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Think with Capella University. Learn more at Capella. Edu Paquetes expedia Vivies paradis frutar de la musica contodos tusentidos vivimos parabrindarte Paquetes experiencias por menos expedia vivimos paraviajar. You're listening to a new Evangelicals production, the Tim and April show, where we unravel faith, politics and culture. Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of the Tim and April Show. I am April a joy, and today I am joined with an actress, a singer, an activist, and she is the executive director now of the New Evangelicals. Please welcome Melinda Hale.
- [02:29]
B
Hello. Thanks for having me. Happy to sit in.
- [02:33]
A
I know. Also, it's Melinda's birthday, so everyone wish her a happy birthday in the chat and all the good wishes and all the things. So I'm happy that you're here.
- [02:46]
B
I'm happy I'm here too. No, no better way to spend my birthday than talking about all the things happening in the world.
- [02:53]
A
Oh, and there are so many things. So we are going to get into what's happening in Texas with the redistricting Gavin Newsom trolling, Trump, Trump's response, and then all the Putin, Zelensky war talk that's been going on. We're going to get into a lot of it. But this week for you, I know you have your oldest just started kindergarten, right?
- [03:19]
B
Yeah.
- [03:19]
A
Yes. Was it yesterday?
- [03:21]
B
It was yesterday. I was a. I was a puddle. I was a wreck. I said this on my Instagram. You know, the. The years are short, but the days are long. Because days with kids, I mean, you're like, when is it bedtime? I love you so much, but my God. But then you blink. And now she's in kindergarten, and My youngest is 14 months, and I'm just like, oh, you're going to be in college tomorrow. And then I'm really going to be a wreck.
- [03:45]
A
Yeah.
- [03:46]
B
So it's. It's. Yeah, it was, it was. It was really special. And she was so nervous and then so excited when she came home because she had a little slip that said that she was a super student that had best behavior. And I just. It made me really smile. Yeah.
- [04:00]
A
Yeah.
- [04:01]
B
And you have.
- [04:03]
A
I do. My youngest started kindergarten last year, and I was. I. I was really emotional leading up to it, so I think I'd kind of prepared myself for the day, and Beecher was like, why are you crying? It's fine. But then when the day hit, Beecher was a puddle. Like, they just came home and just bawled for like an hour. I was like, see, you are holding it in, and I am not having a meltdown right now. But, yeah, it is. It is very sa. Also, people in the chat are bringing up. And I did see this right before we went live, but James Dobson died. I don't know if you saw that.
- [04:41]
B
I did see that. I did see that. You know, it's interesting because. And we've had this conversation before, even being a part of the new evangelicals, a lot of these evangelical figures and pastors, I didn't know growing up, because I never. I didn't grow up evangelical. I never deconstructed. I feel very blessed that I always grew up in a progressive Christian household. So I was never exposed to a lot of these people until I got to college and until I really got a part of tne. And I was like, oh, I didn't even know this, like, ideology existed because I was always raised very, very progressive and liberal. So I don't have the reaction to a lot of these deaths and a lot of these people in this space because I was never raised listening to them or knowing who they are. But I know a lot of people have a lot of thoughts about about them, so.
- [05:28]
A
Yeah, that must be nice to have grown up not knowing James Dobson.
- [05:35]
B
Yes.
- [05:37]
A
Melinda, you were saying that you have some cool stuff going on at tne. Do you want to share real quick before we dive in?
- [05:42]
B
Yes, absolutely. So for those of you that don't know, I mean, TNE is a 501c3 nonprofit and we produce the Tim and April show under that umbrella. But we also have a lot of educational resources and community offerings. And next month we're launching our Back to school series on TNE Connect. We're doing an eight week Theology 101 class. We're doing a book club. We're reading Kathryn Stewart's Money, Lies and God. And she will be making a guest appearance to talk to the book club as well. And we also have a new offering called our TNE Educational Starter Packs, which are little small hubs filled with podcast episodes, articles, different resources for different quick references, things about the Bible, LGBTQ inclusion, anti racism, things like that. So you can go to thenewevangelicals.com education to sign up and reserve your spot. And all of these resources and offerings are free for the community, so take advantage of it. We're adding a lot more things to the new Evangelicals Network and we just want you all to be a part and help us and get a part of this fight. So just make sure you go to the website and check it out.
- [06:44]
A
Yay. That sounds awesome. And I'm sure we'll link to the website. I think we always link to the website in the show notes since you are like our resource for this show. Absolutely.
- [06:56]
B
All right, let's get to the nitty gritty.
- [06:58]
A
Let us dive in. So I guess we'll start with somewhat bad news. It happened yesterday, which was Wednesday, so we're recording this Thursday. So podcast. Anyway, Wednesday of this week, Texas did finally pass their redistricting new it's not a law, just I guess the map, whatever they redistrict, they're going to get. I think it still has to go through the Senate, but it will. It'll go through the Senate. So it does look like, yeah, Texas will pick up five new congressional seats because of the gerrymandering that they just did. And we covered this a couple weeks ago, but the Texas Democrats fled the state in order to protest the vote. Everyone was freaking out about it. Everyone being gop, they wanted to send the FBI and bring all these Democrats back. And so in order to ensure that the vote was going to be passed. They made the Democrats that showed up sign a piece of paper that basically permitted police escort and basically surveillance to make sure that they did not flee again so that this post, this vote would go through. And Representative Nicole Collier was like, no, I'm not signing that. You are not going to, you know, watch me. And they would not let her leave the congressional chamber until she signed it. So she literally stayed. I don't know what the total was, but it was definitely more than 24 hours. Like, she was.
- [08:36]
B
I think it's almost three days, honestly. It was like two and a half days. Yeah, she's a lawyer.
- [08:40]
A
That they wouldn't let her leave. And so she just. There. Here's a picture of her sleeping at her desk, which is just wild behavior. Like, can you just imagine if this were reversed and it was Democrats doing this to Republicans? Republicans, they would be screaming freedom and authoritarian state. And it's so. It's so maddening.
- [09:04]
B
I mean, that's the thing. I think, you know, a lot of the things happening right now are shining a light on hypocrisy, but the light bulb is still not coming on. And that's what's really frustrating for me, watching it. You know, I work with Persist Network. I work with Stand up for America, and so I'm involved in the political world a lot. And I. And I want to make sure people understand that what they did in terms of the rule of law enforcement, the thing that the House rules do permit is that law enforcement is allowed to bring absent members back to the chamber. That is what they're allowed to do. But to actually detain them inside the building and say that they can't leave unless they sign a permission slip, that is why it's being contested, because that's not what the House rules really are. And they kind of, like, figured out how to get around it. So I really admire Nicole Collier to just say no. And also, just from a black female perspective, having a cop follow you around for days is very uncomfortable. It's uncomfortable for anybody. But knowing the tension between the black community and law enforcement, I understand her immediate no. I would have said no, too. And I would have been sleeping there right next with her if I were a part of Texas lawmakers. So kudos to her for making a stand. But it is really unfortunate, the hypocrisy that we're seeing with the Republicans when it came to that situation, because as you said, they would have never allowed Democrats to pull that kind of stunt.
- [10:25]
A
Oh, yeah. I mean, the Republicans right now are really weaponizing the police and ICE and the military against our own citizens. And, and Nicole Collier, like, she's, she's a government representative. She, she represents the people. She's not a criminal. She was. She's trying to do her job, and they wouldn't let her leave. And so, yeah, it's, it's terrible. We have another super chat from Rebecca Lynn says, happy birthday, Melinda. Two of my favorites together on It's a privilege to do this work with you. Thank you so much. Okay. I do have a video of Nicole talking about not taking the high road. And I, I feel like this is important because I think for the long. Like I remember Michelle Obama famously said, when they go low, we go high, which feels like an eternity ago. And I think times are changing. I think a lot of us are like, no, I think we're going to go low. So let's, let's see this clip of Nicole talking about it. What's different now is that, you know, typically they say, take that high road. Well, you know, that high road has crumbled.
- [11:35]
B
We're on a dirt road, and we're.
- [11:37]
A
Going to meet them on that dirt road and get down and dirty just like they are. And so my fellow Democrats are ready to continue to fight the fight with the grit that is necessary to challenge the oppressor.
