The Next Level Podcast – Episode 1014
Jobs Numbers CRASH HARD! Kamala SLAMS Biden! Netanyahu PLAYED Us?
Date: Sept 11, 2025
Hosts: Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, Jonathan V. Last (JVL)
Episode Overview
This packed episode finds Sarah, Tim, and JVL diving into a fast-moving news week dominated by alarming international events, shifting U.S. politics, economic numbers, and a rare on-the-record, unfiltered blast from Kamala Harris. Their trademark mix of insight, banter, and frustration is on full display as they break down the news and what it means for American political life.
Key Topics & Discussion Points
1. Foreign Policy Chaos – Russia, Israel, and Trump's Response
Timestamps: 2:14–19:51
- Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace (02:14)
- Trump’s lukewarm, almost ambivalent response on Truth Social: “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones?” (03:10, JVL as Seinfeld impression)
- Trump was at Joe’s Stone Crab during incident, highlighting disconnect and lack of seriousness.
- Trump's Reaction and International Perceptions
- Trump positions as "top cop" but offers little substance or deterrence.
- Sarah: "Putin clearly knows Trump is just complete weak sauce, more on his side than NATO’s… people are starting to pop off feeling like the United States is now on the sidelines." (06:36)
- Israel Takes Matters Into Its Own Hands
- Recent Israeli military actions in multiple countries (Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Qatar).
- JVL: “Netanyahu has decided that he was going to tie himself to the Republican Party… that’s going to shatter the American bipartisan consensus on Israel… What I don’t think he understands is the existence of anti-Semitism on the right in America.” (10:49)
- Backlash Against Netanyahu Among Right-Wing Influencers
- Noted incident with Bibi on the Nelk Boys podcast – backlash from MAGA/Manosphere due to Israel issue’s divisiveness (13:24).
- Sarah recaps: “Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson… they are super mainstream and speak at the convention… Nick Fuentes got invited to Mar-a-Lago. As long as they like him, [Trump] just brings them in.” (15:12)
- Public Opinion Shifting on Israel/Gaza
- New polling: Only 27% support Netanyahu, 84% favor immediate ceasefire, showing U.S. politics is “getting away from” Netanyahu. (17:07)
- Big Picture: Trump as the “Peace” President?
- Tim: “Trump is just totally folded on this stuff… these guys have been pressure testing him for a while. Bibi knows he can bomb Qatar and Trump can be mad… so far, what we’ve seen—’President Trump is displeased’—that’s it. No follow up.” (05:49)
- Memorable Quote:
JVL: “Netanyahu has basically manipulated Trump… drags Trump into the Iran bombing… as soon as he gets what he wants… next we’re going to keep going without you, and America gets totally cut out of the loop.” (19:51)
2. Trump, Epstein, and the Cult of Denial
Timestamps: 22:35–37:20
- Trump Denies Epstein Connections
- Discussed Trump’s denial of his signature in Epstein documents (“It’s not my signature… it’s not the way I speak.” 22:56)
- Hosts point out the same tactic as Access Hollywood: Deny, claim forgery, rely on loyalists' willingness to suspend disbelief.
- Tim: “He has this stalling capability… he is counting on the stupidity of many of his voters and the cynicism of many of his supporters.” (24:41)
- Sarah: “This is the question. Are people stupid enough… or polarized enough to let this go?” (28:03)
- Media Critique
- Press conferences stacked with pro-Trump toadies, “straight up North Korean exercise,” laments Sarah (29:29).
- Tim: “It is North Korea. The way they've stacked this with MAGA reporters… It is crazy how just lickspittle they all are.” (30:37)
- Cult Dynamics & Moral Bankruptcy
- Tim: “It doesn’t matter what people say, truly. The whole point is a… cult development exercise… you’re going to say whatever ridiculous shit I say…” (33:51)
- Sarah’s Big Picture:
- “I think he did something pretty bad at some point and he knows it. He seems really—there’s a lot of stuff in his past… It defies all credulity… that 22 years ago somebody forged his signature and put it in this book.” (35:13)
3. Economic Warning Signs – Jobs Numbers & Public Sentiment
Timestamps: 39:53–40:03, 65:04–66:09
- Major Downward Revision in Jobs Numbers
- JVL: “Job revisions down 991,000 jobs through March, mostly from 2024. Not good.” (40:03)
- Tied to Hazleton, PA reporting: Local economy hurt, businesses struggling due to aggressive ICE actions, yet many still support Trump (41:00–43:56)
- Why Don’t People Blame Trump?
- Tim: “If it didn’t happen during COVID and it’s not happening in a town where the economy is struggling… you go there and people are still, like, well, Mr. Trump’s doing his best… you start to really grasp for other paths out, and that’s the part that gets me…” (45:10)
- Sarah points out selection bias in Inquirer reporting and that Hispanic support for Trump is actually at its lowest, citing Reuters and YouGov polling (46:19).
