Bondi Refuses to Answer Epstein Questions with Molly Jong-Fast and Senator Andy Kim.

Summary

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The Jim Acosta Show: "Bondi Refuses to Answer Epstein Questions"

With Molly Jong-Fast and Senator Andy Kim
Date: October 7, 2025

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Overview

In this politically charged episode, Jim Acosta is joined by journalist and author Molly Jong-Fast and New Jersey Senator Andy Kim to discuss the ongoing government shutdown under President Donald Trump’s administration, Democratic response strategies, and the troubling expansion of federal force in cities across America. The conversation tackles Trump’s refusal to guarantee back pay for furloughed workers, the controversial silence of Pam Bondi regarding the Epstein investigation, and the broader implications for American democracy and civil liberties. Acosta and his guests provide candid, at times irreverent, commentary, urging listeners to resist resignation and to fight for democratic norms.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Molly Jong-Fast’s New Writing Ventures and the Mood of the Moment

• Molly confirms that she has left Vanity Fair (00:37) and is now contributing to NYT Opinion and regularly publishing on Substack.
• She jokes they're at the “beginning of the beginning” regarding Trump’s renewed power, treating this political fight as “a marathon, not a sprint” (01:08).
• Acosta and Jong-Fast note the ongoing sense of crisis in American politics and the need for outlets (like writing about “dogs, shoes, and culture”) to maintain sanity amid upheaval.

2. Trump’s Handling of the Shutdown and Democratic Tactics

• Trump is now floating the idea of not compensating federal workers idled by the shutdown (00:05).
• Jong-Fast credits Democrats for focusing on health care messaging, suggesting the public largely blames Republicans for the shutdown (03:07), despite her recent critique in The New York Times.
• Both agree Democrats could be pushing harder—beyond health care—especially on civil liberties and overreaches like militarized ICE raids (05:00).

3. Militarization and Constitutional Concerns

• Acosta expresses alarm over images of “tear gas going off in Chicago neighborhoods,” the Texas National Guard’s arrival in Illinois, and “Apocalypse Now” ICE raids, highlighting an escalation of authoritarian tactics (02:28, 41:30).
• Jong-Fast contrasts Trump’s brashness to autocrats like Putin and Orban, arguing Trump “scares people as part of the troll culture” (05:28).
• Both question the White House press corps’ complicity, noting softball, sycophantic questions and the transformation of the U.S. press into an echo chamber reminiscent of authoritarian regimes (10:22).

4. The Epstein Files and Pam Bondi’s Evasions

• Acosta and Jong-Fast discuss Pam Bondi’s evasive performance on Capitol Hill—particularly her refusal to answer questions regarding Jeffrey Epstein and associated Trump photographs (11:49).
• Acosta plays clips of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Rep. Adam Schiff pressing Bondi, with Jong-Fast highlighting Bondi’s visible anger and meltdown (12:35).
• Memorable quote:
  • Jong-Fast: “On Earth One, we actually don’t treat him [Trump] like the Messiah. We just treat him like a person. So... you don’t have to apologize to the Mango God King.” (14:40)

5. Corruption and the “Legalization of Bribery”

• Discussion turns to alleged bribery involving Tom Holman (“the borders are”), news that DOJ declined to pursue because of recent Supreme Court rulings (16:08, 17:29).
• Jong-Fast: “On Earth One where you and I live, bribes are legal and the Supreme Court has completely lost its mind.” (17:31)
• Acosta notes growing unease with a Supreme Court “completely lost its mind,” echoing fears for democracy (17:44).

6. Trump’s Circle, Succession Battles, and Social Media Frenzy

• The guests observe a “succession battle” among Trump loyalists (18:26) and the role of online instigators, especially Stephen Miller, in orchestrating chaos and inciting the base (19:24).
• Jong-Fast jibes about the endless Miller family media presence:
  • “It's like Andy Warhol, but 100x worse. It's so bad.” (19:47)

7. Senator Andy Kim on Shutdown Impacts and Trump's Lawlessness

• Senator Kim argues the shutdown is harming both government workers and ordinary citizens facing skyrocketing health care costs, and that Trump “is weaponizing our budget, our government, our executive branch, to inflict punishment upon those that disagree with him.” (31:01, 32:16)
• Kim shares that the National Guard is being deployed without clear orders, describing the current deployments as “performative” and politically motivated (34:33).
• On the use of federal force:
  • “I heard the story about Blackhawk helicopters... being used for ICE agents to rappel out into an apartment building... now used in our own cities... I find that to be appalling, unacceptable.” (38:49)

8. Debate Over Democratic Tactics and Party Leadership

• The push for generational change in Democratic leadership surfaces (21:59), with Kim and Jong-Fast agreeing there’s a hunger for “fight versus cave” over centrist, measured approaches (23:23).
• Jong-Fast credits Schumer for tactical management but voices skepticism that the party’s base will accept status quo leadership indefinitely (20:52, 23:10).

9. The Stakes: State Elections and Voter Resolve

• The episode spotlights looming governor’s races in New Jersey and Virginia as national referenda on Trumpism and grassroots resolve (33:43, 43:05).
• Senator Kim expresses confidence in Democratic candidate Mikie Sherrill in NJ against Jack Cittarelli, tying Cittarelli to Trump’s unpopular “mafia boss” tactics regarding critical infrastructure funding (43:05).

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Molly Jong-Fast (on Bondi’s evasions):
  • “She really starts to melt down.” (12:52)
  • “If ever there were a person who has spent more time thinking about the Epstein files than Donald Trump, I don't think there is.” (08:34)
• Molly Jong-Fast (on the press):
  • “Now it’s us.” (11:41)
  • “American democracy. LOL.” (11:43)
• Jim Acosta (on federal deployments):
  • “Tear gas in a Chicago neighborhood. Do you want this to come to a community near you?” (46:21)
  • “He [Trump] surrounded himself with all of this crummy gold decor, faux gold decor. He’s created this fantasy land... that he’s somehow America’s dictator. But he’s a dictator wannabe.” (entire outro, especially 47:00-48:15)
• Senator Andy Kim (on shutdown consequences):
  • “Trump is weaponizing our budget, our government, our executive branch, to inflict punishment upon those that disagree with him.” (32:16)
• Molly Jong-Fast:
  • “It’s not left versus center, it’s fight versus cave.” (23:23)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:05–01:38: Molly Jong-Fast’s new ventures and reflections on current politics.
• 02:28: ICE raids, National Guard, and Trump administration’s actions.
• 03:07–05:26: Democratic strategy and health care messaging during the shutdown.
• 11:49–15:10: Pam Bondi’s Capitol Hill appearance and the Epstein questions.
• 16:31–17:29: Corruption allegations and Supreme Court decisions.
• 18:26–20:25: Trump world succession and the radicalization of his advisers on social media.
• 26:52–34:33: Senator Andy Kim on the shutdown, health care, and federal workers.
• 38:49–40:32: Discussion of militarization of immigration enforcement and threats to democracy.
• 43:05–44:47: New Jersey governor’s race and Democratic grassroots resolve.