- [11:49]
B
I can't agree more. I could not agree more. And I think also what the difference is, first of all, where they are at this point, I don't even see how we could get as low as they are. They're in the depths of the earth at this point. But I think there's a way to match energy but still keep your integrity and still move forward with the values that you are fighting for. But you just have to do it with a little bit more intensity and, and not be passive. And I think that that's what we've seen a lot from Democrats is there's this passive energy. It's like, no, we have to fight fire with fire, but we know that even after we burn things down, we are going to plan to rebuild it. I don't personally see that from the Republicans. They're just burning everything down and they're building it back for themselves, not for everybody. So I think that that is the difference with the matching of the energy is that we are doing it in order to make a difference, and they're doing it to hurt people.
- [12:44]
A
Yeah, well, and I think it's because Democrats have also tried to fight it by taking the high road for years. And years and years, and it just, for whatever reason, doesn't seem to work. I think sometimes it works. But we are. We are so past precedented times. Like, we are in the unprecedented. Like every day it's this. It's this new reality check of, like, what. What world are we living in? So, yeah, yeah, I think. I think they're just meeting the moment. And honestly, I've been very impressed by the Texas Democrats. I feel like all the Democrats in these red states should be, you know, doing the exact same thing and really getting down and dirty.
- [13:28]
B
I agree. Because like you said, nothing else has worked. So, like, what do you have to lose at this point? You know, what do you have to lose? We have to. We have to do something. Yeah.
- [13:37]
A
And literally, Donald Trump is a felon. He has criminal convictions against him, and so minor, big. What even is the law anymore.
- [13:48]
B
Right, right. But that is a very fair point, you know, because there's so many things that he's doing that we know, like. No, like, if Obama had done any of this.
- [13:59]
A
Oh, gosh. I know.
- [14:01]
B
I mean. I mean, first of all, he wouldn't have ever gotten to this point. Right. If the day one stuff, the executive orders that Trump did, if Obama had done any of that, like, it would have been done. So if they're not following rules, then we're just going to have to figure out how to not follow rules either. But again, stick to our integrity and stick to our morals, but we still got to fight fire with fire.
- [14:20]
A
I completely agree. Another thing that happened. So while Nicole was being held in the chambers, she was doing a live. I guess. I guess she was kind of on zoom, but she was doing a live press talk, like on the news. Yeah. When they came in and told her she couldn't do that and threatened her with a felony. Let's watch this. This video happen live.
- [14:43]
C
And all of our Democratic elected officials.
- [14:45]
B
Are asked to leave.
- [14:46]
A
They said it's a felony for me to do this.
- [14:48]
B
Apparently, I can't be on the floor.
- [14:49]
C
Or in the bathroom.
- [14:52]
A
Well, you told me I was only.
- [14:53]
B
Allowed to be here in the bathroom.
- [14:54]
A
No, hang on by everybody. I've got to go.
- [14:58]
C
Hey, that. That's. That is outrageous.
- [15:02]
B
Come on.
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C
First of all, let me tell you something. Representative Collier in the bathroom has more dignity than Donald Trump in the Oval Office. There you go. That is outrageous. What they're trying to do right there is silence an American leader. Silence a black woman. And that is outrageous. And I hope everybody took note of that. The fact that she can't Even let her voice be heard is frickin outrageous. And this is what we're fighting for here. This is ultimately what this is about. Well, we just witnessed them trying to shut her down and say it's illegal for her to be in the bathroom. And on this call. This is the lengths that they're going to in Texas to try to bring about a system so unjust and so unjustifiable that they are going to try to silence those leaders from being heard.
- [15:50]
A
And speaking out so wild to me that not only did they lock her up, but they were trying to dictate what she could and could not do while being imprisoned inside her workplace.
- [16:03]
B
Yeah, I, I'm kind of speechless right now because I actually hadn't seen that. I had heard about it, but I hadn't seen the clip. I think people need. I mean, I know people are paying attention, but we have to really start paying attention because this isn't small. The fact that they're doing this to an elected official, what makes you think that they won't do that to regular citizens? Right. And my husband always gets worried about, like, how much I talk about this stuff on social media. And I'm like, I'm not even at that point or that level where I would be flagged, but I know that they're gonna start coming for independent, you know, media and content creators and influencers for speaking out against this regime. And because it's happening to elected officials. I mean, we even saw it with Alex Padilla when he went to a press conference to talk to Kristi Noem. They, law enforcement picked him up and brought him out, like the way that they're treating elected officials. So I think that we really need to really start paying attention and start using our power because this is only going to get worse and we're going to see it in more states. Texas is just the starting point. And I know it's going to happen in way more states, especially those red states. We just have to be on alert. But that actually shook me up a little bit. That was really concerning to see.
- [17:22]
A
Yeah, it really is. It's. It's still wild to me how I just don't know if most people are paying attention. Like, if they really, if they. People realize how bad it's actually got. Like, I mean, even the way that Trump's released the national guard on D.C. and what he's trying to do there and, and then he sent the military just to break up protests in Los Angeles after. Yeah. When no one in California, the governor, the governor didn't want them there. Like, it's.
- [17:51]
B
And it wasn't even bad. I live in la. Like, they was. There was like literally nothing going on. All he's doing is causing problems and then he's gonna try. Like, he's acting like he's fixing it. It's like you are the one that is causing this. You. You can't cause a problem and then praise yourself for fixing something that wasn't even there. It is. It is. Oh, my gosh. It's so frustrating thinking about it.
- [18:11]
A
Maddening.
- [18:12]
B
LA wasn't that bad. I had people in dc. DC isn't even that bad. He is creating all of this nonsense. And we all know it's a distraction to keep from reminding people of the very obvious elephant that is in the room. Yeah. It blows my mind how he continues. Right. It is the Republican elephant, but it blows my mind how he continues to get away with things. And I just don't know where the goalpost is at this point. I always say the goalpost is on wheels at this point because it just keeps moving. It keeps moving that he gets away with all of this. Yeah. It's maddening. Like you said, it's absolutely maddening.
- [18:52]
A
I know. I do think that the other shoe is going to drop. I want to play one more video of Representative Collier. This was her. She was speaking out against the vote to redistrict. And I. And I think she's referencing why the Democrats left. And I just thought this clip was really powerful. Let's go. Let's watch it. Chairman, are you aware that during slavery, blacks fled. Are you aware that during the slavery times, blacks fled? They ran away.
- [19:24]
C
I can't hear you very well.
- [19:25]
A
Are you aware that when there was slavery times, blacks fled? During the Nazi times, Jewish people fled. They fled their oppressor.
- [19:51]
B
I have a lot to say, if you don't mind me going in on this.
- [19:55]
A
Take the floor. Yeah.
- [19:57]
B
So I think it's not even just referring to the Democrats leaving in the beginning. I think she's also giving a warning that you go on ahead and do this. There are people that will leave Texas and it's going to ruin your Texas economy. It's going to ruin the Texas environment because people will leave. People don't want to be under oppressive leaders. They don't. So I think it is a warning that, like, okay, if this is what you want to do, go ahead and redistrict, but see what happens to this state because of that. And so I will be very. It will be very interesting to see what happens in Texas now that this is happening. Because I do think, to an extent, a lot of people are waking up. I do think there are some people that are very asleep, but I do think there are people that are waking up to it. And unfortunately, I do think it's gonna be too late. But I, Like I said, I'm very curious to see what will happen in Texas with citizens and the constituents with this happening and how it will negatively impact them. So I think that she was honestly sending a warning to him.
- [21:07]
A
Yeah. And I think a combination between people fleeing because tech. I mean, Texas is already becoming very oppressive to queer people, trans people, anyone of Hispanic descent. With what ICE is doing, like, I think they're gonna really pay the price, like, economically. Cause who. Who's gonna cover a lot of those jobs? Like, they have not thought a lot of this through.
- [21:33]
B
No, not at all. Yeah, because they're just being led by hate and cruelty. That's all there's. I mean, it's a strategic plan, but not really with an end game that's positive because they're just like, oh, let's get rid of all the brown and black people. Let's get rid of all the immigrants. Let's get rid of, you know, demonize the LGBTQ community. Let's give more money to billionaires. Oh, wait.
- [21:56]
A
And women.
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B
Nobody, too.
- [21:57]
A
They have.
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B
And women. Yes.
- [21:58]
A
Abortion laws and bounty hunter laws for women who go out of state. Like, it's. They're. They're turning full on fascists and trying to act like they're Christian or something. I don't know.
- [22:11]
B
That's very much so what they're doing. I mean, they're. Don't they still. They have to display the Ten Commandments, and it's like, why are you going to display something you're not even following?
- [22:20]
A
Federal judge just blocked it, though. Well, hold on. I'm.
- [22:24]
B
I'm sure they'll find a way around it. They're going to take it to the Supreme Court, and it'll be very interesting to see how that happens, because Texas and Oklahoma are really pushing this whole Ten Commandments thing and the whole Bible thing and. And all of this stuff. I'm curious, because taking it to the Supreme Court, I'm like, ooh, yeah.
