenced by Barry Weiss selling her the Free Press, her new company to CBS and Paramount. Really fascinating discussion with John. I think you're really going to enjoy it if you love what you see here, if you get some, some value out of what we do at the Charlie Kirk Show. If you get calm in the middle of the storm, Please consider joining members.charliekirk.com that's members.charlie kirk.com where you get to be a part of the action. You get exclusive access at our events, discounts on merch and so much more. That's members.charlie kirk.com members.charlie kirk. Com you guys mean the world to us. You help keep the lights on and we can't say thank you enough. So Please consider joining members.charlie kirk.com Buckle up, here we go.

[John Levine]

Charlie, what you've done is incredible here.

[Andrew Colvett]

Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus.

[John Levine]

I want you to know we are lucky to have Charlie Kirk.

[RFK Jr.]

Charlie Kirk's running the White House, folks. I want to thank Charlie.

[Senator Eric Schmidt]

He's an incredible guy.

[RFK Jr.]

His spirit, his love of this country. He's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organizations ever created, Turning Point usa.

[Charlie Kirk]

We will not embrace the ideas that have destroyed countries, destroyed lives. And we are going to fight for freedom on campuses across the country.

[John Levine]

We are here.

[Charlie Kirk]

The Charlie Kirk show is proudly sponsored by Preserve Gold, the leading gold and silver experts and the only precious metals company I recommend to my family, friends and viewers.

[Andrew Colvett]

I'm gonna get right into it. We are blessed by an amazing first guest of this show, true patriot of this country, Senator Eric Schmidt from the great state of Missouri. Senator, you and I were watching that exchange just before we took the air of Senator Kennedy or Secretary Kennedy going toe to toe with Senator Liz Warren. Like it's 2022 arguing about the COVID vaccine and we don't have the clip just yet, but I mean, it was an amazing exchange. You and I could see us laughing on the call before it. So, you know, he throws the gauntlet down. And I think it's very central to this whole committee hearing where he says, you've taken over $850,000 from Big Pharma. And it seems like one of the big dividing lines here, the points of argument is that we're talking about institutional capture of the medical establishment in this country. And it seems like some people still trust these people, while it seems like the vast majority of Americans have grown skeptical of what they're selling. Your take on this committee hearing, and then I want to get into your natcon speech.

[Senator Eric Schmidt]

Yeah, look, I think Maha is rising and for good reason, because I think what the American people saw, particularly during COVID the lies that were peddled by the medical establishment, by the cdc, by all these public health officials who, you know, on one hand said you couldn't go outside, but it was okay to riot at a Black Lives Matter protest. That's okay. I mean, they lost complete credibility. And what RFK Jr. Is trying to do, what the Trump administration is trying to do, is restore the credibility by telling the American people the truth, giving them information, letting make their own decisions, actually run the this agency how it should be run. And he's challenging people who aren't being, you know, used to being challenged and good for him because the talking points are, you know, they've been out there forever. But the truth is the American people were lied to. Let's just take the COVID vaccine. First of all, it should have never been mandatory. In my book, the Last Line of Defense, how to Beat the Left in Court. I actually note this. We took the vaccine mandate case all the way to the Supreme Court and we won. It should have never been mandated. But also we were lied to. At first it was going to prevent you getting Covid at all, then it was you're going to prevent transmission. Neither one of those things were true. And so I think that American people have good reason after Covid to be very skeptical of these so called experts. And I think RFK Jr. Was brought in to be a disruptor and that's exactly what he's doing.

[Andrew Colvett]

Yeah, well said. I mean, and by the way, I'm remiss for not mentioning your book. I mean, it just came out. Last line of Defense. You were the, you were the vanguard of our legal defense for patriots in this country that felt left out, pushed aside, marginalized or attacked and harassed by The Biden administration, you did such great work there. And so, you know, by all means, please take another moment here. Last line of defense. Tell the audience about it. And I love the tie in to what we're seeing right now play out in the Senate floor, please. The floor is yours.