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Tone & Takeaways

• Irreverent, unvarnished, and often laced with gallows humor: Acosta and Jong-Fast do not mince words in expressing alarm at the present American political situation.
• Urgency and resistance: The hosts urge listeners to fight back rather than surrender to what Acosta dubs “Trump Depression syndrome.”
• Calls to action: Both the guests and the host push for more aggressive Democratic leadership and elevate both local and national elections as critical to the preservation of democracy.

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For Listeners: Why This Episode Matters

If you haven’t listened, this episode offers a clear-eyed but darkly comic discussion of the ongoing unraveling of democratic norms in America. With on-the-ground insights from Senator Andy Kim, sharp media critique from Molly Jong-Fast, and Jim Acosta’s unfiltered perspective, it captures both the stakes and the surreal nature of political life under Trump’s renewed administration—and why hope, resolve, and activism are essential.

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Transcript

[Molly John Fast]

Foreign.

[Jim Acosta]

Welcome to the Jim Acosta Show. And it's another day that ends in Y and Donald Trump's assault on American democracy. Trump's latest assault, and it's hard to keep track at this point, is that he is floating the idea of not paying back federal workers who have been sitting at home during the government shutdown. My first guest is the wonderful Molly John Fast, host of the Fast Politics podcast and now writing on Substack. Do I have that correct?

[Molly John Fast]

Yes. Okay. So big excite. We're gonna break some news here today.

[Jim Acosta]

I'm so excited.

[Molly John Fast]

I use. You know that. So I am not. I have left Vanity Fair. I am now writing at the New York Times Opinion, but that's just, you know, every other week. So I'm gonna regularly write what's in my head on Substack. So that's the stuff that's like, politics. Little bit of culture.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah.

[Molly John Fast]

If you guys can stand it. Some stuff about shoes. Dogs.

[Jim Acosta]

Dogs. Okay.

[Molly John Fast]

Dogs. We all have to stay sane. Right. We are not at the end of Trump's presidency. We are very much at the beginning of the beginning, second term. And while we are clocking a decade of this insanity, we have to behave as if this is a marathon and not a sprint.

[Jim Acosta]

So dogs, shoes, culture.

[Molly John Fast]

Culture.

[Jim Acosta]

Maybe some.

[Molly John Fast]

Probably a lot of politics, because that's the only one. But sad. And also, more importantly, Saturday.

[Jim Acosta]

Well, I can't wait to see it. It's going to be a lot of fun.

[Molly John Fast]

Look at this, Chiron.

[Jim Acosta]

I know we're doing fancy stuff now. I mean, we have to elevate in order to get guests like you. That's. That's her thing.

[Molly John Fast]

Oh, yes. Very hard to get guests, you know, when you're actually friends with the person and they text you. You can't be like, no, I know.

[Jim Acosta]

It's true. It's. It's kind of the way I do things. And people ask me, is it hard to book for your show? I'm like, well, I just. I bug Molly and I bugged Olivia and I bug Miles.

[Molly John Fast]

We're happy to do it. And. And. And, you know, this is like, such a bad moment that it's not. It's not like this great moment where things are going great where you're like, you know, it's just this very dicey moment in American politics.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. And to that point, what is on your mind? Like, what is like of all of the horrible things, horrible, terrible things that Donald Trump is doing right now. And I don't mean to minimize that by saying. No, it's bad. There's tear gas going off in Chicago neighborhoods. The ICE stuff is totally out of control. I guess the Texas National Guard just landed in Chicago, just landed in Illinois. And, you know, Stephen Miller sounds nuts, but, I mean, we have a shutdown that Trump apparently has no interest in solving. And yet Sam Bondi not answering any questions on Capitol Hill. Where do we go?

[Molly John Fast]

I want to. I want to volunteer something on this shutdown because I actually think Democrats. And I was very hard on Democrats because of, you know, I wrote about it. I wrote about how. I wrote in the Times this week about how Democrats should be, you know, if they're gonna have to choose between being strong and wrong and being lawyerly and cowardly, that they should pick the latter rather than the former and not worry so much about being wrong. And that's that Bill Clinton quote from 1992. And I really do think that this shutdown. Democrats have been everywhere talking about health care, and I actually think it's kind of worked. Like, people blame Republicans for the shutdown. They understand that it's about health care, and they don't think that it's about, you know, Trump. What we. I think we often forget just how unpopular Trump is and how much of a lame duck he is because we're seeing him just do things so quickly and, you know, and in such an erratic way that it feels like he's sort of the great and powerful Oz. But what I thought was so interesting about this moment was actually Democrats did a pretty good job, and now it doesn't. I mean, they're all mad at me because of the piece I wrote this weekend.

[Jim Acosta]

But that's okay.

[Molly John Fast]

But that's okay, because I actually think, like, I've been pleasantly surprised about the messaging on this. I think it actually kind of worked.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, I think. I think it has to some extent. I will say, and this has been what I have been doing on my show, what I've been saying and writing about, and sometimes you and I have to get together so we can talk about what we've been saying.

[Molly John Fast]

Right. But Washington, D.C. i'm trying to wait until 2026.

[Jim Acosta]

No, but I think Democrats can be doing more than going for health care. I think that something has to be done about these ICE raids and the police sending them into Apocalypse now and tweeting out these crazy videos and so on. I don't know how you formulate that into a bargaining chip.

[Molly John Fast]

Right.

[Jim Acosta]

But it seems to me that just going for Obamacare subsidies, to me, is not a mistake.

[Molly John Fast]

I think it's a mistake, too.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah.

[Molly John Fast]

I mean, so the idea, so what you're saying is that voters can walk and chew gum, that they can understand that both democracy is in trouble and Republicans are not going to do anything on inflation. And I think voters get that. And like, when you look at the polling, again, polls, very blunt indicator. And also remember, you know, so much of polling is how the question is asked. But I do think when you look at the polling, people really hate, like, the guard rolling into their cities or even their states. Like, they really don't like that. I mean, this is part of Trump's like, the good news and the bad news about Trump is that he's done this all so quickly that it's not like, for example, when Putin did this in Russia, a. Russia hadn't been a democracy for very long, and, baby, he sort of took his time and, and made sure, you know, he did do it, but he tried to do it right, in a way, like Viktor Orban, where he didn't scare people and he did. And that's not what's happening here at all. If anything, scaring people is part of why is part of this sort of troll culture. So I do think that ultimately kind of does undermine him.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. And let's play a little bit of what Trump was saying earlier today. Because to me, I mean, we have to get into what is going on in his head. Because, I mean, you and I were talking about Lawrence o' Donnell before we got started here. I think Lawrence has been on top of this pretty much better than everyone. But let's play a little bit of what Trump was saying earlier today and talk about. Yes, sir.

