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- [00:00]
Jim Acosta
Welcome to special edition of the Jim Acosta show, which Fanon was just telling me. People watch. And then that's it for news, which is astounding to me, but I appreciate it. We're doing a fuck it Friday. Let's just get right to it. Mike, it's good to see you. It's been a little while.
- [00:21]
Mike Fanone
Yeah, no, it's been. It's been a minute, man. We've both been busy guys.
- [00:24]
Jim Acosta
I know. Congrats to you. I'm seeing your substack is not only taking off, but you got a YouTube show that is really doing well. Congratulations on that. I'm excited for you on that. And you were saying you could now pay your bookie back and something like that. Right, right.
- [00:42]
Mike Fanone
Pay off all my debts, pay my taxes.
- [00:46]
Jim Acosta
You and me both, you know. Hey, but it's been a long time since we've done a fuck it Friday and it's time to bring it back, and it feels like that kind of a week. But I. The reason why I reached out to you this morning, I just to let everybody in onto the conversation. I. I called Mike this morning because I saw on Instagram, and your brother does the Instagram stuff with you, which is terrific. And I guess somebody left some actual. Outside your home. Is that what happened? This is another one of these maga coming after you or something? Can you tell us? I guess. Let's just start there. We'll get into everything else.
- [01:22]
Mike Fanone
Yeah, no, I just, you know, got this morning and I just recently moved to. To this location and, you know, mount Walking the dogs walked past my truck that was in the parking lot, and there's a. A plastic Wawa bag filled to the brim with. With. I'm assuming it was dog, but who the knows? And some of these folks, they probably.
- [01:50]
Jim Acosta
Shit in a bag, so, you know, you just never know.
- [01:53]
Mike Fanone
Yeah. There was a note that said, don't get it twisted. This isn't political. You're just a piece of shit. And then there was a little smiley face. So. Yeah, I mean, I wish I could.
- [02:12]
Jim Acosta
Say, but it's probably. It's probably political because why else would. You know?
- [02:16]
Mike Fanone
Yeah, I mean, I just moved here and I, you know, I like to think of myself as a friendly neighbor.
- [02:24]
Jim Acosta
Yep.
- [02:25]
Mike Fanone
And. Yeah, no, that's. And it. You know, it's just like there's a history of this. For those of you who were. Were not aware. Several months ago, my mother had an individual pull up in a pickup truck and hurl a bag of shit at her while screaming, you know, words to the effect of, your son is a traitor, yada, yada, yada. And it's, you know, there have been incidents like this, you know, that we've endured, my family and I, over the past four years. So.
- [03:03]
Jim Acosta
Yeah.
- [03:04]
Mike Fanone
Nothing new.
- [03:04]
Jim Acosta
No, I mean, somebody just emailed me the other day that I should go kill myself. And I mean, this has been going on for years, truly, since 2017, basically ever since, you know, Cuckoo had called me fake news. It's been, this has been my life, you know, people impersonating loved ones and on social media to send me messages and, you know, telling me that I'm. They're going to choke the shit out of me until I die and all of this stuff and my old place, they didn't want me to ever really talk about it. I did end up writing a book about it and getting into it. But I know the reason why I always want to reach out to you when these kinds of things happen is so you know that you aren't alone and, and you know, you've got backup. You know what I mean? Like, there are folks who care about, you can see in the comments right now. And I know you're not looking for that, but you just need to know that, you know.
- [03:56]
Mike Fanone
No, I mean, listen, it's. I know that now.
- [03:59]
Jim Acosta
Yeah.
- [04:00]
Mike Fanone
You know, when it first started happening to me, which, you know, again, for, for people that don't know, the first time that I ever received a threat was literally during my congressional testimony before the January 6th select committee. You know, after I finished testifying and left the hearing and had time to collect my thoughts. Like while I was testifying, I was receiving phone calls and there was a message and I ended up, I went on Don Lemon show and we played the message in its entirety and it was full of profanity and racial remarks and homophobic remarks. But, you know, again, it's. This is what we're up against, so to speak. And these are the, these are the type of people that, you know, call themselves MAGA supporters and, and, you know, have joined the ranks of, of maga. And they are, they really are some of the most despicable human beings that were ever produced.
- [05:09]
Jim Acosta
They're brainwashed in many cases and they've been, you know, red pilled or whatever they, they want to call it. And you know, I used to go through these threats and then you would trace back, you know, okay, who is this person who's leaving this? Right? And you would trace it back to an Instagram account or a Facebook account and There would be all this Christian stuff, you know, and their favorite Bible verse and all of this stuff. And I, and it makes me, you know, wonder what happened to these people, you know, how did they end up in this. Somebody just said it's a violent cult. How did they end up in this violent cult being brainwashed into thinking that it's okay to treat other human beings in this fashion? I mean, Mike, you're absolutely entitled to your opinions. You know what I mean, after everything you've been through. My God.