[Senator Eric Schmidt]

Well, look, Covid was an example where power doesn't necessarily corrupt, but it does reveal. And what we saw during COVID was something I could have never imagined in this country. And so when we stepped up, when we brought those lawsuits, we sued on the vaccine mandate, we won. We sued 50 plus school districts in Missouri to drop their mask mandates for kids even because it wasn't effective. And we were successful. We brought the Missouri vs Biden lawsuit that exposed the censorship enterprise that included the COVID you know, misinformation or mal information they were trying to censor. In fact, the, the censorship operation started on day three of the Biden administration. And ironically, RFK Jr. Was the first one censored. Another guy that was caught up in all that by Anthony Fauci, who we took the deposition of, that you can read about in the book, was Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who talked about natural immunity. Fauci wanted to destroy his career, but now he's head of the nih. So I think what's good right now is the rebels, and I would include myself as one of those during that time. RFK Jr. J Many more are now inside of the castle and they don't like it. And there's a lot of disruption and a lot of table flipping that needs to happen and not everybody's going to like it. And that's kind of what's going on with this hearing today with RFK Jr. But we need it badly.

[Andrew Colvett]

Well, Senator, as you well know, when you exorcise the demons, they tend to screech. So I'm watching this, this hearing with great intrigue and entertainment and I need my popcorn emoji somewhere nearby. Senator, I actually wanted you to come on the show with Charlie. So I'm honored that I get to be the guest host today for this because. And I just have to show this image for everybody. It's too good. Here it is. It is 435. Put it up. You are catching some heat here because your natcon speech, you have MSNBC columnist Senator Eric Schmidt lets his extremist flag fly in racist speech at natcon. I'll be honest, I saw a bunch of the clips from your natcon speech. And I was standing up, I was clapping. I mean, it was just Pitch perfect, Senator. And especially some of the lines that you had on the H1B visa scam. And it is a scam. And I'm going to play this clip and I'll let you be the judge in the audience. Is this an extremist flag flying? Is it a racist speech or is it just common sense? Let's go ahead and play cut 428.

[Senator Eric Schmidt]

The H1B visa, for example, was sold as a way to keep America globally competitive. Of course we do have an interest in attracting the truly exceptional few, the very best and the brightest in the world. But that's not how programs like H1B have actually functioned. Instead, they've imported a vast new labor force from abroad. Not to fill jobs Americans can't or won't do, but to undercut American wages, replace American workers and transfer entire industries into the hands of foreign lobbies. We funneled in millions of foreign nationals to take the jobs, salaries and futures that should belong to our own children.

[Andrew Colvett]

Now Senator, this speech, which is, by the way, it's gotten rave reviews. I've seen everybody praising it. I mean you're, you're just pitch perfect on this speech. It coincides with some of this back and forth with India. Now we know that there's about 400,000 H1B visas issued or renewed every year and about 75% of those go to India, mainly in high tech, mainly in high skilled white collar jobs. And there's complete neighborhoods, by the way, just in Dallas is in Frisco. And I went to, had to go to the store in Frisco and it is basically an Indian colony at this point. I mean, God bless them, they work hard, they do good work. But that, that community has transformed overnight. Those jobs are no longer held by native born Americans. Please, the floor is yours. What are you seeing in this issue? Is there motivation on, on Capitol hill to address H1BS?

[Senator Eric Schmidt]

Well, first of all, the reason why the left is going crazy over the speeches because we unapologetically proclaim that America is a great place and we're not going to apologize for it anymore. The people that built this country, we should celebrate them. America is the vanguard for Western civilization. We settled a continent, we sent people to the moon. I mean there's all these great things that we have done in this country that the left wants us to, to undermine and despise because they want to remake America. And the only way you do that is if you tell a different story about who we are. And that's what CRT is all about. That's what DEI is all about. It's what this neo Marxist, cultural Marxism agenda is all about. And they can't get there if we actually are proud of our country. And that's what the speech was. And they just don't like hearing that because for a long time I think they've had a lot of people in retreat on defending America. And I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to back down. I love this country. I love America. And I know that the people who watch this show, listen to the show, they love America too. And you know what? We're not going to apologize for that anymore. So anyway, that's on the speech as relates to the H1B program in particular. Look, it's not all that different than what happened with blue collar jobs. This slow moving disaster over a period of decades where the elites told us in the name of free trade, not, you know, forgetting all the barriers that exist in other places, it's going to be good for you if we ship all your jobs overseas. And then the blue collar workers that I grew up around were then looking for jobs. And then guess what, through mass migration, illegal immigration, they, you know, destroy the wages of those other jobs that people look for. That's kind of what's happening right now with white collar jobs. They're kneecapping white collar jobs by look, I mentioned there is a need for the exceptional few. There's no doubt about that. But here's what's really happening. We're importing a bunch of people to undercut the wages of white collar workers now. And they actually have to train their replacements in order to get their severance package. They have to go through the humiliating process of training their replacement who's going to get paid less. And we have plenty of people in this country who can do those jobs.

