24. LA takes on ICE, Trump takes on the American People?

Summary

Detailed Summary of "The Tim & April Show" Episode 24: LA Takes on ICE, Trump Takes on the American People

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Tim & April Show
• Host/Author: The New Evangelicals
• Description: Where we unravel faith, politics, and culture.
• Episode: 24. LA Takes on ICE, Trump Takes on the American People?
• Release Date: June 13, 2025

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1. Introduction and Overview (02:01 - 03:05)

The episode kicks off with Tim and April introducing the show's agenda for the day. They outline the main topics, including the recent ICE raids in Los Angeles, President Trump's planned military parade, the Southern Baptist Convention's controversial resolution, Michael Tate's public apology, and more.

Notable Quotes:

• Tim (02:25): "We have a packed show today. Of course, we're talking about LA and the protest king Trump trying to invade, you know, a state."

2. ICE Raids and Protests in Los Angeles (09:27 - 19:39)

April provides a detailed account of the ICE raids that began circulating on June 6th in Los Angeles, particularly targeting non-violent, law-abiding immigrants. These raids have led to heart-wrenching scenes of families being torn apart. Tim adds that while the Biden administration had deported more individuals than Trump’s previous tenure, the nature of these recent raids is unprecedented and highly destructive.

Notable Quotes:

• April (10:04): "I can't tell you how many countless heart-wrenching videos I've seen of moms being ripped from their children or wives, ripped from their husbands."
• Tim (12:05): "This is what Stephen Miller wants. Stephen Miller wants a whiter America."

3. Trump's Military Parade and National Guard Deployment (06:37 - 08:32)

The hosts discuss President Trump's scheduled military parade on June 14th, which coincides with his 79th birthday. They critique the substantial taxpayer expense of up to $45 million for the event, highlighting it as a misuse of funds, especially given Trump's previous promises to eliminate wasteful government spending.

Notable Quotes:

• Tim (07:08): "Longest, you're going around assuming that, that, oh, this person looks like they're from Mexico, let's just go ahead and go after them."
• April (08:52): "According to NBC and Washington, the parade and festivities for the weekend of June 14th will cost taxpayers up to $45 million DOL."

4. White Evangelical Support for Trump and Criticism (20:46 - 36:40)

Tim and April delve into the role of white evangelicals in supporting Trump’s administration, criticizing how Christian nationalism has diverged from the teachings of Jesus. They argue that white evangelicals have enabled policies that dismantle due process and promote a divisive, authoritarian agenda.

Notable Quotes:

• April (28:12): "Jesus said, you, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me."
• Tim (36:11): "It's never about small government. It's about who wields the power of the government now that they're in charge."

5. Michael Tate's Apology and Newsboys' Response (65:02 - 78:25)

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to discussing Michael Tate, the former frontman of the Newsboys, who recently issued a public apology for his past behavior, including drug and alcohol abuse and inappropriate sexual actions. Tim and April critique the Newsboys' response, highlighting inconsistencies and skepticism regarding the band's awareness of Tate's misconduct.

Notable Quotes:

• April (70:44): "I don't buy the ignorance here, frankly."
• Tim (77:21): "There's really no apology to the victims in that statement."

Michael Tate's Apology Highlights:

• Admitted to drug and alcohol abuse.
• Acknowledged inappropriate sexual actions towards men.
• Expressed shame and sought forgiveness from those he hurt.
• Committed to repentance and healing.

6. Southern Baptist Convention's Resolution (81:09 - 85:52)

The hosts address the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) voting on a resolution aiming to overturn laws like Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage. They condemn this move as part of a broader pattern of white evangelical institutions pushing authoritarian agendas under the guise of religious beliefs.

Notable Quotes:

• Tim (82:33): "The SBC is continuing to show how deep the rot goes in White evangelicalism."
• April (84:28): "When you start saying, you cannot do that because it goes against my beliefs, that's when you go into nationalist territory."

7. Elon Musk and Donald Trump's Dispute (57:14 - 62:28)

A lighter segment covers the escalating feud between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Elon Musk accused Trump of being involved in Jeffrey Epstein's files, leading to a back-and-forth exchange on social media. The hosts mock the situation, emphasizing the childish nature of the confrontation.

Notable Quotes:

• Tim (58:09): "These are two titans, two very strong-willed heavyweights, two big dogs... They're unloading on each other."

8. Humorous Parody Segment (86:37 - 89:46)

In an attempt to inject humor, Tim and April watch and comment on a parody video created by a church in New Zealand that satirizes the resurrection of Jesus. They appreciate the light-hearted take on religious themes, contrasting it with the often serious tone of evangelical content.

Notable Quotes:

• April (89:06): "This is how you satire, you do it."

9. Conclusion and Final Remarks (90:10 - 91:25)

As the episode wraps up, Tim and April encourage listeners to participate in upcoming protests, emphasizing the importance of peaceful assembly and awareness of rights. They remind the audience to subscribe, leave reviews, and support the show through likes and donations.

Notable Quotes:

• April (90:39): "If you go to the No Kings protest on Saturday, please be safe."
• Tim (91:07): "Thank you so much for being here. Have a great week."

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Key Insights and Takeaways

1. Authoritarian Tendencies in Leadership: The episode critically examines how President Trump’s actions, such as deploying the National Guard without state consent and orchestrating expensive public events, resemble authoritarianism contrary to his stated values of limited federal government.

2. Impact of ICE Raids: The discussion highlights the human cost of ICE's aggressive deportation policies, emphasizing the emotional trauma inflicted on non-criminal, law-abiding immigrants and their families.

3. White Evangelical Influence: Tim and April argue that white evangelical support for Trump has facilitated policies that undermine democratic principles and promote racial and cultural divisions.

4. Accountability in Religious Institutions: The episode scrutinizes the Southern Baptist Convention’s resolution against same-sex marriage and criticizes the Newsboys' handling of Michael Tate’s apology, pointing to systemic issues within evangelical circles regarding accountability and moral consistency.

5. Media and Propaganda: The hosts express concerns about how mainstream and right-wing media portray protests and immigration enforcement, suggesting a bias that justifies government overreach and demonizes marginalized communities.

6. Cultural and Religious Critique: A recurring theme is the critique of how certain interpretations of Christianity and traditional values contribute to policies that oppress and marginalize LGBTQ+ individuals and immigrants.

7. Humor Amidst Seriousness: While tackling grave topics, the hosts incorporate humor through parody segments, offering a balanced approach to engaging their audience.

Conclusions

Tim and April’s discussion in this episode paints a concerning picture of the intersection between faith, politics, and culture in contemporary America. They advocate for greater accountability, empathy, and adherence to democratic principles, while criticizing the influence of white evangelicalism in perpetuating divisive and authoritarian policies. The episode serves as a call to action for listeners to engage in peaceful protest, remain informed, and challenge narratives that undermine the rights and dignity of marginalized communities.

End of Summary

Transcript

[April]

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[Tim]

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[April]

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[April]

The chopping of onions and cilantro.

[Tim]

We call our playlist Real Order now.

[April]

Chipotle for real.

[Tim]

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[April]

You're listening to a new evangelicals production, the Tim and April show where we unravel faith, politics and culture.

[Tim]

What's up friends? Welcome in to the Tim and April Show. I am Tim.

[April]

I am April.

[Tim]

We are live. We go live every Thursday at 12 o' clock Eastern and we also do a deep dive or some kind of story on Monday. So thank you so much for tuning in. Make sure to give this stream a like if you're just joining it. Good to see all of you. We have a packed show today. Of course we're talking about L A and the protest king Trump trying to invade, you know, a state. We'll get into that. We're going to talk about the SBC voting on a resolution that is just kind of like, mind blowing. Michael Tate issues his formal apology from the newsboys. And so, so, so much more. So welcome in. Hello, April. Good to see you.

[April]

It's good to see you too, Timothy.

[Tim]

How was my intro? Pretty strong.

[April]

I felt it was very high energy.

[Tim]

I'm trying.

[April]

You. You brought it.

[Tim]

Good. Yeah, I'm trying to, you know, psych myself up a little bit. My ADHD medicine, I. I took it this morning. I'm feeling good.

[April]

Good. That's. That is fantastic.

[Tim]

Thank you.

[April]

I. I'm glad that you are finding things that work. I think it's so fun, though, that, you know, even as we age and get older, that we're still discovering new things about ourselves and can grow and change.

[Tim]

Yes. Or in my case, actually believing that maybe I should seek help. I think when I. When I told. I think I told you, April, on the show a couple weeks ago, I finally met a psychiatrist and was like, look, you know, I think I have adhd, but I don't know. So he's asking all of his questions at the end. He goes, you have such textbook adhd, a college med student could. Could diagnose you. I was like, okay, good to know. And then I told my friends, hey, I've been officially diagnosed with adhd. And they went, are you surprised by that? Like, obviously, like, yes, we know. So I started taking shotara a couple of weeks ago. I will say honest. Honest. Research review so far, the beginning, I definitely felt a major difference. I'm not sure how much of a difference I feel now. Maybe I'm just kind of used to it. My mind definitely is quieter, but I still find myself, you know, having a hard time completing tasks. So I have an appointment in a few weeks, and we'll check in and see how I'm doing. But it has been very helpful, and it has been nice to have a. A quiet mind for the first time in my life.

[April]

That's so nice. Do you have. Do you have, like, audible thoughts? Like, do you. Do you think incomplete sentences or do you think more like, images? Like, does your. Does your inner voice have words? A language?

[Tim]

A lot of. Yes, a lot of language. A lot of words.

[April]

Okay. Because there's some people. Yeah, I think in, like, sentences. Like, it's pretty much my voice, like, not talking to me, but, like, I think, like, I talk. But there are people who don't think that way that just, like, don't think in, like, an inner language.