- [22:44]
A
So, yeah, as. As a yesterday federal judge temporarily blocked it, but I'm sure they'll find a way to get around it because they've stacked all the courts. I want to make a deal. I'm fine for y' all to put up the ten commandments. But you can only put up the commandments that Donald Trump has not broken.
- [23:04]
B
What would be left?
- [23:05]
A
Find a compromise, maybe. Do not. Thou shalt not kill.
- [23:09]
B
I mean, we don't know though.
- [23:11]
A
We don't know. But that's the only one. We don't know for sure. But envy.
- [23:15]
B
But by their logic, they think abortion is killing. So I'm pretty sure he's admitted to having paid for an abortion. There was an article that he like, was like, well, the woman said that she was going to kill herself if. If I didn't pay for it. I swear I got to find this article because I know I've read this. Or it's like I'm having a butterfly effect moment.
- [23:34]
A
I mean, here's the thing. It's one of those things I feel like we know even if we don't know. You know, we know.
- [23:41]
B
There's no way. There's no way he hasn't. I just. There's no way he hasn't. I'm just going to be honest. There's no way he hasn't. Yeah, but I like that. I like that rule.
- [23:57]
A
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See mintmobile.com Trip Planner by Expedia. You were made to outdo your holiday, your hammocking and your pooling. We were made to help organize the competition. Expedia made to travel. This is Tim from Portland, Oregon, and I'm a new donor. I grew up in a fundamental church environment Being taught it was the right way. After getting married, my wife and I then started to meet followers of Jesus that were outside of the paradigm of what a Jesus follower quote should be. Eventually we started to realize that actually following Jesus is pretty simple. Love God and love neighbor. Well, just like he told us to do too. I eventually found this podcast and it 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, and to all of you out there on your unique faith journey, hold on to Jesus, his love and love for neighbor. Have a great day.
- [26:02]
A
Well, in good news. So bad news, it did pass. Looks like Texas is going to redistrict. But speaking of fighting fire with fire, Gavin Newsom has said the whole time that if Texas does it, California is going to do it. So yesterday, after the vote passed, he tweeted, it's on Texas. And that brings us to our more fun topic, which is Gavin Newsom, who is becoming the king troll of trolling, Donald Trump and Maga. And it brings me so much joy.
- [26:38]
B
Me too. That is my governor. He and I. Look, I've always loved Gavin and I know people have issues with him, but I always say, like, he is bae, that, that he is bae to me, I just think he is so great. I think he is a very good politician. I think he is good at what he does. I think he's very charismatic. I think he is very smart. And I think he is the leader that we need right now. Absolutely. He is the person. And look, if we're gonna let this country have us in a chokehold of white male leadership, I will be Gavin Newsom over Trump any day. Right. I mean, but I do think that, you know, he's using his privilege in a way to help and to fight back. And we're not seeing a lot of fight back. We've seen a lot of passiveness and like, well, no, you have to match energy at this point. And he's doing it brilliantly, his whole team. It's incredible.
- [27:33]
A
Yeah. And listen, we've critiqued Gavin Newsom on this show before when he went and interviewed, had Charlie Kirk on his podcast. And you know, he's not perfect and no politician is. And I definitely have my issues with Gavin Newsom, but I am going to support anybody who is fighting this fascist.
- [27:53]
B
Regime right now, 100%.
- [27:55]
A
And Gavin Newsom is doing that. I want to show some of these tweets, because what he's doing, if you haven't seen it he is just basically tweeting as Trump tweets. Like some of this is almost word for word, just flipped like he. And he's writing in all caps, which is what. Which Donald Trump has become famous for. So in this one, it says, Donald Trump, the lowest polling president in recent history. This is your second to last warning. The next one is the last one. Stand down now or California will counter strike illegally to destroy your illegal crooked maps in red states. I'm not going to read all of these because it's also hard for me to read. But one thing he did too. That one was my favorite. Do you remember when Donald Trump tweeted in all caps, I hate Taylor Swift and then signed it djt? Gavin Newsom tweeted this week, I hate Kid Rock in all caps.
- [28:49]
B
I did not see that. That's so funny. That is so funny. I also really quick just want to make sure. And I want to give a shout out to Camille Zapata, who leads his social strategy team. She is a Latina woman. She is incredible. She has about three people that work underneath her. And, you know, Gavin also encourages her to post these things and they do it collaboratively. But I want to make sure that she also gets her flowers because she's a huge part of those tweets that are going out and replic the nonsense that Trump is always putting out and matching energy. So I just want to make sure that she also gets her credit.
- [29:25]
A
Yeah, absolutely. We all. I'm sure he's doing some, but we got to give credit to the woman behind the scenes.
- [29:33]
B
Absolutely.
- [29:34]
A
I want to show you some of these memes now. Gavin Newsom's team, I don't know that they've come up with all of them, but here, here is someone that put Gavin Newsom on Mount Rushmore. And Newsom's press office retweeted it in all caps. Wow. What an honor on Mount Rushmore. Thank gcn. Which Donald Trump has definitely retweeted himself on Mount Rushmore. Here's another one of shirtless Gavin Newsom riding a grizzly bear with an American.
- [30:04]
B
Flag and a rifle, mind you.
- [30:07]
A
Yeah, of course. Because America. This one, I think is my favorite.
- [30:11]
B
I have not seen this one riding.
- [30:14]
A
A raptor with an American flag in the background. I saw someone tweet this at that just said, wow, I gotta admit, Maga, this is being in a cult's fun. I get it.
- [30:27]
B
That's so funny. I hadn't seen that one.
- [30:30]
A
Yeah. And then there's one like super Gavin Newsom super muscly. Which, to be fair, it's gotta irk Trump that it looks more natural on Gavin Newsom than the ones.
- [30:42]
B
This isn't that far from reality for Gavin compared to Trump. So he's probably like, dang it, he probably would look like that in a Superman suit.
- [30:52]
A
I think my favorite ones are the ones that have Jesus coming up behind Gavin Newsom. Like all the ones with Donald Trump. Do you have one of those Cassidy. Which shout out to Cassidy, who's our producer behind the scenes.
- [31:04]
B
Yes. Cassidy's amazing.
- [31:06]
A
Oh, I just got a text from her. No. Oh, okay. So she doesn't have it. That's fine.
- [31:12]
B
No worries. They're worth looking up. If you just look up Gavin Newsom, Jesus, and they'll pop up. It's very funny.
- [31:20]
A
I know. Basically, if you've seen one of Donald Trump in the last several years, there's one of Gavin Newsom now, which I just find hilarious. So another thing that has been happening now that is also bringing me joy is Fox News. And people from the MAGA world have been reacting to Gavin Newsom's trolling. And the lack of self awareness is.
- [31:50]
B
It's wild.
- [31:51]
A
Yeah. So here's. Here's a clip of Fox News talking about Gavin Newsom's trolling Gavin Newsom.
- [31:59]
C
Meantime, posting this on X, Liz. Using all capitals, of course, trying to mock Trump, use Trump styles. Been doing this for a while now. He says, quoting, trump just fled the podium with Putin. No questions, nothing. Total low energy. The man looked like he'd just eaten three buckets of KFC with Vlad. Admit it, Donny J. You're terrified because this was the worst week of your life because of me. Gavin C. Newsom. I think he's trying to be funny.
- [32:24]
A
I think.
- [32:24]
C
I mean, I don't know what he's trying to do, but it comes across as childish. And what are you? The governor? Governor of the biggest state in the union. What are you doing?
- [32:35]
A
Honestly, I feel like he's trying so hard to be Trump, but he's coming off like Kanye West. He seems absolutely insane. Where's the self awareness? Why are they not saying this? Like, Donald Trump, you are the President of the United States.
- [32:51]
B
They're so. And look, we. Nobody agrees. Like, if Gavin Newsom had led with this, we'd be like, but how do you not get that he's proving the point that this is not appropriate for an elected official to be acting like this on social media? That is the entire point. And it's just smacking them in the face and they're not getting it.
- [33:12]
A
Yeah.
- [33:13]
B
And so it just makes. I don't get how you cannot criticize Trump and be like, oh, yeah, that is exactly what Trump does. He's the president. Maybe he shouldn't be doing that. But no, it's only a problem because Gavin's doing. It's wild. Yeah, it's wild.
