10/9/25: Israel-Hamas hostage deal reached, Trump to get medical evaluation

Summary

The David Pakman Show Episode Summary

Date: October 9, 2025
Main Topics: Israel-Hamas Hostage Deal, Capitol Hill Turmoil, Trump’s Medical Evaluation, Democratic Pushback, and More

---

Overview

This episode dives deep into the just-announced Israel-Hamas hostage-prisoner deal and its global implications, the ongoing dysfunction and confrontations in the U.S. government during a shutdown, intensifying scrutiny around the Epstein files, Donald Trump's latest gaffes (including confusion over habeas corpus), and concerning medical developments related to Trump's health. David Pakman offers both critical analysis and play-by-play breakdowns of heated congressional moments and Republican leadership struggles.

---

Episode Highlights & Key Discussions

1. Israel-Hamas Hostage-Prisoner Deal

• [00:00–06:45]

• David discusses the breaking news of a hostage-prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas, potentially leading to a ceasefire.

  • Deal Overview:

    • Release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
    • Only about 20 Israeli hostages believed alive; many remains will be returned.
    • Deal expected to be signed in Egypt within 24 hours.
    • Timeline Post-Signing:
      • 24-hour deadline for Israeli partial withdrawal.
      • Temporary ceasefire begins.
      • Hamas gets 72 hours to release hostages.
      • Israel to release 250 prisoners (life sentences) plus 1,700 Gazan detainees.

  • Critical Tone:

    • Pakman is skeptical about the durability of this ceasefire, expressing doubt that either Hamas will disarm or Israel will fully withdraw.
    • He questions the sincerity of Trump and Netanyahu, highlighting their history of opportunism.
    • “Pardon my skepticism, but if you come to me and you tell me nothing other than Trump and Netanyahu are involved, I immediately wonder, will it really happen? What's in it for them?” [04:50]

---

2. Capitol Hill Chaos & Democratic Pushback

A. Democrats Confront MAGA Mike Johnson Over Epstein Files

• [06:45–09:45]

• Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego confront Speaker Mike Johnson about stalling Adelita Grijalva’s swearing-in and potential obstruction of the Epstein files' release.

  • Notable Exchange:
    • Johnson claims the delay “has nothing to do with Epstein.” [07:06]
    • Democratic push seen as necessary energy: “This is exactly how every single Democrat should be confronting these people until Ms. Grijalva is sworn in.” [07:22]

• Pakman’s Analysis:

  • Acknowledges this won’t prevent the files’ release but could muddy their credibility.
  • The tactics are now about delay and obfuscation, not outright prevention.

B. Hakeem Jeffries vs. Rep. Mike Lawlor – Heated Floor Exchange

• [10:10–14:03]

• Hakeem Jeffries comes alive in a heated clash, challenging Lawlor on Medicaid cuts and government shutdown.

  • Memorable Moment:
    • Lawlor: “You’re embarrassing yourself right now.”
      Gallego/Jeffries: “Why are you saying you voted to shut the government down?” [12:58–13:02]
  • Pakman’s Take:
    • Applauds the new confrontational energy: “We are all so desperately seeking signs of life and energy from the Democratic Party, and we're starting to get them.” [14:03]
    • Cautions that performative energy must translate to tangible progress.

---

3. Pritzker vs. Trump—Open Defiance

• [16:31–17:41]

• Illinois Governor JB Pritzker forcefully responds to Trump’s call for his imprisonment:

  • Pritzker's words:
    • “If you come for my people, you come through me. So come and get me.” [17:19]
  • Pakman notes Pritzker and Newsom are now openly calling Trump “unhinged” and accusing him of dementia, matching Trump's escalating rhetoric.

---

4. MAGA Mike Johnson: Under Fire from All Sides

• [22:59–25:19]

• On C-SPAN, Republican military wife calls in:

  • Emotionally explains how the shutdown jeopardizes her family’s access to medicine.
  • “I am begging you to pass this legislation. My kids could die.” [24:33]

• Johnson’s Non-Answers:

  • Responds with platitudes about his military district, avoiding direct solutions.
  • Pakman: “He has no answer for it. ... Who in this guy's office thought this appearance was going to be a good idea?” [25:19]

On Obamacare and Trump Loyalty

• Johnson offers generic promises of Republican healthcare “ideas” but provides no specifics.
• Caller questions whether Johnson has ever opposed Trump: “I typically vote with President Trump. I do because that's my party and I lead my party in the House…” [28:54]

---

5. Trump’s Legal/Ethical Scandals, Gaffes, and Medical Concerns

A. Accidentally Public Prosecution Order

• [29:05–35:35]

• Trump mistakenly posts a private directive to AG Pam Bondi to pursue political enemies.

  • “In normal times, that would end a presidency.” [32:14]

• Potential Crimes:

  • Abuse of power, obstruction of justice, conspiracy against rights, deprivation of rights under color of law, and witness intimidation.

B. Confusion Over Habeas Corpus

• [35:35–37:07]
• Trump, when asked about suspending habeas corpus, replies: “Who?”—revealing his lack of understanding.
• Instructs to leave it to “Christie” (Kristi Noem), who also doesn't know what it means.
• Pakman: “Who are you asking me about? Just the little person called Ms. Habeas Corpus.” [36:00]

C. Trump Brags Over Ending Freedom of Speech

• [53:40–57:00]
• Trump claims credit for taking away freedom of speech in the context of flag burning.
  • “We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts…” [53:52]
• Pakman points out the contradiction: “Those who scream the loudest about freedom of speech seem very willing to just limit it.” [57:03]

D. Medical Evaluation at Walter Reed

• [58:03–64:22]
• Trump to undergo a “routine” medical evaluation, but sources point to growing concerns over his cognitive and physical health.
• Pakman: “This is not the first time that Donald Trump's health reports have felt like PR.” [59:07]
• References prior misleading information during Trump’s Covid hospitalization.

---

6. Trump’s Rambling as Policy

• [63:41–66:50]
• Trump’s latest incoherent interview on Fox News includes wild claims:
  • “I can create peace with tariffs.”
  • “...trillions of dollars... gives you a tremendous road to peace and the saving of millions of lives. Just millions and millions of lives.” [64:56]
• Pakman: “The rantings of a madman.”

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Hostage Deal:
  “On the other hand, I don't care who's involved. I hope that this actually does get us closer to ending this conflict, either at the micro or at the macro level.” [06:20]

• On Democratic Confrontation:
  “This is exactly how every single Democrat should be confronting these people until Ms. Grijalva is sworn in.” [07:22]

• Pritzker’s Defiance:
  “If you come for my people, you come through me. So come and get me.” – JB Pritzker [17:19]

• Caller’s Plea to Johnson:
  “I am begging you to pass this legislation. My kids could die.” – Republican Military Wife [24:33]

• Johnson on Trump:
  “I typically vote with President Trump. I do because that's my party and I lead my party in the House...” [28:54]

• Trump’s Habeas Corpus Gaffe:
  “Yeah. Suspending who?” – Donald Trump [35:50]

• On Ending Free Speech:
  “We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts…” – Donald Trump [53:52]

• Pakman’s Verdict on Trump’s Interview:
  “These are the rantings of a madman. Millions of lives are being saved with tariffs. What are you talking about here?” [65:42]

---

Key Timestamps

• 00:00: Episode opens with Israel-Hamas deal and DC chaos
• 06:45: Senators confront Speaker Mike Johnson
• 10:10: Hakeem Jeffries–Mike Lawlor confrontation
• 16:31: Pritzker’s challenge to Trump
• 22:59: Military wife’s emotional call to Johnson
• 25:36: Johnson on healthcare, repeated non-answers
• 29:05: Trump’s mistaken public post about prosecutions
• 35:35: Trump confused by “habeas corpus”
• 41:17: Sen. Tammy Baldwin on the shutdown’s fallout
• 53:40: Trump brags about “taking” free speech
• 58:03: Trump’s health, Walter Reed visit
• 63:41: Trump’s unhinged claims about tariffs and peace
• 66:34: Trump’s claims about DC restaurants

---

Concluding Tone

David Pakman is characteristically sharp, fact-focused, and acerbic, especially in addressing Republican leadership and Trump's ongoing scandals. He stresses the importance of Democratic energy and engagement but insists this must go beyond performance to meaningful policy and accountability. The show highlights profound dysfunction, misinformation, and the need for both political and civic vigilance.