[Tim]

It's rare, too, I think. I don't think it's very common but you're right, there are some people, they have like no inner monologue. And of course, I think part of why you and I are content creators is because we have maybe a hyperactive monologue where it has to come out somewhere. So Sarah, she has an internal monologue, but she's very much an internal processor. And I process verbally. I process by talking something out. And it's funny because especially in the beginning of our marriage, I'd be like, hey, here's what I'm thinking. Here's my thought. What do you think? She's like, I don't really have thoughts yet. I'm like, what do you mean? All I have are thoughts to communicate and talk through. But then whenever she said the thought, it would be so profound. Like she would sum up what took me to say in 10 minutes. She would say in like one sentence better than I could say in 10 minutes. So, you know, to each their own.

[April]

But yeah, yeah, I love to all how we're all just so different. It's fun.

[Tim]

We are different.

[April]

So. So we're going to talk about the protest. We've got a very jammed packed show, so I feel like we should just dive right in. But before we talk about what's happening in LA, there is a no Kings protest happening this Saturday, June 14th. It happens to be the same day that Donald Trump is planning this giant military parade and they're officially saying it's to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the military or the army. Yeah, but that's highly. Susan, that's also Donald Trump's birthday.

[Tim]

Ah, there it is.

[April]

I believe he turns. Is he turning 70? What else is he turning? Let's see. Yeah, he's from birthday. Okay. He was born in 1946. So that you do the. So he's gonna be turning 79.

[Tim]

Wow. Wowzies.

[April]

He'll be turning 79.

[Tim]

You can go to nokings.org to find protest near you on Saturday and protest no kings. Which I agree. Yeah, sounds great.

[April]

Yeah. And there's going to be pro. There's not. It's not just in America too. It's all over the world that these protests are, are happening. So if you want to show up, the ACLU has got a great resource on to know your rights as a protester, on ways to be safe, you know, because it is scary times as we are going to be discussing. But yeah.

[Tim]

Did you see the video of them bringing in all the tanks into dc? Like, this just looks. This looks like a dystopian Nightmare. It looks like something out of, like, almost North Korea for me. I'm just like, this is all being brought in to celebrate our great leader. Because, you know, we all know that Trump is not going to make this about the military. He's making it about him. Like, this is Trump's birthday celebration. King Trump needs to be adorned and worshiped and thanked for, for making America great again. He's obviously like a narcissist, you know, so it's just, it's just so weird seeing I don't know what to do with this, you know, like, are we being invaded? Are we going to war? Like, what is happening? It's just, it makes me feel very uncomfortable personally.

[April]

Well, and also, this is the guy who's talking about wanting to rid the government of wasteful spending. I don't know of anything more wasteful than throwing yourself a giant parade.

[Tim]

I mean, where's those when you need money?

[April]

How much money are they even spending?

[Tim]

Let's see. I found government waste. It's, it's right here. They, they are literally, they're, they're transporting hundreds of tanks across America for a megalomaniac's birthday celebration, masquerading as a celebration of the military. Come on, come on. I found your waste, fraud and abuse. It's right there.

[April]

According to NBC and Washington, it says the parade and festivities for the weekend of June 14th will cost taxpayers up to 45 million DOL.

[Tim]

Right. Yes. Which, by the way, is still more than Doge saved in its, in its 90, 95 day run, to be clear. So it just, it kills me, Kills me.

[April]

Talk about. Yeah, where's Doge when you need him? Like, where's the fighting with Trump? But we'll, we'll get to that later.

[Tim]

Okay, we'll get to that. Okay. All right, Sounds good. Yeah. What a week. It's made. What a week.

[April]

I know. Where do we even go? So let's talk about what's happening in L. A, because I find it both inspiring and also terrifying, based on some of the response from our federal government. So basically, what happened? So in June 6, we'll just get to how this started, which.

[Tim]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[April]

And to be fair, it did not start on June6. Ice has been grabbing and snatching people off the streets. They've been showing up to courts, they've been showing up to churches and hospitals.

[Tim]

One hundred, a hundred percent.

[April]

And just taking people, just kidnapping people. I mean, I, I can't tell you how many countless heart wrenching videos I've seen of moms Being ripped from their children or wives, ripped from their husbands, and they're just crying. And these are not violent people. And a lot of these people are. He were going to their, like, court to. To for like their immigration status, court hearing, like, doing everything legally, like, doing everything the right way. Because when you come and when you seek asylum or you seek immigration, like, for most people, you're here sometimes years and years and years before you actually get citizenship. So you're technically undocumented, but as well, actually you still have documents. Like, you're talking about people that have documents but are just not citizens that are being. Being detained by ice. So what Trump.

[Tim]

So I just want to add really quick, briefly, I'm sorry to cut you off, but I just want to add that. That, that. That former President Biden deported millions of people. Like, the administration deported a lot of people, but they weren't going to Home Depot or raiding churches. Most of the arrests happened at the border. So. So, so like I said, I say this for two reasons. Number one, technically, Joe Biden actually deported more immigrants than Trump did in his previous administration, which kind of, you know, kind of combats the narrative that under Joe Biden, we had open borders. We absolutely, like, did not. And there were deportations. But again, what makes these so terrible is that they're going into communities where people have established lives and they're ripping them apart regardless of even knowing their actual immigration status. Right? Like if, for example, in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, right, that was a clerical error. They shipped him back to Ecuador to a death prison and then essentially said, sorry, El Salvador, I apologize, and then said, oh, we can't do anything about it, even though they knew it was a mistake and the Supreme Court ordered his return, which now that he. They did bring him back, by the way. And now he's facing charges of like, human trafficking or, you know, trafficking immigrant immigrants. So that's what makes this so.

[April]

Which is also bs.

[Tim]

It's complete bs. The actual hatred that we see being aimed. What just. Are you okay, April?

[April]

Paula, pause the rapture happen for people.

[Tim]

Who can't see the show. April's light just went out.

[April]

Hold on, I think I need to plug it in or something.

[Tim]

Okay, you do that.

[April]

This is.

[Tim]

I will opine what makes these quote unquote, deportations, really kidnappings, abductions so terrible is how they're doing it, and that they're targeting people who are not criminals. They're targeting people who have lives, they're destroying families in front of us. And they do it with glee. This is what Stephen Miller wants. Stephen Miller wants a whiter America. And this is why we say that like white Christian nationalism is the, it's, it's the basis of what is driving what we're seeing with this particular administration. There's no sense of humanity. There's no sense of, of, of, of, you know, recognizing the imago day in other people. It's not about criminals. It's about just tearing people from their livelihoods. And that's what's been so damaging to witness, in my opinion, you know, and to see white evangelicals be happy about this is crazy. And I think, I think the last thing I'll say until April comes back here is that we need to be so clear. This is not about stopping criminals. It's not. The people that they're going after are people who are working jobs, who have been part of their communities for a long time, who have had children in the U.S. whose children are U.S. citizens. And there's also no due process. Have you, have you all noticed that? I'm sure you've seen the clips of ICE agents who are masked up, by the way, right, Ripping people right after their court hearings. There's been stories of, of immigrants going to a court hearing. Again, that's going through the process the right way. They're not hiding, they're trying to go through the system correctly. And ICE agents are waiting at the end of their court hearing to arrest them and throw them into an unmarked van and shoot them off to God knows where. How much, how, how much, how? It's terrible. I've seen kids in zip ties and it is so inhumane how this administration has been treating other people and to see the propaganda that was used to get them elected. We got to stop criminals. It's an invasion. It's propaganda, friends. And I think that frankly, what's happening in LA is indication of people just being so fed up that they will literally put their bodies in front of literal ICE vans to try and stop their neighbor from being deported. How was that?

[April]

That was great, Beacher. I, I hollered for Beecher. Beecher has now fixed my light.

[Tim]

Thank you, Beecher. Thank you, Beecher. I did a really good rant. I did a great rant on, on immigration, immigrants.

[April]

I appreciate the fact. I knew that I could trust, trust you to go on a rant. Light emergency.

[Tim]

I have a lined up. I was ready to roll, so that's funny.

[April]

So, so what's happening in LA right now is, didn't it, didn't happen in a vacuum. We've, We've discussed it's, it's.

[Tim]

And while you were out, I gave the whole, the whole spiel of your. Right. It did not happen in a vacuum. That's correct.

[April]

Yeah. Okay, so, but what happened in LA, if you don't know, on June 6th, it started circulating that ice was at a local Home Depot. And so crowds started to gather and they had a little bit of a protest. And then the next day, the crowds grew even more because there was a large crowd gathering in Paramount, a small suburb of Los Angeles, amid rumors that ICE was preparing to raid a Home Depot there.

[Tim]

Yep.

[April]

And so deputies ordered, like LAPD ordered the crowd to disperse, fired tear gas and flashbang when people refused to leave. Around the same time, another protest broke out in a neighboring Compton, where reports emerged of vandalism, including protesters setting a car on fire in the street. I'm reading from ABC News. And then later, the mayor of. Mayor Bass said that there were no ICE raids in Paramount or anywhere else in Los Angeles county on Saturday. She said building in Paramount that protesters gathered near was being used as a staging area for federal resources. And then on that same day, Trump signed a presidential memorandum authorizing the deployment of 2,000 National Guard members to LA. Now, at this point, there really wasn't a lot, like, the protests were pretty much under control. Like, there were. There were some instances of vandalism and things, but those were from outliers. And I know people in LA that are saying that a lot of, like, the people that were doing those things were not necessarily part of the larger protests.

[Tim]

Right.

[April]

But there, those are also a small, like, that is happening, but it's very small in the scheme of riots, like, and how riots go.

