This Week Unfiltered | 05.01.25

Summary

Truth in the Barrel: This Week Unfiltered | 05.01.25

Release Date: May 2, 2025

Hosts: Amy McGrath and Mallory Hagan
Guest Co-Host: Mallory Hagan, former Miss America and political candidate

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Introduction and Special Guest (00:00 – 01:00)

In this episode of Truth in the Barrel: Unfiltered, host Amy McGrath welcomes special co-host Mallory Hagan in Denver Riggleman’s absence. Mallory, a former Miss America and a political contender from Alabama, brings her political savvy to the discussion. Amy highlights Mallory's political experience, stating:

“Mallory's a bit of a politico too, so she knows the ins and outs of politics.”
(00:45)

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Mint Julep and Kentucky Derby (01:00 – 05:28)

Amy kicks off the episode by sharing a Mint Julep recipe, celebrating the upcoming Kentucky Derby. She emphasizes the importance of following their social media platforms and introduces the "whiskey minute" featuring a special edition of Woodford Reserve, the official bourbon of the 151st Kentucky Derby. Amy explains the historical significance of the Mint Julep:

“It was originally a drink that was supposed to be Kentucky consumed in the morning.”
(02:00)

Mallory contributes by reminiscing about attending the Derby and Oaks, sharing a personal keepsake:

“I have been to the Derby and I have been to the Oaks, so I'm sad that I'm missing out this year.”
(04:44)

The segment concludes with both hosts toasting to the festivities:

“Cheers to Canada.”
(48:54)

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Donald Trump's First 100 Days: Analysis and Critique (06:04 – 24:07)

Amy and Mallory delve into the controversial first 100 days of Donald Trump's second term. They draw parallels to FDR’s first 100 days, highlighting the historical significance as a measure of presidential effectiveness.

Amy critiques Trump's performance:

“Donald Trump is claiming that the presidency, his past first 100 days have been the most successful of any presidency.”
(07:44)

Mallory adds her perspective on the overwhelming influx of negative news and broken promises:

“He has this make America great again. He wants to take people back. And instead this has been, you know, the worst first 100 days in modern history in the last 50 years.”
(08:30)

The discussion covers Trump's record-breaking number of executive orders—142 in the first 100 days—and the negative economic impact, including high inflation and low consumer confidence:

“Goldman Sachs is now projecting that the United States will have the lowest economic growth and highest inflation rate of any developed economy in 2025.”
(09:52)

Amy criticizes the administration’s handling of national security and government efficiency, citing chaotic firings and poor management. Mallory underscores the insecurity led by the administration:

“It's just being led by insecurity. And we all know why.”
(11:12)

They discuss the administration's inconsistent policies, shifting support from Ukraine to a more favorable stance towards Russia, and the resultant global uncertainty.

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Attack on Women Peace and Security Program (24:07 – 34:55)

A significant portion of the episode addresses the termination of the Women Peace and Security (WPS) Program by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Amy provides a detailed overview of the program's importance:

“When you have more women at the table, at the negotiating table, you're 30% to 40% more effective in getting a longer lasting peace.”
(25:58)

Mallory questions the administration’s rationale and highlights the dissonance within Republican leadership:

“Half of these executive orders were outlined in Project 2025. So in 100 days, half of the executive orders that he has signed are directly from that playbook.”
(16:48)

Amy expresses frustration with the lack of support for veterans and criticizes Hegseth’s anti-women stance:

“But when people said to me, what, putting Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, how is that going to hurt our national security? You know, people would ask me that.”
(31:11)

The hosts emphasize the program's low cost and high impact, arguing that its termination is detrimental to long-term peace and security efforts.

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Quick Shots: Current Events (34:55 – 47:52)

1. Indigenous Peoples Day vs. Columbus Day (35:28 – 37:50)

Amy discusses President Trump's opposition to celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day alongside Columbus Day, framing it as an attempt to "smear Italians." Mallory supports the acknowledgment of indigenous history:

“I think that indigenous people were here on this continent long before Columbus made it its way.”
(35:49)

2. Trump's Claim on Deportation Case (37:50 – 40:39)

Trump is criticized for falsely asserting that a deportee, Kilmer Abrego Garcia, had a gang tattoo, using manipulated images as "proof." Amy and Mallory highlight the administration's disregard for due process:

“What matters is the due process. And if he goes through that and it's determined that he is a criminal, then we go from there.”
(39:40)

3. Trump's Pope Ambition (40:39 – 43:34)

In a bizarre turn, Trump claimed he would like to be the next Pope, an idea mocked by Mallory and Amy for its absurdity and disrespect towards the Catholic faith. Mallory expressed disbelief:

“I can't stop laughing because the levels of ridiculousness know no bounds.”
(40:31)

4. VA Mortgage Rescue Program Termination (43:34 – 47:52)

The hosts condemn the abrupt end to the VA Mortgage Rescue Program, which assisted veterans in avoiding foreclosure. Amy underscores the betrayal of veterans:

“Republicans are saying these are, you know, bums who can't, you know, pay their, their, their mortgage. It is a slap in the face to all Veterans.”
(46:24)

Mallory emphasizes the long-term impacts on veterans’ lives:

“Many of them are at risk now to lose their homes right now.”
(47:16)

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Closing Remarks (47:52 – 49:56)

Amy and Mallory conclude the episode with a toast to Canada for electing a center-left prime minister, symbolizing resistance against Trump’s bullying tactics.