---

This summary is designed to provide a thorough understanding of the episode’s core topics, arguments, and tone, complete with direct quotes and key moments for those who haven’t listened.

Transcript

[Host/Commentator]

Today, a hostage deal has reportedly been reached between Israel and Hamas. This will potentially pave the way for a cease fire. It is also getting increasingly ugly on Capitol Hill. Government remains shut down. Democratic senators finally are demanding answers on the Epstein files. And MAGA Mike Johnson is just falling apart, bad after bad after bad. Hakeem Jeffries is showing signs of life and snapped at a Republican congressman in a moment. We need about 100 of. And J.B. pritzker, the governor of Illinois is saying to Trump, come and get me. After Trump said that Pritzker should be imprisoned. Plus, a Republican military wife goes off on MAGA Mike Johnson. On live tv, a Trump private message was posted publicly on Truth Social. It is bad and Trump seems to think habeas corpus is a person rather than a legal concept. Trump also bragging about ending freedom of speech. And we've learned he's headed to Walter Reed for a not so routine medical evaluation. All of that and more today. Coming just days after the two year anniversary of the Israel Hamas war war, we have news that a deal has supposedly been reached, still to be ratified, I guess we would say, and signed in Egypt maybe over the next 24 hours. This is a hostage prisoner swap deal. The idea being this may lead to a permanent cease fire. Now, we have reported agreement on the initial terms. The outlined terms include the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners. Some say freeing Palestinian prisoners encourages future hostage taking. Others say this is the practical reality of the situation. There is simply no other way even to get to this point. Now also of concern, how many of the Israeli hostages are still alive? It's believed that there will be a lot of unfortunately the remains of deceased hostages making up a portion of those released. Only 20 hostages are believed to still be alive. The Trump administration worked on this. Combined with Arab mediators. Trump says he will travel to the region over the weekend. And the very opportunist Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has invited Donald Trump to address Israeli parliament. Now, understand that we sort of have two parallel tracks here. What are the facts of the situation on the ground and how will that affect Israeli Palestinian relations? And then there's the propaganda value to Donald Trump and to Benjamin Netanyahu. Now we'll get to that. A lot of uncertainty remains. Is either side genuine and authentic in their agreement? Are they really going to go through with it? Lots of questions are still unclear. When is Israel supposed to permanently stop military operations in Gaza? We have some answers. Once the deal is signed, which is supposed to happen in the Next, you know, six to 24 hours, there will be a 24 hour deadline that will start at that point for Israeli forces to make a partial withdrawal from some Gazan positions. A potentially temporary cease fire would start within 24 hours of the Israeli Cabinet meeting and presumably approving this, after those 24 hours, Hamas will then have 72 hours to release the hostages. That's according to US and Israeli officials. And Israel would release 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences as well as 1700 people detained from Gaza since October 7, 2023. Now, there are a number of obstacles to this becoming a durable cease fire. And I mean obstacles other than the last 70 years which make us say, is any cease fire really durable? But I mean, sort of at the micro level, even if this initial hostage prisoner swap does take place, is Hamas really going to disarm, which is part of the deal? Is Israel really going to stop all operations in Gaza, which is part of the deal? Will Israel really carry out a full withdrawal? Pardon my skepticism, but if you come to me and you tell me nothing other than Trump and Netanyahu are involved, I immediately wonder, will it really happen? What's in it for them? Is the reporting even accurate? Are they even genuine and authentic in their desire to participate? Because they are two individuals that I just don't trust and I think history tells us that, that they should not be trusted. Now there is reporting that additional negotiation is going to be necessary sometime between the hostage prisoner exchange and any potential long term cease fire. It would not come as a huge shock if that negotiation didn't go well. But listen, on the one hand, when Trump and Netanyahu are involved, I'm skeptical by nature. On the other hand, I don't care who's involved. I hope that this actually does get us closer to ending this conflict, either at the micro or at the macro level. So you now know everything that's been released as of this moment, the next six to 24 hours and subsequently 72 are going to be critical in figuring out what is ultimately going to happen Here, here. Hey, some Democratic senators and members of the House are finally showing some signs of life. I've got video here, very interesting video of Senators Mark Kelly and our friend Ruben Gallego confronting MAGA Mike Johnson. They are confronting him about why aren't you just getting at Alita Grijalva sworn in so that she can participate in the House of Representatives? And are you not doing it because it's part of your effort to hide the Epstein files? Good for them. MAGA Mike Johnson goes, no, that has nothing to do with it. This is exactly how every single Democrat should be confronting these people until Ms. Grijalva is sworn in.

[MAGA Mike Johnson]

Ms. Grahava recollect Graham has not yet had a scheduled date because she was elected after the House was out of state session. So I am anxious to administer the otter. As soon as you guys be on the Epstein, you don't want to be on Epstein discharge. How much totally absurd. You guys are expert.

[Host/Commentator]

It's absurd, says Mike Johnson.

[MAGA Mike Johnson]

There's nothing to do with Epstein. The House Oversight Committee, the House Oversight Committee is working on the Epstein files right now, releasing 34,000 pages and more on the way. Let me finish, Let me finish. The House Overseas Committee.

[Ruben Gallego]

This is an excuse so she doesn't sign on this.

[Host/Commentator]

We have every reason in the world to believe that MAGA Mike Johnson is functioning as Donald Trump's goon, as Trump's henchmen to prevent or delay the release of the Epstein files. Now, you might say something that producer Pat sort of alluded to yesterday on the bonus show, which is it does seem that eventually she's going to get sworn in and she's going to vote to release the Epstein files. So this will only work temporarily. Temporarily. And you're probably right. Pat's right. Everybody who has been emailing me about that is right. Well, you have to understand is that this is now not about, let's prevent the release altogether. This is shifting into let's muddle the release so much that whatever is in it is going to be questioned for accuracy and credibility. And on the on Friday feedback, tomorrow on the Friday show, we're going to delve into at this point, is whatever ultimately gets released and labeled the Epstein files even going to be believed? Or are you going to have people presumably on the left saying, I can't imagine this is really the full file, and then people on the right saying, of anything that is derogatory in the files. I can't imagine that this is real, this is doctored, this is fake or whatever. So we're going to deal with that when it happens. But in the interim, this, I believe, is the energy we need from Democrats in this case, Gallego and Kelly, walking across the hall, walking across the rotunda to the other side of the Capitol, confronting MAGA Mike Johnson and saying, what the hell is going on here? And by the way, this was not the only confrontation that took place yesterday. Let's talk about that next. You know, when it comes to Hakeem Jeffries, the minority leader in the House, I have not said the most positive things about him lately. I think that the energy is low. I'm sick of the strongly worded letters. I don't know that he really has the spirit and positioning for what we need right now in the American left. But yesterday he got into a brutal exchange with Republican Congressman Lawlor. And we're going to listen to this. This is about the Medicaid cuts. This is about the shutdown. And I got to tell you, this is the most interested I've been in Jefferies in years. This, all of a sudden, he's alive. So I'll show you a few seconds of the confrontation starting from this angle, but then we actually have a different video where the audio is much better. So here is Jefferies coming out, I believe, of the press briefing that he did. And then Lawlor is there and they get into it.