- [05:59]
Mike Fanone
Yeah. No, I mean, not in Trump's America, though. I mean, that's the whole point. And people need to recognize that it's a new normal. And what Trump and what so called leaders in the MAGA movement do is they dehumanize people that voice opposition, people like yourself, people like me. And they make it okay to do things like this or worse against us because we're not real human beings.
- [06:35]
Jim Acosta
That's right.
- [06:36]
Mike Fanone
We're traitors or work. And so that's how this type of behavior has become commonplace for anyone really that speaks out in opposition to this administration and to the, you know, the MAGA movement.
- [06:56]
Jim Acosta
Yeah. And I mean, and that's the other reason why I wanted to talk to you, because people need to understand that what we're up against over the next several years, I mean, what's happening right now is a picnic compared to what we might be up against in the next several years. And you and I were talking about this this morning. I want to branch off into this part of the conversation. And that is, I mean, the folks over at NPR who, by the way, they're getting completely fucked right now, came out with a great investigative piece where they discovered that a senior advisor for the Department of Justice is a former January 6th defendant who urged rioters to, quote, kill police at the Capitol. This guy, Jared Wise. And there's video. If you haven't seen the video, folks, go check it out. He's on video calling police officers Nazi and the Gestapo. And then a few seconds later, it cuts to him saying, kill them. Kill them. And these are the people in the government right now. And this guy can't be the. It's not a one off. We know this is not a one off, right?
- [08:04]
Mike Fanone
No, I mean, this whole weaponization think tank or whatever the hell they call it within the Department of Justice that Jared Wise, the former FBI agent who, you know, appears to have been radicalized and, you know, became a participant in the January six insurrection. An active participant. I mean, this is somebody who was encouraging other protesters to, like you said, kill the police. So let that sink in for a moment. And this individual is now a employee of the Department of Justice collecting a taxpayer funded salary.
- [08:51]
Jim Acosta
You know, that's right. And I said npr, they obtained the transcript of his testimony. He acknowledged that he repeatedly yelled kill him as officers were being attacked. I'm just not to interrupt, but this is not, this is not, this is not what he said. She said. He, he did this.
- [09:10]
Mike Fanone
And I, you know, I think that, you know, in all the chaos that that is, you know, that is the Trump administration, it's easy, I think, for people to lose sight of. You know, I wouldn't refer to it as a small thing, but, you know, in the grand scheme of things, you know, this think tank and these individuals, it's not, you know, huge, but, you know, these are people that harbor some extremist viewpoints. You know, you've got, the head of this working group is Eagle Ed Martin, somebody who has, you know, espoused white nationalist ideology, who has, you know, participated in events which hosted, you know, well known white Christian nationalists, white supremacists, you know, and a person who tweeted out no MAGA left behind in the aftermath of Trump's presidential pardons for, you know, not only the 1500 total insurrectionists, but the hundreds, you know, more than 500 individuals who had committed acts of violence against uniformed police officers who were just doing their job on January 6th. And so, again, I think it's important that the media keeps this front and center because this is a huge component of Trump's administration. Individuals who previously were not given a seat at the table in any legitimate fashion because their viewpoints were anti government and extremist, and now they are part of the government.
- [11:02]
Jim Acosta
That's right. The insurrectionists are running the government. People need to understand that the people who attacked the Capitol on January 6, those are the type of people who are running the government right now. And that's part of what we're up against. And you and I were also having this discussion about the tactics being used by ice. And I mean, I was talking about this with Maria Cardona yesterday. The fact that DHS put out this Instagram, this batshit crazy fascist looking Instagram post of this father and son working for ice, and it says, we're removing the age cap for ICE so fathers and sons can go and bond together. And they actually used the term bonding, as if you're going to go out and engage in male bonding with your son by rounding up Hispanic people and rounding up Migrants. That is sick, sadistic shit. And you just. It has to be called out as such. I'm sorry. And then the other day today. What is this? I wanted to talk. We were talking about this Operation Trojan Horse was conducted out in California, where they conducted this operation using a Penske truck. Truck. Insane.
- [12:15]
Mike Fanone
I mean, and I've said it before, and I'm going to say it again for you. The tactics being utilized by ice, and I try to defend law enforcement tactics, or at least explain law enforcement tactics. As a former law enforcement officer, there is absolutely no legitimate explanation for the tactics that are being used by. By ice. It is disgraceful. And I'll be honest with you, Jim. It makes me embarrassed to have. Have ever worn a badge as an American law enforcement officer. You know, these agents should be ashamed of themselves. I don't know how they go home and look. Look their children or their families in the eye after having engaged in this type of behavior. It just has absolutely no place in a democracy and no place on American streets. Uh, and the, the Penske truck thing was just absolutely ridiculous.