“Cheers to Canada.”
(48:54)

They remind listeners of the next episode and encourage audience engagement on topics that matter to everyday Americans.

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Notable Quotes

• Amy McGrath (07:44):

  “Donald Trump is claiming that the presidency, his past first 100 days have been the most successful of any presidency.”

• Mallory Hagan (08:30):

  “He has this make America great again. He wants to take people back. And instead this has been, you know, the worst first 100 days in modern history in the last 50 years.”

• Amy McGrath (16:48):

  “Half of these executive orders were outlined in Project 2025. So in 100 days, half of the executive orders that he has signed are directly from that playbook.”

• Mallory Hagan (35:49):

  “I think that indigenous people were here on this continent long before Columbus made it its way.”

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Conclusion

In this unfiltered episode, Amy McGrath and Mallory Hagan provide a critical examination of Donald Trump's first 100 days in office, highlighting economic mismanagement, attacks on constitutional rights, and the dismantling of effective programs like the Women Peace and Security initiative. They also tackle current events with sharp commentary, emphasizing the need for accountability and support for vulnerable populations, especially veterans. The episode reinforces the show's commitment to dissecting timely political issues with depth and passion.

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Follow the hosts:

Visit www.TruthintheBarrel.com and follow Truth in the Barrel on all social media platforms for updates, reviews, and more engaging discussions.

Transcript

[Mallory Hagan]

Foreign.

[Amy McGrath]

Hi, everyone. Welcome to Truth in the Barrel unfiltered. I'm Amy McGrath. Denver is out this week for this episode, but we have a special co host, guest, former Miss America, who also ran for the U.S. house of Representatives and the State House in Alabama, and the host of another great podcast called Pretty Furious. My friend Mallory Hagan is co hosting. Thank you for being with us today, Mallory.

[Mallory Hagan]

Thanks for having me, Amy. I'm really excited to be here. I've enjoyed this project from the start and looking forward to adding my own twist. I'm no Denver, but I'll try.

[Amy McGrath]

Well, and listeners need to know that Mallory's a bit of a politico too, so she knows the ins and outs of politics. She's run for office herself. She keeps up to date with things that are going on. So I'm just super excited and to have another woman be a co host. It's going to be a fun show.

[Mallory Hagan]

Yeah. Let's bring it a little different flavor to it. I heard that you're going to make something for everybody to see based on the Derby. What you got?

[Amy McGrath]

I am. We are going to make a mint julep because the Kentucky Derby is coming up soon. Before we do that, I want to remind everybody to make sure that you're following us on all of the social media platforms. Right X. Blue sky. Is it Blue Sky? I don't even know what it is. Blue Sky. Instagram. Thank you, YouTube, you name it. Follow us, send us an appreciative note or review all that stuff matters for Truth in the Barrow. So on to our whiskey minute. Today I have this really cool edition of what's called Woodford Reserve. This is the official bourbon of the 151st Kentucky Derby. It's made in Woodford County, Kentucky, Versailles, Kentucky. And with that bourbon, we are going to make the classic Kentucky Derby drink called the Mint Julep. And a fun fact about the mint Julep, you know, it was a drink that was originally made back all the way back in the 1700s. It became the official drink of the Kentucky Derby in the 1930s. And it was originally a drink that was supposed to be Kentucky consumed in the morning. So for all your morning bourbon needs, think of a mint julep. But basically, it's very easy to make. You take 10 to 12 mint leaves, you put about a quarter ounce of simple syrup in a tall glass with the mint leaves at the bottom, simple syrup. And then you fill it with ice. And from there you press that together. It's crushed ice, by the way. And then you Take your two and a half ounces of bourbon, your Woodford Reserve or whatever bourbon of choice that you have, you pour that in there like so, and you stir it up and then you garnish it with some mint on the top, okay? And you must, absolutely must drink it, Mallory, with a straw.

[Mallory Hagan]

You must.

[Amy McGrath]

You don't drink it with like, a regular drink. Okay? That's very important. And if you, you know, if I know that the current admin hates the paper straws, frankly, it doesn't matter what straw you drink it in. It's really good. It's called a Mintula.

[Mallory Hagan]

Do you know why you have to drink it with a straw?

[Amy McGrath]

It's just tradition. But it's also because a lot of the good stuff is, you know, it goes to the bottom. Yeah, I like my.

[Mallory Hagan]

It's not shaken right. It's cured.

[Amy McGrath]

And I like my mint julep. I will admit I like it. I like it minty and I like it sweet. Okay? Now, I love the bourbon, but if you're going to drink it in the morning, you're going to drink it in the daytime. I just prefer it that way. But there's your mint julep. And it's really also important to note that this week is not only the Kentucky Derby, but the day before the Derby. Mallory is the Kentucky Oaks. And that is when all the Phillies, the female horses, do their race. And so everybody that attends that wears pink. And that is why I'm wearing pink today in honor of the Kentucky Oaks.

[Mallory Hagan]

Well, I have been to the Derby and I have been to the Oaks, so I'm sad that I'm missing out this year. I brought something to show you. I don't know about you, Amy, but I am an esteemed float judge for the Derby Pegasus parade.

