The Five – "Maximum Penalty" (September 9, 2025)

Episode Overview

This episode of The Five centers around high-profile, divisive news stories and controversies, with a focus on the murder of Ukrainian refugee Irina Zarutska in North Carolina, the broader issues of crime and criminal justice, the public’s shifting attitudes toward capitalism and socialism, immigration enforcement, and the changing role of media personalities in the modern era. The panel—Jesse Waters, Kayleigh McEnany, Jessica Tarlov, Dana Perino, and Greg Gutfeld—bring their trademark spirited debate, mixing serious commentary with sardonic humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Murder of Irina Zarutska, Crime, and Media Narratives

• Horrific Crime and Political Fallout

  • Jesse Waters opens by describing the brutal video of Ukrainian refugee Irina Zarutska’s murder, noting, "No one steps in to help, and moments later, she collapses to the floor while her killer walks away dripping in blood." (01:04)
  • The panel criticizes the media’s response, with Waters suggesting the mainstream press is more "outraged that you care" than they are about the crime itself.

• Media and Political Framing

  • Greg Gutfeld argues that outrage over murder is politicized by the left:
    "There was a time...when murder wasn’t a political issue...then the left put that through the ideological meat grinder...Suddenly crime became a response to oppression...if you cross the street to avoid a gang, that was your fault, not the gangs." (02:47)
  • Dana Perino notes the chilling bystander effect:
    "It's even more chilling to see that nobody moved...If conservatives are pouncing on this issue, is that good? Could conservatives pouncing save lives in the future? I mean, maybe." (05:37)

• Calls for Accountability

  • Kayleigh McEnany criticizes judicial failures and calls for political action:
    "We need accountability. We need judges. And I hope your side of the aisle will partner with the Republicans. Sign the letter. Let's get this lady out of here." (11:49)
  • Jessica Tarlov highlights issues with involuntary commitment requests and the limits of current policies:
    "His mother had wanted him involuntarily committed. He had beaten up his own sister...You could be sitting in a park...and there is someone completely out of their mind." (08:05)

Notable Quotes

• Greg Gutfeld (02:47):
  "If you express rage over blacks getting killed in Chicago, that's racist. If you express outrage over whites getting killed in Charlotte, that's also racist. So what does that tell you? Could it be that just expressing outrage over murder in general is the problem?"

2. The Decline of Capitalism’s Popularity & Rise of Socialist Sentiment

• Gallup Poll Shock
  • Kayleigh McEnany states, "Just 54% of the public now has a favorable view of capitalism. Now that's the lowest Gallup has ever measured. Only 42% of Democrats view capitalism favorably, while 66% have a positive view of socialism." (13:31)
• Generational Perspectives
  • Jesse Waters observes:
    "These people in this new generation had a tough upbringing...great recession, flat wages, COVID lockdowns...a lot of people feel like they're working hard but they're not getting ahead." (19:03)
• Populism and Political Messaging
  • Jessica Tarlov explains that young people equate "democratic socialism" with affordable services:
    "When you talk to people, what they think this means, they think it means having affordable childcare, they think it means universal health care." (22:04)
  • Greg Gutfeld counters:
    "Capitalism doesn't have to be perfect to work. Socialism has to be perfect, to work. Which is why it has to be done with force." (17:14)

Notable Quotes

• Kayleigh McEnany (14:32):
  "Bring in John Fetterman, a voice of reason trying to snap his party out of the socialist trance."

• Dana Perino (16:05):
  "We are only basically a generation removed from the Soviet Union...The utopia that they think they are going to get will never materialize."

3. Immigration Enforcement and "Disappearing" Controversy

• ICE and Operation Midway Blitz
  • The panel discusses Tom Homan (former ICE director) responding to accusations that ICE is "disappearing migrants."
  • Greg Gutfeld says, "We're enforcing the law and arresting people here in violation of law that are public safety threats. That's not disappearing people. That's enforcing the laws of this country." (26:22)
• Word Play in Politics
  • Kayleigh McEnany critiques MSNBC’s use of terminology:
    "They use the phrase disappearing, and we're all supposed to go, ooh, this is clever and scary. Disappearing people. It's a terrible word...it makes them feel smarter." (29:24)
• Legal Nuances and Policy Debate
  • The debate intensifies over the specifics and ethics of mass deportations, individual hardship stories, and congressional responsibility for immigration reform, with both sides citing statistics and specific stories to support their arguments (32:37–34:41).

