
Loading summary
Hakeem Jeffries
This episode is brought to you by State Farm.
Jonathan Zaslow
Listening to this podcast Smart move Being financially savvy Smart move. Another smart move. Having State Farm help you create a.
Hakeem Jeffries
Competitive price when you choose to bundle.
Jonathan Zaslow
Home and auto bundling. Just another way to save with a personal price plan like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating plans that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer.
Hakeem Jeffries
Availability, amount of discounts and savings and.
Jonathan Zaslow
Eligibility vary by state. There's a reason Chevy trucks are known for their dependability because they show up.
Dan Le Batard
No matter the weather, push forward no.
Jonathan Zaslow
Matter the terrain and deliver. That's why Chevrolet has earned more dependability awards for trucks than any other brand.
Dan Le Batard
In 2025, according to J.D. power. Because in every Chevy truck, like every Chevy driver, dependability comes standard.
Jonathan Zaslow
Visit Chevy.com to learn more. Chevrolet received the highest total number of awards among all the trucks in the J.D.
Dan Le Batard
Power 2025 U.S. vehicle Dependability Study Awards based on 2022 models.
Jonathan Zaslow
Newer models may be shown.
Dan Le Batard
Visit jdpower.com awards for more details.
Jonathan Zaslow
Chevrolet together.
Chris Cote
Let's drive.
Hakeem Jeffries
Thursday Night Football is on, and it's only on Prime Video.
Jonathan Zaslow
Brilliant. Just brilliant.
Hakeem Jeffries
This week the west coast action heats up when the Rams meet the Seahawks.
Dan Le Batard
In a huge divisional showdown.
Hakeem Jeffries
Coverage begins at 7pm Eastern with football's best party, TNF Tonight, presented by Verizon. And don't miss the Broncos and Chiefs on Christmas night.
Dan Le Batard
It's Thursday Night Football only on Prime Video.
Hakeem Jeffries
Not a Prime member, Not a problem. Simply sign up for a 30 day free trial. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com amazonprime for details.
Jonathan Zaslow
This is the Dan Levatar show with the Stugats podcast.
Dan Le Batard
Hakeem Jeffries was going to join us here and then there was a bunch of scampering and I saw an American flag whisked in the wind as people ran in and out of a room because things are happening in the country slightly larger than the Knicks winning the cup. And so we will get to Hakeem Jeffries here, hopefully in a second. But before we do that, a number of things here that we have not gotten to, including the Boost Mobile Boldest take that I will say has been inconsistent. Okay, that's the greatest praise. I will give it a broken record. It has been inconsistent. Look, that's the highest praise I'm giving. The Boost Mobile take.
Stugotz
Please stop introducing it this way.
Dan Le Batard
305486 Gotz is the telephone number. I want the audience to get better at these calls, but we all disagree with you.
Chris Cote
We think they've been Just fine. Yes, damn right. Damn. Damn near good. I'd say.
Stugotz
Yeah, this is great. A great segment and a great partner. Boost.
Chris Cote
It's the Boost Mobile boldest take, and it's presented by Boost Mobile, the newest 5G network in the country.
Hakeem Jeffries
Brunch is just an excuse to drink.
Stugotz
Alcohol with your eggs.
Dan Le Batard
Dazzlo looks like a skeleton wrapped in masking tape.
Hakeem Jeffries
John Cena's working with a hair system, right? Limited fake Jose Yaki going on a.
Dan Le Batard
Levitard rant about Notre Dame not making the cfp.
Stugotz
Hey, Notre Dame. More like Notre Lame.
Hakeem Jeffries
Every time Tony says I got a guy, I picture Eugenio Suarez from the Seattle Mariners.
Dan Le Batard
Catholics versus convicts. More like hypocrites versus convicts.
Hakeem Jeffries
I think the reason Mike Ryan wanted.
Stugotz
Miami into the playoffs over Notre Dame is because Miami won the head to head matchup over Notre Dame.
Jonathan Zaslow
Jonathan Zaslow looks like the guy who tried skateboarding at 13, tore his hamstring and never rode again, only to be.
Hakeem Jeffries
Found at the local park every weekend.
Jonathan Zaslow
Tapping up the youngins, reliving the good old days. Jared Goff looks like the adult version.
Hakeem Jeffries
Of the kid in your neighborhood who.
Jonathan Zaslow
Always had a Kool Aid mustache and.
Hakeem Jeffries
Would snitch on you every time to his mom. And his mom is Jackie McMullen.
Dan Le Batard
Hakeem Jeffries was sitting through that, listening to that, wondering what the hell this show is all about.
Jonathan Zaslow
What else he doing?
Dan Le Batard
They're very busy trying to lead our country. Country. He's been proudly representing New York's 8th congressional district since 2013. So I believe last night is his greatest sports moment in all of New York time. Correct. Like you're. Look at him smiling. Are you busy planning the parade?
Hakeem Jeffries
Well, that would definitely be my greatest New York Knicks sports moment of all time. I'm a long suffering Knicks fan. I'm also a Yankee fan. I'm a Jets fan, so that's a disaster. But I'm also a Yankees fan. So I did get four or five World Series in during my lifetime.
Dan Le Batard
So how did, how did. But while in office, if the Yankees, the Yankees won while he said, oh, 9, 20, 13, 20 while in the.
Hakeem Jeffries
United States Congress, they have not won.
Dan Le Batard
Okay, just wanted to get that on the record. I wanted that. Yes. But the Knicks last night won and I'm curious what that experience is like for you. Were you watching?
Hakeem Jeffries
Yeah, I was able to see it down the stretch. Pretty much locked into the game with about 10 minutes left. It was a great game. It was a competitive game. First of all, one of my reactions was, whoa. We actually Have a bench that is playing now. It's a foreign experience based on what we've seen over the last four or five years. So it was great to see, you know, Kotech and Clarkson and of course, Mitchell Robinson do his thing. I think he had 10 offensive rebounds in like 20 minutes.
Dan Le Batard
That was a shot at Thibodeau. That was a shot at Thibodeau, wasn't it? It was not using his.