[Amy McGrath]

Nice.

[Mallory Hagan]

And I got this lovely plate to display in my home as a keepsake. So it's been a long time since I've been to the Derby and been to the Oaks, but it's a fun week filled with mint juleps. Not for me, but it's a fun week filled with mint juleps. And, you know, for a moment, you can just forget the worries of the world, forget that everything seems to be crumbling around the pageantry.

[Amy McGrath]

You know, the bourbon helps with that, Mallory.

[Mallory Hagan]

Yeah, that's true. I. Today I've got coffee, but I put it in a glass specific so I could cheers with you.

[Amy McGrath]

Well, we'll be. Cheers. We'll be doing that all throughout this episode here. Very good. All right.

[Mallory Hagan]

Just for a moment, you were giving Me, Rachael Ray, you were like. And you poured this.

[Amy McGrath]

I never thought I would be doing that. But honestly, during the campaign, I did one of these Instagram lives with a chef down in. I actually, I did two. I did one in, in Inversales in Woodford county, actually. And I did another one down in Paducah with a chef and it was amazing. That's. It got a ton of hits. And I learned how to bake. I don't know, I think it was biscuits or something like that. It was really fun. Anyway, run for office. And you can do fun things like that.

[Mallory Hagan]

Random, random things, but fun.

[Amy McGrath]

Yes, very random. All right, so here we are, 100 days of Trump 2.0. So before we talk about the utter shit show of the first hundred days of Donald Trump's second term, I wanted to just briefly tell our listeners why we even care about the hundred day mark. It really started under fdr when Franklin Roosevelt became president. We were in the throes of the Great Depression and there was, we were coming off of the presidency of Herbert Hoover, whose policies were complete and utter disasters, failures for our country. And there was this sort of desire to quickly turn things around. And so FDR instituted or ushered through 15 different pieces of legislation in the first 100 days. A lot of the New Deal was done in that first 100 days. And, you know, there were some tangible effects of these new pieces of legislation, but for the most part, it was kind of a psychological win for the country. And so from that point on, we've always looked at the first hundred days as kind of a metric for what's going on. Unfortunately, I'm not sure that these first hundred days meet the mark. If you compare it to ftr, Donald Trump is claiming that the presidency, his past first 100 days have been the most successful of any presidency. What's your take on that?

[Mallory Hagan]

Well, first of all, it feels like more like it's been 100 years. I feel like back in the day, 100 days, probably to most folks, went by relatively quickly because they had other things to pay attention to. But it seems like every day we are inundated with multiple life altering, life changing news stories, executive orders, pieces of legislation. So it feels like it's been an eternity. Since January 20th. He promised to bring back the golden age. You know, he has this make America great again. He wants to take people back. And instead this has been, you know, the worst first 100 days in modern history in the last 50 years. So that's how I feel.

[Amy McGrath]

Since the Great Depression, Yeah, I feel.

[Mallory Hagan]

Like it has, I feel like it's lasted forever. And all I can think is, and we still have, you know, three and a half more years.

[Amy McGrath]

This is why Donald Trump's approval rating is the lowest approval rating of any president in the first 100 days in 80 years.

[Mallory Hagan]

Only second to himself.

[Amy McGrath]

That's right. That's right. Shockingly, you know, he has signed 142 executive orders. So he's, he's done a lot of signing. That's the most ever, by the way, executive orders. But people need to know that executive orders are not laws. They, they're just, they're just executive orders. They pertain to the federal government. When Donald Trump is not in office, all those executive orders go away. You know, he rescinded a bunch of Biden's executive orders, but he hasn't really done that much except for tanking our economy.

[Mallory Hagan]

Right, yeah. The promise to rapidly defeat inflation. You know, everyone was talking about the price of eggs. Come election day, they're voting for Trump because he's going to make eggs cheaper, that he's going to make their lives, you know, more affordable. And instead, 60% of folks who are surveyed are saying that prices are on the rise, that they're worried about what they're buying at the store, that they're concerned about inflation getting worse. So, yeah, he's done a lot, though, Amy. It's just not good stuff.

[Amy McGrath]

It's not good stuff.

[Mallory Hagan]

He said he hasn't done much. He's done a lot.

[Amy McGrath]

The tariffs are a disaster. Yeah, I'm just going to say it outright and it's purely of his own making. But I'm not going to let Republicans off the hook because they have cheered him along. They have not, they've had opportunities to stop him and they haven't done it. Goldman Sachs is now projecting that the United States will have the lowest economic growth and highest inflation rate of any developed economy in 2025, steering the economy to a recession. The stock market's first three months under Trump Republicans was the worst of any president since the Great Depression. And he's managed to piss off all of our allies and partners in the process, which does long term damage.

[Mallory Hagan]

Yeah, I, I think one of the things that stands out to me over the course of these last hundred days is just we're leading with insecurity. And that might not be at the forefront of a lot of people's minds, but when you have a leader who says he's going to do something, signs the executive order or says tariffs are coming and then is constantly taking it back or getting public pressure and moving in a different direction.

[Amy McGrath]

It's just.

[Mallory Hagan]

It's just being led by insecurity. And we all know why. He's. He's a large, tiny man. He's a tiny, tiny man. But, but that stands out to me. Just we're on the world and global stage. We don't appear to be very strong because how can you, if you can't stand by what it is you said you were going to do?