Notable Quotes

• Jesse Waters (30:48):
  "So they destroyed the country with migrants, and they have a problem with the way we're handling it. You can sit this one out. ... If you're an illegal alien in this country without the right paperwork, ICE can go pick you up and disappear you. ... That's what we mean when we Say mass deportation. They're all going out."

4. The Media’s “Death” and Declining Credibility

• Don Lemon Street Encounter

  • The panel discusses a viral video where Don Lemon (former CNN anchor) is insulted during a street interview.
  • Greg Gutfeld observes:
    "It’s funny how Lemon thinks because he's an anchor, he's going to own this guy. ...We're living in an era where we've actually seen the emperor with no clothes. That emperor is the media. The clothes were their credibility. It's gone." (36:16-37:58)
  • Jesse Waters:
    "The problem is you can't get into an argument with some random dude about whether you're an idiot or not. ...The emperor has no clothes, and he has a microscopic penis." (38:05)

• Shifting Information Landscape

  • The group broadly agrees that the monopoly of old media on "truth" is over, replaced by a populist, distributed social media environment.

5. Lighter Segments & Memorable Moments

• White House “Fight Club”
  • With Politico reporting on internal Trump administration brawls, the panel jokes about the "pirate ship" mentality and "Galpha" (gay alpha) energy. (40:25–41:57)
• Personal Updates and Banter
  • Jessica Tarlov shares her attendance at a Broadway gala, wearing her wedding dress, to lighthearted ribbing from her co-hosts. (43:27–43:53)
• Humor on Dog Surfing
  • Dana Perino brings up a dog-surfing competition for charity:
    "I just feel like there are so many of these competitions of dog surfing." (44:09)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Crime & Irina Zarutska Case: 01:04 – 12:01
• Capitalism vs. Socialism Debate: 13:31 – 24:16
• Immigration Enforcement & “Disappearing” Debate: 25:51 – 34:41
• Media “Death” & Don Lemon Segment: 35:35 – 39:44
• White House Fight Club Banter: 40:25 – 41:57
• Closing “One More Thing” Banter: 42:37 – 44:44

Notable Quotes & Speaker Attribution

• Greg Gutfeld (on crime/media):
  "If you express rage over blacks getting killed in Chicago, that's racist. If you express outrage over whites getting killed in Charlotte, that's also racist." (02:47)

• Kayleigh McEnany (on capitalism):
  "Just 54% of the public now has a favorable view of capitalism. Only 42% of Democrats view capitalism favorably, while 66% have a positive view of socialism." (13:31)

• Jessica Tarlov (on young voters/socialism):
  "Young people or whoever Johnny's interviewing are saying that this is socialism. But what Zoran Mamdani and AOC and Bernie Sanders are talking about is democratic socialism, not socialism, like when the government owns the means of production." (21:40)

• Jesse Waters (on immigration):
  "That's what we mean when we Say mass deportation. They're all going out. And as a matter of fact, they're not going out fast enough." (30:48)

• Greg Gutfeld (on media):
  "Today, September 9th, officially, the media is dead. DOA...Nobody believes Don Lemon. Nobody believes Brian Stelter. Nobody believes Jim Acosta. ...They're dead. The whole thing is dead." (36:29–37:58)

Episode Tone and Takeaways

The tone swings from somber and incensed (on crime and criminal justice) to sarcastic and irreverent (on politics and the media), with rapid-fire exchanges and occasional tangents. The hosts are eager to critique perceived failures among political opponents, decry ideological hypocrisy, and revel in the supposed decline of traditional mainstream media. Despite frequent interruptions and spirited disagreements, the group stays focused on framing conservative talking points within the context of contemporary controversies.

The episode may be particularly useful for listeners wanting to understand how culture-war flashpoints are framed and debated on highly partisan media, and how media personalities both reflect and shape public discourse on hot-button issues.