ELECTION INTEGRITY; COLIN ALLRED; BILL MAHER

Summary

The Stephen A. Smith Show – ELECTION INTEGRITY; COLIN ALLRED; BILL MAHER

Date: February 5, 2026
Host: Stephen A. Smith (SiriusXM POTUS Radio, Channel 124)

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Episode Overview

Stephen A. Smith expands his “Straight Shooter” show beyond sports, diving into the pressing issues making headlines this week—election integrity, political polarization, and notable current events. He offers unfiltered commentary, sharp insights, and calls out hyperbole on both sides, bringing a centrist, skeptical eye to the political discourse.

The episode features:

• An in-depth monologue on election integrity and current political discourse.
• Interviews with former Rep. Colin Allred on Texas Democratic Party disputes and Senate race dynamics.
• An extended interview with HBO’s Bill Maher, reflecting on Trump-era politics, the role of hyperbole in political debate, and the evolving challenges on the left.

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Main Themes and Purpose

• Election Integrity: Stephen A. critically analyzes recent GOP and Trump administration moves to “nationalize” elections and the proposed SAVE Act, raising concerns about intentions and the impact on voter access.
• Democratic Strategy and Infighting: A look into the Texas Democratic Party, race in electoral politics, and whether recent infighting boosts or harms the party’s prospects.
• Political Hyperbole & Its Risks: Both parties’ use of extreme rhetoric, its effects on centrists/independents, and why Democrats should avoid mimicking Trump’s style.
• Special Guests: Honest, candid conversations with Colin Allred and Bill Maher on political strategy, honesty in discourse, and the perils/necessity of “real talk” in today’s political landscape.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Stephen A.’s Monologue: Election Integrity, Trump, and the Risks of Hyperbole

[00:00–21:52]

• Opening Frustration: Stephen A. affirms his political stance as an “independent leaning left, fiscal conservative” and expresses alarm at Trump’s proposals.

  • “I’m a registered independent who obviously leans left. Most times I’m a fiscal conservative…disgusted for what I’m seeing.” [01:30]

• Trump’s Push for Nationalized Voting & SAVE Act: Trump and GOP propose taking over election administration (see GOP calls to “nationalize voting” and require strict voter ID).

  • Stephen A. explains:
    • “Republicans ought to nationalize the voting…We have states that are so crooked.” [04:02; quoting Trump]
    • Critiques White House attempts to spin the proposal as “common sense”—reminds audience the requirements would disenfranchise many.

• Focus on Exclusion, Not Security: Cites Brennan Center estimates that over 21 million Americans would struggle to meet the SAVE Act’s ID requirements, including young, elderly, low-income, and minorities.

  • “Over 21 million eligible U.S. citizens lack ready access to the documentary proof required under the SAVE Act.” [11:28]
  • Reframes: The debate isn’t just about “showing ID,” but structural exclusion.

• Warning to Democrats: Criticizes Senator Schumer’s “Jim Crow 2.0” language (referencing new voting restrictions), arguing exaggeration backfires and alienates moderates/independents.

  • “Avoid the hyperbole, avoid Jim Crow 2.0, because…that’s going to lead to an abundance of American citizens looking at it and harkening back to real time when Jim Crow laws were in full effect…Most importantly, those who are centrist…are going to say, yes, that definitely is hyperbolic.” [15:54]

• Political Landscape: Stephen A. questions Trump’s obsession with the 2020 election even after his 2024 victory, suggesting his focus on old grievances breeds chaos—what got him booted in 2020.

  • “A commander in chief of the greatest nation…, more preoccupied with an election he lost than the election he just won.” [18:41]

2. Interview: Colin Allred on Texas Democratic Infighting

[24:26–45:48]

Topic: Fallout after a viral video claims Rep. James Talarico made a racially insensitive remark regarding Allred and Jasmine Crockett.

Highlights & Quotes:

• Nature of the Allegation:

  • Allred explains the controversy: “[Talarico] was planning on running against a mediocre black man, meaning me, not a talented and intelligent black woman, meaning Jasmine Crockett…” [25:54]
  • Allred stresses the issue is not criticism of his campaign, but “the formulation of making it about race.” [27:23]
  • Emphasizes need for leaders “who…have empathy…[and] understanding of all the groups that are part of the Democratic coalition.” [27:43]

• Talarico’s Response:

  • Talarico denies attacking Allred on race but stands by calling the campaign “mediocre.” [28:35]
  • Allred responds: “If somebody said that I said something I didn’t say, I would just say I didn’t say it.” [31:01]

• Praising Black Women to Mask Criticism of Black Men:

  • “We’re tired of folks using praise for black women…to mask criticism for black men…Don’t pit people against each other.” [32:13]

• Impact on the Race:

  • Allred notes he only endorsed Crockett after this incident; previously intended to stay out of the race. [33:53]
  • “I have to respond both on my behalf, but…not showing disrespect to black candidates, to how important black voters are in our state.” [35:04]

• Polling and Path Forward:

  • Crockett leads with 75% support among Black likely Democratic voters. [38:46]
  • Allred’s advice: “Tell your story, tell in a way that includes everyone, brings everyone along and tell them, you know, why you’re fighting…” [39:21]
  • On Republican upsets: Cites recent Democratic wins as evidence that “we can make change happen.” [41:24]

• Democratic Pitfalls:

  • Allred: “We cannot be defending an indefensible status quo. …We can’t just call out [Trumpian] corruption and not our own.” [43:32]

Notable Moment — On Party Strategy:

Stephen A.: “Don’t fall into trying to be Trumpish.” [43:22]
Colin Allred: “You’re absolutely right…It lends itself to this feeling that it’s all corrupt, the whole thing is rigged.” [43:32]

3. Listener Calls & Stephen A.’s Rebuttals

[60:19–77:25]

• Debating Bias: Callers accuse Stephen A. of bias (“Trump Syndrome”), only interviewing Democrats, or not being fair.

  • Stephen A. counters with a list of conservative guests and his criticism of both parties.
    • “Sixteen conservative guests, 16 liberals. Know what that’s called? Being fair.” [79:21]

• On Obama’s Deportation Record:

  • Stephen A. notes Obama deported 3.1 million people, more than Trump, arguing it’s about approach and optics, not just policy. [67:19, 56:50]
  • “Sometimes you could get more flies with honey than vinegar. And when you’re too willing to use vinegar, optics, step in.” [67:59]

• ICE and Police Conduct:

  • Highlights recent polling showing declining support for ICE—debates whether tough tactics at the border are effective or politically damaging. [48:43–53:35]

4. Interview: Bill Maher on Political Discourse and Election Integrity

[85:40–97:15]

• On ICE Pullback After Minneapolis Incident:

  • Bill Maher: “They reacted to politics, which is actually a positive thing…Trump is not somebody who doesn’t pay attention…The message has gotten through to the White House.” [87:17]

• Trump’s Obsession with 2020 and Federalizing Elections:

  • “He does not concede elections. …The fact that he’s still obsessed about the one he lost…I mean, man, I feel like the Godfather II—‘Michael, do you have to wipe out everybody?’ You won…what does 2020 matter?” [89:05]
  • “What is Tulsi Gabbard doing in Georgia looking into the 2020 election? They combed through that like five times already. What are they going to find?” [89:43]

• On the Dangers of Political Hyperbole:

  • Agrees with Stephen A. that “Jim Crow 2.0” is an overreach.
    • “Not everything is primarily a racial issue. …It’s foolish to make it about that. …Don’t engage in the kind of hyperbole that’s just gonna bite you in the ass.” [91:43]

• Epstein Files and Elites’ Accountability:

  • Maher discusses new revelations—“Anybody…able to get in touch with Jeffrey Epstein, they were doing it. And they all lied about it. …Where does QAnon go for the apology? …You weren’t totally wrong about that.” [92:46]

• On Democratic Party and Wokeness:

  • Maher draws distinction between “old-school liberals” and “woke excesses,” noting backlash he’s received for talking to Trump and refusing to “just say, well, you know, that’s the blue team, I’m not going to say anything.” [95:31]
  • “You have no argument. These people…it’s just emotional. We hate Trump and you talk to him. He’s the president. You have to talk to him.” [96:27]
  • “He needs more people like me talking to him, not less…It’s certainly better than just having Stephen Miller talk to him.” [96:56]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On “Jim Crow 2.0” (Stephen A.):

“Avoid the hyperbole, avoid Jim Crow 2.0, because…that’s going to lead to an abundance of American citizens looking at it and harkening back to real time when Jim Crow laws were in full effect…Most importantly, those who are centrist…are going to say, yes, that definitely is hyperbolic.” [15:54]

On Trump Nationalizing Elections (Stephen A.):

“We have states that are so crooked and the county votes. We have states that I won that show I didn’t win.” (Quoting Trump) [04:02]

On Establishing the Stakes (Bill Maher):

“He does not concede elections…What does 2020 matter? But that’s kind of an obsession with him.” [89:05]

On Democrats and Corruption (Colin Allred):

“When I talk about the corruption of the Trump administration, they’ll say, what about the corruption in Congress?...We can’t just call out one version of it and not call out other versions.” [43:32]

On Calling Out Both Sides (Stephen A.):

“I started the show…in September. Do you know how many guests I had? …16 conservatives and 16 liberals…That’s called being fair.” [79:09–79:21]

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Key Timestamps for Reference

• 00:00–21:52 Stephen A.’s opening monologue on Trump, election nationalization, SAVE Act, and risks of hyperbolic language.
• 24:26–45:48 Colin Allred interview—disputes within Texas Democrats, race and strategy in the Senate primary, vision for moving forward.
• 48:43–53:35 Discussion of ICE, polling, and deportation policy outcomes.
• 60:19–77:25 Listener calls: accusations of bias; debate on objectivity; Stephen A. rebuts, highlights his positions and guest booking.
• 85:40–97:15 Bill Maher interview: Borders, federalized elections, party excesses, Democratic strategy, Jeffrey Epstein revelations.
• 91:43 Maher agrees with Stephen A. on the need to avoid racial hyperbole in modern political contests.

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Tone & Style

True to form, Stephen A. brings the brash, no-nonsense honesty he’s known for, acknowledging political complexity and calling out “BS” wherever he sees it. His guests, particularly Maher and Allred, match his candor: the episode is fast-paced, animated, sometimes funny, and deeply skeptical of both party lines.

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Conclusion

This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in:

• The nuances of voter integrity legislation.
• The dangers of rhetorical escalation in modern politics.
• Real-world party dynamics and intra-party debates.
• Honest, sharp-tongued commentary that refuses to be pressured by party orthodoxy.