Hakeem Jeffries
I'll say that Thibodeau did bring us back. Right. So we're thankful for that. And he had a great run. But, you know, there was an open question as to why are we only playing five, six people down the stretch. Same thing happens at the end of the season. They burn out, they get injured, and we get overwhelmed. So, you know, it's interesting, the Mike Brown experiment. So far, so good.
Amin Elhassan
Yeah. So Dan lebatard is only 30 years old, so he thinks that Jalen Brunson is the most beloved Knick of his lifetime. Hakeem, who is the most beloved Knicks to the Knicks fan base.
Hakeem Jeffries
Listen, I think Bernard King always has a special place in my heart. But if I would go, like top five Knicks during my lifetime, of course, I never really saw Walt Clyde Frazier play. Of course, experience him as an announcer. But he brought us two championships, so he's got to be right at the top of the list. Earl Monroe, of course, the Pearl, the original Pearl was great and was wonderful. I think he was part of that second championship. Bernard King did his thing. I think Larry Bird at some point called him Superman or something like Superman. I mean, when Larry Bird says that type of complimentary thing about a Knick or any player. Bernard King, of course, from Brooklyn, was great, but Jalen Brunson clearly has emerged as the type of player who's both skilled and he's got that New York grit that the fans have fought for.
Dan Le Batard
I want him to rank them, though. I want you to pick number one. If I pin you down and say the most beloved. You're 55 years old. The most beloved Knick of your lifetime is blank.
Hakeem Jeffries
Bernard King.
Dan Le Batard
It's a good choice.
Jonathan Zaslow
Do you want them. Do you want them to put up a banner for the in season tournament?
Hakeem Jeffries
Well, no, I don't think we should put up a ban. I don't want to go that far. But this was a strong step in the right direction. One name that I did omit, but I omitted him for a reason. I think Patrick Ewing was a great Knick, clearly top five of all time. The Riley Knicks, the Van Gundy Knicks, the run that they were on was amazing. I was a St. John's fan and then had to convert to a Patrick Ewing fan when he came and was drafted by the Knicks. I think there was like a love, There was a mixed relationship that the Knicks fans had with Patrick Ewing during those years. I think post Patrick Ewing leaving, there's been a greater appreciation for just how tremendous a player he was. So I think he, of course, is at the top of the list as well. But, you know, maybe it's because Bernard King's career was cut short that there's just a lot of affection for the time that we had seeing Bernard King be an amazing scorer, an amazing player. And of course, he's from New York, so that.
Dan Le Batard
Well, that's the thing that you're throwing in there that would make the argument more complicated because I do believe Jalen Brunson is the most beloved Knick I've seen. And it's at least in part because he won more than Bernard King. Like he, he promises to win more. Bernard King would score on everybody. But you never thought they actually had a championship chance.
Hakeem Jeffries
Yeah, I think that's about right. But I think if, if, if Jalen Brunson can actually deliver a championship to the Knicks, which I think they have a good shot at, they clearly, I think are favorites to win the East. I mean, Detroit may be too young. It'll be an epic battle to see us play them. But if he delivers a championship, he may be one of the most beloved players in New York, modern sports history. Because, you know, we all know the city has a love affair with the Knicks. There's nothing better in the city than when the Knicks are good and on the run.
Dan Le Batard
We'll get to the real world in a second. But I heard you have some thoughts on Notre Dame not getting in and Miami getting in instead.
Hakeem Jeffries
Yeah, well, my thing is, I understand the choice that was made because of the head to head dynamics, but I think the ACC messed up, y', all, because who could really understand a mathematician can't understand that tiebreaker for the second seed. It was crazy. And how Duke winds up in the ACC Championship seemed to me, as a casual observer to set in motion a chain of events that ultimately jammed Notre Dame. Because if you just had a simple tiebreaker, right, for the second entry into the ACC Championship, the highest ranked team, then it would have been Miami, and then either one of two things would have happened. Either Virginia would have won, and I was rooting for Virginia, but Virginia would have won and they would have represented the acc and we wouldn't have had a second school necessarily make it in from, I guess it's called the group of five. Or Miami would have won and you wouldn't have had a second school from the group of five. Miami would have still made it and Notre Dame would have been able to make it. So I think something needs to be done as it relates to how the ACC is making the determination with the monstrous number of teams that it has. So this is going to happen again, this traffic jam that occurred. Just let the ACC change their rules so that you have the best two teams, the highest ranked two teams in the championship.
Stugotz
Well, you'll be happy to know they've heard the criticism and they changed it. And their solution is some teams play eight conference games, another group plays nine and we'll see what happens.
Hakeem Jeffries
Yeah, I don't know how that's going to work out.
Sponsor Announcer
All right, guys, it's the holiday time and I'm getting ready to host a little thing at the house. Little get together. The lights are up, the music's going to be going. My family arguing about who's in charge of the playlist. It's usually my wife and everybody keeps asking me, tony, what are you making? What are you gifting this year? And honestly, I love the holidays, but I don't love stressing about gifts or food. My life is complicated. I got a kid, I got jobs, I got things I got to do. I've got the idea. Omaha Steaks, baby. From effortless holiday hosting to unforgettable gifts, Omaha Steaks deliver the world's best steak experience. And the best part, you know exactly what you're gifting. USDA certified tender steaks, premium proteins, elegant side and those decadent desserts that make the table go quiet for a second after the first bite. You go shop the season's top gourmet gifts@omaha steaks.com and our listeners get an extra 35 bucks off with Code Dan at checkout. I've gotten Omaha Steaks as a gift. I wish I got them more as a gift. I've cooked them, I've sent them and people love it. Perfectly aged steaks, fantastic flavor, huge variety. It's holiday magic made easy. Five generations of quality, all backed by their 100 guarantee. Save big on gourmet gifts and holiday favorites with Omaha Steaks. Visit Omaha Steaks.com and for an extra 35 bucks off, use code Dan at checkout Terms apply C site for details. That's Omaha Steaks.com promo code Dan.