- [13:26]
Jim Acosta
Yeah.
- [13:27]
Mike Fanone
Um, I mean, it was. There. There's no other way to describe it but buffoonery. And then seeing these agents going out every day looking like they're about to raid Osama bin Laden's, you know, hideout, it's just. It's ridiculous. Seeing them jump out into a Home Depot parking lot and, yeah, these big.
- [13:50]
Jim Acosta
Bellied guys cosplaying, you know, SEAL Team Six. You're exactly right. They act like they're. They're carrying out a raid against Al Qaeda or, you know, and they're rounding up grandma or some guy working, you know, at a Home Depot or something.
- [14:05]
Mike Fanone
Right. Marching through. I mean, I forget the name of the park in downtown Los Angeles. You know, they got these guys on armored vehicles and horseback and all this shit to round up nobody because there was nobody in the goddamn park. There's no done for. All done for optics. All done to instill fear. But they're not just instilling and invoking fear in migrant communities. They're instilling and invoking fear in American cities. And the reaction, I think, is very telling in that Americans don't want this.
- [14:41]
Jim Acosta
They do not want this.
- [14:42]
Mike Fanone
You can be pro law enforcement. Yeah. And not want to see this bullshit on your street or in your city. Because to me, what it says is, it says, listen, you Los Angeles, your elected officials, your governor of your state, we're going to come in as the federal government and do whatever the hell we want to do which I, you know, as somebody who's vaguely familiar with what the Republican Party used to represent, isn't that go completely against the idea of federal intervention into what is.
- [15:21]
Jim Acosta
They don't give a shit about that anymore. The whole state's rights and the rights of local governments, municipality, that has been turned on its head right now. Donald Trump not only wants federal control over states, he wants federal control over the District of Columbia. He apparently wants federal control over elections. He's going around and saying, I want five congressional seats over here. Punchbowl had a story out this morning saying they're eyeing 12 congressional districts they want to claw back. So, I mean, folks, this is not even a democracy anymore. If they can rig our congressional districts in the middle of a presidency so the opposition party doesn't have a chance to win power in the upcoming midterms, what the fuck is going on here?
- [16:07]
Mike Fanone
Right? And then you create this environment, you know, that of escalatory behavior, and it's like a, it's like an arms race with, you know, with, you know, congressional seats where, you know, Trump is going to do that and then the Democrats have two choices, either bend over and take it, or we can do the same thing. But in Trump's, you know, MAGA ecosphere, they're not going to pay any attention to what he's doing and what the Republicans are doing. They're only going to pay attention to what Democrats do in response. And then there is the, you know, then that further delegitimizes the Democratic Party in the, you know, maga's eyes.
- [16:54]
Jim Acosta
Exactly.
- [16:54]
Mike Fanone
I guarantee you're going to see people committing acts of violence like this country has never experienced, because they really are going to see real time what they believe is the Democratic Party trying to steal elections, even though it's just a reaction.
- [17:12]
Jim Acosta
You're absolutely right. And I was talking about this yesterday. I was, you know, if California jumps in and does this and Illinois jumps in and does this and New York jumps in and does this, and it becomes such a goddamn hot, steaming pile of shit next year heading into the midterms and it goes to the courts and everything, Trump can just step in and say, this is so out of control, you know, maybe we just shouldn't have bid terms this cycle and the whole fucking thing is off. And I'm telling you, people need to wake up and understand that the way he thinks is not in line with this country. It's not in line with this country. And my guess is, is that he is thinking he can stir up such A shitstorm that it becomes. Everything becomes so uncertain that maybe things do get sorted out, but it takes months or, you know, the Republicans who are in control of Congress say, hey, wait a minute. What do we, you know, what can we do to stop this? And it goes to the Supreme Court. He's got a 6 to 3 majority in the Supreme Court. I, you know, I, it worries me a great deal. And it's one of the reasons why we don't do this shit in the middle of, you know, he wants to redo the census because he wants to redo congressional districts through the census. He wants to hang on to power. It's why he is redoing the White House like Liberace's wet dream. You know what I mean? It just is fucking unbelievable, you know? And he doesn't want to go.
- [18:39]
Mike Fanone
Yeah, no, I don't think he has any plans of going. I think that he plans on spending the rest of his years inside of the White House. But, you know, you're right. And then I, I worry that, I mean, you've got. I just lost my train of thought.
- [19:02]
Jim Acosta
Yeah, I threw you off with Liberace. I'm sorry about that.
- [19:05]
Mike Fanone
No, because you said Liberace, and then I remember seeing the movie, and then I was like, huh, I wonder why Trump hasn't made Melania get plastic surgery to look just like him.
- [19:15]
Jim Acosta
That's so true. Remember that? That was such a crazy movie with Michael Douglas, and I think it was Matt Damon.