[Ruben Gallego]

Your extension.

[Mike Lawlor]

Did you get permission from your boss?

[Host/Commentator]

Why don't we sign on?

[Ruben Gallego]

Did your boss, Donald Trump easily extend your boss?

[Host/Commentator]

All right. So that you see the confrontation kind of develop. We have a better angle here. Let's listen to what the subject matter actually was. This did not go well for Lawlor and good for Hakeem Jeffries for not backing down.

[Ruben Gallego]

We got a one year extension. Why don't we sign on? Right.

[Mike Lawlor]

Let me ask you a question. Did you get permission from your boss?

[MAGA Mike Johnson]

Why don't we sign on?

[Ruben Gallego]

Did your boss, Donald Trump easily extend Your boss, Donald Trump?

[Mike Lawlor]

Yes, he is.

[Ruben Gallego]

No, he's not.

[Host/Commentator]

By the way.

[Mike Lawlor]

Let me ask you a question.

[Ruben Gallego]

For years, you always need to make government.

[Mike Lawlor]

You're making a show of this to.

[Caller Samantha]

Make this self relevant.

[Ruben Gallego]

That said, you could easily sign on. You're embarrassing yourself right now to the ceiling.

[Mike Lawlor]

You're an embarrassing.

[Host/Commentator]

Sign on to the bill.

[Mike Lawlor]

Let me ask you a question.

[Ruben Gallego]

You have four Democrats on here.

[Mike Lawlor]

Let me ask you a question.

[MAGA Mike Johnson]

It's a.

[Host/Commentator]

It's a.

[Mike Lawlor]

Let me ask you a question. You voted for the one big ugly bill, Correct?

[Ruben Gallego]

I voted for a bill that gave the largest tax cut to Americans in history, including, by the way, the average New Yorker getting a $4,000 tax cut. Are you against that?

[Mike Lawlor]

You're embarrassing.

[Ruben Gallego]

You want to cut this standard deduction.

[Mike Lawlor]

In the largest cut to Medicaid in American history.

[Ruben Gallego]

You voted for that fraud and abuse, by the way, Tom denap, Controller of New York.

[Mike Lawlor]

Let me ask you a question.

[Ruben Gallego]

Pointed out that $1.2 billion.

[Mike Lawlor]

Listen, you're not gonna waste. You're not gonna talk. You're not gonna talk to me. You're not going to talk to me.

[Ruben Gallego]

And talk over me New York Res.

[Mike Lawlor]

Because you don't want to hear what I have to say.

[Host/Commentator]

Oh, I'm listening.

[Mike Lawlor]

So why don't you just keep your mouth shut? Because you showed up. You showed up. You showed up. And so you voted for this one big ugly bill.

[Ruben Gallego]

You can extend it right now.

[Mike Lawlor]

Permanent extension of massive tax breaks for your billionaire.

[Ruben Gallego]

So 90% of America, they can get a permanent. 90% of Americans take the standard deductions.

[Mike Lawlor]

Is that right?

[Ruben Gallego]

90 of Americans take the standard deduction.

[Mike Lawlor]

Is that right?

[Ruben Gallego]

If you had your way, the standard deduction would have been cut in half. That would have been a massive tax increase on Americans all across the country. You're here.

[Mike Lawlor]

Unfortunately.

[Ruben Gallego]

You're against lifting the cap on salt.

[Mike Lawlor]

Of your billionaire donors.

[Ruben Gallego]

The billionaire donors lifting the cap on salt, we put a income cap in.

[Mike Lawlor]

Why are you here right now?

[Host/Commentator]

Why are you here right now is really the best question in all of this.

[Mike Lawlor]

To be here where the rest of your.

[Ruben Gallego]

You wanted Republicans to be here. I'm here.

[Mike Lawlor]

Why are you?

[Ruben Gallego]

By the way, you can, you can pass an ACA extension right now.

[Host/Commentator]

Sign on.

[Ruben Gallego]

Did your boss sign on to the bill? Is your boss Donald Trump behind HR 5145? Why don't you get on, Mike?

[Mike Lawlor]

Is your boss Donald Trump behind that?

[Ruben Gallego]

Why don't you get on it?

[Mike Lawlor]

Because you don't work for the American people.

[Ruben Gallego]

Oh, I do. I work for the people of New York. I work for the people of my district.

[Mike Lawlor]

Is that why you.

[Ruben Gallego]

Is that here?

[Mike Lawlor]

You got 100, by the way.

[Ruben Gallego]

I voted. I voted for a clean cr. To keep the government open and funded.

[Host/Commentator]

You voted to shut it down.

[Mike Lawlor]

You're embarrassing yourself right now.

[Ruben Gallego]

Yeah, Leader, with all due respect, why.

[Mike Lawlor]

Are you playing yourself?

[Host/Commentator]

You're the one.

[Ruben Gallego]

Why are you saying you voted to shut the government down?

[Mike Lawlor]

Actually, you know that's not true.

[Ruben Gallego]

You voted to shut the government down.

[Mike Lawlor]

Do Republicans control the House, the Senate and the President?

[MAGA Mike Johnson]

Right.

[Ruben Gallego]

And you're smart enough to know that you need 60 votes in the Senate, is that right?

[Mike Lawlor]

No.

[Ruben Gallego]

Do you need 60 votes in the Senate?

[Mike Lawlor]

60 votes needed to pass your one.

[Ruben Gallego]

Big ugly bill, reconciliation, which you did with the ira. Boy, that really reduced inflation.

[Mike Lawlor]

Are you trying to elevate yourself?

[Ruben Gallego]

Because you're not trying to elevate my election. No, I'm not going to lose re election. You spend 4, 42 million dollars last cycle. You didn't do that. Great.

[Mike Lawlor]

Why aren't you running for governor right now? Because you.

[Ruben Gallego]

Because I actually Enjoy. Enjoy this job. And I'm here to do it. And by the way, by the way, you could actually pass.

[Mike Lawlor]

You enjoy being elected right now to.

[Ruben Gallego]

Ensure that people don't have health care premiums going up. Why won't you support this one year? Let me ask you a question. Tom Suazi's on it. Jared Golden.

[Mike Lawlor]

Let me ask you a question.

[Ruben Gallego]

Marie losing Perez. Let me ask, are they wrong?

[Mike Lawlor]

The other boy boss, your other boss, Mike Johnson. I challenged him to a debate. Yeah, on the floor. Did he send you?

[Ruben Gallego]

No, I'm here on my behalf.

[Host/Commentator]

Anyway, there's another 90 seconds of this, but I think you get the picture. Are we. So I'm of. I'm of two minds of this. Okay. Now I'll just kind of be. Be transparent and honest with you, which is all I ever am. On the one hand, we have seen such a lack of energy coming from Democratic leadership. That includes in the Senate, that includes in the House. We've got strongly worded letters up the wazoo, but those aren't really good for much. And I love that Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly went over and confronted MAGA Mike Johnson about swearing in Adelita Grijalva. I like that. When Mike Lawlor shows up, clearly meant to sort of sandbag Hakeem Jeffries. Jeffries doesn't back down and he exposes him for the sort of Trump controlled tool that he is. We need this energy. I like it. On the other hand, if your question is how many people can now afford food thanks to this argument? Well, there's no additional people that thanks to this argument, can now afford food. That's absolutely true. And so where I find myself is we are all so desperately seeking signs of life and energy from the Democratic Party, and we're starting to get them. And that's good, but it can't stop there. And so the question is, given that by itself, this sort of energy and these confrontations and this spirit, this esprit de corps, or how does Trump say esprit de corps? Well, however, he says that this spirit by itself doesn't help anybody economically. But is there the possibility that with this newfound energy, more people will see what's going on? More people will get involved, more people will get involved in the political process, more people will vote and we'll get the right people in. I'm optimistic, guys. It's like all we have right now. Okay? So at least this is better than what we had as of 48 hours ago. I hope we see more of it, but it can't stop at only this. Governor JB Pritzker is daring Donald Trump to come and arrest him. You might remember that yesterday I covered Donald Trump's Truth Social post where he said, quote, chicago mayor should be in jail for failing to protect ICE officers. Governor Pritzker also. Well, Pritzker was asked about this, and his message to Donald Trump is. It's pretty clear, I must say.