Chris Cote
Folks, listen up. You know my holiday pattern by now. Every single year I tell myself, listen Chris, you're going to be thoughtful this year. You're going to get good gifts. You're not going to be lazy. You're not just going to get gift cards. And this year, guys, I have news. I pulled it off. No panic. No sad little card. You know what I gave? I gave an aura frame. Like, why is it so hard to find a personal gift these days? It's for the people I'm closest to. My parents, my wife, my in laws, my kid. The most important people in my world. I have no idea what I'm supposed to get them as a gift. But one thing I know, people light up when they get photos. People love photos. So I loaded up my aura frame with all the moments I know they'll love my daughter being adorable. Random selfies, group pictures where none of us are looking in the same direction. I kept adding them because aura lets you send unlimited photos and videos right from your phone anytime. And the best part, you can preload the thing before it even ships. So when it's open on Christmas morning, all the memories are already there. I'm telling you guys this is a great gift. And folks, for a limited time, save on the perfect gift by visiting auraframes.com to get 35 off or's best selling Carver Matte frames named number one by Wirecutter by using promo code DLB. This deal is exclusive to listeners and frames sell out fast. So order yours now and get it in time for the holidays. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply.
Sponsor Announcer
Thursday Night Football's on and it's only on Prime Video. This week, the NFC west grabs the spotlight as the Los Angeles Rams visit the Seattle Seahawks for the what a game. Coverage begins at 7pm Eastern with football's best party TNF. Tonight it's the Rams and Seahawks Thursday at 7pm Eastern. And don't miss the Broncos and Chiefs on Christmas night. Only on Prime Video. Another massive game. Not a Prime member. Not a problem. Simply sign up for a 30 day free trial. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details.
Jonathan Zaslow
Don Lerd I'm just here to say one thing.
Hakeem Jeffries
The Knicks are back.
Stugotz
Stugats.
Dan Le Batard
Tyree Salibrate, six points.
Jonathan Zaslow
Fraud. Everybody was like, yo, he's better than Jalen Brunson.
Dan Le Batard
He's better than Janik should attract to him.
Amin Elhassan
Fraud.
Jonathan Zaslow
This is the Dan lebatar show with the stugats.
Dan Le Batard
You've also had something to do with what you're calling the Lane Kiffin Protection Act. Have you not? Like, you're getting your, your, you're getting your hands dirty with sports.
Hakeem Jeffries
Yeah, well, listen, I mean, I think sports is such an important part of life, particularly during these complicated times where we're dealing with so many heavy issues that to be able to have that kind of escape for everybody, root for your team, whether it's the college that you went to, the college that's in your hometown, or of course, the sports teams that we all fall in love with at a very early age and then continue to track. So even for us as members of Congress, you know, we all have our team affiliations and we lean into that and, you know, it's a release, I think, for all of us who are working through these very challenging dynamics that we're faced with in this country right now. But the Land Kiffin Protection Act, I mean, that was interesting to me. I'm thinking to myself, we got all of these issues that we're trying to deal with, including of course, extending the Affordable Care act tax credit so that tens of millions of Americans, and we're talking about people all across the country, rural America, urban America, suburban America, small town America, the heartland of America. We're talking about Republicans and Democrats and Independents, like this is not a partisan fight. This is the patriotic thing for us to do, make sure health care is not ripped away from tens of millions of Americans. We have a clock ticking on the expiration of these tax credits the end of this month. And Mike Johnson, you know, who I've had a forward looking relationship with, communicative relationship with my counterpart, the speaker of the House, who just happens to be connected to lsu. The week after this whole Lane Kiffin debacle occurs, they bring the SCORE act to the floor. And it's deeply flawed. The players unions all are opposed to it, led by the NFL Players Association. It doesn't necessarily provide college athletes with, you know, the type of compensation structure that I think many of us believe would be fair at this moment in time. It does nothing to rein in, you know, sort of outlaw behavior by some of the college coaches that we've seen, but would constrain the ability of college athletes to really earn what they should be earning or negotiate safe, healthy working conditions as they're playing these major sports. And so I thought it was a fundamental mistake that they even brought this bill to the floor. And again, there was Democratic opposition and Republican opposition to it, which is why they ultimately pulled the plug.
Dan Le Batard
True or false? Lane Kiffin loves that there's A protection act named after him.
Hakeem Jeffries
I'm surprised I didn't get a thank you note from Lane Kiffin after I made that statement. But you know what's interesting? I've had, you know, from time to time, you know, legendary figures including Coach Saban have come up to the Hill to kind of talk about the need for Congress to step in and at least create one set of rules, one standard. So you don't have 50 states kind of all doing different things. I support that. I think that makes total sense. But at the same period of time, it's got to be done in a way that is consistent with our values and doesn't allow a handful of major conferences or major schools within those conferences to run over everyone else. And that was sort of our problem. It's clear, look, we can have a situation where, you know, things are left totally unregulated and that, you know, that, that, that, that leads to the, to the pony Express situation, which was out of control.
Stugotz
Leader Jeffries, could you give us a blow by blow on what your day's been like? Because it's been a rollercoaster. I see that you've secured 218 signatures to force a vote on the floor about Affordable Health Care act tax credits. And then I just saw that there won't be a vote. And I'm once again looking at the news saying, how are they allowed to do this? Where are we now?
Hakeem Jeffries
Yeah, so we launched what we call a discharge petition a few weeks ago that allows any individual member of Congress, there are 435 of us, to sign a petition that would force a vote on a particular piece of legislation. In this instance a three year straightforward extension of the Affordable Care act tax credit so we can protect the health care of tens of millions of folks all across the country. We've got earlier today 218 signatures, which was a big development. Now that does force the speaker to bring the bill to the floor. However, under the rules, he has a total of seven legislative days to do it, which means that the earliest that this is our last week scheduled to be in session before the holiday recess, which means that there will be a vote. But the earliest that the vote can be under the rules is, would be in January, unless the speaker decides to bring it to the floor today or tomorrow, which he could do, but it appears, unfortunately as of the moment, he will not.
Dan Le Batard
Is there going to be another government shutdown? Like what are you predicting here?