Big takeaway:
Both the left and right risk alienating key voters when they resort to hyperbole and exclusion—honesty, empathy, and tough scrutiny (of all sides) are desperately needed in today’s high-stakes political climate.

Transcript

[Stephen A. Smith]

Straight shooter with stephen a.

What's up, everybody?

Welcome to the latest edition of Straight Shooter with yours truly, Stephen A. Smith coming at you as I love to do every Wednesday night over the airwaves of Sirius XM, POTUS radio, channel 124. Remember, the call up is 86696, POTUS at 866. That is the number to call up. I sit before you tonight expecting two guests to come on the show. One is former representative out of Texas, Mr. Colin Allred, who's embroiled in a situation against another Democratic representative out of Texas by the name of James Talarico in terms of some things that he believes that were said by Telorico and how offensive he found those statements to be in as a result, him covering, him encouraging folks to pretty much throw all their support behind Representative Jasmine Crockett, an individual that he gave up his race for the Senate for in favor of positioning her to step forward and ultimately run for the Texas Senate seat herself. We'll get into that a little bit later on the show. Real Times. The one and only Bill Maher from Real Time with Bill Maher is is HBO is coming on the show a little bit later on as well. I sit here knowing that I have to interview those people. And I got to confess to you all that I got something else on my mind because I'm very, very alarmed at what I've been seeing President Donald Trump do. And before I get into it, I want to remind y' all that when it comes to my political beliefs and what have you, I'm going to remind you I'm a registered independent who obviously leans left. Most times I'm a fiscal conservative, meaning that you know what, when it comes to taxes and things of that nature, I'm definitely big on the conservatives with that. When it comes to practically everything else, for the most part, I'm pretty liberal. Some I've had call me the most conservative liberal they've ever seen. Or in the case of Patrick bet David likes to joke that I'm the most conservative Democrat he's ever known because I don't bullshit. And if I sat up there and I uttered a curse word in the first three minutes of the show because I'm disgusted. I'm disgusted for what I'm seeing. And I'm not a person that sits.

Idly by and look at the Democratic.

Party and think this stuff don't stink.

I don't buy somebody telling me it's.

Perfume when they pass gas.

And I'm not going to buy it.

From the Republican Party either.

But when I see things that are.

Incredibly alarming, particularly when it comes from.

This particular president, I get very, very concerned because I.

Because I think he is in a complete. He's a complete aberration. He's a complete anomaly.

I don't think that Senator Marco Rubio.

Would be the kind of president that he is in terms of his behavior.

I don't think that George W. Bush was that way.

I don't think that Ronald Reagan was that way. I don't think that HW was that way.

I don't think any Republican would be the way this man has been. So I don't even view him as.

A Republican or a member of the gop. I just think that the time has.

Come where we're talking about being alarmed. It's not just reserved for folks on the left. It's reserved for some of the stuff.

That we're seeing right now.

Let's take into consideration what Trump recently.

Made new for the latest thing that he's made news for.

When he was calling for the GOP to nationalize elections, he not only said it in front of their face, he went on a Dan Bongino show and.

He uttered those things. Listen to what he's saying. The President of the United States. Listen to this.

Republicans should say, we want to take over. We should take over the voting.

[Ken (Caller)]

The voting in at least many 15 places.

[Stephen A. Smith]

The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting. We have states that are so crooked and the county votes. We have states that.

[Ken (Caller)]

I won that show. I didn't win.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Caroline Levitt, the White House press secretary.

Naturally, we needed somebody significantly more coherent and direct and clear to really, really.

Clarify for us exactly what the President meant when he talks about nationalizing voting.

Listen to her.

[White House Press Secretary]

What does President Trump mean when he says Republicans ought to naturalize voting?

[Stephen A. Smith]

What does that look like in President.

[White House Press Secretary]

What the President was referring to is the SAVE act, which is a huge common sense piece of legislation that Republicans have supported that President Trump is committed to signing into law during his term. And he spoke with the speaker directly about that yesterday, about the need to get that bill on the floor for a vote, because it provides very common sense measures for voting in our country, such as voter id. I don't think any rational person who's being honest with themselves would disagree with the idea of requiring citizens of this country to present an ID before casting a ballot in a federal election or frankly, in any election. And that's something the President wants to see happen. So that's what he was Referring to.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It would be a lot easier to.

Stomach if it was just that simple.

If you didn't come across as a president and as a party that was fixated on curbing wants individual to vote in this country. Because when you take into account the fact that you've been prioritizing immigration issues and highlighting the amount of illegal migrants.

That have entered this country, the belief.

Is very, very simple. If you're a United States citizen, here legally, whether you were born or here legally, chances are you're going to vote for Republicans. That's what they're saying. And if you're anybody else, chances are if you find a way to get to the polls or what have you, you know what, you're going to vote Democrat and you believe this is a voting block that the Democratic Party wants to line up. That's your belief. Now, me being a centrist, me being a moderate, I'm the first to say to you, hey, you know something? I usually have to show voter ID for an abundance of other things. What's the big deal with showing it for voting? And I get that part. But then I remember who we're dealing with here and who we're talking about. And we're not just talking about a president that's fixated on voting. We're talking about a president that's fixating on reminding the world that he believes he was robbed of an election in 2020, even though he's reclaimed the White House, winning the popular vote in the Electoral college vote in 2024, even though he's been in office for over a year, even though he's traveled the world over from Israel to meet in to being in Alaska with Vladimir Putin, to traveling over to the Middle east, whether it's Saudi Arabia or Qatar. And he's had to deal, he's attended G20 summits and all of this other stuff, no matter what the fact that he's the President of the United States, the Commander in chief of the United States of America, the leader of the free world, that nobody is disputing at this particular moment in time. There's nobody that's saying that the 2024 election was fraudulent, even though that's over and done with. This man seems more interested in validating his proclamations that he was robbed of the election in 2020 than he is of being president right now. And when you see that kind of stuff going on and then you take into account some of the other things that he's had going on over the last few weeks, it becomes increasingly alarming. Take, for example, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbit and how she arranged, reportedly, for FBI agents who searched the Fulton county elections and operations hub in Georgia last week to have a phone call with President Trump, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation. Fulton county officials say FBI agents removed about 700 boxes containing ballots and other materials associated with the 2020 election after obtaining a search warrant approved by a federal magistrate. Jud investigators are going ballot by ballot, searching for any irregularities, sources said. This is considered unusual. A president and a director for National Intelligence speaking to line agents from the FBI about an ongoing criminal investigation. What the hell does that have to do with what's going on in the world today? Nevertheless, it's what he's doing. And Tulsi Gabbit, what does she say? He was just thanking them for their service. He was just thanking them for their hard work. I put him on the phone with them for a quick minute. Really? That's what we're talking about here. It's that kind of stuff that gets you very, very alarmed. Why does it get you very, very alarmed, ladies and gentlemen? Or why should it get you very, very alarmed? Because right now, at this particular moment in time, as we sit here contemplating so many things that's going on, I watched the other day, Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat, New York City, Minority Leader in the Senate, speaking about the SAFE act and how disconcerting it was for him, and even going as far as to bring up Jim Crow 2.0, which, by the way, I want to say for the record, I. I think it was a mistake. It's a mistake to engage in that kind of hyperbole. I'm going to explain to you why in a minute, but first I want you to hear what Senator Schumer had to say when it came to Jim Crow Laws 2.0. Listen to his statement and understand why it should be alarming and why I should catch your eye and make sure it's something that we all should need, we all need to address right now. Listen to Senator Schumer. What do you say to Mike Lee's.

Argument that the Senate rules allow the majority to require the minority to stage.

[Colin Allred]

A talking filter filibuster to stop the SAVE Act?

[Stephen A. Smith]

We've got to get this done, and we've got to get it done very quickly. The SAVE act is an abomination. It's Jim Crow 2.0 across the country. We are. We are going to do everything we can to stop it.

Don't like that at all. Now, when I tell you that I'm not down for Democrats. I'm talking about the extreme left.

I'm not talking about conventional leftists like the Schumers of the world, the Bill Clintons of the world and others. I'm down for that. I'm not down for the modern day.

Extreme leftist Democrats any more than I'm down for maga. Right, because I'm not down for them either. But we don't need to be using that kind of verbiage. We don't need to be using that kind of language. Why? Because, ladies and gentlemen, that plays right into Trump's hands. It plays right into his hands when you bring it up.

The SAFE act, for example.

Let's understand what that is. Current voter registration requires only signing a sworn statement under penalty of perjury, affirming citizenship. The SAVE act would eliminate that option for federal elections. Why is this relevant? Because the Brennan center for justice estimates.

Over 21 million eligible U.S. citizens lack ready access to. To the documentary. To the documentary proof required under the SAVE Act. That includes married individuals who change their names, young voters registering for the first time, elderly voters born before hospital birth certificates became standard, people of color statistically less likely to have passports.

By the way, this is according to the research, and I'm reading along with.

Low income individuals unable to afford passport.

Fees or birth certificate cost. Folks on the right don't want to hear that.

Folks on the left say, damn that.

You should hear it. And what they're talking about and what they're alluding to is the 21 million people that it would be more difficult to provide ready access.

So they could.

Be able to vote. You're trumping them. You don't care about that. You're Trump.

You have a different agenda.

My point is, if you're Chuck Schumer.

Why engage in the hyperbole? Why not let Trump dig his own grave? Proverbially speaking or figuratively speaking, why not do that?

This is a man, this is a president that was recently on the record talking about how white folks have been treated cruelly. These are the kind of things that he was saying. And when you look at it from that standpoint, you got to wonder what his agenda is. He's trying, he's going out of his way to appease to his base and to appease to the affluent amongst us, particularly those who voted for him, like almost damn everybody else, because I'm not seeing a lot of things that he's doing that's benefiting the rest of us. I know people are talking about the tariffs. I know people are talking about the economy that hasn't crashed. I know we're looking at the fact that a recession hasn't necessarily kicked in, that inflation isn't as bad as we thought it was going to be, that the border has been patrolled to some degree and we no longer have open borders. And as a result, you can't just walk in here. Not to mention the fact that hundreds of thousands of migrants here illegally have been deported. So things seem a bit safer, whatever. But my question to you would be, for whom? Because of the state of affairs that's existing right now with the verbiage that's coming out of his mouth, with the actions that he's exercising to follow up on those things, with the stuff that he's trying to push, where he's got Republicans behind him pushing for nationalized voting. Whether you agree or disagree with it, I'm talking about his agenda. I'm not talking about the benefits or the hindrances. I'm not talking about the negatives and the positives. I'm talking about him. What's the agenda? You got a midterm coming up. You got him worried about the GOP losing the House and the Senate and how, if that's compromised in any way, that compromises his ability to do what he wants to do up until he departs from office. We're seeing Democrats right now fighting with him, knowing that your leverage is limited because no matter how much you fight with him to create modifications within ICE to make sure that officers have to wear masks, to make sure that they have warrants before entering people's homes, along with other things, these stipulations that you're pushing for, even though you've just averted a shutdown, another shutdown, you still on the verge of jeopardizing all that the Department of Homeland Security will have available to them to take care of TSAs, Secret Service and other components. But you can't touch ice. You can't talk, you see, you can't talk about, you know, border protection. You can't touch them because the big, beautiful bill that went into law ensured that they're going to be financed through 2029. So they're going to still get their money. Maybe not tsa, maybe not Secret Service, maybe not, stuff like that. But ICE and border protection, oh, they're going to get their money through 2029. So what leverage does the Democrats do? The Democrats really, really have? The answer is not much.