- [19:22]
Mike Fanone
It just came on the other day, too, and I was like, it just gets weirder every time you see it.
- [19:28]
Jim Acosta
But, yeah, that's what Mar A Lago looks like. It looks like Liberace's house at the, what was it, the Mirage or whatever in Las Vegas or. Those are the Tiger guys. I can't, I get it all confused. But anyway, you know what I'm saying? It's fucking Friday. The references don't have to be perfect. They don't have to be factually accurate. It's fucking Friday episodes enough and you still got your Orioles hat on, even though they just like my Nationals completely shut the bed this season. You're dedicated.
- [19:56]
Mike Fanone
It's been a rough. You know, I still love them and I love the new ownership, but I'm, I'm a Die Hard. I'm a Die Hard O fan, man.
- [20:06]
Jim Acosta
I hear you, I hear you. No, I, I, I'm, I'm with you. But the reason why, I think there's a through line through all of this that goes back to your bag of shit is because people have been so desensitized to how to treat people in a decent way, to just treat people like other human beings. And we're all guilty of it at times. I'm guilty of it at times. Nobody's perfect. But it's become institutionalized. It's the reason why ICE behaves the way it does. I, I, you know, it's, it's, they, they brought these people into the Trump administration to execute Project 2025. I mean, it is, and I don't know how we un, untangle this. I don't know how we get ourselves out of this. It, it really does concern me.
- [20:59]
Mike Fanone
Yeah, I, I, I don't, I mean, you stumped me on that one. I, I don't have a.
- [21:05]
Jim Acosta
Well, you were saying earlier, you, you think you might understand the mentality of some of these ICE officers and what they may be saying to one another when they go out and do these kinds of, these kinds of raids. And, and I mean, look, there's, yeah.
- [21:19]
Mike Fanone
I don't even have to surmise. I mean, there's been video footage released of some of the roll calls in which, you know, a handful of ICE officers are pushing back against, you know, what they're, what leadership is telling them to do. And, you know, unfortunately, the vast majority of them seem to be, you know, enjoying their new newfound freedom to go out and pretty much do whatever the hell that they want to do in, in furtherance of, you know, I guess what's been reported as Stephen Miller's 3,000 a day quota for, for obtaining guys. And I, you know, there's a piece that came out, I think it was the New York Times that reported it. I talked about it on my, in substack and also on my YouTube show that they were offering, There was an email, an internal email that went out inside of ICE in which they offered $200 to any ICE agent that was able to deport an individual within a week and $100 if it took two weeks. Now, that email was out for about four hours before they rescinded it with a simple disregard. But, you know, they didn't do it because somebody realized that that was inhumane, disgusting and illegal. They did it because they were worried about getting caught, which they did. And so I think that speaks to the character of ICE leadership. And I think it also, it speaks to the internal culture within that agency that something like that could be said and could occur. And, you know, again, you know, you're putting bounties on human beings. The vast majority of which their sole crime is wanting a better life for themselves and their families and, you know, having difficulty jumping through the insane hoops that it takes to, to become a, an American citizen.
- [23:26]
Jim Acosta
Yeah, I mean, the, the actor Dean Cain apparently wants to be, become an ICE agent. And I'm like, dude, you're probably gonna, you know, you're probably gonna have to drop about 30 pounds to pull that off. But, you know, he fits, he fits.
- [23:38]
Mike Fanone
It, he'll fit in perfectly. You know, he's a racist piece of shit, washed up Hollywood guy turned Fox News, you know, show host, and now he can, you know, go and, and be a racist on the streets of la.
- [23:55]
Jim Acosta
Yeah, yeah, he is the Superman dude. Somebody was just asking, is that Superman? Yeah, it is the Superman dude, but not the current one. The current one's actually pretty good. I don't know. Anyway, the other thing, the reason why I think Trump is freaking out, and I've talked about this probably for the last month, he's, he's totally freaked out about Jeffrey Epstein. I know you and I haven't really talked about this, but I guess we were talking about a little bit on the phone earlier this morning. You were kind of wondering, well, how the, how the, did this not bubble up as a bigger issue for him sooner than now. And it's true. I think that's, there's some truth to that. I think when they tried to sweep it under the rug about a month ago, everybody said, wait a minute, what? You were going to release the files of this stuff? And I guess what they found out was because if you look at the timeline back in May was when they briefed him and said, oh, yeah, by the way, Mr. President, you're in the Epstein files. You know, I think that's part of the reason why he's freaked out. I think that's part of the reason why they don't want these congressional districts flipping to the Democrats and they don't want the Democrats to seize power because, you know, the Republicans might pretend right now that they're going to get the Epstein files just to sort of stall for time, but they're not going to do that in any kind of, in any kind of way that hurts Trump where they're all fucked. So it's going to take Democrats taking.