[Tim]

LA is no stranger to protests. Okay. They obviously have infrastructure to make sure that people have a right to protest peacefully and to, you know, handle if things get out of control. This was just an excuse for Trump to send in the National Guard, which, by the way, this is the first time since 1965 that the federal government sent the National Guard to a state without the governor's consent. Okay, so this is, this is a huge power play. And again, it makes you wonder what happened to states rights. I'm so sorry, I thought that, that MAGA was all about states rights and small, limited federal government. But no, in this case, Trump literally signs an order, demands the federal government invade LA and positions troops there, despite Newsom and the mayor of la, Mayor Bass, saying, we don't need you guys here. We're totally fine. Also I want to mention one more thing, and this is a bigger, a bigger theme that we have to recognize. LA is huge. LA is massive. Okay, look, here's a map. L A is ginormous. And what. And the way media, including, by the way, I would argue mainstream media wants you to think is that when you see a protest on the street, somehow this is all of L A, like L A is just on fire. That's not happening. There are tiny little pockets in certain parts of L A that have these protests happening. And, and it's not this widespread. Everything is being destroyed. So that's, I would argue, propaganda that the administration wants to push out to, to give people some kind of justification for why this huge exam, this huge federal government overreach is taking place. Right. ICE agents invaded L A. L A is a sanctuary city. They started going after people who were nonviolent non criminal workers, some of which could have been undocumented, but we don't know that. How do you know if someone's undocumented or not until you actually get them and check? You just don't know. So they're going around assuming that, that, oh, this person looks like they're from Mexico, let's just go ahead and go after them. And, and the people of the community push back. They protest. Trump uses some very small instances of perhaps some property damage, not widespread, to then justify sending in the National Guard. This is authoritarianism. This is how it works. It's unbelievable.

[April]

Yeah, well, and then he's also deployed a few hundred Marines as well that are just sitting there and they're not really doing anything because thankfully Trump has not. What is it enacted like the Insurrection act, which basically gives him, which is kind of like martial law in a sense, and he has stated that he's not going to do that, so that's good. But so the National Guard and the Marines technically really can't do anything unless that legally they cannot, although that doesn't necessarily mean that they won't. But they're not supposed to do anything unless Trump announced is the Insurrection Act.

[Tim]

As of yesterday, President Trump said he may invoke the Insurrection act if he needs to, but he's unsure. So he's at least now floating the idea. I don't think that's going to happen based on what's actually going on now, it feels like things are kind of, you know, quelled. But it's always a, with Trump, anything, anything's a possibility. This administration has done all kinds of, you know, workarounds to enact old laws or old actions to, to really gain more and more federal power over states in local areas like la.

[April]

And I think that we, there's been videos. I don't know if you saw the video. There was an Australian reporter who was just reporting and you see one of the, I don't know if it was ICE or if it was some, one of the guards or police that were there shot her. I mean, there were rubber bullets, so they're non lethal, but just shot her point blank. And, and I think what we, what you are seeing is the National Guard, the ice, the people there who are supposedly quelling the protests, who are supposed to stop the protest, are actually instigating it and escalating the situation because you have peaceful protesters that are peaceful. Like most of the videos that are actually from the protest are completely peaceful, are people singing hymns. They're people, you know, with, with protest signs that are against ICE and against fascism. And it's very similar of what happened in 2020 with the Black Lives Matter protest. There was a study that was like over 97% of all Black Lives Matter protests were 100% peaceful. And you just had a very small percentage that turned into riots or looting or whatever. And that small percentage was what right wing media ran with to say that all the protests were violent, that they were insurrectionists, that they were paid, paid protesters, they were bused in from out of state. Like, and I, I went to Black Lives Matter protest like the whole summer and people lied about me saying that I was a paid protester being bussed in from out of town and that I was some insane anarchist, despite that being the exact opposite of what I am, you know, 100% there, there's a lot of misinformation and propaganda being spread about this. Not just the protests, but also the, the deportations that ICE is doing. Because I've been, I've been talking about it online and I get a lot of comments from MAGA people who are saying, oh, so you literally. I had a guy in my comments that was like, well, I really hope you don't get graped by an illegal immigrant.

[Tim]

Unbelievable.

[April]

And I was like, what? Like they, they literally think that Trump is just deporting just awful, violent people when if you look at the numbers and who he's actually deporting, they are law abiding people that just happen to not be citizens yet. Not to mention most of them want to be, most of them want to do the right thing. Like if it, I don't think most people realize how hard it is to become an American citizen. Sometimes you have to wait years before you can even get a court date with the judge to process basic paperwork.

[Tim]

Two things. Okay, I have so many thoughts on what you just said. Really quick. Number one, statistically, April, you are much more likely to be assaulted by a white man than you are an undocumented immigrant. If anything, you should be in fear of the white men around your neighborhood and you know, whenever you walk in Walmart. I'm just saying. Number two, regarding the BLM protest, this is according to a study. People can look this up. It's acle data.com Approximately 94% of all pro BLM demonstrations were peaceful, with 6% involving reports of violence, clashes with police, vandalism, looting, or other destructive activity. In the remaining 6%, it is not clear who instigated the violent or destructive activity. While some cases of violence or looting have been provoked by demonstrators, other events have escalated as a result of aggressive government actions, intervention from right wing groups or individual assailants, and car ramming attacks. In contrast, demonstrations involving right wing militias or militant social movements have turned violent or destructive over twice as often or nearly 14% of the time. All right, let's just start with that. Okay? So that, that you're right. Number three, to your other point, you are absolutely correct about the time it takes to become even just documented for some people. Case in point, the story of Muhammad, My friend over here in New Jersey. His family owns a small business called jersey kebab. Right? His business was raided in March. His mother was arrested, put in a detention center. Why was she arrested? Because in the government system, they have been labeled pending for, I think nine years. They tried to get court, they tried to get hearings. They can't get a hearing. And because they were labeled not as undocumented, but pending, they were raided. Now, I have an update to that. Muhammad and his family had a court date two or three weeks ago. They bring, they bring a stack of evidence showing that they all have lives and that they are established, you know, citizens of the U.S. they have a small business. Muhammad is married to a US Citizen. They have children. They bring all this to the judge, right, with their lawyer. The judge looks at the case, asks if they, if they signed a certain form correctly. When the lawyer says yes, the judge goes, okay, I can rule on this case in four years from now and delays their case another four years. Just because, I don't know why. But they. She couldn't rule. The judge was a woman. She couldn't rule. Then she has to rule Four years from now. So now they have to wait another four years for another immigration hearing. Right. They're doing everything by the book. They have a lawyer, they have their forms. The father has a Social Security number, he was able to start a small business. They are just waiting for the government to say, you've been approved. And because he's still pending and so is his family, in theory, ICE could raid their business again and put his mother back in a detention at a detention center. That's how broken our immigration system is. The narrative that we've been taught right, by right wing media, that all these people are just trying to invade our border to take over the country is ridiculous. Most people have complicated legal proceedings or they're currently in limbo, waiting for a court date, waiting for a hearing, waiting for a form to come back, et cetera. And the fact that ICE is masked up like a bunch of cowards and arresting people who are peaceful, law abiding humans who are just trying to make a living, make a better life for their family, I've seen videos of them ripping infants out of mother's hands. What kind of depraved actions are we tolerating as an ICE agent? How do you go to bed at night thinking, I protected America. From who? From who? The 35 year old woman who's just trying to make a better life for her and her infant son? Are you kidding me? It is. I'm so. If you can't tell, I'm so angry over this. I'm livid. That, that. And the reason why I'm livid, I'll stop ranting about this is because we talk about this all the time. April. If it wasn't for white evangelicalism, this would not be a thing. White evangelicals are by far the whole institution of white evangelicalism. The networks, the money, the, the theology it has, it is what has given us Trump. Not even a question. Statistically, they are the largest, most, you know, devoted supporters of Trump. They're the only religious group that say in the past hundred days Trump is doing a good job. Every other religious group, well, white Catholics say it by a margin of 51%. But besides them, white evangelicals at a rate of 72%, give Trump a stamp of approval for how he's been handling the past hundred days, including his moral and integrity. It is wild to me that we're here. I can't believe it.

[April]

Jesus said, you, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me. And they said, jesus, Lord, when were you a stranger? And we did not welcome you. And he says, what you do to the least of these, you did to me. And it is just wild to me that, that mega Christians, Christian nationalists, white evangelicals, have strayed so far from the teachings of Jesus that we can look at. We're supposed to be saying that all people were created in the image of God, and yet we are okay with certain groups of families being ripped apart just because they weren't born in this country or just because they're brown skin or just because they don't have the right documentation. Like, what? What are we doing?

[Tim]

It's so what are we doing?

[April]

I go back and forth because on one hand I know that. I know that there are good people, as hard as that is to admit. There are people who at least mean well and think they're doing the right thing and are conservative or Republicans still. And I do think there's a lot of misinformation and indoctrination and right wing propaganda that they're eating up. And because they have comfortable lives, they don't need to know the truth. You know, they don't feel the need to really dig into the situation. Out of sight, out of mind. It's not affecting me. I don't need to worry about it. But I also, like, and then there's other days where I'm like, how can you not read the teachings of Jesus and still like, how are you still supporting Donald Trump.