But what are they doing?

They're trying to win the election.

So it's important for them to put up a fight. So you encourage and incentivize those who are inclined to vote for you to do just that as the midterm elections come up. It makes total sense.

But if you're Senator Schumer, respectfully, sir, avoid the hyperbole, avoid Jim Crow 2.0, because ultimately, what that's going to lead is to an abundance of American citizens looking at it and harkening back to real time when Jim Crow laws were in full effect. And it's going to make them say, nah, that's not the case in the year 2026. Most importantly, those who are centrist, those who are independent, those who are moderate, what are they going to do? They're going to say, yes, that definitely is hyperbolic. This is another exaggeration.

So guess what?

You're no better than him. Don't do that. You're playing right into his hands. And doing something like that could be to your detriment.

Instead, I like to suggest you focus on a couple of other things.

How about the equal?

How about the employment Commission investigating Nike for discrimination against white workers? Why don't you focus on something like that?

Why don't you look at something like.

That and say, wait a minute.

You'Re.

Talking about white folks that were at a disadvantage. You're talking about white folks that may have been mistreated and targeting Nike, who's made billions off of the backs of black people.

You're saying somehow, some way, their willingness to do anything remotely favorable to black people is a problem. It's just the latest thing to decry DEI and its existence while ignoring the reality that the biggest beneficiaries of DEI were not black people, they were white women. Similar to what went on with affirmative action. But we don't touch on that enough. We're not paying enough attention to that. He's engaging in hyperbole. He's doing what he always does. He's saying what he needs to say. If you're the Democrats, you can't fall prey to it. You can't fall prey to his verbiage and try to mimic him and do what he does. Because there's only one Donald Trump. He is truly an individual that has proven that he can look up at the sky, see blue skies, say it's orange, and nobody's gonna hold it against him, even though they know he's lying. He has truly proven himself to be that person. Nobody in the Democratic Party has pulled that off. Nobody. Not only has nobody pulled it off, you don't have anyone who can't pull it off.

Folks on the left have to walk a little bit differently because what you're dealing with is the ultimate anomaly. A commander in chief of the greatest nation in the land, more preoccupied with an election he lost than the election he just won and the responsibilities that came along with him winning it.

He is the President of the United States fixated on showing you that he.

Should have been the president from 20 to 24. 2024.

He's fixated on it. He won't stop. He won't stop in terms of going to places like Georgia in the voter registration booths. He won't stop when it comes to the vengeance tour, whether it's Letitia James, whether it's Jack Smith, whether it's James Comey, whether it's John Bolton or even Don Lemon, he won't stop. It's almost like he has this. This. It's an extreme fetish or a fixation on I told you so. I was right, you were wrong.

Instead of moving on and moving forward, forgetting that that breeds chaos, and because that breeds chaos, it's exactly what people in 2020 booted him out of office for.

Remember, ladies and gentlemen, even though the left don't want to admit it, before COVID the economy was doing all right. We didn't hear much about border issues. We certainly didn't hear about crime in the streets being as pervasive as it ultimately became, with everything from the racial riots to Covid and everything else in between. We didn't hear about all of that.

Before COVID It was Covid that disrupted a lot of things. It was Covid that ultimately disrupted his presidency.

Even when we didn't like how he.

Politicized and hijacked the Colin Kaepernick narrative.

And politicized that he would have won.

Reelection if it wasn't for Covid. But Covid came and chaos reigned subsequently. And as a result, people in the streets of America looking at our state of affairs in this country said economic issues, border issues, security issues, we just got to get him out of there. Because it's too much chaos. That is what is on the verge of happening again. Unless, of course, the Democrats decide to engage in as much hyperbole as he.

Does.

Then there's no difference. So what does it matter? You get through the midterms and then after that Rubio advance runs against whatever Democrats you're going to put out there, where's that gonna get you? At this moment in time, the Democrats can't say they know, even while the Republicans are scared to death that Trump is gonna blow everything for them. And by the way, it's hard to believe it's an accident. It's hard to believe that he's oblivious to all of this. It's much easier to believe he doesn't care because he's in office, running the show, getting paid along the way. And oh, by the way, still making sure to periodically remind folks, it's not like I'm running in 2028, so he doesn't have anything to worry about. SAFE act, voter registration, border issues, the list goes on and on. When somebody's imploding, get the hell out of their way. Hopefully someone on the left will listen. Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Lots to get into one of the issues we're getting into next, former representative out of Texas, Colin Allred. He was a guest on this show a few weeks ago, but he's embroiled in something right now. A fellow Democratic representative he believes attacked him unfairly. So he believes it disqualifies him from running for office in the state of Texas. He's up next to speak about exactly what that individual did, exactly what he believes that man said, exactly why he believes it disqualifies him, and whether or not that should ensure that Representative Jasmine Crockett is the next Democratic nominee for the United States Senate out of the state of Texas. All of that and more coming up. You're listening live. Straight Shooter with Stephen A. SiriusXM Police Radio channel 124. Back with more in a minute.

31 minutes past hour.

Number one back here on Straight Shooter with George Truly, Stephen A. Over there with just SiriusXM POTUS radio channel 124.

It's always great to have my next.

Guest on the line. He's been on the show before. Enjoy talking to him. Good brother. Accomplishing a lot of good things from a rep out of Texas. Obviously ran for the Senate seat before, wasn't successful at that venture, but obviously undoubtedly would do big things in the future. But right now, he's embroiled in some noise, to say the least.

He is.

Former representative out of Texas, the one and only Colin Allred, right here on this on Straight Shooter with yours truly. What's up? What's up, sir?

How are you?

How's everything going? Colin?

[Colin Allred]

Hey, Stephen A. You know, I know you're at the super bowl, so I'm jealous of you.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, you.

Are you jealous because I got news for you. I, I'm hoping it's not going to be a Blowout. I'm hoping it's gonna be competitive. You know, I don't. I mean, if it's a blowout, we all here for nothing.

I'm telling you that right now.

[Colin Allred]

That's true.

[Stephen A. Smith]

We're all here for nothing.

But listen, I, I, I want to get to you. I want to get to you because.

I want to talk about this just to enlighten the audience here. It's supposedly a viral TikTok video. There was a claim on it about a private conversation. You said it's. That disqualifies James Talarico, the Democratic representative running for the U.S. senate. He's saying it was a mischaracterization and denies the framing that he was accused of making. I want you to remind the audience of what you believe was said and why you took such umbrage or what reportedly came out of his mouth. Just take it away in your own words.

[Colin Allred]

Yeah. Thank you, Stephen. Listen, listen. I take no, no pleasure in this, okay? This is not the kind of stuff I spend my time on. I'm a serious person, and I don't mind being criticized. But what was said here and as reported by this young woman who was his supporter, who'd endorsed him when he was running against me, who believed in him, but was shocked to hear him say that he was planning on running against a mediocre black man, meaning me, not a talented and intelligent black woman, meaning Jasmine Crockett. Right. And so. And that was the framing that upset her, and that was shocking to her because criticizing me or my campaign would not have been shocking to her, but criticizing me on a, on racial grounds was. And I think, you know, to me, that's the kind of thing that has to be called out. I, I've always said that in politics, I'm not going to, you know, withhold, you know, my opinions on things like this, but I have a few rules, and I have. My rules are pretty simple, which is that I, I don't respond to criticism. I don't respond to people who have an opinion about me. That's fine. That comes with the territory. But if you cross over into something that I think is inappropriate or that can demean a larger group or even impact young people watching and thinking that, hey, maybe I, maybe running for office is not for me. If, if I'm, if he's not qualified, what can I do then? That. That's what gets me heated.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Did you see or hear him say it directly, or are you simply going.

By what she reported? He said?

[Colin Allred]

Yeah, this is based on what she said, but also based on, you know, contemporaneous reports that she made other folks at this, at the time that it happened. And I think, also, let's be clear, he's not said that he did not say it. He's just saying that what he said was intended to be about my campaign. Right. And I think that's. This is a very clear thing. If. If I had not said something and somebody said I did, I would just come out and say directly. Those words did not come out of my mouth. That is not their position. The position is, oh, no, it was about the campaign. And that's. That, to me, is not persuasive, in part because she would not have been upset about that because she was a supporter of his. It was the formulation of making it about race. And also the idea that you might feel so comfortable in a setting like that that you would just say something that maybe you wouldn't say normally. And I think that is also part of this, which is that, you know, we need to have leaders, particularly in a state like Texas that's incredibly diverse, who their public, private Persona is, that they understand, they have sympathy, but also empathy with and understanding of all the groups that are part of the Democratic coalition that make sure that we can have representatives that serve all of our communities.

[Stephen A. Smith]

To be fair to Representative James Tico, he called the allegation, quote, a mischaracterization of a private conversation, acknowledging. He described you and your method. He said, method of campaigning as mediocre, but not your life and your service. That's not believable to you, Is that what you're saying?