[Caller Republican Military Wife]

Look, he's a coward.

[Caller Samantha]

He says a lot of things to the camera. He likes to pretend to be a tough guy. Come and get me. Come and get me.

[Host/Commentator]

All right, so Pritzker, his message is very clear. And Pritzker's message on Trump has actually been getting increasingly aggressive. You might remember now that Pritzker is one of a couple governors along with Gavin Newsom, who is openly saying Trump has dementia. Trump has dementia, and that is it. And saying that also he is unhinged. And he said to Jacob Sabaroff, come and get me. Restating that message.

[MAGA Mike Johnson]

You know as well as I do.

[Host/Commentator]

The President of the United States in.

[MAGA Mike Johnson]

The last 24 hours call for you to be imprisoned.

[Host/Commentator]

I want to give you an opportunity. We've seen your reaction on social media.

[MAGA Mike Johnson]

But I want to hear what you.

[Host/Commentator]

Have to say back to the President, United States.

[Caller Samantha]

Let's start with the idea that this is a convicted felon. I mean, think about that. Who is threatening to jail me? I gotta say, this guy's unhinged. He's insecure. He's a wannabe dictator. And there's one thing I really wanna say to Donald Trump. If you come for my people, you come through me. So come and get me.

[Host/Commentator]

And JB Pritzker putting his hands out, almost in a position to be handcuffed. Listen, we're seeing more and more people ready for the fight, and we need that. So these back and forths, you know, Hakeem Jeffries and Mike Lawlor that we looked at earlier, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly versus Maga Mike Johnson. This spat between JB Pritzker and Donald Trump. We're seeing Governor Shapiro up for the fight. We're seeing Governor Newsom up for the fight. It's a growing list. We need that. It is necessary, but it isn't sufficient. And that is where I think we need to be focusing rather than debating, is this stuff merely performative? Let's acknowledge that there is a significant performative element to it, but that at the same time, performance can inspire, motivate, and pull people into the movement. So would I rather us control the House and Senate and be making tangible and tractable progress on health care, inflation, wages, employment, and foreign policy. Of course I would. And education and climate. Of course. Of course we don't have that power at this point in time, but we need to build to when we do. And I'm glad to see that there are people here for the fight. It's not everything. It's not putting food on anybody's table, but it's a start. And so I hope I'm not setting the bar too low. I want to hear from you. Are we at least taking some positivity from the reality that some of these Democrats seem up for the fight? We'll have more about this on today's audio podcast. This segment is just part of that podcast. You can get the podcast free on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or anywhere that you get your audio podcasts. Most people know I'm a cappuccino guy, maybe a flat white. That's how I start my day. I used to think the only way to get a good one was at a cafe. I started using Trade Coffee and the beans have changed my at home routine. Our sponsor Trade is the number one coffee destination in the US partnering with over 50 of the best roasters around the country. You take a quick quiz. They recommend beans you will love. Roast them to order. Ship them fresh. When the bag arrives. It smells great. When I grind it for espresso. The flavor is exactly what I am looking for. I've even tried a couple of roasters I wouldn't have found otherwise and it's just great dialing in my machine with these different beans. If you prefer cold brew, Trade has a special collection designed exactly for that. Smooth and consistent every single time. And right now Trade is offering 50% off a one month trial at drink trade.com/pacman. That's drink trade.com/pacman to get 50% off one month drink trade.com pacman the link is in the description. You know, for a long time my phone setup was very chaotic. I had an old case, it chipped after one fall. A giant power bank with cords. I couldn't find the right one. Ridge has fixed all of it. Now you might know about Ridge wallets already. I've been using them for years, since long before they became a sponsor. Ridge has an innovative new power bank. It's slim. It's actually designed to make your life easier. Holds enough for three full phone charges and has built in lightning and USB C cables you're never hunting around. It also has MagSafe wireless charging, even a kickstand so you can prop your phone up while it charges. One thing to carry five ways to charge and the Ridge iPhone 17 case. Slim but strong, engineered for eight foot drop protection. Raised edges to guard the screen and the camera. Work seamlessly with MagSafe accessories. This is protection that actually feels good to use. Get 10% off Ridge power banks and iPhone cases now at ridge.com/pacman. The link is in the description MAGA Mike Johnson had a really bad day. He decided in the middle of the government shutdown, the confrontations from senators and members of the House and just every everything going wrong as he tries to suppress the Epstein files. MAGA Mike Johnson decided to go on C Span and it was not good. Who thought that this was going to go well in this political environment? A Republican military wife caller. A Republican military wife called in and dresses him down and says she is disappointed. How is he allowing all of these horrible things to happen and he is completely passive. It's almost like he doesn't give a damn because he is serving an audience of one and that one man is very orange and very swollen. It is not the Republican military wife caller. Take a listen to this.

[Caller Republican Military Wife (initial)]

Hi Mr. Johnson. So my question or comments are related to what you you said yesterday about not being open to pass any legislation to ensure that military gets paid. I'm sure you can tell by my voice I'm very shaky. Just want you to hear a little bit about my family. I have two medically fragile children. I have a husband who actively serves this country. He suffers from PTSD from his two chores in Afghanistan. If we see a lapse in pay come the 15th, my children do not get to get the medication that's needed for them to live their life because we live paycheck to paycheck. I heard you earlier say that you side with President Trump on anything that he says. Well, I just read an article this morning that said he absolutely, wholeheartedly believes that there needs to be legislation put in so that we do not miss a paycheck. You have the power to do that. And as a Republican, I'm very disappointed in my party and I'm very disappointed in you because you do have the power to call the House back. You did that or you refused to do that just for a show. I am begging you to pass this legislation. My kids could die. We don't have the credit because of the medical bills that I have to pay regularly. You could stop this and you could be the the one that could say military is getting paid. And I think that it is awful. And the audacity of someone who makes six figures a year to do this to military families is insane.

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

All right, Samantha.

[MAGA Mike Johnson]

Samantha, I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. The reason I've been so angry this week and they've been calling me out on media. Johnson's angry. I am angry because of situations just like yours. I have a big military district, and my district is the home of the Global Strike Command at Barksdale Air Force Force Base and Fort Polk, the Joint Readiness Training Center.

[Host/Commentator]

Do you think the caller gives a damn about Barksdale Air Force Base? She's saying she doesn't have the ability unless we end this thing to pay for the basic necessities of her family. Goes, oh, I know. I know this very well. We've got Barksdale, Barksdale.

[MAGA Mike Johnson]

I have one of the biggest military districts and military families in, in America. I have a lot of airmen and soldiers who are deployed right now. And they have young families and at home and they have children and health situations like yours. This is what keeps me up at night.

[Host/Commentator]

There's no answer. It just. This is no answer. He has no answer for it. He just. This is the type of crap that he says. Who in this guy's office thought this appearance was going to be a good idea? Mike Johnson was asked by another caller, what's your plan to fix Obamacare? Great question. Mike Johnson says so.

[Ruben Gallego]

And also want to know what is your plan to fix Obamacare?

[MAGA Mike Johnson]

Great questions. There's a lot of improvements that are needed. Obamacare did not do what was promised. Everybody can acknowledge that. As I mentioned, premiums are up 60% since it became law in 2010.