Hakeem Jeffries
Yeah, well, listen, I think what's in front of us now is to try to extend The Affordable Care act tax credits, because we know they expire by the end of December 31st. And listen, we have a broken health care system. There's a lot more that needs to be be done to address it. This is the wealthiest country in the history of the world. Health care, in our view, access to high quality health care cannot simply be a privilege available only to the wealthy and the well off. It should be a right that's available to everyday Americans and everyone. And we're going to continue to fight for that principle generally and specifically as it relates to the extension of the Affordable Care act tax credits. Now, the government funding is scheduled to lapse on January 30th. And though that's just next month, that is a lifetime in Congress. And so I think that there's an opportunity for us to come together in a bipartisan way to find the common ground to enact a spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people and avoids a shutdown.
Stugotz
The President took to Truth Social and kind of greased the rails for some military action against Venezuela. There's reports of a presidential address happening tomorrow. The President, in bizarre fashion, said Venezuela took land from the US Outside of Doral. I'm not really sure what that could possibly be. What's going on here? Are we really going to go to a war that is meant as a diversion?
Hakeem Jeffries
Yeah, I certainly hope not. And the American people, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, do not support another foreign war. We got big problems in this country. The cost of living is out of control. And Donald Trump did promise that he was going to lower costs on day one. Of course, that hasn't happened. Costs haven't gone down, costs are going up. Housing costs are out of control, health care costs out of control, grocery costs out of control, even electricity costs, utility bills right now skyrocketing out of control. There's a lot of things to be focused on in terms of making life better, better for working class Americans, middle class Americans and everyday Americans. The last thing in the world that we need is another foreign war that inevitably ends in disaster.
Dan Le Batard
What percentage of people call you Hakeem and what percentage call you Leader? Because Chris Cody didn't really. It seemed awkward. It felt awkward to Chris Cody to hear Mike Ryan call you Leader Jeffries.
Hakeem Jeffries
Yeah, it is an interesting title, but most people listen. When I'm back at home, people call me Hakeem. And, you know, for me, I've always interpreted it as a sign that I've been as effective as I can be in establishing a close relationship with the people that I'm privileged to serve. And, you know, it's something that we'll continue to lean into. You know, in the House, we kind of view the institution based on what the framers set forth as the institution closest to the American people. It's the reason why we have these two year terms. We got to go back to the voters every two years to have our employment contract renewed because the framers of the Constitution wanted us to stay close to the American people. And there are a variety of ways to do it. But the familiarity in terms of how constituents I'm privileged to serve, call me by my first name is always something that I've been, that I've embraced.
Dan Le Batard
Thank you, Leader Jeffries. We appreciate the time, sir.
Hakeem Jeffries
Thank you all.
Dan Le Batard
Applause from juju. Juju giving applause there. I was not expecting applause.
Stugotz
Bernard King is from the other room.
Dan Le Batard
Yeah, it is an excellent answer, is it not?
Stugotz
It's a holiday season and the 50th anniversary of Miller Lite. The holiday is all about spending time with friends and family. Why don't you sit back and toast a few Miller lights? Make your holiday time. Tis Miller time. And with the 50th anniversary of Miller Lite, you get to remember and reflect on all the good times that you had with your trusty buddy by your side. Miller Lite Brewed for flavor with simple ingredients like malted barley, rich balanced toffee notes and that iconic golden color. And at 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces, it lets you enjoy the season without weighing you down. The original light beer since 1975 and still hitting different 50 years later. The best holiday beers are the ones you don't expect. Miller Lite great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. Tis Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.
Amin Elhassan
Holiday basketball is here. And when stars like Kobe White, Jalen Williams and Tyler herro start cooking. DraftKings Sportsbook, an official sports betting partner of the NBA, is where you wanna be. Don't forget, DraftKings has your back with early exit. If your player goes down in the first half, you still get paid in cash. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app and use code. Dan. Let's go, Dan. New customers can bet five bucks and get $200 in bonus bets if your bet wins.
Dan Le Batard
In partnership with DraftKings, the Crown yours.
Chris Cote
Gambling problem, call 1-800-Gambler in New York. Call 877-8-Hopeny or text hopeny 467-369 in Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boothill Casino and Resort in Kansas. Pass through of per wager. Tax may apply in Illinois 21 and over. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void. In Ontario, restrictions apply. Bet must win to receive bonus bets which expire in seven days. Minim. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see DKNG CO Audio limited Time offer.
Jonathan Zaslow
Close your eyes.
Hakeem Jeffries
Exhale. Feel your body relax, and let go of whatever you're carrying today.
Jonathan Zaslow
Well, I'm letting go of the worry that I wouldn't get my new contacts in time for this class. I got them delivered free from 1-800-contacts. Oh, my gosh, they're so fast.
Dan Le Batard
And breathe.
Jonathan Zaslow
Oh, sorry. I almost couldn't breathe when I saw.
Dan Le Batard
The discount they gave me on my first order.
Jonathan Zaslow
Oh, sorry. Namaste. Visit 1-800-contacts.com today to save on your first order. 1-800-contacts. Don LeBatard, you got to know I'm a big Colombo guy. Salute to that boy.
Dan Le Batard
Okay, I don't think that. I don't think that's. I think that's a lie. I don't think that salute. I don't think that is evidence. Salute to that boy. It suggests camouflage. It suggests that juju has no idea what we're talking about. And now he's just Googling it.
Jonathan Zaslow
Stugats. I'm not Googling it. My grandmama stayed in the country. I watched the Braves. I watched Colombo, I watched Matlock, I watched Andy Griffin. Yeah, you said. But you go to the penalty box.
Hakeem Jeffries
Damn.
Jonathan Zaslow
Take your ass to the penalty box. Calling me a liar. You talk juju. Back to you, Stu. This is the Dan Levatar show with the stug.
Dan Le Batard
I wanted to get to something that Zaslo told us before the show here. I don't understand this rash of strange dreams he's having. Two days ago, he dreamt that he was co hosting a show with Giannis. Look at Amin getting.
Amin Elhassan
So now we want to do dream talk.