[Colin Allred]

I think that she would not have been surprised or upset by a criticism of my campaign. As I said, I think that she was a supporter of his who had endorsed him and was happy to speak to him and thought the conversation was going well until it went. It took a left turn, which is that he used a formulation that was offensive to her. So offensive that even though she's no friend of mine in terms of, you know, politically, she decided that she had to say something. And I think when I. When I see that, and I saw how disturbed she was by it, you know, I understood that something happened that would make her feel that way. And I, you know, I understand that because I've, you know, been young, talk to people who you respect, and then something is said that is so out of balance that you feel like, wait a second, you know, this is, I feel, know, wrong. Something is wrong has occurred. And I think that's. That's what this is based on, but also just the idea that, you know, there's still not, as I said, been a denial and there's still been no explanation or, you know, what the actual formulation was. And for, to me, if somebody said that I said something I didn't say, I would just say I didn't say it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, let me read to you a more extensive quote that he gave about this. So just so we're clear that he did comment about it, albeit not to you, and you are absolutely right, he didn't emphatically deny the specificity of what he's being accused of, but he did say this, quote, I would never attack him, meaning you, on the basis of race. As a black man in America, Congressman Allred has had to work twice as hard to get where he is. I understand how my critique of the congressman's campaign could be interpreted, given this country's painful legacy of racism. And I care deeply about the impact my words have on others. I, despite our disagreements, I deeply respect Congressman Allred. We're all on the same team. What do you take from the wording that I just word that I just read to you? His exact words, his statement that he gave?

[Colin Allred]

I think it's a written statement put out many hours later to try and shape conversations like this. Listen, James has my phone number. You can call me and tell me anytime what actually was said. He's not done that. But also, that's. That's not what would have shocked this young woman. And let's be very clear about that as well. You know, what was shocking to her, what made her feel like her whole kind of world had been rocked, was that it was done in an offensive way. And I believe her. And I believe her because I. She's been the gain for it, but also because I think I understand what it is to be a young person who. Talking to someone like, who you respect and then have something occur that makes you kind of question many other things and feel like something. Something, you know, wrong has. Has occurred.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You also went on, you know, you.

You know, you basically slammed them, at least according to reports, that's the word they use for appearing to cloak his alleged remark beneath a compliment of Representative Jasmine Crockett, saying, quote, we're tired of folks using praise for black women that. To mask criticism for black men. That's not good for our community. Elaborate on that statement that you made right there.

[Colin Allred]

Well, I just think. Listen, I don't. If you want to praise a black woman, just do that and you can do that and leave it at that. You don't have to then throw it in. That's a way to then, you know, mask or cover up that you're going to throw in a criticism on the back end. And I've seen that in our politics before where, you know, there's a praise for the role that black women have played in our politics. And it's sometimes, you know, with a either coded or direct dis to black men saying, you know, that we're not doing as much. But also just think, this is not the kind of. We don't need to be divided up that way. Don't pit people against each other. Don't say to a young black woman, supporter of yours, I like this. This black woman and this black man is, you know, mediocre. That kind of division and dividing us up is not something I think, you know, serves anybody. And it's a playbook that, you know, I have seen and I think we all have seen.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Let's get into a broader conversation about the state of Texas and the Senate seat, the Senate seat that's being pursued. First things first. You once ran, you know, you ran for it in a very, very competitive race before you lost a couple of years ago.

Do you.

Are you a supporter.

Remind our audience. Are you a supporter of Representative Jasmine Crockett in this race against El Rico for the Democratic seat for the Senate?

[Colin Allred]

Right. So listen, my intention was to stay out of this race. I did not have any intention of getting involved. I have, you know, my own personal opinions on various things, but I wasn't going to say anything publicly. But I've known Jasmine for a long time, and I am supporting her now in this race because I think that, you know, there are certain things that, to me that are disqualifying, and this is the conversation that is.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But were you supporting her before this happened?

[Colin Allred]

No, I was not. Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Rally.

Yeah. Who were you supporting? I mean, you got me a pique. My interest. Who were you support?

[Colin Allred]

Yeah, I was. I was going to stay out of it. You know, I was not going to weigh in. And when we say support, I mean, you know, publicly say something. You try to indicate something. No, so I wasn't.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm talking endorsement.

I'm talking endorsement support that public support. You. So you.

You were going to stay out of it. You were not going to endorse her over telo or anything like that.

You were just going to stay completely out of it until this happened?

[Colin Allred]

Yeah, I think it's the previous nominee. My intention was not to weigh in, you know, and to, and to let the, the process play out. But obviously, you know, there's, there's things that change that sometimes.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So now that you've decided to basically throw your support behind Jasmine Crockett, I want to know, because it, it would appear to be very, very good for Jasmine Crockett. How good is it for the state of the Democratic Party in pursuit of this Senate, Texas seat for all of this to be happening in your estimation? Because one would imagine that in some people's eyes is absolutely fine. And other people's eyes, particularly in the state of Texas, where the subject of race is being broached, it's a red state, you know, et cetera, that some people would say that's not the way to go. What are you, what is your response to that?

[Colin Allred]

And my response is that, listen, I didn't start this, and if somebody said something like this, I feel like there needs to be a response both from on my behalf, but also just on the broader behalf of not showing disrespect to black candidates, to how important black voters are in our state. And that that needs to be paramount. And also it's a consideration in who's going to be nominated in the state with the most black people in the entire country. That's a consideration that should be known. And I think that's important part of it. But I also think that people have been underestimating both Jasmine Crockett, but also just that this process is going to play out according to what the people of Texas want to, not folks outside of our state.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I've watched Jasmine Crockett.

I think it was a recent debate between him, between her and James Talarico. Did you see that debate at all?

Did you watch?

[Colin Allred]

I saw some of it, yeah. Not all of it.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yeah, I saw.

I saw some of it. Right. And I got.

I watched her, and she gave off.

The impression, I'm fighting. I'm fighting for you. I'm fighting Donald Trump. Whereas he came across as trying to give off the impression, we're all in this together, we are going to fight Trump, et cetera, et cetera.

Was that an appropriate interpretation to grasp.

In your estimation, based off of what we saw during the debate?

[Colin Allred]

Well, listen, I think Jasmine is well known for that, but also I think as I've gone around Texas and I'll go to meet people where they are, whether it's at a high school football game or a low rider kickback or at the work site, they'll tell me they appreciate me, they know me. And they're glad to see me there. And they'll tell me that they appreciate Jasmine. She has an appeal, particularly among people who have not been politically engaged, that I think shouldn't be dismissed. And listen, it's not my, you know, as, you know, Stephen, a like, we have very different ways of approaching, you know, running for office. And also, you know, kind of how we go about some of these things. That doesn't mean, I think it. It shouldn't be considered to have its own strengths as well as weaknesses. And so to me, you know, what many people are looking for right now is somebody who would fight for them, someone who understands the danger of this moment that we're in, that our communities are being terrorized in many cases, that many folks feel like they're not able to get ahead no matter how hard they work, that the system, this indefensible status quo that we can't continue with. That's what I hear everywhere I go.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You're now running for the Texas newly drawn 33rd congressional district, correct?

[Colin Allred]

Yes, sir. Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

It's currently held by Representative Julie Johnson, who has endorsed Telomeres, while Crockett has endorsed you. In light of all of this and what I just said, in terms of Representative Crockett endorsing you, Representative Julie Johnson endorsing Talarico, how do you think this will. This. This whole incident right now will affect all of that?

[Colin Allred]

Well, yes, and I, again, unfortunately, the timing is the timing, you know, And I think when someone I hear something like this is going on, I feel like I need to respond to it, particularly when I think, as I said, it's got a broader application to many people who I think need to be defended. But also some lines to be drawn in the sand that don't cross these lines is inappropriate. But I think in terms of this congressional race, you know, listen, I'm. I know Dallas, and Dallas knows me well. This is a newly drawn district. It was, you know, gerrymandered as part of this last round of gerrymandering that was done here in Texas. So this will be the first time that these district lines have even existed in an election. And so it's an area that I know well. And so I want to make sure, of course, that I'll respond when I feel like I need to to things that are out there. But my focus is always on serving the folks that I hoping to serve and have served in the past.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Let's talk about Representative Crockett in this regard for a second. The most recent public polling from mid January put her and Tellariko in a dead heat ahead of the March 3 primary. While Telorico support has largely come from white and Latino voters, he's drawing meager support from the black community to black Democratic voters. In a recent survey, 75% of Black folks like black likely primary voters said they supported Crockett. What does she need to do to win the primary, in your estimation, and how do you plan on assisting her moving forward, if at all?

[Colin Allred]

Well, I think she needs to do what I encourage everyone to do, which is to tell your story, tell in a way that includes everyone, brings everyone along and tell them, you know, why you're fighting, right? Not just that you are fighting. I think that's very. That's very true. It's very apparent. But why? What. What gets you up in the morning? What are you passionate about? You know, why. Why does this matter to you? And why is this fight one that you want to take into the United States Senate? And I think that's what a lot of people want to hear. And I think there's so many folks out there who are wondering, does anybody see me? Does anybody know what's going on in my life? I feel like I'm doing everything right. I see all these folks on TV who are openly corrupt, who are doing well, and I can't get ahead. This is obviously not working. And I think what we've seen is that in election after election in Texas, we're not just running against Republicans, we're running against the feeling that nothing can change. And in some cases in some communities. And I did this as a voting rights lawyer. You go in and you've also dealing with a sense of despair and the idea that, well, what's the. Why should I jump through all these hoops to try and vote in the state that makes it tough to vote when nothing's going to change for me. And I think that's the. That feeling is one that we have to combat. That cynicism is one that we can try and make sure that we speak to. That's what I certainly try and do and we'll be doing in my campaign because we have a lot of folks in this part of Dallas who have not been politically engaged. I think it's also with Jasmine Essence.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I tell you this much, though, there's been two recent Republican upsets in Texas.

So we got.

I mean, we can't sit up there and say there's no changes to.

I mean, Democratic Democrat Taylor Remt won.

A special election for the Texas state Senate, flipping A reliable red district and defeating Republican conservative activists. You know what? I don't even know how to pronounce the name. I ain't gonna lie to you. I ain't gonna lie to you.

[Colin Allred]

Who.

[Stephen A. Smith]

And that it was a person endorsed by Trump. And then, of course, there's Christian Menifee won a Texas U.S. house seat in a special election over the weekend. So I think that sends a different kind of message. I don't think that's, I don't think that's something that could be denied. But what message do their victory send about how Texas voters are feeling heading into the March primaries, in your estimation?