- [33:26]
A
And I think, even for me, because I think we've all been a little desensitized to the way Donald Trump is because he's been around for so long now. Annoyingly, yes. But seeing Gavin Newsom do it is a good reminder, even for me, of like, oh, right, this isn't normal. When you see a normal politician act like that, that it's this reality check of like, oh, yeah, no, this is not, this is not mature at all. But it's also hilarious that Gavin Newsom is doing it. Here's another clip of Fox News talking about it. They're talking about it a lot, by the way.
- [33:58]
B
They're triggered the debate.
- [34:03]
A
The other thing for me is that for the last week, Gavin Newsom and why am I giving him advice? You have to stop it with the Twitter thing. I don't know where his wife is. If I were his wife, I would say, what? You are making a fool of yourself. Stop it. Do not, do not let your staff tweet. And if you're doing it yourself, put the phone away and start over. And if you want, he's got a big job as governor of California, but if he wants an even bigger job, he has to be a little bit more serious.
- [34:33]
B
But Trump doesn't. Melania doesn't have to check on Trump. Trump doesn't have to be serious. He's the President of the United States. He doesn't have to be serious.
- [34:45]
A
I don't, I don't get it.
- [34:46]
B
I don't get it. It doesn't make any sense. April.
- [34:49]
A
They're not self aware at all. They're getting so close to the point. And still close.
- [34:56]
B
Missing still and still. And still. And I just don't know what it will take. I don't know what it will take for them to have that light bulb turn on to criticize his behavior. Because look, even again, as a governor, you shouldn't be doing that. The man is the President of the United States. He meets with world leaders. He's supposed to be the leader of the free world, and that is how he's acting. He's always acting like he's on a reality television show and it's been normalized he's turned the White House into a home shopping network. I literally just saw a video the other day that there is a merch store next to the Oval Office that has that. He's selling Trump 20, 28 hats. Literally just saw this video yesterday. I wish. I wish we could have put it in this. But how. That's not normal.
- [35:47]
A
None of this is normal.
- [35:49]
B
But his base is like, yeah, it's okay. What's wrong with this? This is what I voted for. Like, is it. Is this what you voted for?
- [36:00]
A
I know. It is rich to see them talk about someone else being immature. Like, what? I. I love how upset they are. Here is another video of J.D. vance talking about Gavin Newsom's Trump style tweets.
- [36:17]
C
Don't help me too much. Stop sounding like crazy people.
- [36:19]
A
That.
- [36:20]
C
That really is. Is all it is. I mean, this idea that Gavin Newsom is somehow going to mimic Donald Trump's style, I think that ignores the fundamental genius of President Trump's political success, which is that he's authentic. He just is who he is. You've got to be yourself. You've got actually got to talk to people honestly about the issues. I don't think it's that complicated. Don't be a crazy person. Be authentic. If the Democrats did that, they'd do a hell of a lot better.
- [36:43]
A
But I don't think they understand satire. Like, Gavin Newsom is suddenly deciding, I'm just going to tweet like, Donald Trump because it's worked for Donald Trump. Like, no, Gavin Newsom is mocking the crap out of you all.
- [36:58]
B
Yeah, yeah. They don't get it. They don't get it. I will agree, though, it is very authentic to who Trump is. I'll get.
- [37:06]
A
I do agree with that. Like, he is being his authentic self, but he is crazy. A little. Yeah, yeah. He said, don't be crazy, be authentic. I think I feel like with Trump there, it's both, like, just narcissistic. Okay, I have a fun video I want you to react to because I don't think you've seen it yet. There's this guy, I don't remember his name. He's some kind of famous MAGA rapper. This he. This white dude.
- [37:31]
B
That whole sentence has me deceased, by the way. Famous. Like, I don't know what you mean.
- [37:42]
A
Yeah, well, he wrote a diss track for Gavin Newsom and here's a little video clip. Like, he shared this himself. Oh, let's. Let's just watch it, shall we?
- [37:54]
C
The propaganda is on every channel. They think we Stupid like the truth is just too hard to handle but on your camo it's a culture war and load the ammo they want antifa ruling everything like in Seattle and they want anyone who's fighting to be dead and canceled. They want rainbows in the classrooms and 15 different bathrooms and white guys that hate black dudes they want war they don't want, want peace they want fentanol in our streets they want borders to be weak I swear the devil lives in California He a politician he passing bills that bring chaos and division yeah, the devil lives in California should be in prison he got horns but he tries to keep him hidden Cuz the devil is a Democrat and we don't play that they say that they love America we know it ain't that the devil is a Democrat and we ain't with it we ain't switching y' all are tripping. I guess God is fellas different. Forget celebrity.
- [38:44]
B
So as a musician, I really liked the quarter note beats that came in, in, in.
- [38:52]
A
That was a nice, it was so nice.
- [38:53]
B
Oh my goodness. I know. Always lead with something nice and then. Yeah, what do you want me to say? What do you want me to say? Good for him. Yeah, I, I, I hope it works out. I, I hope it works out for him. I, you know, if that's, if that's the career that he's, he's chosen, you know, let the Lord lead him and.
- [39:14]
A
Yeah, love how serious he was too. Like the devil is a Democrat. And for those that are listening on podcasts later, he's singing, he's doing this rap in front of a cardboard cutout of Gavin Newsom with devil horns coming out of his forehead. So you grew up a progressive Christian?
- [39:35]
B
I sure did.
- [39:36]
A
You grew up regular regularly being taught that Democrats were satanic. So like, I, I do think he literally, I don't think he was being metaphoric when he said the devil is a Democrat. I think he genuinely believes that.
- [39:51]
B
I'm, I'm sure, I'm sure he believes that. It's so interesting that that is what is pushed in those spaces. Like again, growing up in a black church, very progressive. Our, our views are, are just different because, and I think a lot of black people have voted Democrat historically because there has been an emphasis on social justice and most in this country impacts the black community. Right. So that's, I mean that's just what my upbringing is. But hearing when I would hear that like, Democrats are evil, they just want to kill babies. Like I heard that stuff starting when I went to a conservative college in Azusa. Pacific University is where I went. And I was like, where did this. We can talk about that later.
- [40:34]
A
Yeah, I know.
- [40:37]
B
But, like, where? It's like, where did that come from? Like, all Democrats are just the devil. And, like, they're. They're just, you know, liberal demons. And, like, I know people that. I couldn't listen to secular music. And I was over there jamming to NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, and I'm like. They're like, I can't listen to that. I'm like, why? I was like, come on, Dirty pop. Like, what are we doing? Like, it was so weird, right? Were you not allowed to listen to secular music?
- [41:02]
A
So for a while, I wasn't. And then my parents eventually gave in. So my very first CD that I ever bought with my own Money was. Was NSync, their first CD. So my parents are actually more chill on it. But I had it because I was a pk, a preacher's kid. Like, around certain people. I wasn't allowed to, like, discuss it. Like, I had to be mindful of. Oh, my gosh, Someone in the chat. Sorry. I'm totally. I got sidetracked because said, Tickle day tomorrow. We do have Tickle Day tomorrow. Have I told you about Tickle Day?
- [41:36]
B
No. It's tickled and lighten me.
- [41:38]
A
Oh, my gosh. It's the bane of my existence. Oh, no. I'm gonna explain this really quick. This is totally off topic, so I apologize.
- [41:45]
B
I'm so excited. I love a good digress.
- [41:48]
A
So when Beecher and I were dating, right, Beecher, like, their love language was tickling. They loved to tickle me. And I don't like being tickled because I'm, like, laughing uncontrollably, but I feel so out of control that I, like. I don't like it. And so Beecher. But Beecher would get, like, felt personally offended when I would get upset when they would tickle me. Anyway, it was a whole thing. So be just like, April. Do you think you could just give me one day a year where I could tickle you and you can't get mad? And I said, okay, fine. And I remember that day. It was August 23rd of. I think it was 2013. Like, we were just dating. So I thought I was being smart. And I said, August 22nd, because I thought, surely Beecher is going to forget in a year. So by the time Aug. 22 comes around the next year, I had completely forgotten about it. Like, wasn't even on my radar. We were married at this point. We got married in June of that year. So I came home from work and Beecher had decorated our little apartment with Happy Tickle Day signs.
- [42:58]
B
Oh my gosh.
- [43:01]
A
So now every August 22nd, obsessed with this story.
- [43:06]
B
I am obsessed with this story.
- [43:08]
A
It has evolved over the years because our kids get involved now. We make a Tickle Day cake. We have the style counting of the ribs.
- [43:16]
B
Oh my gosh, that is so funny. I also hate being tickled because and my husband, like, it's like I lose all of my self defense when I'm being tickled. Like my body goes limp. I can't fight back. I can't do. And I just, I'm weak. So solidarity. I'm so sorry. But it's fine.