Dan Le Batard
Look at how engaged Amin gets here. Amin, the dream. He. He has a lot of dreams that are weird as well. But you've got another weird one. The first one was two days ago. You woke up, you were hosting a radio show with Giannis Antetokounmpo. You were not sure why? He was so weak on football, you had to cover for him as your co host. He was only strong on basketball. What was your dream? Oh, I mean, you had not heard that that was Zaslow's dream. Yes, there was just of all the dreams I thought that. That Zaz would have involving Giannis, him doing a show with Giannis where he was here and Giannis was in Milwaukee, and they were just doing ESPN radio was not what I had on the list. What was your dream last night?
Jonathan Zaslow
So I have. I have very, you know, vivid dreams. I remember them and sometimes, you know, you'll have a. Like, do you ever have a dream, I mean, where you wake up finally in the morning and you're in a bad mood because of the dream?
Amin Elhassan
Yes.
Stugotz
Yeah.
Jonathan Zaslow
So that happened to me today, all right? I woke up in a. Like, I was. I was anxious and I was. I was sad in my heart. I was sad because my dream last night, my wife was. I can say she was cheating on me.
Amin Elhassan
What?
Jonathan Zaslow
She was openly having an affair.
Hakeem Jeffries
All right.
Chris Cote
I think that's cheating.
Dan Le Batard
No, no. Cheating on you.
Jonathan Zaslow
No, but I say it like that because she was doing it right in front of me, you know, like, I feel like cheating is like behind your.
Chris Cote
Back, you know, like something you're into.
Jonathan Zaslow
It like you're a cuck. Well, I was a cuckold, all right? I was not an appreciate being. I don't. People know what they say. Room Cuckold.
Chris Cote
Yeah, people.
Jonathan Zaslow
If there's one thing people know about here. That's right. If there's one thing people know about me, they know I don't ever want to be a cuckold, all right? And all the cuckold last night. So she was having an affair, like, in front of me. Now, I left the room before anything started happening, but she was doing. No, because I wasn't into it.
Stugotz
I didn't respect fisticuffs.
Jonathan Zaslow
I didn't like it, all right? And so I. It was very upsetting to me. I'll be back.
Amin Elhassan
Yeah, exactly.
Dan Le Batard
Kindly leave.
Stugotz
I'll give you your privacy.
Amin Elhassan
Like I don't have to take this.
Dan Le Batard
Yes.
Amin Elhassan
Yeah.
Jonathan Zaslow
But I was sad. It was. It was making me very, very upset. All right? So. So I ended up waking up, like, very upset, you know, and I. Mad at her. Well, no, not mad. I was just. I'll sad how you do this to me. And. And so I told her this morning when I woke up.
Amin Elhassan
I don't.
Jonathan Zaslow
I don't ever tell her, you know, my dreams, because why? Who the hell cares But I had to tell her this morning. It's like, I'm in a sad mood. So I had to tell her about it. And you know, she, she giggled a little bit. And then, and then she asked me, who. Who was she having an affair with? Like, was it an actual person?
Stugotz
That was my question.
Chris Cote
She was intrigued.
Jonathan Zaslow
See this part here? I was very embarrassed to tell her because it's just.
Amin Elhassan
Wait, wait, before you say, guys, let's go around the room. Now, everyone nominate who you think. Zaz.
Dan Le Batard
I was thinking Giannis onto the compose.
Stugotz
I got to be in John Cena, Tim Reynolds.
Jonathan Zaslow
You'll never guess it. It's so not even worth going. Kendall Gill from the Nets. I'm like embarrassed to tell her. I go, no, I can't tell you. You won't even believe. Doesn't even make any sense. So now she's like really intrigued, you know. Now she's excited, she's laughing. I'm like, it's so stupid. I mean, I can't even tell you. I'm embarrassed to say it.
Dan Le Batard
Anderson Cooper, Tom Barrasso.
Jonathan Zaslow
And she's making me tell her, you know, and finally I'm just like, ah, eff it. You know, I'll just tell her. Billy crystal.
Dan Le Batard
What an 80 year old?
Stugotz
You got cucked by Billy Crystal. That's.
Chris Cote
I'm not leaving that room. I'm staying in there.
Stugotz
I'm curious.
Jonathan Zaslow
It was so stupid.
Amin Elhassan
He starts doing show tunes in the middle of it.
Stugotz
Honestly, you had laid out one of the few situations where I might be cool with it.
Hakeem Jeffries
Yep.
Jonathan Zaslow
It was.
Chris Cote
I'd be like, fist me, Billy.
Jonathan Zaslow
I mean, I was a cuckold, right? But Billy Crystal, fist me.
Dan Le Batard
That is the appropriate response there. If you don't have any context for what was doing Zazzle. I have a number of follow up questions.
Stugotz
So who else is in the club?
Dan Le Batard
You're in. You're in the room you're in. What is it? Is it your bedroom?
Jonathan Zaslow
It was a bedroom that had two different beds. I was in one bed, they were in the other bed. And before I left the room, like, I took the sheets. I'm like, I'm not staying in this room. I went to another room.
Chris Cote
So many questions.
Dan Le Batard
Two single beds or two?
Chris Cote
I don't know.
Jonathan Zaslow
I gotta bring out Queens.
Chris Cote
Like a hotel.
Dan Le Batard
That's how Billy Crystal does. Two master beds or two single beds?
Jonathan Zaslow
I think they were definitely bigger than single Queen.
Chris Cote
I'd say.
Jonathan Zaslow
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Dan Le Batard
Okay. But you don't recognize the room.
Jonathan Zaslow
I don't.
Dan Le Batard
Are they dressed?
Jonathan Zaslow
Are they Dressed. I was, like, not looking. I didn't like it. You know, they were in the bed.
Dan Le Batard
So, okay, so Billy Crystal's in the bed. Is he wearing shoes, socks? Is it like, how.
Jonathan Zaslow
I wasn't looking. I was like, I don't like this.
Amin Elhassan
Is he doing his Muhammad Ali impression.