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah, and that's such a great point that, that leading with insecurity, because it's not just on the global stage. Countries have no idea what we're doing. We've gone from actively supporting Ukraine, a country that is fighting for its existence, a democracy against a brutal authoritarian regime that invaded it. We've gone from supporting them to supporting Russia. Not actively supporting, but being kind of friendly with them. Our countries don't know what to expect. And then on the, on the domestic front, the business owners don't know what to expect. Consumers don't. We have the lowest consumer price. I mean, consumer confidence is the lowest, I think, in many, many years. All of that stuff adds up. And the other thing that has happened that we've talked a little bit about in the first hundred days, but I think is important to bring back up is this Department of Government efficiency. The chaos, the firings, firing veterans, firing our workers that work on our nuclear weapons, that fight diseases overseas like Ebola, and all of that stuff is just complete chaos right now.

[Mallory Hagan]

I also think something that has marked the first hundred days is the attack on First Amendment rights. I mean, the attack on people who speak out against this administration, straight out of an authoritarian playbook. The way that we have senators, Senator Murkowski coming out saying that they're fearful of this administration and Donald Trump in particular. And, you know, you brought up, you brought up Russia. That makes me think about talking about First Amendment rights. We've got a president who's telling Putin to stop it online. Like, what are we doing? But the attack on First Amendment rights is something that, for those of us who are constantly talking about this administration, railing against them, calling for action, it's a little bit concerning. But more specifically, when you've got people who are in public office talking about being fearful of the president, that's noteworthy. And another thing in regard to that, you mentioned the attack on veterans. There's also the attack on information just in general, eliminating history from government websites and the removal of women from all of our military Branches from the government websites. It's just, it's, it's really concerning, but also problematic.

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah. On the national security front, it's been complete incompetence. In my mind. Donald Trump said that he was going to end the wars on day one in Gaza and Ukraine, and that that's a joke. Of course, that didn't happen. Here we are at day 100. Really hasn't been any meaningful progress in either one of those areas. He selected a Secretary of Defense who's completely incompetent, who's, you know, put out classified information over a text chain. There's been no repercussions for that. And they seem to be proud of these first 100 days. You know, they're going out and tweeting their, their achievements. And I want to read a couple of their achievements that they're like, super proud of. Mallory. Okay, please. Declassifying the JFK files. Okay. Super proud of that. All right. Their, their war on paper straws. That, that was super important to the American public right there. You know what?

[Mallory Hagan]

Those turtles be damned.

[Amy McGrath]

I mean, they're proud of this ending production of the penny. Okay, sure. Didn't know that was important. Renaming the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America. All right. But what they're most proud of is those tariffs, you know, that are destroying our economy. We can't forget that. They have kept America safe from the web pages that mentioned Jackie Robinson and any women in the military. That's, you know, we gotta keep America safe from that.

[Mallory Hagan]

It is truly hard to fathom the level of idiocy that we are dealing with in our government and by people who are supposed to be leaders among us. I, I think one thing, though, that really should be highlighted is so often throughout the campaign trail, Donald Trump and the people surrounding him said, we don't know anything about Project 2025. We don't know anything about this 900 page memorandum for what's to come. And even though Democratic leaders, Kamala Harris, were shouting it from the rooftops, they claimed they knew nothing about it. And I just want to talk about the fact that half of these executive orders were outlined in Project 2025. So in 100 days, half of the executive orders that he has signed are directly from that playbook. So it is concerning to see what, what might be next as far as that playbook goes.

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah, yeah, we sort of knew this was coming with the executive orders, but, you know, the Republicans and Donald Trump have actually only signed five bills into law, and four of them were, were just funding bills. You know, you're actually funding Biden's old budget, you know, because they're stopgap funding bills. So four of them, you know, take those aside. And they've only been one bill that they've actually signed, which is the Lake and Riley Act. We could have another segment on the, on the Lake and Riley Act. But bottom line is it really doesn't do anything to make Americans safer at all as we already detain and deport immigrants who commit serious crimes. So they really haven't done anything in, in law right now. It's all been executive order, but it's been extremely destructive, especially on the tariff front.

[Mallory Hagan]

Yeah, well, and, and there's something to be said though, for how productive can our country be, how secure can our country be if over half of the country is living essentially in fear? Right. Every day they're worried about what's going to come next, how they're going to pay for the next thing. When we've got Doge cutting government workers, people concerned about their jobs, we've got friends and family in the military worried about what's coming next, worried about reorganization. Coming down from Pete Heckseth, you know, there's just, there's so many things that are unsettling to the everyday American that are happening that really have a long term effect and a long term cost. And we didn't even get into the defunding of things like health care, the defunding of research, which will have generations, generations of impact. Yeah. So there's just so much uncertainty. And that uncertainty leads people to, to not be able to function as they normally should or could on a daily basis. And that in and of itself is a loss of productivity and a loss to our economy on a regular basis.

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah. I think, you know, there's no doubt that the first hundred days of the Trump presidency with Republicans, by the way, in charge of the House of representatives and the U.S. senate, has been a complete and utter disaster for the country. But something that gets asked of me a lot is what should Democratic leaders be doing right now? And has the Democratic Party been effective in responding to what Trump is doing? So I really want to get your take on that because there's a lot of people out there who, you know, that they're very critical of Democratic leaders, as if Democratic leaders are going to be able to stop this somehow. What are your thoughts?