- [43:35]
A
I'll. It's, it's fun now because like, like our kids just really enjoy it. So I'm like, okay, I can do it for the children. Oh, they find it hilarious. So anyway, that's tomorrow, so pray for me August.
- [43:46]
B
I will. No, I'll remember because it's the day after my birthday. So I'll always be able to remember. That's your tickle bay. And I'll send you a little message.
- [43:56]
A
I know our kids probably are going to grow up one day and being like, yeah, we have Tickle Day. And people like, what is that? They're going to think it's just like an actual holiday that everybody celebrates. It's just, just our weird family. Okay, well, anyway, so Gavin Newsom and is starting to get under Trump's skin. So Donald Trump just today tweeted on Trump on his Truth Social account. Gavin Newscum is way down in the polls. He's viewed as the man who is destroying the once great state of California. I will save California with a bunch of exclamation points. President DJT So speaking of Donald Trump, one thing that he, there's a lot of videos going around from this week because he met with Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky this week. And I don't even know where do we begin with this. Well, let's start off fun. They wrote, they literally rolled out the red carpet for Putin. They had the meeting in Alaska and he had the actual US Military, like rolling out red carpet for Vladimir Putin. Like, to me that image is just very disturbing because Vladimir Putin is a known dictator and is not an ally to the United States and has never been. But they rolled out the red carpet and this is just a, this is a sped up video of Donald Trump walking the red carpet because he does not walk in a straight line, which I just. I just find it funny. So let's just. Let's just watch it. I don't know if you've seen it or not. Anyway, I, I don't know. Why can't he walk straight? I don't know, but he can. He doesn't walk straight. It's. I don't know what causes that, but I just found that. That interesting. But. So let's start with the meeting with Putin, because that happened first.
- [45:53]
B
Yeah.
- [45:54]
A
So. And so we might. This might take some time because we didn't get to fully go through the. These videos with Cassidy. So there was a video of Fox. Yes, this is where we want to go. So Fox News, the people that were in the room, it wasn't televised, but the people that were in the room basically said that Putin kind of steamrolled Trump. That's Fox News words. We'll hear that in a second. But basically, it didn't go well. And so here's Fox News talking about was just very unusual, atypical. And I think we're all awaiting the readout because the way that it felt in the room was not good. It did not seem like things went well. And it seemed like, like Putin came in and steamrolled, got right into what he wanted to say and got his photo next to the president and then left. So, yeah, so that happened. And honestly, there's a video, which we couldn't. I, we don't have it for this, but where Donald Trump's talking about how when him and Putin see each other, he. There's this warmth between them, like they have this connection.
- [47:00]
B
It is so awkward.
- [47:03]
A
I know, I know. His thing with Putin has always been so weird. I don't know.
- [47:07]
B
He admires him, and he likes that Putin likes him because it is all about praising him and inflating his ego. And I think that that's all it's about. I question sometimes how much Trump really knows what's going on. And then sometimes I think he is pure evil driving the ship. But I think that he loves the fact that Putin likes him. I think that that's just what it comes down to. And I don't think he cares what Putin symbolizes, what he's done, who he is, his history. He's like, this guy likes me and he's running a country and he's been successful running this country, whatever that means. And he just wants to be on his level in that sense. And that should terrify people, because there's nothing good about Vladimir Putin, there's nothing good about him. And the fact that Trump admires him and kind of wants to follow in his footsteps, I mean, I think we're starting to see that come to fruition, you know, So I, I don't know what's going to come of that. I really don't know how much Russia has a hand in everything that's happening. I know people have conspiracy theories, but I think you can just watch Trump's behavior and his reactions and then look back and you could probably point to something that Putin has done in his history of ruling over Russia and that Trump is trying to emulate.
- [48:29]
A
Yeah, no, you're totally right. And I think Donald Trump wants to be a dictator. Like, I think he wants what Putin has in, in America, and you can see that just in how he behaves and what he's trying to do. So let's see, let's go to. I don't. Let's just play this. I don't remember which clip this is. We'll just go with it.
- [48:49]
C
It's going to be a good meeting and we'll go a step further. We'll get it done. I'd like to see a ceasefire very, very quickly. I want to see, see a ceasefire rapidly. I don't know if it's going to be today, but I'm not going to be happy if it's not today. So we'll see what happens. I'm going to be. I won't be happy if I walk away without some form of a ceasefire. I don't think you need a ceasefire. You know, if you look at the six deals that I settled this year, they were all at war. I didn't do any ceasefires. And I know that it might be good to have, but I can also understand strategically why. Well, you know, one country or the other wouldn't want it. You have a ceasefire and they rebuild and rebuild and rebuild and, you know, maybe they don't want that, but if you look at the six deals that we made peace and, you know, long term, long running wars, I didn't do any ceasefires.
- [49:43]
A
So that is a compilation of clips of Trump prior to these meetings, saying that he wanted a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, then meets with Putin and then suddenly at the meeting with Zelensky is saying he doesn't want a ceasefire.
- [49:59]
B
Yep, yep. Which is just a win for Putin. That's all that. That is. Yeah. So what was said in that meeting to make him backtrack? We know something was said. He was like, stand down, little boy. Like, that's, that's what was said. And it's. Yeah, I don't know, it's. He's leaning towards really legitimizing whatever Putin wants for Ukraine and for Russia, which is unfortunate because he's playing, he was playing both sides, to be honest, to try to get what he wants and please everybody. But his boss came in and showed up and told him, nope, you're not going to do that anymore. And so now he's saying, no, no ceasefire.
- [50:40]
A
Which should be so wild to, like, the people of the, the boomer generation who grew up in the Cold War when we were, like, Russia was enemy number one. Like, how is this not a huge wake up call that Donald Trump is now changing his mind on things after meeting with Putin? Like, the amount of control that Putin has over Trump, it's wild.
- [51:04]
B
And we're seeing it in real time. Like, there's, there's no real, like, argument to be had about this. Like, he, you see all the clips. He's been saying, I want a ceasefire. I won't be happy if I leave a. Well now. Why, why do we. Why do you need a ceasefire? Like, you. What, how do you just flip that quickly? What was said in that meeting? That, that's, that's all I want to know. What was said in that meeting. We'll, we'll never know. But something was said and now he's changed his whole stance on it.
- [51:31]
A
Oh, I know. All right, Cassidy, I don't know what neck. What other video do you have? I don't. Okay, let's watch this. We'll just.
- [51:37]
C
If I can save 7,000 people a week from being killed, I think that's a. I want to try and get to heaven if possible. I'm hearing I'm not doing well. I'm really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons. Well, I think I saved a lot of lives with India, Pakistan. They were going at it. There was. The planes were being shot down. That was going to be maybe a nuclear war.
- [52:04]
A
This is another perfect example on how Trump is not a Christian or not.
- [52:10]
B
A devout thousand percent.
- [52:13]
A
Because Evangelicalism 101, you cannot get to heaven by works. It is by faith alone and believe alone. You say that sinner's prayer, you go to heaven, and if you try to earn your way to heaven, you're never going to get there. So the fact that he's even like, I'm going to end the wars because I'm trying To get to heaven.
- [52:31]
B
Yeah.
- [52:32]
A
It's just put it on the long list of reasons that Trump is not a Christian and knows nothing about evangelicalism.
- [52:38]
B
Nothing. He knows nothing. He can't name a Bible verse. He doesn't know anything that Jesus said or did. So, yeah, it's very interesting. But also, he gonna have to do a lot more than just end a war if he's trying to get to heaven. And he is correct that he is at the bottom of the totem pole. But he also did not end the India Pakistan war. And they have come out and said he had nothing to do with this. He just wants to take credit for things. But they have said he had. No, this is not because of him. While we had a ceasefire. But I also still want to know what exactly these six wars were that he ended.
- [53:08]
A
So New York Times, let's do a quick fact check because Trump's been going around saying that he ended six wars or seven wars, depending on the day.
- [53:18]
B
Seven on Fox News.
- [53:20]
A
Yeah, he said seven. So he said six. So New York Times is talking about the wars that they think he's talking about because he never names them. He does talk about India and Pakistan. And so he's taken credit for mediating an escalation, military escalation between the two nuclear powers. India has acknowledged American role in mediating, but says India was who negotiated and into fighting with Pakistan. Pakistan does thank Trump and has not wants to nominate Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. But I think they're trying to get into Donald Trump. But regardless, India says it had nothing to do with Trump.
- [53:57]
B
Trump.