Stugotz
Or Sammy Davis Jr. Talking about Joe.
Dan Le Batard
DiMaggio and the Yankees?
Jonathan Zaslow
It was mostly just my wife. She was, like, throwing in front of my face. And she knows I don't ever want.
Hakeem Jeffries
To be a cook.
Chris Cote
She knows that.
Jonathan Zaslow
How does she know that? You've told her that?
Dan Le Batard
Well, I mean, she just knows that people know about.
Jonathan Zaslow
Everyone knows.
Chris Cote
You got to cover all your bases.
Stugotz
Usually implied.
Dan Le Batard
Everyone knows that. If there's one thing that people know about Zaslow, it's that he doesn't want to.
Jonathan Zaslow
Don't make me a cuckold. Top of the LinkedIn profile.
Amin Elhassan
It's true. I was at NBA cup, and people were asking, how's Zazzle? He's fine. I was like, so he's still not a cuckolder yet? Apparently not.
Dan Le Batard
You walk out of the room disgusted.
Jonathan Zaslow
I take the sheets.
Chris Cote
Leaving is a wild move.
Jonathan Zaslow
I took the sheets with me.
Dan Le Batard
Well, he doesn't want to be a cuckold. If he leaves, he's not a cuckold, right? If he leaves.
Amin Elhassan
Hey, stop that.
Jonathan Zaslow
And, like, I felt like I was. I felt bad. I was upset.
Hakeem Jeffries
Hold on.
Amin Elhassan
Then you said, if he leaves, he's not a cuckold. What if he has a glass to the door and he's eavesdropping?
Jonathan Zaslow
No, no, no.
Amin Elhassan
Does that make him a cuckold?
Jonathan Zaslow
I didn't do that. Like, I wasn't deriving any kind of pleasure from it. I didn't like it.
Dan Le Batard
The opposite. You're the opposite of a cuckold, as people say.
Stugotz
When you shared that it was Billy Crystal, how did that land?
Jonathan Zaslow
I mean, she howled. How else would I.
Amin Elhassan
With pleasure?
Jonathan Zaslow
No, with laughter. And how stupid I am. How stupid this dream is. And then she changed her iPhone password.
Chris Cote
My dream wasn't that wild.
Amin Elhassan
And then someone said, I'll have what she's having.
Dan Le Batard
I'll get to your dream in a second. Rip the Just out of curiosity, because I still have questions. Is it Billy crystal now at 80?
Jonathan Zaslow
Yeah, she asked me that, too. Yes. No city slickers. It was like Billy Crystal. Today.
Amin Elhassan
I had a Forget Paris, Billy Crystal.
Jonathan Zaslow
No, it was today.
Stugotz
Forget Paris. Billy Crystal could lift anybody's chick.
Dan Le Batard
Harry Met Sally. Billy Crystal could, too, though.
Jonathan Zaslow
Mama from the train.
Amin Elhassan
He had a run, didn't he?
Stugotz
Run.
Dan Le Batard
What was the movie he did with Gregory Hines? Can't remember. Buddy Cop movie. Buddy Cop movie. No, that was the first one I thought. I thought that was his. I thought that was the first one that he did. I'm sorry I didn't like it.
Jonathan Zaslow
I woke up. I was very upset this morning.
Dan Le Batard
I'm sorry that all that happened to you. I mean, you're usually our resident. Thank you. Our resident leader in weird dreams. But, Chris, you keep wanting to tell us about your weird.
Chris Cote
Well, everyone's saying that they had weird dreams. The night of the. Before the highlight championship last Friday, we played the night before. I had a dream that Unda and I won a pickleball tournament. Unda's one of our great players. And I was just like, this has to be a good thing.
Stugotz
You didn't have to explain it.
Amin Elhassan
Dan knows as a premonition.
Chris Cote
I was like, ah, morning of the championship. Winning a pickleball tournament, that can't be a bad thing.
Stugotz
I have to admit now, when I went backstage before the game, I looked into everybody's eyes, and it was a universal truth. I just knew we were going to be battlecore champs. I just saw it in everybody's eyes. Oh, my God. There's no way we're losing. I can see it.
Dan Le Batard
Did you jump into Unda's arms? What was the nature of your celebration?
Chris Cote
Kind of like the championship.
Jonathan Zaslow
Yes.
Chris Cote
I don't remember all of it. I just remember being on a pickleball court, and him and I like jumping in celebration.
Stugotz
So, yeah, two great body types.
Chris Cote
What a time.
Dan Le Batard
Amin, do you feel left out here as Chris and Zaslow give us some of their weird dreams? Have you had any weird dreams recently?
Amin Elhassan
I sure did. Just two nights ago, I had a dream that I was part of an ownership group for an NBA team, but the main owner, the majority owner, was like an Eastern European MMA fighter, like, an older guy. And so we were sitting. I'm sitting on the right side of the bench, and his courtside seats are on the left side of the bench. And the opposing team throws the ball off of one of our guys. And so the refs say, it's their ball, and the owner says, no, it's of them. And then he starts demanding that the team review it.
Jonathan Zaslow
It's a good owner.
Amin Elhassan
And he just keeps going and going, and I'm like, jesus, no. But that's not. You got to let the guy do his job. And finally, the head coach, he throws a challenge flag, whatever, and calls the timeout. And he's frustrated And I could tell, man, I'm going to have a conversation with this guy, because I got to let the owner know he can't do that. But in the moment, I was so embarrassed that I literally slunk away and went to the bathroom. And then this is the part where the dream gets weird. I levitated. I levitated in the bathroom. So once I got to the bathroom, I did not touch the bathroom floor. I flew about 8ft high.
Jonathan Zaslow
That's nice. Then your shoes don't get dirty. Like, the laces don't touch the ground. It's awesome.
Amin Elhassan
Yes.
Dan Le Batard
So in front of people, you were a coward, but when you got to the bathroom, you had the superpower of being able to levitate.
Amin Elhassan
I can fly in my dreams. I have a lot of dreams where I'm just. It always starts the same way. It's like, what if I jumped and then I didn't land? That's the secret of flying.