[Host/Commentator]

Now, remember, this is like, you know, they just lie so easily. I can't correct every lie because this is just nonsense. But what I think is important to remember here is that Obamacare, the, the program, the premiums within these health connector type programs went up more slowly than those outside of it. Obamacare didn't solve the problem that premiums go up every year. It didn't solve it. But those plans within Obamacare marketplaces have seen premiums go up a little more slowly than those outside of it. Is it like, oh, my God, we solved it? No, it's not. But it was at least something. And remember that they have nothing. They have. They have no alternative whatsoever.

[MAGA Mike Johnson]

And you have less access to care and in some parts of the country, lower quality of care. So we got to fix that. Republicans are the party that have the ideas to do that. We have a doctor's Caucus inside the Republican conference that works around the clock putting together these ideas, talking to stakeholders and other providers around the country. We have a lot of ideas to fix it. It. Some people say, why can't you just rip Obamacare out at the roots and start over? It's very, very complicated. It affects about 18% of the US economy, health care, but there's lots of areas of improvement. We have not. This is not a talking point for us. We've demonstrated it in the one big beautiful bill, the working families tax cuts. We added lots of provisions, for example, to reform Medicaid. It was, yeah.

[Host/Commentator]

Anyway, that's another lie. The provisions they added to reform Medicaid only make it harder for people to get benefits. They put in place a whole bunch of restrictions. I mean this, this is really disgusting stuff. And for a guy who calls himself a Christian, the facility with which he just lies to constituents, to voters, to journalists is disgusting. It's quite frankly disgusting. Finally, caller asks MAGA Mike Johnson, have you ever not voted with Trump on any issue at any point in time?

[Caller Alexander]

Yes.

[Caller Alexander (continued)]

Good morning. Just wanted to ask the Speaker a couple of questions. Have you ever voted against anything that Trump set for forth as far as policy? That's one question. The other is what is going on with the swearing in of the congresswoman who will make the 218 vote? I, I noticed that you were speaking in the hall yesterday with someone regarding the idea that, you know, maybe she would make the 218th vote that would open up the vote for the Epstein files to be released. This is, is not something that we are going to forget about. This is serious business. The other thing is that Trump is a dictator. So it doesn't matter what Johnson does or what the guy over in the Senate does. All the things that has to happen is if Trump says open the government, it will be open tomorrow. We have to understand that. And they keep talking about we putting names out there about Trump being the dictator and this and that. You just called and he continues to call.

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

All right, Alexander. And he's talking about Representative Adelito Grijalva being not being sworn in.

[MAGA Mike Johnson]

Yeah, Alexander gave me a lot to answer there. Let me go real quickly. I typically vote with President Trump. I do because that's my party and I lead my party in the House and our agenda is working for the American people. You can make an argument.

[Host/Commentator]

There you go. I vote with Trump. Whatever he says goes. That's it. I mean, it's like I'm not going to give you 15 minutes of this guy because it's an insult to everybody. He. It's. We're hearing enough to know that this guy is despicable. That's what we're hearing enough to know. And I, you know, I'm all for treating staff well, but whoever thought this was a good idea deserves a talking to from MAGA Mike Johnson because it went so terribly for him, which I love. Right. I should be thanking whoever set this up for Maga Mike. He should be furious with them. So Donald Trump accidentally posted a private, private message to his own Attorney general publicly. Not just any message, but a message directing Pam Bondi, the Attorney General, to prosecute his political enemies. I want to remind you about this. There was this message that was posted to Truth Social, which started with Pam and a colon. We have now figured out, due to extensive reporting, that that was supposed to be a private message to Pam Bondi instructing her to prosecute people. And Trump, in his infinite wisdom, accidentally sent it out publicly. The message said, quote, pam, I have reviewed over 30 statements and posts saying that. Essentially, same old story as last time. All talk, no action, nothing is being done. What about Comey, Adam Schiff, The Schiff, Letitia, they're all guilty as hell, but nothing is going to be done. Then we almost put in a Democrat supported U.S. attorney in Virginia with a really bad Republican past, awoke Rhino who was never going to do his job. That's why two of the worst Dem senators pushed him so hard. He even lied to the media and said he quit and that we had no case. Now I fired him and there is a great case and many lawyers and legal pundits say so. Lindsey Halligan is a really good lawyer and likes you a lot. We can't delay any longer. It's killing our reputation and credibility. They impeached me twice and indicted me five times over nothing. Justice must be served. Now. President Donald J. Trump. This was not Trump publicly venting. This was meant to be a private message to Pam Bondi where he was pressuring her to launch criminal cases against political opponents and prosecute them. In normal times, that would end a presidency. Forget the two times Trump was impeached during his first term. Forget the seven different reasons Trump could and should be impeached based on actions during this second term. Just this at times in American history would have ended his presidency. Now, according to the Wall Street Journal, Trump had no idea. It's not, you know, like, it's not like Trump was on his phone thinking he's sending a DM and he accidentally publishes it and immediately knows that Trump was reportedly surprised to know that that message was public. Pam Bondi was reportedly furious and started scrambling and calling the White House going, that was supposed to be a private message. You got to take that shit down. But Trump's next post proves he went into cleanup mode, where he said publicly, pam Bondi is doing a great job as Attorney general. Now, five days later, after Trump said to Pam Bondi, go after Comey. Comey was indicted, Trump made public what everybody suspected. He is directing the Attorney General's office to carry out his political persecutions, not a slip up a window into how Trump operates. He's dictating prosecutions by text message, and he is saying that it is justice. Now, is there a crime here? Absolutely. Could be a crime. Intent is relevant in figuring this out, but there are a whole bunch of different legal lines that are crossed here. This could be, excuse me, abuse of power and obstruction of justice. He's using presidential authority to influence or control prosecutions for personal or political reasons. That violates the independence of the DOJ. This could be conspiracy against rights from 18 USC subsection 241. If Trump's intent was to punish a political opponent for their political activity or their speech, that could be a conspiracy to deprive them of constitutional rights. This could be deprivation of rights under color of law. That subsection 241of18 USC directing prosecution without cause. That is yet another potential crime. And then this also could be witness intimidation or retaliation. Since Comey and Adam Schiff, who he mentions there, were involved in prior investigations of Trump, you could argue that Trump is going after them in a retaliatory way that is also against the law. On the same day that Trump exposed his own authoritarian impulses. We learned about this yesterday. We also saw Marco Rubio feeding Trump a piece of paper that said, we need you to put out the following untruth, social. So even there, we see that Donald Trump is, you know, being given social media talking points, like an intern maybe, to try to take control back of the fact that the things that Donald Trump is posting are causing a major, major problem for them. Now, is Trump going to be prosecuted for directing these prosecutions? Probably not. You know, Pam Bondi could just go, no, I felt no pressure from that message. I didn't feel any pressure. And then it goes to intent, and all of a sudden it's like prosecuting perjury. Very difficult to do. Does Congress have the will or desire to investigate this? I just don't think so. But it's almost every other Day. Now that I'm telling you, hey, Donald Trump did another thing which appears to have been a crime. Dementia J. Trump thinks habeas corpus is a person rather than a legal concept. Donald Trump was asked yesterday by a reporter, are you still thinking about suspending habeas corpus? And Trump goes, who? And it is very obvious Trump has no idea what habeas corpus is. He thinks he's being asked about suspending a person. Thank you, sir.

[Caller Samantha]

I also have two questions for you, if I may. Have you given any more thought to.

[Host/Commentator]

Possibly suspending habeas corpus to not only deal with these insurrectionists across the nation.

[Caller Samantha]

But also to continue rapidly deporting illegal aliens?

[Caller Republican Military Wife]

Yeah. Suspending who?

[Host/Commentator]

Habeas corpus.