[Senator Andy Kim]

What is your message to Democrats ahead.

[Jim Acosta]

Of a next vote to open up the government. The American people are saying, open the damn government.

[Molly John Fast]

I love these questions that.

[Jim Acosta]

Me too. They're the ones that have it. And these are the ringers. Like a kamikaze attack by them. You want to know the truth? This is like a kamikaze attack. They, they almost, you know, they have nothing to lose. They've lost the elections. They've lost the presidential election in a landslide. That's not the only thing that's lost there. He was lost. He couldn't. I mean, I don't understand the kamikaze reference and I'm still distracted by all the gold shit everywhere.

[Molly John Fast]

But that's just my favorite thing is that Donald Trump has to get in people to ask him how great he is. Like, so you are fabulous leader. World one go shut down. Damn's bad. Like, I'M sorry, but if I'm having a press corps that's just filled with people who tell me how great I am, I'm going to come up with better answers than that. And he was like, Democrats crash. I mean, it just, it is so incredible. And there are a few people who somehow managed to ask questions. I thought that we saw Sean McCree from the New York Times get a few good questions in there. We saw Kaitlan Collins.

[Senator Andy Kim]

Yeah, I saw that.

[Molly John Fast]

Why you going to pardon Ghislaine? And he said, I haven't heard that name in a long time. I'm certainly not thinking about the Epstein files. And Mike Johnson certainly isn't. Not swearing in the most recent Democratic congressman. Right. To prevent the release of the Epstein files. No, that's not what's going on at all. And I certainly wouldn't hesitate to pardon her. I mean, would, I mean, have to look at it. I wouldn't say no. I mean, like, my man, if ever there were a person who has spent more time thinking about the Epstein files than Donald Trump, I don't think there is.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. And I mean, for all the times that we've heard this past year, there was a cover up of Biden's mental decline and all of his word salads and he didn't know what he was saying and he didn't know where he was. How is that any different than what we see from Donald Trump all the time? And he was gone for like three days last week and everybody was during the middle of the shutdown and everybody, you know, just sort of gave that a pass.

[Molly John Fast]

It's funny because your former client, former someone you used to work with, did a text message interview with Donald Trump recently. I didn't know you could, I didn't know text message interviews were on offer.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah.

[Molly John Fast]

But.

[Jim Acosta]

Hey, girl, what's up?

[Molly John Fast]

You know, bold, bold emojis, just a lot. He's got that, that Donald Trump texting.

[Jim Acosta]

Poop emojis for the Democrats or something.

[Molly John Fast]

That anchor has a lot of faith in Donald Trump's mental acuity more than I do on the ironic side. Yeah. So look, I think that Donald Trump. I'm also just like back to the White House press corps for a minute.

[Jim Acosta]

Sure.

[Molly John Fast]

The fact that these kind of questions are not these kind of insane, so partisan questions like Donald Trump, why do Democrats suck? First of all, I think we should all feel a little embarrassed for Trump for the person asking this question for, for America. Right. That has gotten to this moment.

[Jim Acosta]

Well, I will say, like, when I, when I covered The White House for seven and a half years. And I would go around the world.

[Molly John Fast]

And when you remember he took away your hard pass, remember that?

[Jim Acosta]

My hard pass? That was seven years ago.

[Molly John Fast]

What is this? What. What blonde henchwoman was that? Who did that?

[Jim Acosta]

That was. No, that was Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Now Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on that one. But, I mean, I. We would go.

[Molly John Fast]

If you go to Arkansas, will she put you in Arkansas jail?

[Jim Acosta]

I'm not risking that.

[Molly John Fast]

Can you even get to Arkansas from Washington, D.C. i think it's like 10 flights.

[Jim Acosta]

No, it's like three different connections. Yeah. I have to wear a funny outfit.

[Molly John Fast]

Yeah. Fedora mustache or something.

[Jim Acosta]

But no, we. We would go to these totalitarian countries, and that was when it was embarrassing. You would hear, like, the Vietnamese state press corps or the North Korean and they would ask these ridiculous questions.

[Molly John Fast]

Now it's us.

[Jim Acosta]

That's us.

[Molly John Fast]

That's right. We really. That's right. American democracy. Lol.

[Jim Acosta]

And speaking of not answering questions, going back to Epstein, I want to play Sheldon Whitehouse and Pam Bondi. Oh, that was a speech.

[Molly John Fast]

That was. She did not. She did not do well. That was.

[Jim Acosta]

Just watch this because this is interesting. This is interesting. What happened here? We can watch this. Did the FBI find those photographs that have been discussed publicly by a witness who claimed Jeffrey Epstein showed them to him? You don't know anything about that? Okay. This is apparently Trump being photographed with scantily clad young women, or I think is how it was phrased by Sheldon Whitehouse. And it might look so mad.

[Molly John Fast]

She looks so mad. She really looks mad. My favorite. You did not play my favorite clip, though. My favorite clip was from Adam Schiff, who goes through all the questions she refused to answer.

[Jim Acosta]

I have some of that. We could play some of that.

[Molly John Fast]

Can we play some of that? Because it's really. She really starts to melt down.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, she really got pissed.

[Molly John Fast]

Yeah.

[Jim Acosta]

If we can play a little of that, too. I think it's a longish clip, but we don't play the whole thing today. I hope you can help us get our facts straight. Was that true, what the White House press secretary said when she denied home and took the money? Did he take the money?

[Molly John Fast]

The $50,000?

[Senator Andy Kim]

As I stated earlier, I was not in office. I was not confirmed when that was handled.

[Jim Acosta]

So does that.

[Senator Andy Kim]

Deputy Attorney General Blanche and Director Patel.

[Molly John Fast]

Said that there was no evidence, not an office, that Tom Homan committed a crime.

[Senator Andy Kim]

Yet now you're putting his picture up to slander him.

[Jim Acosta]

I'm putting his picture up showing an interview he gave with, I think Fox in which he was asked explicitly about these allegations that he took a $50,000 bribe. And he refused to answer. He said he didn't answer the question whether he took the money. So I'm asking you the question, did he take the money?

[Senator Andy Kim]

Senatorship. I answered that question multiple times.