[Tim]

Doing this work? I know the answers to that question. We both know it, we know why, and it's still bewildering. It's so. I mean, I have sat across the room from Christian nationalist pastors at Turning Point USA's America Fest. I've asked them these questions and their answers never include Jesus. Their answers never include the teachings of Jesus. They include some arbitrary verse from the Old Testament and then a bunch of right wing propaganda that makes no sense. And I'm like, do you not hear yourself? I thought I was taught from people like them that I have to give as a Christian radical allegiance to following the way of Jesus. That's what I'm doing. That's why I'm so disgusted at these ICE raids. That's why I'm so aggravated and also bewildered that my own faith tradition has given birth to Trumpism and that somehow, despite everything that Trump has done over the past decade, now it's been almost a decade, an insurrection. I mean, I can go, we could do a whole episode just listing them off piece by piece of all the depraved actions of the administration, both the first time and second time. And somehow the average white evangelical statistically goes, yeah, he's doing a good job. Yep, he's doing a good job. How, What, What Jesus are you following? Please help me. Tell me how you read the Sermon on the Mount and you go, this is exactly what Jesus would want. Do they really think that Jesus. Jesus would be out at these rallies with Trump holding a Make America Great Again sign? Like, what are you, what are you thinking? And this is why so many of us are just fed up. Like, I oscillate between sorrow and anger whenever we talk about this stuff. Because I'm so heartbroken that, that, that the tradition that raised me gave birth to this. And so furious that they think that people like you and me and people in this audience listening to the show are somehow not true Christians. Because we have given over to toxic empathy. Because we give a shit that about families being torn apart who are here just trying to survive. You just gotta be kidding me. It's crazy.

[April]

MAGA Christians and Christian nationalists, they have traded the red letters for red hats.

[Tim]

So good.

[April]

More offended by toxic empathy than they are genocide.

[Tim]

Yeah, exactly.

[April]

Than they are sending innocent women and children and men to glorified concentration camps.

[Tim]

Exactly right.

[April]

In prison.

[Tim]

Exactly right.

[April]

Literally doing nothing wrong except not have certain papers.

[Tim]

A hundred percent. This is why I say that white Jesus has to be crucified and never resurrect ever again. Like, I mean that. Because this is what white Jesus does. This is white Jesus. This is the fruit of white Jesus. You really create justifications that tell you what's happening right now to people made in the image of God is okay, you got to be kidding me. What happened to pro life values? I mean, pro family values. Like where, where are, where are these things that you claim? Oh, right, they don't matter if they're brown skinned people who you think are here illegally or should it be worth, you know, dignity and respect so their families don't matter. Right. Those families you don't have to give a shit about. But you care about what, IVF being banned? Are you kidding me? Like you care about that but not about the actual humans in front of you. It is, it's, it's maddening to me that we are here.

[April]

They get more like they're infuriated by the fact that gay people can be married, but not by a baby being ripped out of her mother's arms like.

[Tim]

A brown skinned baby.

[April]

Who they are, how they're born. Like that mom cares for that child just like I care for My children. Ah, it's, it's, it's so infuriating.

[Tim]

But this is why they created the, the point of, of toxic empathy. Right. Because they know that when humans see images of families being ripped apart by, by masked men and thrown into white vans, of course that rips on your heartstrings. Right. So they create this logic of, well, no, that's just toxic empathy. You have to ignore that part of, you know, the way how you're feeling about that you should ignore, because that's not really biblical empathy. So that's how it works. It's so aggravating to watch.

[April]

Yeah. So Trump's got his military parade on Saturday. He has said he's going to meet. If there's any protesters that show up to his parade, they'll be met with great force.

[Tim]

Because they will.

[April]

He's a child.

[Tim]

Yeah. And how about their constitutional right to peacefully protest? Why? Why? What kind of force?

[April]

I know, but there's, there's been a couple good things, though, that have come out of these protests. One, the fact that protests are spreading. There's, there's also major ICE protests that have already started ahead of the no Kings protests on Saturday in major cities all across America, like Chicago's one. Dallas was one there. There's several others. Which is, which is honestly really inspiring because I don't know about you, but as I've been watching Trump become more and more authoritarian and seeing Republicans just bend over backwards and say, yes, daddy to whatever Donald Trump wants is, is that's basically what they're doing?

[Tim]

Oh, it is. I mean, they, they remember a couple years, a couple months ago, they had Daddy Trump. They were wearing Daddy Trump socks. Ok, that's that their language on ours.

[April]

Friends MAGA is like, they've got their don't tread on me flags until it comes to Donald Trump. And now they're like, tread on me harder, Danny.

[Tim]

Oh, God.

[April]

That's what they're saying.

[Tim]

No, you're right.

[April]

I will mock them. I don't have a problem with that.

[Tim]

But anyway, question. Where's the nra? I thought the NRA was all about you being able to own a gun to protect yourself from the big bad government that wants to invade your local communities. All of a sudden, they're silent. I'm just saying, I don't understand. I mean, isn't the whole point of being armed to protect yourself from the government encroaching in your local towns from, from the big bad federal government? It's just ironic to me.

[April]

There are all these people that were literally calling Joe Biden this, like, communist dictator with zero, like, evidence or anything to back that up. And then Donald Trump is literally sending military troops onto American citizens, and they're like, bravo.

[Tim]

No big deal. Yes. Right, right. Because it's not about small government. Audience, listen to me so carefully. It's never about small government. It's about who wields the power of the government now that they're in charge. Big government is great. Powerful federal government that overrules the rights of states is great if they deem that state an enemy of the government. That's how the logic of not just fascism, but Christian fascism works. We have to keep that in mind.

[April]

So the one other good thing that's happening out of this is. Or maybe it's not good. I don't know. I have conflicting feelings about it, but I'm kind of loving Gavin Newsom right now.

[Tim]

A boy Newsom, which is so hard.

[April]

To admit because I hated everything he did with his stupid podcast.

[Tim]

Oh, my God. I know.

[April]

Gavin, what are you doing? But, man, him being petty towards Donald Trump and the whole, like, I will.

[Tim]

This is his redemption. His redemption. I'm like, you know what, Gavin? I was pissed that you had Charlie Kirk on and didn't challenge him at all. I was like, what are you doing? But this. This is what we need more of. Like, Newsom, if you're listening. More of this, please. More of this?

[April]

Yeah. I mean, listen, if. If we're going to, like, I would imagine, and I don't know, Gavin Newsom kind of seems a little bit like your typical white, privileged, maybe a little bit of a narcissist. Like, he's. He's a white male for sure.

[Tim]

Sure.

[April]

But him going toe to toe with Donald Trump is chef's kiss just beautiful. Like, you need someone like that to.

[Tim]

Go after Trump, and he's been trolling him hard. Well, here's one. Here's one. This is. I mean, you can go to his Twitter and find it, but there's a headline that says, Trump attends Les Miserables. Say it.

[April]

Yeah, Les Miserables.

[Tim]

Okay, so I almost said Les Miserables.

[April]

Have you never seen Les Mis?

[Tim]

Of course I've seen it, April. Let's just move on and keep talking about the more important topic. Anyway, it says, Trump attends Les Mis premier as protests persist across the country. And Gavin Newsom goes, someone explained the plot to him. That's hilarious, right?

[April]

Which is literally about people fighting a dictatorship and a controlling government.

[Tim]

Another one. This is a picture. If you're. If you're watching a podcast of. Of the guard. They're just sleeping on the floor with, like. It's very clear that this was not a very planned and organized send of the National Guard. Gavin says Pete. Pete Hegseth sent 4700 troops here when they weren't needed, without adequate fuel, food, water, or a place to sleep. But don't worry, he's at a baseball game. And it's. It's. It's a. It's a retweet of Pete Hegseth at a baseball game. It's like, yes, like, please call it.

[April]

Yeah. Donald Trump, too, has flirted with the idea about arresting Gavin Newsom, and so has. Was it what's his face, Mike Johnson? But he basically, quote, tweeted it and was like, come and get me, tough guy.

[Tim]

Can we talk about this? Let's just play this clip. I mean. I mean, what is Mike Johnson doing? Just listen to this. Friends, look, that's not my lane. I'm not going to give you legal analysis on whether Gavin Newsom should be arrested. But. But he ought to be tarred and feathered. I'll say that. I mean, look, he's standing in the way of the administration and the carrying out of federal law. Right? He is applauding the bad guys and standing in the way of the good guys.

[C]

He is trying to.

[Tim]

He's a participant, an accomplice in our federal law enforcement agents being not just disrespected, but assaulted. Okay. I mean, he ought to be tarred and feathered. Are you joking?

[April]

Wild.

[Tim]

Are you kidding? And then Gavin says, good to know we're skipping the arrests and going straight for the 1700 style form of punishment. A fitting threat given the GOP want to bring our country back to the 18th century. I love it. Like, I need the attitude I actually have, so. So Newsom did give a speech about L. A. It's eight minutes long. I think it's worth playing, though. Kind of going through it. What do you think?

[April]

Yeah, let's do it.

[Tim]

Yeah, here we go.

[April]

Totally do it.

[C]

I want to say a few words about the events of the last few days. This past weekend, federal agents conducted large scale workplace raids in and around Los Angeles. Those raids continue as I speak. California is no stranger to immigration enforcement. But instead of focusing on undocumented immigrants with serious criminal records and people with final deportation orders, a strategy both parties have long supported, this administration is pushing mass deportations indiscriminately, targeting hardworking immigrant families regardless of their roots or risk.

[Tim]

Yep.

[C]

What's happening Right now is very different than anything we've seen before. On Saturday morning, when federal agents jumped out of an unmarked van near a Home Depot parking lot, they began grabbing people. A deliberate targeting of a heavily Latino suburb. A similar scene played out when a clothing company was raided downtown. In other actions, a US citizen, nine months pregnant was arrested. A four year old girl taken. Families separated, friends quite literally disappearing in response. Everyday, Angelenos came out to exercise their constitutional right to free speech and assembly to protest their government's actions. In turn, the state of California and the city and county of Los Angeles sent our police officers to help keep the peace. And with some exceptions, they were successful. Like many states, California is no stranger to this sort of unrest. We manage it regularly and with our own law enforcement. But this, again, was different. What then ensued was the use of tear gas, flashbang grenades, rubber bullets, federal agents detaining people, and undermining their due process rights. Donald Trump, without consulting California law enforcement leaders, commandeered 2,000 of our state's National Guard members to deploy on our streets illegally and for no reason.