[Andrew Colvett]

I want you to complete your point. And I think what you're saying is essentially, I mean, again, so spot on, we should not import a permanent underclass in this country that undercuts blue collar wage wages. But we should also not import a new elite that is taking white collar jobs. Both are important.

[Senator Eric Schmidt]

Yeah. And that's what's going down.

[Andrew Colvett]

That's what's happening right now. And I feel like your, your speech though, and I've heard Senator, or I've heard Secretary Lutnick, I've heard others commenting about the H1B scam and I was so glad to hear you do this as well because essentially what you're seeing, real Americans, real patriots, defend our Heroes defend our myths, defend our national story against the woke ideology coming from, you know, wherever it's coming from. And there's lots of sources, unfortunately. So part of your speech was about defending the myths that built this country and built this country. And those are important just because, you know, and they're obviously hopefully rooted in actual historical fact. Obviously. But then you're also, you're also defending just basic economic principles that are so important to the future. Well, being the next generation, Gen Z, which we talk to so much on this show. Final thoughts, Senator, I know you gotta run and host, host something on the, on the Hill, so.

[Senator Eric Schmidt]

Yeah, no, look, that's the reality is the elites have had it their way for a long time. And part of what this movement is all about, the MAGA movement, America first, is that we're gonna stand up for Americans now. We're going to renegotiate these trade deals that have been a disaster. We're going to ask Europe and make Europe actually provide for their own defense in a more meaningful way. It's a recalibration in getting back to common sense policy. You ask most people about this stuff, they support it, the left knows it, which is why they're kind of in their death throes right now.

[Andrew Colvett]

Yeah. Well, I think we'd sum it up like this. America is a country, not an economy where a country with an economy in it. We have a heritage and a culture and it's worth defending. And we're a great people and we're going to defend it. Thank you, Senator Eric Schmidt, for all you're doing. We'll talk to you soon.

[Senator Eric Schmidt]

All right, partner, take care.

[John Levine]

See you.

[Andrew Colvett]

All right, see ya.

[Charlie Kirk]

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[Andrew Colvett]

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[Charlie Kirk]

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[Andrew Colvett]

All right, welcome back to the Charlie Kirk Show. I just have to play this clip and I believe this is the right one. Yeah, I think this is the right one. Let's go ahead and play. Cut 439. 4 3, 9.

[Senator Elizabeth Warren]

Last week you announced the COVID 19 vaccine is no longer approved for healthy people under the age of 65. In announcing the change, you said the vaccine will be available for anyone who wants it. Now, obviously both things cannot be true at the same moment. Will you tell America that all adults and all children over 6 months of age are eligible to get a COVID vaccine booster at their local pharmacy today?

[RFK Jr.]

Anybody can get the booster. I'm sorry, anybody can get it.

[Senator Elizabeth Warren]

Anybody. So you're saying that is now the official rule of hhs. Anybody is eligible to get a booster by just walking into the pharmacy.

[RFK Jr.]

It's not recommended for healthy people.

[Senator Elizabeth Warren]

No, no. If you don't recommend, then the consequence of that in many states is that you can't walk into a pharmacy and get one. It means insurance companies don't have to cover the $200 or so cost.

[Andrew Colvett]

So that wasn't the best part of that clip, but it's fine. They end up getting into this explosive back and forth about, you know, essentially how Liz Warren is taking nearly a million dollars from big pharma and you know, she's basically a Pfizer board member at this point. And they go back and forth because what RFK Jr is saying is absolutely spot on. He's not telling anybody that they can't get the COVID shot if they want to. All he's saying is that it is no longer recommended. And, yeah, maybe there's a little bit of state by state issues in which I can. But. But here's the problem. This is not 2022. If you want to go get a Covid shot, go get a Covid shot. The United States government does not need to be supplementing that. They do not need to be subsidizing that payment. There is no pandemic. There is no urgency. This is a absolute straw man argument. I can't stand it from Liz Warren. She's a disgusting, disgusting, disgusting senator, in my humble opinion. And by the way, she's so shrill. It's so hard to listen to her. I can't stand it. Let's go one more here. I think. I think maybe this is the one. We'll see what clip this is. 4. 37.

[RFK Jr.]