[Mallory Hagan]

Well, I think you're exactly right. First of all, the criticism of Democrats can only go so far. What are they going to do? And this conversation tends to happen among Democrats. Right. We're all very angry, and there's always a lot of infighting within the party. And I just want to say on the record that I think that's actually the result of something that's good, and that is that Democrats cast a wide net. We are the party of inclusion, bringing people in. We've got people of all different races and backgrounds and ethnicities and nationalities. And because of that, there are so many points of view, so many people focused on what should be the solution. So although it tends to be fragmented, I think it's actually the result of something positive, which is that we have diversity in our party. But what I think is, first of all, I wish people would focus more on the fact that we have Republicans who not two years ago, four years ago, we're talking about Donald Trump being the worst. J.D. vance. J.D. vance was on a media tour, you know, before he was the vice presidential nominee, talking about how Donald Trump was the worst thing that could ever happen to the United States of America. And now here he is. So we don't hold Republicans feet to the fire or hold them to the same account that we do Democrats. But as far as what could Democrats be doing? I hate to sound ageist, but we are living in 2025, and we don't have leadership in the Democratic Party that reflects that, if you ask me. I always think that there's room for experience and wisdom and knowledge that should never be lost on us. But I do think that there's room for the Schumers of the world to sort of pass the torch, step aside and allow emerging leaders to really flourish in that space. The Jasmine Crocketts, the aocs, and anybody else who's willing and able and aspires to take in the position leadership, the inability to work together on messaging and come up with tactics and strategy that they all agree on and can move forward with is, I think, really hindering us right now.

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah, it's hard to do. I mean, the fact is that Democrats don't have power right now, so there's not a clear leader. You know, we can all peacefully protest. But this idea that Democrats are somehow going to be able to stop Donald Trump is. Is not true. And it's one of the reasons, frankly, Mallory, that so many of us were out there saying, hey, you may be conservative, but Donald Trump is. Is going to run over our Constitution. If he gets back into office, he's going to surround himself with people who do not care about the Constitution. And that is exactly what is happening. And we unfortunately are all living through this. I think you are seeing different Democratic leaders have different tactics during this time. Governor Newsom starting his podcast and, you know, trying that way. Governor Whitmer is still sort of trying to work with Donald Trump, and she needs to do that. Right. Because she's the governor of Michigan. They need some, they need those jobs. So she's doing her job at the same time that she's having to try to resist to some degree, Donald Trump. You have other, you have senators sticking up for due process, going to foreign countries to do that. I just think there's no perfect right way at the moment. And so that is frustrating for a lot of people.

[Mallory Hagan]

I think that when you don't have the power in the political sense, that truly that's where communication and messaging really comes in. And that's what I was saying. It's like the inability to agree on direct talking points, direct messaging, or even a way to distribute those. That part, I think, is where they might be failing a little bit, because that messaging can sway the person who might have buyer's remorse right now, and not just sway them, but push them into action or push them into showing up at these town halls. We're seeing around the country, things like that. So, so I'm hoping that they, they get it together before, before next year.

[Amy McGrath]

And I also, I don't want us to focus so much on what is the perfect message. You know, I've always kind of fall back on what's the right thing to do. Yeah, what's the right thing to do? And then, you know, the message will follow. That's, that's the way I've always felt. But it, you know, it's a tough time right now.

[Mallory Hagan]

Yeah.

[Amy McGrath]

The second issue I really wanted to tackle today is a program that I was actually involved in earlier in my career in the United States Marine Corps while I was at the Pentagon over a decade ago. It's called the Women Peace and Security Program. And our super unqualified Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, bragged this past week about ending that program. Now, he incorrectly stated that the program was a product of the, quote, woke Biden administration. The program in its more recent form, Mallory, was actually signed into law by President Trump in 2017. And then Pete Hegseth amended his words and said, well, the program was good at first, but then the Biden administration ruined it. I mean, with no specifics as to the Biden administration doing anything different than the Trump administration. And people need to know that the Trump campaign actually touted the women Peace and Security program as one of its proudest accomplishments of his first term. It was championed by Kristi Noem, Mike Waltz, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. I mean, the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. Marco Rubio just a few weeks ago talked about how great the program is and now Pete Hegseth is shit canning it. Yeah, so I just, it's, it's just unbelievable also because that program itself, it was low cost and did a lot of good things.

[Mallory Hagan]

Well, why don't, because I'm not entirely sure exactly what the program does. So why don't you tell people a little bit about what it entails, why it was important in the first place.