[Tim]

Yep.

[C]

This brazen abuse of power by a sitting president inflamed a combustible situation, putting our people, our officers, and even our National Guard at risk. That's when the downward spiral began. He doubled down on his dangerous National Guard deployment by fanning the flames even harder. And the President? He did it on purpose. As the news spread throughout la, anxiety for family and friends ramped up. Protests started again. By night, several dozen lawbreakers became violent and destructive. They vandalized property. They tried to assault police officers. Many of you have seen the video clips of cars burning on cable news. If you incite violence, I want to be clear about this. If you incite violence or destroy our communities, you're going to be held to account. That kind of criminal behavior will not be tolerated. Full stop. Already more than 220 people have been arrested and we're reviewing tapes to build additional cases. And people will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Again, thanks to our law enforcement officers and the majority of Angelenos who protested peacefully, the situation was winding down and was concentrated in just a few square blocks downtown. But that. That's not what Donald Trump wanted. He again chose escalation. He chose more force. He chose theatrics over public safety. He federalized another 2,000 Guard members.

[Tim]

Wow.

[C]

He deployed more than 700 active U.S. marines.

[Tim]

That is crazy.

[C]

These are the men and women trained for foreign combat, not domestic law enforcement. We honor their service. We honor Their bravery. But we do not want our streets militarized by our own armed forces. Not in la, not in California, not anywhere. We're seeing unmarked cars, unmarked cars in school parking lots, Kids afraid of attending their own graduation. Trump is pulling a military dragnet all across Los Angeles, well beyond his stated intent to just go after violent and serious criminals. His agents are arresting dishwashers, gardeners, day laborers, and seamstresses. That's just weakness. Weakness masquerading as strength.

[Tim]

100%.

[C]

Donald Trump's government isn't protecting our communities. They're traumatizing our communities. And that seems to be the entire point. California will keep fighting, will keep fighting on behalf of our people, all of our people, including in the courts. Just yesterday, we filed a legal challenge to Donald Trump's reckless deployment of of American troops to a major American city. Today, we sought an emergency court order to stop the use of the American military to engage in law enforcement activities across Los Angeles. If some of us could be snatched off the streets without a warrant, based only on suspicion or skin color, then none of us are safe. Authoritarian regimes begin by targeting people who are least able to defend themselves.

[Tim]

That's right.

[C]

But they do not stop there.

[Tim]

Yep.

[C]

Trump and his loyalists, they thrive on division because it allows them to take more power and exert even more control. And by the way, Trump, he's not opposed to lawlessness and violence as long as it serves him.

[Tim]

Yep.

[C]

What more evidence do we need than January 6th?

[Tim]

Say it. Yes. Yes.

[C]

Everyone, take time. Reflect on this perilous moment. A president who wants to be bound by no law or constitution, perpetuating a unified assault on American traditions. This is a president who in just over 140 days, has fired government watchdogs that could hold him accountable. Accountable for corruption and fraud. He's declared a war, a war on culture, on history, on science, on knowledge itself. Databases, quite literally are vanishing. He's delegitimizing news organizations. He's right on all of us in the First Amendment.

[Tim]

None of this is hyperbole funding them or hyperbole.

[C]

He's dictating what universities themselves can teach. He's targeting law firms and the judicial branch that are the foundations of an orderly in civil society. He's calling for a sitting governor to be arrested for no other reason than to, in his own words, for getting elected.

[Tim]

That's right.

[C]

And we all know this Saturday, he's ordering our American heroes, the United States military and forcing them to put on a vulgar display to celebrate his birthday, just as other failed dictators have done in the past.

[Tim]

I love this.

[C]

Look, this isn't just about protests here in Los Angeles. When Donald Trump sought blanket authority to commandeer the National Guard, he made that order apply to every state in this nation. This is about all of us. This is about you. California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next. Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we have feared has arrived. He's taking a wrecking ball. A wrecking ball to our Founding Fathers historic project. Three co equal branches of independent government. There are no longer any checks and balances. Congress is nowhere to be found. Speaker Johnson has completely abdicated that responsibility. The rule of law has increasingly been given way to the rule of Don. Yes, the Founding Fathers, they didn't live and die to see this kind of really good speech. It's time for all of us to stand up. Justice Brandeis, he said it best. In a democracy, the most important office, with all due respect, Mr. President, is not the presidency and it's certainly not governor. The most important office is office of citizen. At this moment, at this moment, we all need to stand up and be held to account. A higher level of accountability. If you exercise your First Amendment rights, please, please do it peacefully. I know many of you are feeling deep anxiety, stress and fear, but I want you to know that you are the antidote to, to that fear and that anxiety. What Donald Trump wants most is your fealty, your silence, to be complicit in this moment. Do not give in to him.

[Tim]

Wow, that's a good speech, man.

[April]

No, it is a good speech. You know, and this is one of those examples where two things can be true, right? You can disagree with Gavin Newsom on some pretty terrible things that he's done, like giving Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon and right wing people platform, but not like pushing back. Like, Gavin Newsom isn't a perfect person. And also he is meeting this moment how we need him to meet it.

[Tim]

100%. No, I, I completely agree with you that I. So someone needs to have some backbone and spine and call things what they are, right? I mean, one of our big critiques over the past year or so was that media and like even some Democrats have just been so soft spoken on what is actually happening and it feels nice to have a politician, a governor, say the quiet parts out loud, including quoting January 6th. He's exactly, he's exactly right. Right? Trump pardoned every January sixer with a blanket pardon. Many of them, by the way, have been rearrested. For other crimes already. Just so you guys know, but like you don't. It's not about law and order. It's about who maintains the power to create what they think is law and order whenever it's their side. That's what it comes down to. I mean, how this Trump himself is a convicted felon. 34 counts convicted by a jury of his peers. You are joking if you think that this president and this administration really cares about law and order in any capacity. They don't. Everything is a ruse to get brown skinned people out of this country. Because Stephen Miller, Tom Holman, Pete Hegseth, they, they, they are bred in, right, white Christian supremacy. That's their ideology, that people like them in their culture must be privileged and must be the dominant culture in America. And people who are not like them, especially folks who come from other countries, threaten, right. What they think makes America America. That's why you always hear them say things like, you know, oh, we want the, you know, the true Americans are taking the country back. We are taking our country back. Who is we? Who is the true Americans? Who. Well, it's obvious when you put two and two together, especially when you see who they're targeting.

[April]

No, I know, it's, it is very obvious. I feel like that was a really great speech. He's doing what needs to do. He's also fighting back on X. The couple tweets that Sarah Huckabee Sanders went on Fox News that, yeah, said what's happening in California would never happen here in Arkansas because we value order over chaos. And Gavin Newsom, quote, tweets her and says your homicide rate is literally double. California's just unreal.

[Tim]

And it's unreal.

[April]

He also did the same thing. Senator Tommy Tuberfield, Tumor, field. Tuberville, Tuberville, Whatever Alabama. He called, he called for Governor Newsom to be arrested, said, lock him up. LA looks like a third world country. Anarchists are in charge, law enforcement is being attacked and the rule of law is non existent. And Gavin News Newsom, quote, tweeted him and said with the facts. Alabama has three times the homicide rate of California. Its murder rate is ranked third in the entire country. Stick to football, bro.

[Tim]

Oh, I love it. I love it. No, we, we need to clap back. I mean, yeah, yeah, it's, it's, it's. We're, we're in a real mess, friends. There's just no way, you know, like, we have to be able to acknowledge and tell the truth that white Christian nationalism has taken a ton of power in this recent election cycle, and we're seeing the fruit of it. And the fruit of it is callousness. It is targeting our neighbors. It is no due process. These people don't have due process. Kilmar, Abrego, Garcia did not have due process. The woman who was ripped away from her baby did not have due process. There is no due process happening for these people. And we need politicians who are in that world to speak up and say what needs to be said and call it out, because it's unbelievable. Truly, what's happening really is.

[April]

I feel like Edward in the comments, I like his comparison. He said, this is a battle between the schoolyard bully Trump and the high school quarterback Newsom. Yes, maybe a bully in his own right, but we want a bully on our side a little bit.

[Tim]

A little bit? Yeah. I mean, and like, like we said, April, we can. We can walk and chew gum at the same time. Right. Obviously, Newsom has done things, and I'm sure many of his policies aren't great. For sure. But I'll take the win wherever we can get it.

[April]

Yeah.

[Tim]

Thank you for calling him out. Thank you. Call out the bullshit. Many foods we know and love can actively and permanently damage the enamel on our teeth. But by brushing twice daily with new products, Pronamel Clinical Enamel Strength Toothpaste and maintaining a healthy diet, you can still enjoy the foods you love while keeping your enamel healthy for life for three times stronger enamel protection versus your mouth's natural defenses. Make oral health part of your daily routine and try new pronamel Clinical Enamel Strength Toothpaste. This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two factor authentication, strong passwords and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected. But many other places also have it.

[C]

And they might not be as careful.

[Tim]

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[C]

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[Tim]

Save up to 40% your first year. Visit lifelock.com podcast for 40% off terms apply. If you're thirsting for no, we aren't there yet. Kids won't stop crying. We brought snacks, but they wanted other snacks. Stop pulling each other's hair. And we made it.

[April]

14 minutes with no screams level refreshment.