[Jim Acosta]

How is that slandering him?

[Senator Andy Kim]

And frankly.

[Jim Acosta]

Well, I don't think. With respect, I don't think you did. But in case I just didn't hear you, what is the answer? Did he take the money?

[Senator Andy Kim]

Senator Schiff.

[Molly John Fast]

That happened prior to my confirmation. But do you know?

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, I mean, it just went on and on like Deputy.

[Molly John Fast]

And there's another Blanche part where he says. Where he says, you know, you won't answer this, you won't answer that, you won't answer this, you won't answer that. She says, you need to apologize to Donald J. I heard.

[Jim Acosta]

Yes, that was a good part, too.

[Molly John Fast]

And, and, And I'm like, you know, on earth, one, we actually don't treat him like the Messiah. We just treat him like a person. So if you have a thought, you don't have to apologize to the Mango God King. I mean.

[Jim Acosta]

Exactly.

[Molly John Fast]

Incredible stuff. She looks so gorgeous. I mean, I really appreciate how attractive she is, but she is really just so bad at this.

[Jim Acosta]

But there's a tackiness factor for me. I'm just gonna say. I don't know. I know you when it comes to culture.

[Molly John Fast]

You right? Yes.

[Jim Acosta]

I appreciate the finer things in life. She reminds me of. Of Ricky Bobby's girlfriend in Talladega Nights when. When the actress who played her, I think it's. Gosh, can't remember her name, but she says, I'm a razor's wife. I don't work. You know, that's just where it reminds me of when I was.

[Molly John Fast]

I personally. One of the very few things I really like about this White House is that they have these incredibly attractive women for these jobs. And a lot of times they have almost no qualifications.

[Jim Acosta]

None. They, you know, Lindsay Halligan, I saw her do an interview the other day, and it was a complete meltdown.

[Molly John Fast]

She can't do such beautiful. And honestly, I have so much respect for how insane this white. How off the rails things have gotten. I do. Really. Yeah, I know I'm a mean girl.

[Jim Acosta]

But it's like a sight to behold, I think. Well, I think she's. She's talking about Pam. Bonnie there, but subscriber. But you're not a mean girl at all. But I mean, does shouldn't it matter that Tom Holman, the borders are. Who likes to go on TV and talk about illegals? I mean, isn't it kind of important that we get to the bottom of whether he had a bag of cash and, you know, even if it was a comic.

[Molly John Fast]

This story is one of my favorite stories because first of all, the raid was. He was not the target of the raid. So they were going after someone else. And Tom Holman was like, oh, I'll take $50,000 in cash. So, like, imagine how criminal you have to be to wander into somebody else's FBI investigation. Number one, not so easy. Number two, he. Then he refuses. They clearly have audio. We know they have audio. Right. Because there's all different answers about where they have audio. They refuse to never give out the audio. Right. So, okay, whatever's happening with that. And then my favorite part is they decide. The Biden Justice Department decides not to pursue it because the Supreme Court has said, what are bribes?

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah.

[Molly John Fast]

Crimes. If you get a bribe after you've done something, it's merely a gratuity.

[Jim Acosta]

They defame the whole thing.

[Molly John Fast]

Yeah. So, yes, I just want to say, like, on earth, one where you and I live, like, bribes are legal and the Supreme Court has completely lost its mind.

[Jim Acosta]

They have completely lost their mind. And they're the ones that I'm the most worried about these days. Besides Donald Trump. The lower courts have been kind of our salvation. Over in that Portland situation, Trump tried to send in the National Guard. A Trump appointed judge, federal judge came out and said, we live under constitutional law, not martial law. And then Stephen Miller, I went off on this on my show yesterday, said this was legal. Insurrection. These are these. Trump was talking about using the Insurrection Act. In what world? Maybe they're on earth too. But in what world are they allowed to even use the word insurrection? I'm sorry, this pisses me off.

[Molly John Fast]

Here's the thing about Stephen Miller. He spends almost all of his time on Twitter.

[Jim Acosta]

Yes.

[Molly John Fast]

In Trump 1.0. Trump was on Twitter all the time. Now, Trump mostly just true social. Not. He definitely is a lot quieter, a lot more tired. There's a secession jockeying going on, you know. Right. Is it going to be Hegseth? Is it going to be J.D. vance? Is it going to be Marco? Marco. It's never going to be Marco. In case you're wondering, this is really Marco. It's spoiler alert, baby. Never.

[Jim Acosta]

They ain't gonna let that happen.

[Molly John Fast]

No, no, no way. But there's a, you know, there's a Succession battle going on. Maybe it'll be Eric. Like, we don't know how it's gonna go, but the people who are the most ambitious are. Are really online all the time. And that Stephen Miller. It's never going to be used. Stephen Miller and J.D. vance, and they are just posting up a storm.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, well, and Stephen Miller, he sounds insane. He literally. I mean, more than Trump, more than any of them, more than Pam Bondi.

[Molly John Fast]

I just think a little bit of Prozac.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. Did you see what Katie Miller said about. She said something that he was a sexual matador. Did you see that thing?

[Molly John Fast]

Yes.

[Jim Acosta]

Did I. I feel bad even bringing that up on streaming. Sorry, Streaming.

[Molly John Fast]

I just. All I want to say about Katie Miller is the whole idea that everyone needs to be an influencer, that we're just gonna, like, we're just gonna. Everyone is just gonna have shows and they're gonna be famous. It's like, it's like. It's like Andy Warhol, but. But a hundred times worse. Like, it is so bad.

[Jim Acosta]

Like, you can't make it that accessible.

[Molly John Fast]

Right. It's just. Well, it's also like the other thing is that it's just like it's more than we need. It's really more of the Miller family than we will ever need.

[Jim Acosta]

It is way more than we're ever gonna need. But getting back to the shutdown stuff, I'm kind of curious. Cause you were saying, well, they were kind of smart about this. Does this mean that Schumer's okay now?

[Molly John Fast]

I love that you're asking me this. This is like the kind of question on television. If I were on a panel show, I'd be like, you know, back away. Like, this one's for Da, da, da.

[Jim Acosta]

I can't tell you how many times I've gotten so many subscriber comments, viewer comments.

[Molly John Fast]

I mean, the base is really mad at the leadership. The poll show. The base is furious at the leadership. The leadership, I think, has done something smart here. I think the shutdown, I mean, for now, seems like some smart thinking. If Trump caves, which there's some evidence to support that he may. Right. He wants to bail out the farmers. You can't do that during a shutdown. He sees that a lot of his people are going to lose their health insurance. If he does cave, then Democrats will have won. In which case, then I think Schumer can take the bank. He's 74 years old. I don't think, you know, he just got reelected. I don't think he's got that the. I don't think the base of the party is going to let him ride this out until he's 80. And that's my feeling. The general feeling of the Democratic Party is that older people have really had their way with the party. So that's my guess.