[Colin Allred]

Well, I think this is not what people wanted. And, you know, listen, I think that we should be very clear. Donald Trump ran on lowering costs, helping people, saying that inflation was going to go away, that the forgotten man was going to be forgotten no longer. They got in office and they decided they wanted to, you know, build a ballroom, accept a jet, lower taxes for the rich, and, you know, cut health care and access to, you know, food benefits for folks who are struggling to make it. They did the exact opposite of what they campaigned on. And at the same time, they see, we see our communities being terrorized by, I think, an out of control ice and also just a administration that when incidents happen, constantly is trying to lie to American people about it. And so I think that's unpopular, but particularly in Taylor's case. I know Taylor. He's a great guy. He's somebody who, listen, we're talking about working class people. We're talking about getting people engaged, talking about, you know, how can we make sure we're running on an economic message of how we're going to make sure that if you work hard and play by the rules, that you can get ahead. That's exactly his story. And you see it show up, you know, at the ballot box. I think that's, it's a great indication for Texas, but also I think for the country.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I told, I started off my show with my opening monologue by speaking about Senator Chuck Schumer. You know, when I think about me being a Democrat, I'm more of a moderate than, you know, extreme left. And I've stated that on many, many occasions. And when he used the word, Talking about the SAFE act and he used the word Jim Crow 2.0, I said that's a bit hyperbolic. That's a bit extreme. And that reminds people of what Trump tends to do. Be careful and guard against that. I guess what I'm asking you is that what Do Democrats need to be careful to avoid in order to reclaim power in the House or the Senate? Regain some seats in the House or the Senate? When I'm speaking about stuff like that, I'm trying to prevent them from blowing it, because I think there's an implosion taking place on the side with the Trump administration as we speak. But don't fall into trying to be Trumpish.

[Colin Allred]

That's right.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Do your thing, but be different than him.

What do you say to that?

What are the pitfalls and the minefields that you have to avoid moving forward? I'm talking about as a party, not necessarily just you.

[Colin Allred]

That's right. No, listen, I think that we cannot be defending an indefensible status quo. And I think too oftentimes we'll see. You know, Democrats were running for officer saying, no, listen, you know, things are going well. We got to keep things going along the way they were. And that's kind of what we saw in the last election cycle in many ways was, oh, no, you know, the presidency has gone well and we should do four more years just with a different person doing similar things. And I think that obviously, obviously, that feeling that people had, even if that wasn't how the campaign actually was talking, that was not effective. But also, when I'm talking to people, when I talk about the corruption of the Trump administration, they'll say, what about the corruption in Congress? And I'm going to say, you know what? You're absolutely right. We can't just call out one version of it and not call out other versions of it, because then it lends itself to this feeling that it's all corrupt, the whole thing is rigged. So why should I even, you know, even if Trump is corrupt, maybe he's corrupt on my behalf. Right. And I think that's one of the things we have to be very careful about, is saying, not only are we do something about that, but we're going to clean up our own house as well. We're going to ban stock trading by members of Congress. It's outrageous that this is going on, that we're going to reject corporate money and make sure that we don't allow that to be the thing that decides what we're going to do. We can be pro business, but we don't have to be owned by those businesses, that we're going to make sure that when we talk about, you know, things like what ICE is doing and the, you know, abuse of power that it's having and the communities that are being ravaged by it, that we're also saying that we support law enforcement and that we think the law enforcement has an important role to play and that there are officers who are trying their hardest to serve their communities. And I know, you know, we know them. We want to support those folks.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Last question.

We got to run out of here. And thank you for your time, sir. I really appreciate it. I got to get a football question. I'm talking to former NFL player, Seattle or the New England Patriots. Real quick, who you got?

[Colin Allred]

You know, I got super bowl week.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm here.

[Colin Allred]

Radio. Yeah. You know, I got to go with defense. So, you know, I think, I think the Seahawks got the defense and I'm surprised as anybody the guy had picked the Rams to make it this far. But, you know, the Seahawks have been playing well and they've got a great defense and I think they're going to mix it up on a young quarterback. And, you know, I think it's good. I think it's going to be interesting.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Colin, already right here on Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Appreciate your time, appreciate your perspective, appreciate you elaborating on what your thoughts and feelings were. Man, all the best to you. You know, you're always welcome on the show. Thank you so much. And you take care.

[Colin Allred]

All right. Thank you, sir.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All right, Colin Allred right here with Stephen A. Straight Shooter back with hour number two. Actually, your calls and a little bit something else before hour number two. Stick around, don't go anywhere. Lots to talk about, lots to get into. It's Straight Shooter with George Trulley, Stephen A. In the house back in a minute. Past hour number one back here, straight shootable. Stephen A number to call up, as always, is Triple 896 POTUS or Triple 8. 96 POTUS. That's Triple 8967688 7. That is the number to call in to speak to yours truly right here on SiriusXM POTUS radio, channel 124. Thanks again, former Representative Colin Allred, who's obviously pursuing a seat to return to the house for the 33rd district in Texas, wishing him nothing but the best. Listen, he is right that James Tellarico did not emphatically deny saying what he was accused of saying. He never said. I didn't say it. He's challenging whether it was contextualized properly. We've all been there. I know I've been there, but certainly not over such a comment. And so that's something that he's going to have to deal with. And obviously with the poll showing that Representative Jasmine Crockett's got about 75% of the black vote. The question is how much is that going to help her win the Senate seat, the United States Senate seat representing Texas, it remains to be seen, no doubt. But he did point out how the state of Texas has the largest black population of any state in the United States of America. So of course, it could end up being very, very interesting. Either no matter whether it's Telorico or it's her, whoever wins is going to have to go up against a Republican in a red state. So it's going to be very, very interesting. And he did say something. He said that he was not getting involved. But after James Tellarico said what he said, that was when he turned around and said, I'm throwing my support behind Representative Jasmine Crockett. So Tellarico has not made too many friends in the black community. It appears he is welcome to come on the show as well. In the interest of fairness. I think that's the right thing to do since Colin already was on the show. If James Tellarico wants to come on the show, he's more than welcome. Not going to be unfair here, no doubt about that. But it doesn't look good for him. I think it's safe to say that our number two up next, your phone calls and more at 86696, POTUS. That's 86696 POTUS. You're listening live to Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Can't wait to talk to you in a couple of minutes. Start at hour number two. Be here. Don't go away.

Straight Shooter with Stephen A.

Welcome to our number two, a Straight.

Shooter with yours truly, Stephen A. Smith.

Coming at you as I love to.

Do every Wednesday night from 6 to 8pm Eastern Standard Time over the airways of SiriusXM Pulis Radio Channel 124. Number to call up as always is 86696 POTUS. That's 86696 POTUS. That'S 866-967-6887. Again, you're listening live. Straight Shooter. STEPHEN A. A recent poll just came out. New Marquette Law School national Survey finds that 60% of those polled disapprove of the work of ICE. With Democrats and independents opposed to ICE and Republicans in favor of ICE. 37% say shooting of Renee Good was justified. 62% say it was not justified. General for support for deportations remained steady with 56% favoring deport, deporting those in the US illegally. Overall approval of President Trump is at 42% continuing a gradual decline and opinion of the state of the economy improves from November. That is what they're saying. What it tells it should tell you something because if your approval rating is hovering around 42% and declining and that's the issue he's wanted to live on, you know, it's a problem. Now in fairness, we've seen ICE agents being attacked, but we've also known what they have done. Alex Preddy should not be dead, should not have been shot 9, 10 times. Renee Good should not have had a bullet hit her in the head and kill her when she was driving off. If you gifted enough to move the.

Hell out of the way of the.

Vehicle, you gifted enough to shoot out the damn tires instead of shooting her through the windshield and hitting her in the head. There's no excuse for that. And so when we look at it from that standpoint, there's no way around it. We have to address stuff with the seriousness that it deserves. And what I was talking about and again the number to call it was 86696 POTUS. That's 866-967-6887.

What I was talking about earlier when I was talking about ice.

Let's understand something as it pertains to the big beautiful bill and all the noise that the Democrats have been making about making sure that you know what, there's no deal that's going to be reached by February 13th. Getting a 10 day window to negotiate something that will secure funding for the DHS Department of Homeland Security. According to my notes. While ICE and much of the Customs and Border protections are flush with cash from the big beautiful bill, the rest of the Department for Homeland Security, including the tsa, fema, the Coast Guard and the Secret Service still relies on annual appropriations. Democrats are refusing to pass a full year budget for the Department of Homeland Security unless it includes quote riders reforms for ICE such as banning mask, requiring body cameras and tightening warrant standards. If Democrats hold out, TSA slash Coast Guard will likely be hit by shutdown rules which means pay delays, furloughs, disruption and non essential functions even as core security missions continue and ICE deportations would likely continue. Because ICE has multi year funding from the big beautiful bill and is treated as an accepted law enforcement function. Function. I'm just reading forward. For Democrats, appearing to give a blank check to ICE and Customs Border Protection without fighting for oversight can be political liability. And that's why they're fighting tooth and nail by maintaining a public stance of we want reforms. They signal to their constituents that they're still pushing for a more humane system, even if the math on the ground makes significant cuts unlikely. So in the end, ladies and gentlemen, the Democrats have very thin leverage. One could argue it's a bunch of pomp and circumstances, but in the same breath, what else is they supposed to do? Particularly as the midterm approaches, if you alienate voters against the Republican Party because of things that Trump is doing in the streets of America, courtesy of ICE and other components of Department of Homeland Security, not to mention FBI raiding offices in Georgia.

Okay.

Along with other things, people. A lot of people don't believe voter registration to be a controversial issue. Most Americans, I will here to tell you, they don't consider it a controversial issue because they're saying everybody's got a show ID all the damn time.

Ain't nothing controversial about that until you.

Highlight some of the other things that Trump is doing and how he seems just fixated on catering to his voting block.

One would argue primarily the white establishment.

To come across as an individual that feels their pain. I can tell you right now, as a black man, not speaking on behalf.

Of anybody but myself, but I know black people because I'm one of them.

When you give executive orders regarding the Smithsonian museum, when you go about the business of making sure to make it.

Difficult or trying to alter access.

[Colin Allred]

To.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Documentations depicting African American history and some.

Of the iniquities committed by this country, you do come across as somebody who's trying to erase and eradicate history, by the way, something you would never do to the Jewish community. But somehow, some way, you don't seem to hesitate to do that to black people or seem to care about whether or not you're coming across to somebody trying to do that to black people. These are the kind of things that could end up mattering, but only if it matters to people that extend beyond the black community. Because the black community only makes up 13.6% of the American population. The Hispanic populace is over 18% and growing. It's not an accident. Why this president and why even the left, which is one of the things that I've lamented on many, many occasions when you're catering to the LGBTQ community as it pertains to transgender folks and all of that stuff. Yeah, they may make up 1% of the population, but the LGBTQ community makes up a far more significant chunk of our American population. And my point is nothing wrong with that. The flip side to it, however, is when you seem so fixated on that that you don't seem to care enough about issues pertaining to the black community. That's my problem with some folks within the Democratic Party, not all, but it's about keeping our eyes on the ball and making sure you don't forget a populace of this country that's been voting for you. And at an 80% tile plus rate since 1964, when civil rights legislation split into law. Don't forget about us. That's what I've been trying to say, but that's neither here nor there. Bottom line is that the way things are going right now, when Trump could.