[Tim]

We definitely have that. Swing by Circle K and get a polar pop for just 79 cents only for inner Circle members. When you're feeling the heat, Circle K makes your day. This episode is brought to you by Pacifico. Here's a story you've probably never heard. Legend has it, decades ago, a couple surfers went down to Mexico in search of epic swells. But they found something unexpected instead. It was still crisp, lively and smooth, but it had nothing to do with waves. It was Pacifico, a delicious Mexican lager. It's like it was brewed to be discovered. Pacifico. Find your own way. 21 Discover responsibly Pacifico Clara Beer imported by Crown Import, Chicago, IL. This episode is brought to you by Avid Reader Press. Legendary investor Ray Dalio's new book, How Countries Go the Big Cycle explains the mechanics behind big debt crises. Larry Summer says Dalio's brilliant, iconoclastic approach is an invaluable resource. And Hank Paulson says it provides a solution to what is the biggest and most certain threat to our prosperity. Read it to understand the greatest economic issue of our time. Available now wherever books are sold. This is Tim from Portland, Oregon and I'm a new donor. I grew up in a fundamental church environment being taught that our way was the right way.

[April]

After getting married, my wife and I.

[Tim]

Then started to meet followers of Jesus.

[April]

That were outside of the paradigm of.

[Tim]

What a Jesus follower should be. Eventually we started to realize that actually.

[April]

Following Jesus is pretty simple.

[Tim]

Love God and love neighbor. Well, just like he told us to.

[April]

Do 2,000 years ago. I eventually found this podcast and it.

[Tim]

Quickly has become one of the staple resources to help me deprogram my closed minded thinking that I grew up with. So thanks to you Tim, this team.

[April]

And to all of you out there on your unique faith journey, hold on.

[Tim]

To Jesus, his love and love for neighbor. Have a great day.

[April]

So Trump hasn't only been in a battle with Gavin Newsom in the last week. Last week we went live and we had mentioned that there was a little bit of bad blood between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. But literally just like two hours after we went live, Elon Musk went on a tweet tirade he did against Donald Trump and Donald Trump also fired back. There was this back and forth. There was trouble in paradise. Elon Musk accused Trump of being on Epstein's list.

[Tim]

There it is.

[April]

So Elon Musk tweeted out last Thursday, time to drop the really big bomb. Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJ T.

[Tim]

Wow, what a bomb.

[April]

Which honestly, that's not surprising. I think anybody who isn't drinking Trump's Kool Aid knows Trump's in the Epstein files, right? He's in the flight logs, there's pictures of him. He wished. What was her name? Maxwell. She. He wished her very well when she was going through her trial for her complicity. And Jeffrey Epstein, do you remember.

[Tim]

Do you remember the video? I don't have it queued up. I could try and find it of. Of Trump on Fox News talking about how he would declassify all these things. He would declassify jfk. And the person asks him, well, would you declassify the Epstein files? He's like, yeah, I would. Well, I think I would, actually. Maybe I wouldn't. You know, we don't want to. There could be a lot of junk in there. So, like, there's like, there's all these different montages going around of, like, Trump being like, yes, declassified jfk, declassify the MLK files, declassify this and that and this. But Epstein files. Oh, well, maybe not. You know, there could be a lot of, like, nonsense in there and a lot of lies. And we want to classify that. Like, I mean, again, I don't have. I don't have proof. I'm not making an objective claim here, but, like, where there's smoke, there's fire, right? There's a video because Elon shared a video of an old news story of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein hanging out. And the news reporter being like, jeff, you know, Epstein and Trump are good friends as they look at women and essentially, like, you know, dehumanize them. So it's. I mean, obviously Trump knows Epstein or new Epstein. How would he not be in the logs?

[April]

If you want to pull that clip, it's in the. The chat.

[Tim]

I'll grab it. I'll grab it. Why not? Why not, April?

[April]

Why not? We're already. We're already jam packed. Let's make it packer. I mean, more packed. Whatever.

[Tim]

More fact. More fact. Let me get it.

[April]

But I think there's nothing new, right? Trump saying one thing and then not doing it is on brand. If you were president, would you declassify. You can answer yes or no.

[Tim]

Would you declassify the 911 files? Yeah. Would you declassify JFK files? Yeah, I did. I did a lot of it. Would you declassify the Epstein files? Yeah, Yeah, I would. All right.

[April]

I guess I would.

[Tim]

I think that less so because, you know, you don't know it. You don't want to affect people's lives if it's phony stuff in there, because it's a lot of phony stuff with that whole world. But I think I Would. Or at least do you think that would restore trust? Help restore trust.

[C]

Yeah.

[Tim]

I don't know about Epstein so much as I do the others. Oh, that is nine. Eleven. That is classic.

[April]

Like, I mean, maybe less so.

[Tim]

Maybe less.

[April]

There's probably phony stuff.

[Tim]

A lot of phony stuff in there, you know, Gosh. Okay. I'm trying to find that. That link. I know, I know. What was the link you said you sent me? The. The one. Where is it?

[April]

That was it. Wait, what are you talking about?

[Tim]

Oh, I thought you said you sent me a different one. That. That was the one.

[April]

Yeah. Of him talking about the Epstein files.

[Tim]

Got it. Thank you. I thought there was a different clip you wanted to pull. Oh, I thought we were talking about Elon sharing the clip of him and Jeffrey Epstein and that news clip, but.

[April]

He did do that.

[Tim]

It's brutal.

[April]

He started. He started retweeting and I mean, he went scorched earth on Donald Trump last Thursday. And then Donald Trump also replied and said that he was going to cancel Elon's federal contracts or thought that would be a good way to save on government waste and a couple other things. Then Elon's like, all right, well, we're getting. We're going to stop spay. Not SpaceX. One of their space Dragon X. Dragon Space. I don't know.

[Tim]

Yes, it was some. Yeah, yeah, yes, I know exactly what you're talking about. It was like the. What was it? It was Dragon Force or something. It was something ridiculous. Yeah, I don't know.

[April]

But anyway. But he has since walked it back. I think it was yesterday or the day before. He tweeted that he regrets some of the things he said about Donald Trump. But notice he didn't say he regrets all of it.

[Tim]

Right.

[April]

Just the Epstein tweet is now deleted.

[Tim]

Is this. Oh, this is it. This is it. Hold on. We got to share really quick. And I'll share the other tweet. This is how. This is how right wing media was talking about the. The Trump. Elon. Elon Clash. This is hilarious. I will say Ted Cruz's line at the end of this is just a chef's kiss moment, friends. So buckle up. Okay? It's like watching two giants fight.

[C]

These are two titans, two very strong willed heavyweights, two big dogs, Dogs living in close quarters.

[Tim]

Two grown men that are fighting. Two alpha males duking it out. These are two alpha males who are pissed off. And. And unfortunately, they're unloading on each other. Oh, my God. Unfortunately, they are unloading on each other. Oh, Are they dead? Are they doing that? Oh, interesting. Okay, not. I mean, I wouldn't use that descriptor personally, but. Oh, my God. Alpha males. Yeah. Yes. Two massive megalomaniac man children. Man child males. Like, you got. These are, these are weak minded men are children. They're insecurity. They're ruled by, by just feeling so insignificant in the world. Like, it's obvious that they have, like major, major issues, but no alpha males. Two alpha males going at it. Godzilla. It's Godzilla and King Kong. Round two. You know? Are you kidding me?

[April]

Part of me thought as just like a thought experiment. I mean, since it is Pride month and this is a little bit off topic, but what if we just, like convinced all of the alpha males out there that the A and LGBTQIA stood for Alpha and started wishing them all a happy Pride, welcome to the community and just like, I don't know, see what they do?

[Tim]

Well, it's like, it's. And we're gonna. So we're dropping an episode this Monday on kind of our stories of how we changed our mind for from being non affirming to fully affirming. And we have a clip in there of. Can I say the clip? Just the one part of it.

[April]

Just a spoiler. Sure.

[Tim]

Well, I mean, most people, they might go for it, they might not even see it, but we pull a clip of Dr. James Dobson, Dr. Term used loosely. And he talks about, you know, the LGBTQ community. And he says B stands for bisexual, which means orgies. There are people who have orgies. And it's just like, people really think this. It's ridiculous. I'm on board. I'm on board.

[April]

So ignorant. I don't know. I'm just trying all these strategies. Facts don't work. You know, I feel like you just got to troll them back. Like, brother.

[Tim]

Yeah, exactly, exactly. You're in. So. Oh, boy.

[April]

Anyway, okay, we are, we are behind, so let's, let's move on.

[Tim]

Sorry, sorry. There's a lot going on. Lot going on today.

[April]

So we briefly mentioned last week Michael Tate from the News Boys, also former frontman of DC Talk, which was how I know him.

[Tim]

Classic.

[April]

There were, there were news articles about him sexually assaulting men and, and having intense drug use and alcohol abuse and all of that pretty much dating back to, I think, 2004. It was like 20 years, a long time ago. Yeah. And he released an apology two days ago and we were wanting to read it. I cannot read that.

[Tim]

That is, I figured, I figured you couldn't let me zoom in Here. Nope, that's not gonna work.

[April]

I mean, I can pull it up. I'm sure I can just pull it.

[Tim]

You might want to pull up. It's on his Instagram. It's a long one. I mean, it is long. Everything is in. Oh, my goodness. I'm trying to get rid of this screen. Okay, hold on. Let me do it this way. I know we're live, but I'll have to do it the old fashioned way. Let me just screenshot this bad boy. All right, we'll drag this into my screen. There we go. There's the confession. It is. It's pretty small. The text you might want to pull up and read.

[April]

It's lengthy. It is lengthy.

[Tim]

While April is doing that, friends, if you can do us a favor and give this stream a like, that'd be so helpful. It tells YouTube to push this thing out to other people. So good of you to be here. We love going live. We do this every Thursday at 12:00 Eastern, and we also drop an episode every Monday, both on YouTube and on podcast, so you can hear us wherever you get your content. And again, thank you for being here. It means so much to us.

[April]

Fantastic.

[Tim]

Did you pull it?

[April]

Yeah, I've got it.

[Tim]

All right, good.

[April]

Yeah. Leave us a review, especially on Apple podcasts.

[Tim]

That'd be great.

[April]

We would love to get more reviews on there. Thank you. For Pride Monthly. Happy Pride. Since I'm bi.