[Caller Republican Military Wife]

So, I don't know. I'd rather leave that to Christie. What do you think?

[Host/Commentator]

No, sir, I haven't been a part.

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

Of any discussions on that.

[Host/Commentator]

Who are you asking me about? Just the little person called Ms. Habeas Corpus. I'd rather leave that to Christie. Now, the ironic thing, the funny thing about leaving that to Christie is that Christie Noem has no idea what habeas corpus is. Remember this viral moment in May when Senator Maggie Hassan asked her, what is habeas corpus? And she goes, it means that Trump can deport people.

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

So, Secretary Noem, what is habeas corpus? Well, habeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country. Let me.

[Host/Commentator]

Let me.

[MAGA Mike Johnson]

Stop.

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

Stop. Habeas corpus. Excuse me.

[Caller Republican Military Wife]

That's.

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

That's incorrect, President. Corpus. Excuse me. Habeas corpus is the legal principle that requires that the government provide a public.

[Host/Commentator]

Reason for detaining and imprisoning people.

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

If not for that protection, the government could simply arrest people, including American citizens, and hold them indefinitely for no.

[Host/Commentator]

So bad idea to go from Trump to Kristi Noem on habeas corpus, because she has no idea what it is either. Now, if you're saying, wow, Trump seemed completely confused and disoriented by that question, isn't someone going to evaluate him medically? The answer is yes. And later in the show, I will bring you the news of Donald Trump's big medical evaluation that will be taking place tomorrow. Who was habeas corpus? Was that the kid who bullied me on the playground? Habeas. Embarrassing. Pathetic. Humiliating. One of my close friends has a cat that I actually really like. I take a lot of heat for not being a cat guy, but this particular cat I really like, but this cat is a very picky cat when it comes to mealtime. I will admit turns up her nose to a lot of the store bought stuff. Then my friend tried our sponsor Smalls and the problem was gone. They even did a little test. Old food in one bowl, Smalls in the other. The cat went right for the Smalls. No hesitation, no delay. The first time that she saw her cat get excited about mealtime in a long time. This cat is picky folks. This cat is picky. This is because Smalls is real food for cats. It's protein packed recipes, real ingredients you would actually recognize from your own fridge. No preservatives, no artificial fillers, nothing mysterious. Just fresh premium meals for cats delivered right to your door on whatever schedule makes sense for you. That is why cats.com has named smalls the best overall cat food. Forbes happens to agree. Give your cat the food they deserve for a limited time, get 60% off your first order plus free shipping when you go to smalls.com/packman the link is in the description Many of you know that I grew up speaking Spanish, but I took French in middle school and high school. I'm a little rusty on it. And when I was getting ready for my last trip to France, one of the things I was most worried about was am I going to be able to communicate in everyday situations. Ordering food in French, asking for directions, greeting people. I didn't want to be the person flipping through my phone trying to translate everything. And what really helped me was babble. Instead of like vocabulary lists that go on forever in a vacuum, our sponsor Babble teaches you language through real conversations. So the French babble taught me was super useful on the trip. And the best part is that babble fits into quick 10 to 15 minute lessons so I could fit it into my busy schedule very easily thanks to the interactive dialog exercises in the Babel app and the spaced repetition that made the phrases stick. I was just more comfortable. I have to admit my girlfriend was actually impressed with my French when we were in France. I could order at restaurants, buy train tickets, figure out is there a baby changing station in the bathroom and also just chat with locals made it way more enriching. You can get up to 55% [e-mail] pacman the link is in the description. It is great to welcome to the program today. Senator Tammy Baldwin, Democratic Senator from Wisconsin. Senator, we are still as of this moment, in the middle of this shutdown. I was sort of pleased to see that some of your Democratic colleagues have started to just confront Republicans in the floors of of the Capitol, which is interesting to See, you know, I want to get your take on two things. One, one, do you have a sense of how long this may go? But then, maybe equally importantly, we know that shutdowns are hurtful to large swaths of people in different parts of the country for different reasons. What do you expect will be the political fallout of this? And I know we're going to talk about the, the personal fallout as well, but the blame is highly relevant when it comes to these shutdowns. Politically, what are you seeing in terms of who is being blamed for what's happening?

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

Yes, Well, I just actually came from voting for the seventh time to reopen the government and bring down costs for health care for millions upon millions of Americans who stand to lose access to affordable health care. And it is so frustrating. You're talking about the conversations that are going on across the party aisle when you have Marjorie Taylor Greene saying that we must fix this because she sees her kids, their health premiums for next year. I have many Republican colleagues who want to address the health care costs, but the leaders and President Trump are saying, no my way or the highway. And frankly speaking of the highway, the House has not been in session now for two plus weeks. They're on vacation while we are trying to reopen the government to bring down health care costs. This is clearly Trump's shutdown. This is something that, as we know, he just refuses to negotiate. And you can't pass things in the Senate without bipartisan support. So it's, you know, he owns this.

[Host/Commentator]

On the one hand, polling does show that Americans agree with what you're saying. I mean, factually speaking, Americans are far more likely right now to say that this, this shutdown is the fault of Republicans. On the other hand, there's a question as why, as to why the president doesn't seem to have a significant sense of urgency to end this. And the speculation is that for as long as this goes on, it sort of postpones or delays what may be inevitable with regard to a vote and subsequent release about the Epstein files. Can you tell us anything about the conversations with your colleagues as to whether you or they suspect that that is part of the lack of urgency that we're seeing from the president as a cause?

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

You know, I think that he has yet to really talk to real Americans who are getting their notices about what their health care is going to cost next year? And some of my Republican colleagues are hearing from their constituents who are impacted, and that's what's creating a sense of urgency among some of them. But as we See more and more notices go out across the country. It's going to be a deafening roar. And I certainly hope it's so clear to me. I listen to my constituents all the time. I have heard, and I can give you examples. There's Gigi from Stoughton, Wisconsin, who just realized her dream of starting a small business. She's an artist and she has a little place on the main street there, but she's just barely getting by. She's on the Affordable Care act and she's also a cancer survivor. And so it's really important for her to have access to her oncologist. And there's certain things she takes because of the treatment she had many years ago. She is terrified that she will have to close her small business, go work for some big corporation that provides health care because she will not be able to afford her her insurance. And I mean, I have so many examples like that.

[Host/Commentator]

No, and Senator, that makes sense. But on the Epstein question, do you think that that's a factor here?

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

Well, it's certainly part of the reason why the House is on vacation. Speaker Johnson knows that there is a new member who has been duly elected in Arizona, Future Congress or Congresswoman Elect Grijalva. And as soon as she is sworn in, she will be the 218th signature on something called a discharge petition that will demand the release of the Epstein files.

[Caller Republican Military Wife]

Yes.

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

And so he is choosing not to convene and we are in a shutdown. He could very well bring the House back in session. We can pass our resolution to reopen government and bring down health care costs, but he refuses to do so. And I think that the release of the Epstein files probably weighs heavily in that decision, that calculation on his part.

[Host/Commentator]

There's another calculation I want to ask you about, which is that on the one hand, you've rejected the clean continuing resolution, in other words, one that does not include these provisions related to very important things, including the Obamacare subsidies. Makes perfect sense to me on the one hand. On the other hand, there are concerns that Democrats risk ending up on the wrong end of the blame by prolonging the shutdown, or at least the perception of the shutdown being prolonged by insisting on the policy riders rather than just saying, well, let's just vote. Let's just vote on the shutdown. Let's vote on the continuing resolution. Talk about why you, presumably you believe that you're doing the right thing, otherwise you wouldn't be doing it. Talk about that balance between the riders and reopening government and the importance of this.