Have easily been cakewalking to midterm victories for the gop, in my opinion, he's messed things up. He's created chaos optics that can be used against him and the administration ad nauseam.

He put himself in a very unpopular.

Position for no reason whatsoever.

Barack Obama deported over 3.1 million folks during his administration.

We barely heard a peep about it. It's not because of the leftist media and the fact that they were driving.

Around with ice, saying, celebrating their actions.

And that was the only reason why.

It was because he knew how to.

Conduct himself like an adult.

You can't. We've seen the tapes go on social.

Media and you see it online. You'll see Nancy Pelosi speaking against illegal immigration. You'd see Chuck Schumer competing against illegal immigration.

You'll see Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Clinton speaking against people crossing the borders illegally and how they'd have to go back and how you can't have open borders and you can't have people who crossing the cut, you know, coming into the country illegally. That's not sustainable. We've heard them. We know their position. We're not going to be phony and unfair and inconsistent here. But there is a thing to be said about how you handle it with class, decorum and most and most importantly, conducting yourself under the auspices of the Constitution as opposed to coming across as an individual trying to circumvent it at every turn, These are the kind of things you want to guard against. And in the end, it may be much ado about nothing, but in the end, Trump is appearing to lose more.

Than he's appearing to win.

Just recently, the courts ruled. Remember the whole redistricting issue in California when they did it in Texas and Gavin Newsom responded to it in California? Well, they okay that. That's a win for the Democrats that's going to ensure there's a certain amount of seats that they keep. And as the Republicans ain't gonna be able to get ahold of, which will likely assist in the Democrats regaining the House, if not both houses of Congress. We don't know. We about to find out soon enough.

But would all of that have been necessary if Trump didn't try to grease the skids and come across as so chaotic and so acerbic? I know that everybody out there talking about the deranged Trump syndrome and folks hate him more than they love America.

And that may be true. I'm not saying that's not true. Because some people do hate Trump more than they love America. That is absolutely true.

But it doesn't absolve him from the foolishness, the nonsense, the narcissism, the self aggrandizement. And the pettiness and the vindictiveness he's engaged in.

That's just the truth.

And when it comes to people showing up to the polls, folks vote for the economy, folks vote for border security, folks vote for safety in the streets, folks vote pro choice or pro life. They vote for a lot of different things. But you know what? People usually come together and march lockstep in unison over committing to an absence of chaos. And that's where I think the 47th president of the United States may have Indeed lost his way. 86696. POTUS is 866-967-6887. Let's go to the phones. Let's go to Ken in California. You're live with Stephen A and straight shooter. What's going on, Ken? How are you?

[Ken (Caller)]

I'm good, man. How you doing, Steve?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm doing all right, man.

[Ken (Caller)]

Yeah, I am, pretty much. I called you my whole. Pretty much. I mean, I think me and you are the same age. You know, you get a, A in sports, but your politics, you get. I give you an F, man. I give you an F. Okay. I mean, I mean, it seemed like to me you talking about Trump syndrome. If you hear yourself, it sound like you have Trump syndrome, okay? By, by circumstances of.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So, so, so, so let me.

So, so let me ask you a question.

I.

You can say what you want. You're entitled to your feelings. Okay? I didn't call, I don't, I didn't let you on the phone to, to, to agree with me. I could care less whether you agree with me or not, but at least be factually correct. If you're gonna sit up there and open your damn mouth and tell me that I sound like I got Trump syndrome, where's your factual evidence? Tell me how it seems like or how you feel. I got Numerous clips and sound spending years where I've been critical of this man.

And nobody on the right would accuse.

Me of having Trump syndrome.

Just because I don't sit up there and call them a racist or a Nazi like some irresponsible people do in spewing their vicious rhetoric. That's counterproductive when you're trying to get.

Stuff done in government, by the way, doesn't mean I'm a fan.

I didn't vote for, and I disagree with him a lot, which I state. So rather than tell me what you feel, which, by the way, I don't give a about unless it's rife with facts, tell me, what is it that makes you justified in saying that? I sound like, you know, I'm supportive of Trump.

[Ken (Caller)]

Let me talk everything. Every time I listen to you, it's always Trump, Trump, Trump, Trump. So what you rather have.

[Greg (Caller)]

You rather have.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Excuse me, he's box office. Hold up. Tell me, you do television everything, right? Like, for example, in sports, we talk.

About LeBron a lot, don't we?

Just like we used to talk about Jordan a lot.

We used to talk about Iverson, right? You know, baseball season. You're talking about Shohei Ohtani, right?

During football season, no matter how many great football teams out there. We're talking about Josh Allen, we're talking about Lamar Jackson, we're talking about Patrick Mahomes. We're always talking about the Cowboys, right? We talk. I just interviewed a representative. I got Bill Maher coming on at the end of the show. I've had numerous representatives on the air talking politics. How do you talk about politics and not talk about Trump?

[Ken (Caller)]

How are interviewing people from the Democratic Party that try to put the man in jail? You are interviewing them. You don't really bring on the Republicans. You really can't.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Hold on, hold on, hold on. Stop right there. Start right there. So I don't really bring on Republicans.

Stay with me. I started this show in September. Do you know that, Ken?

[Ken (Caller)]

I know that.

[Greg (Caller)]

I started.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay, I'm coming. Okay, Ken. I interviewed my first guest, Spencer Cox, Republican governor out of Utah, Senator Lindsey Graham. I interviewed West Virginia. It escaped. Joe Manchin. I've interviewed speaker of the House Mike Johnson. I've interviewed Jim. Jeff. Jim Jeffries. I've interviewed Tom Cotton.

I've interviewed.

I mean, I've had numerous Republicans on this show.

[Ken (Caller)]

Yeah, but when they. When they come on the show, they open your eyes, you start grinning with them. You do all that and then you go back to your Democratic ways and side with the Democrats, when all they do is bamboozle the black community for years.

[Stephen A. Smith]

So how do you explain? So let me ask you this, Ken. I'm curious.

I mean, this is entertaining to me. I appreciate you bringing this up, and.

You have no idea how grateful I.

Am for this phone call.

I'm grateful. Let me tell you why. Because the flip side is the Democrats.

Have accused me of favoring Trump and.

How I've sold out our community because of how critical I've been about the Democrats when it's come to Trump and other issues. Matter of fact, I've had people calling me a sellout. So which one is it, Ken? You're telling me I always dog Trump and they're telling me I've sold us out because I don't dog them enough? Which one is it? Help me, brother, help me.

[Ken (Caller)]

Let me get this out. Let me get this out.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'll let you get it out. I'll let you get it out. But I want you to help me tell me how that's possible. How is it that you just said what you said, but folks on the left are saying, yo, all you do is complex. You've gone straight maga, which is bs. It's not true. And you're absolutely right. I have been critical of Trump, but I've been critical of them, too.

[Ken (Caller)]

To me, it always been a Democratic talking point. If you don't agree with them, they talk about you and throw you far too to the left as they can, or wherever they can to tell you whatever. Or they try to put you in jail when you don't agree with them, that's always going to talk.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I don't disagree with that. I mean, I don't disagree with that. That's the talking points.

And I've said, Ken, did you hear me weeks ago say they try to ally you?

If that doesn't work, neutralize you. If that doesn't work, destroy you.

And not only on the airwaves, but I've also said in public speaking engagements.

I didn't hear any Republicans calling me a sellout, accusing me of selling out my own community. That didn't come from them. I've said all of these things. Once again, you're giving me feelings, and.

Some of your feelings are right. Let me be very, very clear. I'm not saying that you're completely off your rocker. I'm saying that you're not making sense when you make the argument that I'm against Trump all the time. When I just highlight it for you. The Democrats say I'm for them.

[Ken (Caller)]

Because when you say about trying, like for example, with ice, right, Biden and Ms. Ms. Harris, they, they put all those people in. They brought all those people in. Unbeliev. All that, okay, Gonna deport themselves, Stephen. How else are they gonna, Are they gonna deport themselves?

[Stephen A. Smith]

Hold again. You asked me a question, let me answer it. I've been on the record, Ken, saying.

I agree with Trump closing the borders because Biden should have never opened them. Had Biden mimicked Obama's policies, I would have never been for closing the board, for closing the borders the way Trump did.

But because Biden opened it, you put him in this position because the border.

Has, should have never been opened to begin with. You don't remember me saying that. You say you listen to the show.

[Ken (Caller)]

Okay, I do remember that part. But when you see eyes going, trying to round up these people that the Democratic Party hides all the time because they don't want to bring them out of jail and send them over to ice, they hide them. So they got to do the next tactics is get them.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But that's, but that's an argument in.

Favor of why stuff is happening the way that it's happening, which I respect. What I'm saying to you, however, Ken, is that when Obama did it, Obama.

Deported more people than Trump. Sometimes you could get more flies with honey than vinegar. And when you're too willing to use vinegar, optics, step in. And when you look a certain way, it becomes very, very alarming to the electorate out there, which you are obligated to pay attention to when you're in politics because you're looking to be elected into either house of Congress or the presidency.

What's wrong with saying that?

[Ken (Caller)]

But you know what, you know what, Stephen? A, you say Obama. Did I hear these things about Obama this, Obama that?

[Greg (Caller)]

Yeah.

[Ken (Caller)]

There's no proof Obama push those people back or, or round them up.

[Stephen A. Smith]

There's absolute proof that he deported over 3.1 million people. No, no, no, no, no. The Republicans said he defeated. They've, they've been the first to tell you even he deported more people than Trump because they get on the Democrats for complaining about Trump deporting people when Trump deported less people than Obama.

[Ken (Caller)]

Okay?

[Stephen A. Smith]

That's what they said.

[Ken (Caller)]

How can, how can Obama go in around these people up as you guys claim he did without nobody noticing?

[Colin Allred]

How.

[Stephen A. Smith]

All right, man. All right, bro, I, I tried. I tried. You have a nice day, bro. I, I, I gave you data. I, I, I gave you. So now you saying you don't believe it. You just venting, bro. You just vented. I left you on significantly longer than I usually do any caller.

I gave you an opportunity to express. Express yourself, and all you brought me was emotion.

I'm not down for emotions.

I don't want feelings more than I want facts. That's me. That's me. I gave you ample opportunity to explain.

Yourself, and you did it.

Try next week.