[Tim]

You are bi.

[April]

My orgy lifestyle show.

[Tim]

Show. The timid April. Show that you support LGBTQ people by rating our show. Because April is by which means she loves.

[April]

I know then for that before someone clips that. That's a joke.

[Tim]

That's a joke.

[April]

I am monogamously married. Okay, so here is Michael Tate's confession. He posted it on his Instagram. Yeah, it says, my confession. Michael Tate, June 10, 2025. Recent reports of my reckless and destructive behavior, including drug and alcohol abuse and sexual activity, are sadly, largely true. For some two decades, I used and abused cocaine, consumed far too much alcohol, and at times, touched men in an unwanted, sensual way. I am ashamed of my life choices and actions and make no excuses for them. I will simply call it what God calls it, sin. I don't blame anyone or anything but myself. While I might dispute certain details and the accusations against me, I do not dispute the substance of them. Okay, I'll just keep going. Should I just read the whole thing and then we'll comment on it?

[Tim]

Yeah, it's a long one.

[April]

Okay, continue. When I abruptly left Newsboys in January, I did so to get help. I was not healthy physically or spiritually and was tired of leading a double life. I spent six weeks at a treatment center in Utah receiving help that may have saved my life from ultimate destruction. I have been clean and so since, though I still have lots of hard work ahead of me. I'm ashamed to admit that for years I have lied and deceived my family, friends, fans and even misled my bandmates about aspects of my life. I was, for the most part living two distinctly different lives. I was not the same person on stage Sunday night that I was at home on Monday. I was violating everything I was raised to believe by my God fearing dad and mom about walking with Jesus and was grieving the very God I loved and sang about for most of my life. By his grace I can say that for the past six months I have lived a singular life, one of utter brokenness and total dependence on a loving and merciful God. I have hurt so many people in so many ways and I will live with that shameful reality the rest of my life. I can only dream and pray for human forgiveness because I certainly don't deserve it. I have even accepted the thought that God may be the only one who ultimately and completely forgives me. Still, I want to say I'm sorry to everyone I have hurt. I am truly sorry. It is my hope and prayer that all those I have hurt will receive healing, mercy and hope from the merciful healer and hope giver. Even before this recent news became public, I had started on a path to health, healing and wholeness thanks to a small circle of clinical health professionals, loving family, caring friends and wise counselors, all of whom saw my brokenness and surrounded me with love, grace and prayer. Sin is a terrible thing, taking us where we don't want to go, keeping us longer than we want to stay, and costing us more than we want to pay. I accept the consequences of my sin and commit and am committed to continuing the hard work of repentance and healing work I will do quietly and privately away from the stage and the spotlight. To the extent my sinful behavior has caused anyone to lose respect or faith or trust in me, I understand, deserve and accept that. But it crushes me to think that someone would lose or choose not to pursue faith and trust in Jesus because I have been a horrible representative of him for he alone is ultimately the only hope for any of us. King David's prayer of repentance In Psalm Psalm 51 has been my prayer this year. Have mercy upon me, oh God, according to Your loving kindness blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Create in me a new heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

[Tim]

Wow, that's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Is that seven paragraphs? Six paragraphs? Yeah, I think it's seven. That's a long one. What, what are your initial thoughts, April? I'm kind of curious.

[April]

So on. On one hand, I do think there is something refreshing on the fact that he just owned it. That is something you don't see a lot. You know, when Sean Floyd gets accused, he says Christian persecution. When?

[Tim]

Right, Yeah.

[April]

I mean, and even like sexual scandals. You know, like, I've seen grow up, grow up. Go up on a stage after they've been caught in an affair and just say, you know, well, Satan got a hold of me and totally, you know.

[Tim]

I mean, how about Robert Morris?

[April]

Right, right. You know, there's, there's, there's usually some defensiveness. So on that front, I feel like this is good that he owned it. You know, you could also make the argument he really had no other choice but to own that.

[Tim]

I mean, a huge investigation spanning two and a half years came out with like tons of receipts. And I think according to the Roy's report, over 50 witnesses. I mean, what are you gonna do? Be like they're all lying? I mean, you, you know, you're kind of in a corner here for sure.

[April]

Yeah. I don't know. Like, I. 20 years is a long time, you know, and it's only been six months since he left the newsboys, so time will tell if he's genuinely changing. I hope he is. I hope that he does get help and, and can stay healthy and do all of those things. I will say there's some things in the statement that are a little triggering that I feel are like the fact that he's still pushing Jesus and Christianity. Like, I just don't think you need that in a statement where you assaulted people, where you're apologizing for that.

[Tim]

Yeah, a hundred percent. And also, I mean, look, I. Let me just say this, okay? I'm a very empathetic human and I feel for people. Okay. And I don't believe in throwing people away. I don't think that we should, you know, like, just, you know, disregard people. Everyone's made in the image of God. And I also understand how the Internet's a complicated place and situations can Be complicated. Ok, I understand that. And so I'm not trying to just like pile on here, you know. But first off, he calls it, he says in the beginning that he admits to using and abusing cocaine. Okay? He consumed far too much alcohol, okay? And at times he touched men in an unwanted sensual way. Well, I mean, that's not. The allegations by three men, according to the Roy's report, is that Tate befriended them during Christian music tours and then after consuming alcohol, they experienced non consensual sexual contact. That's called sexual assault. That's not, you know, unwanted in an unwanted sensual way. That's sexual assault. And people can read the story if they want for more details. Not going to repeat them here, but like, you know, the men allege grooming behavior and Michael is, you know, not really fighting that. So I just have a problem with like, dude, look, I know it's. I know you did some really messed up stuff. Call it what it is. It was sexual assault. There was no consent. You use alcohol in a lot of ways to get people to, to be in a state that was, you know, where they were compromised to try moves on them that were obviously never asked for or wanted. That's called sexual assault. And I do agree. Look, and here's the other side of it, right? And I don't know Michael Tate, okay? But from what I understand, allegedly, it's pretty clear that he's gay, that Michael Tate is a gay man. Okay? That's. I've. I've heard those rumors for a long time from people in the industry. You know, the actions seem to kind of validate that. And it seems like he still, from this statement is still so committed to like this evangelical theology that I almost, like on that side, I almost feel bad for the dude, like how much, you know, maybe he's tried to deny who he really is. Now, I'm not excusing, of course, his actions, that those are two separate things. His actions were wrong. And many people struggle with being in the closet because of fear of God, you know, damning them. And they don't commit sexual assault. Okay? So I'm not saying it's a correlation, but it's both. And what Michael did was terrible and horrible. And also, wow, I just wonder, like internally for years, and it seems like what he still is doing is holding in a part of who he is. And that's always going to come out in really unhealthy ways via drug abuse, in this case, sexual assault, etc. And the last thing I want to add to this is that. I do not believe for a second that his bandmates had no idea about any of this. Okay, so the newsboys released a statement. When the first story came out, before Michael Tate's confession came out, newsboys released a statement. And they said this. I'll pull this up here. They said. Last night our hearts were shattered when we read the news alleging drug abuse and inappropriate sexual actions by our former lead singer, Michael Tate. While Michael has not addressed these allegations, we are devastated even by the implications. First and foremost, our hearts are with the victims who have bravely shared their stories. If you are a victim, we urge you to come forward. We absolutely do not condone any form of sexual assault. The four of us are husbands and fathers. Between the four of us, we have 14 children. Our wives and children have made many sacrifices while we have dedicated our lives and to playing music together that glorifies God. We are horrified, heartbroken, and angry at this report. And in many ways, we feel as if we and our families have been deceived for the last 15 years. When he left the band in January, Michael confessed to us in our management that he had, quote, been living a double life. But we never imagined that could be this bad. I wasn't there. This could be true. Personally, knowing what we know about the mega Church and Christian Music industrial complex, I do not believe this. I don't know how you tour with someone for 15 years and don't ever suspic. Have a suspicion of. Of. Of drug abuse being part of what's going on here. I don't know how you are part of this industry and don't hear, at least, at a minimum, the rumors that your lead singer is a predator. Because I will tell you, as someone who's not in the industry, I've heard these rumors for two years from various people in the industry. It's a. It's like an open secret in Nashville about this stuff. I don't know how the band never got a whiff, never heard, never had a rumor. I just don't buy it. When you're on tour with people, you're with them all day and all night. There's just no way you wouldn't be like, I don't know. Michael's rubbing his nose a lot. You know, I don't know. Michael seems like he has huge mood swings. Maybe we should ask a question about this. So I just don't buy the ignorance here, frankly. I just don't.

[April]

And the newsboys that he joined is. Was not the original newsboys. Like, I think all the original members who were from Australia, or at least two of them were, are no longer a part of the band. Not that that matters, but there's been a change of bandmates.

[Tim]

Just briefly. The last thing I'll say is there's really no apology to the victims in that statement. You know, there seems to be nothing like, to these people, you know, I am so sorry it was wrong. I'm glad that he owned that what he did was wrong. But it doesn't seem very like victim forward, you know, as far as the statement. So I don't know. Again, I don't want to be judging jury on the Internet. I mean, we've all been there at certain points and it feels good, but I just. It's okay. I. It's just terrible, you know, it's just. It's terrible.

[April]

So, yeah, I just. Evangelical culture that suppresses your very innate desires, your sexuality, whether that's attraction of same sex or even straight sex with purity culture, and all of that just gives cover for abuse.

[Tim]

Yeah.

[April]

Because you put so much shame around sexual stuff and sexual feelings and desires. You equate attraction with lust, and lust is the same thing as adultery. And, like, this is ingrained in you. It moves people to do things in secret. And when you're doing things in secret, that's when insidious things happen. And. And it teaches. It just teaches everybody to keep it in secret. So these things, like, it's hard for these things to come to light. And when they are come to light, there's reason to cover it up or to dismiss it as not being that bad because you want to protect the ministry and you want to protect the message and all of that. But it's, it's just, it's. It's. It's really infuriating because it's a rotten system. And that does not dismiss what Michael Tate by any means.