Are you saying that the MRNA vaccine has never been associated with myocarditis or pericarditis? I am saying. I am simply trying to tell. I am simply trying to say that.

[Andrew Colvett]

The people that you have put on that panel.

[RFK Jr.]

After firing the entire. Evading the question, you.

[Andrew Colvett]

No, I'm asking the questions here.

[RFK Jr.]

You're evading that question.

[Andrew Colvett]

I'm asking the questions.

[RFK Jr.]

I'm asking the questions for Mr. Kennedy on behalf of parents and schools and teachers all over the United States of America who deserve so much better than your leadership. That's what this conversation is about. Senator.

[Andrew Colvett]

Chairman.

[RFK Jr.]

Senator. They deserve the truth. And that's what we're going to give them for the first time in the history of that agency.

[Andrew Colvett]

All right, so Senator Moderna is really upset that a board that oversees vaccines has been replaced because once again, it was big pharma, institutional capture. That was, you know, previously on that board and RFK saying for the first time, we're actually gonna get all this bias, all this politicization, all this money out of our medical establishment. And here's 440 is another good clip. But these, these are just fantastic. 440.

[RFK Jr.]

Most Americans will be able to get it from their pharmacy for a year.

[Senator Elizabeth Warren]

The question is everyone who wants it. That was your promise.

[RFK Jr.]

I never promised that I was gonna recommend products with which there is no income.

[Senator Elizabeth Warren]

When you said.

[RFK Jr.]

And I know you've taken $855,000 from pharmaceutical companies, Senator, did you hold up.

[Senator Elizabeth Warren]

A big sign saying that you were lying when you said that? Because you are the one who said you would not take them away. Now, Senator, I'm not taking them away from any secretary.

[Senator Eric Schmidt]

You.

[RFK Jr.]

You want me to indicate a product for which there is no clinical data, Senator.

[Senator Elizabeth Warren]

Secretary Kennedy, you said you wouldn't and now you did.

[RFK Jr.]

I'm not taking them away. Everybody can get access to them.

[Andrew Colvett]

You know, my. My favorite part. And he'll probably get trolled from the left, but my favorite part is, you know, he's got this speech kind of issue with his throat. It's some nerve condition. And he's just sitting on the mic, kind of breathing. Like you hear him. Like, like he's like he's just growling at them. You know, he's just like really upset. And I. And I find that really enjoying. But RFK is not playing around today. Like he's not putting up with this garbage anymore because you've got like the Pfizer board questioning him why he's not endorsing their products anymore. And he's saying there's no clinical justification to recommend the COVID shot to healthy individuals under 65. Which is something we've been saying, we've been thinking. We've had multiple doctors on this show saying this since 2021, and yet here we are. So, you know, where's the empirical data? Senator Warren, you want everybody to have this Covid shot so that what, that Pfizer can keep, you know, its stock price can keep shooting up like it did during COVID No, thank you. It's time to get transparency. It's time to get. Time to get institutional capture out of Washington D.C. and RFK is delivering that. We have his back. 100%. 100 and extra percent.

[Charlie Kirk]

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[Andrew Colvett]

Without further ado, John Levine from the Washington Free Beacon. John, welcome to the show. You have been a mainstay in the media world for many, many years. I've run into you multiple times over the years. You do fantastic work. You're always at the sort of front end of where the news cycle is going to. And I thought you would just be perfect for this because Barry Weiss, formerly of the the New York Times, she was on the she was what an opinion and editor at the New York Times. Then she leaves and starts the the Free Press. And this is making a lot of news now in media circles. And I think it's worth diving into what does it all mean? Because now we're hearing that that Paramount, CBS is buying her company for an undisclosed amount. But we know it's about maybe between 1 and $200 million. I mean, it feels like she just started the Free Press like two days ago and she's now selling it for one to two hundred million dollars. Tell us about, you know, Barry, you like Barry? Tell us about Barry Weiss, what they what the mission of the Free Press was and why this is important in the media landscape space.