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah. So Mallory, if you were to, if you were given a data point that showed you that you could have longer lasting peace, longer lasting peace treaties, negotiations that would end in conflicts or conflicts would end in a more just way, and that data point was given to you, and it was something that happens 30% of the time. If you do this one thing, you get more lasting peace. You would do it, right? I mean, if it was pretty easy to do. You know what that one thing is? It's very simple. It's have more women at the negotiating table and involved in the negotiations for these peace treaties and things that happen to end conflicts around the world. And so women, peace and security really has nothing to do with women in the military. By the way, Pete Hegseth, you know, got rid of it because he hates women in the military. But it doesn't really have anything to do with that. It has to do with the underlying human dimension of wars and security. And I'm not just making this up. We have data now and we've had it for the last 15, 20 years that shows that when you have more women at the table, at the negotiating table, 30 to 40%, you're 30% to 40% more effective in getting a longer lasting peace. So this program was designed to help that happen. And so what does it do? It helps with greater participation of women in negotiations and in their societies going forward. So when you empower women in a, a conflict zone or in a nation that that is, is struggling, those women tend to get that education and that power. They're more invested in their society and guess what? They do. They stay there and they help build that society and it helps to not become a, a broken nation that we then have to, you know, send our troops into. Typically, when you educate men, a lot of times those men will take that education and they will go elsewhere. Whereas women, we know, tend to stay in their countries. And so there's value to empowering women, to educating them, there's value to bringing them to the negotiating table. And also, if women are involved in the conflict itself, we're talking about winning wars here. Okay. Which I know PT Hegseth cares a lot about. Right. Winning wars. If you bring in all of that country's persons, people, into your side, not just 50%, not just 49%, but you bring in 100% of the people and society of that country, then you are more likely to, you know, succeed. And so think about Ukraine. We have over 60,000 women fighting in Ukraine. Imagine if those women weren't fighting. If you just said, well, we're not going to invest in those women. They have to. And that's going to make them more effective. So that's another piece of this.

[Mallory Hagan]

So when he says that the troops hate this program or people don't like it, riddle me this. How many people are usually sitting at those negotiation tables? Who is typically doing the negotiating? Is it. Is it. You know.

[Amy McGrath]

Well, when. When he says the troops hate it, it's. It's total bullshit.

[Mallory Hagan]

Yeah.

[Amy McGrath]

Number one, the troops don't really even know about the program. It's very, very small program. And what. What does the program do? It does engagement activities. It does trainings, partnerships, workshops in other countries, information injects to try to get. Talk to the women in some of these other countries. Why? They're 50% of the population, Mallory. Why would you not want to engage them?

[Mallory Hagan]

Well, they don't want to engage us here, so.

[Amy McGrath]

Right. And we know that engaging them and empowering them creates lasting peace and makes conflicts go away. I mean, quickly, more quickly. And so Pete Hegseth is just dumb. He has a very immature understanding of real human security. And so when you don't engage women, you're basically. You're allowing our adversaries to go into that space.

[Mallory Hagan]

When you consider that Walls and Rubio were instrumental in putting this program together, getting it off the ground, what do you think is happening there? How. How do you have these two people in Hegseth circle? I don't want to. Allowing. But letting this transpire.

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah. Mallory, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand's doing. And that's why this sounds like you're.

[Mallory Hagan]

Crapping on the work that I just did for however many years to get this going.

[Amy McGrath]

My belief is that Marco Rubio could care less. I mean, he is a guy who has. Has, you know, he was A supporter of Ukraine until he became Secretary of State. But I mean, this business of also Pete Hegseth saying, well, the troops hate this. First of all, it's not true. The troops don't know anything about it. But second of all, why on earth are you enacting policies based on what the troops like or dislike? You know, troops don't like 0530 runs either in the morning. We still do them. Right. I mean, it's just. This is stupid. This is a program, by the way, that cost about 1/14 of the cost of that F18 that just. We just sort of dumped into the Red Sea this past week. So, I mean, it's a very low cost program, and it's just dumb to get rid of it. But when people said to me, what, putting Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, how is that going to hurt our national security? You know, people would ask me that. This is a perfect example. This is a low cost program that gives us a lot of bang for our buck. We're able to engage 50% of the population in conflict areas in order to win wars and then create lasting peace. And he's just throwing it away because he doesn't like the word women in the title.

[Mallory Hagan]

Well, this goes back to what we were just talking about, These sort of long lasting, potentially generational impacts of this administration and their poor decision making and poor leadership. I just for a moment would like to implore everyone listening to imagine that you are Pete Hegseth's wife or mother. Two women who surround him when he is consistently talking about how women are incapable, they're not powerful, they're not worthy, like that is insane to me. I. I find the fact that you can come from a woman and be married to a woman and have daughters and still espouse this level of disdain for half of the population and be supported in doing so absolutely crazy.

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah. To me, again, this is, this is a program that's about security. It's about using data. And a lot of the things that we've learned, by the way, in the past 20 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq and applying them to the future. And it's low cost. And he's, you know, we're led by idiots right now.

[Mallory Hagan]

You said one of the most dangerous combinations is one that he has, which I think, I think the words you used were stupidity and arrogance together. Yeah.

[Amy McGrath]

I mean, it's being unqualified and being arrogant. I feel like you can muddle through that job being unqualified if you, if you're Humble. If you listen to people around. If you don't fire the four star generals and admirals.

[Mallory Hagan]

Yeah.

[Amy McGrath]

That, you know, have been in that position and some. And. But he's the opposite of that. He comes in, he thinks he knows everything. Now he's trying to restructure the United States army, which, which may need restructuring, frankly. But is he the guy, the guy to do it? Does anybody think that he's actually done any research into this and, and knows how to do it without taking a wrecking ball? That. That's the concern I have.

[Mallory Hagan]

Well, especially since before this job, he had managed, what, 50 people?

[Amy McGrath]

Not even his.

[Mallory Hagan]

He's never even seen an organization this large, much less let a reorganization of it.