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

So through the passage last summer of the big ugly bill, there is now an impending health care crisis. They cut nearly a trillion dollars out of Medicaid. Eligible people will lose coverage because of that. But much more immediately, this big, ugly bill was predominantly a tax bill.

[Host/Commentator]

Yes.

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

And while they passed big tax breaks for big, profitable corporations and billionaires, they didn't see fit to include a tax break for hardworking American families to afford their health care. And that is an imminent crisis. As we have been having this debate, people have been getting their notices and it is just skyrocketing. And we need to act urgently. Open enrollment for health care, for shopping for your health care plan starts November 1st. We have to act with urgency. And a wink and a nod from Leader Thune and Speaker Johnson is not going to be sufficient. So we need to reopen the government and have an ironclad commitment to deal with this crisis.

[Host/Commentator]

Yeah. Where I struggle on the. On, you know, it's sort of like if you have $100 and requests for $200 from the people around you, choices have to be made. There's 100 bucks to go around. Right. And if we apply that there are people being hurt by the government being closed, opening, it would provide them some relief. But also there are people being hurt by these subsidies being on the chopping block and the price increases that we're talking about. How do you evaluate and determine? How do you. Who do we help first and who do we help more? It seems quite complicated politically.

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

Look, the health care crisis is top of mind. Think about our last election. If we want to do a political analysis of it. The President Trump diagnosed the problem correctly during that campaign. Costs are too high. People can't afford their rent, they can't afford housing, they can't afford childcare, they can't afford groceries, and they can't afford healthcare and prescription drugs.

[Host/Commentator]

Yeah.

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

The problem is, when he took over the presidency, his policies have done just the reverse. They haven't brought down costs on day one, as he said they would. Costs have gone up. The tariffs, the big ugly bill. It is a crisis for so many American families. And so this is something we must do with urgency. The estimate is that 15 million people will lose their health insurance because of the big ugly bill and the failure to extend the Affordable Care act tax breaks for affordability of people's premiums. And that is, in my mind, of paramount urgency.

[Host/Commentator]

Well, Senator, you've identified one of the difficulties with the populist rhetoric, which is we often hear diagnoses that make sense. As you're pointing out. But when it comes to the solutions, all of a sudden we say, wait a second, that, that's, that's not really the right solution here. Senator Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin, I know you've got a busy day. I appreciate you taking a few minutes to talk to us today.

[Senator Tammy Baldwin]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Host/Commentator]

Donald Trump has already packed his second term cabinet with loyalists. He's threatened deportation as political punishment. He's expanded executive authority in ways we have not seen in modern history. These are real changes that are happening right now. And what's even more alarming is that a lot of the media is either glossing over the worst of it or they're reframing, framing it so it all sounds a little more palatable. And that is why I use Ground News. This is a news comparison tool, doesn't just feed you headlines. It shows you, here's how different outlets, left, right, center, are covering the same story. And this is one of the few tools I know of that can really help you detect the political spin, the bias catch stories that your usual sources might downplay or not cover at all on everything from immigration policy to economic shifts. If you want to get a bigger picture, a broader picture of what's being reported, Ground News is an invaluable source to keep you informed. And Ground News is offering my audience 40% off their top tier vantage plan. You'll only pay five bucks a month. Go to Ground News, slash Pacman or enter the code Pacman in the app to get started. The link is in the description. When it was time for a new mattress, I didn't want to gamble on something generic. I had heard about Helix. I liked that they customize the mattress based on how you sleep. I'm mostly a stomach sleeper, so I took the quiz and ended up with a model that felt tailored to me. I've had it for years. What I notice is I don't wake up with back stiffness. I don't wake up with shoulder pain. I don't toss and turn looking for a comfortable position. It's just better than my old mattress. It's more supportive, but it's still comfortable. Another thing I like about Helix is that there's no one size fits all approach. It's really tailored to you in terms of firmness as well. It's made a difference for me and I'm thrilled to be partnering with them. Helix is giving my audience 25% off site wide. Go to helix sleep.com/pacman. The link is in the description Donald Trump was caught bragging about taking away freedom of speech yesterday. But it didn't happen in some private meeting. It didn't get leaked by someone who heard Trump say it. The guy said it in a room full of people with cameras and microphones. This has to do with the issue of flag burning, a constitutionally protected activity that is a form of speech that the Supreme Court has said is protected. Trump bragging, we're going to imprison people for burning the flag. We took freedom of speech away.

[Caller Republican Military Wife]

A flag burning mob, and we've made it one year penalty for inciting riots. We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and.

[Host/Commentator]

We took the, the freedom of speech away.

[Caller Republican Military Wife]

The court said, you have freedom of speech, but what, what has happened is when they burn a flag, it agitates and irritates crowds. I've never seen anything like it on both sides. And you end up with riots. So we're going on that basis. We're looking at it from. Not from the freedom of speech, which.

[Host/Commentator]

I always felt strongly about, the freedom of speech. So listen, something irritating or something agitating is still protected by the First Amendment. It's still protected by freedom of speech as a concept. If the idea is if something is irritating or agitating to a crowd, we ban it and imprison people, then I guess we should be banning racial slurs, right? When people go out there and start yelling the N word, you can be damn sure it irritates and it agitates, but we haven't made that punishable by a year in prison. If people go out and start using homophobic slurs in public, that'll irritate the crowd, that'll agitate the crowd. By definition, the First Amendment and freedom of speech must include speech. We might not like speech, we don't like ourselves. Now, there can be consequences to that speech in society, but we have regularly seen flag burning reaffirmed as a protected act. I don't burn flags. It's not my thing. I don't go around going, I'm so offended by it. But it's just not something I do. And I've never really felt that when people do it, it achieves anything. But that's just my opinion. They are completely within their rights to do it. And Trump, it actually got even worse. Trump hosted a sort of who's who of conspiracy theorists and dilettantes of different flavors. Andy Ngo was there. Jack Baza. Vic, you can see here on the left of the screen, it's a woman who Had a suspicious black eye that suddenly appeared when it was convenient to mention. But anyway, that's another story. Maybe it was a real black eye, I don't know. Anyway, so here's a guy going, I saw someone burning a flag. And Trump kind of goes, you know who he is? Pam, can we go after that? It is a protected form of speech, years now.

[Caller Samantha]

So thank you guys so much for taking this seriously. And President Trump, you mentioned that flag. So remember, you put out a truth right after I took this flag from that, from that man that was burning.

[MAGA Mike Johnson]

It in the streets.

[Caller Republican Military Wife]

Do you know who he is?

[Host/Commentator]

Oh, yeah, I know exactly who it is.

[Caller Republican Military Wife]

So why don't you give it to Pam, give it to the Attorney general and let's start prosecutions.

[Caller Samantha]

Yeah, I actually have a second flag that he tried to burn as well. So I have two of them.

[Caller Republican Military Wife]

So what happened when that flag started burning? Everyone went crazy. And that's when it started, when they started burning the flag. So thank you. If you could give the information, it would be great.

[Caller Samantha]

Absolutely.

[Caller Republican Military Wife]

And at least that horrible night made you famous.

[Host/Commentator]

I got a, I got a text.

[Caller Samantha]

From the President of the United States. I appreciate that.

[Host/Commentator]

Did this guy, does this guy have the flag on the floor? Isn't that a violation of the flag code to have the flag on the floor if that's where he has it? I mean, I can't see under the table, but he's pulling it out from underneath the table. This is disgusting. And this is another example of how the people who scream the loudest about, about whatever, it's obviously a confession. And those who scream the loudest about freedom of speech seem very willing to just limit it. And then finally, really weird moment. Trump talking about beautiful black women. Beautiful black women.

[Caller Republican Military Wife]

And the people are all against him. They want people to come. Beautiful black women are wearing a MAGA hat last night on television. Beautiful people. And they once they said, we don't care who comes, just stop the crime. They don't care, frankly, they don't care if it's national. God, military, military, send in anybody you want, stop the crime. And they're afraid to go out. They can't even go out.