Dan Le Batard
Put it on the pole, please. Can you fly in your dreams? Because I cannot fly in my dreams. And I believe you're having. You're also having the precursor to the dream that wakes everybody up, which is if you can't fly, then you wake up before you hit the ground. You're right.
Amin Elhassan
Like, that's never happened. I've heard that. Yes. But that's never happened.
Chris Cote
I've had way more falling dreams than flying dreams.
Amin Elhassan
Flying all the time, dude.
Jonathan Zaslow
Me too.
Amin Elhassan
Always levitating above people.
Stugotz
What does that mean?
Amin Elhassan
It's always about 8ft high, too. It's not like in the sky like a bird. It's just, like, high enough where, like, I'm not gonna hit anyone's head. I get up there low enough where people could. If they ran and jumped, they could touch my feet.
Dan Le Batard
Trista's shaking her head. Because you're thinking to yourself, that's. That's unusual that Amin would have. We're in agreement that levitating in your dreams is a little strange, especially in this circumstance. It seemed as well that the owner. You gave him an accent of some sort.
Amin Elhassan
Absolutely.
Stugotz
Eastern European.
Amin Elhassan
Eastern European MMA fight.
Jonathan Zaslow
It feels like a front office PTSD from your time in the NBA.
Amin Elhassan
Absolutely.
Jonathan Zaslow
It's funny imagining Amin in the middle of the night, wake up out of sleep and get the writing. This is what I was dreaming, and then I levitated. Okay.
Stugotz
Night, night.
Amin Elhassan
Well, you got to write it down, Juju, otherwise you're gonna forget.
Jonathan Zaslow
I mean, if you wake up in the middle of the night, can you then re. Enter the dream when you fall back asleep?
Chris Cote
That's it can happen because I could do that. I've done it before. You can do it every dream.
Jonathan Zaslow
Yeah, I could do that.
Stugotz
I try to lock in like inception.
Chris Cote
Bring me back in my experience, when you try to do it, you don't do it.
Dan Le Batard
No.
Chris Cote
I've reentered dreams before, but it's a rare.
Jonathan Zaslow
That's a power of mine. I could do that.
Amin Elhassan
How much waking up are you doing? Opening your eyes or are you going to the bathroom? Coming back and just opening my eyes.
Jonathan Zaslow
Rolling over.
Amin Elhassan
Yeah. Now that for sure I do. But like the getting up and going to the bathroom and coming back. Very rarely. Very rarely I have.
Dan Le Batard
I didn't know anybody can put that on the poll at Lebatard show. Can you go back to your dream after you have awoken? But this is good dream analysis from Trista here. She's saying you have post front office trauma that as soon as you get away from where the power and the responsibility is, if you could soar freely in the bathroom, you levitate. That if unshackled from front office yellers and screamers, all of a sudden a free Amin is in the bathroom floating eight feet above the earth.
Amin Elhassan
I think it's actually just that because I levitate a lot in my dreams. I think it's like the worst cameo. It just makes an appearance in every dream. So the dream is about post traumatic stress disorder reaction of like having to explain to people why the people. The guy in charge is an idiot. And we just got to kind of work around it. That absolutely is a recurring nightmare. But then it's like also. And also featuring, I mean, flying. It's like, hey guys. What studio audience that's applauding.
Dan Le Batard
What's. What's funny about this as just a career analysis of the insides of your strange mind is that you care so much and obsess so much over loving of basketball and your nightmares are a bunch of people at Phoenix or in your actual sleep coming in and getting in the way of you truly being able to be great.
Amin Elhassan
Dan, this is the funniest part. You want to talk about me caring about basketball? I did not mention this. The other day I went to Jason Jackson's annual Christmas charity thing.
Dan Le Batard
Santa Jacks.
Amin Elhassan
Right. Exactly right. And it was a lovely event and it raised a lot of money. And there was karaoke afterward. Yes, but like the main event where all the people show up and when people. I mean like luminaries from the local sports teams or whatever. And I got into a very deep conversation several times over several different people who work for the Heat, where I got. I became emotional talking about basketball. Like, emotional. Like lump in my throat emotional.
Dan Le Batard
I mean, I'm unsurprised by that because just when. And it's. It's actually quite quaint that when you get most excited about basketball, you were starting to talk about 10 toes to the floor. You were saying it was the shock of your life. You were not speaking with any perspective because you had come back from Vegas and your sport feeling alive again to you, when a lot of people have been criticizing it for a couple of years, including Mike Ryan, who hasn't necessarily even been watching. And then you come in here and you get emotionally defensive, protecting your sport. I think you care about it unreasonably.
Amin Elhassan
What makes it unreasonable?
Stugotz
I think it's very reasonable. We just detailed his background, and he likes it. It's. It's very reasonable to have a deep passion for it. Anybody that has a passion about anything can identify.
Dan Le Batard
To dream about it and then levitate is reasonable. I mean.
Amin Elhassan
I mean, that's a different. Like I said, that's a cameo appearance, but it's like, you know, recurring character.
Chris Cote
Could there be a correlation between going to sleep hammered and levitating?
Stugotz
How often do you have sleep hammered?
Amin Elhassan
I would have to go to sleep not hammered in order to find out.
Dan Le Batard
So. So it's not.
Stugotz
We don't have enough data points.
Dan Le Batard
It's a love of alcohol, not basketball.
Amin Elhassan
The flying part is with the entei.
Dan Le Batard
Any of you fly in your dreams? I've not. I don't.
Jonathan Zaslow
I'll ever run fast, like the Hulk. I can run real fast and hop, and then I'm falling every time. I hope I was good.
Chris Cote
I've had dreams where I'm falling all the time, sudden, and I'm like, I better wake up because this is not gonna end well. And I wake up.
Stugotz
I don't have a common thread. Every dream is a new adventure.
Amin Elhassan
Really?
Stugotz
Yeah.
Amin Elhassan
You don't. You don't have reruns.
Stugotz
No repeats.