- [25:12]
Mike Fanone
Over, and it's going to take Democrats taking over. And I mean, you look at like, listen, we're in a lawless era in this country where we have a Department of justice and we have a Federal Bureau of Investigation, the two premier federal law enforcement agencies in this country that are subservient to and wholly in allegiance with Donald Trump. And so the idea that, you know, that, that whether Trump is in there or not, and I happen to believe that, that he most certainly is, and that he's committed some pretty egregious crimes in his lifetime against children, he won't be held accountable for it because they're just not going to let that information get out.
- [26:05]
Jim Acosta
Yeah.
- [26:07]
Mike Fanone
And so, you know, then what do you do? You know, if they release it, it'll be, you know, redact, suck, redacting it. They'll just get rid of those pages, you know that.
- [26:19]
Jim Acosta
Yeah, but just like who are in charge of releasing the files are the, who are going to cover it up.
- [26:24]
Mike Fanone
Right, exactly. And it, you know, it's just, and I, I really do, I feel for the victims who have, you know, had to live through this and then see it become politicized and, and literally just, you know, watch half of America treat them as, you know, as if they are, you know, their experience is not real, that they are, you know, leftists, you know, whatever. Donald Trump discounts those that, that accuse him of illegal acts, like myself, you know, when I, when I testified before Congress, I immediately became a leftist plant. And, you know, to, to have experienced what I went through on January 6th and then to have 50% of America discount it and even demonize me for it, you know, I feel for them, I really do, and their families, no question about it.
- [27:29]
Jim Acosta
Me too. And, and they, their feelings and, and their pain and, and what they went through, their experiences were not taken into consideration when they moved Ghislaine Maxwell, the ex girlfriend, to a minimum security prison. Are you kidding me? I mean, I'm sorry, but that's. You. You've moved a child molester to a minimum security prison? Somebody who molested children, molested underage girls and sex trafficked them. Anybody who needs to understand, can you do all the reading or watch the documentaries and so on, Understand what Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of doing and she's a known perjurer, she's a known liar. And they moved her to a minimum security prison after she spoke to Todd Blanche. What does that tell you? It tells you that she's going to do what they want her to do. And it might not be enough to convince everybody, but it'll be enough to convince the MAGA influencers and the brainwashers and the cult.
- [28:28]
Mike Fanone
Absolutely. And then, you know, we'll see. What I mean, unfortunately, only time will tell what type of deal is Arranged. You know, I, you know, I would surmise that it probably something that comes to fruition either after the midterms or after, you know, the, the next presidential election. But I, I again, the, the mere fact that she was moved to a minimum security facility, which, you know, my understanding is that despite Donald Trump's claims that this is a normal practice, this is not a normal practice, because being moved to a minimum security facility requires that you meet certain types of. You know, there's boxes that need to be checked.
- [29:12]
Jim Acosta
Yeah.
- [29:13]
Mike Fanone
And one of, One of them, One of them that prevents that is simply being in prison for being a child molester and, And a sex trafficker. And so this is not normal, you know, to say that again about this administration. This is not normal. Nothing that this administration does is normal. And it's, you know, find time that mainstream media starts addressing that appropriately, though they seem incapable of handling that task.
- [29:49]
Jim Acosta
Yeah, I mean, when you watch these press conferences now, I mean, you know, it's pretty infuriating to watch because a couple of people will ask questions and then, you know, somebody else will chime in and say, oh, well, what about Vladimir Putin coming? Or what about the tariffs? And it's like, guys, you know, you gotta. You gotta follow up each other's questions, for Christ's sake. You know, am I the asshole here? Like, you know, somebody needs to jump in and say, Mr. President, have you had sex with an underage girl? Why are you so worried about the Epstein files? You said you were going to release the Epstein files. Why haven't you done it? And if he says it's a hoax and so on, you say it's not a hoax. You were friends with Jeffrey Epstein. How the fuck can it be a hoax?
- [30:34]
Mike Fanone
Yeah, maybe you need to get your press credential back. And.
- [30:38]
Jim Acosta
Yeah, that's never gonna happen. That's never gonna happen. I'd have to, you know, figure out another way inside, which, you know, might get me sent off to the El Salvador and gulag or something, but they'll take away my citizenship. Yeah, I mean, I. I think that's what he's really. I think that's kind of the whole ball game here. And, you know, it makes me. It makes me really worried because if he's that desperate, then he'll. He'll do anything.
- [31:08]
Mike Fanone
I mean, listen, I think that. I don't think that the Epstein files was a planned distraction, but I also feel as though, you know, where we're at today versus where we were at when this whole thing, you know, exploded. What Two, three weeks ago. I mean, look at how things have quieted down and calmed down and how, you know, people in MAGA world have learned to, you know, twist themselves once again into pretzels to justify. And, you know, at the end of the day, it's like he calls it a hoax. And that's more than enough for most in MAGA world. You know, those idiots are now.