[Jim Acosta]

And I just had. I mean, I had David Hogg on, and this was his point, and this is what he's been trying to do. And not everybody's a big fan of his tactics and so on, but I have to say maybe my. Maybe my audience is not the best, you know, objective survey here or anything, but, I mean, they were very much on board with what David Hogg was saying and that it's time for a new generation of time. Time for the torch to be passed a la John F. Kennedy kind of thing.

[Molly John Fast]

I think there's a. I think that the party is mad. I think they feel disappointed with leadership. I think they are not getting what they want. I think they want to fight. And again, Pritzker's chief of staff is one of my smart. You know, there are a couple very smart staffers that I talk to, and then there are a couple that I torture by complaining, by saying, like, I'm so disappointed that you guys are doing such a bad job on this or that. Which they love, by the way. If you're a young staffer, you really like getting texts from me, but good.

[Jim Acosta]

For you, by the way.

[Molly John Fast]

I mean, I just, like, they're trying to work me. I'm trying to work them to, like, save American democracy. But. But what I like about. About the. Wait, now I've lost my train of thought. What are we talking about?

[Jim Acosta]

About the Schumer thing.

[Molly John Fast]

Oh, the Schumer thing. They. He felt that he had to do it. I think it was ultimately probably the right call.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah.

[Molly John Fast]

Oh, I know what we're talking about with Illinois Governor.

[Jim Acosta]

Oh, Pritzker.

[Molly John Fast]

Yeah. Yeah. Pritzker's chief of staff is very. She's incredible. She's so smart. She writes a lot of his speeches. And she said she had this brilliant thought, which was like, it's not left versus center, it's fight versus cave. And Democrats want their electeds to fight for them or they want them to leave. Like, there is no room for, you know, civility. I mean, let me rephrase that. We all need to be peaceful and good to each other, but a strongly worded letter is not what calls for. Yeah. And so I think that that is really where we are.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. Well, Molly, I am so glad that you came back on the show and you notice all of our new bells and whistles.

[Molly John Fast]

The last time I was here, it was fancy, too.

[Jim Acosta]

Okay, well, listen, we're, we're trying to, you know. And there's Bali on substack.

[Molly John Fast]

Subscribe. My first sub stack is coming out tonight, if I can finish it. And I'll be just writing up a storm. I apologize in advance.

[Jim Acosta]

I wrote about over the weekend, one battle after another, which I, I don't want to hold you up any longer because you got to go.

[Molly John Fast]

But no, I haven't. Here.

[Jim Acosta]

Great movie. I encourage people to see it and I think it's gonna win all the Oscars, but that's just me. Me. It's very, very much this moment. Yeah, that's very low brow for you.

[Molly John Fast]

No, I'm very low brow. I'm, I'm as low brow as they come. I'm drinking a Diet Coke. This, by the way, is completely Rick Wilson's fault.

[Jim Acosta]

That is. That is a Rick Wilson ism. But I, I, you know, I was so annoying.

[Molly John Fast]

I just tell you, the most annoying thing is, like, when I talk to him now, he's like, I'm down to just one a day. And I'm like, you got me hooked. It's like crack dealer.

[Jim Acosta]

It's when you buy them at the store that you feel bad about yourself. That's what I'm like. Because my old place, we had them for free and I would just go grab them and I wouldn't feel bad. But when I go to the store, baby should be buying this, you know, but it helps. I know.

[Molly John Fast]

That's right.

[Jim Acosta]

And by the way, Christy Noem, the Homeland Security Secretary, has just arrived in Portland, so. Oh, thank goodness. Maybe she'll post some more.

[Molly John Fast]

Yeah, we just, I long to hear about Corey Lewandowski.

[Jim Acosta]

Oh, my goodness. Yeah, we, we need to. We'll continue to pull on that thread and see where it goes.

[Molly John Fast]

But yes.

[Jim Acosta]

Molly, great to see you.

[Molly John Fast]

Thank you.

[Jim Acosta]

Love you as always. Thank you so much. You're the best. Subscribe. Subscribe. Take care. That's the wonderful Molly John Fast. I'm always happy to have her on. And we goof off probably a little too much. So I want to thank the viewers for that. In the meantime, I do want to mention something that was very interesting that I learned earlier today, and that is New Jersey Senator Andy Kim met with members of the National Guard here in Washington, and he had some very interesting comments about this. He said that there were members of the National Guard who confided to him that they really don't know what they should be doing when they're deployed to places like Washington, D.C. had a chance to speak with the senator. Let's take a look. And joining me now is New Jersey Democratic Senator Andy Kim. Senator Kim, thanks for joining us. I guess we can just jump right into this. The shutdown, it seems to be grinding on. What's your sense of things at the moment? What's at stake?

[Senator Andy Kim]

Well, there's a lot at stake right now, both in terms of just the immediacy of getting our government back open. And I say that someone who used to be a, you know, federal government employee, a civil servant that worked under multiple shutdowns, you know, we got to get people back to work and our government up and running. But also in terms of just the, you know, millions of Americans that are struggling with affordability right now and just wondering, you know, what is the government trying to do to be able to help us? And they honestly, right now, seeing where Trump's been putting his energy, the lawlessness that's out there and the lack of support when it comes to their health care costs that are skyrocketing through the roof, people are pissed off and, you know, they want support. And that's what we're trying to deliver. We're trying to have a budget and a government that actually tries to address the needs of the people.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, one of the things, I guess we saw Trump yesterday say that maybe he was willing to work with Democrats a little bit on health care, on these Obamacare subsidies and so on that you guys have been talking about as a condition. And I guess my question is, can you trust them? Because the Republicans are saying you got to reopen the government first and then we'll talk about health care. But, I mean, you know, how can you trust him?