Amin Elhassan
Dude. When I was, like, 8 years old, I had the same dream, like, every night. And it always ended with me flying like it was a witch was trying to boil me. And I was tied up in the corner, and then I, like, wriggled free. And then I would literally get out of there and fly. And I'd land at school. I'm like, oh, this is great. I know how to get home from here. I had that dream, like, a hundred times when I was, like, 8.
Dan Le Batard
You levitate so much in your dreams that While you're levitating in your dream, you're totally unsurprised by it because you're like, this is what I always do. It's who I am.
Amin Elhassan
Not only am I not surprised, not only am I not surprised sometimes, dad, I'm like, holy shit. Maybe this one isn't the dream. Maybe it's finally happening. It's been a premonition this whole time. Because sometimes they feel, you know, dreams sometimes feel very real and very visceral.
Jonathan Zaslow
I know I would like this morning for me.
Amin Elhassan
And so all of these things, very real, very plausible things are happening to you. You're like, oh my God. Like, okay, this is real. And then I'm flying. I'm like, wait a sec, I can't fly. Like, or maybe I can, because this isn't a dream, this is reality. And then I wake up.
Jonathan Zaslow
This is delusion of grandeur at its greatest scale. That Amin, in his heart of hearts, in his soul, believes that he should be capable of levitating if I try hard enough.
Amin Elhassan
All you gotta do is jump and then not land.
Dan Le Batard
But symbolically, I believe, given that it's a dream about what he literally cares about the most. It's what he thinks he could, if he ran a franchise, he could be Oklahoma City. He could be, yes. He could be floating above earth with the best team if it just wasn't for that damn Eastern European owner who for some reason threw a challenge flag from a different sport to Cole.
Amin Elhassan
You must challenge Cole. It's of them. It's too much. He just kept yelling and he's huge cuz he's a former MMA fighter. So it's like there's a double fear. It's not just he's rich and he could fire us, he could also whoop all our asses.
Dan Le Batard
But he was also dumb, correct?
Amin Elhassan
Yes, of course.
Dan Le Batard
But he's incompetent and you're better at your job than he is and he's holding you back.
Amin Elhassan
And I felt for the coach. The coach was so frustrated, pissed off, but I'm like, just don't. I'll handle it, don't worry. And then I went to the bathroom.
Jonathan Zaslow
Who is the coach that you felt the worst for in your career, in real life?
Hakeem Jeffries
Yeah.
Amin Elhassan
Wow, that's a great question. I don't know if we have enough time.
Jonathan Zaslow
Speaking of dreams and crying and emotional about basketball, I did have that moment as well when Alicia Gray from the Atlanta Dream won a three point contest in the skills contest. I shadowed one.
Stugotz
There you have it. What's the verb Shedded.
Jonathan Zaslow
I think it's a ghetto.
Amin Elhassan
Ghetto woman of faith.
Date: December 17, 2025
Main Guests: Hakeem Jeffries (House Minority Leader), Amin Elhassan, Jonathan Zaslow, Chris Cote, Stugotz, and others
This lively hour of “The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” balances playful, irreverent sports shtick and absurd dream confessions with a sharp, extended appearance from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Broadcasting from Downtown Miami’s Elser Hotel, the crew (Dan, Stugotz, Chris, Amin, Zaslow, and Hakeem) tease Zaslow about a bizarre dream featuring his wife and Billy Crystal and dissect everything from New York Knicks fandom and college football playoff controversies to Congress’ recent legislative maneuvering.
Segment: [03:44–08:21]
Hakeem Jeffries, a proud Knicks fan, reflects on the significance of recent Knicks success:
Memorable Moment: Hakeem’s nostalgia and deep sports knowledge blend expertly with the panel’s jesting and personal digressions.
Segment: [08:21–10:48]
Dan raises the Notre Dame snub in the CFP and the Miami/ACC tiebreak controversy.
Hakeem critiques ACC’s tiebreak and alignment policies, suggesting structural change is crucial to avoid future “traffic jams.”
- **Hakeem Jeffries**: “When I’m back at home, people call me Hakeem… I’ve always interpreted it as a sign that I've been... effective...in establishing a close relationship with the people..." [21:50]
Zaslow recounts a vivid, unsettling dream where his wife openly cheats on him — with legendary comedian Billy Crystal.
Zaslow’s wife laughs uproariously; the panel can’t believe how absurd and specific the dream is.
Hakeem Jeffries [06:54]:
"Bernard King."
— On the most beloved Knick of his lifetime.
Hakeem Jeffries [14:14]:
“Sports is such an important part of life, particularly during these complicated times where we're dealing with so many heavy issues..."
Hakeem Jeffries [20:53]:
“The last thing in the world that we need is another foreign war that inevitably ends in disaster.”
Jonathan Zaslow [30:12]:
"You'll never guess it... Billy Crystal." — Who his wife was unfaithful with, in his dream.
Chris Cote [30:28]:
"I'd be like, fist me, Billy."
— His hypothetical reaction to Billy Crystal in the dream scenario.
Amin Elhassan [35:46]:
"I levitated in the bathroom...I flew about 8ft high."
Dan Le Batard [41:51]:
"You levitate so much in your dreams that while you're levitating in your dream, you're totally unsurprised by it because you're like, this is what I always do. It's who I am."
This episode exemplifies the show’s signature blend of sharp political insight, hyper-local sports banter, and pure silliness. Hakeem Jeffries holds his own, seamlessly moving from legislative nuance to Knicks nostalgia; the crew prods him with good-natured sports & politics questions.
The latter half is dominated by surreal dream stories, culminating in the utterly ridiculous (yet totally earnest) Zaslow “Billy Crystal cuckold” tale—an instant classic, drawing cackling and disbelief even among this jaded cast.
The hosts’ conversational, offbeat, and irreverent tone remains intact throughout, balancing deep dives into serious policy and athletics with unfiltered, sometimes absurd personal stories.
For listeners who missed the episode:
Expect whip-fast shifts between Congress and the Knicks, genuine political clarity, hilarious dream therapy, and one of the wildest dream confessions in sports radio. And yes, if you only remember one thing: Zaslow got cucked by Billy Crystal—in his dreams.