- [31:54]
Jim Acosta
Those idiots are now. They're chasing this Obama treason bullshit. You know, they're. You know, they're. They're. Pam Bondi and Tulsi Gabbard, you know, and Pam Bondi, who I. Who sounds like. I've said this before. I'll say. She sounds like Ricky Bobby's girlfriend in Talladega Nights. You know, I'm a racer's wife. I don't work. I don't work. They pedal this nonsense, and then the MAGA influence, people want to understand what's happening. I had this lady on earlier this week, Juliet, who runs Decoding Fox News, and she went through, like a thousand minutes of their primetime coverage and Fox and Friends and so on. They did, like, five segments on Epstein, but they do segment after segment on Obama and all this other bullshit. And it's very difficult to penetrate that bubble, you know, and anyway.
- [32:48]
Mike Fanone
Yeah, I don't think. I don't think that the Epstein thing is going to end up, you know, being the.
- [32:54]
Jim Acosta
You don't think. You know, because. Because they'll. I just wonder if it comes out that he did have sex with an underage girl, will MAGA somehow try to explain it away? I.
- [33:09]
Mike Fanone
You should.
- [33:10]
Jim Acosta
It scares me to think that. But, you know.
- [33:12]
Mike Fanone
Yeah, no, I mean, I. Listen, I think that. I think MAGA world is capable of justifying any action that President Trump, you know, commits simply because he's the guy that's, you know, fighting for whatever issues are seemingly important to them. And unfortunately, I think a lot of it just comes down to racism and a racist view of what America, you know, could be and should be.
- [33:51]
Jim Acosta
Right?
- [33:52]
Mike Fanone
And I mean, how do you defeat that? You know, how do you fight? I mean, we've already seen, like, look at all the Americans that have been, you know, had their lives turned upside down by this administration that supported him in the past. You know, whether it's, you know, my spouse was deported or, you know, I lost, you know, tariffs are ruining my business and destroying my job. But, you know, as long as Trump keeps giving me somebody to blame, whether it's the Democratic Party, whether it's people of color, whether it's immigrants Then I'm fine. You know, I'm, I'm okay because I've got somebody to point the finger at and to call a piece of shit. And I mean, let's be honest, my life was, was tough during, you know, all the previous administrations. And so at least Trump gives me somebody to blame. And there you have.
- [34:46]
Jim Acosta
Yeah, well, Mike, I mean, I, I, you know, for the folks who are tuning in late, you know, one of the reasons why Mike and I are talking today is, you know, this, this horrendous thing that was done to you where somebody left a bag of shit outside your home and so on. I, I, I don't want you to ever think that you're alone or you're fighting this battle by yourself. You know what I mean? You got people on your side, I'm on your side. We're going to fight through this thing together, and I think that's what we have to do.
- [35:25]
Mike Fanone
Yeah, no, I agree. I mean, it's, you know, there's a community of us that have, you know, experience what we've experienced. But actually, coincidentally, I got involved in this organization called Home of the Brave. And the, the whole premise is giving voices to people that have been, you know, wronged by this administration, whose lives have been turned upside down, who, you know, and, and the, you know, part of it is, you know, Trump policies, and part of it, you know, some of a component of that is, is people who have, you know, experienced, you know, violence or threats because of their willingness just to speak out within their own communities. And so, yeah, I know there's a lot of people out there that, that are, you know, that are going through this, you know, maybe not to the level that you or I or some others have experienced, but it's not a one off and it's, it's a sad state of affairs here in the good old US of A.
- [36:43]
Jim Acosta
It is. But I, I, I, you know, for you and I sang repeatedly throughout all this. We don't know how we get out of this. I mean, we're not giving up either. That's the other part of this is.
- [36:56]
Mike Fanone
Like it, you know, it's like it, it's, you know, it's disconcerting. I mean, I got my kids here with me and, you know, God forbid, like, they were the ones walking the dog this morning and found that, you know, and the note on my truck. You know, it's, that's pretty, pretty sick thing to, to think about, but for me, it's just like, now I'm going to talk about this. Until people are sick of hearing about it. I'm gonna let people know, and I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing. I'm not going anywhere. I just, you know, and I hope that my courage inspires other people to do the same thing. Knowing just what you said, Jim, which is like, there's a whole army of us out there that. That will have your back if, you know, something like this is to happen.
- [38:00]
Jim Acosta
That's right. And I think, you know, it kind of redefines it Friday because it. Friday is more than just. We just come on and say, okay, people need to understand that. And I. And, and listen, I get a lot of comments from people and they, I. There's a lady who. Nice lady who left a message the other day on Substack, and I don't understand what the. With, you know, why you're so enamored with the word fuck. And, you know, listen, you know, I'm not enamored with it, but fuck it, Friday is more than just you and I. Come on and use salty language. It's a battle cry. It's a battle cry. And I want people to understand. We're not giving up to the ship bag brigade. We're not giving up to the shipbaggers. They can drop a bag of shit wherever they want. And I'm sorry, you know, I'm sorry that they can't think of something more creative than that. Their mind isn't, you know, hasn't expanded enough. But we're not backing down.