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah.

[Mallory Hagan]

So, gosh.

[Amy McGrath]

Well, so I want to move into our quick shots because we have a lot of them. There's a lot going on. We don't have time to do a segment on all these, but we should be just talking about them because they happened in this past week. Some of them are kind of funny, but some of them are, are also not so funny, and people need to know about them. So here we go. According to Trump, celebrating Indigenous Peoples Day alongside Columbus Day is actually an attempt to smear Italians. He accused Democrats of denigrating the explorer's legacy. So your, your thoughts on that, Mallory?

[Mallory Hagan]

I think that indigenous people were here on this continent long before Columbus made it its way. And you may not feel this way, but I feel like this, like, of course, of course a white man doesn't want to acknowledge that, you know, native people were here first. We didn't, we didn't discover this place.

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah. I mean, Joe Biden was the first president to acknowledge or have this Indigenous People's Day to market. And frankly, we should have had an Indigenous People's Day decades ago. Now, the fact that Joe Biden decided to make this day on the same day as Columbus Day, you know, that's a pretty bold statement. That's a choice. Okay. So I think if you're worried about Christopher Columbus's legacy. All right. But we also need to acknowledge that his discovery of the New World at the time also brought about many decades, centuries actually, of oppression, of forced assimilation, enslavement of the indigenous people who were here. And I think that's an important thing. And it's not, you know, you call me woke. I don't care what you call me, but we should be acknowledging that.

[Mallory Hagan]

Aware. I hope more people recognize.

[Amy McGrath]

That's right.

[Mallory Hagan]

It's the old saying, when you know better, you do better. I'VE always felt like that means why.

[Amy McGrath]

Can'T we have two different days? If you really love Christopher Columbus, sure, you can have Columbus Day. We can also have an Indigenous Peoples Day. We need to. Our country needs to. I mean, I've always felt like we should make Election Day and Veterans Day the same day. We could consolidate those two and then have another day for indigenous peoples. That's just my belief.

[Mallory Hagan]

Yeah. Although I would question folks if they really feel strongly about Christopher Columbus. I would just question, why dig a little deeper there.

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mallory Hagan]

True.

[Amy McGrath]

All right. During an interview with ABC News, President Trump once again insisted that the wrongly deported Kilmer Abrego Garcia had a gang tattoo on his hand and tried to claim a Photoshop picture was proof of it. So I think my take on this is, well, no kidding, because President Trump is super old, and I don't think he fully understands or cares that you can just so easily Photoshop pretty much anything on anyone.

[Mallory Hagan]

This man is a man of entertainment. He's very aware. Every photo of him he's ever approved has had been Photoshopped from here to hell and back.

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah.

[Mallory Hagan]

I think this is much larger in the sense of the propaganda machine that they're attempting to create, allowing right wing journalists only into the White House and spaces where he is. I think there's much more of an effort here to, to dupe their base. And also, it's just, it's. It's a losing subject for him.

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah. I mean, he's doubling down.

[Mallory Hagan]

Yeah. Republicans are coming out. People who are MAGA are coming out and saying, hold up. So I think, you know, doubling down on this is, is his way of testing the waters even further on how much he can get away with.

[Amy McGrath]

And the bottom line with this, this whole issue, because I see it from the right wing all the time, is, you know, you guys, Democrats are supporting illegal criminals. Hey, here's the deal. I don't know if this guy is. Is a criminal. I don't know. He needs, like every other person in the United States, the opportunity to have this thing called due process.

[Mallory Hagan]

And that's why you don't know if he's a criminal.

[Amy McGrath]

That's right. And that, that. So it does not matter to me. What matters is the due process. And if he goes through that and it's determined that he is a criminal, then we go from there. That's just my belief. I want to point out that's the American way.

[Mallory Hagan]

I want to point out there's a lot of rhetoric happening. I'm chronically on The Internet. There's a lot of rhetoric happening online that due processes for citizens. And I just want to reiterate that due process is granted to every person, not citizen. And in order for you to know if someone is an illegal immigrant, you would have to go through due process. It's a little chicken and egg, folks. But I just want to clarify that there's a lot of people who don't seem to understand that if you are walking around on American soil, you are granted due process.

[Amy McGrath]

Absolutely. And it's read the Constitution. I mean, that's where it is.

[Mallory Hagan]

We've made it clear that some folks don't want to do that.

[Amy McGrath]

I know. All right, this is kind of a funny one, but it's also a little dark. Trump asked, was asked by a reporter at the White House this week who he would like to succeed Pope Francis. And Trump said, quote, I'd like to be the Pope. That that would be my number one choice. And then after that, Lindsey Graham, Senator, Republican senator from South Carolina, tweets out this, and I quote, I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope. This would truly be a dark horse candidate. But I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility. Exclamation mark.

[Mallory Hagan]

What? I can't stop laughing because the levels of ridiculousness know no bounds. None. What do you mean, the Pope, the man held a Bible upside down for a photo. He couldn't. He couldn't tell you. What, what would. What did he say? What was the book of the Bible that he said incorrectly? I don't either, but point is, he couldn't tell you a single verse from the Bible, much less.

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah, I think it was Corinthians something. I think, Mallory, this shows us two things. One, how much kiss assery that these Republican senators. Senators. Senators. Have to do.