- Sarah’s Take:
- “People who were feeling like they were living in a crappy economy were a better indicator than the top-level expert numbers… the number revisions down means that the economy was in a much worse place…” (65:17)
4. Kamala Harris Book Bombshell
Timestamps: 51:44–59:57
- Excerpt from Kamala Harris Book Rocks Dem Circles
- Harris on Biden’s decision to stay in the race:
“It’s Joe and Jill’s decision. We all said that like a mantra… In retrospect, I think it was recklessness. The stakes were simply too high. This wasn’t a choice that should have been left to an individual’s ego.” (52:40)
- Harris on Biden’s decision to stay in the race:
- Kamala’s Critique of Her Treatment
- Sarah: “Show me the lie… The idea that they both set her up for failure, did not defend her… all it does is re-enrage me about this.” (52:40)
- Tim: “Joe Biden’s treatment of her from the beginning was unconscionable… You cannot pick somebody to be your vice president and then resent them or be concerned they’re going to come for you.” (54:36)
- JVL: “The fact that [the run decision] does not seem to have happened as a genuine group conversation is a scathing indictment of him … that is malpractice.” (60:22)
- What Could Kamala Have Done?
- Tim: “If you felt you needed to distance yourself from Biden more … you needed to do it in September 2024, not September 2025.” (58:36)
- Sarah: “When it comes to blaming people for 2024, she gets the least amount of mine.” (59:22)
- On Democratic Decision-Making:
- JVL: “There’s a cult of the presidency… but the truth is these things are institution-level decisions.” (61:55)
- Sarah: “A bunch of people made incredibly selfish choices and the entire… American experiment hinged on it.” (64:28)
5. Hazleton, Hispanic Voters, and the Blame Game
Timestamps: 40:51–49:55
- Hazleton Case Study (41:00+)
- Town’s economic decline tied to increased deportations and ICE raids.
- Despite personal hardship, many town residents continue to support Trump; blame shifted to “extremists around him” rather than Trump himself.
- Deeper Analysis
- Tim references David Frum: “If you have a friend get conned… they get mad at you instead of the conman. That’s human nature.” (43:56)
- Sarah: “Hispanic support for Donald Trump is actually cratering… 28% approve, 68% disapprove. He’s unique, but this doesn’t redound to the long-term benefit of the Republican Party.” (46:53)
- Emotional Takeaway
- Tim: “I want people to be mad… I want a reporter to go to Hazleton and… the people are fucking pissed.” (49:09)
Notable Quotes
- JVL (03:10): “What’s with Russia violating Poland’s airspace with drones?” (Trump’s Seinfeld-like response)
- Sarah (06:36): “Putin clearly knows Trump is just complete weak sauce…”
- Tim (33:51): “It is a… cult development exercise where it’s like, you guys are going to say whatever ridiculous shit I say about this…”
- Sarah (35:13): “There is nothing…that makes us go, ah yes, I’m sure he’s telling the truth, that 22 years ago somebody forged his signature…”
- Kamala Harris (52:40): “It’s Joe and Jill’s decision. We all said that like a mantra… In retrospect, I think it was recklessness.”
- Tim (54:36): “Joe Biden’s treatment of her from the beginning was unconscionable… You cannot pick somebody… and then resent them…”
- JVL (61:55): “The fact that that does not seem to have happened is a scathing indictment of him… that is malpractice.”
- Sarah (65:17): “People who were feeling like they were living in a crappy economy were a better indicator than the top-level expert numbers…”
Episode Flow & Tone
The hosts switch from sardonic humor to deep frustration frequently, especially as they discuss the denialism surrounding Trump, American foreign policy’s unraveling, and the “selfishness” underpinning 2024’s Democratic failures. Banter and jokes about “Sigma males,” “lickspittle” press, or “crepey” skin momentarily break the tension (see Tim’s moisturizer ad-read and JVL’s confession: “I have never once in my life moisturized.” – 39:23), but the mood ultimately circles back to disappointment over America’s institutional failures.
Timestamps for Key Segments
- [02:14] – Start of foreign policy discussion (Russia/Poland, Trump’s reaction)
- [05:49] – U.S. credibility, Israel’s regional aggression
- [10:49] – Netanyahu’s U.S. partisan gamble & the right’s anti-Semitism
- [22:35] – Transition to Trump/Epstein news, media response
- [39:53] – Jobs numbers and U.S. economic perceptions
- [41:00] – Hazleton, PA case study, immigration politics
- [51:44] – Kamala Harris book excerpt, critique of Biden
- [65:04] – Final discussion on economic revisions, how people felt vs. data
Final Thoughts
This episode zeroes in on the cracks in U.S. leadership (Trump’s unseriousness, Biden’s insularity), the political costs of polarization and denial, and a damning look at both parties’ inability to face reality—whether in foreign policy, the Epstein scandal, or the simply getting the best data about the economy. The hosts’ mix of righteous frustration and gallows humor offers a cathartic and insightful hour for politically plugged-in listeners.
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