[John Levine]

Well, I mean, Barry is someone that comes out of opinion journalism. She before the New York Times, she was at the Wall Street Journal. And then she went to the TV Times to, I think, you know, have slightly, slightly more conservative voices there. And from what I recall, it was just a very terrible experience. All of her colleagues kind of ganged up on her and they, they wouldn't talk to her. It was very high school type stuff and she frequently, like she would publish stuff and then she would face online harassment from her own colleagues in public. And the Times, of course, didn't really stand up for her. They never did disciplined any of the offenders. And eventually she left and started her own, her own thing, the Free Press. And that was, I believe, 2022. And now two years later, it's worth $200 million, which I think is an incredible testament to what she's been able to accomplish in such a short time. And also about the gaping hole in the journalism marketplace that she identified and filled with, I think, very necessary content. And I'm not going to sit here and say, I love every single thing the Free Press has ever published, but it's really good stuff for the most part. And I'm not surprised at all to see Paramount willing to pay this nine figure sum.

[Andrew Colvett]

Yeah, and what they're really buying is the trust that, you know, Barry has cultivated. Now I see some people hating on this. There's, there's a little, you know, people are suggesting it's not worth that. Maybe it's not. But what you're, what you're buying, to your point, John, is maybe not a revenue stream. I don't know what Free Press revenues have, no idea about their books. But what you're buying is that filling in that gaping hole. Right. Because you've got somebody with the pedigree of a Wall Street Journal and a New York Times. I mean, I don't think I am. I don't know Barry on a personal level at all. But I did get a couple calls from her over the years inviting Charlie to write certain things. We ended up passing on them. It wasn't the right fit. But even the fact that if you think back at the time we were in when I got those calls, it was a remarkable thing to get a call from the New York Times and invite Charlie to do sort of like a guest column or something like that. Again, it was the wrong topic. It was the wrong fit. But I still noted that I logged it. I said, geez, you know, she's out there at this establishment press institution inviting outside voices to participate in something that, you know, the Gray lady, the paper of record, that was a really big deal. And to your point, if people don't believe this is real, this kind of high school activity that happens in the newsrooms, it's very, very real. It's very real. On college campuses. The few professors that we know that are conservatives, they get completely ostracized. They get put in a corner, they're not invited to social gatherings. I mean, it's really petty stuff. But again, the big takeaway here, though, John, is that she's filling a gap with CBS. She's going to now run CBS's newsroom. How big of a deal is that? Or at least.

[John Levine]

Well, I mean, I think part of what makes, I mean, it's a huge deal. I mean, Barry, there's a lot of big, you know, media culture war divides that. I'll be frank. I think Barry's on the right side of, you know, are we going to put out fake accusations about Israel committing genocide or perpetrating a famine? This is not Happening. This is not true. And every time they find some activist or, or some organization to insist this is happening, it turns out it's bogus. It's Qatar funded, it's whatever. And Barry's been on the front lines of ensuring that only accurate information has come out on the current war in Gaza, which I know is why a lot of people are very, very upset with her and opposed to her on the other side. And you're seeing a lot of false allegations about the Free Press all the time. But it's a big deal because when CBS acquires the Free Press and puts her in charge of the newsroom, it gives the imperature of a major media organization on the work she does. And it's going to have a tremendous impact on the landscape of media in our country. And I think part of what makes the Free Press so valuable is the people, is the subscribers. I don't know how many subscribers Barry has, but it's probably in the hundreds of thousands, if not more. And these are educated, sophisticated people. They're people who probably have money to spend and they're people that CBS wants to add to their broader audience. No question.

[Andrew Colvett]

Yeah. What do you think this says about kind of how the world has turned, John? I mean, like I said, you've been around the media landscape for a, a, for a long time now. You've seen the different iterations, the different vibe shifts that have happened. And you know, then you have this huge event on November 5, 2024. President Trump wins the popular vote, wins in an electoral landslide. And you have all these media groups, whether it be cnn, their ratings are in the, are in the tank. Msnbc, similar situation. FOX News is going strong. Real America's Voice, the Charlie Kirk show, we're going strong. Salem Radio Network that we're also on going strong. What is happening and what is the adjust? Is this the first domino to fall? I mean, I saw you post a funny, a funny meme on Twitter about, you know, the dominoes falling. And it's like Senator Cotton wants that op ed about. I actually forget. It was something about the National Guard, Senator. And it caused this huge. I mean, maybe go back to that moment, John, of that Senator Cotton op ed and then you. The meme. The meme is that she now becomes president someday, which I think we're maybe getting a little ahead of ourselves, but I don't know.