[Tim]

Right.

[April]

But you're not. He's not in an environment that gives grace for someone to be gay or gives grace for someone to just admit that they have natural sexual attractions. You know, like, I find this person attractive. It's like, oh, you're lusting after them. You need to repent. Women need to cover up their shoulders or men are going to stumble. It's a very repressed best world, regardless of your sexuality, you know, And. And it's. It's. It's just. It's just this is the fruit of that system. It's rotten fruit. And you can tell whether or not something is healthy by its fruit. That's Literally biblical. And we're seeing like that, like the SBC, over 700 cases of sexual assault and abuse within churches that the church covered up and moved pastors around. And, and, and even what you've seen in the Catholic Church, like the, the, the amount of predators that you see, higher, much, much, much, much, much higher statistically are leaders in churches than are queer people, despite these people pointing their fingers to queer people as predators, which is just statistically and factually untrue.

[Tim]

Yep, 100%. I do want to thank, briefly, I want to thank Jamie White for the super chat. I love you guys. Just want to make a small donation. Thank you so much, Jamie. That means a lot. And also to Elsa, who says gives, I asked Jesus to forgive me. Moving on kind of vibe. So thank you for the super chats. All super chats go to make this show possible. The organization that, that makes this show happen is the new Evangelicals. And so that's where it goes to cover all the costs. So thank you so much. It means the world to have the super chat. Yeah, I'm with you, April. Do you want to kind of get into briefly just the, the news of the SBC doing what the SBC is going to do?

[April]

Yeah, let's just mention it because we're, we're already late.

[Tim]

I can mention it really quickly. Yeah, I have it pulled up here. So, friends, the SBC Southern Baptist Convention, one of the biggest conglomerates of evangelical churches in the US they voted on a resolution to call for overturning laws and court rulings, including Obergefell versus Hodges, that defy God's design for marriage and family. The resolution also calls for laws that affirm marriage between one man and one woman. So the SBC essentially voted to say, hey, as an organization, we fully endorse the overturning of Obergefell versus Hodge Hodges and an attempt to make gay people lose the right to have access to marriage in this country, which I will say is no shocker, but just continues to show how deep the rot goes in White evangelicalism. Right. The SBC is not talking about the, the, the, the massive ICE raids tearing families apart. They're not talking about resolutions for a higher livable wage so people can survive. They're not talking about resolution for affordable health care. No, they want to overturn a Berger Feld vs Hodges and remove the right that many people in this country have to, to marriage, that give them legal access, right to health care, to end of life rights, etc. So it's just such a rotten, defunct institution yeah, 100%. It's tragic.

[April]

So you're talking about the same denomination that ousted a church because they ordained one woman.

[Tim]

Yes. And the same woman in the same organization that still will not face its reckoning of covering up massive sexual abuse cases for almost two decades. Right. Like, they literally are going to really try and lecture the world about sexual morality while inside they can't even hold their own accountable. There are churches in the SBC who enabled predators that are still allowed to be in the sbc, but they kick the church out for ordaining one woman. You're joking, right? You guys think you have the moral high ground here are, like, how, how self deluded are you to really think that, that your resolutions have any kind of moral weight to them? They don't. It's a joke. It's a joke.

[April]

And here's the thing. You can believe in traditional marriage, like, you can hold that belief. There's nothing, like, inherently wrong with, like, a lot of us, we can't help what we believe. Right. A lot we, we believe things based on how we're raised and what we're taught on indoctrination. Like, you can't. Sometimes you just can't help what you believe or don't believe. But it becomes nationalism when you start dictating what other people can or can't do because of your beliefs. You know, like just saying, I'm not going to do that because it goes against my beliefs. Great. You have every right to do that. And I support people having whatever beliefs as long as it's dictating their own life. But when you start saying, you cannot do that because it goes against my beliefs, that's when you go into nationalist territory. And that is very harmful and problematic. And that is when you start losing the democracy and the freedoms that we've come to appreciate in this nation.

[Tim]

In America, the First Amendment guarantees you the right to believe whatever you want to believe. You can believe in America that marriage is between one man and one woman. We can't arrest you. The government won't throw you in prison for it. You can say it from your churches. You have the right to do that. Okay, go ahead. SBC, have your stance. No. 1, there's not one piece of legislation by any LGBTQ+ group that's trying to overturn their right to hold those beliefs. But the sbc, for them, that's not enough. Just be able to hold the belief. Everyone else has to live by it.

[April]

Yeah.

[Tim]

That's when it becomes authoritarian. That's when it becomes Christian. Nationalism. That's why we are fighting so hard to dismantle this, because it threatens the well being of all of our neighbors. We're not facing an onslaught of anti church legislation flooding our state legislators. We're facing anti trans legislation at record amounts, Anti queer legislation at record amounts. All funded by right wing conservative Christian groups in the name of, you know, biblical marriage, which, by the way, biblical marriage is a total freaking farce. There's absolutely no, no foundation for believing that the Bible univocally supports marriage being between one man and one woman for life. Like, just read a few chapters in the Bible to see that idea blown out of the water. That's simply a cover for power and control.

[April]

Oh, yeah. I mean, they don't. When they say biblical marriage, they conveniently aren't talking about polygamy.

[Tim]

Exactly.

[April]

You see more polygamous relationships in the Bible than you do monogamous ones. Like monogamous marriage is like. I don't even know if there's a good example of a monogamous marriage in the Bible. Maybe one. And it's like very obscure.

[Tim]

Yeah, I think it's David. Oh, wait, no. He had eight wives. So it's not him.

[April]

Oh, yeah, definitely not. Solomon had over 700 wives and concubines.

[Tim]

Really quick, people ask me where I got my shirt from. I don't. I forgot the person's name. But they made this design on a shirt and we're selling it like a year or two ago. If you see this video and that's. You let me know. I'll put a link in the show notes. But that's where I got it from. The patriarchy is poison. My favorite shirt. Shirt.

[April]

So it's a great shirt. All right, let's get to our final segment of the day.

[Tim]

This is a fun one. We gotta laugh a little bit. We gotta laugh.

[April]

Yeah, we haven't. We have not. I haven't watched this whole thing. I started watching it and I was like, we should do this. So I think this is actually. This was an Easter video for a church in New Zealand. Was it Vineyard Christ Church? What's it called?

[Tim]

Yeah, I think that's it. Something like that. They're in New Zealand.

[April]

Is a church in New Zealand. And let's just enjoy this together. We'll just watch it.

[Tim]

Okay. Evening of that first day of the week when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, suddenly Jesus came and stood among them. I've come back. So I. I love it.

[April]

This is Jesus and the boys oh.

[Tim]

My Lord, you're back again we saw you die Thought it was the end but now you're here and it don't make sense. Oh, Thomas. Well, I'm not a ghost. You can feel my heads. Dang. Didn't I tell you guys? Yeah. That I'll be crucified.

[April]

Yeah.

[Tim]

But now I'm back to life so.

[April]

Go and tell the world the good news there is over.

[Tim]

Everyone, Everybody. I love this so much. Everybody, the king's come back to life. His name is Jesus Christ. That is so good. Let's keep going. Why not?

[April]

Oh, got a little dance break.

[Tim]

Didn't I tell you guys? Yeah. All right. I guess. I guess they repeat it from there, but. Yeah, that is good. That is so.

[April]

Honestly, I don't hate that.

[Tim]

No, I love it. That's a clever parody. Okay.

[April]

It was well done. The singing, like, they didn't take themselves seriously, which I think there are usually. When you see Christians changing words to secular songs, they're, like, so serious about.

[Tim]

This is hilarious. If you've ever been in a music studio before, this is so true. The idea of, like, the whole band is, like, around the producer. Like, you know, fix this, do this. The guy, the producer being so ticked. My favorite scene in this whole, in this whole video is, is where they, Jesus says to, to look through my hands. Hold on. And it's the shot of the hole in his hand.

[April]

Honestly, props.

[Tim]

So good.

[April]

Props to this church. This is how you satire, you do it.

[Tim]

This is it. I, I, we're not going to reference what we're. What we're referring to directly, but we, we did share a different cover a few weeks ago that actually went mega viral on Instagram. I think it has, like, 2 million views. It was just. It was pretty cringe. But this one's good. Like, this is. This is. This is, like, a good cringe, right? Is it cringy? Yeah. But is it hilarious? Absolutely. Like, it's clever. I think it's great.

[April]

Yeah. You just can't take yourself seriously if you're gonna, you know, make satire, parody videos.

[Tim]

Oh, my God.

[C]

Yeah.

[April]

Out of all the Christian cringe, I think I could watch that and enjoy it ironically, for sure.

[Tim]

It's great. All right. Well, good show today, April, huh? Not bad.

[April]

Yeah. No, it was busy. If you go to the no Kings protest on Saturday, please be safe.

[Tim]

Yeah.

[April]

You know, know your rights and be peaceful out there. It's. Don't give Trump a reason to do what he wants to do. Also, there was just a report on cnn not to derail us. That came out today that said the plans for Trump to use the National Guard and in these immigration deportations has been in the plans for months. And, like, he was just wanting a reason. Like, he wants a reason to do it.

[Tim]

So just project 2025. That's what they're doing. Right. I hate it here.

[April]

Yeah.

[Tim]

Friends, thank you so much for being here. Have a great week. We'll be back here on Monday with an episode, so make sure to subscribe to the channel so you get notified. Thank you so much. 8 bit for the super chat. Means the world. Thank you. We love that. Have a great weekend, friends. No kings.

[April]

No kings.