- [39:07]
Mike Fanone
Let's not give them any ideas if they want to keep putting bags of. All that takes is me putting on a rubber glove and throwing it in a goddamn trash basket. So that's a good point.
- [39:18]
Jim Acosta
I'm not trying to any day. That's true. I. That's a good point. That's a very good point. You know, if all they can come up with is a bag of, then it's like, sir, you know, gosh, you really hurt our feelings with the bag of shit. You know, please just keep leaving bags of shit. But fuck it, to me is a battle cry. And it's like, fuck it. We're not giving up on this country. Fuck it. We're not giving up on our kids. Fuck it. We're not giving up on elections in this country. Fuck it. We're not giving up on democracy in this country. Fuck it. We're not giving up on you and me. We're not gonna fucking do it. Fuck. Fuck, Fuck.
- [39:56]
Mike Fanone
Yep. And them.
- [40:01]
Jim Acosta
But the. The. The baggers. And then this might be a show where I. This might be in a conversation where I've said more than you've said. Have you gotten soft on me, Fanon?
- [40:15]
Mike Fanone
No, man. I, you know, like, I got. I got a lot of. I, I was worried after the town hall where, you know, I went. I went pretty hardcore in that town hall. And I think I let loose with a side of myself which has been here ever since I could say four letter words. But I think it's trying to behave.
- [40:41]
Jim Acosta
Yourself with me like a shock.
- [40:43]
Mike Fanone
The conscience of you can just everybody use your imagination as to all the things that are going through my head as to what I would like to say and. Or do to this person that, you know, put on my car, threw shit at my mother, you know, all of those things. And if you imagine them and then cross that with, like, the stuff that happens in, like, Dante's Inferno, like, that's kind of where my head is at at all times.
- [41:18]
Jim Acosta
Yeah. And no, and I know you felt that way after the town hall, but in no way, shape or form was I at all concerned about that. Just so you know. And I'll sign on. I'll sign a contract that says so wherever you want, a deposition or whatever. You want me to say that. But I. No, I'm deadly serious about this. I'm deadly serious about this because, I mean, it was a couple days ago, I had this author on who wrote this book about the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima. And we were talking through some pretty important stuff. And I'm not justifying dropping the bomb on Hiroshima or anything like that, but we went through this conversation and this historian, Garrett Graff, he lays out the Nazis were trying to get the Palm, too. We beat them to getting the bomb. But the larger story there is that an entire generation of people in this country cared about this country so much, they all had to say, fuck it. They sent their young men off to die on the beaches of Normandy. They went off to the factories. Instead of making cars, they started making, you know, bombers. And I, you know, people will say, oh, well, I don't know if we have it in us. Are we that kind of generation? We're too addicted to our phones and everything else, and we could never. We don't have a choice, folks. We don't have a choice. We. This is it. We are going to have to. We're going to have to put on our big boy and big girl pants and save this country. That's just all there is to it.
- [43:08]
Mike Fanone
Yeah, no, I agree, man. I. You Know, I think, like, I applaud these Texas lawmakers that have fled Texas, you know, to avoid participating in this, you know, outrageous act of gerrymandering, which, Listen, I get it. You know, both sides gerrymander. We talked about that earlier, you know, but in this concern about an escalation and whatnot, which I think is the point that I was trying to make, that I lost my train of thought.
- [43:36]
Jim Acosta
Oh, yeah, it's like. It's a good point.
- [43:38]
Mike Fanone
Okay, what, you know, what happens if. When Trump, you know, because I do. I do believe that, you know, whether it's the FBI or some, you know, agency or contractors, whatever the case may be, that they do try to make an attempt to, you know, arrest these individuals and transport them back to Texas. You know, when are we going to draw the line?
- [44:04]
Jim Acosta
I agree.
- [44:05]
Mike Fanone
You know, when are we going to draw the line and, you know, start taking to the streets in such, you know, massive numbers, you know, walking out on our jobs, shutting down the country because we're losing our foothold in anything that, that in any way resembles a democracy. And I, you know, I, I'm. I'm around people all the time that are invested and that. That are prepared, you know, prepared to be arrested to. Prepared to be, you know, assaulted by police officers for trying to protest. But I. There's just. There's too many, I think, that are. That are indifferent. And. Yeah, when they're talking about.
- [44:56]
Jim Acosta
Yeah, when they're talking about rounding up, using the FBI to round up state lawmakers.
- [45:01]
Mike Fanone
Right.