[John Levine]

Yeah. Jumping ahead of the script. Right now she's only in charge of CBS News. Yeah, I think. Look, as to what you just said, all the mainstream institutions the ratings are in the toilet. Nobody's reading them, Nobody's watching them. The Washington Post. I don't even know anyone reading the Washington Post anymore. They have no subscribers left. And the people who are going strong and gating audience or Fox, Real America's Boys, Charlie Kirk and these alternative spaces. And I think Barry recognized that there were a lot of people, a lot of smart people who aren't necessarily like rabid right wing people, but they know they're being lied to by the mainstream groups and the, the official media because they enough has sort of percolated out on alternative media like your show and others where, where a lot of smart people are like, wait a minute, why is CNN still saying this? I know this is not true because I saw this video and it's. I, I know this isn't true. I know I'm being lied to. And there was, there's no trust in media anymore. And there is such a hunger for trustworthy new voices. And I think that Barry just has a lot of credibility, the Free Press has a lot of credibility in that space. And so much of what they publish is just debunking false narratives in mainstream press. And they do it in a very tasteful way, a very thoughtful way. Like they did a story on the, they say, oh, you know, Gaza is in famine. And they have all these, the press, most of the mainstream media has been showing all these photos of these, these children who allegedly are victims of famine, but every single one of them is suffering from some muscular disease which causes them to have, you know, an appearance that might be misconstrued as famine. And Barry took that, the Free Press took that narrative apart so expertly and they do things like that that really cut through so much of the media bullshit and it provides such a valuable service. And I'm so happy for Barry and I'm so happy for all of the liberal tears that I have been personally witnessing on social media. And I want more of them. They give me life.

[Andrew Colvett]

They energize us. Yes, they're our life source. Yeah, I mean the Free Press kind of strikes me almost as like a right of center or maybe just center. I mean, I do think they do. They try and kind of go right down the middle, like almost like an NPR vibe, but it's just like right down the center. It is kind of thoughtful, it's written by educated people, but that haven't launched. Lost their damn minds.

[John Levine]

Yeah, I mean it's not a rabid right wing or left. It's, it really is a centrist publication. And it's. Yeah, I really think that, like, the real silent majority in our country is just normal people who don't want a screamer on either end.

[Andrew Colvett]

Yeah, I mean, yeah, I agree. I mean, listen, as a, as a, as a hardened partisan who has a very clear vision for what I want to happen in this country, I can appreciate the fact that we need centrist voices to sort of call balls and strikes even. You know, speaking of which, you know, Tom Cotton is a guy that. We have serious foreign policy disagreements. I mean, Tom Cotton hasn't seen a foreign conflict. He doesn't think America needs to bomb or, you know, invade. But Tom Cotton is really good on crime. He's really good on domestic crime issues. And he, by the way, he's. He's going to be proven right and vindicated on some of the stuff that happened Even in Trump 1.0, I think. But. So this all started now. Go back. We got a minute and a half here. John, what was this op ed that kind of started this whole domino effect with Tom Cotton?

[John Levine]

Tom Cotton op Ed was, I believe, was called send in the troops. And it was calling on President Trump in the first term to send in the National Guard to quell BLM rioting in American cities. And this caused, I think Barry may have already left the New York Times by this point, but it caused this firestorm in the newsroom about this is putting black people in danger. And Nicole Hannah Jones of 1619 fame led the charge to end, to, to, to criticize the paper publicly. This public staff revolt. And the Times, after initially defending the op ed, did a complete 180. I think there's now an editor's note that's longer than the op ed. It's still online. I urge you all to Google it. And they ultimately ended up, like, getting rid of several people in the op ed department and not even conservatives. I forget his name. But the op ed at the time had to go. He went to the Economist, and Adam Rubenstein was a great guy. He was forced out.

[Andrew Colvett]

And there was a free press now.

[John Levine]

Yeah, and it's, it was, it was this weird seminal moment which no one even really remembers anymore.

[Andrew Colvett]

But no, it was, it's fascinating. I mean, it was basically, it was a newsroom tantrum by a bunch of millennials and gen zers that a sitting U.S. senator had the gall to write an op Ed. I mean, just amazing.

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[Andrew Colvett]

So John Levine from the Washington Free Beacon. Please, before we have radio rejoin, tell us how people can follow you, what work you're currently engaged in. So the floor is yours, my friend.

[John Levine]

I am reachable at Levine, Jonathan on X Lavine, like Adam Lavine and Jonathan J O N A T H A N. It's my full name, Jonathan. And I'm working on a lot of different stuff, investigations mostly now for the Washington Free Beacon. Do a lot of work on Democrats, do a lot of work on nonprofits and woke stuff, DEI universities and, you know, anything that's not right. So, you know, if there's anything happening in your life, in your world, you work in government and you're listening to this and something's not the way it should be. I'm very, very available.