[Senator Andy Kim]

Well, I hear congressional Republicans say a lot of things, and then as soon as Trump makes a decision, they fall in line. So, like, you know, look, we have to engage with Trump here. You know, when, when Democratic leaders met with Trump in the Oval, when they told him about the challenges that American people are facing with the ACA and the marketplace costs that are going to go through the roof, you know, Trump said back to them, oh, that's not, that's going to, that's going to be bad for me is what he said. I mean, look, set aside the fact that he's talking about himself and not about just the challenges that millions of Americans are facing, I think Trump understands that he is on the wrong side of this issue, that nearly 80% of Americans support, you know, this kind of support, extension of support for health care costs that millions of Americans are going to face, that we're entering a absolute catastrophe and a crisis right now. So I think the American people see that. You know, the whole country is talking about health care over this last week. I think the message is connecting and Trump feels it. I thought even Speaker Johnson feels that. He was speaking yesterday saying, oh, I care about health care. I want to fix health care. The problem for Speaker Johnson is that the problem that he's trying to solve on health care is he thinks too many Americans have it and he's trying to reduce the number. But I think with Trump, you know, I think we can hopefully keep the pressure on and get him to change his mind, as he's done many times in the past on different issues. And all the congressional Republicans will fall in line then.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. And I guess you had an opportunity to talk to some of your constituents, some of the folks in New Jersey about this at a diner, very New Jersey. Let's take a look at some of that video. This is a video that the senator himself put together of him talking to some voters and constituents about the importance of health care. Let's take a quick look.

[Senator Andy Kim]

I'm hearing a range of responses from my constituents. You know, some that are just like, look like you have to stand up against next, you know, and whether that's like, you know, healthcare cuts or broader lawlessness. And you can see there's a range there. You know, some people are concerned about, you know, say this is, you know, an existential threat moment to our democracy. Others are more focus in on healthcare costs and whatnot. Some are on the complete opposite. Right. And I think the challenge that I'm facing is that, like, look, I'm also one of the very few in the U.S. senate and Congress that served as a federal government employee. And I want to be mindful as well that like some of these constitutes mind and have very legitimate concerns. But it's not their pay that's getting withheld right now, you know, and they may have other things that they're being affected by. But, you know, how do we just continue to make sure that we're.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. So what did you hear from the, from those folks? What was the feedback you were getting?

[Senator Andy Kim]

Yeah, well, you know, that, that group in particular, that was a group of federal employees. And I really wanted to make sure I heard from them. As I mentioned, I was a career public servant. I worked through two different shutdowns, didn't get A paycheck. Despite showing up to work every day, I wanted to make sure that they felt heard and seen. And honestly, what I heard from them, they said that they feel targeted. Not just now. They said, since this administration has come in, one of them told me that they literally wake up every morning feeling like they're being seen and targeted as the enemy. They talked about the attack on the shooting that happened at the center for Disease Control just weeks ago and just how that was, you know, in terms of federal employees. So. And then, you know, this threat for mass firings and. And other things, you know, it just compounds. So it's just challenging, you know, when we see administration taking action to shut down the government, claiming that they didn't want to shut it down, but are gleefully talking about how they can use this moment to cut programs and, and. And cut, you know, government employees and fire them, you know, cut programs like, you know, the Gateway Tunnel project in New Jersey, which is absolutely essential. It's going to affect hundreds of thousands of families in my region in terms of jobs, millions in terms of commuting. And this administration is perfectly happy to inflict punishment on the American people for political retribution. So that's one thing that I heard. The other thing I heard was about health care in particular. I had another group of people, and there was one woman who was an independent voter, and she said something that I thought was really poignant. I asked her, is there something that, if you had a chance to say something to Donald Trump and to these negotiators, what do you want to tell them? She said, I would want to tell them that this is our money. This is the American people's money. This is not Donald Trump's personal bank account. This is for the American people. And I think that that's really important, especially when you see this lawlessness and this retribution, like the Gateway Tunnel project, you know, like Trump is weaponizing our budget, our government, our executive branch, to inflict punishment upon those that disagree with him. And we see this very front and center when it comes to this shutdown, and people didn't like it, honestly, I think it's going to backfire. I really do think that Trump, because of what he did on this Gateway Tunnel and holding back the money, I think he just lost the governor's race for the Republican Party here in New Jersey, as we're one of two states that has a governor's race right now. I think people are sick and tired of this Mafia tactic, mob boss efforts that they're doing. And I think that this is really backfiring. I think they feel it down well.

[Jim Acosta]

And that's why I kind of wonder, and I heard this from a lot of my viewers and subscribers, is that they want Democrats in the House and the Senate to fight. I mean, maybe they don't know exactly what that fight should be, but they want them to fight hard, harder. And I wonder, you know, I, I've talked to, I talked Senator Chris Murphy about this the other day. I've talked to others. You know, should, should Democrats be asking more at the bargaining table in terms of reopening the government? What about these ICE raids that seem to be out of control? What about these, the, the, these scenes that we're seeing where the Trump administration is basically militarizing ICE and sending them into places like Chicago and Portland and, and sending in the National Guard into places like Washington, D.C. should Democrats be asking for more than just help on health care? What do you think?

[Senator Andy Kim]

Well, look, we are, I mean, I literally, just a few minutes ago, just got back from the Washington, D.C. armory where I went to, spent all morning with the National Guard there, understanding, you know, the, the challenges that we're facing as a, as a district right now. And look, I mean, go in there and be able to engage. You know, what I came away with is first and foremost, you know, they have no idea when this is going to end. They're spending $1.3 million a week on this right now, and they have been given no clear metrics from the Secretary of Defense in terms of what they're trying to accomplish. I asked them, how are you measuring success? And they were like, we don't know. We haven't been given any clear guidance of what we're trying to do here. This is clearly something that is more performative. This is about, you know, Secretary Hegseth getting to play a part. And we see this now, you know, all over the country where Stephen Miller is literally trying to use our National Guard and law enforcement to try to bait Americans into causing some type of uprising or riots so that he can then call for the suspension of habeas corpus and come on in with national force. I mean, he's literally trying to set us up for a national crisis. So, look, we are fighting back on that, you know, when it comes to this fight right now with the budget. Look, I do think, as someone who ran for Congress during the 2018 midterms, being able to have that clarity of focus when it comes to what we're trying to hit at them. And this is something, again, that nearly 80% of the American people understand the importance of taking action to lower healthcare costs. Right now, the message is breaking through. It's something that clearly the Republicans don't want to talk about. Otherwise, Speaker Johnson would have the House in session right now. But the fact that half of Congress right now is not even here, and the reason why. I mean, like, you know this better than I do. You talked with a lot of these people. There are at least 10 Republicans in the House of Representatives that a month ago said that they support extending ACA subsidies. They supported it. They actually introduced legislation on it. If there was a vote today on whether or not to extend the ACA subsidies in the House of Representatives, and they got a floor vote, it would pass.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah.