[Mallory Hagan]

Do they have to. I don't know.

[Amy McGrath]

Or feel like they feel like they have to do or maybe want to do. I don't understand how you can sleep at night being that much of a kiss act.

[Mallory Hagan]

I say somebody that's number one, either of our genes.

[Amy McGrath]

And number two, and this is the darker piece of this, I think it's. It's how little that these guys think of the Catholic Church and how little they think of the Catholic faith to suggest that a man who holds the Bible upside down, who's clearly never read it, who has three wives, that he's cheated on every single one of them, could possibly be the Pope. I just think it's just a slap in the face to anyone who is Catholic. It's really offensive.

[Mallory Hagan]

I think it makes sense to be offended by that. However, I'm also just never surprised we are at this point where, I mean, this is on the list, the long list of offensive and horrendous and awful things that have been suggested or done.

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah.

[Mallory Hagan]

I mean, to me, this is just comical.

[Amy McGrath]

Yeah. Well, here's our last quick shot. But this is also something that's important, I think, to me, and may not get a ton of press coverage, but I think it should. You remember when Donald Trump said, nobody's done more for the military than me? Okay. Well, just this week, Trump's va, the Department of Veterans affairs, has abruptly ended the mortgage rescue program that was helping 20,000 veterans avoid foreclosure to keep their homes. This is happening right now, and everybody should know that under the Biden administration, President Biden's VA started a program called the VA Servicing Purchase Program. And what that did was for VA backed home loans. If you were a veteran who was falling behind, perhaps you had to quit your job to get treatment for PTSD or traumatic brain injury or something like that, and you were falling behind financially, you could get some help, okay? And with today's mortgage rates around 7% ending, that program basically ends the only affordable option for a lot of these veterans. And many of them, thousands of them are at risk now to lose their homes. And so I feel like this is a big deal. You know, we don't, in my mind, we don't give a ton to veterans in this country. I know there's some people that think otherwise, but you sign the dotted line to Uncle Sam and Uncle Sam gets to send you anywhere, and you might, you, you put your butt on the line in combat. And in return, there are some promises. And those promises, really, there's, there's three big ones. One is healthcare for the rest of your life. Okay. The other is the GI Bill. If you want to go and you want to go to college, Uncle Sam's going to pay for it for the most part at a state school. And number three, the VA Home loan. The VA Home loan is, is, it doesn't, it's not free, but it gives you a little bit better rate than the everyday person. And so these veterans had the VA Home loan, and here, here we are. I just feel like this is really important. Republicans are saying these are, you know, bums who can't, you know, pay their, their, their mortgage. It is a slap in the face to all Veterans and Republicans know better. And I just think it's outrageous.

[Mallory Hagan]

Yeah, I think so many people, especially to call anyone a bum who's doing their best to make it through this life, just in general. But when you add the added layer of being a veteran, so many people I think don't realize just how long lasting the impacts of combat, of the grueling schedule, all of those things that moving from place to place, there's all sorts of long lasting impacts, both mentally and physically or health wise that veterans are enduring and dealing with. So to call anyone who's working through those things, from PTSD to health related issues, cancers a bum or to insinuate that they don't deserve the help from our government in order to get by is preposterous. Honestly.

[Amy McGrath]

And it happens all the time with these Republicans. I mean, here's the deal. Biden extended the lifeline to these veterans that were in need. Joe Biden, Democrats did that. Now Republicans are pulling the rope and all these veterans are potentially going to lose their homes right now. And they're doing it because they want to cut spending. They're literally cutting spending on the backs of veterans. And those of us that watch this space, it's not surprising to us, but it's happening and people need to know about it.

[Mallory Hagan]

And instead what they might be doing with said money is, I think it's Trump who's requested a parade, a military parade for his birthday. So that's where the priorities of this administration lie. Trump needs a birthday celebration with the military, but he doesn't want to support them when it's necessary.

[Amy McGrath]

Well, I don't want to end on a bad note. We've had a great episode and we always end with the cheers. Somebody or something that we really are excited about and want to drink too. So this week I think we should have cheers, Mallory, to Mark Carney and to Canada for electing a prime minister from the center left, the Liberal Party of Canada, and in the process sending a big fat message to Donald Trump, who was clearly for the other candidate, that at least Canadians are not going to be bullied by this bully.

[Mallory Hagan]

They're our neighbors, not our 51st state.

[Amy McGrath]

Cheers to Canada.

[Mallory Hagan]

Cheers to Canada.

[Amy McGrath]

All right, thank you for listening, everyone. Next week we will have another edition of Truth in the Barrel. Unfiltered. We'll have another edition of Truth in the Barrel, Devil's Cut. And we're so excited to continue this conversation every week where we distill down the issues of the week, the issues of the day. And if you have a topic out there that you want us to cover? Send it our way. We're always interested to know what's on the minds of Americans. We try to pull from our friends and family about topics that will affect everyday lives and we're just happy to be out here. I'm happy to have you as co host today, Mallory, and I hope you have a great week.

[Mallory Hagan]

Thanks for having me.

[Amy McGrath]

All right, see you next time, everyone.

[C]

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[Mallory Hagan]

Let's go.

[C]

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[Mallory Hagan]

Brad, you're on mute.

[C]

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[Mallory Hagan]

Today.