- [53:57]
A
They negotiated it on their own. Another war that they think is the Congo and Rwanda. In June, top diplomats from the Congo and Rwanda came to the Oval Office to sign a peace agreement. Mr. Trump called it a glorious triumph. But talks on a comprehensive agreement have since faltered and deadly fighting has continued.
- [54:20]
B
They've continued fighting. So nothing's ended. Yeah, yeah.
- [54:22]
A
That war has not been ended. Another war that they think is between Armenia and. I don't. I don't want to butcher this. I'm not sure how to say this. I think so Biden between those two countries. So they. So Trump brought the leaders from the two countries to the White House this month to sign a joint declaration aimed at bringing their conflict closer to an end. But it was not a peace deal. It was just a commitment. Both leaders did praise Trump, who stepped into a conflict as part of the agreement. Armenia said it would grant the United States rights to develop a major transit corridor through its territory. But it is not clear when it will open or what terms. Azerbaijan continues to demand that Armenia change its constitution to remove mentions. For now, the border between the two nations is closed and diplomatic ties remain broken. So it does sound like progress, but still definitely not a war that was ended. There's still problems. No.
- [55:25]
B
And here's the thing. He may have influenced conversations for ceasefires, but there has been nothing that has officially ended. And for him to blatantly say, I have ended six wars, and then the next day on Fox News, say seven, because he knows that those listeners will believe that is just a blatant lie. It's hyperbolic. It is completely exaggerating. You. I. You can give credit that you have tried to broker peace deals. I will give him credit for that. Yes. You've sat down and had these conversations. That is great. You've been, you know, participating in your diplomacy. That's wonderful. You ain't ended nothing. You haven't ended a single war. So stop saying that. That's what is just. Just be honest. Just be honest.
- [56:08]
A
Totally. So people in the comments are saying they're. They're as. Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan.
- [56:14]
B
Azerbaijan.
- [56:15]
A
I think that's how you say Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan.
- [56:19]
B
Azerbaijan.
- [56:19]
A
I'm seeing a few different versions. Yes. Apologies to that nation for butchering the. The way it's pronounced. So another war that they think he's talking about is Israel and Iran. And I'll give credit where credit is due. So far, it does seem like a ceasefire has held to this point between those two countries. That might be the only one that I think he could maybe count. Although the idea that there's no tension between Iran and Israel is just not.
- [56:49]
B
And it's temporary.
- [56:50]
A
Yeah.
- [56:50]
B
Both said it's a temporary ceasefire.
- [56:52]
A
So for sure, Cambodia and Thailand is another one they engaged in. The summer of fighting, killed 24 people, displaced more than 300,000. Let's see. TRUMP was discussing trade deals with those countries and told the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia that he would stop trade talks unless they agreed to a ceasefire. Two days later, officials met in Malaysia for talks organized by Malaysian and American officials and reached a deal to pause hostilities. But critics of Mr. Trump's approach say his intervention did not address the underlying issues of the conflict. Though fighting has stopped for now. So there's another one that he could count for now, but again, he didn't permanently solve a lot of these problems. It's like putting a band aid on a bullet wound. I think the last one, the last one that I, that. This is from the New York Times. They're they're guessing at which boys they think he could be.
- [57:51]
B
They're trying to figure it out, too.
- [57:53]
A
Because he's not saying it. The last one is between Egypt and Ethiopia. Egypt and Ethiopia face not a military conflict, but a diplomatic dispute over Africa's largest hydroelectric damage. They are fears that it still might descend into fighting. Mr. Trump's diplomacy has done little to resolve the dispute. Ethiopia recently announced that it had completed the dam, with an official opening scheduled for next month. Egypt and Sudan continue to oppose the project, fearing it will limit the flow of water. So it sounds like Trump literally did nothing on that one, despite him claiming war ended. But, I mean, it's nothing new that Donald Trump just makes stuff up, right?
- [58:34]
B
He exaggerates everything. Exaggerates everything.
- [58:38]
A
I really do think, like, if there's anything to compare him to, he's a megachurch pastor. The way he embellishes numbers and just says, like, off, 300,000 people were saved. And, like, and the cult following where he can do no wrong and people defend him, like, no matter what. It's just so mega. Church pastor.
- [58:54]
B
100%. 100%. I mean, that's why. That's who supports him and donates to his campaigns and his. I'm sure they donated to his $200 million ballroom that he's building on the White House. Oh, my gosh. So tacky.
- [59:11]
A
So tacky, it looks like. Did you. Did you grow up watching TBN at all?
- [59:18]
B
No. I mean, I know. What was that? Where 700 Club was on?
- [59:26]
A
TVN, I think. No, 700 Club was Christian Broadcasting Network. It was like its own thing. CBN, TVN. Two different things.
- [59:34]
B
Okay. See, no, that 700 Club is the only thing that I kind of knew that was, like, Christian. And I remember it came on after something that I liked, but I was like, what is this? And so I didn't watch it.
- [59:48]
A
Yes.
- [59:48]
B
It was on ABC Family, like, late at night. And I was like, what? Huh? What is this? Yeah. So, no, I didn't grow up watching tv. And I never. I'm telling you, I was not in that world at all. I was watching, like, Moesha and Sister, Sister and Salute your shorts and all the Disney Channel. Yes. Best show. But all the, like, Disney Channel movies. Like, my. My parents were just not. Not at all. Very, very progressive, liberal, you know, opening, open, welcome, affirming. Just, you know, that's how I grew up. So talk to me about tbn.
- [60:23]
A
Well, I was just gonna say, if you haven't seen it, you may not not get this. But what he's done at the Oval Office with all that gaudy gold everywhere. Looks just like a TBN studio set.
- [60:34]
B
Oh, that's funny.
- [60:35]
A
Gold Gotti everywhere. Another reason why he's like a megachurch pastor. He's a televangelist without actually knowing any scripture.
- [60:46]
B
Yeah, yeah.
- [60:48]
A
So.
- [60:49]
B
And he doesn't get challenged on that either. That's what's crazy.
- [60:52]
A
But I know, I know. Even when he said, like, I've never had asked God for forgiveness, like, come on, evangelicals, that's like, you learn that. But then what we'll say is like.
- [61:02]
B
Well, maybe he's never had to. Maybe he's never had to. That's what that. I'm sorry, that's like what a cult following would say. You excuse everything. I follow a lot of cult, I guess experts, but there's a specific word for them, and that's one of the things you will always find a way to justify a cult leader's actions. It's like, it doesn't matter what it is. It could be the most egregious thing, and they will always find a way to justify it. So they say he's a Christian, but he doesn't know anything about being a Christian. And that's fine. That's fine because. And then insert whatever excuse. Yeah.
- [61:43]
A
Honestly, I think that's the one silver lining that I have with Donald Trump leading this kind of Christian nationalist movement is that he's not a true believer. Whereas, you know, look, in the past, like, you know, Adolf Hitler, he was a true believer. He was very fascist and a true believer. And I think that's what, you know, that's why so many terrible, more terrible things happened. I think a silver lining that we, Donald Trump is that he's not. And he just. He just wants power for himself. And he would flip on a dime if he thought that being a Democrat was how he could stay in power. He would flip parties so fast. I have no doubts about that.
- [62:18]
B
100%. Yeah. 100%.
- [62:32]
A
Okay, so I think we have one more video and this one. Okay. I don't remember what this is. Let's just watch it. Turf on your terms. I know yesterday you talked about arranging a meeting to take place in two weeks between putting Putin and Zelinsky. Is there an update there and do you plan to attend?
- [62:50]
C
No, I thought I'd do first. Let him. Let them meet. You know, they haven't been exactly best friends, have gotten along very well, and I called President Putin yesterday, and I do have a good relationship, but it's. You Know, only matters if we get things done. Otherwise, I don't care about the relationship. I do have a good relationship with him, but I want to get things done. You know, I've gotten. I've solved seven wars. We ended seven wars. I thought this would be one of the easier ones. And this is turned out to be the toughest one. India, Pakistan, I mean, we. These were big ones. And also all big ones and some going for 31, 32 years, one for 35 years. The Congo. Think of that. The Congo and Rwanda for 35 years. I got that one done. I got them all done. But this one is the one that is the most difficult. And I thought it would be an easy one. So I hope President Putin is going to be good. And if he's not, it's going to be a rough situation. And I hope that Zelinsky, President Zelensky will do what he has to do. He has to show some flexibility. Also. The thing is a mess. This was started by Joe Biden. This was a war that should have never happened. Millions of people are dead. The country is blown to pieces. Ukraine. And it's a shame. You know, my wife wrote, Melanie wrote that beautiful note to President Putin about children. The children are devastated, taken away from their homes, the whole thing. And this is a war that would have never, ever, ever happened if we had a president, a real president.