[Senator Andy Kim]

And Speaker Johnson knows that, which is why he's intentionally keeping these members away from reporters, away from the spotlight, you know, trying to prevent. And, like, why is he doing it? He's doing it just for his own politics. He's more concerned about his own job than the job of 750,000, you know, furloughed federal workers or the millions, including our troops, who are not getting paid right now, while Speaker Johnson's pulling in a over $200,000 salary right now, and he's still getting paid, Trump's still getting paid. Meanwhile, these folks are not. So, like, look, people are pissed about this, and I think that that message is resonating. I think we need to keep our foot on the gas, and I think we can win this. I think we can get health care for millions of Americans, and that'll give us a momentum to be able to push forward. I think if we get a deal here and get healthcare for millions of Americans, we win the governorship in Virginia and New Jersey, we're entering with a lot of momentum to show people that we are actually the ones that are trying to solve these problems that Trump has not only ignored, but made worse in terms of how much more expensive things are than they were this time last year.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. And I. I mean, speaking of threats to democracy, you know, people are pissed about this, too. I mean, Trump was telling reporters just yesterday that he would consider utilizing the Insurrection Act. And this is a law from two centuries ago, to go around court rulings restricting his orders to send the National Guard and to places like Portland and Chicago over the objections of the local officials there. What can the Senate do? What can Democrats do to stop that? Because it seems to me if. If Trump tries to use the Insurrection Act, I. I mean, I think the. The threat to our democracy is going to be very severe at that point.

[Senator Andy Kim]

Yeah, I mean, look, it's already severe. What we're seeing already is so alarming. You know, I, I used to work as a civilian, you know, embedded with the military out in Afghanistan. I worked in Iraq. You know, when I heard the story about how there was a Blackhawk helicopter, Black Hawk helicopters, being used in Chicago, literally just about maybe 12 to 15 blocks from where I used to live on the south side of Chicago, that they were being used for ICE agents to rappel out into an apartment building. I mean, the idea that we're using, you know, this equipment that I saw out in Afghanistan and Iraq, I flew, we flew in these for admissions. Now it's being used in our own cities above our own communities. Like, I just find that to be appalling, I think is unacceptable. So we're already seeing that. And yes, Trump wants to take it even further, which is why they are intentionally trying to incite unrest around the country. And I mean, look at the social media posts that he continues to push out there. What Stephen Miller is constantly talking about. There's reasons why Stephen Miller uses the words about insurrection and civil unrest is like, those are the words that he would need to use to justify a suspension of habeas corpus.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, but I mean, aren't they. Aren't they the ones who tried to do an insurrection? I mean, that's. I mean, I pointed this out to our viewers. I mean, it's kind of rich coming from them. You know, Donald Trump and Stephen Miller talking about the Insurrection Act. You know, talking. Calling people insurrectionists. You know, Stephen Miller referred to that judge's ruling blocking Trump from sending in the National Guard to Oregon as legal insurrection. I mean, give me a break. I mean, that was my reaction. Your thoughts?

[Senator Andy Kim]

I mean, look, though, they're intentionally using the language about the. The enemy from within. This is a war from within. Trump gives a speech where he talks about using American cities as training grounds. And we see that right now, like, this is so far beyond. You know, I hope the vast majority American people, including those that may have supported the president, I hope they've seen that this has gone way too far. You know, this is well beyond, you know, anything that can be legitimately used as saying that they need this to be able to, you know, to be able to try to get order back in the streets. And as I said, I was just there engaging with some of, some of these National Guard that Trump activated in D.C. and they're like, we don't actually even know how we're what we're supposed to be doing and what metrics we're supposed to be engaged in. Because, again, it wasn't actually about dropping crime or whatnot. It was about photo ops, and it was about just a power play of domination by Trump. And Hegseth.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah, we're showing video right now. I mean, they were using tear gas in a Chicago neighborhood last week. Tear gas. I mean, right in front of people's homes. Yeah, I just can't imagine being in that neighborhood experiencing that.

[Senator Andy Kim]

Yeah, look, so, you know, they're from the federal down to the state level. I mean, I saw the legal actions that are being taken in Illinois. You know, these are all the different tools that we need to be mobilizing and. Yes, look, do I wish we had more levers, more tools, more actions we can do? Yes. But we're going to use, and we need to use everything to the absolute maximum and be able to showcase to the American people, you know, just what is at risk here and why it is so badly that we need checks and balances restored. We need to make sure we have a governor in New Jersey that's going to actually stand up to Trump. And we see, for instance, you know, Jack Cittarelli on the Republican side, he's somebody that said that he can't think of a single thing, not a single thing that he would. That he disagrees with Trump on, said that he would not sue the Trump administration if there were some actions that he took in New Jersey that we didn't like. You know, I don't want that representing my family. And so these. The elections have these consequences, and we need to make sure that people understand what the consequences will be.

[Jim Acosta]

Yeah. I was going to ask you, how do you think Mikey Sherrill is going to do in that race? She's the Democratic candidate there. She was a member of Congress in the House for a while there. I think she was pretty heavily favored in the race. It looks like the race has tightened somewhat. But I'm just curious what you think.

[Senator Andy Kim]

I came into Congress with Mikey Sherrill. I mean, she's someone that's, you know, served our nation as a Navy helicopter pilot, somebody who, you know, understands law enforcement, someone who has been serving in Congress through this difficult time. She's definitely up to the challenge. You know, I. I want her to be the governor to my family, to the state that I represent. And I think Jack Cittarelli would be an absolute disaster, especially because he's literally just someone that'll take orders from Donald Trump, as I said, I think Jack Cittarelli's only chance of even coming close to winning this is if the race flew below the national radar, which it just isn't anymore with what Trump did. As I think, as I told you, I think Trump really lost this race by attacking the Gateway Tunnel, something that has literally been the most unifying policy issue in New Jersey over the last decade. Literally, everyone supports that. And for them to use, like this Mafia mob boss tactic of withholding money because he, you know, he wants to get back at, you know, political leaders Schumer, Hakeem and others, you know, people don't like that. You know, they don't like that at all. It disgusts them. And it's nationalized to race. You know, I think Jack Cittarelli is just going to putter on, but he knows it's over. But look, we have to run through the tape and, you know, do everything we can. I always say, you know, you run like you're one point down and you just give it everything you got.

[Jim Acosta]

And you've got to make sure that. That the base is excited, that they're mobilized. Do you get the sense that that's going to be the case this time around? Because I think that might have been what hurt Vice President Harris in 2024, is that there was just. It. It lost that energy right at the very end. And what I'll say, you know, I've.