Let's go to. Let's go to Greg in Michigan. You're live with Stephen A. I couldn't read the yellow. My apologies, Greg. I couldn't see your name for the bright yellow on my board. I apologize. Go ahead, Greg.

[Kendall (Caller)]

Stephen A. Mr. Positive.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Hey, what's going on, man?

[Kendall (Caller)]

Good, sir. I want you on with Bill Maher and Chris Cuomo. So tell Billy, Mr. Positive, once you and Chris Cuomo on his show at the same time. That would be fantastic. Hey, real quick. Social media is starting to articulate our social mores. Everyone with a camera now thinks that they're a journalist. Concerning Don Lemon and how that played out, do you think, in essence, our First Amendment is being changed by social media, number one? Number two, how would you define what a journalist is and does everyone. Can everyone. Yeah, go on.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I. I think that, first of all, understand something when. When you're a journalist, you're in pursuit of the truth. Me, personally, I think journalism is objective. I think that if you're Don Lemon, again, I want to repeat this. I want to make sure that I'm very, very clear. I believe he should not have gone into the church. I think that when you're going into a place of worship, it is a dicey situation. The flip side to it, however, considering what he was doing, interviewing the pastor, having a microphone, interviewing congregants, asking questions, I think that even though that's something he should not have done personally, because you never know what that can turn into, it certainly didn't warrant him being arrested. I think doing that brings more attention to the issue than needed to be brought attention to it. I think it was a mechanism used by Trump just to exact vengeance over an individual that has been ultra critical about him. And I think that that's a mistake.

On the part of the president.

Don Lemon should not have been arrested.

He should not have gone in there.

But let's listen. Stop the nonsense. You understand you're doing it because you don't like him, just like you did it to others who you didn't like because you felt they come after you. And so you're engaging in a form of retribution when you, which I think is beneath and should be beneath the President of the United States of America. Having said all of that, I do also believe, however, in fairness, that when you are a journalist, you shouldn't be so flagrantly against anyone. You should let others do that, if indeed you're engaging in journalism. Because when you're sure, even though I have no doubt that there are an abundance of facts that Don Lemon could show because he has shown it in the past, I think the flip side to all of that is that there are truths. If there. I shouldn't say that.

If there were truths that were positive.

Truths about Trump, would you say it? Chances are you wouldn't, if you feel that way on a personal level about him, even though you're a professional journalist. So, therefore, because that's the reality that brings into question those who question your journalistic chops, fair or unfair.

But if you're right down the middle and you just call it as you.

See it, positive or negative, like I.

Believe that I do when I'm doing.

This show, then, hey, that is what it is. I get on Trump. But I also acknowledge when he does something positive and also acknowledge that when the Democrats are doing something, that's to their detriment as well. And it may be things that's perceived as things that could be favorable to Trump, but I don't care, because the truth is the truth, and we should be in pursuit of it at all times. I'm not accusing Don Lemon or anybody else for not doing that. What I'm saying is that when your venom and hostility towards the individual is so glaring and so fragrant, so flagrant, it's hard to believe that you're neutral. And that's where he has a problem. I think it's much to do about nothing. I think that ultimately he will not spend time in jail. I think that Trump is just trying to inconvenience him and cause the money to have to pay lawyer fees and stuff like that and try to scare him. But ultimately, I think this amounts to nothing. The point is, however, is that you can't stand the man, for obvious reasons, and because you can't stand a man that glaringly shows itself whenever you're talking about him. So because that's the reality, it's hard to then turn around and say, when it's something pertaining to him and what he has dominion over like ice, that you're being completely objective. That's the challenge, and that's what Don Lemon, in all likelihood, is going to have to fight in My estimation, I could be wrong. I don't know, but that's what I suspect.

[Kendall (Caller)]

Now, that was brilliantly said. I got to tell you. Make sure you get buffed for those love scenes in General Hospital.

[Stephen A. Smith]

I appreciate it. Thanks a lot, man. Kendall in South Dakota, you're live with Stephen A. Go ahead, Kendall.

[Kendall (Caller)]

Yep.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You're live with Stephen A.

Go ahead, man.

[Greg (Caller)]

I'd like to talk about Obama. He kind of did both. I remember there was a female Republican governor during Obama in Arizona, and they. The borders were so wide open that Arizona tried to enforce the border, tried to shut down the border on their own. It went to the Supreme Court, and it was ruled that only the federal government has control over the border and immigration. And that was during Obama. So he kind of did both. He deported a lot of people, but he also had open borders.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Well, no, I wouldn't say he had open borders. I wouldn't say that. He wasn't accused of having open borders.

That's not what in level. But he wasn't accused of having open borders. He was. He was deporting people. He wasn't accused of having open borders.

What happens is, is that obviously sanctuary city, sanctuary states came in vogue even more so. And as a result, since those sanctuary cities on a state level worked diligently to not assist ICE in their efforts to deport American citizens, one could easily say in some areas of the country, people were not as vigorous as they should have been, or the federal government was not as vigorous as it should have been in deporting individuals. You could say something like that. But I don't think you go as far as saying he had open borders.

[Colin Allred]

No.

[Greg (Caller)]

But during, during Obama's, when all those caravans stuff started, that, that's when we started getting great big slugs of them.

[Colin Allred]

Okay.

[Stephen A. Smith]

But in the same breath, others were being deported. So again, I'm just saying that they'd.

Make the argument to you that it wasn't open borders. But what you're pointing out are valid points. I can't refute that. They just wouldn't classify them as open borders. Not when 3.1 million people are in the process getting deported.

That's not an open border policy.

[Greg (Caller)]

Biden took open borders to a whole new level.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Yes, he did. There ain't no doubt about that. Ain't nobody refuting that, Kendall. Nobody. Nobody can refute that. So let's keep that in mind.

But I appreciate the call.

Thank you so much. 86696 polishes number calls 86696 POTUS 8669-67-6887.

More of your calls before the one.

And only Bill Ma comes on the show. You're listening live to Stephen A. Straight Shooter with your boy Stephen A. Back with more in a minute.

35 minutes past hour number two back.

Here on Straight Shooter with yours truly, STEPHEN A. Next 10 minutes or so we should.

Have on the one and only Bill.

Maher from Real Time with Bill Maher. Great guest. Always love talking to him. Always love learning from him as well because he knows his stuff. Looking forward to rapping with him a little while. Number the caller, as always, is 86696, POTUS. That's 866-967-6887.

Yo, Ken, the caller that was on.

The phone a few minutes ago look rife with his emotions. I had my producers look it up. I started the show, this show, Straight Shooter with yours truly, Stephen a. In September, September 17th, to be exact. Do you know how many guests I had? Ken, just so you know, I've had 32 guests, 16 conservatives and 16 liberals. You still want to talk? You still want to say up and down.

It just feel like it's all that, all that bs that's what people do. Well, it just seems like it just feels like, I mean, damn, it comes across like, stop it is or it isn't. I ain't scared to let you know where I stand and how I feel. I ain't got nothing to hide, especially about my politics. I don't have anything to hide. I ain't magger. I'm not some white nationalist. And I ain't a member of woke and cancel culture, ready to people have people lose their jobs because I say the wrong pronoun either. I'm a moderate, lean and left, always willing to listen to both sides.

That is me. I ain't changing. I ain't changing. Sixteen conservative guests, 16 liberals. Know what that's called? Being fair.

And by the way, just some of.

The names in case I missed anybody. Bill O'Reilly, Bill Matt Royce, White Chip Roy, Jim Jordan, Mike Johnson, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Scott Jennings.

From CNN, Tom Cotton, Derek Van Orden, Larry Elder, Rand Paul, Dr. Oz, Lindsey Graham.

But I ain't have no conservatives on my show.

Huh?

Go back and look at the files. Look at the archives. Let's go to Paul in Virginia. You're live with Stephen A. Paul. Good afternoon. Good evening, sir. How are you?

[Greg (Caller)]

All right, sir. How are you?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I'm all right.

Thank you for calling. Go ahead.

[Greg (Caller)]

I was calling because I heard you talking about Don Lemon, and how. Don Lemon was interviewing the pastor and interviewing parishioners. But the problem is, Stephen A. They interrupted the church service while it was going on. It. So that's where he got arrested for. Because that is. That's against the law. You can't interrupt the church service. They were worshiping. And he went. They went in there, stopped the service as it was going on, and then they went up and he started interviewing the pastor and everybody while they stopped the service.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Okay, so, Paul, hold on, hold on, hold on. It was actually four people, two activists, Don Lemon, and one other individual. But here's the question I have for you, Paul. I'm very interested in knowing your answer. Was the service interrupted and then Don Lemon came in and was doing interviews, or did he join the protesters and interrupt the service? Because according to him, he did not do that.

[Greg (Caller)]

So this is. This is the reason why you have to put both of these together. Don Lemon would. There's a video of Don Lemon in an SUV on the way to the.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Saw that video. I saw that event. I saw that video.

[Greg (Caller)]

So he. So he knew what was happening. He went to that church knowing that they were going to protest and they were going to interrupt the service. The law that he violated was the interruption of a worship service as it's going on. So he knew that. And so those four people went in, they busted in, they interrupted service while it was going on, which is against the law.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Paul, I'm gonna piss you off when I say this, and I. And I apologize because I don't intend to, but I'm going to nitpick. Knowing that the service was going to be interrupted and participating in the interruption is two different things. So I get your point, Paul, because I saw that video, too, where it appeared clear he knew protesters were going to enter the church to interrupt the service.

So I knew that the Trump administration.

Would probably use that to try and get him. But if indeed he didn't play a part in the interruption and he came in the aftermath and did the interview, then that's not interrupting. That's how lawyers talk.

I'm not a lawyer, but I'm a.

Law and order fanatic. That's how they talk.

So you can parse it and you can pick it apart and stuff like that. You get what I'm saying, Paul?

You understand what I'm saying?

[Greg (Caller)]

Yeah, but it. The issue is that he went in there with them. It wasn't like he said, hey, go. He was right there. And as they.

[Stephen A. Smith]

He was right there with them in the End. He was right there with them in the end. But when they first walked into the church, I'm not sure he was.

I don't know the answer to that. I don't know. I honestly don't know. Do you?

[Greg (Caller)]

Yeah.

[Stephen A. Smith]

No.

[Greg (Caller)]

No. Yes. He's right behind them as they went up and rushed the church and start yelling and screaming. He walked right behind them and he went up and he started talking to the pastor. If you see his interview, they are. The protesters are yelling and screaming at parishioners and yelling at Paul.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Are you saying that you, you think he should be arrested? You think he should spend time behind bars?