- [64:21]
A
No, no. I was just going to say it's wild to hear him say this would never happen if we had a real president while he's actively president and the war is still happening. Also, I just want to remind, there was a compilation video that. But that got lost while we were pulling stuff, but it's basically him, several different times on his campaign trails, saying that he's going to solve the Russian and Ukraine war in 24 hours. He says in 24 hours. That's all he's going to need. Yeah. Day one is that war will be ended and is not.
- [64:48]
B
Yeah.
- [64:48]
A
Okay, go ahead. What were you going to say?
- [64:49]
B
What I was going to say, though, is just, it's funny that, you know, people on the left and the Democrats always get accused of having Trump derangement syndrome, but all they do is bring up Biden and Obama. And I'm like, do you not hear yourself? You'll bring them up when they have nothing to do with this conversation, or even when I'm not even talking about Trump. Like, that's what's. That's what's wild. They will bring Biden and Obama up out of nowhere. But we have Trump derangement syndrome. That's. I just. I found that to be interesting. So, yes, he talks about Biden all the time. He also does bring up Obama often. I actually think that he's like, I think he loves Obama and I don't think he'll ever admit it. I think he, like, actually admires him and, like, wants to be him because he actually is, like, genuinely loved by people. And he. I think deep down he knows that he doesn't have, like, that genuine, like, love, like it. I really do. I really do. But I think there's something about Obama that he just, like, can't shake. He lives rent free in his head, for sure. For sure. But yeah, he brings up Biden all the time. And all these people are just living their lives not thinking about him. That's what's funny to me. Like, they're happy, they're successful. Michelle's living her best life with her podcast. Obama's just living his best life doing what he does. I don't even know where Biden is. I hope he's taking a nap somewhere, because he does. He absolutely deserved.
- [66:13]
A
Yeah, long nap. Also, I feel like Trump derangement syndrome is taping maxi pads to your ear. That part at a Republican convention. Or like, literally wearing MAGA T shirts and MAGA hats and flying MAGA Trump flags for the last decade. That's Trump derangement syndrome. And also 100. Of course, we're talking about Donald Trump. He's the president actively taking rights away from me and people I love. So, like, because I'm saying, like, hey, I don't like that Donald Trump's doing that. Like, oh, does Trump derangement syndrome, like, no, it's not. He's in my face 24 7. I would love to never think about Donald Trump again.
- [66:58]
B
1000%. It's been 10 years, you guys. It's been 10 years. Actually 11. Because didn't he.
- [67:07]
A
2015.
- [67:08]
B
I thought he started it in 2014 is when he announced it, but either way, it's still been a decade regardless. It's been a decade. Yeah, it's been entirely too long. Like one of my, My. Our. Our babysitter, she's 25, and she was like, I've literally been subjected to dealing with this. This is who I've always had to, like, vote against since I got the right to vote when I turned 18. That's crazy to me.
- [67:36]
A
Yeah.
- [67:37]
B
He first came on the scene and she was 15, and now she's 25 and she's like, he's still around, and he's the president. Like, this is a long time to be dealing with this same person.
- [67:46]
A
10 years. No, I know. To be worrying about.
- [67:49]
B
People don't want to vote. Yeah, I get people not wanting to vote. I mean, you should always vote, but I get it because you're like, I'm always voting against this man. Like, can I have another option, please, Please?
- [68:00]
A
No.
- [68:00]
B
Oh, my goodness.
- [68:05]
A
Okay, let's just. Let's go on to the final segment of the day. That's why you're all here. It's my favorite Christian. All right, there were some. There were lots of options this week, but this one, this one just got me in my funny bone. So let's just. We'll watch it and then we'll talk about it. There is a holy way to have sex. There's a holy way to move your body, and that is through covenant. Otherwise, it's fornication, it a sin. It's opening a demonic door. So it's the same thing with yoga. You stretch. In the context of yoga, it's demonic. It's opening a door. You stretch your body just like, normal. Like, reach down, bend your toes, like, stretch out your. Your quadrich. Like, it's. It's fine. You're not like, getting a demon that way. So I just want to be clear with that.
- [68:52]
C
But I think that's enough. Like, I think.
- [68:54]
A
Yeah. That it's pagan worship.
- [68:56]
C
Yeah. It proves the point. And I also. Yeah, for me, what convicted me was reading about it and realizing, like, yeah, these poses are all worship.
- [69:03]
A
Yeah. Just do a Google. Google search.
- [69:04]
C
Yeah. Like, it's. It's worship to these fake gods. And I'm like, all right, like that. What else do I need to know?
- [69:11]
A
That's right.
- [69:11]
C
It doesn't matter what the perceived benefit it is. You're still doing worship to another God.
- [69:23]
B
I love how I blind. I blind watched that. I blind watched that.
- [69:27]
A
Oh, my gosh. Give me your raw thoughts. I'd love your just raw reaction.
- [69:35]
B
I had a lot of flashbacks, actually, because, again, I grew up progressive Christian, was not exposed to any of this, like, rhetoric and this ideology. I went to a conservative Christian college because I had a very good music program. I majored in opera there, minored in theater. It was a very good program. I remember specifically I was working. I worked in the front office because we had to do, like, a work study program. And somebody was talking about yoga. And I remember one of the workers there going off about it because of that. And I was like, the stretches, I was so confused because I hate yoga. I personally hate yoga. I love fitness. I work out, but like, I don't like yoga because my hips don't do that. Like, I just feel so. I'm like, I just don't like yoga. But I never at all, like, I just, I'm like, you go, do you if you love yoga. Like, amazing. I had never heard the connection to like demons and spirits and gods until college. And I was like, this is just stretches. Like, that was my mind. So hearing that, I'm like, this is a reach. I mean, they're actually like stretching for something. They're reaching for something with this. Like, what? And also there's a holy way girl. I don't know.
- [70:57]
A
I don't know what somebody starts off with me. Like, sex you can open. If you're not having sex within a covenant, you're opening a demonic portal. Okay, but my favorite part is how she's like, if you stretch in the context of yoga, definitely opening those demonic portals, but just like, you know, regular stretching. Like, don't be stupid. You're not going to get a. You're not going to get a demon if you're just regular stretching. Like, how do you define the difference?
- [71:25]
B
Right? And how do you convince yourself of these things? Like, how do you just walk around thinking that, like, do they protest outside of yoga studios? Like, what, what is. What is the. What is the end game for this? Like, this thought process? I don't get it. It's yoga. Like, what? There's hot yoga, which I've done and I hate, by the way. I think.
- [71:45]
A
Have you ever done declare? No, I haven't. It doesn't sound fun.
- [71:52]
B
It's. Well, it's not fun because for me, for fitness, like, moving is the point. But like, you're literally just standing in these poses in a like 110 degree room. It's not fun, but you feel interested in very 100%. Like, great for your skin. Like, all the things you feel very, like detox and all that stuff. But no demons arrived.
- [72:15]
A
Yeah, like, I want to know, like, how do you. Let's say you want to do downward dog. How can you do that pose without getting a demon? Do you have to declare? Like, I declare bankruptcy. Like, I declare, this is not yoga.
- [72:30]
B
This is regular something. I'm gonna pick it up in this position. Like, oh, my gosh, that's wild. And people, I mean, obviously we watched it, but people really think this stuff.
- [72:42]
A
Oh, my gosh. I know. And I love how she's like, obviously, I just Want to be clear? Like, you're not gonna get a demon if it's just, like, regular stretching and then the guy is like, yeah, totally. I think that's it. You proved the point. Wow. Where's the proof? Is the proof of the room with us?
- [72:57]
B
Where's. The point is what? I wanna. I wanna know. I wanna know what the point is.
- [73:03]
A
I am so glad I don't live in that mindset anymore, because I grew up Pentecostal, so, like, everyone around me was very demon happy. There was like. Like, Eddie, you could just walk into a wrong spot if the demon was there. Oh, you caught one. You know, you got to be mindful all the time.
- [73:21]
B
Wow. Not demon.
- [73:23]
A
I caught that, remember? Like, have you seen all the stuff going around about. What are they called? Labubus? Is that what they're called?
- [73:29]
C
No.
- [73:30]
B
What's a Labubu?
- [73:31]
A
Is it. Is that what they're called?
- [73:33]
B
They're, like, so not aware of anything.