[Host/Commentator]

Beautiful black women with MAGA hats. What a story. A disgusting, oppressive to speech meeting where the worst of the worst from the right are invited and celebrated as heroes for telling lies and wanting to suppress speech. This is where we find ourselves today, and it is truly depressing. Breaking news. Donald Trump is going to be undergoing a medical evaluation at Walter Reed Hospital. Now some of the details are really important here. And the context in which this is happening is absolutely critical. The White House is saying that this is Donald Trump's routine yearly checkup. Sources are saying this is not a routine visit. This is all happening when we have these growing questions about Trump's health, about transparency around his health, his ability to serve, his fitness for office. And this is sparking new concerns inside of Washington, D.C. now, the official line from Trump's press secretary, Caroline Levitt, is, it's just an annual exam. There's no big deal here. But you might recall that Donald. Donald Trump had a full physical in April. That was just six months ago. That report already was suspicion inducing because of how vague it was and how glowingly propagandistic the report from Trump's doctor was. And so now, behind the scenes, Trump aides are reportedly pushing for a more comprehensive look because of all the health concerns that are obvious with Donald Trump. The chronic venous insufficiency diagnosis, which seems worse than they're acknowledging. Swelling in the ankles. Recent footage of Trump, as we talked about early last week, has Trump's eyes pointing in notably different directions. Often his right eye, and sometimes both, are almost completely swollen shut. He's disoriented regularly, not recognizing people. Trump's balance has been called into question. That video when he was going to meet Putin, where he seemed unable to just track a straight line. His gait. Gait is increasingly a source of questions. And we now have multiple governors and even a senator who have publicly been saying, this guy's got dementia. We heard it from Gavin Newsom. We heard it from J.B. pritzker. We've heard it from Ruben Gallego. And the White House, of course, denies all of this. But still, the calls for a full neurological evaluation are growing. Not the Montreal cognitive assessment. Trump identified a giraffe. What a big boy. The calls for a serious and full neuropsych eval are growing quickly now. This is not the first time that Donald Trump's health reports have felt like pr. You know, if you go back to Trump's Covid hospitalization, we were not getting the full story. We were told Trump's going to Walter Reed with COVID out of an abundance of caution. The truth is, he was going to Walter Reed because he was advised by doctors. You're getting worse so quickly. If you don't go now, we might have to bring you there on a stretcher. It'd be better from a public relations perspective if you were able to go there under your own power after he was in the hospital for several days. Reporters asked, is he on oxygen? Was he on oxygen? And doctors said, we're looking forward. He's not on oxygen now. Without really dealing with the substantive question, did he need oxygen at any point in time? The physicals, talk about Trump's golfing and all of this other crap, it's all propaganda. And even right now, we are still getting reports about Trump's health that make it sound like he's some kind of athlete in his prime when he's obese, eats a terrible diet and doesn't exercise. So we have Trump now at 79, close to 80, the oldest person ever to take office as President of the United States. He's fatigued, he's confused. Every single little thing with Joe Biden was the subject of 24 Hours of Fox News coverage. And they are silent about Donald Trump. So there's already talk in Washington about trying to get greater transparency, proper medical releases, independent panels, cognitive testing. It's not happening, though. We've had a decade of vague updates, evasive briefings and propaganda documents about Donald Trump's health. So Trump is heading to Walter Reed tomorrow. The stakes are extraordinarily high. For me. The question isn't just what will doctors find? It's if doctors find something, will we ever learn about that publicly? And maybe even more insidiously, remember Trump's whole thing? If we don't test, we won't have Covid cases. I wouldn't even put it past the entire apparatus at the White House to say it's not about covering up the results. Let's not even test a whole bunch of stuff. Let's do the Montreal cognitive assessment rather than a proper neuro psych eval or even not do that. Why would we suspect that that's what's going on? Because that's what's been going on for a decade. Speaking of cognitive concerns, Donald Trump spewed a word vomit so vile in yesterday's interview with Fox News that it is causing a new round of can this guy speak? Can this guy think? Here is another one of these impenetrable. It's not even a word salad anymore. Now it's a word vomit of Trump talking about tariffs to achieve peace. What is he talking about here?

[Caller Alexander]

I can create peace with tariffs. I'm using them for a lot of different reasons. If that power was taken away from the President of the United States, it would be a terrible, terrible day for our country. And I would say many of the things that I've done could be eradicated. And the United States would be in a very, very bad, vulnerable position. And these are enemies of the country that are pursuing that lawsuit. And I would hope that that lawsuit would disappear. The country would be at a very different position than it is right now. And you wouldn't be stopping wars. You wouldn't be using the power of trade and the power of tariffs to stop wars. I've used it. I can create peace.

[Host/Commentator]

This is nuts, guys. This is just completely and totally nuts. What is he talking about? Lawsuits, tariffs and peace. Tariffs can create peace. If anything, the tariffs are creating problems, they're creating conflict. They're antagonistic to our historic allies. Trump continuing to be confused about the most basic economic functions. He says we're taking in trillions with the tariffs, but we're saving millions of lives with the tariffs.

[Caller Alexander]

What at least five of the seven that we've done so far. It was through trade that we're not going to deal with people that fight. We're not going to deal and we're going to put tariffs on you. We're not going to let you deal in the United States. We'll put tariffs on you without that, without the tariffs. I mean, far more than even the money that we're taking in, which is trillions of dollars, essentially. Trillions of dollars. Far much more importantly, it gives you a tremendous road to peace and the saving of millions of lives. Just millions and millions of lives. You look at India and Pakistan, I said, well, we're not going to do business with either of you if you don't, if you don't put it together. These are two nuclear nations that were. Seven planes were shot down, as you know, and they were really, what?

[Host/Commentator]

These are the rantings of a madman. Millions of lives are being saved with tariffs. What are you talking about here? Now, if I am like, as if I go completely hypothetical and go, could tariffs save any lives? I mean, listen, if tariffs move production of something onshore, that reduces some of the carbon footprint of the transportation, so there's a little bit less pollution and maybe there's a life saved because of that. But, like, I've got to dig pretty deep into speculative nonsense to fit. Figure that out. This guy's not making any sense. And then finally, Donald Trump, during this completely harebrained interview, was supposed to be a softball interview, but he sounds terrible. Trump again, waxing poetic about how now you can eat at restaurants in D.C.

[Caller Alexander]

Go and eat at the restaurants. The restaurants are booming. They were closing one after another, and now they're booming. They're opening. And this all took place over the last two months. It's amazing, actually. Nobody's, nobody's ever seen a transformation like they have in Washington, D.C. it's.

[Host/Commentator]

Now, the truth is that restaurant prices continue to be up in D.C. takeout prices continue to be up in D.C. and in fact, when Donald Trump militarized the streets of D.C. restaurant reservations went down. And understandably so. Do you really want to be sitting outside a restaurant or even inside when what you see outside is a militarized pseudo war zone thanks to the delusions of dictatorial grandeur of Donald J. Trump? People don't want it. But Trump insists that everything he touches turns to gold. Really, everything he touches turns to coal. But if you're worried about how he sounded in that interview, rest assured he's going to Walter Reed tomorrow for a full medical evaluation. How full is it going to be? Well, I don't know. Are we ever going to hear if there's anything concerning that comes out of it? I don't know either, either. On the bonus show today, we are going to talk about the Palisades fire arrest that took place. A believed perpetrator. Katie Porter's viral interview has gone viral for all of the wrong reasons. And we will talk about why gold is having its best year since 1979. The gold bugs are thrilled. They're going I told you so. We'll talk about it on the bonus show. Sign up@join pacman.com I'll see you then.