[Andrew Colvett]

Yes. Send your scoops to John. He's trustworthy. He does great work. So, John, I wanted to also talk to you about this because you're in media, you're in speech, your whole, I mean, you are, your, your institution is enshrined in the Constitution. And our friends from across the pond are having quite the little blow up. A comedian, Graham Linehan, was arrested when he gets back into the UK at the airport by five armed officers. And apparently this is for his anti transgender comments that he's made. Three, three tweets in particular we can bring up. First thoughts, why is this such a big deal? Explain what's happening here, John.

[John Levine]

I mean, he went against the woke orthodoxies. He tweeted Critically of trans. And he was met at the airport by 5, 5 armed security guards who proceeded to take him into custody. I mean, this is, this is exactly what Vice President Vance was talking about when he went to Europe. There is a crisis in free speech and free expression out there. You know, we have a first Amendment in our country. We take that for granted. They don't have those protections in Europe. You make a tweet that the, the, the board of Twitter doesn't like in England or something, and you get arrested. And while this is happening, mind you, churches are being burned down in England and across the continent of Europe and we never hear about it. There are grooming gangs running wild in the UK which are only rarely ever reported on and only a great effort and official authorities try to obfuscate news about that coming out.

[Andrew Colvett]

Well, John, John, let me pause you right there, because again, you're the media expert here. This story was. The grooming gang specifically was. Was largely an Elon Musk enterprise to kind of popularize it, but there was reporting on that. Explain some of these brave people within the UK that have, that have been trying to blow the whistle on this for years.

[John Levine]

Will of ordinary people to report on things like grooming gangs and the church fires and a lot of other issues happening in Europe is out there. It's just the official institutions make it so, so difficult and even just to get. Things like court records in the UK are so much more difficult than in the United States. They make it very, very hard to just get the fundamental piece. You know, you can't run out with stuff you don't know. But they make it very, very hard to get official confirmation on anything. And the authorities appear to go to great lengths to defend or at least shield from accountability.

[Andrew Colvett]

That's remarkable.

[John Levine]

While five armed officers are arresting a comedian for tweets. So it's a, It's. England is in a very, very bad way. And it really, you know, I, I love the United Kingdom. I'm a huge Anglophile. It pains me, too. It pains me to see that country subverting itself and, and turning its back on so many of its founding principles and institutions, many of which we just copied in our country. So I, I really hope they can get their act together.

[Andrew Colvett]

Yeah. So let's throw, let's throw up some of the tweets in question. Let's go put in 412 right in the center there. This is from Gran Linehan again. He's a comedian. He's transgressive by nature. Right. He says if A trans identified male is in a female only space. He is committing a violent abusive act. This is a fact. There's literally nothing wrong with what he said. Make a scene, call the cops, and if all else fails, punch him in the balls. Which is funny.

[John Levine]

Look, I mean, I can figure out why he probably got in. What part of the tweet got him in trouble. At the end of the day, it's like, are we really arresting people with five officers for that? That. And it just, it speaks to a question of priorities for that country. Oh, I mean, you know, it is a violent act. I don't support anyone committing violence against anybody, but like, it is a violent act to, to be honestly, woman face like that.

[Andrew Colvett]

Well, you know, it reminds me of something Charlie got into some hot water for at one point where he basically said, listen, where are the dads protecting their daughters? And he was saying, hey, back in the 1950s, you would have had a line of dads blocking the bathroom or the locker room keeping people out. He wasn't calling for violence. But listen, he was saying, listen, there is a point where culture has had enough and we the people must stand up and do that. That is a uniquely American phenomenon, by the way, where we take things into our own hands. When we settled the west, we didn't have institutions there to protect us. People took their own initiative to protect their communities. And that's what we're talking about here. Final word to you, John, again, where can people follow you? Where can they see what you're up to first?

[John Levine]

Self defense is not violence, number one. And number two, I am reachable on X at Levine, Jonathan and I accept all tips and scoops and ideas that you may have from big wide world listening to this and I'm very available. So message me if anything's not going right in your world and we can.

[Andrew Colvett]

All right, well, thank you so much, John. We'll see you soon. Thanks so much for listening, everybody. We'll talk to you soon.

[John Levine]

For more on many of these stories and news you can Trust, go to charliekirk.com.