- [73:36]
A
Yeah. Labubus. So they're, like, the latest doll that. I mean, honestly, I don't understand it. If I'm being. If I'm being honest. They look kind of creepy. But, I mean, I kind of have a cute.
- [73:47]
B
I mean, it's called a Labubu. I can't imagine that it, like, looks. Hold on, hold on. I think I'm. I'm popping it up. I just want to see what this looks like. Okay.
- [73:57]
A
Yeah, I don't. I would. Yeah. Here we go. Thank you, Cassidy.
- [74:00]
B
So they look like a Teletubby, but like a demonic.
- [74:04]
A
Right. So there are these things. They're apparently, like, the big craze right now. But there's a. There's so many evangelicals that are buying them and then burning them to, like, burn the demon out of them. And they're freaking out because they're calling them demonic. I just want to say that I. Evangelicals were doing the same things when I was a kid, only instead of Labubus, it were those trolls dolls. Treasure trolls, yeah. You remember those?
- [74:30]
B
Yeah.
- [74:31]
A
Purple hair and the jewel belly button.
- [74:33]
B
Tons of those for no reason. Like, why am I collecting these things? But I had ton of them.
- [74:37]
A
Well, I was, now that I think about it, creepy. Because they were demonic.
- [74:41]
B
Because they were trolls. Yeah, of course.
- [74:43]
A
Yeah. Because they're creepy. Yeah. Not as creepy as these Labubus. I mean, I. I don't believe they're demonic, but they are kind of creepy. I'm not gonna lie.
- [74:52]
B
They look a little demonic. I don't think they are demonic, but they look a little Demonic like Cassidy. Can we put those back up again like that? It low key. Reminds me of Gremlins. Do you remember that? Oh, my gosh. Melanie said it. Yes, it totally reminds me of Gremlins.
- [75:07]
A
Yeah.
- [75:08]
B
Can we. Can we put. Can we put the Labubus back up? I just need to see this. I also saw that one was 3, 900. Is that what it was on shop?
- [75:14]
A
No, they're expensive. There's, like, rare ones. I feel like they're kind of like Beanie Babies.
- [75:18]
B
$3,300. Who is paying $3,300 for that thing? What? A wholesale Boo Boo is $3,300 and they're spending how much? They're probably buying the wholesale one because they're not going to use their money to help people. Let's buy it to burn a Labubu and get the demons out of the world instead of actually helping. Using money to help our neighbor. Yes. Somebody said Harry Potter. And that was. That's another thing that I know. A lot of people I grew up with were not allowed.
- [75:48]
A
Yeah, I wasn't allowed. I wasn't allowed to read or watch them.
- [75:51]
B
Oh, my God. My mom was so excited. She was like, have you heard about these Harry Potter books? Said the kids like their little wizardry. Do you want to read them? I was like, yeah, sure. And I did. She didn't care. Because this is my thing. If your faith is so strong, you don't need to be afraid of those things or worry about them. And that's. And that's what I always appreciated about my mom is that she was so strong and steadfast in her faith that, like, she didn't think we were exposed to everything growing up, and it didn't matter to her. She was like, you know what you're supposed to believe? You know who you're supposed to be? You know how you're supposed to act. And if Harry Potter convinces you to be a witch and you start doing stuff, then you're not gonna read Harry Potter anymore. But, like, you're strong, and I'm teaching you the way that you should go. I'm teaching you how to love people. I'm teaching you how to show up. This little boy with glasses and a lightning thing on his forehead is not going to affect that. Right? So it's really interesting to me how threatened the validity of your faith is when it comes to those certain things. But, like, if you're strong in your faith, nothing should be questioning. Nothing should be challenging it in that way. So, yeah, I just didn't grow up that way. So it's really interesting. I know.
- [76:57]
A
That must be nice. Must be nice. I'm not gonna lie.
- [77:00]
B
It is.
- [77:04]
A
Dolls were also like, people. Who was it? Wow. Jerry Falwell or Bill Gothard really went after Cabbage Patch Dolls. Jerry Falwell went after the Teletubbies because he said the purple one was gay. There were people that said Pokemon was demonic because they were pocket monsters. I mean, so many things.
- [77:23]
B
I'm pretty sure the purple Teletubby was gay, but there's no problem with that. Like, if you. I mean, I think it probably was. I mean, they were.
- [77:30]
A
They all were kind of gay. Like, if.
- [77:32]
B
I mean, yes, they were all gay, 100%. So, like. But also, who cares? Like, they were also just kind of creepy. But, like, who cares?
- [77:41]
A
The bottom line, some people care a lot, actually.
- [77:43]
B
I know. And they shouldn't. They shouldn't that they care entirely too much.
- [77:49]
A
The funniest thing to me is that this is the same group of people that will wear Faith Over Fear on a T shirt and they're terrified of Labubus. And. Or like, a few years ago, do you remember when Hocus Pocus 2 came out on Disney Plus? There was a woman in Texas who made the news because her Facebook post went viral where she said, if you let your children watch Hocus Pocus 2, that you will unleash hell and that basically demons will come through the screen onto your children into your home. Hocus Pocus 2.
- [78:23]
B
I love Hocus Pocus, by the way. I don't get it. I don't get it. I think that kind of sheltering is so harmful. I mean, we could talk about this for another hour, but yeah, that kind of sheltering and censoring is so harmful because when your kids do get out into the real world and are exposed to these things, they're not going to be able to have conversations about it. They're not going to understand. They're probably going to get bullied and made fun of because it's like, what kind of sheltered life are you living? Like, you can't even watch Hocus Pocus. Like, what? Right. Unless, you know, Christian nationalism takes over and everybody has these. These views, which is kind of terrifying to think about. But I. I'm of the full belief and I'm so, again, grateful to my parents that I was allowed to be exposed to everything and one, make my decisions on what I liked and what I agreed with. And my mom also, which I. I'm so grateful to her. She didn't baptize me. I made that choice on my own. And she said when I was like, 12, she was like, I didn't baptize you because I want that to be your decision. And she said that to me. She baptized my sister. But then after, she was like, I. I wish I hadn't. I wish I had allowed you to make that decision. And I'm so grateful because it allowed me to have my own faith journey and my own growth and my own experiences. And, you know, I'm just so grateful for that upbringing. And so now doing this work and, like, having these kinds of conversations, I approach it with that lens, and it's not coming from a lens. And again, I think deconstruction lens is very important, but it's not coming from that deconstruction lens, and it's coming from a lens of this is actually what I feel Christianity should have always been. And so I'm happy, you know, I'm very happy to be doing this kind of work from that lens because I think it's super important.
- [80:16]
A
Well, I love that, and I love that we. I think it's great that we come from different backgrounds and we're kind of landed in the same place, but, yes, it just brings more perspective. Like, different perspectives I think is really important. And honestly, I'm a little jealous that you didn't have to go through satanic panic all the time.
- [80:35]
B
Oh, yeah, I just didn't. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But you're here. You. You. You made it out of life. You're doing incredible work, and I just. I'm a fan, you're a friend, but I'm also a fan. So I love what you do, and I love that you use humor to. To. To. To kind of get through all of this, which is great. It's really.
- [80:52]
A
Well, we laugh. We laugh. So we don't cry. We cry. We cry sometimes, too, but we also laugh. Melinda, thank you so much for guest hosting with me. Can you tell everyone where to find you and if you want to pitch anything?
- [81:04]
B
Of course. So Instagram. Melinda Hale, my substack, Melinda Hale. Substack. My substack is really where I want people to follow me because I talk about a lot of things. My publication is called WeNeedToTalk, and so I talk about a lot of faith and culture, society. If you really want to dive into, like, anti racism work as well, that's really my focus. But also support tne new evangelicals is, like I said at the beginning, we're doing a lot of work and a lot of new offerings and community spaces and creating new shows which hopefully we'll be able to launch next year. But I just want to be in community with people. And if you're not on TNE Connect, please do that. Go to newevangelicals.com connect and join our online platform so you can be a part of all of the things coming up. But keep supporting the Tim and April show and I was glad to be a guest and chat with you today. It was fun. Yeah.
- [81:58]
A
Awesome. Well, thanks everyone for being here. Don't forget to subscribe if you haven't yet. Like this video that helps push it out. If you haven't gone to leave us a review on Apple for podcasts, that would be great. Or on Spotify. It just helps put the show out there so other people can find us. Same with the new evangelicals. There's lots of great content over there. Yeah. So we'll be back Next Thursday will be my last week with a guest host before Tim comes back from his sabbatical. So join us next Thursday again at 12pm Eastern. And I hope you all have a great rest of your week. Bye.