- [45:02]
Jim Acosta
Give me a break. In what way did these state lawmakers commit a crime? The FBI is not the secret police. We're not talking about Putin's thugs going out and rounding people up because of what you're talking about, civil disobedience, so on. That's basically what these lawmakers have done. It's an act of civil disobedience.
- [45:24]
Mike Fanone
Well, I mean, the other thing is, you know, not to interrupt you, Jim.
- [45:27]
Jim Acosta
But, yeah, this is.
- [45:28]
Mike Fanone
This is what all of us have been demanding from the Democratic Party. We've been demanding civil disobedience. We've been demanding action. We've been screaming about it. You know, we took to the streets and the no Kings protests. We finally found a group of Americans that are willing to put their money where their mouth is and risk, you know, detention, risk legal action, arrest or worse. And, you know, we need to back them up. We need to support them. It shouldn't just be, you know, the governor of, of the state of Illinois out there preventing their apprehension it should be every democracy loving American out there preventing any type of intervention from the federal government or anyone else for that matter. Yeah, I mean, this is, you know.
- [46:24]
Jim Acosta
If Barack Obama were to send the FBI after people, can you imagine if Barack Obama sent the FBI after a bunch of Republican state lawmakers? They would be screaming, screaming in the halls of Congress.
- [46:38]
Mike Fanone
The Tea Party at that time would have set fire to every state capitol and, and just, you know, it would.
- [46:46]
Jim Acosta
Have been burned the country down.
- [46:47]
Mike Fanone
Yeah, absolutely. They, but you remember, the Tea Party is now embedded within, you know, a lot of the, the nut jobs from, from that time period are now embedded in this administration. And, you know, it's full steam ahead when it comes to tearing down the federal government and trampling all over the Constitution.
- [47:11]
Jim Acosta
Yeah, no, Donald Trump, I mean, you know, he, he's going for broke, folks. And he has said fuck it. People need to understand that he has said fuck it. He knows he can, he can pack on all the crazy orange makeup and, and he can have all the hairdressers, all the king's hairdressers, and all the king's men can work on that fucking whatever the fuck that is up here and they can put all the gold shit on the walls and everything. He has said fuck it. And so we must say fuck it. Yep, I think that's it. That's the ball game. If people, you know, people need to understand what, what's at stake here. You know, he has said fuck it. And they have said, by the way, they said fuck it years ago and the rest of the country is just waking up to that.
- [48:02]
Mike Fanone
Yeah. And it just, you know, it comes down to, you know, just like you were talking about in, you know, in the years leading up to World War II, you know, what is this country prepared to do? Not to defend democracy overseas, but literally to defend democracy here on our own, you know, in our own country.
- [48:31]
Jim Acosta
Yeah. Well, Mike, on that note, I think we should both say fuck it and start the weekend here. I, I, I'm heading off to, there's a cocktail waiting for me over on the Eastern Shore, so I'll, I'll see you on the other side. But always good to talk to you, my friend.
- [48:49]
Mike Fanone
Hey, it's flu crab season, man. Get some of those.
- [48:52]
Jim Acosta
I'm gonna eat that like it's going out of style. That's what's gonna happen.
- [48:56]
Mike Fanone
All right, buddy.
- [48:58]
Jim Acosta
All right, Mike, Good to see you. Thanks a lot. Appreciate it. That's my friend, Mike Fanone, my, my partner and, and crime. Everybody have a great Weekend. Really appreciate you tuning in all week long. I just woke up this morning and. And I. This is what happened. I looked at Mike's Instagram and his wonderful brother Peter had posted this video of Mike and what he had found. And I just hope the folks out there understand that a bag of shit is not going to thwart what we're doing here. And, you know, for folks who are like, oh, he says fuck a lot. What is this? It's not a newscast. No, this is not a newscast, ladies and gentlemen. This is. This is my show where I do the news and I give you information, but I also. Exactly what that comment was right there. I also want you to understand that there are people out here, like Mike and I, who hear you. That we are not going to let the bastards get us down. That we are not gonna let this country turn into a bag of shit. And we understand that the President of the United States, which I don't call him that very much because I don't think he deserves to be called that. We understand that he has said fuck it, and so we must say fuck it, too, because we're on the right side of history. We're on the right side of this struggle to save this democracy, to save this country before it goes down the tubes. And that's not to put us up on a pedestal. That's not to put us up on Mount Olympus or anything. That's not what I'm talking about. We're talking about preserving and protecting the American way of life. We're not giving this up to a bunch of masked thugs in the back of a Penske truck. We're not giving up to the shitbaggers. The shitbaggers need to understand you can fill up as many bags of shit that you want, however you want to do it, but we're not taking your shit. Because now we're saying it, too. My thanks to Mike Fanone. Still reporting from Washington, I'm Jim Acosta. Have a great weekend. Take care. Bye bye.
- [51:50]
Mike Fanone
It.