[Greg (Caller)]

Behind bars. But I think that it, you cannot go and interrupt church services just like on the other side. On the other side, they have the law about going into an abortion clinic and protesting there. So it's the same. He got arrested. So that's what I'm saying. I want it to be consistent. So on the other side, Jamal Bryan in Atlanta, conservative activist, and his wife just went into that church and was. And was. And interrupted and calling for them to be arrested, even though he doesn't want the Minneapolis people to be arrested.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Gotcha. And you're looking for consistency. You're saying consistency across the board. You have these acts that prohibit you from going into a place of worship or, you know, some place like an abortion clinic or something else. You're saying it needs to be a consistent across the ball board. Is that what you're saying, Paul? I just want to make sure I'm quoting you.

[Greg (Caller)]

Yes. Yes. And so you got 30 seconds.

[Stephen A. Smith]

You got 30 seconds. You got 30 Seconds. And then I gotta go to break. Go ahead.

[Greg (Caller)]

Okay. So yes, I'm agree. So the issue is the First Amendment that he's talking about doesn't cover him to interrupt the church service. It covers him if, if he's, if they had already been interrupted and he's talking to him after. But it doesn't cover you to interrupt the church service. That's the issue.

[Stephen A. Smith]

Got you. Appreciate the call for. Thank you so much. Triple A, Mad Dog, 688-86-233646. I would tell you I'll be right back with your calls, but it ain't gonna be with your calls. It's gonna be with real time. That means Bill Ma, he's up next with yours truly. Straight Shooter Stephen A. In the house post radio channel 124. Back with Bill Maher in a minute.

46 minutes past hour number two back here on Straight Shooter with yours truly, Stephen A. It is my honor and privilege to have my next guest.

He's coming on for the second time. He's a stand up comedian, podcast and.

Host of the long running HBO political talk show Real Time. The one and only Bill Ma back.

In the house on Straight Shooter.

What's up, my man? How you doing? It's good to see you, man. How's everything?

Always good to see you. You know, I don't do this for a lot of people, but you, you, you are, you can't resist you.

I appreciate it.

Well, listen, let me say this, let me confess because you'd be proud of me. You'd be proud of me.

I'm gonna confess right here for the world to see.

I think the best that I have felt in recent memory was when I was hanging out with you for two hours on Club Random and I got a contact high. I mean, it took me a while for recover, but I remember how I felt pretty good off the contact high, Bill. So I'm saying it publicly. Okay, I'm saying it for you.

Wow, how brave. What are you, Bill Clinton in 1992? You just inhaled. And by the way, you felt great. Not because the contact, you felt great. Because we vibe because everybody has a great time here, especially people like you who are honest and just love completely off the cuff stoner conversation. Whether you're the stoner or not. I'll handle that.

There we go. There we go.

Let's get right to a couple of.

Issues while I got you here for a few minutes, man, because I wanted to get your thoughts on this.

Borders are.

Tom Holman just announced the withdrawal of 700 ICE agents in Minneapolis.

Your thoughts about that move and whether.

Or not the administration caved?

Sure. They reacted to politics, which is actually a positive thing. I mean, you know, things are so screwed and tattooed and blued in so many ways in America right now. I take the positive where I can, but I'm not that surprised. I mean, Trump is not somebody who doesn't pay attention to what's going on. It's how he reacts to it that I often have a problem with it. But in general, the message has gotten through to the White House. How it, how it could not would be beyond me. There were political people around him and he's a political animal. And they see this election that just was went down in Texas where there was a swing of over 30 points between when he won that district and this Democrat winning and, you know, many other Republicans, Republicans. Now we're talking about criticizing ICE and how they went too Far. And I mean, yeah, it took way too long for the message to get through. But the message did get through. Is that what America voted for was you get the criminals out. Yes, of course, Biden went too far in letting everybody in. But we didn't vote for, you know, holding down a dental hygienist and making her eat snow. You know, that's not what we want.

You know, one of the other things I want to know if you paying attention to how he wants, you know, the elections federalized. He's been speaking about that over the last 24 to 48 hours. What do you think his objective is there? How do you feel about the approach that he's taken in terms of trying to encourage the Republicans to do everything they can to federalize elections?

Well, this was my original problem with Donald Trump and has always remained that. I mean, I think I was the first guy to use that phrase, slow moving couple before he won the first time. And my main issue is and always will be he does not concede elections. I mean, the fact that he's still obsessed about the one he lost. I mean, man, I feel like the Godfather, too. He says, michael, do you have to wipe out everybody? You know, you won, you won, you won the White House back. What does 2020 matter? But that's kind of an obsession with him. And of course, this is just another step in this long journey we've been on here, where elections are not what we always had before this, that we are not the country where a peaceful transference of power, which is the key to any stable country, happens. We were, you know, often not unique, but like many countries don't do that. And now one of the, we're one of those countries that can't depend on that. And this is just, it just gets a little eroded each time. And this is just more of it. I mean, what is Tulsi Gabbard doing in Georgia looking into the 2020 election? They combed through that like five times already. What are they going to find? Well, what they're going to find, of course, is, you know, at some point, the right count. Even though people have done that. Republicans, Republicans in that state did it, I don't know, four or five times. But, you know, just keep counting. You'll find the person who one day finds the right count.

One of the things that I did.

To start off my show today is that I brought up Senator Chuck Schumer because Chuck Schumer called what Trump's trying to do with the elections, he called it Jim Crow 2.0. And what I, what I guarded against, I said, you know, I've taken heat from the Democratic Party from time to time. You certainly have, you know, on numerous occasions. And I said, don't get Trumpish. Don't engage in that kind of hyperbole, because we living in the year 2026, and when you start bringing up Jim Crow 2.0, you're trying to harken back to a time that most people recognize, no, we're not living in those times right now.

Of course we've got our troubles, but we're not doing, don't do that, because.

That'S playing right into Trump's hands. Was I writing saying that?

And yes, and you're factually right. It's, it's this thing that he's trying to do with not conceding elections, that it's not primarily a racial issue. Not everything is primarily a racial issue. It has racial overtones, as does everything in this country. But yes, you're right, it's foolish to make it about that. And it's also foolish because Biden used that exact phrase about voting in Georgia. And then they did polling after that next election came up, and even the black folks said we had no problem voting. So, you know, like you say, don't engage in the kind of hyperbole that's just gonna bite you in the ass.

What were your thoughts about the Epstein files and 3 million pages being released? And, you know, now we are hearing that Bill and Hillary Clinton have both agreed to testify in the House ahead of the contempt of Congress vote. What are your thoughts about that?

Well, this is certainly something we were talking in my meeting today about. What I'm gonna talk about on the show is it's just too interesting. And, and also, you know, I can't believe I'm saying this, but where does QAnon go for the apology? You know, I mean, QAnon, which believed in lots of really ridiculous things like, you know, Democrats eat babies, but they were kind of harping a lot on the idea that the elites are running this pedophile ring. And I mean, I made jokes about them. I also made jokes after the Epstein thing happened originally that were on the idea of, well, you know, obviously there was some smoke there. Well, now with all that's come out in the last couple of weeks, there's little more than smoke. It does look like anybody who was at all able to get in touch with Jeffrey Epstein, he was the, were doing it. They, they just, I mean, and then they all lied about it. Everybody Has. And the arrogance also of thinking they could just use their real name in an email, which they did and didn't try to couch it in. You know, when I used to get pot before it was legal, it was like, I'd like two shirts please. You know, and no seeds in the shirts this time. You know, you had to sort of codify it. No, they're just openly talking in emails about this sort of, you know, sexual perversion and that they were all doing and, and lots of people who you didn't think, you know, or I never imagined were doing it. I see these names come up. So, you know, I mean, qanon, yes, a lot of crazy there. But you know what? You weren't totally wrong about that.

Guys, I gotta tell you this before.

I let you go, I had this last question for you because I know that you got another show coming up this week. I try to never miss your show. It's the best political show on television as far as I'm concerned. You've been doing it for over two decades. There's a reason for that, because you're the best in the business. I gotta ask you, how have things been for you with the Democratic Party, particularly since you went to the White House and had that visit? I remember people were getting on you about that. I spoke up on your behalf about that. You didn't ask me to, but I did it anyway because I thought it was ridiculous how people were asking.

I want to know real quickly.

We only got a couple of minutes left. How would you describe your relationship with the liberals, with the Democratic Party at this particular moment in time, in light of all that's transpired before and since the election?

There's old school liberals and then there's woke. I know people hate that term because, you know, it used to be something, but much more substantive. Invalid. But sorry, language changes. It got to mean the super excesses of the left. Well, I mean those people actually checked out on me a while ago because I wouldn't go along. I never really stopped doing what I do mostly which is make fun of the conservatives. But once the wokeness got way out of control. We don't have time to go into the list, but I'm sure you know their greatest hits. I was not just going to say, well, you know, that's the blue team. I'm not going to say anything. So like those people already were out the door. So those are the same people who hated me for talking to Trump. And I've done editorials about this since it's Just. You have no argument. These people. There's no there there. It's just emotional. We hate Trump. And you talk to him.

He's the president.

You have to talk to him as a opposed to what? It's just such a dumb, emotional argument. And by the way, I was able to over three hours there to say whatever I wanted to him. He needs more people like me talking to him, not less. He likes to talk to people and I think he's bored with all the ass kisses around him. We actually had a real exchange. Now, how much gets in, I don't know, but it's certainly better than just having Stephen Miller talk to him.

How about that? How about that? Bill, I gotta go. I appreciate your time out of your busy schedule. Real Time with Bill Maher every Friday night, hbo. You're the best in the business, my man. Thank you so much for taking time.

[Colin Allred]

All right?

[Stephen A. Smith]

I appreciate it. And I can't wait.

I can't wait to return the favor. You take it easy. We'll talk soon.

Anytime. I'll keep the joint left for you.

You do that.

You do that.

The one and only Bill Maher right here.

Real Time with Bill Ma on HBO every Friday night, 10pm eastern, eastern standard Time. I know I catch it. I know you all will catch it as well. Thanks again to Bill Ma for coming on the show. Thanks again. Former representative out of Texas, Colin Allred, who's running for the 33rd district in Texas again. Certainly looking forward to talking to y' all next week. Thanks to the callers and everybody else supporting Straight Shooting with Stephen A. The show just continues to grow and grow every single week. That's thanks to y' all support and love and I really, really appreciate it. Keep it coming and I'm going. Keep on coming until next week, Wednesday night at 6:00pm Eastern Standard Time. Peace and love, everybody. Stephen A.

Out.