[Senator Andy Kim]

Been crisscrossing the state, you know, before. Before this shutdown happened. Now we're here trying to, you know, do the negotiations. But when I was going around the state earlier, what I will say is, like, look, I wouldn't. I think people see the challenges that we face right now. Excited is not necessarily the word that I would use. I would say that they have resolve. They know what they need to do. I don't think many people can get excited in this moment. When we see this lawlessness left and right, we see the tariffs taking money out of our pockets, when we see, you know, a government that is broken and fractured because of a president that is more interested in dividing us rather than, you know, than. Than unifying us and. And magnifying the strength of this country. So no one's excited right now in terms of just what Trump is doing, but they are resolute. You know, they. They know what we need to do. We know what we need to move forward on. And look, you know, with Mikey, like, they see somebody there who has served her entire career, career, someone who served under both Democratic and Pres and Republican presidents. You know, someone who understands that core. Understand. And she's a, you know, mom of little kids, too. In most of the early conversations I had with her when we came into Congress was just like, how do we do this as, you know, parents of young kids? But people like that, they like that they can relate to that. They, that they engage in that way. So she's the right leader right now for New Jersey, and Jack is certainly not.

[Jim Acosta]

All right, Senator Andy Kim. We covered a lot of ground. Really appreciate your time. Thanks so much. Hope we can do it again.

[Senator Andy Kim]

Yeah, thanks so much for having me.

[Jim Acosta]

All right, Good to see you, sir. Thank you. And I thought it was really interesting there what Senator Kim was saying about what he's hearing from voters, a sense of being resolved, that, that they're resolute, that they kind of know the assignment, I think is what he was getting at. And that voters in New Jersey and we have another election in Virginia, just outside here in Washington, D.C. governor's race there, Abigail Spanberger running against a very far right Republican, Winsome Sears. That race is not likely to be very close at all. Spanberger is expected to kind of win that in a walk. But in New Jersey, it could be a little tighter. We'll see. There have been some recent polls that have showed that race tightening, but I'm hoping that voters are resolute. I'm hoping that voters are going to show some resolve. I'm hoping that voters have not succumbed to what I've described as Trump Depression syndrome, where you get so down in the dumps that you just say, oh, well, that's it. I can't, you know, I can't take it anymore. There's nothing I can do. What, what can one person do? I mean, look at the people who were in power. They voted, they got into power and look at what they're doing to the country. And if you need something to help you stiffen your spine, I will just once again show the video that we've been showing for the last couple of days. Tear gas in a Chicago neighborhood. Tear gas in a Chicago neighborhood. Do you want this to come to a community near you? That is the question that I think people need to be asking right now. I don't know if we can show that footage again, but we were showing it to Senator Andy. Ken. But this crazy, this batshit crazy tear gas. I mean, look at that. It was a beautiful day of Chicago. People probably have their windows open. Can you imagine tear gas coming into your home because you have these ridiculous Militarized ICE agents who are totally out of control, setting off tear gas in neighborhoods. And the news has just come down in the last several hours that members of the Texas National Guard have arrived in Illinois. The Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has arrived in Portland. Donald Trump was telling reporters that he's painting a picture of Oregon going up in flames, that Portland is somehow under attack from within. It's delusional, it's crazy. It's bizarro world stuff. You know, I don't know, we can show that video again of him in the Oval Office with the Prime Minister of Canada. You know, all that gold shit all over the walls of the Oval Office now, is he getting high on these fumes? Have they messed with his brain? Do we, have we checked to see if it's lead based paint there in the Oval Office. That cheap, crummy, crappy gold, faux gold stuff that they put everywhere in the Oval Office. Is it somehow infecting his brain? Because every time he opens his mouth these days, it doesn't make any sense. And it seems to me that what's taking place right now is that the National Guard, the Department of Homeland Security, they're responding to the whims of a madman. They're responding to the whims of somebody who's completely lost it, who surrounded himself with sycophantic reporters shouting out ridiculous questions. He surrounded himself with all of this crummy gold decor, faux gold decor. He, he's, he's created this fantasy land in his mind that he's somehow America's dictator. But as I've said on this show, and I'll say it again, he's a dictator wannabe. And the difference between a dictator and a dictator wannabe is us. And that is why the voters who are going to the polls and these special elections, the voters go into the polls in these gubernatorial races, you can't, you can't succumb to what I call tds Trump Depression syndrome. You can't succumb to that. You have to show resolve. You have to be resolute. Because look at, look, look what is on the line. Look what's at stake. Our way of life is at stake. Our communities are at stake. Our neighborhoods are at stake. Do you want the National Guard from some other state, from some red state to come into your community and start setting off tear gas? You know, that stuff's getting through the windows, it's coming through the front door, it's going through the cracks under the door. Tear gas in your living Room because Stephen Miller and Donald Trump, they've, they've completely lost it and they've just decided to let ICE loose in communities around the country. That's, I reject that. That's, that's not what America should become. And, you know, I, you know, I'm going to stay on this. To me, this is, this is kind of the whole ball game. When Donald Trump is in the Oval Office flirting with the idea of using the Insurrection act, folks, if the Supreme Court gives him carte blanche to use that law, Mr. Insurrection himself, to use that law to send the National Guard wherever he wants. That's not a democracy anymore. And that is why, I mean, talk about me beating the drum and maybe beating the dead horse a little bit. That is why I've been asking every Democratic lawmaker who will come on this program, just about any, anybody who's a thought leader on the progressive base coming on this program. I think it's a, it's an important question. Are Democrats asking for enough in these negotiations to reopen the government? Because it seems to me the health care is very important. There's no question about it. And tactically, it might be the right move. My friend Molly John Fast was making that point. Tactically, it might be the right move. But I can't imagine a scenario where Donald Trump says, okay, yeah, we'll, we'll reopen the government, then I'll go ahead and negotiate with you on this Obamacare thing. You got to get them, you gotta, you gotta nail them down. You gotta pin them down now if you at least want that concession. But to think that the government is going to reopen without any concessions and that he's going to, on good faith, negotiate this stuff later. I don't know, folks, that sounds like about as hopeful as pissing in the wind. And it seems to me there's a lot more at stake right now and there's a lot more to be asking for at the bargaining table. And perhaps it's time for Donald Trump, instead of inviting Democrats into the Oval Office to try to humiliate them with Trump 20, 28 hats, maybe it's time for him to go to the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue and talk to the Democrats on their turf and let them say, we need more than what you're offering. We need more than what you're selling, man. Because what he's selling right now doesn't sound like America to me. Doesn't look like America to me. My thanks to Molly Zhang Fast. My thanks to Andy Kim, my thanks to all of you for watching. Really appreciate it. I think just a little programming note. I think, I think, I think, I think tomorrow morning, Wednesday morning, we're going to be doing some live coverage of the former FBI director Jim Comey showing up at the courthouse in Northern Virginia for his arraignment hearing. We're going to try to have some live coverage of that. So stay tuned for that. I'll keep you posted. I'll send out some social media notes to keep you posted on all of that. But in the meantime, still reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. Have a good evening. Thanks for watching. I'll see you next time.